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I finally got approved today for my band-to-RNY revision, with a peer-to-peer appeal after a few denials. Now I get to wait to see what my surgery date is! The coordinator didn't want to give me a set date yet (waiting on medical clearances and such), but I'm going to see if I can talk them into giving me one, since I've got to buy a ticket for my mom to come and stay with me and I have to request leave from work.

I was just thinking the same thing the other day!! I'm also a band to sleeve revision and have always had soft brittle nails. This is certainly a side effect I am enjoying!!

I was a band to sleeve revision on June 1st. With all the Protein I have a full set of fingernails. I haven't had long nails in at least 8 years back when I used to get acrylic ones. Now that's a pleasant side effect no one told me about! Time for a mani/pedi.

I revised from band to sleeve on June 1st and I not have any regrets about it at all. I do not miss that band one little bit. I didn't have any complications with the surgery and have been fine so far. I do not miss throwing up all the time. I do not miss my stomach hurting. I do not miss having that port in my body where it would slide around over a nerve and give me a sharp stabbing pain. My surgeon opted to make my sleeve a little larger than usual to line up with some scar tissue on the esophagus where it hits the stomach. He said the weight loss may be slower but I will have less of a risk of a leak.

Yes I had lap band surgery in 2012 and didn't get decent results. They could never get me in the green zone with the fills. Starting in late 2014 I kept throwing everything up even liquids. In April they took out all the fill in my band and I had a revision to the sleeve on June 1st. Sorry to hear you had all those issues. I've been fortunate and haven't had any so far. I do not miss throwing up or that port sliding around across a nerve and giving me sharp stabbing pains.

as you are reading I am sure you see everyone is different. I have had 2 surgery's on my stomach area, so this was not my first. I had a lapband and a few other things done in 2003. 2012 i had a partial hysterectomy and a bladder sling. and now July 1 ,2015 had band to sleeve revision and Hiatal hernia repair. all 3 were about the same, big big thing! WALK, as soon as you can and like someone else said walk as much as you can and don't stop walking (well to rest ) I had never had the gas pain until this surgery. and I had bad shoulder pain from the Hiatal hernia repair. and the thing that made them both better was walking! and getting in your fluids! listen to your body and your doctor and you will be fine. don't get scared! I have let people do that to me in the past, don't be afraid because of things people tell you. Listen to your doctor , ask questions and educate yourself. You will be good and remember to walk and sip , walk and sip! I was in hospital one day and back to work in 7 days, I am 28 days out, and I do get tired sometimes. but pretty much have not stopped since 3 days after surgery. I am going on and moving forward! One step at a time! good luck!!!!

One night for me! band to sleeve revision. had my Lap Band for 12 years! I also feel like I can't wake up from surgery. I had surgery at 1030am and finally was awake around 430pm same day, I got up walked about 20 feet and went back to the bed for a nap, that went on for quite a while, up walk a bit and right back to bed, i couldn't hold my eyes open. I finally asked for them to completely stop my pain meds, and then I was able to keep my eyes open. The next day I was up and walking much better!! Doctor came in at 11 am said you can go home and I openly said NO. I don't think I can. He gave me 2 shots, one was a steroid the other I am not sure, and he said I bet when I call back at 3pm you will be ready to go home. I thought he was nuts!!! Well guess what, I went home at 5 that day. I wanted my bed, and he was right I felt so much better! I was afraid to go home so soon and I was fine, there was no reason to be afraid, I went home , i followed directions and I was fine. My BFF had the same thing band to sleeve the year before she stayed in hospital 2 days, and she said she could have went home the next day as well. with all that being said, I am glad i stayed 1 night. Because of the pain meds. I couldn't stay awake or listen to directions. That is the other thing, the pain was very manageable! and I have NO pain tolerance! I am a cry baby I wont lie! Good Luck!!

My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow 7/29. I'm having a sleeve to bypass revision so I kind of already know what I'm facing and guess what? I have been freaking out majorly until last night. Fortunately one of my best friends is also my cardiologists. She told me by all means I am doing the right thing and if she had an inkling of doubt she wouldn't let me do it. I'm 240 lbs and would love to get down to 140. She guaranteed that I will be off my heart and cholesterol meds as well as my Gerd and sleep apnea will go away. Even though I already knew this I needed to hear it from my own friend/cardiologist. Today I am FINALLY AT PEACE! Let's get this show on the road!!!

I did not have a revision, I had the gastric sleeve 1 month and 3 days ago. All of my pain and soreness was gone a week and a half ago but two days ago I started having pains on my left bottom side of my belly, right above my pelvis. I feel it when I get up from sitting, or when I stretch my back. Not sure what this could be. I figured it might be soreness from internal stitches, but does it makes sense to get pain after I've been painless for over a week? And I feel like the area of the pain is too low to have anything to do with the surgery. Not sure!

One of the main reasons I finally decided to have my band revised to gastric bypass was the port. I never lost enough which for it to show but I could always feel it. Sometimes it seemed worse than others but just it being there began to drive me nuts! Now 3 months after getting it taken out it is still a lingering problem! I ended up with a seroma (pocket of fluid) where the port was removed from. It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. At this point the pain is gone but I still have a very slow leak of drainage as the seroma slowly heals.

Yesterday marked 3 months since my band-to-sleeve revision. I feel good! I have lost 32lbs so far. I am starting to do some jogging on my walks and am determined to be a runner someday. I just think runners seem so free and I love that idea! My weight loss has not been easy.... slow and stall prone. I re-evaluate every day. I use Fitbit and myFitnessPal which have been helpful. Today, I was I reviewing my food journal and noticed that my carbs are too high. I am not a huge meat eater so my protein choices are typically cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, beans and protein shakes. I posted on the forum today requesting ideas for better protein options and plan on shopping this evening!

I have noticed lately that my carb count is high even when I try to make wise Protein choices. My diet consists of Protein shakes, greek yogurt and cottage cheese. I need to move away from these, at least in part. I am not good at cooking... I hate it. I am on a mission this evening to shop for quick go-to protein items that are low in carbs. As a band-to-sleeve revision, my weight loss is much slower than my roommates (went to Mexico on same date). Also, I have hypothyroidism and I just want to ensure success! I am down 32lbs in 3 months and have 45 to go to goal. Suggestions please!!

I understand that everyone is talking about a two week pre op diet and that makes sense, but My doctor wants me to lose 25lbs. (in no set time) before considering the revision... just frustrating to me. Thanks for everyones responses

How about dumping? Does anyone experience it and what's type of foods cause it for you ? I am going in on the 10th for my revision and and wondering.

Hello everyone, I am a newbie to the forum, but have read many of the posts relating to the Gastric Sleeve. I was banded in January 2013, and was doing great for about a year, then I started having complications -- getting stuck all the time, throwing up everything I ate and severe heartburn. My doctor tried loosening the band, then filling it with small amounts, but I could never it right. Eventually, all the throwing up caused my band to slip and I had the band repositioned in December 2014. I was hoping that the band would start working again, like it had when I first got it, but I've actually gained 30lbs since the repositioning and I am still having complications! I am now considering getting the sleeve but I have reservations... I must admit, I am very hesitant because of the stories I'm reading of leaks, and regaining weight after a couple of years. I just keep asking myself "is it worth the risk?” What I'm not finding are posts relating to complications from band-to-sleeve revision. Is there a higher known risk factor for banded patients? Do you regret your decision to get the sleeve? Any advice you can offer would be a tremendous help for one nervous gal from NY.

I can't just talk the talk..I have to walk the walk. Between a new relationship and my trip to London, I've put back a few pounds. I'm not going to go crazy thinking about the weight I've gained or worry to death about taking them off...I have the tool and frame of mind to do so. But in order to be accountable, I revised my ticker to show my current weight and not my lowest weight. I wonder if Alex can provide a means of being able to show the fluctuations we in maintenance go through. I think it's important to see not just those who regain all or much of it back, but those who gain and lose throughout. I remind myself that even naturally thin folk don't maintain the same weight all the time. I'm pretty sure that if they see a gain of a few pounds, they don't panic..they just do what needs to be done to shed those pounds and go about their business. I for one am trying to do just that. I expect to revise my ticker as those extra pounds come off.

Hi! I've been banded since 2009. I know there are many threads about band to sleeve, but I specifically would like to know: Those who switched from band to sleeve; what is the main difference you noticed as far as your eating habits (ability to eat, how much you could eat, how you tell you have eaten enough, etc) without the band giving you a "hard stop"? Do you feel just as or more successful? Do you think it's easier to over eat with the sleeve? I'll have to have my gallbladder out - and am considering having revision to the sleeve at the same time. I discussed with my surgeon and he said yes he could do both at once. I keep going back and forth about doing it. I'm back to feeling like I should just go ahead and do it. Ever since my band was too tight like 2 months ago and I had to have Fluid taken out I haven't felt very good. I got it re-filled with 1cc then 4.5 weeks later I got one more cc. That last one was about 3 or so weeks ago. It's so weird - sometimes I feel like I can eat way more than I should be able to - I have about 8.7cc in there now...maybe a tad more - and other times I can't keep anything down. I started having reflux again and went to liquids for a few days. It went away. Now it's back this morning and I haven't even had any solid food. I made a Protein shake for Breakfast and was only able to drink about half of it. I took all my medication, but it hurt (I guess I went to fast, I try to wait a few minutes between pills, but was running late today). I am starting to feel like I'd be better off having the band taken out and switching to the sleeve. Through all this annoyance of the last 3 or so weeks I haven't even lost any weight. Go figure. Since the symptoms for being too tight and a band slip are about the same I'm not sure what to think any more. I'm sure I probably do not have a slip but I'm kind of paranoid about it anyway. I know if I call the nurse at my surgeon's office she'll have me come in and get an un-fill. At which point I guess I'll just start whatever process I need to start to do the revision. It's quite scary to me. The only surgery I've ever had was the band surgery. And of course the anesthesia made me sick after they had to wake me up from it (I take after my dad in that respect lol). Thanks for listening to my little story. I'm sure it's very familiar.

I have a lap band but am revising to bypass. I had to see the nut and she instructed me to make my menu plans with a Protein and a energy. as she called it. like fruit would be the energy. look at the menu plans your nut gave you to see what is listed. if you are only getting in protein you may feel fatigue.

Thank you all for your kind replies. It's such a fine balance as many of us long-term bandsters can attest to. I think the common problem that I see in many of the posts of long-term bandsters (and that I myself suffered from) is that the "perfect" fill (if such a thing ever exists) ends up becoming too tight a few years down the line, which leaves us with one of two choices: 1) a small unfill + being extra careful in order not to gain weight back 2) complications that may lead to larger unfills (and thus more risk of weight gain) or revision surgery all together. I am not the most compliant bandster but not the worst either so this continues to be a struggle for me, 5+ years out. I also suffered from an eating disorder in the past (binge eating) so need to be careful of not overly restricting my food choices as this seems to fuel it. Thank you all again. I will definitely keep you posted...

I weigh 325 and I am having the revision on Aug 11. I did not have to lose any weight before surgery. I just stated my pre-op diet today and will be on liquids for 2 weeks prior to surgery. I will lose weight being on this diet, but it wasn't a requirement.

Hello All, I have been a long-time lurker of those boards but am posting for the first time in need of some advice and support. I have been banded for about 5.5 years now. I have originally lost about 90 pounds from an all-time high of 270 lb and had gone down to 180 lb by the end of the second year before slowly settling for 190 lb for a couple more years after that. The issue started last year. I hadn’t gotten a fill in over a year and a half at that time and that last fill (only 0.05 cc) helped stabilize my weight at 190 lb and prevent further weight gain. I was starting though in the last few months to feel really tight, pbing on a regular basis because I was eating in a hurry, not chewing enough, etc…, had mild heartburn occasionally, etc… As I was feeling uncomfortable with the constant PBing and the “tight” feeling in my chest and stomach, I had a tiny unfill of 0.05 cc for fear of doing permanent damage to the band and losing it. This settled all my band and stomach problems right away. 14 months later, I no longer struggle with PBing, heartburn or the uncomfortable tight chest feeling, feel great and all around healthier (I am able to eat more and better). On the negative side, I found myself gaining another 15 pounds over those 14 months, 6 of which I was able to lose through good eating and exercise, putting me at around +- 199 lb. I am posting because I have been thinking for a couple of months about getting that small fill (0.05 cc) back. This is a big decision for me, not only because of my past issues with that last fill, but also because I live 2,000 km away from where I had my surgery so getting a fill/ unfill costs me a good +$500 to fly back and forth. I have tried for many years to have a WL centre here do my fills/ unfills but they won’t see me because I had my surgery done elsewhere. I am also not sure I want someone other than my regular doctor do my fills/ unfills. So my question to you all: is should I go for this tiny fill back or not? I know that at my current fill level, I will not have any issues with my band for many years to come as I am on the loser side of things (though still have good restriction but can eat around the band more that I was able to with the tiny fill in). I am struggling with weight gain though and need to be very careful with every bite I eat to prevent any further weight gain. On the other hand, with that tiny fill back, I am confident I can get back to 190 lb and stay there effortlessly, but will have to suffer more eating wise. I also worry that in the longer term, I would do permanent damage to the band and thus either have to have a much larger unfill for things to settle down or revision surgery like I see happen to many long-term bansters. And this is a risk I cannot tolerate at this point as I live far away from my surgeon and have no money for any revision surgery (I was self-pay). Any words of advice/ support would be most appreciated. Thanks, Seldom

There were a few people who had revision surgery in our bariatric support group meeting. One man had a lap band. His band started eroding into his stomach so he had to have it removed. He had a RNY which he was happy with. Because of the erosion, his RNY had to be a smaller pouch which limited his food intake more so than a normal RNY patient.

Has anyone had revision surgery? What was your first and subsequent surgery? How did it go the second time around?

"]Hi I'm having a revision from band to bypass hoping it will work this time I'm starting at 268 pound good luck hope you make the right decision my doctor told me the bypass is better after the band but that is his choice and he will not do the sleeve after a band

Hi I'm having a revision from being to bypass hoping it will work this time I'm setting at 268 pound good luck hope you make the right decision my doctor told me the bypass is better after the bend but that is his choice and he will not to asleep so I'm going for the bypass