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Holy smokes!!! The leak test, for me, was done while I was still in the OR. By the time I woke up in my room, I was allowed water. And I was definitely allowed to get up as soon as I felt able. The catheter and keeping you in bed part really threw me. It's required that you get up and walk around, so them forcing you to stay in bed was super weird to me. With my sleeve, I was kept on the IV the entire time because I hard a hard time drinking more than 2oz of water at any given time. With my revision to bypass, they took me off the IV the same day as the surgery because I was able to drink an entire 20 oz of water in an hour. I did that twice and they said "yep, you're good, the IV can come out". And I was able to go to the bathroom in the toilet from the jump because they wanted to be able to measure how much urine output there was.

There are tons of revisions from band people here as a matter of fact they even have a sub-forum here. Good luck to you http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/

i used to be a lapband patient that had an unknown slipped band. i was losing so much weight that i looked sick but i was obsessed with losing weight. i vomitted multiple times a day but i thought i was bulimic. i weighed a skeletal 116 pounds before i decided to get my band checked. when they found the slip they took all the fluid out and told me to EAT. and eat i did! i gained 30 pounds in 2 months before deciding to revise to the sleeve. i basically feel like i have the same restriction with the sleeve as i did with the band BUT i no longer throw up. i know now i'm not bulimic, just a person with a slipped band. i'm so much happier now being able to eat and not worry how close i am to a bathroom!

Instead of cutting out the stretchy portion of the stomach, they measure ( with the same bougie), and fold the stomach into itself, double stitch it in a way that has the same restriction as a sleeve but does not cut off blood flow to the stomach. The sleeve boasts a dramatic reduction in the grenahlin horomon, however a perk to the plication is not actually loosing any of your stomach incase it's needed lol... Hopefully one would never need a revision but the options there. They say its reversible then, but why would I want it reversed lol...

My scars are not bad, but I also have 2 scars for my port. One from the original surgery, the other from 7 weeks later when I had to have a port revision. Since I am only 3 months post op, they are all still noticeable and dark, but I know they will fade. by the time I am thin enough to show off my tummy, they should be almost non existant. Plus, if you can see them, its just a reminder to me where I've been and where I dont want to go back to

My dr told me my new stomach was only 2oz, but could stretch to 4 oz over a year or so. Don't want it any smaller than it already is. Plus thats adding a whole new set of problems (was a lapband patient, had complications and was revised). I'd defintely do my homework on that before having it done. Sounds scary to me... You need to be able to eat something...

I was revised from a sleeve to a RNY for GERD.

I am also 8 months post RNY. Surgery December 14 and presurgery wt was 195. 208 two weeks prior. I’ve finally hit my goal of 140 but I really had a hard time stomaching some of the foods you mentioned. Still do! Chicken and beef still gets “stuck” and hurts, and I can’t handle the sweetness of protein bars anymore! It sounds like you can tolerate a lot so you may be overeating and not realizing it. I’m a grazer so this is the only way I can get enough protein in. I hope The keeping track of intake helps you! I’ve revised my goal to 130 but I’m stalled right now so it may not be doable. Good luck!

I've had the crap band for 9 years. Long story short, it sucked because it discouraged eating healthy foods but allowed me to eat sliders (chips, ice cream, rice, Pasta, and anything greasy or saucy). I just woke up from revision surgery yesterday and was told I would need to wait 3-6 months for my stomach to heal before i can get the sleeve because the band had so badly eroded my stomach. It is not just a piece of crap, it is a dangerous medical device which should be taken off the market. I know...admittedly, I'm feeling a little bitter right now so forgive the rant.

Hi everyone! Ive been reading through this forum because Ive seen a lot of people in other areas comment about having revisions from band to sleeve. I was sleeved in April, but had seriously thought about the band before. I decided against it just because I was leery of something that had to be adjusted all the time. Im wondering WHY theres so many revisions though? Did it not work? Or are there a lot of problems with it? Just curious to know

So, I recently learned my band slipped and needs to be removed. I've been banded about 3 years and while i initially lost about 40 lbs, I've been pretty much the same for the last year or so. My current surgeon only does removals, no revisions. I'm pretty worried about having it removed bc I've read so many articles saying you will gain the weight back once it's out. I do know of another surgeon in the area who will revise to a gastric bypass. My question is, before I consider changing doctors, do you think they'd be willing to do a bypass on me if I'm not morbidly obese right now? My bmi is 32 with an underlying condition of sleep apnea. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I had a banded plication a little over 2 years ago and am currently scheduled to revise to a sleeve. I liked the plication early on but lost almost all of the restriction after about 6-9 months. Good luck to you! Jenn

I had the sleeve for 4 years. I had it revised once because it slipped out of place, and then it had a leak. The only reason I lost weight the first go around is because all I did was throw up... after i had it revised, it never was the same. I gained back the 90 lbs I had lost... Then I started having no restriction and we discovered it had a leak. I decided to have the sleeve. So far I like it, you have to eat really really slow and I still feel some times the "stuck" feeling, hopefully it will get better as the swelling goes down ( Im only one month post op) I've lost 16 lbs so far... but I am finding out that if you dont follow the rules.. it doesnt seem to come off.. I have a problem with drinking all the water I am supposed to drink and taking the vitamins and exercising ( too bad they dont tweak your mind along with your tummy!!) Hopefully my mind will get on board sooner or later!!

I'm a bandsters also. I have been researching revision for about a year now. I have noticed that most bandsters tend to revise to VSG. Also most do extremely well with the VSG when they revise! The only reason I haven't done it yet is b/c of finances. Good luck!

Hi there! I'm a 35 year old married female living in the Seattle area. I was banded in 2004 by Dr. Kuri and his great team in Mexico. Surgery went off without a hitch and in my first year I lost nearly 70 pounds. I got pregnant with my first child in 2006, gained all of my lost weight back... went back to fills and fighting to get the weight off again, but never found that sweet spot again. I was contemplating a revision to RNY and three days before I was to go in for that surgery my insurance pulled the rug out and said "Ooops! Our bad - we can not cover the revision because you are no longer fat enough".. in so many words. Another year went by, my weight was up and down... in the gym starving myself with a trainer I can get it off, but in "real life" not so much. During this time I really struggled with feelings of failure, and all things associated with my band not working - the "my fault" stuff. I got pregnant with my second (and final) baby summer 2009, and following my hospital stay, I had a bad reaction to a medicine that caused major inflammation in my esophagus and viola! My local fill/follow up doctor found that there was a break in my tubing near my port!! So now it all made sense.. no wonder my band was not working!?! So now I am scheduled for a repair surgery on Monday 1/3/11, and basically starting over in every way. Back to my original weight ((sadly)), and aiming for 100lbs. Thanks, and keep well!

Good Morning Sleevers!! I have a question regarding the ability to eat without effort 4 oz. of food. I feel that I can easily eat more but, stop myself at that point. My surgery date was 9 Feb 15, so, I am about 2 1/2 weeks out. I started soft foods 1 week after surgery (fish, tuna, green beans). I guess each Surgeon is different. My surgery was completely pain-free and, though I am off work for 6 weeks, I could have gone to work the same week. I am losing fine (hit a stall now but, not too worried) but I am concerned that if I am able to eat so much now, in a month I will be eating a much larger portion. Also, it takes me about 5-10 minutes to eat meal. I have forced myself to slow down to minimum of 20 minutes. I can drink 32 oz of Water in about 5-10 minutes too. I can't eat salads yet. Sorry for the long post!! My actual question is: Are you or were you able to eat so much 2 1/2 weeks out or, is this due to my having a revision? Let me give an sample of a days worth of food: 1st meal: Protein shake 11 oz. mixed in my decaf coffee about 10 oz. 30 minutes later: water, water, water 2nd meal: 1 scrambled egg with 1 oz. of chicken and laughing cow wedge water 3rd Meal: 4 oz. grilled chicken breast w laughing cow wedge or chicken salad w light mayo 30 minutes later: water, water, water 32-40 oz. 4th Meal: 4 oz. grilled chicken breast, 4 green Beans water w Crystal Lite 5th meal: Protein Shake or string cheese with 1 slice of budding turkey wrapped around water, water, water

I would recommend either the RNY gastric bypass or sleeve. One individual in our support group went through a revision from a lap band to a RNY. The band was wearing through his stomach. I have heard many other similar stories from individuals, so I would recommend something other than a lap band.

I just had my band revised to a sleeve. I am day 3 post op and soooooo nauseous 🤢 I can barely eat and my belly is so upset. I threw up yesterday, that was awful. Today I managed a few sips of the protein drink and a few sips of water. I feel like I am never going to feel better. Please tell me it gets better Ughhhhh

Insurance is a puzzle. I knew that my insurance covers WLS and I met all the criteria, but we had a few extra hoops to jump through to get approval for a revision. That extra hoop was easy once I was diagnosed with a slip. Basically, if you had a "failure" of the previous surgery like a slippage it didn't matter your BMI or co-morbidities. Even so, they wanted my NUt and psych assessment to approve the band removal... I think they got wires crossed because that makes no sense. The insurance person said, oh we needed it anyway for the sleeve procedure approval. Anyway, my doc was alarmed by my slip too because even though all Fluid is out he said the band was too tight and it had slipped alot. It is strange because I feel basically no restriction. He too warned me that I could suddenly be totally blocked and require emergency surgery. Tomorrow, I have my EKG which is the last step before the removal - I somehow missed that I needed to do that. Only after the EKG is done will they schedule the removal. Ask your doctor how often the "repositioning" actually works or if it is likely to slip again.

i had lapband done in 09, had my son in 2011, lost a total of 120 pds. I had a breast Aug. done, as I went from a ddd to a b cup. I also had my tummy done last summer. I can say that it was the best thing I did. My insurance covered the tummy part. I found out last month that my lapband caused my Hiatal hernia and I was able to get the revision to bypass. I can say that I should have done this before hand. I feel that the only thing that I will have to have done is my arms. I gained back 50 pds and I have lost about 25 of it before my surgery on the 30th.

My answers below in blue. First, for those of you that have lost the weight, is the port identifiable under your skin? I have a mental image of seeing a small circle protruding from some part of the body where the fill port is pushing from the inside out onto the skin. Hopefully this is just a crazy, paranoid question but I might as well ask. I'm down about 175 - 180, still have 30 - 50 lbs to go. So far my port is not visible, but I can easily find it by touch. Where mine is placed, I'm not sure it would be visible unless I actually became underweight. The boxing class does not allow blows to the head but body-blows are acceptable. Same for the martial arts classes. Considering I'll have a port near/at the surface of my skin, should I rethink my exercise choices and take up Yoga instead? I was an avid Aikidoer pre-op, but gave it up post-op. For one, the port area is sensitive to the touch, even when you're healed. Not to the everyday touch, but direct pressure smarts a bit. I talked to my surgeon's nurse about this and she thought I was crazy for even thinking about it. It amkes sense, a direct hit could do some damage. I'm not thinking of trying to do this in the next week or two after surgery - more like six months or so (or what ever the doctor recommends). I'm just wondering if anything changes as a result of having a port... Women mostly find that some sexual positions become uncomfortable. I take it "Mike" is not used in a female way. :biggrin: Some people have their port placed in an area where it does show, so they either deal with it (I have seen them to where they show through clothing), or seek revisions to low profile ports. If it's something you're concerned with, maybe talk to your surgeon now about a low profile port. Can't think of any other times that my port is even something I remember I have... Hope this helps.

Hi Michele, I'll just cut to the chase and answer your questions: I am my son's only parent! -- Which is a perfect reason to do EVERYTHING in your power to give him the best Mom you can be. Wouldn't you like to run with him? Play with him? Feel confident around his friends? Have his little arms be able to reach all the way around you? Live as long as you possibly can, without worrying if you won't be able to see him grow up, get married, graduate college... etc.?? Sorry to be so blunt, but when I was Super Obese, I may have been ALIVE but I didn't TRULY LIVE until I took my life back, and took control of my disease. What if it doesn't work, just like the band? -- I was revised from band to sleeve on 9.15.10 and I went in wondering the same thing. I had many of the same issues you did... I simply never was able to find that sweet spot and I was constantly in pain, especially in my port area. I was banded on 2.11.08. It took me over a year to finally take that step to have a second WLS once I'd heard of the sleeve and how wonderful it was. I can say today that it DID work and the sleeve for me was EVERYTHING that I was always hoping my band could be. Shouldn't I try Medifast first? -- "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results" ~Albert Einstein People tell me it is TOO extreme, and try to help me figure out what else I can do. -- extreme yes... but sometimes that is exactly what it takes to beat a demon. I certainly don't regret doing this extreme surgery, because today I am everything I dreamed I could be, and so much more. I wouldn't give it back for all the tea in China. Besides that, there comes a time in our lives when we have to make our own decisions, be dammed of what anyone else thinks! No one but YOU is walking in your shoes, so no one but YOU should make such a huge decision on what is right and wrong for YOU. What if it doesn't work? -- See all above Maybe there is a hormonal reason I can't lose? -- Yes there is a possibility that there is a hormonal reason you can't lose. Have them checked, BUT that doesn't mean you still shouldn't take the bull by the horns. Excuses will only keep holding you back. What if it doesn't work? -- See all above With that, I'd like to formally welcome you to VST. Take a good look around. We have an entire section of Band to Sleeve stories and most if not ALL are successful in some manner or another. I have yet to see one where they weren't glad they did it. All the best to you and please let us know how you're doing! Chime in and make yourself home.

I had my first appointment with my new surgeon today. Since it had been two and a half years since I'd seen my original one, he did a fluoroscopy on me. We saw that my band was extremely tight and that my pouch was extremely dilated/stretched. The tight band was news to me, since I hadn't felt much restriction in a long time and could eat close to a full meal. The band was so tight that we couldn't see the barium emptying out of the pouch at all. He said that my opening between pouches was probably about the size of a pencil eraser, and that he was amazed that I'd lived with it for as long as I did. He did an immediate complete unfill, since he said that it was pretty dangerous. He said that eventually it would migrate and close off my stomach entirely and I'd have to have emergency surgery to remove it. He gave me three options, all of which are surgery. Remove the band and leave my stomach alone, go in and reposition the band, or do a revision to a sleeve. Right now, I don't meet the BMI requirements for revision, but he thinks we may be able to make an argument that it's a medically necessary surgery anyway. Ideally, we'll revise, if that isn't possible, I'd rather have the band repositioned than removed. I admit that I was kind of hoping to have something wrong with the band in order to justify revising to a sleeve, but actually KNOWING that something is wrong bothers me more than I thought it would. I almost started crying at the surgeon's office. Now it's time to hurry up an wait while we get everything together and submitted to insurance. It's going to be at least a week until anything gets done, since the insurance coordinator is on vacation this week.

Hello everyone. I'll get straight to the point, I never wanted a bypass but i got a botched gastric sleeve surgery and was unable to eat and drink for nearly 3 months. My only option to was having a gastric bypass-it was a necessary revision surgery if I ever wanted to eat or drink again. I'm nearly three weeks out and having a very hard time. I was eating ok two weeks out then all of a sudden i started becoming nauseous and losing my appetite. I have a Gtube and a jp drain tube in-jp comes out Wednesday thank God. I'm having a hard time adjusting to the fact some things I'll never be able to eat again. It saddens me. I would really love to meet someone in the Toledo or Michigan area to buddy up with, or someone i can talk to that's been through or that's going through the same. What foods work for.you what doesn't, etc. thanks in advance

I agree, I also went back and forth but ultimately went with Bypass. I wanted to lose as much as possible and it is gold standard. I seen too many issues w/ the sleevers along with the revisions.