Search the Community

I am off to see my Dr this afternoon. I ended up in emergency 10 days ago after a bad stuck, vomiting and then reflux so bad that i could not lie down. They took out 4ml and left me with 2ml.They also did a CT and the Dr that looked at it told me that it looked as though everything was fine although he is not an expert. I can definitely feel the difference. I sometimes think it is like having no band but it must be having some effect as when I went out for my daughters Birthday last week I was satisfied with a burger patty and some (way too many) chips, I did not attempt the bun. It is amazing though how fast I am eating now that I can and how at the end of a meal I am still hungry and could easily eat more. I did take advantage this morning and had a yummy toasted hot X bun for Breakfast as I know they will be back off the menu if I get filled again. So fingers crossed that everything is OK. Jean sorry to hear about your problems and that you are having to revise. I am sure that some people must be gloating ovr that piece of info. Tammy hope your problem gets sorted out and that no further intervention is required.

Thank you Pickles and Mimi. I think my surgeon is a bit ornery too. He's good though at what he does so I'm willing to overlook the lack of bedside manner for the most part. Fortunately, his support staff is superb. Will report back once this swelling and water retention ceases and I have a better idea of what impact the revision has had.

I had a port revision last week. They put in a low profile port, you may need to ask about that type. My first port was on my side. I didn't want it on my abdominal muscles because of the pain doing sit-ups. However, once I had lost weight it stuck out like some tumor. It was awful, embarrassing and just downright gross. In the meantime the tubing came disconnected from the port and they decided to do a port revision. I now have a low profile port in the same spot on my right side. I hope your request will go through. I've heard of some women having theirs put above their breast toward their armpit to avoid the ugly tumor once they've lost their weight.

Yep. And furthermore, it isn't our place to tell ANYONE that we "think you'll be fine." Unless you're willing to step up and volunteer to pay for their follow-up care and any possible future revision surgeries or replacement bands if a slip should happen because they followed your advice over their doctor's, anyway. In that case, be my guest!

I was banded on 4/15 and had problems immediately related to my port. It sticks way out, rubs on a rib and causes a great deal of discomfort when I exercise or even bend over. It actually throbs when I exercise. Very weird. Anyway, I've been complaining since about 4 days post-op and just had what must have been my 5th or 6th follow-up appointment in the past 12 weeks. Up to now my surgeon kept asking me to be patient and wait it out suggesting that once I lost enough weight it would move/settle and the pain would dissipate. He said that all that was available was another surgery and he didn't want to go that route. Today I informed my surgeon that I wanted to do something since it bothers me so much. Also told him that in all likelihood I will not have insurance that covers anything that is WLS-related after the first of next year. He agreed - for the most part. He said that he'd have his office staff pursue getting pre-approval from my insurance for port revision surgery, but is confident that by the time it comes around to do the surgery I won't feel the need any longer. I get the feeling that he just doesn't want to admit to placing it in a bad spot. Anyway, I feel a huge sense of relief knowing that correcting this problem is finally in the works. Who has had port revision surgery? I'm told that recovery is much quicker than for WLS. Any experience out there? TIA.

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again. Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your breakfast with a protein shake. That will help you reach your protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch. You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it. The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating. I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing. I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day. Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself. Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically. Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey. To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place: 1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions 2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first) 3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME 4 - Get a good night's sleep 5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks 6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Good luck!

Would these women bat an eye if they needed an artificial hip replacement or a pacemaker. Those are foreign objects and the band is made of the same material (or very similar). Lind2times -- PBing is productive burping (aka vomiting but doesn't quite feel completely like it since it is only from your pouch). It can happen when you overeat or have something stuck that was not chewed well. Sliming is when you have an excess of saliva that comes up. I am 3 years out, had a slip and needed a revision, and I still love my band even if it can be very fickle. You are doing great researching, keep reading and learning.

hello, I was self pay revision from lapband to bypass. My BMI was around 32 (up from 25 when my lapband was unfilled 6 months earlier). The Dr (not my original lapband surgeon) who helped me when I had the complication and required a complete unfill would only take the band out and revise in two stages. I wanted to find a Dr to do it in one stage. So the surgeon I ultimately chose did make me do the psych eval (which was very easy). Also for me personally (because I mentioned my binge eating problems) insisted I also start seeing an eating disorder counselor. Also saw the nutritionist one time and had an ekg and bloodwork. During the appt I thought I wanted a sleeve, but because the damage the band caused to my esophagus he recommended bypass. At first I thought no way, but after thinking it through (and getting a third opinion!) I decided to do the bypass. My initial visit was March 11 and scheduled for surgery April 26 (but due to my conflict it was moved to May 1). Hope this helps Stella

I’m sure u both won’t need it. But good luck. Let us know how u get in. I’m having revision surgery in the new year x

My first entry here. No special story to speak of, My start weight is 235 at the hospital, which I went to Monterrey Mexico. Today, Dec 15th I'm down 21 pounds. I am on mushy foods, but I have to admit the only real mushies I've had is ground down tuna salad and Popeyes mashed potatoes with extra gravy. (yum by the way) I tried a mashed sweet potato with butter, sugar & cinnamon but it just wasn't happening, 2 bites was all I could manage. Did I mention I'm a revision from Lap-Band? Had it for 3 years, lost 60 pounds, gained 30 back...I'm going to try an egg tomorrow for breakfast...will keep my fingers crossed on that. I've not been having any problems getting in my fluids, and have been getting my 60 g of protien, but not without dread. Still looking for drinks that I can tolerate. Isopure is ok..tolerable. Also, I'm on GNC Wheybolic? something...ok I guess...I've just ordered some Unjury Chicken Soup, so really hope this is as good as the reviews are...Also trying the Calcet chews, and Biariatric Advantage chewables...I'm on Tums & Flinstones (can we say G R I T??) So here's to the future...stay tuned :001_tongue:

Even though I’m self pay revision, I’m still going through all the appointments like cardio, endocrinologist, Nutritionist, etc. Then I’ll schedule a date.

My surgery is March 7th. Liquid diet first week not maintaining but am during better. This is not my first time . I am getting a revision. Doctor called me yesterday to say I need a colonoscopy before surgery. I did do the home one this summer hopefully that will do. No sure yet. Han an endoscopy in 22 so he didn’t discuss that. good luck

I forgot to address this aspect of the original poster's question. Revision from bypass to sleeve is possible. In fact, it's been performed on a few occasions. However, revision to a less potent surgical tool is usually ineffective. https://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/revision-of-roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-to-sleeve-gastrectomy-and-hiatal-hernia-repair/

Congratulations! How are you feeling now? I just had my revision done on 11/6. I’ve been in a lot of pain and having trouble swallowing pills. Are you able to drink 64 oz water? So far I’m on my second water bottle and it’s 4pm and I managed to drink 11oz premier protein drink. This is such a strange thing for me, I’m so use to wanting to eat eat, and right now I could careless. Did you or anyone else have shooting pains near an incision site. HW 367 SW 346 Revision from band to gastric bypass RNY on 11/6/17

I had revision from sleeve to bypass. I also had lap band to sleeve before that. I had so many issues with the sleeve it wasn’t even funny. My stomach kept kinking and I vomited everything up. I tried a gastric stent and that did not work. Although the revision to bypass has been drastic (I was already down to 170lbs, I’m male) I had complications due to scar tissue from previous WLS that was preventing me from drinking and had to have a subsequent surgery to remove the scar tissue and a huge hematoma at one of my incisions. I lost over 20lbs while in the hospital (almost 3 weeks). They waited too long to put me on TPN. However, since then, aside from being fatigued and tired things have been going relatively well. My main concern is trying to eat enough calories in stage 3 that I at least maintain my weight. I really can’t afford to lose another pound. Does anyone out there have anything similar and have suggestions on higher calorie food to eat in this stage. I have 3 more weeks before I can then begin trialing “normal” food. I know I got sidetracked a bit, but for what it’s worth, even though this has been a life changing surgery, at least I can eat now whereas I could not before so I don’t regret it.

Oh really! Awesome! Congratulations dear Surgery Twin 8/22/18, on your new life!!! We took a brave step towards health, and may God bless us with wonderful results of health in a lean fit body. Are you a revision as well?

Hi the preacher, please put me on your prayer list for my band to bypass revision on September 18. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m really scared. People ask me why I’m afraid if I believe God is with me and I can’t answer that. I know God loves me and has a plan for my life but does that mean nothing can go wrong? What am I missing?

My Sleeve to RNY revision is in T - 2 hours and 20 minuets. Arriving at hospital. Please say a prayer for me , and accept my prayers for all going through this process as well. Thank you so much to my pillar of support @Frustr8 for letting me know about this wonderful thread! Blessings and love

Elfie - your story so parallels mine. I never thought I failed the band. It failed me. I did everything right, followed all the rules - still do, but at no fill level did I ever reach anything close to satiety or lack of hunger. I lost 75lbs, but only 15 from the band. So, like you, I don't credit it with much. I also met with my doctor today and he said the same thing - that the band just doesn't work the way we want it to for everyone (getting to sweet spot, not hungry, etc). So, I guess we're in the 20%. I am unfilled now and plan to stay that way. We talked about the sleeve and I said that if it's important to match the person with the right WLS - from what I have read - the sleeve would match me. I have always had a huge appetite, even when thin, and could eat a lot. Then I started to put on weight. My appetite has always been huge. It takes a lot of food to satisfy my hunger. He said with some even though food is in the pouch the bottom stomach is feeling empty and I'm like - YES, YES, that's exactly how I feel. However, since I have lost weight with the band and my insurance doesn't cover the sleeve, I will just have to continue my journey as is. I am so glad you are getting the revision. I think it sounds like it is right for you. Good luck in your new journey.

I was a pure volume eater before surgery. Meaning, I would eat 3 large pieces of pizza, and would be full but I would go back for more. The sleeve has changed my outlook and relationship with food. I no longer need or want to eat huge amounts of food. I still love food, I love to eat, I just make better choices. To answer your specific questions: How does your body/stomach react? Early on, you can only take small sips of Fluid because the stomach is swollen, and irritated. As the weeks progress, you can consume more fluid in shorter amount of time. In the beginning, the fluid going in, kind of feels weird, I burped a lot after each sip and that lasted a couple of weeks. But, it dissipated as time moved forward. How do you feel? When you overeat, you know it. There is discomfort, you may overprodcue saliva, and that's pretty gross. Vomitting as I knew it before surgery is not the same anymore, and hasn't happened to me in months. But, I have had one bite too many, it kind of creeps back up the esophagus, and I spit it out. There is no wretching, gagging, or trying to get something up. Is it painful if you eat too much? I would have to say it can be painful depending on your pain tolerance. It does cause discomfort which can be relieved by walking around, or burping sometimes. Do you feel like throwing up? It's not the same as needing to vomit. But, it can happen if you are not aware of what you are putting in your mouth. What is it that stops you from bringing that fork up to your mouth? The feeling of being satisfied when I eat small portions. There isn't any room in my stomach for any additional food. Overeating constantly can cause issues such as esophageal dilation, and excessive vomiting which can lead to other health problems. I had already had figured out the learning curve with eating because I had the band first then revised to the sleeve. Eating slow, chewing well, enjoying your food, and measuring your portions early out until you can "eyeball" stuff is a great way to keep yourself in check with portion size. I used the little 1 ounce measurement cups that comes with children's OTC medication.

So I was waiting to be banded for several weeks. Mind you the last time I was in the hospital as a patient was the day I was born! I have never had a stitch or broken bone or ER visit, so being banded was a huge decision for me. I was banded on 04/29 and to my dismay, I was complete closed and nothing was passing through the band. They removed whatever little saline was in the band and still nothing. So after vomiting most of the day into the night, on 04/30 I went back into surgery for a revision. Of course since I was vomiting so violently the band and my stomach was completely twisted. Surgery was done, and during surgery a tube from my nose to my stomach was inserted to prevent vomiting. I went for the GI and had a trickle flowing through the band. I spent the night and was released Saturday at noon. Having the tube in my nose was the worst experience in my life! The rest of the day at home was uneventful, drank what i was suppose to, went to bed and woke up at 1:30 am vomiting. Wasn't really concerned since it was once and I felt OK. 6:30 am vomited again violently and called to Dr. who said to meet him at the ER. Went to the ER on Sunday morning, went for a GI and found that I had no flow at all. :smile: They wanted a tube reinserted from my stomach to my nose to prevent further vomiting. The ER Nurse who tired to put it in didn't know what the heck she was doing since the tube starting coming out of my mouth. And of course she than realizes, oops, I used a tube that was to large. :cursing:She pulls it out after I am screaming like a lunatic on crack! :angry:At that point I am covered in blood from my nose and screaming at the nurse. Thankfully another nurse came and inserted the tube and I was sedated. I spend the rest of Sunday in the hospital with the tube in my nose and me being the worst patient any nurse could dream of. I was so miserable I was about to tell the Dr. to take the band out, I was done! Monday came and back into surgery I went! So within 4 days I was operated on 3 times! Came out of surgery and the GI showed I was Free Flowing! I was so happy and excited. The tube was removed which made a happy camper and the best patient ever! LOL. I spend the night Monday to Tuesday, went for another GI and everything was perfect. The Dr. said he would discharge me whenever I wanted. So for my own sanity, I spent Tuesday to Wednesday in the hospital. Woke up the next morning still flowing, no issues! Went home Wednesday afternoon and have been doing great so far. Already lost lbs! But what a way to lose it!:cursing:

I don't want to burst your bubble...but YOUR only options are to go Bypass or Sleeve, YOU CANNOT get a lap band over what's left of your stomach.... Now a few surgeons are putting another type of band on Sleeves...because IT WILL stretch...Band to Sleeve revisions have a VERY LOW success rate... http://www.bariatricnews.net/?q=feature/11395/banding-sleeve-gastrectomy-%E2%80%9Cjust-makes-sense%E2%80%9D

Interesting info from your surgeon. I know that they are constantly learning new things about the band - I didn't realise that it was supposed to have an effect on the hormones. I thought it worked more because of the pressure on the vagus nerve as that is the nerve that helps give the sensation of saiety . You know that same wretched nerve that has been causing all your shoulder pain. Cleo's Mum - I understand what you are saying about your bottom stomach being empty but do you realise that it is not empty for long as the food is passing through the band a lot quicker than was initially thought. That is why when you are stuck you feel it instantly. I was reading the VSG board a couple of days ago and there was a thread on their about hunger after being sleeved. There were a couple of people who did not seem to have the desired hunger reduction due to the decreased ghrelin levels. So it is possible that you could revise and still have the same issue. Do lots of research before you decide what to do. Look at bypass as well. Nanook had issues with the band where it did not work for her and she has since successfully revised to bypass. Maybe PM her and ask some questions. It may be that you need the malabsorption as well. Its a pity that there isn't some kind of test that thye could do prior to surgery to match people with the one that would be most suitable for them. Good luck.

JLOR, you sound a lot like me. Graduated about 120, started gaining right away. All the way up to about 260lbs over the next 20 yrs! Could be more but that's the number I have from a doc's visit at the time. Also have a younger sis who struggled w/her weight all her life. Difference, she had bypass about 15 yrs ago and has done an awesome job w/it! I had the band installed about 4 yrs ago. First year went well and got down to about 178 or so. Then the next 3 years had problems and gained all of it back up to surgery day weight, which was 210. May 9th, doc told me my band had to come out and he offered me the Sleeve as an alternative. June 4th, I had my removal/revision surgery. I had managed to get about 16lbs off and was 194 when doc told me I had to have surgery again. Day of, I was 186. As of this AM, I'm 177!!! WhooHoo!!! I put 140 down as a goal, but truly I don't really have one. I had resigned myself to struggling w/my band and just trying to keep from GAINING! I was going to try to just stay in the 190's and find a way to be okay w/that. Now, I'm just going to keep going down until I stop. You need to get your own head in this. Don't worry about trying to get anyone else on board. If this is what you feel you need to do, esp. after 20 years of dieting w/out being able to keep it off. Then that is what you need to do. It's not up to any one else. Best wishes w/your journey, whatever you decide.

Ditto what AZHiker said. I'm back on keto with exception of fat %. I use vinaigrettes for salads and some salad dressings that straddle line between low carb and low fat. I use spray butter instead of butter, avocado mayo mixed with low fat mayo or greek yogurt and I use sparingly. Instead of full fat heavy cream, I opt for a splash fat free 1/2 and 1/2 )or vanilla protein drink). On rare occasions if overall carbs are low, I will use 1 TBSP of heavy cream in something but that is rare. I use fat free cream cheese, etc. - I think you get the picture. On top of this, since my calories are between 700-800 a day I still can be in ketosis sometimes partly from lower calories & part from low carbs. I notice when I stick to this, I lose weight faster. If I do some of the 'low glycemic carbs' like oatmeal, sweet baked potato, beans, I notice slow down in loss but I've had these items sparingly.. My surgeon is a keto fan after full healing when he lets his us start eating "regular food" . On the ongoing nutrition plan I just received, they had the macros as follows: 800 calories with 40% of total calories from protein, 30% from fat, and 30% from carbohydrates this should help increase your rate of weight loss. I can understand 800 cals & biggest % being protein but I was a bit surprised by 30% from fat part although I know they mean healthy kinds of fat like avocado, etc. Here is what plan says about fat: Limit fats to 2-3 servings a day; avoid unhealthy fats such as cream, lard, butter. 1 serving of fat should = 5g fat. Some examples include: 1 tsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. regular salad dressing, 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat salad dressings, 1/8 avocado, 6 almonds, 1 Tbsp. peanut butter. In looking at sample meal plans, I will revise it for me by removing some of the bigger carbs that the list has like once a day having oatmeal or 1 pc whole wheat toast as I need to keep overall carbs down to lose more quickly.