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I wish that I had a crystal ball six years ago when I made the decision to have the LapBand placed. I wish that I had known that I would spend thousands of dollars on fills and unfills because of the narrow range I could tolerate. I wish I had known that I would spend years chasing the elusive "green zone" that could change at the drop of a hat. I wish I had known that TOM, salt, even air pressure changes could impact how tight the band felt. I wish that I had known that my esophagus could eventually become "tired" from the effort it took to get food through the band. There are many more I could add, but I won't. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to revision to VSG in less than two weeks. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How severe is your GERD and what is involved with a revision? I am having horrifying reflux almost every evening and throw up probably 3 days a week. I am over 4 years post surgery and didn't anticipate any of this happening!

I'm a band revision to sleeve with duodenal switch and I took two weeks! Katy W- Louisburg, NC Lapband revision to VSG with DS HW- 297 Weight at Surgery-279 CW- will update at two week appt

My revision from sleeve to gastric bypass was May 23, 2019. I am still having to battle my addiction to sugar. It’s a tool and sometimes were able to cheat but I have to learn how to stop emotionally eating and kick the sugar out the door.

I used my own. Back in the days nobody seemed to talk about goal weights. When I had my revision nobody talked about about a goal weight either.

Hi guys- This is a long rambling post because I wanted to journal my story, so if it's of no interest to you you won't hurt my feelings!😁 I just got a lab band to RNY revision a week ago. I've an old band that was making me vomit quite often, and even though the xrays show the band to be perfect the surgeon said it still had to come out. I was lucky that he only requires a three day liquid diet since that was tough. When they admitted my the morning of my surgery the nurses asked if I was suicidal and I told them that it wasn't a good time to ask me that. When I got my band the nurses in the recovery room saw me groping my stomach after I awoke, and they asked me what was wrong. I told them I was sure that they had put me to sleep and then found something wrong and woke me right back up so I was checking for bandages. Nothing hurt-there wasn't any gas pain. This time I awoke in the recovery room to hear a woman moaning piteously and it took me a second to realize it was me. This hurt WAAAAY more than I expected. But the nurses immediately gave me a painkiller and that helped a lot. Part of the problem was when the surgeon actually got inside me, he found not only had my band slipped, but I had a hiatal hernia to repair also. Surprise! That added to the excessive pain. Then they get you back to your room and the drinking game commences. They line this little cups in front of you like shots at a bar and expect you to sip them down. This is while you have raging chest and neck pain from the gas and just want to sleep. The nurses where nice and not giving me a hard time about my lack of effort, but I sipped at a less than stellar rate. What I DID rule at was the walking. The first time they made a nurse walk with me but after that I was free to go as I chose. I walked long and fast (as I could, dragging an IV pole with me..) lapping other walkers in the hall. I wanted these gas pains gone!! So I walked and walked--even at 4 in the morning. And after lapping one lady twice she hailed me to slow down and walk with her. Her surgery had been two days ago, and she was astounded that mine had been less than 14 hours ago. But then back in my room all I wanted to do was sleep. They kept waking my up for vital signs, and even though I only had a small touch of the diabetes they kept doing the fingerstick blood sugars. But they didn't really hurt so I didn't mind. What I hated was they kept giving me all sorts of pills to take. Choking down a pill on a sip of water with raging neck pain was not fun. And my BP was only slightly elevated, actually normal for me, but most of those pills were for HBP. The next morning I got up to take a walk and then broke out into a cold sweat and felt faint and nauseated, so I rang for a nurse. They took my BP and found it as 90/50. So at least I didn't have to take those pills for a while. I'm glad my surgeon said I could stay two nights. I couldn't have left after the first night if they'd have kicked me out. But I was being able to drink an ounce of fluid in an hour finally. I was proud of that until they came back into the room and said "now we want you to drink 4 ounces an hour. By the next day I think I only accomplished this feat once, but they agreed to discharge me late the second day. Here's where it got interesting. I live 5 hours away from where my surgery was. One of the disadvantages of living in a rural area. My husband isn't in good health and we have three dogs, so he stayed behind while I took Amtrak to get to the hospital. After they discharged me I thought (correctly) that riding the train back the same day could be bad, so I laid up in a hotel 1/2 from the hospital until I went back the next day. I didn't want something to spring a leak while I was on a train. I should have known it was going to be a tough trip when the Uber dropped me off, and the Metro station was closed! Luckily there was a free shuttle to the next station down the line. I got on the train, and for the first time in my 20+ train trips, the dang thing lurches to a stop where they find a problem. So we were delayed 4 hours on a already 5 hour tip. At least we didn't have to switch trains--they brought a new engine to us. So my advice is if you can get surgery closer to home, do it. Of course it could have been worse--I understand many self-pay people have to go out of the country. I should consider myself lucky that it was only 5 hours away. I had the terrible "buyers remorse" that you read about here but think it won't happen to you. But in only lasted about 3 days and I turned the corner about two days ago when miraculously I could drink down amounts more than I could before. It's still not 64 ounces, but much better than it was. So I think I've lost the "buyers remorse", especially since I weighted for the first time and I'm already down 10 pounds... So read this, if you wish, and for all the griping I did here, it was worse than I expected but that feeling only lasted about 4 or 5 days. So if your considering WLS go for it, but don't have unrealistic expectations, prepare for the worst and you'll be happy if it isn't that bad! And hang in there if you are recovering..it WILL get better, I promise!

@MysteryJess Hi Jess, I had the same experience you are having with no limits to the amount of liquids I could take in, and I was afraid my stomach was not made small enough. My guess is that the doctor is somewhat right in that you never know how a person's body is going to react to the procedure, Maybe it will help to go back to the materials you received before the surgery. I will say I just had a revision gastric sleeve to gastric sleeve on December 2 and my ability to tolerate or desire for liquid is not there. In fact, sometimes it feels like something is blocking the opening from my esophagus to my stomach if I drink too fast and for a few brief seconds I cannot breathe with the pain. I am sipping water all day and I mix it up between water and clear protein water. I think mentally there is times where I know I can fit more, but I stick with those little cups and realize just because I can does not mean I have to take in more. I feel a little out of sorts and frustrated, especially with still being on stage 1. I meet with the surgeon tomorrow ad we shall see. I really wanted to answer you because I was in that same place 6 years ago. My sleeve back then was the size of a banana and depending on the banana - a lot fits in there. I eventually grew my sleeve back to 2.5 times the size. The surgery was not a waste of time, you have to go back to all of those reasons you chose it in the first place and find your happy medium. Definitely talking your doctor, nutritionist, support group, and anyone who can help you feel strong in those moments you doubt yourself. Kind regards, Mya

My surgery has a sleeved stomach and while I don't have GERD I have EOS (a.k.a EOE: Eosinophilic Esophagitus) which causes acid issue at night. I used to have to take two acid reducers at night, but after my surgery I only need to take 1. I was surprised by that as I actually thought it'd get worse... So while acid issues do tend to get worse for most people who have VSG (or DS or Loop DS), I think there are also a rare few who it improves upon. At least that's what I've taken from my own experience. In the end it comes down to whether you're willing to take the risk that you may have to end up having to have a revision because it makes your GERD worse.

This is unacceptable and I truly feel for you. Glad you are pursuing a revision

Maybe I missed something somewhere but if you're at permanent goal, why are you having the revision?

Hey! I had my Sleeve to RNY revision on March 4 of this year! Started around 209 and am now at 182. It has gotten slow since April 3... -2 lbs in 12 days! And I was not really eating much, so we will see. I had so many issues after my sleeve, in addition to regaining. We had this done almost at the same time, so go us!!! I hope we do well!

I started to introduce all foods 4 weeks after MGB and 3 weeks after revision to RNY. Rice was one of the first foods I tried and it was fine. However, dietitians vary. The ones in my treatment team are pretty lax about food choices as long as nutritional needs are met and the patient is satisfied with the results and that suits me just fine. They recommend to try stuff like rice, muesli and pasta etc. with caution as some patients experience stomach problems with rice and the like but in general they're ok with these foods (what people on here usually call "carbs"). A so-called "balanced diet" is recommended by them but I know that this is not everyone's cup of tea.

Hi, I am 11 years out with my band and I recently dealt with this issue. In January I was suffering with stomach pains right under my band and was having a lot of stuck issues with even mushy foods so I went in to get some tests because I thought I had to get rid of my band. Well it turns out that i had a small hernia and a dilated esophagus. The none surgical fix was to empty my band. My band was empty for 7 months. In the mean time I did gain back 28 lbs but most of that was due to not being able to be physical (I had surgery a month later and had an ovary removed.)and snacking all day from boredom. I had another swallow test on July 30th and everything is back to normal so I got my first fill that day. Did your doctor say how long to be on liquids? Mine actually told me that I had a choice empty my band and allow my body to heal or consider a revision. I chose time to heal. My I chose my band over everything else because it was the least invasive and not a final decision. So I am back at it again. Slowly getting fills chewing until my jaw hurts and counting my protein intake. Maybe getting a timeline for your reset may help. I know my pains did not stop for about 3 months. It took a long time for the swelling to go down and no time at all for all my bad food habits to come back. When you eat do you feel your esophagus move in like a wave motion? I had that going on. When I had my swallow test the radiologist said he never seen this happen before. I was so scared thinking I messed myself up and was going to loose my band. But in the end I just needed time to heal.

Hi, I’m interested in getting a revision. How long is the wait for approval? Will it be the same process (6 months)? I have emblem health/ghi. I’m in NYC.

most surgeons will recommend bypass if you've had issues with GERD. It will get worse with the sleeve about 30% of the time - so whether or not it will for you is kind of a crap shoot. I had GERD and was warned - so I went with bypass. I did not want to risk it getting any worse. your surgeon will advise you on which way he/she thinks you should go based on your specific health conditions, but I don't think most would refuse to do surgery A or surgery B if you were insisting on it. But I would be careful with the GERD factor. I've been on this and other bariatric forums for several years and have seen a lot of people have to revise due to GERD. It may not happen to you - but there's no way to know that ahead of time. also, malabsorption typically isn't a problem if you stay on top of your supplements. You'll have to take supplements with the sleeve as well.

My sleeve surgery is now behind me. Surgeon took 2.5 hours because of all the scaring my band caused. But the pain after this surgery was far less for me than when the band was removed. I'm now day 3 and reckon my pain scale is a 2 if even. I can sleep easily on my left hand side and am feeling great. Had my barium swallow to confirm there were no leaks before moving to clear fluid diet. Now on liquid diet and feeling great. Getting to know my sleeve still. NOt sure if it doesn't like lactose anymore or it's just the reaction to the liquid from the barium swallow, but slight runs when going to the toilet as from last night and again this morning. Happens after I have diary... but surgeon says give it a couple of days to settle. I'm having lactose free diet at the moment, just in case. I can't believe that the band cause so much internal damage to me, I wish i had looked into this revision years ago. Hope all the other May 25ers are doing well, as well as those about to be sleeved shortly.

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?

I’ve lost about 45lbs in 7 months but overall since being with my surgeon I’ve lost a little over 100lbs. I haven’t had the revision yet but I’m hoping soon because the GERD from the hernia is no joke. Try not to be scared. It’s an amazing tool and gateway to a healthier life. Also, I asked for medicine cups to get in my water while in the hospital which helped. Having water at different temperatures also helped find one I tolerated best. And walking does help with any pain you might have. Wear a binder if they offer you one.

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

I was 55 when I was banded in Mexico and lived through it. I have 3-D friends who were banded in the US, and France and Germany and friends who had RnY in the US and had the DS in the US...years ago...and still haven't had a sleep study done. While a sleep study is a good idea for any morbidly obese person, I'd vote for manometry as a pre-op test for someone considering adjustable gastric banding...especially an older person. While none of my over-50 friends died from being banded without a sleep study, a few are suffering from the late complication of dysmotility, which seems to be more common in older patients. They are, several years out, having to have revision surgeries and THAT is also more dangerous. The danger is not in the geography...

Hi there. I haven’t been on this forum for a while. Everything that you’re feeling is normal I’m right there with you. I had revision surgery six months ago due to severe Gerd and I can tell you that I am not hungry and I eat because I need to or I’m bored. I have a delayed sense of fullness but is nothing like the sleeve. My surgery was in May and it took months before I even felt that. I do have to be careful because once the fullness does hit is miserable. Even then it is nothing like the restriction that I felt from my sleeve. The valve is gone so it’s all about receptors at this point . Keep watching your portions you know what you need to consume get your protein and eat some veggies and drinking water . I was never hungry with my sleeve either. I hope that helped.

Yes, and no. The sleeve has been an absolutely wonderful tool in that it dropped my weight significantly enough to be able to have a much needed hernia repair. The hernia had me in pain all the time, and my surgeon told me "you need to lose weight", but he couldn't perform the repair until I did. After losing the first 80-100 lbs, I had my hernia repair.... yay! Also, knee pain went away after dropping the weight.... and even though I wasn't outwardly manifesting other health problems, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., I know the sleeve helped me keep those things away. Also, the sleeve helped me become more committed in my endeavor to be healthy, lose weight and keep it off, change my eating habits, etc. For all of those reasons, I am thankful for the sleeve! Now, after multiple problems (GERD related), I wish I had been more informed about choosing which type of surgery best suited me. I had moderate heartburn/acid reflux issues before the sleeve surgery, but I was afraid to get "rerouted" and have the bypass. I chose the sleeve. In hindsight, the bypass would have been the best surgery for me. Revision to bypass date is fast approaching! May 29th!

Why are you being revised??? Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

I was banded in 2008 @ 280 lbs, had a revision for a slip in 2009. Got down to 160 with band (the after shot shown). Complications led to a LP to sleeve revision (my weight was yoyo-ing all over the place for a year, gained about 25 lbs) Had a revision to the sleeve in Nov of 2014. My Before and After are all Band Pics.

Video with great information! Warning: Graphic