Search the Community

Can anyone tell me your experiences revising from the sleeve to the bypass? I'm hoping it will relieve my acid reflux, but I've heard it doesn't work. Sent from my SM-J337P using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a Crap Band for 11 years, revised to bypass 26 months ago. I am thrilled with my choice. I don't think I dump at all. i have had a couple of weird sweating incidents, but that could be hot flashes. I eat chocolate nearly every day (carry dark chocolate in my purse and have a small piece for "dessert"). I did lose hair and that went on for about a year, but then it stopped and my hair has returned to its former glory. Among the things I can now do: Sitting with crossed legs, fitting into an airplane seat comfortably, sitting in the backseat of a van between two car seats , shopping for "regular" clothes, wearing skinny jeans and boots, wearing yoga pants in public without looking like one of the "people of Walmart". If I could do it on my own, I wouldn't have regained the 90 lbs I lost with the band. I lost 107 within 14 months after the bypass. Have gained 10 back in a year but I am so much more able to keep that from snowballing!

16K, in canada, everything included, patient for life, including all fills, unfills, and revisions or removals.

I tried for a revision late last year and was denied by my insurance company. Lap band in 2008, 80 pounds lost in 2 years, 60 pounds regained in 1 year. I was devastated for years and decided to try to do something about it again and was denied. At that point I decided to just love myself for who I am and I met a man soon after who loved me as I am but also supports my weight loss. I've decided to go in again and try again. I'll keep you posted!

I just had a bypass as a revision from a sleeve. It was done about 6 weeks ago, and the sleeve about 10 years ago. I had terrible reflux basically since the sleeve was done, as well as a hiatus hernia. I have had zero reflux since the bypass was done! It definitely worked for me.

Good to know. I also have BCBSIL and had surgery on the same day as you. I've only seen the bill for the anesthesiologist (all paid), not for the surgeon yet, but I'll be on the lookout for it. Maybe that's why it's taking so long for my claim to show up as paid. Maybe my doctor's office is going back and doing some revising of the coding.

Hello, I was sleeved in 2012. Hoping to get revision to bypass. Had the upper GI and it showed acid reflux, a hiatal hernia and spasms. I thought this is great! Saw my surgeon on Friday and he said the results were great, just what we wanted. But I still have to have the PH test. I am not looking forward to this at all. Even the nurse said it’s a very unpleasant experience. I’ll have to have a catheter down my nose and throat to my esophagus to measure the amount of acid. I have to leave it in for 24 hours. There is a test I have to do before that is the office before the PH test. She didn’t go into details too much but said it’s the worse of the two. I asked my surgeon after the PH test, what are the odds Cigna will approve the surgery and he said FANTASTIC. He said after the test he’ll submit to insurance. I’m nervous about this PH test for a variety of reasons. Has anyone else gone through this process for a revision?

After thinking about it long and hard, I finally started my journey for revision from band to sleeve in June. I finished all my requirements which was a nutritionist and nut evaluation in July and after getting clearance from various Dr's about my results of blood, eco, fitness and EGD my paperwork was finally submitted to BCBSIL by my Dr office in August. I did have to constantly check the status with my Dr office and BCBS to make sure all was submitted and received, good thing to do because once BCBS received my paperwork, I was approved but it took days for the letter to get generated by the predetermination dept. I was told that it only takes 1 day for the letter to be sent out, so whatever the delay was, it led to really good customer service at BCBS. My rep was upset that I didn't get my letter the day it was supposed to be generated and she made sure to check daily for me and kept reminding the predetermination dept to send my letter ASAP. Today was finally that day, my Dr office received their copy and called me 1 hour after....my surgery is set for September 18.

For the first surgery, I took off a week, then I worked a week of half-days. Yes, I felt ready to go back. I was still sore, but not in pain. The second surgery was easier, I think, because there was so much less of me to haul around. I was only 20 lbs. from goal weight when I had the revision (for severe reflux.) One thing to consider: If you drive a stick shift, I hear that it may take you longer to feel comfortable driving, especially if you're in an area with a lot of traffic.

I'm seeking advice from anyone who has had the band but had it removed and had 2nd WLS. I'm not sure if the band is going to be a permanent solution to my weight problem and would like any advice.

It really depends on what's going on with your band. For mine, it would have been better to have an unfill, but because my douchebag band surgeon ignored my complaints about my port for too long, and my port migrated and could not be accessed. I had my revision performed in one procedure. We had zero clue that the damage was as severe as it was until my surgeon got in there and removed the band. I did have a leak, but it was repaired. I had an extensive recovery, but I would do it all over again to have the life I have today. As for doing it in one or two, I think it's a personal preference with surgeons and each patient's personal problem with the band. If you have an extremely experienced revision surgeon, then you should feel more confident in his skills. My surgeon had done a couple of band to sleeve revisions, but tons of band to RNY and tons of band removals. I was his first and only leak. I do not for one minute blame my surgeon for my leak. I knew the risks going in, and he worked with what he had left after the band had gnawed into my stomach and formed hoards of scar tissue and adhesions.

I am having a revision because I am tired of the band. I am tired of fills and unfills. I can never seem to have the right fill. Plus I hate my port. It sticks out of me like an egg. I have scar tissue from my port to my band that makes it hard to bend at the waist. I am happy to be getting it out. I am happy I got the band and lost weight, but I wish I would have known about the sleeve back then. I keep hearing about complications from people who have had their band for several years. I just want it out. With the sleeve I will have surgery and be done with worrying about restriction. I have been using Miralax for the constipation. I use it every other day instead of every day because it's really expensive. I also take a stool softner every eay. I try to eat things high in Fiber, fruits and veggies , yet this is still a problem for me.

I had this happen and then insurance said they would pay for the revision~ part of it~ I agreed to pay for the lap band removal and they paid for the sleeve. However, what they neglected to tell me and to coordinator of the clinic I went to was that there is a 25,000 cap on this benefit. I had some complications and had a 4 day hospital stay to the tune of 130,000. It has been an insurance nightmare ever since.

I went from a lap band to the sleeve. I had the lap band placed in October of 2008 and had issues with it for five years. I had the revision in November 2013, and the surgery lasted 4 hours. So far I am in love with the sleeve than I ever had been with the band. I don't have the acid reflux anymore and I don't vomit anymore. I hope you have a great success with the surgery!

Initially I wanted the band as well. I visited one doctor who was totally gung ho about doing the band, but he and his office made me feel like I was in line at the deli counter and they were yelling "Next"! Then I attended a seminar held at the hospital where later had my surgery. My doctor told us that the Band was good for people who "just" overeat, but that it was not the ideal choice for those whose weight problem was related to sweet foods. Bingo! He explained that sweet foods are things that go down really easy and the sleeve limits how much of them you can eat whereas the band allows those foods to slide right past and then you still aren't losing weight. At our first appointment, I had to tell the surgeon what I wanted, and then he told me what he would recommend. We agreed that the sleeve is best for me. And, so far, it is STILL the best for me. I did a ton of research on both and noticed that LOTS of lap banders end up having revision within a few years, and it didn't seem like many of them were reaching goal, or even 100 pounds lost. In contrast, when I researched the sleeve, there are tons of 100 pounds lost posts, and many I Hit Goal posts. And, even when complications are mentioned, they are (in my opinion) less body trauma than the ones I saw with the LB. Personally, I'd take having to be fed by IV any day over "esophageal erosion". I'd prefer having a stent installed in my stomach until I am completely healed to "My band slipped and I can't eat or drink anything". Those were samples of the complications I found. I also could only afford one surgery. I decided on the one that I feel will give me a better long term result without needing revision.

Yes, they finally paid for the removal AND the replacement after multiple denials, and asking for more information. The total ended up being $21,000. I even sent them a fax with everything I went through explaining that I had to have it put back in or I would gain all the weight back, and end up back on high blood pressure meds, a c-pap, etc. In the long run, it would save them $$ by keeping me healthy! Good luck with your appt tomorrow. I was contemplating doing a gastric sleeve revision, but my doctor had only done 1, and we didn't have enough time to get approval. So, I figured if the lap-band has another issue, I'll change it then.

I have United Health Care Choice Plus- for my Lapband surgery that I had in August of 2010 I was approved 1st try. Where as, I just had a revision to the VSG on Aug 15th- and because it was a revision it was hell. Several appeals to denials. But if this you first surgery it should go pretty smoothly as long as they identify comorbidities. Hope that helps. I wish you luck in the future.

I had my revision in one surgery. I had an amazingly skilled surgeon and have had no issues at all.

As others have indicated, there isn't a lot of difference, once beyond the first few months' transition period, between the two as far as eating and socializing. We eat out monthly with a group of DS patients (somewhat more extreme malabsorption than the RNY - no dumping tendencies but sometimes reputed to be worse on potential bathroom issues) and you can't tell who is who - DS, RNY, VSG or no WLS. There is a transition period the first few months or year where the body is adjusting to the changes, both physical and dietary, where GI issues are not uncommon (do a search for the Al Roker White House SHART story; yeah, he pooped himself at the WH.) The VSG leans more toward constipation for a while (RNY can, too) but that's primarily from the limited diet - lots of protein and minimal carbohydrate/fiber and fats to keep things moving,) Fiber supplements are the order of the day for a while, and probiotics can help with general adaptation of the gut. The RNY will be somewhat fussier on supplement need, all things being equal, to counter the malabsorption. That usually isn't a problem if people are reasonably diligent on such things, but can be problematic if one tends toward being overly casual on such things. Some things may not respond to normal oral supplements; infusions to maintain iron levels are not unusual with the RNY (or DS) but are uncommon with a sleeve. You may run into medication tolerance issues - NSAIDs are the most common class of drugs that are sited (a big NONO with the RNY, but a better tolerated little nono with the sleeve or DS) but one may run into other drugs during ones life that may be restricted with the bypass (some of the osteoporosis drugs come to mind.) Other things that may be of concern, particularly as we get older, that aren't specifically lifestyle oriented are some common medical treatments and diagnostics are off the table with a bypass - owing to the blind remnant stomach and upper GI, a number of common endoscopic procedures aren't available (they're available by normal surgical means, but not endoscopically.) You mention longevity, which I assume you are referring to longevity of weight loss or resistance to regain. From what I have seen over the years, there doesn't seem to be a significant difference between the two - people seem to be as prone to major regain problems with either, to a roughly equal degree. The caloric malabsorption of the RNY tends to dissipate after a year or two, so metabolically, one is left in about the same position as one who had a sleeve (though the bypass patient may have lost weight a bit more easily.) To get a significant difference in regain resistance, one needs to look into the DS, particularly the "traditional" BPD/DS. It has a somewhat different set of trade offs, but is worth considering (particularly since the bypass is so difficult to revise if it doesn't yield the desired results.) Good luck - lots to think about, and none of it is easy!

The very first thing I would do is call your insurance company to see if what that insurance coordinator says is correct- that sounds a bit odd to be to require that length of time for a high BMI. Second, I don't know of a single insurance company that will allow you (the insured) to submit for pre-approval of any surgery. Someone who works "in the biz" can surely correct me, but I had thought about that myself when i had some issues with inept ins. coordinators and was told I couldn't do it- only the Dr.'s office could submit it. Third, if you find out from your ins. company that your husband IS within the guidelines, ask them if their policy bulletin is posted online and then I would PROMPTLY fax or email that to the ins. coordinator at your Dr.'s office and explain to her that she was MISINFORMED on your insurance guidelines. You have to be your own advocate - or in this case since you are helping your DH, then you must help him be his own advocate and not let others determine your future or his. I had to switch surgeon's just 2 wks before being scheduled for surgery w/the first surgeon- already had the pre-approval without doing the supervised diet because I met my ins. policies requirements for having a Revision under the clause of complications. When I switched surgeons, the IDIOT insurance coordinator kept telling me that even though I already had a pre-approval I would still have to do the 6 mth supervised diet. She literally argued with me and I told her she was wrong. She finally caved and made the request to switch the approvals over but told me they would still deny me on those grounds. HA!!!! She was wrong and she had to eat her words. She wouldn't return my calls after all that was said and done. I didn't care, she kept saying, "I've been doing this for 10 years, I think I know how to do my job.". Yeah... whuuuutttt evvvvvaaaaa.... So, at the end of the day, don't take the final word from ANYONE unless it's from the result of you making the contact with the final decision makers whether it be your ins. company, etc.

I reached my first goal weight in 10 months. But then I revised it. I never dreamed I would lose that much so quickly, so I didn't realize I would need a "phase 2" goal weight. I think that's pretty common though.

I had band placed in 2012, lost 40 lbs , port flipped and had repair, after that have not had successful fills. Last summer, my surgeon moved and new surgeon stuck me 10 or 12 times trying to do a fill, ended up with abdominal abscess which took months and sev antibiotics to go away or so i thought, abscess/infection has resurfaced again. So now band has to come out and hoping there are no erosions and can convert to sleeve in one surgery, anyone else out there had similiar issue? My sis isxa nurse, thinks i should file a suit against doc that did multiple sticks trying to locate port, any advice? Have revision surgery sched next week.

Started this process and was on the waiting list by mid-october 2011. Have been waiting for my number to come up since. I am getting my surgery through military routes and was assured everyone on the list goes in the order they signed up in. Got my date, March 19th. They then continued to schedule out to April 3rd. Went and picked up all my pre-op liquid diet stuff. Got a call 2 days later saying they were moving me to April 9th. When I asked about the dates on April 3rd I was told no surgeries were being done on that day. Later she revised herself and said no openings are available on that day. On the April 3rd date, they scheduled the person that has been one behind me on the list since October and a girl that has been on the list since December! I am willing to bet that girl is an officers wife and am really p.o.'ed at this system right now. I was assured everyone will go in the appropriate order and then find out it is a rule of thumb that is really led by convenience. I know it is only a week, and I am almost certain there is a reason for it, but I am just soooooo annoyed by being lied to. I am also now very nervous about the honesty of parts of my team Please pray for me. I have put off graduate school for a year to get this surgery and just can't put it off any more. Thanks for listening to my rant. I tried to get this out on a FB page that I am part of and the moderator attempted to belittle my negativity. I left the group because that did not seem to be the "support" group it pretended to be. I am working hard at getting some weight off pre-op. I am excited to start my life. I have so many things I have put on hold. The good news is, I got my bloodwork done and other than my Iron being a hair low, the fish oil I have been taking since September completely leveled out my cholesterol problem! I am going to take this extra time and make use of it by getting some home projects done.

Grace, I'm sorry you are having such issues. Who knows why something works for one person and not for another, or why some people have medical problems and others do not. I can't speak for your surgeon's or doctors as to why they did not catch this issue before your band surgery, but the good news is that you have caught it now and you have a band that can now be removed and you may be eligible to have a revision surgery. You would not be able to do that with either of the other weight loss surgery options. Try not to be afraid, let hope dissolve your fears for you as you move forward to have this situation corrected and into a new journey with RNY. Check out the forums there and ask many questions, and seek support for your upcoming surgery. I think you will find that you are not alone. Best of luck to you! Check in when your all done and let us know how your doing.

Many insurance companies require a "letter of medical necessity" from your primary care physician before they will approve bypass surgery. Rather than draft a letter of appeal yourself, you might want to discuss the situation with your PCP and see if he/she would be comfortable with writing the letter. You might also want to discuss with the surgeon that did your band as well. Especially if the surgeon does other bariatric surgeries in addition to the band. Revision from the band to the bypass is relatively common and sometimes covered by insurance. Either one or both letters will likely improve your chances of getting approved. Whatever you do, don't give up. If you're persistent you will prevail!!