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My doctor won't discuss revision until I actually give my band a real chance

Hi Chasity, I'm probably not far along in my Journey enough to tell you much! I just had my band removed, revision to sleeve on June 26. I am on my puréed foods this week, and can begin " real food " Monday. All I can tell you so far, when I woke up from surgery, I hurt so much more than I expected!! I had acid reflux really bad, causing me to stay a 3rd night in hospital (well, couldn't get fluids in due to acid reflux!) The reflux has settled a great deal. My incision is still quite tender, but looks wonderful. I do have swelling on my left side still, I'm thinking it's due to my port removal. I wish I could tell you more! Read all you can! I was vomiting years after my band. I have not once since this surgery[emoji41]

I hate this fight. My insurance can pay for my revision. However, I am tired of this 3 year fight. I currently have an advocate fighting with me. It's not just about weight loss. I am fighting for my quality of life. I work and pay for my insurance. How dare they act like I don't have a disease called obesity! Sent from my SM-G996U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have been searching and searching for info from others who used UHC and never really found the answer. Now that I received an answer from UHC thought I'd share. The situation: Lap Band self pay in 2007. It was a fail and caused many issues (sliming, puking daily, no weight loss). BCBS paid for removal in 2012. JPM requires the 6 month diet plan. I do not have this documented as I was working w/ a trainer (doesn't count). IF UHC would approve as a revision instead of a new WLS all pre-op requirements would be waived. I do have sleep apnea as well. Met with surgeon begin of Sept. Insurance submitted by 09/12 and APPROVAL received today 09/24!!! Drop the confetti people!! My surgery date is next week. OMG I can't believe it. So thrilled.

Just a word of caution..... I was told not to swim until my scabs had healed and dropped off - this took 3 weeks. Also I wasn't cleared for any cardio work until 6 weeks out. Walking was fine, but nothing like running or yoga or the like. Do take care - remember what you are going to put your body thru, the last thing you want is to stress your stomach and spring a leak....6 weeks allows the body to heal and then the risk is much less. If you're having it donw thru the insurance and something goes wrong due to the fact you're exercising too much too soon and would you not be at risk of paying for any revision?

Congrats on being one week post op! I am having a band to sleeve revision on the 29th of January and am so nervous. Do you have any words of advice? Anything you would recommend? Anything I should pack or have on hand for after the surgery? Jennifer

Hi Everybody! My name is Rebecca and I am almost 29, married, and from NJ. I have about 70-80lbs to lose....I just got my band removed yesterday. I had it for a year and it gave me nothing but trouble...not being able to keep solids down, throwing up 2-3 times a day, only losing 15 lbs, etc. I am set to get the sleeve in September. I have to do a medically supervised diet for 3 months so my insurance will cover everything. I have already got clearances from a psychologist and a therapist so I've started taking the necessary steps for preparing for my revision in September. I am nervous about spending the next couple of months dieting since I will have no "aid" to help me and I was always a binge eater. I also know I will really need to incorporate exercise into my normal routine. I am a big fan of yoga and meditation and try to go at least 1-2X a week to the local studio. I would LOVE some friends or a buddy/mentor to talk to as I continue this journey. If anyone wants to talk, feel free to message me or email me at rebeccaabrooks86@hotmail.com

So I am scheduled for revision to sleeve on the 20th of October. I have no Fluid in my band and haven't since July. Last night dinner was baked chicken breast (was not dry at all) and steamed Veggies. I got so stuck at dinner last night that I was sliming and vomiting for an hour. I can't seem to eat what I should and it just doesn't want to work with me. Unfortunately I over the past 4 years have resorted to sliders to tame the hunger monster. I back up a little with my story, I was banded on June 9, 2010. On the day of surgery, I weighed 188 (I am 5'2). I was losing pretty good with the band with the occasional blockage which I attributed to user error on my part. On my 6th month Bandiversary 12-9-10, my only brother (age 30) was found dead in his bed. He just didn't wake up. It was determined (oh they were so great and made us wait a month to tell us the outcome of the autopsy) that it was sleep apnea. He didn't know he had it. Anyway, back to me. My band closed up that day. It took everything I had to eat anything, but I don't remember caring. Actually, I don't remember much for the next 6 months, it all is a blur. At the one year point, I weighed 130. Great that is awesome, except I was subsisting on Cheetos. That was seriously the only thing that would go down and I was starving. I was finally coming out of the grief fog and wanted to be able to eat something healthy. I longed for chicken. I went for a unfill of a couple of cc and started to gain instantly. For the last 3 years, I have played the fill/unfill game to no avail. I have been filled to the point of barely swallowing Water. It all sucks. I am currently back to 180, almost where I started before. I know I must have more muscle this time because I am smaller in. Clothing size (18 vs 12) than I was when I started the band journey. What I would like to know from newbies and most importantly veterans is how this surgery is different to you. My brothers death could have been prevented by some weight loss so I am determined to not meet the same fate. I just know I can't keep this devil device in me any longer! Heather

I'm glad you're doing well! How was your recovery? I had the lap band in 2009 and that recovery was easy. I must say I'm really nervous at times. What kept you motivated to go through with this? Where did you have your surgery? I had my band at North Suburban. My revision will be in Eau Claire, and I'm a little nervous because my surgeon has only done 10 revisions. Lots of sleeves, but not many revisions. I can't wait to be back in Colorado! It sucks here!! My one and only munchkin is 5. We're hoping to move back to Arvada, but that all depends on where my job will be. I'm so glad I found this thread! Hope to talk to you soon! Katherine

So I think that this might be slightly controversial and different surgeries have different approaches. My surgeon is at a top teaching hospital, bariatric center of excellence and placed my band in 2007 (also 8 years ago). I went to him to discuss the revision and he told me that although some surgeons do it in one procedure he doesn't because he feels that overall the sleeve surgery is low risk but doing it as one procedure (the revision) doubles the low risk and although the risk is still very very low of a leak to him, it is unacceptable to unnecessarily raise the risk. I was quite disappointed because I have young children at home and did not want to have 2 surgeries but I trust him and also feel like I don't want ANY even a slight increase in risk if it can be avoided. So I had the band removed about a month ago and am getting my sleeve in June. The band removal was really easy - I was home by 11am comfortable resting in my bed. I was slightly groggy from the anastesia for a few days but within 3 days I was in the park with my kids and completely back to normal within a week. Now a month later I have zero pain (was sleeping on my port side within 2 weeks). Now I am very happy that I separated the procedures because the band removal was so easy and I can just prepare myself for the sleeve without the worry of recovering from the band removal (port pain) while dealing with the recovery of the sleeve (whatever that will be)! BTW - my band was in for 8 years too, I also did great with it and my surgeon said that the adhesions were not bad at all.

I did my revision two weeks ago today. Had my band since Nov 2005. Doc got in and said it was a mess the worst he had ever seen. He did a great job and fixed a hernia too. I am so glad I did it all at once. I feel great now that the band is out!

I am almost 3 years out from my sleeve surgery and down 130 lbs. My starting weight was 405 lbs. I consider my VSG to be a success, however, I have been gaining and losing the same 5-10 lbs for about a year. I am considering going back across the border to Mx for a revision. I would love to know what VSG to MGB patients have experienced. Especially if you chose Medical Tourism. Also - with the revision, how do they alter an already altered stomach?

Search for posts by tiffikins. She is a band to sleeve revision AND she has had I believe 2 kids post op. I don't see her post here too much anymore, but she has been a great inspiration to many and is a few years out and maintaining good success with the sleeve.

As most of us know, this weight loss journey takes us on quite the psychological roller coaster ride, starting from how we felt as overweight people (pre-surgery) and straight through to wherever we are now. I'm no exception. I made my original WLS decision back in 2012 because I was extremely depressed, and, quite frankly, felt disgusted (oh yes, disgusted), with the way I looked. My weight affected "every" aspect of my life (work, social, family & marriage). With that sad, I was approved by my insurance to have lap band surgery in August 2012. I lost about 90 pounds with the band before I ran into complications mid to end last year, wound up having my band completed un-filled, and was left with the fear (huge fear) of possibly gaining the weight back. So, I made the decision of having band to sleeve, not knowing if I would wind up being self-pay or insurance approved. Thankfully, some how, some way, my insurance covered my surgery even though I only weighed 156 pre-sleeve surgery (not considered obese but still somewhat over-weight). Fast forward to the present: I had my revision surgery Jan 2014 and have since lost about 18 pounds since. I weigh 138 pounds, am considered to be on maintenance, and am a size 8. Amazing, coming from a size 22+. Mind you, I love, love, LOVE clothes shopping now & wearing all these nice outfits. They feel great & fit soooo much better than they did before. So, what's my issue? Is there an issue? The last few days, I've actually been feeling 'fat." Yea, I said 'fat.' I understand I am not fat as defined in the dictionary "(of a person or animal) having a large amount of excess flesh." Nonetheless, I can't explain it. Don't get me wrong, I'd been feeling great about my recent weight loss & finally hitting (and passing) my weight loss goal weight. I can't put my finger on it, but I can't shake this feeling. Hopefully, this is just a temporary feeling. Heck, I'm sure it's temporary. I just don't understand where this is coming from all of a sudden. Anyone else feel this way?

From what I hear, the only way to have a revision is if if its medically necessary. If you lab-band is the cause of your hernia, then I don't see why they wouldn't more forward with it.

It's not easy. When I had the band I cheated throughout the two week liquid diet phase. Now with me getting a revision and getting sleeved, I'm taking it so much more serious this go round. My liquids start on 10/12 and I'm going shopping this weekend to get a variety of things ( in compliance) so that I don't get bored. We can do this! It's not fun and I'll be whining in a few weeks but remind me of what I said, ok? Lol! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congrats on getting your date. As a smoker, I can shed some light on the smoking thing. Other than the obvious anesthesia risks for smokers, due to the smaller size of our stomachs, it does increase our risks for ulcers. It's a risk with gastrectomies in general. As as smoker, I can tell you that I've quit and gone back to smoking 3 times since my revision. Yep, I smoke, I know it sucks, but I'm not going to lie here or anywhere for that matter. When my gallbladder was giving me hell, my surgeon decided to scope me to make sure I hadn't developed an ulcer as well because my pain was occurring any time I eat or drank anything including Water. He was damn positive I'd have an ulcer, well least to say, I didn't and my sleeve is beautiful. That was at 8 months post-sleeve. Also, the little respiratory therapist that I prefer to call the torturer from hell, likes you to use that little spyrometer to help your lungs "wake up", and prevent pneumonia. I can tell you with a cut up abdomen, CO2 gas inflated tummy cavity, gas pains, incisional pain, that whole hacking up a lung really sucks, and I imagine not being a smoker helps with that issue. You'll do great on the low carb, high Protein, the diet will shrink the slippery, slimy fat on the outside of the liver which makes it easier for the surgeon to move it out of the way to get to your stomach. I was specifically told it takes several weeks and sometimes months to actually shrink a true fatty liver, a couple weeks of low carb, high protein, or even an all liquid diet isn't going to do it. All that pre-op diet does is shrink , or help alleviate the fat deposits on the outside of the liver. Nicked livers kind of suck, but happen when it's in the way and slippery. I had a starting BMI of 50, had hoards of tummy fat, and was given 1 weeks of low carb, and high protein, essentially meat, cheese, eggs and salad. Think of all the "fat" in meat, cheese and eggs? ? ? It's not going to shrink a fatty liver, but it'll get the fat burning via ketosis. I was allowed to have a "last supper" night before surgery, and I did just that. I ate spinach/artichoke dip, an 8oz ribeye steak, loaded mashed potatoes, french fries, some corn and other veggies, and I shared a Cookie monster with ice cream, it's essentially a 3000 calorie brownie/cookie combo sundae with caramel and hot fudge, I did share a few bites with my then 10 year old son LOL. My liver looked spectacular day of surgery. Least to say, all that food coming out post-VSG was a total wreck, and good lord, it was NOT a pleasant experience. Sorry for the overshare, but most want the whole experience. Alcohol also thins your blood, you'll get standard anticoagulants to help prevent blood clots and they do not want any other additives, drugs (aspirin, NSAIDS, tylenol, alcohol, etc) to increase your clotting time anymore than the prescribed doses of heparin or lovenox. Congrats on getting your date, best wishes on your sleeve ! ! ! You'll do great. . .

I'm probably going to need one, way too much fluid in my band and the dr can't get it out! Since fluid goes in, but doesn't come out (and there's no leak in the band) he'll need to revise the port. If you've had one, was it a pretty easy procedure? How about recovery? I appreciate any info from your experiences! Thanks!

I had a port revision due to it leaking. Very simple procedure and I was out after one hour of surgery and back home. It was very sore for the two weeks after and I did miss a couple days of work.

Hey Rebecca I am in NJ and I am seeking a revision to a sleeve.I would definitely like to become a buddy.I will be seeing this new Dr next week.I really am miserable with this band.I have HJ Horizon so it is probably going to be a journey.

I need some advice. I have a band and type 1 diabetes. I follow protocol to a T and have not dropped an ounce in over a year. My question is, would a sleeve be any different, considering they are both restrictive procedures? I am lost and frustrated, depression is setting in big time. What makes it all the worse, is my husband also has a band and is losing like crazy. He eats WAY more than me and exercises much less. I want to be happy for him, but I am so envious it's killing me inside. I know it has quite a bit to do with insulin, so my doctor told me to think about revision. I am just frightened that if I go under the knife again to be sleeved, that its not going to be much different. Any advice welcomed.

I had surgery late Monday afternoon and still haven’t passed gas. I do seem to burp a little after drinking water. Having a really hard to drinking my fluids. I didn’t realize this surgery would be so painful. The side where they removed my port and lap band hurts so bad. I keep questioning why I did this to myself lol. jgat how are you doing on fluids ? HW 367 SW 346 Revision from band to gastric bypass RNY on 11/6/17

Hi everyone! I had sleeve to bypass revision surgery on 11/16/17. I was sleeved in 2012, and had unfortunately gained back quite a bit of weight after my 3rd and final pregnancy. I also developed horrible acid reflux. My surgeon and I decided that gastric bypass would be beneficial to me for weight loss and to help with the reflux. I am 5'0. I started out at 215, got down to 205 the day of surgery with the help of the 2 week liquid diet that was required. I feel like I am losing extremely slow. I weight myself every morning which I know I shouldn't do, but can't help it. I'm at 200 lbs now but have been stuck there for a few days and it's so frustrating because I'm still doing full liquids. I have been on support forums reading about people who drop weight like crazy the first few weeks and I feel so discouraged. Maybe I'm just expecting too much too soon. Does anyone else have the same issues/feelings? I drink my 64 oz of fluids daily, get in 60 grams of protein from my Premier protein shakes and sip on broth. I have had some sf pudding and sf jello and popsicles but not much else. Any ideas what else I could incorporate into my diet? I start soft foods on 11/30/17. Thanks in advance [emoji4]

My surgeon is one of the most awesome human beings I've ever met. I am not exaggerating. To echo VSGAnn2014, my doctor never rushes you, will sit as long as necessary to make you understand and will let you ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable. Prior to surgery we had a long discussion about procedures . . . he laid everything out clearly and did not push me to a particular proceedure, but made it clear he had definite opinions. After surgery, when I had concerns about my rate of loss, he sat with me and went over food, activity level, etc. At one point, he asked if I understood a point he was making (it was a fairly scientific point) when I said yes, with hesitation, he told me it was his job to sit there all day with me until I understood, so I should be honest with him. He's friends with my primary care doctor and does not hesitate to get her on the phone when issues arise or just to keep her in the loop on my progress. He saw me through my VSG, my gallbladder removal, a blood cholesterol issue and now a fairly significant issue with GERD which may require a revision. He lets me cry on his shoulder when my issues become overwhelming and he cried when I walked into his office at my one year follow up appointment and handed him the medal from my first half marathon which I ran 2 days before. I am thankful every single day that this man is in my life and grateful for the life he helped me to achieve. My one piece of advice to newbies is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with and will give you the level of support YOU need. If your first choice doesn't offer that, find someone else!

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama and they don't cover bariatric surgery of any kind - so no - I was self pay both surgeries. My insurance paid for the hospital stay, OR, etc. for my revision surgery though because I had my gall bladder removed at the same time, which they covered. My doc gave me a quote for the band removal and VSG, and the rest they filed under my insurance.