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I would like to know if anyone out there has considered, researched, or had a "revision" from the lap-band to the gastric bypass. I have had VERY poor results with the band - AND YES I KNOW THE BAND IS ONLY A TOOL, AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO ALLOW IT TO WORK; but guess what? I don't think the band is/was for me. I truly think that I need something drastic to make me change. If I am given an inch, I WILL take a mile, no matter what I do. And, this is just what I've done since being banded. I have been banded for 19 months and haven't lost any weight to speak of. I have lost and gained the same 5 pounds since May of 2007. I know what I am supposed to do and eat - it's not that I'm uneducated, I guess, it's that I wasn't ready to make the change, even though I thought I was. I was and still am SOOOO tired of being fat. I don't even want to get out of bed each day, because I don't have anything that fits and I don't want to go anywhere where someone might see me. I have a semi-supportive family, my husband doesn't say anything one way or the other, my kids tell me I look good, even though I know I don't. I am so confused - I have a constant battle with myself every single day. I have thought about the gastric bypass off and on for the last 6 months. I know it's very risky, and that's what scares me the most; however, I have already had 3 back surgeries, and am certainly headed for more, if I don't lose this weight. I am 5'6" tall and weigh 240 pounds. I look and feel like hell. I keep praying, asking God to help me. I don't have diabetes, high BP, or sleep apnea. Does anyone have any suggestions, besides reiterating the lap-band rules to me AGAIN?:biggrin::scared2:

i'm currently living with a slipped lapband and need to have it removed. even though i've lost 110% of my goal weight, i decided against getting rebanded because i was told the percentage of it slipping again is too high. the thing is, i'm 4 years post op and i'm still not done paying for the first surgery which is why i need to travel from ohio to Mexico. i'm thinking of going with dr. Almanza because he seems to have done a lot of revision surgeries. how many days are you actually in the hospital / recovery home / hotel? i thought i'd have surgery day one, recovery house or hotel day two and travel back home day 3 but i heard that you're actually away closer to 5 days. there are no direct flights from san diego to cleveland so i'm not looking forward to the 6.5 hour flight home plus layover. how unbearable is this travel going to be? also, i'll be traveling alone.

Some of you will know that I have been back and forth with making up my mind on who will do my revision. I had a lapband done in 2003 and have decided on a VSG revision. I finally received a call from the surgeons in Red Deer Alberta (about 300km) being the closest to where I live and will be seeing a new surgeon there on 7 September. I decided to go this route as it is funded by Alberta Health Care, and I can use the money I was going to spend going to Mexico on other things - like flying home to Australia to see my family. I love this site and have found out so much because of everyones information. Thanks. Glenda

I'm from Bloomington Indiana I have lived here for 25 years I'm 43yrs old and have a birthday coming up in November. I am attempting to get a revision surgery approved. I have to admit I'm a little nervous.

Does anyone know if you have to go through the whole process again, if you are going to get a revision?

Hi Sleevers! I am scheduled for my Revision surgery on Sept 10, 2012. I have bought my airline ticket from South Carolina to San Diego. Splurged and am flying First Class... this is the first time that I have ever purchased a First Class ticket and I am as excited about that as my actual surgery. I am a self pay and booked myself in January... so, I would have plenty of time to get it paid off before my surgery. Anyone heading to Tijuana that week? Staying at the Marriott. Good luck to all! Dottie

I have had my lapband for almost 3 years and have lost over 100 pounds. In the last 5 months I have had 2 slips and have decided to revise to a sleeve. My surgeon said he has seen too many deaths from leaks due to scar tissue from the band. He wants to do a sleeve but instead of cutting the whole stomach, he will cut away 85% and then do a Gastric Plication on the top 15% of the stomach...he feels this will eliminate the chance of a leak. I've never heard of this and he has never done this. He is a pioneer in Lapband surgery and at a Center of Excellence hospital. I have the utmost trust in him but I'm not thrilled being a guinea pig with surgery. Have you heard of this ever being done? What are you thought? Thank you for your advice!

If you've moved so far that making an appointment at your surgery practice isn't feasible, you'll do well to connect with one where you live now. If it's been more than a year since you last had an appt, it's time. You should have an [annual] esophagram and discuss what your band is doing presently and whether adjustments are the way to go. You'll also get the full rundown on how to eat and the rest of the routine. I don't understand why your band was emptied instead of loosened. Are you leaving something -- e.g., dilation -- out? P.S. I was doing wonderfully well in the 15 months following surgery and then I blew it. A couple of times along the way, I reapplied myself (saw my NP, surgeon and RD) and lost about 20 lbs. Then I regained those bits. In July I went in again with the idea that my band would be a lost cause. (Much earlier I had dilation twice, which meant significant loosening.) I was wrong and am so relieved that I can forget about revision surgery. Get the proper professional assistance now and see where you get. I get the feeling from your account that one or more parties weren't particularly thorough from the start. Don't give up. I'm exhausted. Good night.

That is ridiculous! I had a doc tell me that and I waited a 14 months before I saw another surgeon. I am 5 1/2 months out from my band to sleeve revision and I've lost 81 lb. Yup- 81! Find another doc!

Our school allows for zoom classes only for covid. I’m going to wear a mask as always as well I am vaccinated. However, they are making a big deal about me wanting to go to class online via zoom versus in person. I have my surgery next Wednesday, when do you think I could realistically ride in a car for 30 minutes each way and sit in a 1 hr 45 minute class? My surgery is a laparoscopic revision

I can't sleep so I'm up releasing my anxiety on Vertical Sleeve Talk. This is a revision for me. I had the band in Oct 2009 and recently the port flipped and band slipped. I opted to have it remove instead of repaired. My insurance company was gracious enough to approve the Gastric Sleeve. So the clock is ticking and I CAN'T SLEEP!!!! My surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am in Woodbridge VA. It's now past midnight so I can't even have a glass of wine or a tylenol PM. This is horrible. BUT I am soooooo looking forward to this. I bet I won't say that we I wake up in recovery. I've been told I may experience a short period of regret ( that haunting question... What have I gotten my self into) But that should be only temporary. So as SpongeBob Square Pants would say...I ready, I'm ready. I will keep all posted when I'm out of recovery and coherent. (Potomac Hospital rooms have internet access yeah!!) Goodnight all.

***I posted this in the revision forum but I think it's more appropriate here because the issue is more about society and weight than choice of surgery.*** Hey everyone, I'm close to my revision date (May 13, lapband to gastric bypass), and I'm going through a difficult time. I'm at a point in my life in which people using my weight against me in cruel ways has started to really get to me (or maybe it always did but I pushed it away). I realized this morning that the only thing that keeps me going is the hope for a better future after my revision from lap-band to bypass. While I recognize that the bypass won't be a magical cure (I already failed the lap-band so that naivete is gone), I must hold on to the belief that this time around the journey will be different, maybe not less challenging, but much more rewarding. I know I have to do the work, but hopefully it will be better without something inside me working against me. I'm tired of my weight being used against me. I'm a social worker and just yesterday a displeased client came to my workplace and made a scene in the reception center, screaming, "F*ck that fat bi*ch" over and over again. I can't begin to describe how embarrassed I felt. My weight has nothing to do with the reason why she is displeased, but it is always so easy for people to go there because it's the cheapest way to hurt. Not long ago, I was walking down the street and someone trying to sell comedy tickets was getting frustrated because no one was stopping. When I didn't stop either, he yelled at me something along the lines of, "That's why you are fat." As always, I just kept walking. What else can you do? I know that people who lower themselves to those level should not be able to hurt my feelings; intellectually I know it very well. I know that they are cruel and unhappy... but intellect and emotions are different, and just because I know something intellectually, it doesn't mean that I know it emotionally. Yes, I want to be healthy and live a long life, but the truth is that I want to lose weight first and foremost because I'm tired of the discrimination and the cruelty. I'm holding on to May 13 as the beginning of a new life. I'm reading the success stories on this forum and I try to imagine myself there too. I don't know how I would be able to function right now without this hope. Thank you for listening.

I want to follow this message, because I am having some of the same concerns with energy level. I have a terrible pain in my left back for 2-weeks now. It feels like a back-ache and it is super annoying. On Monday I will be 4-weeks post-op, from a Lap-band to RNY revision on Sept 16, 2013.

Keep walking and that will help disperse that gas/air that is inside of you. When I woke up from my revision surgery (lap band out to the sleeve), I looked at hubby and said, "What the he** did I do?" (I don't cuss generally, lol). But, once they let me get up and walk but the evening I was doing better and also with the pain medication being given to me in my IV. Follow the rules that your doctor gives you so that you heal well with no complicatons. Remember, you have to take care of your "baby sleeve" as someone on chat shared with me. Congrats!!!

I am also with Peachtree Bariatrics and Dr Tuggle is great! I was supposed to be a band to bypass revision on 12/15, but only could get the band out... second surgery in another 6 to 8 weeks. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I did not go out of the country for my band but was self pay for it. My insurance paid for my band to sleeve revision even though I was uninsured when the band was placed.

I’ve regained weight about 20 pounds from my lowest weight of 191. Pre/op 331, surgery 311. I really feel I never lost weight like everyone else and now I’m gaining weight. I didn’t think you could this fast with SIPS. Is a revision worth considering? Are there people who have had revisions from SIPS? Not to sound crazy but there are many times I don’t even think I’ve had the surgery. I can’t tell at all whatsoever. Maybe I’m just bummed out and getting the blues. I just thought I was doing well and then since July of this year to now I’ve gained 30 pounds.

Hi Bob - I had no drainage from my initial banding surgery, but I had a lot of drainage from my port revision surgery. It happens sometimes, and the amount of liquid can be profuse. It should stop after 1-2 weeks. I don't know if this is recommended, but I did palpitate mine to help force the liquid out - I seemed to have a pocket of it. As long as it's clear, it should be just drainage. If it starts to get pus-y/bloody, have the doc take a look. Be sure to keep the incision site clean, too. You may also want to keep some sort of absorbant material on it, as the amount and timing of drainage can be unpredictable. I had it soak through my waistband and shirt... yuck.

Although people who have revised post here, I would check out the both the sleeve and bypass boards because revisers tend to be more active on their new procedure boards. Also you may want to consider revision to the band with plication This is a relatively new procedure which combines the band with the sleeve except the sleeve is formed by suturing the stomach instead of removing it. Another advantage is that the band with plication tends to be covered by insurance whereas the plication alone isn't. Good luck with your journey Michelle

I'm having RNY. I have severe GERD, that causes me to sleep on my couch in an upright position. I actually chose the RNY even before knowing about the sleeve. I have noticed that the sleeve is more commonly done now, but I was told that if I did a sleeve, I would most likely have to have a revision to the RNY. So, I decided to just do RNY and skip having more surgery.

I am 64 years old and started my weight loss journey over 10 years ago, when my husband was still alive (he will dead 10 years this fall). I started with the pre-op testing, etc.. but as his health failed I couldn't take part in the demanding schedule so I gave it up. Two years after he died (2007) I started the process again, but this time at a local hospital with a local surgeon because I would have to do all the driving to all the appointments and I didn't want to drive into the city at the university hospital. MISTAKE NUMBER ONE. This surgeon and his partner were new to bariatric surgery. They were general surgeons who took over the practice of a retiring surgeon. My theory is that they were going to use up the existing inventory first, which is why he put in an outdated 4cc band. MISTAKE NUMBER TWO.* I was only his 23rd patient and while his surgical skills were okay, his knowledge about the complexities of obesity as a disease were nil. MISTAKE NUMBER THREE.* I had already lost 60 pounds on my own prior to and right after surgery - 6 months of dieting and 2 weeks pre and 2 weeks post surgery - liquids only. But still he wanted me to lose 10-15 pounds in 3 weeks with no fill. MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR.* When I didn't - I got the "Come to Jesus talk". He had told me I had the 10cc band. So, when he filled me with 3cc I couldn't understand why I was having so many problems. I couldn't keep anything down. He was blaming me, telling me to do this, not do that, blah, blah, blah. I was thinking - Why would 3cc cause so many problems in a 10cc band? So he ordered an upper GI which showed not much was going through. When he got the results of the upper GI- THAT GOT HIS ATTENTION!!!! He called me in immediately and removed 1.5 cc. MISTAKE NUMBER FIVE.* It was then that I asked for all my test results and operative report that I had sent to another doctor for a second opinion. He was the one who told me I had a 4cc band, it had slightly slipped and my weight loss in 6 months was what is expected in a year. First time I heard anything positive from a doctor. However, 9 month later I had a horrible stuck episode that took me to the ER where all the fill was removed. Oh, and right after surgery I had terrible left shoulder pain that he knew NOTHING about. MISTAKE NUMBER 6*. When I found this forum - It was just the lap band forum then - THEY HAD WHOLE THREADS DEVOTED TO LEFT SHOULDER PAIN!!!! Now to the part about the band itself: I lost 75 pounds but only 15 from the band. It never did one thing it was promoted as doing. It didn't decrease hunger, it didn't provide satiety, it didn't improve any of my medical conditions. It just made it difficult to eat - pain and pressure. So, it was the worst of both worlds. Couldn't eat but still felt hungry - like my bottom stomach was saying "hey, feed me- I'm still hungry" but I couldn't. I did not fail the band, I was a very compliant patient. The band failed me. I have been over in the sleeve forum - was contemplating getting a revision but decided it wasn't for me. I don't want to be the one who has daily diarrhea 2 years out and still can't drink plain Water, or who had pain for 2 hours from a crouton. Or has increased GERD, can't take NSAIDs for life (I have arthritis) and a whole host of other reasons, not the least of which the surgeon said I could lose "as much as 45 pounds". All that for MAYBE 45 pounds?? No thanks, I am in onderland, a place many on these boards Celebrate after surgery. So, I am going to live with this thing unless it causes a complication that requires removal. So, that's my story, sorry it was so long. Hope everyone else is doing well. *CAN BE INTERCHANGED WITH "RED FLAG NUMBER TWO, ETC.."

I've had two c-sections and a hysterectomy. Has anyone been able to use this procedure as a kind of TT and had it covered by insurance? What was the surgery like? How long in hospital? How long out of work? How did it come out? Any other information would be helpful.:help: Thank you. Cheryl

Apparently dilation, once it occurs once, is of a much higher risk in replaced bands. If I had suffered a slip instead of a leak, I would have revised to a sleeve. But to get back to your question about not gaining: I gained with my leak but turned that around and starting losing again just before it was replaced. To do that I had to become super strict with cals and exercise. I never had to do that with the band (count calories) but without the band it was crucial. You only have to do it for 3 months, and that's so completely do-able. Good luck!

I'm sorry you have to go through all of this. Have you had a barium swallow done to see if the band has slipped? I had left rib pain, mostly after I ate, and extreme left shoulder pain (I've had since the moment I work up from surgery 2 years ago). I did the swallow and my band has slipped, not much, but enough to cause pain. I went in and had it un-filled (I wasn't even very full because of fear of being stuck) but I still have the shoulder pain. The rib pain is gone, but my stomach hurts every time I eat something solid. My doctor said that the shoulder pain was caused by either the diaphragm or the band pushing on the vagus nerve which makes my shoulder hurt. He said that despite being completely un-filled, I'm still having issues and it's time to take the band out. I would be opting for a revision surgery since I am just one of those people who can't have the band in but still need to lose weight, however I have to wait a year because of insurance having a rule of needing to be enrolled for 24 months prior to bariatric surgery. You might have to bite the bullet and go somewhere else and pay the money to get it taken care of. I'm guessing your insurance won't cover anything? A lot of insurance now will cover bariatrics. Might be something to look into if you haven't already. Unfortunately, places go out of business or the hospitals have to close and then you're stuck with having to find a different place. I feel for you.

I found out my insurance will cover a revision surgery; although my surgeon is out of network so I'll be footing part of the bill. I had my band removed on 4/3 at 225 pounds and am at 203 this morning. I really thought they'd deny converting me to a RNY as my BMI is on the lower end. But somehow it went through. I know it sounds crazy, but I really am not emotionally prepared for this news? I've been eating right and working out a lot. I don't ever want to see 350 pounds again. Fear has been my motivator to loose weight in the last month. Now the question on my mind is do I go ahead with the RNY.