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Hi Sorry to hear of your problems with the band... but, there is a special forum that was set up for band to VSG revision surgery.. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/394-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/ You should find plenty of help and info in that section.

I went to WL support groups for 1 year before I had the sleeve. GERD was very common; but I discounted it because I didn’t understand that it’s NOT Your garden variety Pop-a-tums GERD. (I don’t think many of the Doctors really know how bad this type of GERD is.) The Bypass patients seemed to have really intense energy problems “, mal-nutrition and gas - so I opted for what I thought would be occasion TUMS. LOL - yeah - NO. People don’t go in for revision for that! I wish I could jump in a time machine and cancel the surgery.

I think there are two reasons 1 If you start at a lower weight you will lose slower. I didn't have that problem as I revised at 300 pounds. 2. Years with a band teaches some people to get used to that feeling of full all the way up to the esophagus. I was very deliberate and and worked hard to eat till no longer hungry rather than seeking "full" My losses were as good if not better than average virgin sleever but remember I started out with a very high BMI

He said there is less risk of bleeding and leakage with MGB compared to sleeve. Which was true yet I had major bleeding issue after the surgery.. he said its reversible which I'm not sure of because some doctors now say it is and some say it's not! He said MGB is not associated with more malabsorption compared to RNY and sleeve .. and there is no need for life long supplementation and the only people that require life long supplementation are those who had a dueodenal switch. Obviously I came to know that that's not true! He said MGB causes a weight loss of around 60% of excess body weight which is the same as sleeve but has a better long term maintenance.. the first part wasn't true as I came to find out that MGB causes more weight loss than sleeve and RNY He did not tell me of the fact that I will no longer be able to absorb iron! Last but not least I started off with a BMI of 33.. now almost 6 months out I'm at a BMI of 23.9 and weigh 56 kg. I need to stop my weight loss but I'm struggling with that.. I am following up with a new doctor now and might need either a revision or a reversal soon! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Sharon, Did you have any luck with getting Aetna to approve your band to sleeve revision? Did they consider it a whole new procedure requiring resubmission of 2 years history and psych eval? I have Aetna too and am awaiting a response - I know that I can have my band repositioned or replaced. But my band has prolapsed and Dr is suggesting sleeve would be a better option considering the situation.

I'm over two years post-op (bypass) and have never had the "stuck" problem but some bypass folks do experience it with certain foods. I never had the band so can't make any personal comparisons. That said, in reading posts on the forum and other places it seems to be a more common problem with the band than with the bypass. There are lots of folks on the forum that have had band to bypass revisions and I'm sure they'll offer input on your question.

N8tv chores... I'm learning to process acorns for food. ...and resisting the smell of chick filet... I stuck to my protein shake. Revision 10/25/18 Kattrax421B.Com Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with catchup!

Hello. i'm new on here. just want to share my story to seek advice. when i was 15 back in 2008, i got the lap band. it was the worst experience ever. i was only loosing weight because i threw up EVERY SINGLE bit of food i ate. i lost 80lb very very quickly and i was extremely sick. my doctor said it shouldn't be happening, so instead of trying to fix it he drained my band. After a year i started to gain weight. In 2012 i was revised to the gastric sleeve. at this time, this procedure was brand new to my doctor, he hadn't done it before. I got it done quickly after the appointments with him, maybe 3 months. i was a slow loser for a whole year. it took me a year to lose 70 pounds, even eating what i thought was healthy (Protein first and some vegetables and brown rice, wha i was taught). i wasn't never really taught about carbs at all, always just eat "whole grain everything but eat your protein first and you should be fine" none of the information that i learned now from the fb group. i got into my first relationship, went to the DR and was diagnosed with PCOS, like lots of girls are. I was put on birth control and as soon as i did my weight shit up. as it shot up and me not knowing why i threw myself into a mind change that i couldn't shake out. while working 2 jobs (13 hour days) i began to lose care about myself, and regained most my weight, shooting back up to 230. i hadn't noticed the weight gain for a while, either because i'd stopped weighing myself. last year i started to exercise and count my calories and lost 20 lbs. even continuing it again, i have not budged. does anyone have any advice? yes, i know that you need to diet with the sleeve. it wasn't till recently by following where i learned about macros and counting calories and Protein shakes. my mother recently got the sleeve procedure, and i was thinking of going to her doctor to discuss my options, because mine no longer takes my new insurance and he is a pediatric doctor. do you think he would help me, or just toss me to a nutritionist? thanks. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello! I went to my surgeon yesterday to get the results of the GI... he said the band and my esophagus look fine, therefore it will be hard getting the medical group to approve my revision to sleeve. I haven't been successful with the band I have pain on the port, nausea, food gets stuck, horrible GERD and constant burping. IDK what to do... I really wan to have the sleeve done....Dr also mentioned that only 10% are successful with the band, he thinks it just doesn't work for me. the insurance coordinator said she would like me to go to the nutrisionist first but it's not covered thru the insurance, therefore I have to pay out of pocket. I just don't want to pay fees and at the end get deny anyways. I'm currently weighing 306.5 bmi 49.5.

Any ideas "Revision Peep"s", Now my hubby wants me to get a lawyer jut to get the insurace to be approved. I am really thinking about Mexico for surgery. Now if i can just fine an extra $$$

Ever taken or ever been administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a standardized psychometric test of adult personality and psychopathology? You probably have many times before, but you just didn't know it. Psychologists and other mental health professionals use various versions of the MMPI to help develop treatment plans; assist with differential diagnosis; help answer legal questions (forensic psychology); screen job candidates during the personnel selection process; or as part of a therapeutic assessment procedure. Often, these tests are administered by companies selecting from a vast pool of prospective applicants for an open position. However, I have been told before that seldom my thinking may be unconventional and I might sometimes take a novel approach to viewing my world. Therefore, even though my operation is not until late next month, March 2017, I have an explanation that I came up with of why I chose the Bypass over the Sleeve. I told my psychologist this, and he thought it was brilliant thinking. Ever seen the classic Stanley Kubrick film, A Clockwork Orange? In the movie we follow the main character Alex Delarge. "Alex is the narrator, protagonist, and antihero. He is portrayed as a sociopath who robs, rapes, and assaults innocent people for his own amusement. Intellectually, he KNOWS that this sort of behavior is wrong, saying that "you can't have a society with everybody behaving in my manner of the night." He nevertheless professes to be puzzled by the motivations of those who wish to reform him and others like him, saying that he would never interfere with their desire to be good; he simply "goes to the other shop." In an analogy or parallel to this, I fit the character of Alex Delarge, not as a sociopath, but simply as a Morbidly Obese Person. I know that chronic obesity can lead to major issues such as Type 2 Diabetes or High Blood Pressure. Luckily at the age of 29, I have been blessed by many years of good genes based on the fact that my only issues right now are sleep Apnea, ADHD, and Major Depressive Disorder (in full remission). Anyways like I said, I am acutely aware that my current eating behavior/habit is wrong and can eventually lead me to trouble. Therefore, in the past, I have been recommended that I consider undergoing Bariatric Surgery if I can't control this behavior/weight myself. Next, later in the film A Clockwork Orange, "Two years into a prison sentence, Alex eagerly takes up an offer to be a test subject for the Minister of the Interior's Minister of the Interior's new Ludovico technique, an experimental aversion therapy for rehabilitating criminals within two weeks. Alex is strapped to a chair, injected with drugs, and forced to watch films of sex and violence with his eyes propped open. Alex becomes nauseated by the films and then recognizes the films are set to the music of his favorite composer, Ludwig Van Beethoven. Fearing the technique will make him sick upon hearing Beethoven, Alex begs for the end of the treatment. Two weeks later, the Minister demonstrates Alex's rehabilitation to a gathering of officials. Alex is unable to fight back against an actor that taunts and attacks him and becomes ill at the sight of a topless woman. The prison chaplain complains Alex has been robbed of his free will, but the Minister asserts that the Ludovico technique will cut down crime and alleviate crowding in the prisons." One of the reasons why the Gastric Bypass procedure is so effective is because of its special caveat, the Dumping Syndrome. A form of operant conditioning, the Dumping Syndrome focuses on reinforcement or punishment to weaken voluntary behaviors, like eating the wrong foods. Therefore, one is in a sense losing an amount of free will with Gastric Bypass. In the Adjustable Gastric Band or the Sleeve procedure, you do not get this extra feature, and I feel that the reason why the Gastric Bypass procedure is so superior is that it will not only make my appetite smaller, but it will also control my eating behavior. This is something I need. I think that the reason for Bariatric Surgery is a last resort to change unhealthy eating habits. The last point I am going to make about the Gastric Bypass is very controversial unconventional thinking, but I feel that it is something that is very necessary to consider. What is a contingency plan? A contingency plan is defined as devised for an outcome other than in the usual (expected) plan. It is often used for risk management when an exceptional risk that, though unlikely, would have catastrophic consequences. It is also an often-discussed topic in the world of non-profit management. Fast forward to the end of A Clockwork Orange, “Alex wakes up in a hospital with broken bones. While being given a series of psychological tests, Alex finds that he no longer has an aversion to violence or sex. The Minister arrives and apologizes to Alex. He offers to take care of Alex and get him a job in return for his cooperation with his election campaign and public relations counter-offensive. As a sign of goodwill, the Minister brings in a stereo system playing Beethoven's Ninth. Alex then contemplates violence and has vivid thoughts of himself having sex with a woman in front of an approving crowd, thinking: "I was cured, all right!"” In regards to the term contingency plan and with the finale of A Clock Orange, the point I am trying to make is that God forbid there is some sort of major complication with the Gastric Bypass procedure, there is a contingency plan for it. Doctors don’t like to mention this, but it is not completely permanent. It CAN be reversed. Even though it is impossible to mend several nerves that help with normal gastric function, the procedure itself can be reversed and can restore 95% of what the patient had before the surgery, to begin with. However, the Gastric Sleeve cannot be reversed. The sleeve can be revised to the Bypass, also known as a Duodenal Switch, but you cannot get your original anatomy back. I know it is then silly to compare that situation with Alex in A Clockwork Orange. However, I have read many forums where the reversal procedure has saved many people’s lives for those who couldn’t tolerate the Bypass. Anyways, this is what I told my psychologist, and he thought it was an incredible way of looking at an important decision. Please share with me what you think? Thanks, Gabriel

I go for my second fill on Monday only 2 weeks from my port revision where I got 3.5 ccs and a little restriction. Haven't lost any more weight since a week after surgery Feb 1st...FRUSTRATING! I'm not gaining either but exercising almost every day!

With the band I lost about 65lbs. My starting weight was 233 and got down to 165. My band slipped and my doctor unbuckled it and then i gained about 25-30lbs weighting for the band to be repositioned and rebuckled (about 3 months). I probably used that time as a "WOOHOO! I can eat what i want phase!" Then lost the 25lbs again until i found out my band had slipped again and my doctor said he could reposition it again but more likely the band will slip again. So i opted for the sleeve. I gain about 20lbs before I had my sleeve because I figured out how to eat around the band so food wouldn't get stuck and i wouldn't be in pain from the pressure of the food on the slipped band. To make a long story short in the last year ( I had the revision January 2014) I've only lost about 20lbs (again). I'm waiting for the day to get beyond this massive plateau!!!

Do you have any regrets, words of wisdom, advice, precautions?

I was doing better...medication for IBSc is working, I was able to eat without issue and Friday night without warning I found myself having a hard time. My daughter made lasagna, I took a small piece, didn't eat the noodles, so probably had a half cup of sauce, cheese and lean chicken Italian sausage. I stopped eating because I realized I was uncomfortable. Not full, not stuck, just slightly uncomfortable and a bit nauseous. After about a half hour, up it all came. By then I was in real pain...a burning feeling and I started having pain at my port area. Since then, I've had continuous discomfort and I'm on a soft/liquid diet. I emailed my band doctor and requested an appointment to discuss my options for removal/revision. I feel defeated...I really thought I was going to get to keep my band.

I've tried coming off my PPI twice post-op and had acid issues again immediately both times. I'm okay with being on a PPI forever. I would rather that than have another surgery and revise to bypass with all the potential complications there. I mean, I'm already on vitamins for life, what's one more pill to take every day?

Well, it looks like the TT scar (part of which was reused for my fibroid surgery) is apparently starting to thicken. UPDATE AGAIN 10 DAYS LATER - This darn scar is changing like the weather, LOL. It's actually lighter than the rest of my skin. So it's not really darker like the older parts of the incision, but lighter (I wonder if this reflects the blistering I had from the Steri-Strips tape. I'm definitely allergic to that stuff.) Hopefully this won't be the beginning of keloiding. What's so sad is, the rest of my TT scar was nice and flat. I know Silicone Sheets have worked on flattening new scars but I hadn't heard about it's results on keloiding or pre-keloiding scars. I do worry about what's going to happen when I have the Boob Lift. But if I have to have revision of the TT scar, I'll do it. Maybe when I get the Boob Lift or Lipo on whatever other procedures I need.

Hi there. I had the lap band for about 5 years and just revised it to a sleeve a few days ago. I asked my surgeon about reflux. He said if I had issues with reflux with the band I will probably still have them with the sleeve. Conversely if one didn't have reflux issues before the sleeve it's unlikely that they'd have it afterwards. I don't know if that helps at all but that's what he told me.

I got my lap band in July of 2004 and despite having 5 fills over the next couple of years, I never lost ANY weight with it. I was a self-pay which is why I had the surgery done in Monterrey Mexico with Dr. Rumbaut so there was no support system in the US for his patients at that time. I tried to survive with whatever I could find online to help me out, but nothing worked. Now that I finally have some stable insurance, I've been going to a local weight loss center here in Washington state and I'm considering getting a revision to a sleeve. I've had an endoscopy done and everything looks great- from the inside, my band is fine. The surgeon with my local program suggested I give the band a try again but I'm looking for feedback from any of you who've struggled with your band. Did any of you have the same problem where it never seemed to work? Have any of you been unable to lose any weight? Does this mean I just never got the right fill amount or is there possibly something wrong with the band? I suspect that even though my BMI is around 58, my insurance won't approve having the band removed since there appears to be nothing wrong with it and my hope of having a revision surgery will be lost since I can't afford to pay out of pocket again. Any advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Hello I'm located in Dutchess County N.Y. I have had the lap-band since May 2013 I have not been successful. I went down to 178lbs but then regained 22lbs back. I am now going to have a sleeve revision I pray to God it works I am so nervous I don't want to fail. The lap-band will be removed March 2nd and I have to wait 8 weeks to have revision I'm so scared of the weight I will gain in between any suggestions?

I am currently working off a gain - about 15 down; another 25 or so to go... I am 6 years post revision to sleeve. First, you do still have a sleeved stomach and I think it is possible to leverage it even now. For me, it takes FOREVER to lose weight now but I just can't care about that - I just have to keep losing or maintaining, not gaining. I am also working out and just getting toner, so I feel better. If I don't eat like a sleever, you wouldn't think I have a sleeve. I have always eaten half or less portions, etc - but I still have had regain that I am now turning around. Food wise, high protein (dense protein first), veggies and really don't eat traditional carb sources like rice, bread, noodles. Don't eat alot of processed foods, skip fast foods, make your own meals and freeze them ahead. Find favorite easy to make "go to" foods - and keep the junk, sliders and carby food out of the house, or at least out of sight. Some people find food journaling helpful. Make sure you aren't drinking your calories. Truth of the matter is that people regain post RNY also, after a certain amount of time it is less about the surgery and more about "compliance". I hate that, but it is true. I think your plan to tackle this is a good one, just don't be discouraged at the much slower weight loss this time around.

my doc steered me to bypass. though sleeve was the backup (i'm a revision). He said bypass because they know it works +years. He said sleeves look good and are nearing the 10 year mark but until a surgery has been around 10 years it isn't proven and talked about in the early days of the band it looked good too, but now they know it is not great. I also had reflux so didn't want to go through that anymore. so basically I was already having one revision I didn't want to risk having a second.

2012 I had the sleeve and lost 278-190lbs. Well, right out of surgery I had to worst heartburn EVER. Doc treated. About 2 years ago I began to really struggle w reflux at night. Last month we discovered a stricture. Insurance approved bypass. I need to hear from anyone who has had this revision so I will know what to expect.

My band has been in since 2003 with little weight loss. I am starting to have complications and looking for a revision possibly. I am a little scared to go through with this.

I had a revision a little over three weeks ago and I'm struggling to get up to 400 calories a day. Aside from having absolutely no appetite the effort it takes to eat makes it difficult. I'm focusing on Water intake and eating what I can when I can. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App