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I had one aborted RNY and ended up with a lapband due to severe adhesions and scarring. on july 31 went in for a revision and went in for a second try for a RNY and it was a success.

I realize that most people will probably gloss over this topic...because for most 1 surgery works and is enough and if you fall into this category, please know how fortunate you are. This is not my story I am 5'8. In 2007 I was 273lb's and miserable! I got a Band. Following 13 fills and unfills the best I lost was 60lb's, I never achieved restriction, and unfilled to have 2 kids. All weight returned. In an unrelated accident my port flipped, and in 2015 at 265lb's I was revised to a Gastric Sleeve (Also had my gallbladder taken out, a Haital hernia repaired and the band removed). I lost 60lb's in the first 4 months and then...stopped loosing. At 205lb's I would have been happy with my results, but then, I felt no restriction and started to regain! Fast forward almost 3 years to today...I have developed GERD pretty bad and I've regained most of what I lost back! My stomach feels hungry every hour or two, I could always eat WAY more than my sleeved friends, and once I got myself full, it would not take long for the deep primal hunger to return. I have no relief from hunger. Especially at night, I'm ravenous! I became a grazer! I felt that the Ghrelin was back with an Army to fight me! A 80% international traveling job plus unlimited access to food in the best restaurants around the globe did not help. I have felt dejected, humiliated, like a failure, angry, frustrated and the list goes on for miles, if you are still reading, you probably know how I feel. And indeed, It's not just about how I look...it's about how I feel. Horrible!! My weight is pressing, intrusive and pervasive. There is no time that I am not aware of it. I have sleep Apnea, I can't keep up with my 6 and 7 year old's and the simple things in life are hard again. Completely demoralizing... After almost 3 years, I finally said "Enough" and went back to a new Surgeon. An Endoscopy revealed it has not all been my fault. My Sleeve was cut too big to begin with! My new surgeon reveled he knows the work of the previous surgeon who apparently was not very skilled at the time and making sleeves too big to be successful. A Bougie 42 was was too big to begin with but in my case, even that was very loosely cut. To top it off, my Sleeve was mis-shapen to begin with as well, setting me up for failure and I have a Stricture in the middle, causing me to have an Hourglass shape. Top fills up, stretches, bottom is hungry, then food goes to the bottom and is still there, top is hungry, in short...a hot mess! Miraculously given the Haital Hernia, GERD, Stricture and botched initial surgery, my insurance (that does not cover Bariatrics) has approved a revision to Bypass on Aug 22nd. I've been combing the internet for Sleeve to RNY revision but such information is not as readily available as 1st timers. I am so nervous...so frightened to go through with this. Scared of Anesthesia, scared how I would do, scared of the 3 week post op liquid only phase. Scared that I will fail again, that this will not work. Some Surgeons (like the Pound of Cure guy say you can only expect to loose 10 - 25lbs on a Sleeve to RNY revision, woa?? ) But I have to try...I want to live a full and vibrant life and not just exist like an Amoeba! This is truly Project last chance. My husband is supportive, but my friends, judgmental and not supportive. and if ever I needed some advice, encouragement, support etc...it's now... Nervous but cautiously hopeful, and very much in need of your support... Ellie

go to this webpage, she has some great revised recipes. theworldaccordingtoeggface.com

I first posted in this topic back in January. I had my first appointment with the surgeon on February 11 and he asked me which surgery I wanted. I told him the gastric bypass then he proceeded to tell me that he wouldn't do the bypass on me and would only do the sleeve because my BMI of 64 (weight was 399) at the time was too high and it was too risky then he told me to lift up my shirt and show him my belly, then said again I was too big. I was dumbfounded! Most doctors prefer the bypass for the heavier patients so I don't understand this at all. Then his dietician came in and said I had to lose 30 lbs before surgery but on my next appointment with her I saw paperwork that said 40 lbs. I'm waiting on my 3rd appointment on May 4 to clarify this but I'm down 21 lbs so far. I'm extremely frustrated because I've been going through this process for exactly a year now because their office keeps rescheduling my appointments. The day after my first appointment I had my endoscopy and it showed that I had several ulcers. I was put on Omeprazole and I think they are healed, but if I am prone to ulcers, isn't this yet another reason to do the bypass over the sleeve? I've had lots of time to mull this over while on my pre-op diet and I am convinced that I will fail with the sleeve and I know my body and I feel the bypass is what I need. I haven't seen the surgeon again since the first appointment so I'm hoping having had the ulcers will change his mind, but I am seriously contemplating looking into changing doctors if he still insists on only doing the sleeve. He tried to tell me I could do the sleeve then revise to the bypass, but why would I want to go through surgery twice if I don't have to? Also, my insurance is covering this 100% so I really doubt they will cover it a second time. My surgeon's office is a Center of Excellence and he has even appeared on TV a couple of times advertising his surgeries on a news show. Any thoughts on all this?

I had this. Turns out, after my sleeve, I developed polyps all through my entire stomach. The GERD (which I had never had pre sleeve) became so bad it turned into gastritis and esophagitis. I had to take 80mg of Nexium daily and Pepcid for breakthrough GERD (and sometimes that didn't even help). The pain and burning were excruciating. Sent me to the ER more than once. 4 endoscopies and 1 revision to bypass later, and I'm doing great. Stay on top of this. Cut out anything tomato based, avoid any kind of fruit juice, spices (even the ones that aren't hot). Hummus helped a lot, keto bread also helped, and drinking protein shakes literally saved me on days when I couldn't keep anything down at all. The bariatric diet went out the window until this was under control. I had to stop working out because it would set things off. In the ER the first time, I had a barium swallow to confirm there were no leaks. Then I was referred to a GI specialist, who did an endoscopy and found I had A TON of polyps in various sizes. Once they were all removed, I had my revision to bypass and have had to stay on Nexium. But it was lowered to 40mg for 5 weeks, then 20mg for weeks 6-8, then I'll go off them completely. Definitely stay on top of this. It won't resolve on it's own, and if left untreated, it will absolutely get worse.

I had a section in 2006, tummy tuck in 2008, while I made the mistake of getting the surgery prior to getting rid of all of my excess weight, it did help me in the gym bc I worked out better w/o having to look down and see that pouch of skin. However, my main piece of advice is to make sure you have a great doctor! Mine had to revise twice in his office and it still looks terrible, never flat! I went for a second opinion for revision and the doctor agreed if he did that surgery he would have been disappointed and fixed it the right way. So all in all get a good doc! Don't assume a nice doctor is a good doctor! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Yeah, us geriatric sleevesters have it way worse LOL. Just kidding. . . Oregondaisy was like 56 or 57 when she had her revision last year. But, age can have some effect on recovery.

Well, I am now eight weeks post op/revision. I must say, I physically feel better. But that is where the good news ends. I have managed to eat my way up 12 pounds and climbing. I have walked (3-4 miles) every day, worked out 3 days per week, journaled my in take and still gained. I am eating larger portions and yes, I am eating CRAP. I can't make myself stop. I went on the detox and did fine, then got down when the scale went up and had a cookie..It has been non-stop since then. My naval still hurts and so does my mid-section. The doctor says I am just healing and to relax. Don't stress about the discomfort nor the weight gain. It will calm down and this is expected. Posh, Posh, Poo, Poo. The B-12 shots have my thighs bruised and I have had enough of those. Weight gain is weight gain is weight gain any way you want to look at it. I can't control myself and as much as I hate to admit it..I almost don't care at this point. My band is gone..there is no alternative on the horizon except "self-control" and we all know how well that works - that's why we had WLS in the first place. I have met with the NUT and a dietician..my GYN and my PCP...no luck, they all say, you look great, you can do this, just say NO...HAHA..They are skinny and haven't dealt with obesity their entire life. There is an evil gene inside me and it wants to be fed..the little sucker was alseep for 2 1/2 years - the band had choked the life out of it...but as soon as the band was gone - surprise - here it came again. I know I still have the plication but that is not the same...I need that tiny little pouch that sent the burping message to me to "put the fork down and walk away". I had a good relationship with my band - the slippage was not my fault - I want it back. The surgeon says I can't have it back because my stoma had formed scar tissue around the top and therefore it can't be put back. OK fine, I am intelligent, I understand...but what can I put in it's place????????????? How about "fat gene removal"??? As hard as I try to focus on something else..anything else..it call comes back to FOOD..For those of you reading this, you now think I am a "head case" and only a shrink will help me..well, maybe so, but in the mean time..I am snacking and munching my way back to being "chunky" all over again. I am still in contact with the doctor and I think he realizes that I am on a downward spiral...I hope he can help me out of this funk before I gain anymore poundage. I have little faith there. Have a great weekend to all..I hope you don't mind that I had to vent..I had to vent somewhere and this blog seemed like the best place. One thing for sure...many of you understand where I am coming from..you have been there and have the T-shirt to prove it. Melinda in Florida

One year as of this past Saturday. Down 62 pounds, wearing a size 14 petite in pants, a size 10 or 12 in dresses, look and feel fantastic and no regrets. It wasn't easy and still isn't. Girl loves to eat. :biggrin: But the band helps me keep it in perspective. Its been a slow loss, my skin is recovering nicely and I feel great. Getting married next month in a street size 12 wedding dress. My all time highest I was a size 28, so it feels pretty svelt to me. I am thankful I had my surgery. If I ever have complications from the band I will revise to a sleeve or RYGB, no question about it.

I was going to also do the band until I did a lot of research and saw so many band revisions to sleeves. If I'm going to go under, I'd rather do it just once. VSG seems easier with less complications. I'm really glad I didn't get the band.

I was unable to pull up your blog but watched your video. Good idea, posting at milestones. I'm doing pretty well. Today I was able to actually take in about a quarter cup of cream of chicken Soup. It was great. My doc has said I can use a little mylanta for the burning which has been a godsend. I was a revision so where my band port was is the where the most swelling (at least externally) is and the most tender spot. The other incisions are tiny and look great, no swelling or even discoloration. Glad you're doing so well. You look fabulous, dahling!

I am positive I am missing something here, lol. I registered at BariatricPal 7 years ago when I was getting a lap band. I am getting ready for revision to gastric bypass, but every time I try to search for something I get defaulted to the lap band forums. Is there a way to set preference? You would think I had never been on a forum before. Sheesh!

I'm just so glad to see that doctors now want to followup for five years! I think if there had been more followup to the Inamed bands alot of us wouldn't be needing revisions 2 yrs down the road! (again...working on tea instead of coffee...so not sure that made sense).

Thanks for the post, CaptDerel! I did entertain getting the lap band very shortly when I first started researching weight loss surgeries but all of the erosion and slippage stories scared me into definitely getting the vertical sleeve. I hope that your acquaintance's Aunt gets well and recovers fine. I think a sleeve revision may be a good idea but only the doctor knows i guess.

My other captain aboard my vessel just received a phone call saying that his aunt is having surgery today. She has gotten banded 4 years ago and the last couple of days shes been feeling real funny and weak. Finally she collapsed twice before the ambulance arrived. She was also spitting up blood. Upon CT scan a hole was found caused by erosion from the lapband. So as of now they put a stent in and some clamps to help it heal. I told him to tell his family now would the perfect time to do the band to sleeve revision. If they dont see an improvement. I almost did choose the lapband until the seminar showed me the sleeve. And from that point on knew it was the way to go

I'm only almost 4 weeks out from revision surgery but I would say that so far I'm losing weight faster that initially with the band. Total weight loss including pre-op I've lost a little over 30 pounds so far. I hope that the weight keeps coming off. The band was very difficult. So far I don't have the hunger like I did with the band.

Hi, everyone. I'm new to this site and expect to have revision from band to bypass in Jan / Feb. I'm started the 6 month nutrition on Jun 30 - and just completed all the other hoops except cardiac clearance. My big news is that last Friday, 9.26.2015, I gave up a 50 year diet Coke habit cold turkey. I am 63 and started at 13. The only other time I quit for a significant length of time was for 3 months with the lap band and 9 months with pregnancy. I have decided that this 6 month NUT period is like being pregnant with the new me. Putting me first is new to me, and I am very proud of myself. Looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you!

Dr Wilhelmy sutures over the staple line, I just had my surgery with him last week. He does 3 lines of staples plus the sutures. I had a revision from band ro sleeve which increased my chances of a leak. I passed all 3 leak tests.

I had reflux terribly before my revision from band to rny. I never had it prior to the band or once it was out. Heartburn and reflux both were a cause and effect of band life for me. I am almost a year out from the rrvision and feel fantastic!!

I agree about taste changing after surgery, I always bought the costco one and loved it, now I tolerate them because I have so much. Whatever you get now, get enough to just get by till surgery, just incase. P.s isopure are nasty to me, I only tried one and anytime I think a out trying another kind in my fridge I get nauseous. Revision 1/31/13 by Dr Cabrera and Venezuela in MX

Hello, I had the lap band 05/07/07 and I'm at my goal wieght, my port really sticks out and gets in the way even. I just got authorization from my ins. for the revision and were gonna due it in Jan/09 . My question is how long will I need off work, I dont want to really take any time cause I dont have the sick time!! And do they fill me again right away or do I wait??? I can take 4 days off work thats about it.

By the way, I wouldn't make any decisions about revising your band until you're totally done with babies and I would give it at least 6 mos if not more. My doc had thought about putting the larger band in. That might be another option...

I had my band removed about a month ago due to a prolapse and slippage. It was unfilled for over a year because of issues I was having with swallowing and pancreatitis flair. I had a very small amount of fluid added and well that didn't work out well and the band slipped and it was just time to have it removed before I had any further issues with it. I was banded for about 4 years, and it really never worked with my body. I think my body was just rejecting it from the beginning. I was sick for 2 out of the 4 years. I have to say I am feeling 100% better since having the surgery to remove the band. I am able to eat and drink without being sick for days, and the surgical site is healing very well. I am working on all the requirements for revision to the sleeve, however I am still unsure about my feelings for another surgery. Knowing how sick I was for so long...and that if I have another surgery and there are issues, there is no "fix" for it. They can't just go in and take out the equipment to make it better....this time my body has to accept the change and adapt like it didn't with the band. I'm maintaining my weight, and haven't gained a whole lot since surgery, but I know that possibility is right there....so that's why I am moving ahead to meet the requirements for revision.

Banded in 2009 went from 252lbs to 149lbs in 3 years. Then I started having problems....... Food intolerance Heartburn Suspected slippage However I began a battle with infertility at the time and didn't care about my band even a little. Now that my son is old enough I need to get my band taken care of. I have a consult Friday for a gastric sleeve revision. I'm a little nervous about the whole idea. Anyone else in a similar situation. Oh and I've gained like 50lbs back. I am currently bouncing back and forth between 195lbs and 200lbs.