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That really stinks! I am sorry that you are having to consider more surgery. I know there are a lot of people on this site that had revisions to bypass so hopefully you will get your questions answered. Many of them have done fantastic with bypass. I can tell you that from what I have read, the initial weight loss is much slower but I have seen folks get to goal. Personally I am so thankful I went the bypass route because it put several illnesses into remission for me. One of them was very severe Gerd, I have not had a single bout of heartburn at all. My diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, anemia and stage 3 kidney disease are also all in remission. Do you still have the same insurance? You might want to give them a call to better understand coverage. I had Medica United Health Care and I was only allowed 1 Bariatric WLS surgery in my lifetime. Now I have a completely different insurance and they cover nothing. It really depends on your specific insurance. I wish you the best of luck!

Hello everyone.. Dec 12,2014 I had the sleeve done , I lost 50 lbs total , I am still 100 lbs overweight at 5"4 and 245lbs . My Dr and I have talked about revision to a bypass , but I would like to know if anyone did this and lost a lot more weight, also if your insurance covered the 2nd surgery.

I don't remember if I replied to this topic when you posted it somewhere else or not... anyway my surgery was covered by UHC, approved on the first submission. I think as long as you meet all the requirements you should have no problem being approved. I believe Bobbe had trouble because she was getting a revision, I'm not sure what UHC's criteria are for that but it seems that its much harder to get them to pay for a revision than the initial surgery.

So, my thighs are very non typical, no cellulite, very muscular on the outer, front, and back, just cellulite pockets way up high on inner. I hid it fine even in shorts and dresses without nylons and the suffering I am enduring is totally not worth the minor improvement I expect from this. My breast revision looks great, removed 2 ugly moles near my eye, cheek injection - all that is awesome and pretty easy recovery. Regrets do no good, but I do 'regret doing the thighs (complications have a way of triggering regret!) as I am back on bed rest after attempting to return to work this week. I am going stir crazy and it hurts and I don't want to take pain meds.

I wouldn't have done it but I was "under" anyway due to breast revision. They actually dont use much fat at all, so you don't need to have much to do this and it came from my inner thigh.. I had it done with other procedures so cost was low. Quote I got stand alone was 1200 by a Seattle plastic surgeon. It lasts longer, for most people, than juvaderm etc. I asked doc about doing lipo around my waist etc..and he said, nope, I dont have excess fat, it's my muscles and the only way to further reduce loose skin is upper body lift or the vertical/anchor cut - and we both agreed totally not worth it. The mistake I made in all this is that my upper inner thighs had gotten worse over time. I had weird cellulite pockets there that were vastly improved with the small thigh lift, but over the 2 years, it was worse again. Thighs do that.. Anyway Dr was hopeful he could do some lipo and very small skin removal - not a full thigh lift. When I came out of recovery, he told me it hadn't gone well and he had to do alot more than expected to get decent results. Then, I had a complication. I don't blame the doc, I blame me. I should have not gotten greedy and pursued it. Recovery has been hell, I have had a recent setback, had to cancel my MAui trip...etc.

Thought I would chime in for those considering Mexico and Dr. Sauceda and plastic surgery in general. I had the following procedures done in July 2014: -Breast Lift and Augmentation (before 38D; after 36DD) -Arm lift -Lower Body Lift (360) with autologous butt flap implant -Neck lift (aka lower face lift) My reasons for choosing Dr S were many including cost, ability to have multiple procedures at the same time, recovery support, his experience with former morbidly obese patients (please consider putting this high on your list for any doc!), former patient support group, and twilight sedation. All these reasons ended up being why I was so happy with my experience plus a few additional good surprises. The costs were significantly less than what I would pay in the states. Costs can vary significantly, so get a quote from the doc. Ability to have multiple procedures. I didn't want to have to spread this out over a year. I own a business and can't afford to be out of commission for that long. Docs in the US use general anesthesia and can only do a certain number of surgeries at a time. Twilight lets you stay under for longer. I had two surgeries while in Mexico. Body on one day and face a few days later. Recovery support was really important to me. In the US they send you home after outpatient surgery. I was in the surgical clinic with full nurse support and doc visiting every day for 5 days and then in a hotel nearby for the next 8 days with a nurse and the doc visiting every day. I also had two surgery sisters that I had met on Facebook that were having surgery at the same time. They helped tremendously to pass the time and for general commiseration. I went alone so it was nice having new friends there. Experience with former morbidly obese patients. Our skin is thinner and our lymph systems are different. Don't go to a doc that just does mommy makeovers! Former patient support group. There is an extremely thorough board on ObesityHelp for Dr S patients with photos, help documents, and patient stories. There's also a private Facebook group with past patients and those with booked surgeries for support before, during and after surgery. Twilight sedation with epidural pain block. After my 10+ hour surgery I felt like I'd had the best night sleep of my life and woke up in little to no pain. I have had so many issues with general anesthesia (vomiting, grogginess, difficulty waking up, long term fogginess). Wonderful surprises. I'd heard what a wonderful Doctor Dr S is but nothing prepared me for how humble and kind he was as well as what an artist he is in sculpting the human body. He never promises perfection (and run away from any doc that does) but he does promise to do his best. I was 100% comfortable with him as my surgeon. Words can't begin to describe Dr S's nurse Paty. Of all the reasons, she was one of the highlights. She has pure magic in her hands. She truly cares about you. I hated leaving and being without her to help change my bandages and compression garments. Pain and recovery. I had a lot of work done! My pain was mainly from the uncomfortableness of the compression garment and an existing issue I have with the nerves in my elbows. If not for this, I could have done it without anything but tramadol and OTC pain meds. I had itchiness that drove me nuts. Exhaustion for at least 6 weeks and would get tired easily up to 6 months later. Seromas are very common with patients that have lost a lot of weight. I had one in my abdomen mainly from losing my drain earlier than I should have (busted the stitch that holds it in while I was asleep). Added extra compression and it resolved in a few weeks. Under or over? I have gummy bear implants over the muscle. I think they look extremely natural for my age (50). My boyfriend agrees! I'm not a fan of the way gummies look under the muscle. It also adds to the pain and discomfort afterward. Look at a lot of pictures with similar body types to decide. Definitely take the advice of your doctor and what they think is best for you, the amount of skin that you have, how big you're going, and the look that you want. I am tall (5'10"+), muscular, and curvy, so all of that impacted my decision. Autologous butt flap implants! Whew, that was a decision that went down to the wire. The doc takes the layer of fat that is removed from above the butt area in the lower body lift and implants it into the butt to round out that area. It took the longest to adjust to of all my surgery. It felt weird when I would run (I ran half marathons before). It zinged when I would hit it on something. It was uncomfortable when laying on my back. Even with all of this I am happy that I did it. My butt is not flat and looks good in jeans and a bikini. It is not as big, nor does it have the issues that a Brazilian butt lift would have. Running. I ran half marathons before surgery. I was back running about 10 weeks after surgery. I started back with couch to 5K but progressed quickly through it, skipping days. Ran a 5K after a month (14 weeks after surgery). Ran a half about 5.5 months after surgery. The butt was the biggest holdup on the running. It just felt weird. Some people will tell you to take it slower. Listen to your body! Lower face lift or neck lift. So very happy with this. It looks completely natural. Took the longest to heal. The nerves in the face take a long time to come back and some may never return. I had lumps in my cheek that were not noticeable to others but I could feel them. It also "jiggled" when I ran so it took some getting use to. Scars. All of my scars are fading. The least noticeable are the breast lift (lollipop, so no under boob scar) and the tummy tuck portion of the LBL. Most noticeable is the back portion of the LBL. I had some hypertrophic scarring in that area. This is genetic and nothing could have been done to prevent. I may go and have a scar revision done at some point but my bikini covers it and my boyfriend doesn't mind it (and neither do I)! I used coconut oil pretty religiously. I tried silicone scar tape but I have a sensitivity to adhesives so it didn't work very well. I used scar lotion on occasion but didn't notice that it helped. I used vit e oil and I think it helped. I had SilkPeel Dermalinfusion on my back scar and although it helped, probably not enough for the cost of it. Work. I have a job where I work on a computer sitting down 99% of the time. I also work from home. I was able to continue working immediately after surgery (I even did some work within hours of coming out of surgery). I wouldn't recommend it though! I had deadlines that had to be met so had no choice. Plan for at least 6 weeks off if you can. Weight loss from plastics. Don't expect it unless you're getting a lot of lipo. I didn't lose any but I was at my goal weight (175 and didn't get any lipo). I do think that plastics helps me psychologically to keep the weight off. It's like it finished the transition for me. I haven't had any regain and I haven't struggled with my diet (very lucky). Fibromyalgia. I haven't seen anything posted about this from other plastics patients. I have fibro that was controlled with cymbalta. I think the plastics and stress of it caused a flare up so I had to add gabapentin to deal with nerve pain. I'm finally feeling like its dying down but be aware that if you have other medical issues you may need to manage them more closely for a while. I am 1.5 years out from surgery and if I had to do it all over again I would in the exact same way. I absolutely love my new body and feel like I've been given a second chance to live fully. Feel free to PM me with any messages. I'm not on here as much as I used to be but will respond as quickly as I can.

Turns out someone already created one. Here are the instructions: We are starting a closed/secret group on Facebook and would LOVE to have you join us. 2 years ago I had a sleeve done, but due to complications they are revising me from sleeve to bypass. I had an AMAZING group on Facebook that all had the same surgery that month. We were going through the same things whether it was venting one day, sharing milestones, and made lasting friendships! Since it's a secret group there is some hoops to go through to get added (sorry, Facebook makes it harder) The good thing is that it's completely secret meaning none of your friends can know see posts or ever know you're in it  This makes it a safe place for us because I know for some it's not something they want to share. Here's how to join: 1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/lanaepetersen and send me a friend request 2. I will accept the friend request, then send you an invite to the group. 3. After you are added to the group I'll unfriend 

Here is the Feb 2016 bypass SECRET FB group: Turns out someone already created one. Here are the instructions: We are starting a closed/secret group on Facebook and would LOVE to have you join us. 2 years ago I had a sleeve done, but due to complications they are revising me from sleeve to bypass. I had an AMAZING group on Facebook that all had the same surgery that month. We were going through the same things whether it was venting one day, sharing milestones, and made lasting friendships! Since it's a secret group there is some hoops to go through to get added (sorry, Facebook makes it harder) The good thing is that it's completely secret meaning none of your friends can know see posts or ever know you're in it  This makes it a safe place for us because I know for some it's not something they want to share. Here's how to join: 1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/lanaepetersen and send me a friend request 2. I will accept the friend request, then send you an invite to the group. 3. After you are added to the group I'll unfriend 

Irene revised due to uncontrolled reflux. I can't recall her screen name, it has diva and Irene in it - she is a great resource.

Been there done that, got the tshirt....only I was never that successful with the band and started having issues around year 2-3 timeframe. Revised to sleeve 4 years ago, lost 150# been maintaining that for last 3 years.

From what I read from other forum members, many people who have a lap band come back for revisions. You are not alone.

Hello, all I'm looking for anyone that has underwent a revisional surgery from the sleeve to the bypass.... I'm currently in the process of trying to get insurance approval which I'm not really concerned with just would like to hear some experiences with this procedure

I am going to have my husband take pics tonight to send to Dra. Cardenas and see what my options are for my thigh lift and a possible revision to my breasts. I had planned to wait until the fall, so I could run more races over the summer, but this thread has got me all anxious to do it sooner!

To the OP: First and foremost, I'm sorry you are struggling but I'm glad you are seeking solutions. You can and will succeed at your weight loss goals with hard work, guidance and support. You received a lot of good thoughts and advice here and it's a shame that some people needed to turn this thread into a schoolyard with name calling and profanity. That reflects completely on them and nothing on your struggles. I do wonder about how your sleeve was done originally. Can you ask your surgeon for X-rays of your initial procedure? I would take those to another surgeon to verify that it was done correctly in the first place. It sounds to me like a lot of fundus was left along your stomach as that is all that can really stretch. If that is the case, I would definitely pursue a revision. If you are confident in your nutritional choices, your portion control and your physical exertion, you know what to do. I assume you are logging, measuring, and being completely honest with yourself about every nibble, lick and chew. Those add up without us even realizing it pretty darn quickly. liquid calories are deadly, right? I look forward to hearing the results of your doctor visits and I wish you the best.

I have banding from 22 years ago and been struggling with it, and constant weight gain and loss from just after 3 years after getting it. Until the end of last year I was told I had to put up with this, or only have band removed, but learned I can have revision to bypass and in process of having it done now. A new spring of hope has arrived, and thanks to all hear for your input.

@@Elode If you just want the lift and implants, usually that should be around 8K. That is what that part of my procedure cost, and had I not needed a lift, just implants would have been 5K. Have you looked on realself.com at all? I am also a big researcher and I can completely appreciate how overwhelming it all seems. I chose not to go to Mexico just because I was afraid of complications and I wanted my doctor to be close to where I live to fix anything that went wrong. Part of the cost of surgery here is that you get all of the follow-up care for free. Like I said, I didn't like my one leg, so he did them both again for free as part of my arm surgery. I got a whopping seroma in my stomach that took an extra month to heal, and I got to visit him once or twice a week during that time to have it drained, and at one point he had to cut my stomach back open to put in a drain, all of which was covered in the cost I paid. During my last procedure I ended up with a UTI, probably from the catheter, but I get them occasionally, so who knows, but he called in a prescription for that so I didn't have to go to the doctor. I had an allergic reaction to the Percocet, which given this was the third time I had used it, was annoying, but my doctor called in Tramadol for me at 8 at night. Then the midline of my incision separated, which required a whole extra in-office procedure of cutting out the dead part and re-suturing the midline of my back. And then, worst of all, I ended up with a whopping infection in my back incision that became cellulitis and left a fist sized hole in my back...not kidding, i could fit a good part of my hand in the hole once it had been drained. Fortunately, I've worked in healthcare so I knew immediately when there was an issue, immediately when to let my doctor know I needed antibiotics for the infection, and I was comfortable packing the wound for the three months it took to close. Had I used a surgeon in Mexico I would have had to pay out of pocket to go to a doctor here for all of this and while it ended up costing probably three times as much, the comfort of having my doctor a text-message away whenever I needed him and knowing that my follow-up care was 100% covered was worth it to me. Also, while my first two surgeries healed beautifully, the last one left a jagged jacked-up scar across my entire lower back, which no one can see even in a bathing suit, but in my birthday suit, something that bothers me a little. The cost of that scar revision, to get rid of all of the scar tissue that my giant hole left on my back is also covered in the cost I paid, whenever I am ready to go get it fixed. So..that is my reason for staying here...also I got to recover in the comfort of my home without worrying about traveling, let alone dealing with customs or being worried about any surgical issues related to flying. So...it is overwhelming to decide on a surgeon and a procedure, and I would absolutely insist on doing the lift and the implants at the same time- my surgeon did lift, implants, tummy tuck, and lipo on my thighs and back during my procedure so asking for both implants and a lift is not asking too much. Go with the doctor that makes you feel comfortable...I am a huge fan of my doctor not just because he was great at being a surgeon, but because he was super nice to me and never made me feel uncomfortable, which is important since your surgeon spends about 20 minutes drawing all over your totally naked body with a marker at the start of surgery, lol.

I was told 1 in 500 for rny but I was a revision band to bypass no regrets I also have a sweet tooth not dumped yet but followed the rules and only 20 weeks out. Good luck with your research X

I can't believe I am home, and I actually went through with it! It kind of seems surreal still. I did well during the two days of recovery. I had a lap band previously put in 7 years ago, lost about 45 pounds, and at some point my stomach prolapsed above the band. I had it removed in 2011. So it was a "revision" essentially. 1.5 hour. My surgeon said he had to cut off a lot of scar tissue from the band itself, and I'm not sure if he did any where the port used to be. ANYWAY, I spent two nights in the hospital. I am a different woman already, lol. By the time I would finish 1/3 of my liquid Breakfast, my liquid lunch would arrive. I never even ate the Jello, I just tried to get in the ice chips, Water, and broth. They always gave me Popsicle's, so I'd put them in my cup of ice chips. Great pain management. best Hospital I've ever been in. My labs and recovery while there was smooth. I usually have a high white blood cell count of 14.5k. Today it was 9k. Already having improvements. What I did not expect to see were my staples on my incisions where the camera and instruments went in my abdomen. I'm trying to be helpful here to anyone going in soon. There were a few other things I had not read about or thought about and if I think of more, will post. The worst misery was indeed, as everyone has said, the air and bloating and for myself, not being able to sleep. I felt like I had swallowed a giant balloon and could not get it out. The bed was a bariatric bed but still very hard on my arthritic spine. I asked if I could add a topper of other mattress, nope. It could have been a hazard or liability. So. they would use more padding with blankets, but it's not the same. I'm a little wired right now because I am home and happy. So when I can finally go to bed I will be happier. If anyone has "Arriving At Home as a new VSGer" Advice, feel free to type away! I do not want to do ANYTHING to jeopardize this recovery! This is my new baby now! You know how this all works, you think you've thought of everything, and then BAM, oops, you didn't see that coming. When will I know when I am "out of the woods"? They said blood clots still have a chance of forming over the next few weeks. I get the leak check in 9 days. I am feeling good about all of it. And I know, no one can say. But just leaving this here anyway. OK. Wow I think I am tried of typing! That's odd! lol

Hey hey family. I had a really good day today. My 3 month check up with my surgeon and nutritionist was today. Eavann my nut asked me do i remember what i said during my first consultation on what weight I'd like to achieve with my surgery. At the time I was 156kg 345lb (ish) and said 100kg or about 220lbs. I then proceeded to completely and utterly forget about this. Fast forward to today and i had my weigh in and I was 101kg. She said that congrats were in order as i had essentially achieved my target weight. I was floored.... For two reasons. Firstly the obvious one. I had attained a target! like whoah! Then I had a rush of sympathy for the old me. At one point I genuinely felt that getting to this weight was a stratospheric target.... high high in the sky and possibly unattainable. I thought that 220lb was a realistic expectation for me. Even when asked a lofty pie in the sky question I was unable to even imagine that I plus surgery could achieve normal healthy BMI. My response was a genuine and true..... "but, but, I feel like I've only just started??" She then said that they get that a lot. My revised (official) target is now 76kg or 167lbs and in line with what I've had here on bariatric pal since September/October. She said that I'm 2/3 of the way now, so still a little bit to go. My response to that was a jovial yet deadly serious "Sure, no bother to me". On a more serious note I am so delighted with the changes in my head. Much more so than the body changes. The body is great don't get me wrong, but it's upstairs where the real change lives. My identity crisis is throwing up the most lovely of artefacts. The old me would not in a month of sundays let alone in an instant like that be so sure of himself and while I had genuine sympathy for the Des who sat in that far off consultant's office and murmured that he wanted to be 100kg, I couldn't help but smile at how distant I felt from him than at that point. It was literally like Eavann was describing the actions of another person. In other news Oliver my surgeon is delighted with my every progress. He's asked me to get a Vitamin B12 test done but the rest of my blood panel has caused him to wax lyrical about me! Bad cholesterol down, good cholesterol up etc. etc. the list goes on.... Blood pressure is good and still very much in control. All told things are pretty much in fine working order under my proverbial bonnet. So that was my day. Walking on sunshine right now to be honest. Chat to ye again soon. Des x Man on the veritable cusp of non obeseness.

Not all bypass patients dump-- I don't. Actually the % that do dump is really quiet low. So i would not hinge your surgery on the fact that you like sweets and may have a safeguard in dumping to keep you from them. Also, the 1 in 200 dying from bypass-- were they straight bypass, or revisions from some other surgery to bypass? I think that make a HUGE difference. And were those deaths immediately after surgery-- or after many years, when surgery can't as easily be pinpointed to be the main cause of the death. There are a lot of factors that can skew these 'statistics' I chose bypass- I had confidence in my surgeon's skill and experience with this particular surgery. I wanted the additional effect of malabsorpbtion to aid in weight loss since I had so much to lose. I've seen relative with sleeve and lab band be unsuccessful with theirs, so I wanted to try what is known as the gold standard...

I had severe acid reflux (GERD). RNY gastric bypass surgery is the recommended surgery for patients with GERD. That is why I chose this option. Also RNY had one of the lowest revision rates. I figured that if I went under the knife once, I did not want to repeat it again and again.

@@Kaila312 I am 3 years out, and I KNOW that my stomach is stretched. I haven't had an UGI, but I already know what it would show. I rarely overeat, and 90% of the time I maintain small portions and low calories. I do not get the same full sensation as I did post op. I was always one who could eat a little more than others, though clearly I couldn't eat a lot. I still have to weigh and measure my food. On the occasions where I indulge, I don't weigh/measure (these occasions are not frequent) I estimate I can eat about 2 cups. That is no where near as much before surgery, but it's certainly enough to allow enough food and calories to gain quickly. I miss the early days when 1/2 cup was enough. It was a lot easier to stay on track. That said, I haven't gained a significant amount of weight, but I gained 2 pounds during a 4 day vacation in September, and another 4 over the holidays. It scares me out of my mind, and I'm working to get it off, but it's stubborn. I am not going to let it get away from me, but it's really all up to me, now. I think I have 75% my effort, and about 25% help from the sleeve, since hunger is back but not like before surgery. I suspect some day, it will be. I keep thinking I need a "tweak" but my doc doesn't do revisions. Honestly, I don't want another surgery, so I just keep fighting the fight, just like people of a near normal weight who have to watch what they eat. I will be anxious to hear what your surgeon says.

I did not read all of this thread so if what I'm saying has been said before mea culpa.. Nothing to do with feeling full or measuring anything. It is all in the mind IMO....If you are not actually hungry, don't open your mouth. Listen to the professionals & remember what you used to do got you to the point of the knife. [& some have not changed their mindset unfortunately] Nothing will change in the medium to long term unless some revise their priorities permanently!

I had my band to RNY revision done by Dr Wheeler on 11/30/15. He is amazing and so glad I went with him. I was 258 day of surgery and currently 219.8. I am very happy! He has an excellent bedside manner and he truly does care about his patients.

So this week has been a not so great week.. and its only Tuesday!! Anywho the scale is back up.. which annoys me.. but I know, I know - we fluctuate.. so I will take it with a grain of salt. In meantime, cravings for all the bad foods has hit me hard this week.. so I'm trying to behave myself. With that being said, I decided that since its been nice out, (as long as there is no rain) I will begin to ride my bike. Yes, this big girl actually has a bike. Of course there are two things that worry me a bit, one - I abhor these crazy California drivers.. I mean how can they miss me going down the road? Seriously though, though there are plenty of bike paths near my home, i still worry. Secondly, I hate the idea of being the fat lady on the bike. But I need to vary my workouts right? So who gives a hoot what people think! Right? And well the next thing? I had a consult with Dr. Troy Lamar about the possibility of having a revision. The upside is that because I have the band, the insurance may not require the 6 month waiting period, the downside is I could get denied. So cross your fingers, toes and eyes for me, and keep me in your prayers because this girl needs the surgery. Until next time my peeps! Keep strong!!