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I was banded 8 years ago. Although I have kept off some weight, I have been yo yoing(spell check) since then. I am doing the revision to sleeve on 9/13. I am still obese and my life and health are severely limited by my weight. I went back to the same practice that did the band and I think that's as a good decision. Good luck to you. Sent from my VS986 using the BariatricPal App

I'm in Bowie MD. Had my sleeve done in 2010, and revised it to the SADIS/SIPS/Loop DS August 12, 2016. Couldn't be happier with either decision. I've recorded my whole journey since 2010 on YouTube - cecelialane. So happy to see so many newbies taking this amazing step to a better, happier, healthier u! Congrats everyone and best of luck - be sure to enjoy the ride!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I went through the same thing 6 years out from my sleeve. I am a good addict - I use food to Celebrate, to punish, as a salve....and after the death of my amazing mommy in 2014 who I took care of while dying, I backslid with a vengeance and all my old habits came back along with 50lbs I just could not seem to shake. Because going back to basics unfortunately did not work for me - between needing the additional surgical tools to help manage my eating/consumption and my even slower metabolism that was so desperate to get back to my "heavy weight" - scientific fact after extreme weight loss - I finally said to myself I am weak and I am strong. For the areas I am weak, I need help so that I Amy contour to succeed. So after many attempts to fix things myself I had a revision and am finally back on track with my Weightloss AND more importantly my healthy eating. I am not advocating the revision, I just wanted to share my story with u and remind u that u are beautifully imperfect, we all are. So cut urself a break in the self-recriminations. U will find ur answer and overcome. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Has anyone had to do this? My reflux is making me miserable...saw surgeon yesterday and he wants to do upper GI and upper endoscopy. Then they will submit to insurance for revision approval. I am super nervous, not because of the insurance but because I really want to feel better and just lose this weight already! It would be super to not have my esophagus feel like it's on fire. Any advice?

@@asweet_sleeve When you say your eating habits are "ok" what exactly do you mean? What are you eating? What does a typical day look like for you? I've always heard that weight loss is 90% diet and about 10% exercise.....So first make sure your diet is where it needs to be. Everyone is different but what works for me is staying very low carb. I keep my carbs below 20 grams a day. I have also heard that folks with revision surgery lose slower.....but I do think we have control over our own weight loss and can certainly help things along. Good luck to you.

@@kmorri I have 2 eligibility requirements. 5 years 40+ bmi and over the age of 21. They denied me for not having 5 years 40 bmi but this is a revision surgery for an eroded lapband I had removed in 2011.. I didn't get back up to 40 bmi until 2014 (lost 60 lbs with the band and it was covered under this same policy) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had one but I was a band to sleeve revision and my surgery was a little over 3 hours Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes, especially for a lap band to sleeve revision. I had an unfill and left it for 8 months just to have some relief, I'm doing better know since the revision but I now I remember how important it is to take my Prilosec everyday.

Does anyone have recommendations to start out with purée food I can start with I'm a week post op on a revision? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello! I am 4 years post-op VSG. I have been reviewing some research where VSG to RNY revision patients, who had [severe] acid reflux, were cured after Bypass. I was hoping to please get feedback from those of you who had VSG surgery and then converted to the RNY: How severe was your acid reflux after VSG? How many years did you wait before you convert? Was GERD the only reason? Did the RNY revision completely cure your GERD? Would greatly appreciate your feedback!

I am looking forward to a revision too from band to sleeve or bypass...I am leaning towards sleeve, but just want to be successful. The band was not my friend and even though I lost 20lbs and kept it off, I need to lose about 100 more pounds. I was anxious about going to Mexico, but reading these forums has helped me a lot. My insurance won't cover, so I'm paying for his on my own.

After struggling with my weight since middle school, I attended a seminar on weight loss surgery in January of 2015, fairly certain that I would have the lap-band procedure if I decided to go through with it at all. My weight has always been a sensitive subject for me, so I told no one that I was going, not even my husband. I listened to everything the surgeon said, including the issues that people with lap band were having, and that many people who had opted for lap band ended up getting a revision to the sleeve eventually. I left the seminar, impressed with the surgeon and his knowledge, but very embarrassed that I was even considering surgery. After all, I had known a few people that had surgery and gained all their weight back, and for me surgery meant that I was weak, and couldn't do it on my own. I immediately hid all the materials from the seminar in one of my dresser drawers and decided I would give losing weight on my own another shot. I decided to do a Whole 30 (for those not familiar, it's essentially an elimination diet where you get rid of all processed food, sugar, wheat, soy, alcohol, etc.) and I just knew that this time it would stick. I adhered to the Whole 30 program for the full 30 days, lost 18 pounds, and felt great about myself. Then, as is what always happens, I slowly reverted back to my old ways, and ended up gaining 25 pounds back. Just as I had every year, every diet, every resolution, every demonstration of will and determination, I had failed. Flash forward to January of this year, when the time came to consider making a change again, I gave another thought to bariatric surgery. This time, I had examples of a couple of people that had surgery and were successful. I researched more on the sleeve, and began to see where it could work for me. I had a tough conversation with my husband about my decision, who wanted to support me, but was very apprehensive. The man, whom I adore but who has never struggled with his weight a day in his life asked "Can't you just try to diet and exercise? This surgery seems very extreme." I explained all that I knew about the surgery, and, for the first time with anyone, I was completely honest about my weight and my struggles with weight loss since I was a child. While still apprehensive, he agreed to support my decision and be there for me. I attended another seminar with a different hospital in March, met with the surgeon and made the final decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. Everything was going well. My surgery was looking like it would take place in August. My insurance only required 3 months of supervised diet, I quit smoking as the surgeon required, had an endoscopy, sleep study (where I was diagnosed with sleep apnea), visited a cardiologist, was trying to do everything I was supposed to do. Then I called my surgeon's office at the end of June to check in and make sure I was still on track for an August surgery. The program coordinator got on the phone and told me that she was going to contact me, as the surgeon had made the decision to stop performing bariatric surgery, and I would need to find another surgeon. I was devastated. After everything I had done so far, I was going to have to start over. What was the point? I allowed myself to wallow for a bit, then decided that I was going to get right back on track. After all, the worst that could happen was that I may need to start from the beginning again, but if I did, what was a few more months delay compared to decades of struggle with my weight. I wound up contacting the surgeon whose seminar I attended back in 2015 and made an appointment to see him. Fortunately, they were able to get all of my records and fast track me through. After an initial denial, my insurance approved on the second request, and I was able to schedule my surgery date for August 24th. So, here I am, 5 days post op. The gas pain in the hospital was unbearable for the first 2 days, but that subsided. Right now I have pain in my upper right abdomen that is exacerbated depending on how I move or sit. Hopefully that will go away soon. I joked with my husband that this is probably how I would feel if I had stab wounds in my abdomen. I have only lost 1.5 lbs since my surgery, but I'm guessing that may be due to Fluid retention and lack of nutrients, as I am only now starting to drink my Protein and take my Vitamins. I am excited for what the rest of this journey will bring, and love reading about everyone else's stories. Sorry for the long post, this is the first time I have ever sat down and wrote about what led me to this. I hope to have some positive updates in the near future!

Jackie, I can't help but feel that if you are a revision you should have known to do your research prior to your op. That includes post op diet, planning ahead & requesting information if it isn't provided to you. I don't mean to be harsh but you have to get on top of this. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am a revision patient too - I promise it gets better and it really does feel SO good after those first couple of weeks. Hang in there!

Hello! Newbie over here – Even though I have been using this forum for years! I am 4 years post-op VSG. I am very happy with my weight loss and maintenance, but I never had any issues with acid reflux prior to my surgery! For the past 4 years, I have been struggling daily with my acid reflux issues. I take medication every single morning and night and without it, I am in an incredible amount of pain. I am unable to lie down or sleep properly, and this causes tension for my neck and my back. Just slightly bending down makes the food regurgitate and it’s very painful. For the past 8 months, I feel immense tightening and pressure in my chest and it is so very uncomfortable, especially when I am around people. GERD is also starting to slightly alter my voice and my singing range. I have sought to find a cure several times. I've had two endoscopies (they dilated my esophagus during the second one), and several barium swallow tests. The tests don’t show anything abnormal. I have tried so many different drugs, diets, and remedies to no resolve. I've even tried a natural medicine MD and hypnosis, to no avail. I have been reviewing some research as well as other forums where Sleeve to RNY revision patients, who had [severe] acid reflux, were cured after Bypass. I was hoping to get feedback from those of you who had VSG surgery and then converted to the RNY/bypass: Did you have acid reflux after your VSG? How severe was it? How many years did you wait before you convert? Was GERD the only reason? Did the RNY revision completely cure your GERD?

I just had surgery done on Thursday its a sleeve revision I'm so hungry I don't know what to eat anymore I'm tired of all this clear liquid.. I didn't get a diet plan from my doctor can anyone share their plan I'm on my fourth day .. I'm starting to regret this decision Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I can't speak of sleeve or revision to sleeve, but, from what I've read in BP, don't see why you shouldn't do well. What I will advise is that you make losing weight your only goal. Don't think about the rate of loss. Simply seeing the scale move downward will tell you the only thing that really matters. Keep in mind, too, that people who revise from band to sleeve generally lose at a slower rate than those who've been sleeved from the start. That you wish to lose not all that much now is also a factor. You'll be fine.

Hi all, Glad to be part of this section of BariatricPal since previously spending it on the Lap Band forum! To give a bit of background: My highest weight ever was 357 and I underwent lap band surgery on May 2013 - four days after I turned 21. I found great success with it for the first 18 months, losing 156 lbs before having a body lift (tummy tuck/butt & thigh lift) and arm lift in late February 2015 where an additional 11 lbs of excess skin was removed, making my total loss 167 lbs and my lowest weight to date being 190 lbs. Last summer, to put it as simply as possible, my band pretty much "stopped working" and I ended up gaining 30 lbs back. It was torturous and I worked tirelessly with my surgeon's office to resolve it (multiple fills which all did nothing, the highest being 6.75; anything above I couldn't swallow water) and even went on Phentermine for a few months - which helped me lose 10 of the 30 lbs I'd gained back - before my body became immune to it. After expressing for a long while that I felt helpless and would like to have my band removed/revised to a sleeve, my surgeon's office helped me apply for insurance approval which was a success! My weight pre-revision surgery was 209 lbs and I had the revision done just this past Wednesday, August 24th. I am recovering well although I'd forgotten how miserable the 2 week liquid diet is! Two questions I currently have are: 1) I am very bloated from having IV fluids for 3 days and saw my weight fluctuate to 214 and then back to 210. I don't plan to weigh myself knowing it will just upset me in the meantime - when can I expect for this to resolve itself? 2) My goal weight is 165 lbs (being 5'8 tall and 24 years old) but realize that I've already lost a large amount of weight; is this a realistic expectation? I've suffered so much heartache as a result of the past year that my fear (probably irrational) is that I won't lose any more weight or be able to see weekly progress. Thanks all for reading - any advice/comments are appreciated!

Yes, yes, and yes! It's like there is a cult of the almighty Sleeve and any negative talk is met with, "Give it time!" and "You'll feel differently later." I have even met people who say they love their sleeve and talk about how wonderful it is and then later will tell you about their complications - acid reflux, food aversions, vomiting, and then when I say, "woah! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!!?" and they will just say it's no big deal and change the subject. I know someone that I talked to before surgery. After I had the VSG she told me she has an atrophied kidney - (probably because of more than 9 years on PPIs that she's been taking for reflux.) I said that would have been nice to know before surgery. She said she wasn't sure it was the PPIs that caused the kidney damage. Oh, and she only throws up once a week because of reflux - it's not that bad. That's right - she didn't tell me that last part until after I got a sleeve. [ btw, "ad nauseum" - nice choice of words, Gina] I went to a post-op support group last week and met a woman who had a VSG 7 years ago. During the support group, she was talking about the joys of having a sleeve and she brought a friend who is planning to get one in October. But... on the way out the door to our cars I asked her about her reflux: "worse than ever" she said. She is on more medication than she was before the sleeve. Sleeve groupies. It's the cult of the sleeved. I swear if I end up liking this sleeve later - not sure I will - but if I do, I will never be a sleeve groupie. I will be honest with the pre-ops. When I b*tch about my reflux, I get "didn't you know that was a complication of the sleeve?" Well, yes, but I didn't know it was a permanent one, or that I was likely to develop it forever if I didn't have it already. but I don't have reflux, food aversions, vomiting or any of that mess. I am OFF all prescription medications. my diabetes is resolved or in remission. so you know - these things do not happen for everyone. I *can* eat anything - in small amounts - and I have the sleeve which makes it possible for me to follow a healthy diet without being hangry. it has been nothing but wonderful for me, and I'd say probably for the vast majority who do not even post on boards but go on with their new normal lives. if I had developed reflux I would have sought out revision to bypass. I wouldn't want to have to deal with daily reflux.

Having had my band and port removed, the thing I would watch for is a hernia. I developed a hernia from the port site, and had a second surgery to fix it, and its back. I am revising to bypass, so once my weight goes down, the surgeon will repair the hernia, hopefully for the last time! Hope you are feeling well!

I'm going to make this the "Reader's Digest Version". I had my lap band removed 8/1. I was planning on having a revision to the sleeve the same day but due to scar tissue it didn't happen. In the mean time I read a lot and thought a lot and decided I'd rather have the bypass. I was scheduled for 9/22 and today received a call and asked if I would be able to schedule for 9/6 instead. I of course said yes. I am wondering if anyone has had their band removed and their revision done a month later? If so, how was recovery? I know typically it's done 90 days later so that's why I'm asking. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes it is completely normal. I was a band to sleeve revision so I had a lot of extra inflammation making it hard to swallow. I was in the hospital for 5 days because it hurt so much. The doc just had me take it real slow with the liquids. I'm on liquid stage 2 and I'm still having a hard time with cheese and hot Cereal. You just have to be patient because of the extra inflammation. Plus, you had a hernia repaired which takes longer to heal. I'm sure you'll be fine. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I waited 6 months and had no problem- though in excess the hang overs are much worse than before. I guess the revised digestive system cannot process it as well or something

I had a lot of regrets for 2 weeks after surgery. I am so glad I had it done. I was a revision from the lapband. I'm down 45 pounds from March and am so happy. People tell me all the time not to lose anymore weight that I'm too skinny now. I love it. For the first time in my life I'm happy with the results. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App