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Day 6 and I'm feeling human again. Man what a ROUGH recovery. Between the complications with my surgery/revision, traveling 14 hours to get home, and having a massive cold and horrific cough/bronchitis.. I really wasn't sure how much more I could take. I'm so much better today. I'm struggling with fluids still though. I'm so full of mucus and phlegm that I literally feel like I'm STUFFED and it's hard to sip on to of that. That'll be my focus today. And as of this morning I'm down to my SW 219. For those of you with a band and think it's fine, that what I was thinking too.. I had ZERO symptoms of any problems.. my sleeve took 5 hours because of how bad my scar tissue..

I had a tt years ago and had 2 drains and still had fluid pooling. I just had a hernia repair and they put in a drain and I still got a hemotoma. Friday I had the lapband placed and the hematoma removed. They put in a drain. I am grateful for the drain. I would be extremely upset and see another surgeon about a revision and get drains put in right away!! Good luck!

I didn't have a band but I do know that my surgeon does revision surgery. Dr Cheblis - his office just moved to Overlake.

Hi All, I am looking for experiences from low BMI Sleevers. When I got my band almost 4 years ago, I was considered a low BMI patient. I did lose some weight (and gain 50% of it back) and I am now considered a low BMI revision. My big struggle right now is really believing that the outcome will be better. Once you have WLS and it doesn't really work, it is hard to have hope for the next one. I almost feel like I am too vulnerable to have hope. Similar to how you feel dating someone for the first time - too vulnerable to admit that I really want it to work and that I will be crushed if I don't get a good result. With all that said, I was hoping to get some feedback from people who were low BMI sleeve patients - with or without revision. My BMI is 31 with my band - scheduled to sleeve in 8 days. My current weight is 195 and I would minimally like to get down to 145, but ultimate goal would be 130 - of course I am still too scared to hope that it is possible right now :-) I am expecting that my weight loss will not be as significant because I have less to lose. The major difference for this WLS compared to the last:: preparation! I am so prepared this time. I have the Isopure drinks, I have 4 different kinds of broth, I have glasses / bowls in 2 oz, 3 oz, and 4 oz sizes so I can get used to what those measurements look like, etc. I also have a much better support system. In short, I am really ready to do this the right way. Any low starting BMI folks out there that can give me some feedback? Thanks! Lara

Anyone have experience with revision band to sleeve in Seattle area?

Ok so those who have gone through this is it that bad? The doc says he might need to move mine cause it floats around to much. I went in for my third fill and yet again he couldn't get the needle in the port. He found it and was hitting it but because when i lay down it floats up under my ribs he is having problems getting in it. Anyway just some help would be nice thanks alot.

Just saw the month I had surgery on June 22nd feeling amazing I am down 60.5lbs I am a revision from lap band after I went through cancer treatments hope everyone is doing good

I had a band to sleeve revision on June 8. This surgery was so much easier than the band. I assume it's from all the walking they had me do at the hospital. I hadn't had any gas pain at all and I haven't had any pain killers since leaving the hospital. Total day and night difference from my band surgery. So amazing testimonies...like... No gas pain No stomach pain Incisions healing well Can walk and move with no pain However...I got hit with bronchitis. This happened after the lapband surgery too. I went to my PCP a couple of weeks before surgery and said it felt like bronchitis coming in. She assured me it was just allergies. I can tell you now, definitely not allergies. The coughing has made my back and stomach sore. I thank God for my bipap because it gets air in me. It's awful! Does anyone else do this after surgery? I usually get bronchitis a few time a year but right after surgery is becoming a fad with me. I don't like it.

I believe he said it based on her history. He did her lap band but recommended the Bypass. Now 9 yrs later she wants a revision so of course he is suggesting the Bypass. I think he said it with good intentions. Either way I support her and know she will do whats best for herself. Hopefully I can make the same decision and soon.

I was one of those that jumped on band wagon 9 years ago because I was terrified of going with RNY. After my hopes have failed while having issues with the band, I didn't even lose 50% of my excess weight. After much deliberation and researching I decided I had to do something about it. So this time I ended up complicating my surgery even more since I was doing band removal, bypass and gallbladder removal but I had to take the chance... I had my surgery 5 days ago, I have new hope for the future and doing my portion of it. The reason why I went with bypass is I am prone to gerd, I have at least 125 lbs to lose, and I have also read about a lot of sleeve to bypass revisions and didn't want to take my chances. Recovery has been hard for me, I won't deny it, but today I am so much better already.

My bmi when I started the program was 66*, I believe. I first planned on the sleeve, but for the same reasons you are wavering, I decided to talk to others and read forums, etc. From that exploration, I saw that there are SO many people who begin the process happy with their sleeve but in the long run, end up revising to bypass. The sleeve can be great, and I've seen a few people (and I mean a only a few) who are happy 3-5 years out and don't want to revise. The fact that my bmi was high, the fact that so many sleevers end up getting or wanting but being unable to afford a revision, and the fact that so much long-term data exists for the RNY all cemented my decision solidly toward the bypass. And now I'm 9 months post op, had no complications, and I feel wonderful. I've also lost almost 150 pounds and 12 pant sizes since surgery day, and gained my health and a level of self-love and confidence I never really believed possible. *edited because I went to the calculator and checked and my bmi was way higher than I thought it was when I started the program at 402. At my highest, I weighed 442... which gave me a bmi of 73. Now I'm 39 and I can't even believe it was once that high... but anyway. >.>

Well I figured it was time to start documenting everything, so here it goes. On March 10, my best friend was telling me about how we should get the lapband to lose weight. Now being a member of weight watchers for many years at first I was very against the idea (if you even mention it on the weight watchers boards you get yelled at!) Then I decided that maybe I should look into this and talk to my doctor. So I say my doctor on March 14 and she said that she thought it was a good idea. I called the surgeons office to sign up for his seminar on March 29 and the moment he started explaining everything I knew this was for me. He gave us a packet of everything we would need to do as far as clearances so I started making appointments. Here is my timeline: April 2 Psychologist April 3 Gastro (need endoscopy) April 4 Cardiologist (need echo) April 5 Chest xray April 11 Pulmonary April 16 Echo April 23 Endoscopy April 23 Nutritionist 1st appt May 8 Nutritionist 2nd appt June 12 Nutritionist 3rd appt June 10 Surgeon!!!!!!!!! June 16 Hospital bariatric coordinator So before I started this process I had called my insurance company HIP and asked what the requirements were and I was told it had to be medically necessary (yeah no six months) then on May 5 I just happened to be on HIPs website when I see that bariatric surgery was revised on April 15, 2008. I almost died when I saw that. According to their website you now needed six months diet. I called HIP and the girl had no idea what bariatric surgery was and I had to give her the link to the website and of course she had no clue and said whatever it says on the website is what it is. Well I was pissed. So I told the nutritionist this and she said ok then come to me for six months. Then I thought did I just open up a can of worms? Although I didn't want to not say anything and get everything else done and then have to start over with a six month diet. So I figured let me just tell her. Then I decided I should probably go talk to the surgeon, even though he doesn't want to see you until you have every clearance including the nutritionist. So I get the appointment and tell him everything about the insurance and he tells me that he probably won't be taking my insurance much longer! I almost cried. He then tells me that he was going to submit everything I had up until this point and for me to get the nutritionist to sign off on the three visits I went to. Well 2 days later I was approved. I could not believe it. Thank God. My surgery date is July 16 and I couldn't be happier.

I have never seen a study that shows how band to sleeve revisions do over the long run. My surgeon felt they did okay - but results are variable. I saw a bariatric doctor today who does primary care and when I met with her presurgery - she was seeing excellent results in her own practice. The vast majority doing well, at that time she had perhaps one revision patient who wasn't doing well (hooked on ice cream and all day snacking). Well, a year later, she is telling me that she is seeing trouble in paradise. Her patients that were "virgin" sleevers are doing great, but she is seeing regains and losses stopping for revisionistas. she doesn't know why, just has theories that the band teaches you bad habits - slider foods, but she doesn't really know that for sure. Anyway, I am feeling great right now, but i take seriously this "concern" and I am feeling like I am on notice to keep following the sleever rules!!!!

i was told the same thing as well by a few different doctors. one doctor told me he wouldnt even do it because of all the scar tissue he claims id have. I have had a band, a band revision because of a slip and then a band removal. I was also informed that I have staples left in my stomach from the band removal and depending on where they actaua that it might make it riskier for me as well because any time you staple over staples, its a greater cause for a leak. I havent had the surgery and this is something I've been tossing around for a year and a half. im just too afraid at this point.

Can we stop calling Isopure zero carb "protein water" nowhere on the bottle does it say "protein water". I just find using the term very misleading. I have been using isopure since 2010/11 when I was banded, lovely product overall. Very helpful now that I've revised to RNY. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

The doctors and staff are great. I had my revision on August 15 in Puerto Vallarta. Your in good hands.

I'd say stop thinking about it and do it, but find a different doctor. If he's quoting you "20% chance of a leak" then he isn't that good. My doctor was completely confident, didn't mention any increased risk (but he did say it was extra work) and acted like it was no big deal. He did the operation and nailed it. I was banded in 2008 with a different doctor. I spent 4 days in the hospital because of complications, could barely walk for a few more days when I finally went home, ended up with all kinds of problems (food getting stuck constantly, mainly), and lost less than 70lbs total. I started gaining weight back in less than a year. I had the band to sleeve revision with the aforementioned doctor August 20, 2013. I was in the hospital for 2 days, had no trouble standing up and walking around, and overall had 1/100th of the recovery time than when I got the band. Between the pre-op diet and the surgery, I've lost over 80lbs already and the only difference I really have between pre-WLS life and now is I eat a whole lot less, and burp a whole lot more. Do it!!

Yes, I was sleeved Aug 2014. Bypass is the type of revision surgery I am having. Thank you all for encouragement! Sent from my SM-G996U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello, everyone! So, after having little to no restriction for quite some time, I finally found a doctor here in South Carolina who was willing to do fills without charging a huge amount of money and making me jump through hoops like Roper St. Francis hospital systems did. After multiple appointments with this new doctor it became clear that I have some sort of leak or disconnection somewhere in my band. The very first appointment he pulled almost no fluid out, then even after adding fluid in the band for two more appointments in a row after that, the same amount of fluid was not pulling back out and I really didn't feel anything restriction-wise. On our 3rd appointment, after once again only being able to pull a tiny amount of fluid out, the saline had a yellow tint which my doc stated indicated that blood was present and getting into the band. This solidified his suspicions that I had a leak. He felt that was the issue at the previous appointments, but he said seeing that tint was a dead giveaway. This doctor and his staff were so helpful and wonderful, but I feel their total pricing for having a revision is a little steep. Perhaps I am simply ignorant, and I expected it to be expensive, but wow. It's not the pricing of the VSG itself that I'm surprised by, it's the price they're adding on top of that for just taking out the band. They want about $25,000 total to revise me from band to sleeve and it also seems like they want me to do two surgeries rather than one. Financing is available, but I worry about taking out that amount. To break it down, they are charging $15,500 for the VSG (which is fine) but then another $9,000 on top of that just for the removal of the band itself. Just to clarify, the only doctors who ever touched my port and/or band was my doctor in Florida who placed my band back in 2013 and then this new doctor in SC who only did those fills I was speaking of prior. I know that the doctor here in SC who did the fills did not cause the leak with a puncture or anything since there was little to nothing in the band in the first place at the first appointment. I also hadn't seen my original doctor in a few years, and in between him and this doctor here in SC, no one else has messed with my band/port. The last time I saw/had an adjustment with my original doctor, I was good to go and had the right amount of fluid and restriction. It's been the last couple years that my weight has started to creep back up and I began losing restriction. I have no clue why the band began to leak or what caused it. As stated before, no other doctor messed with it, and I've not had any sort of accident that could have caused damage to the line, port, etc. I even had an Upper GI in 2020 when I was trying to go through Roper St. Francis hospital's bariatric department for fills and they told me the band was in it's proper place and there was no indication of a slip. They just said the liquid they had me drink during the imaging was going through fine and there seemed to be no restriction present. The point of my rambling is this...since the issue with my band is not anyone's fault and seems to be some sort of malfunction with the band itself, does anyone know ANY loopholes, per say, in order to avoid paying an arm and a leg for the charge of the removal of the band. Again, I'm not haggling over the price of the VSG, I'm attempting to haggle the price of the removal of the band itself. I know business is business, time is money, revisions take more time and resources, and our medical system here in the US is crazy expensive. But, I personally feel like I should not be financially penalized by way of extra cost for the removal of the band itself. The VSG part of the surgery itself I'm happy to pay for and am not trying to negotiate the price of, it's just disheartening that the band is essentially broken and my options feel like, 1) either keep a useless foreign object inside my body that serves no purpose, or 2) pay an exorbitant amount for it to be revised even though its failure is not my doing. To add to my annoyance over the situation, the band has been intermittently causing me discomfort; particularly at the port area. My surgical doc placed the port in the center of my abdomen right above my navel and as of lately, it'll feel sore and has even felt slightly swollen a couple of times. It almost feels as if the port moved or was pulled from the inside. The discomfort is similar to the discomfort you feel when a surgical incision or a cut is still tender...that's the best way I can describe the pain/discomfort. **In addition. I do have insurance, but it covers nothing bariatric. Any constructive advice is welcomed and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read this long-winded post!

Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement. I am ready to have the revision surgery. Just waiting on my surgery date.

Thanks for sharing this! It must have been awful to start experiencing these symptoms a year or so out of surgery. Whenever Im having a rough day, it helps me to think it only get better from here so I know that must have been mentally hard to handle. One of the things I hadn't thought too much about before my surgery is how it would affect my relationship. It definitely has. So thanks for sharing that. My fiance and I do a lot of things over food and so it hard when Im not eating as much. I think for him, it was hardest having to now make decisions about meals himself. He always asks what I want to eat when we order food for example and I really dont have a preference because I'm probably not going to eat anything. But on the bright side, he has learned to make his own meals to save the money and Im a much cheaper date! LOL. My friend who has been having a much rougher recovery than I have, has also been struggling in her relationship. Her S.O was very supportive in the beginning but she has been sick in one way or the other for a year now. She has had to have revision surgery and is constantly in the ER. Her S.O is just over it. Im glad you guys were able to make it through and now she can support you on your journey!

Reading through some of these it really is interesting. I was pretty set on the sleeve but then i was being told that bypass is better for diabetes so i started shifting to the bypass but i am scared stupid at the idea of having a 30 - 50 cc pouch to start off with. Now reading the article that took 3 different studies and combined the results and discussed the weight loss vs comorbidites resolution vs surgical revision and it is interesting that the deciding factor is actually more along the lines of those who have had GERD more than those who have diabetes. Interestingly enough the 5 year mark show only a very little favor toward bypass in weight loss and even then by a margin that is statistically too small to say there is a statistical difference (absolute difference of 7.2%). Much more to think about now. I'm just starting this journey so we will shall yet see which route it takes me.

I also had a band once upon a time and wanted to revise to the sleeve, but because of my reflux, my surgeon wouldn't do anything but the bypass. He told me the sleeve would make my reflux worse and so I am glad I went with the bypass, but I am 4 years out and have yet, to reach my goal weight. Now, granted, I don't do everything 100% all the time. But I feel healthier than I did before in most respects. The malabsorption is probably what has changed my body the most because I have a hard time taking all the supplements and feel I don't have the muscle and bone mass that I once had. I would like to lose about 20 more pounds, but if not, I am OK with where I am. This may just be my HEALTHY weight since I have been stuck here for awhile now. I hope you reach your goals with the revision and also have fun on your cruise. I love cruising and never have trouble finding good foods to eat.

I had the sleeve in December of 2012 and lost over 100 pounds! Well over my goal weight. And that was before they revised me to the bypass for GERD reasons. I am still losing and have been put on TPN for weight gain, malabsorption, and malnutrition.

I had lapband and had to be revised. I thought I wanted the sleeve but since I am self pay my doc said go for the rny bypass when I asked why he said bypass has a better rate of success and a lot of times sleeve is step one of bypass. They get sleeves then bypass.. I was like oh no I'm done with wls surgeries this has to be my last.. Just my 2 cents..