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Have you considered starting with just a sleeve and then revising to DS if your results aren't satisfactory? DS is sometimes done as a two stage procedure- sleeve only first and then rerouting later. You may find that you get where you need to be with a sleeve only. Good luck on your journey.

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.

I had a doctor similar when I was having issue with Lapband. I left the office and did nothing for a year and then I found a new doctor and within 4 months I was scheduled for revision surgery. Look for a new doctor, don't delay. I gained all my weight lost from the band plus 50lbs so now starting all over.

I originally had a sleeve that I was told was done incorrectly. That info has still been upheld with current scans. The original surgeon did not cut enough of my stomach away to have enough effective weight loss. A couple of years later, I approached a surgeon in MX for a revision and they talked me into a MGB as opposed to the full bypass. So now I have two problems, one, my stomach is still too large and the bile duct is "basically dumping bile into my stomach" (dr's words, not mine). Only 2 months after the MGB, I started having reflux issues, but was just told to take medicine and it would pass. I saw Dr's while living in CA for almost 2 years before deciding to move to WA to be closer to family because I was in such bad shape over this and the CA surgeons were shady as hell and trying to just immediately push me into a revision without insurance approval. It still took almost a year for diagnosis and surgery scheduling in WA, but I have a huge amount of faith in the dr's I have here. It's been a long road and I definitely didn't want another weight loss surgery after the first two, but I've been assured that this will fix the issue and even help me shed some of the weight gain that I experienced. I did gain over the last couple of years because consistently eating food was the only thing that kept the acid at bay.

My pre op appointment was yesterday and everything went great. I still can't believe that I am going to finally be done with the port and the band. No more nights scared to eat dinner to have to stay up til 3 am waiting for my food to digest or waking up because I threw up in my sleep. Those long nights are over. So now I am preparing for my 3 day liquid diet to shrink my liver. The big day is April 30th and I have recieved nothing but support from my closest friends and family. I am just ready to live again. I want to wear a swim suit (to embarassed to wear one), go skating or wear a sexy dress with heel to dinner with my hubby. I have been living in a shell for 4 years dealing with the issues I was having with my band. Now the time has finally arrived and there is NO TURNING BACK NOW! It took me 2 years to finally decide that this was the right road for me. I was embarassed about gaining some of the weight back and for even thinking about a revision. I didn't want to hear people saying I did the the surgery once and why would I do it again. But it's not about what people will say or what they think. It's not about them. It's about ME! The new healthier me that wants to live a long healthier life and have the wedding I never got to have with the man of my dreams, my biggest supporter, my best friend...My husband. Here's to the beginning of a new journey to the NEW ME!

I had mine done as a revision from the band and my BMI was around 36 at the time. I think that you will benefit greatly from being at a lower starting weight surgery-wise, making it safer, and recovery will probably faster but your weight loss may a bit slower than those who are much heavier. It will come off steadily though and if you follow the guidelines it's unlikely that you will gain any weight in the future which has to be of benefit. I don't know much about hair loss either as I haven't experienced it - hope I don't either! Good luck xxx

Hi all my surgery will be on the 8th of September and I would love to have somebody who has the surgery the same day to exchange experience and support each other !!! I am actually a band to sleeve revision so I will be longer under that day. Hope to find somebody out there

UPDATE!!! I called the surgeon's office and talked to their coordinator about what's been going on. She said that it's a really simple procedure. Open up one of the incision sites, reattatch the port, close up, and go. If it's done on a Friday I should be back at work on Monday. AND since the insurance paid for the surgery she said they should also pay for this as a "revision". She's checking on it and will get back to me. So I'm a bit happier about the situation. I guess. I'm going to focus on my new fill. It's a good thing. :thumbup:

Hi there, I wanted to post a review of my experiences though I know a lot of you have been following me in some other posts I wanted a new topic so that others who are researching could easily find it. Here is my story. I left my house 5 am (Eastern time) on Thursday and after a very long day of travel and one delayed flight I made it to Star Medica around 2pm (4pm Eastern time) No trouble at all crossing the boarder, in fact we didn't even have to stop the van. Also, I had some worries (okay A LOT of worries) about Juarez but once there I actually felt silly! Everything appeared completely safe and I never gave it another thought. In fact had I not been scheduled for surgery same day, I would have went across the street for dinner and not thought anything of it. Which brings be to my first bit of advice...for me personally, flying in the same day as surgery was just way too much ! I did not get to surgery until 7pm (9pm to my body) and I was EXHAUSTED, GROUCHY, and STARVING to death. Be aware, if you are someone who feels they need to know every little detail and what the plan is at all times, you may have some trouble. Things really kind of just happen when they happen and you're just along for the ride. Surgery itself went great and I was in recovery by 10pm. Mine took longer because I had a revision from sleeve to MGB. I felt pretty good and slept on and off through the night. They do not hover over you so don't expect that like in the US where they come in every five mins. However, they did come immediately if I called for someone. I stayed one step ahead and asked for a spirometer before they offered and I was up walking as soon as I was able. I had pretty bad gas pain in my left shoulder and I had a drain (some do some don't) and it was very uncomfortable for me. I walked as much as I could and took gas x strips but it still was very uncomfortable, I won't say I was in pain though, just very uncomfortable. They brought me ice chips that mid morning and around 1pm some broth (delicious) and Jello (yuck) and hot tea and apple juice. It was wonderful to have anything really by that point. Dr. Rod and the other two came in to check on me twice that day, all were very nice but they are busy and they come and go quick so have your questions ready! By 5 that evening I had my drain out and my leak test then more broth. They gave me a sleeping pill to rest well to prepare for travel the next day. My hubby went with me, he ate in the cafeteria for $5 a meal including drink and we thought that was great! It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping for him but he managed. My only other complaint would be that the shower was cold but others I talked too said they had plenty of hot Water so not sure what was up with that. Also, as you've read I'm sure not all the nurses speak English especially overnight but we managed. I'm happy with the experience and would have no problem recommending Dr. Rod and his team. I'm happy to answer any specific questions anyone has.

that's why I changed my mind from the band to the sleeve....once I made that decision the apprehension and anxiety I was feeling about the band - just disappeared. Now for surgery and to make my excess weight disappear as well!! congrats to getting your revision surgery! glad your insurance covered it.

That's what my bariatric surgeon said this morning after looking at my esophogram. When I asked her about how thin my esophagus was per a comment made by the technician, she laughed and said that they're not used to seeing a normal esophagus. Most of the time because of band tightness, the esophagus swells. Because I am fortunate enough to have no Fluid in the band, mine is normal. I also showed the doctor my 'golf ball' and she said that needed to be revised for sure. So after the summer, I get a port revision to a lower profile version and she will tuck it under the muscle. I will be happy to have it gone. I tried on a dress yesterday and couldn't buy it because the port was really noticible. Happy days and I'm a happy lady thanks to my lapband.

Revision to what in April? Best of luck to you also.

I am going to have to get a tummy tuck revision since I put on so much weight since my first one. The first one did not remove all of the stretch marks from my pregnancy but hopefully the revision will! Actually, if the boobs deflate like I think they will as i shed these pounds, Im just going to opt for the Mommy Makeover.

My name is Whitney Williams I'm 30 years old and a past lap band patient. I had some great success with my lap band when I first had it put in. I lost a lot of weight and things were looking good then all the sudden my band slipped and I had to have surgery again to replace the band. At the time of fixing my band I was just starting out my student teaching which made it a little harder to go to regular appointments like I should have. Well now I've gained weight back and have been having a bunch of trouble with my band. It gets to tight and I have to get it adjusted or I get to sick and I can't keep stuff down. Right now I'm in the process of getting revision surgery done so I can get in better shape with my weight. I just hope this time I have a lot better luck cause keeping the band is not something that I want to do. The hardest part in this journey for me is the insurance requirements to have the revision surgery is a pain in the butt. I would think if they can show that I've been having problems with the band already insurance would be ok but you have to show other things than just the problems I was having. Right now my band has nothing so its making the weight loss a littler harder but I'm sticking in there and can't wait to start this journey again and get in a healthier life. I'm also going through this journey with my mom she is getting ready to have the sleeve surgery too. She's going to get to have her surgery first because I'm having to have back surgery on March 26,2018 so I have to put my surgery on the back burner until I heal from it. Well that's a little background into my journey I wish everyone luck on their journey.

After insurance verification with the hospital here at home, I am probably going to have my surgery here on November 20th. I will only owe about $1,200 to $1,800 total for the lap band to gastric sleeve revision, so that saves us about $3,000 over me having it done in Mexico. And also, if my surgery is here and my wife's surgery in Mexico, it will give us a chance to compare the surgery and recovery processes and share that information with others in order to help them. I am interested in seeing those differences (both pros and cons) firsthand as I will also be accompanying my wife to Mexico for her surgery.

Congratulations Kandy! I know you will be well cared for by Dr. Aceves and his team. I remember when I sent in my deposit, I felt tremendous relief, knowing that I was committed and Dr. Aceves was going to get this stupid band out of me and "fix" me with a VSG. I'm now 25 days post-op and very close to feeling normal again. My strength is back (I climb 5 flights of stairs to work every day), my incisions are healed (just a little itchy), and I'm doing well getting my Protein drinks in without discomfort. Memories of that difficult first week are just a blurry memory now. Now, I'm just anticipating my mushy foods! Since my surgery was a revision, I have to stay in each stage for 15 days, instead of 10. I want to chew so badly..... I hope the next few weeks go quickly for you.

Well I had my revision done yesterday morning, and so far the experience has been less then pleasant. The pain meds make me nauseous, the nausea makes me throw up, and the throwing up hurts like hell. They are going to keep me for an extra nite just to be safe. Prayers for an easier recovery would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone! ! Well last October I tried to get my band to sleeve revision. The surgeon was able to take out the band but was not able to revise me to a sleeve because of all the damage the band had done to my stomach. So my surgery is scheduled for July 8th and I'm so excited!!! it will be 9 months from when I had my band taken out and hopefully my stomach has healed enough for my surgeon to do the sleeve!!wish me luck♥

I got the band 5 years ago but then was a total failure. I didn't follow the rules very well, I was pregnant, etc. I started again in January. Since January I have lost over 40lbs. My doctor told me (he does all the fills under the flourosope) in Janauary and again a month later that the band was in perfect condition and the perfect location. The problem he had was my stomach spasms continuously so it was really hard to fill it and gauge how well it was filled. I am on some medicine for the stomach spasms but it's not working that well. I went to get another fill the other day because i see him monthly and he had not filled it since the original fill because I was losing weight. My weightloss has slowed a bit and I did not have as much restriction. He told me the band is now more vertical and I have a 50% chance of esophageal dilation. I don't really understand what that is. I kind of get it but it still doesn't make a lot of sense. I asked him if he could just move the band back but he said that they used to do that but now that doesn't work or isn't that effective. So far it has not dilated - I have restriction. But if I lose restriction I am going to be so upset. I asked him about revision - he is SUPER conservative. Absolutely will not do revisions unless I meet very stringent criteria. I think he is trying to build a record that he has done everything with the band for insurance purposes (i.e. I am going to the dietician a lot). It doesn't help that I am on the low end of the weight spectrum - my BMI is 35 I believe - so aside from PCOS, my other co-morbidity (sleep apnea) has disappeared. Has this happened to anyone else? what is it exactly? how did your doctor solve it? I was told he would unfill it and I would know if it dilated because I would lose restriction. But what happens then? I just have a non-working band in me the rest of my life? Can't that cause erosion? I am just confused and distressed. I didn't really know what to ask my doctor other than was I in any kind of danger................

I'm going on an Alaskan cruise on May 7th. This will be the 4th cruise I've taken with my lapband, the 1st totally unfilled. The last 3 cruises, I ate small amts of everything, as usual. Now I'm almost "excited" to go on the cruise unfilled. I plan on hitting up the chocolate buffet bigtime! I also plan on going to the gym while there. I'm not trying to lose weight while waiting on my revision, but I don't want to gain either. I'll try to be good...

You may want to go see your surgeon and do a barium swallow. I am having a revision from the band to the bypass because of complications with the band that started out as chest pains. First, they were mild, then they began hurting between my shoulder blades and eventually got to where I couldn't breathe. I thought it was my gallbladder, but wanted to start with my lapband dr first just to rule out anything with the band. Sure enough, when I did the barium swallow, it backed up into my pouch and didnt go down. Sometimes your esophogus can swell. Alot of people can get unfilled and do liquids for a few weeks and then get refilled and everything is fine. Unfortunately, that wasn't my case. Good luck!

Yep, I heard the same thing. I'm happy to report that I've now lost more weight than some of those very people that told me I'd never get to goal with VSG alone. Well, I did, and I don't have 99% of the issues they have. I have several friends in real life that were extremely supportive because of the issues they have with their RNY around 4-7 years out. I can't even list all of their long term complications and I'm extremely grateful that I had VSG as an option for my revision. If VSG would not have been an option, I would have seriously had my band removed, and just lived the rest of my life fat. Don't doubt yourself based on people that are only a few months out from surgery. That's called the honeymoon phase. 95% of patients love their surgery for the first 6-12 months. Go check out the Revision forum on obesityhelp, also the failed weight loss surgery forum, and the Hunger/Food issues forum. I would venture to say that 85% of the posts are from RNY patients that are 4-10 years out that have A) gained back a significant amount of their weight back, and they want a revision :001_tt1: they are having Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies and are so lost on how to get their numbers back up to be healthy C) they have a mechanical failure with their pouch or stoma, D) Their bodies are no longer malabsorbing calories, but they are stuck with a lifetime of vitamin and micronutrient malabsorption (that little part of the RNY that most people don't realize is that malabsorption of calories only lasts 18-24 months). Most opt to have what is called an ERNY. That's where the surgeon goes in and shortens their common channel (cut away more of their intestines) which causes more malabsorption until the body adjusts again, but the vitamin/nutrient deficiencies increase. The other 15% of patients are band patients that have had their band for 2-5 years and the complications are piling up. For me, RNY just wasn't worth it. With the sleeve, patients being compliant and changing their relationship with food is the main component to success. I've read of people stop losing or gaining back 10-20 pounds. When they get real honest with what they've been eating, it's pretty obvious what the issue is. None of the surgeries fix our food demons. That's all on us. For me the sleeve was the most logical option for a normal, and least complicated life post-op. I've gained a few pounds by making bad food choices while on vacation for a week. I had those 5 pounds gone once I got back home. I went back to my normal meal plan which is pretty lax to begin with considering the other surgery dietary guidelines. Just my 2cents. Trust your gut, trust your research. Best wishes, and we're all here for you.

I had my band put in in Cancun by Dr verboonen in July 2010. (They were great by the way.) At first it went well, and I have a good local doctor for fills and I lost about 80 pounds. But then I started getting terrible reflux, and it went on and on, and Prilosec and then Nexium were not working. I had an endoscopy last fall they found a couple of ulcerations in my esophagus. So I had to drain my fills. I'm on omeprazole now but still get reflux several times a week and still have to sleep propped up. It's nowhere near as bad as before, but still an issue. My weight loss has stopped. Thankfully I only gained 8 pounds after the "un-fill" and have stuck there. But I don't see how I will ever get another fill, if I still have reflux on 40mg of omeprazole and zero fill. So the band to me is just something I want out. I am considering revision with dr. verboonen. But the one thing about the band is that it is reversible. A sleeve is not. If I'm still going to suffer from reflux then there's no point. I would really appreciate anyone's experiences with reflux and the sleeve. Thanks!

I had started having burning in my stomach in August. I had the lapband out and was getting it revised to a sleeve but I had a lot of scaring so they said come back in 4-6 months for the sleeve. Since I have had the band out I am still having burning from my throat to my stomach. I had a upper GI series and it showed nothing. Not even reflux. I had a EDG in August and they said it was normal then. I am due to have another one on Friday. I have been put on 7 PPI,s and none have worked. I am on an antibiotic and that's not doing it either. Has anyone had this and if so what did you do? Help I am desperate for this burning to stop. I feel like I am on fire all the time.

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie to this site and so glad I found it! To make a long story short, I was banded in 2009, very successful, lost 100 lbs, never any problems until about 9 months ago. Port turned, I was told it would be a simple 20 minute "fix". After ALL necessary tests, everything came back great....no slippage, leaking etc. went in this morning, woke up & was told they removed the band due to a puss pocket behind the stomach and the tubing was beginning to erode. Needless to say, I was shocked and began to cry. This was such a fight for me since day one between fighting my ins company, sleep apnea tests, counseling, dietician etc...and I know we have all been there as it is part of the process but I just feel robbed. I know that may come across as shallow but trust me, I am the last person to put looks or weight above health. I'm confused, my doctor did mention that it could be a possibility, could be. Why did all my tests come back good if they had to take it out? It is a total mind f*** and I'm afraid now that I will gain back the weight and who knows if insurance will pay for another band/bypass with a low BMI. Doc said 6 weeks and trust me, I have a list of questions for my follow up in a few days. Doctor never went out to speak to my mother, who was waiting for 8 hours total! I'm just having thoughts as to if this band even needed to be removed. Any thoughts or stories please share...I feel robbed