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Banded 2006. Revision last Thursday all so gallbladder taken out.

I was also banded in 2008. Having the revision next week and starting to get nervous

I was banded in 2008. Not very successful. Had revision one week ago today - both removal of the band and sleeved. Surgery took about 4 hours. I'm happy to have had it done all at once. Its a pain to take off work twice, not to mention going thru the pain and risks twice. I feel pretty good, not much soreness left, just really tired. But I also have Lyme disease and that zonks me too. Mentally I feel pretty awesome, ready to rock this. I prepared for this surgery very differently and am very optimistic about success. In fact, I feel a "tumescent glow" :-)

I will be having surgery here bc insurance will cover most of it. I will be going to MX for skin removal as it won't be covered. MX can be great option! My surgeon spoke about doing revisions bc the previous surgeon didn't remove enough so I would definately ask that question to whoever you go to. Good luck with your journey!

Hi I am having revision from band to sleeve in three weeks (successful with the band, regained after slip and two pregnancies to Bmi 31) I am for the UK and having my surgery in Europe with the same surgeon. His aftercare advice is more of a lifestyle guide rather than a facts guide. I would just like to know what the common post op portion control is that you are given. I.e how long on clear/ liquids/ mushy etc and the macro split for protein/carbs etc. I am interested in nutrition and would like to focus on trying to get everything from natural food but I do understand that supplements especially in the beginning are necessary. Thanks in advance, just want to get off to the right start and I know that in the US much more advice is given!

I had revision to gastric sleeve in October 2012. I got back on track to losing the rest of the weight and am within 10lbs of my goal. 1/21/15 I went in for one more surgery. Tummy tuck!! This procedure scared me more than any before. I'm just thankful I feel way better after than I had anticipated. Unfortunately it is hard to tell how good my flat stomach looks yet, still quite a bit of swelling and some bruising. I have 2 drains, one on each hip. I can't wait to see everything once healed! Anyone else have excess skin removed and how was your experience???

Is your question that you are worried about malabsorption issues? I would be more concerned with sleeve issues such as heartburn and not losing enough weight. That's why I chose the rny. I figured if I'm going o do this, it will be once, no revisions for me. I chose the surgery that provides the most weightloss. A lot of bad stuff has been coming out about the sleeve in terms of results. I think with the sleeve you need to have much more willpower. The bypass is a lot harder, nearly impossible for some, to cheat on. My best friend had bypass and her husband the sleeve. She lost 170 pounds in one year. He lost 70 pounds and gained back 35 so only a 35 pound lost. He can and could eat around the surgery the whole time. She had dumping and major restriction. Given she was more motivated but he clearly needed a stronger tool to help with his weightloss. I don't think her really made the choice to lose weight and she did. But statistically people with sleeves don't lose as much. People with rny do get Vitamin issues along the way. Not everyone, but it happens. You have to commit to taking the pills for life. I feel it's worth it to get the health benefits of weightloss even if I have to have Iron transfusions some day. I was going to end up diabetic so I would have had issues anyway. The sleeve can give you heartburn and many end up with a revision. I didn't want two surgeries

Usually an jnsurance company looks at revisions differently than straight new surgery. Have you asked for their medical criteria in writing? I would. Or Google bcbs name of your state and gastric sleeve it should have the revision guidelines in it. I have cigna and they have it couple pages after new surgery Remember bcbs is different by state so make sure you get that state name In there https://cignaforhcp.cigna.com/public/content/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf

I had the band revised to a sleeve two months ago today! Things were challenging because I had complications from a rare and serious renal disorder I didn't know I had until post-op, but surgically speaking, it's been good. The searing pain of reflux so severe it damaged my vocal cords is GONE! The daily disappointment when I stepped on the scale - ADIOS! I have lost nearly 30lbs* in less than 8 weeks - I'm down 4 pants sizes and I'm 1lb away from my pre-baby weight, which is like 7 years ago. The next time I drop a clothing size, I'm going to have to go BUY clothes, it's been that long since I weighed this little! Oh, and my type 2 diabetes? I don't need medicine for it anymore, and I don't have to follow a diet for it either. I just eat healthy, that's it. My BP was never a serious issue, but I'll bet that's down too. Sure, I throw up, and throwing up sucks. And it's not easy completely learning a new way to eat. Also I'm really bummed to give up carbonated beverages. And having had a nightmarish first month (because of the kidney disorder you don't have, so you don't have to worry about it) well, that was really hard, but when things were rough, I would step on the scale and voila, I had a smile on my face (*30lbs may not sound like much, but I am on the bottom end of the scale of of who is allowed to get the surgery, so 30lbs is halfway to my goal weight.)

My Upper GI and Endoscopy showed no signs of slippage or other trauma, so mine were done at the same time. I had no surgical complications, I think the surgery took about 4 hours. I knew I was getting the sleeve, so there was no sense in splitting up the surgeries and facing the risks of anesthesia twice. The revision worked great, I'm down 28lbs and 4 pant sizes in just 8 weeks!

If I get approved for revision, what I may do initially is tell her that I'm just getting the band removed, not tell her that I'm getting a revision to another surgery. I'll likely tell her after the surgery is done, but not before. That way, I don't have to listen to her until it's too late, lol. A lot of people in real life don't understand that by the time I'm talking about things with them, I've almost always already made my decision. I'm not asking them for their input, I'm telling them what I'm going to do. Input and help making a decision is what these message boards are for! That's the problem with being fat. People think that you want their advice and input about everything from diets to exercise to surgery. I don't know why more people don't have the grace to understand that their input and advice is only being asked for when it's literally being requested.

Hi y'all! I started out wanting the sleeve but the more I learned about it, the more I'm considering the bypass instead. Did anyone else change their minds and if so, what were the driving factors behind you're decision? The main thing that I like about the sleeve is the hunger hormone being gone but I have horrible reflux and heartburn already and don't want it to get worse. On the bypass side, the dumping would probably be a good thing for me because of my sweet tooth. I need that accountability. I think I like the longer history of the bypass too, seems to be the gold standard. I really don't want to risk a revision later. You're thoughts?

Hi y'all! I started out wanting the sleeve but the more I learned about it, the more I'm considering the bypass instead. Did anyone else change their minds and if so, what were the driving factors behind you're decision? The main thing that I like about the sleeve is the hunger hormone being gone but I have horrible reflux and heartburn already and don't want it to get worse. On the bypass side, the dumping would probably be a good thing for me because of my sweet tooth. I need that accountability. I think I like the longer history of the bypass too, seems to be the gold standard. I really don't want to risk a revision later. Your thoughts?

I'm currently starting the process for a revision from lap-band to either VSG or RNY (undecided about which one right now). I'm debating telling anyone. I'd like to tell my mom, since I'd like to have her with me after surgery. The problem is, she thinks she has the right to tell anyone and everyone my medical business. That's what she did after the band. She and my dad told the entire family, their employees, their clients, yadda, yadda, yadda. Add to that the fact that she's very wishy-washy. I mean, when I was losing weight well with the lap-band, she kept trying to feed me and kept shoving food at me. Now that I've regained almost everything I lost (and I lost 90 pounds and got to goal), she keeps telling me I need to try more diets. Sometimes it's really hard to keep my mouth shut, because I just want to tell her to pick whether she wants me fat or thin and stick with it! I don't know what to do. I just moved to Miami a few months ago, so the only people I know here are my new coworkers, and I'd rather not have my medical business spread around. I also don't want to lie to my mom and dad. But I also don't want my entire extended family to know that I had to have my band removed and revised to another surgery. I'm uncomfortable seeing them as it is, since I keep getting larger and larger every time they see me, and I KNOW that they're thinking I'm a failure. *sigh* Of course, this will all be moot if I can't get the revision approved in the first place. I've had one consultation with a surgeon, but I didn't click with his office, so I've got another consultation in a week or so. Hopefully, that one will be the right surgeon!

Hi everybody, I'll try and keep this as brief as possible., but it will get a little long as there is a LOT to cover. I got my Band done in May of '05, in Long Branch NJ. I lost 90 pounds, and hit my goal almost without any major issues. I only experienced severe heartburn as a 'complication' along with the getting to know the learning curve of what I could and could not eat. However, in '09 I developed a complication, that somehow led to an infection of my port area. This turned out to be an internal MRSA infection, and I came about 12 hours away from leaving the planet for good. Luckily, they went in and managed to get everything cleaned out, and actually managed to replace my band and port during the same surgery. When the lab reports came back indicating MRSA, the doctors seemed to think the infection was caused by a belly button ring, but we were never sure. I was on a special treatment of antibiotics for 8 weeks to clear everything up. After my antibiotic regimen was finished I was given the 'all clear' and so, with the new band in place [but unfilled], I managed to gain weight at a rapid pace, putting on 35+ lbs. in a matter of 8 weeks. When they were finally able to do the new fills after I healed, I went back down to my goal weight, (which is around 125) proving that, the band was indeed needed and a much needed tool to effectively help me keep my weight in check. For those of you that are questioning my reasoning for getting the band done to begin with wen I was only in the low 219 area, I am, and have been disabled with many medical issues since 1996. At the time of my banding I had been thru many extensive surgeries in my spine including a 6 level lower spinal fusion, that failed miserably and was the causation (at least in theory,) for my severe Fibromyalgia. With Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, and 'Fibro' already effecting my life, to add to my list of maladies, I was also diagnosed with Lupus SLE in 2009. *They also think that one of my Lupus meds may have led to my immune system to not be able to fight off the MRSA infection that led to the emergency Band revision surgery. Fast forward to today. I now live in Georgia after moving away from NJ in December of 2012. And while I know that I probably should have found a new doctor in Georgia before now, there was a very good reason for why. You see the day before we were supposed to move out of Nj and head for Georgia, Hurricane Sandy hit the coast of NJ, causing us to lose everything we owned to that damned storm. From both of our cars, to everything that was packed into our moving PODS, pretty much everything was gone. Life was shall I say "complicated" to say the very least. We now had to concentrate on rebuilding our lives all while adjusting to a new state! And so, I must stress that finding a new Gastro doc, just really wasn't on my mind. Add to this that I have had ZERO complications since my revision, it just was not important at the time. And when I say no complications, I cannot stress it enough - Other than getting some pain if I ate too fast or too much, there was no indication of any problems. No heartburn, no pain, literally zero side effects whatsoever. Until now. About 6 months ago, I started feeling a twinge on my low left back quadrant. Because I have a severe back problem anyway, I at first thought that it was my back. Then it started to get worse. I feared it was my Pancreas, Live or Gallbladder. My Rheumatologist sent me for a lung X-ray fearing pleurisy. Then I went for a CT scan that also came up pretty much negative, all for a slight sign of my port cath, 'rubbing' on my spleen. So I googled left side lap band pain - and it started filling up with pages of warning signs. Shoulder pain, pain when I sneeze, heartburn, rotten egg burps, excess gas in my tummy, etc. As I said in my topic header. I am literally heartbroken. Besides that freak infection in 2009, I have been pretty much a poster girl patient for the Lap Band. Up until now, you could ask anybody that knew of my banding surgery and they would tell you that they probably got tired of hearing me say "Getting the band was the BEST thing I ever did for my self and life". I was so over the moon happy about this tool that was given to me, that ended my lifetime struggle of weight issues. I'm only 5'0 tall, if I put on 40 lbs, its noticeable right away - heck if I put on 20 lbs, one can see the issue of a struggle with weight. My body simply cannot take the extra weight on its joints and limbs. I now know that I'm in for a issue with the band no matter what the outcome will be, I know that there is SOMETHING happening with my implant. And herein lies my problem. I'm at my goal. My BMI is way too low for an argument of why I would qualify for any revision surgery at least that is, for just my weight alone. But, if one were to look at my disability and health issues that was one of my main secondary qualifications for getting the surgery to begin with, well then, I hoping that there might be a hope and a prayer for a sleeve to be done if the band must come out. And that leaves me here. I'm in the Athens and Atlanta area. I'm looking for a doc that is willing to fight for patients for advocating the need to insurance companies for medical needs, as well as a skilled revision doctor. My current weight is going to work against me, that I know, but I'm scared to death of being left on my own accord for the rest of my days. I got the surgery when I was about to turn 40, and now here I am having just turned 50, and facing this horrible task. Again I'm looking for a great surgeon in either the Athens or Atlanta area. They are both a easy drive, but I want to go to a doc that is highly recommended. Thank you so much for listening to my plight - good night and God Bless

Jlkhollins, I too am having a band to sleeve revision on Jan 28. Would love to chat with you.

I looked into both MGB and RNY. The MGB is both revisable and reversable. I went with MGB after researching the options. I have a great surgeon, Dr. C Peraglie in Florida. I can only say great things about the MGB and how it saved my life. Everyone's journey is different. Inform yourself. For me it was the best thing I have done for myself. I am 7 months out. Lost 89 pounds so far. I am no longer on cholesterol and Blood Pressure medicine. No longer a pre diabetic. I have great energy. Feel great! Now I can keep up with my kids.

Has anyone had the revision done in Syracuse NY??

Hey guys, been lurking on the boards for a couple years and I'm looking for some info. Quick rundown... Banded 2010 with BCBS, required me to do NUT/psych, doctor letter, and information seminar. Lost 25lbs, got fills monthly for 2 years...nothing. Surgeon said I developed an "intolerance" to the band. Okay? So I got a complete unfill in 2012... fast forward 2 years later and I'm still having vomiting issues and things get "stuck" frequently, my BMI is over 40. Talked to my surgeon on Dec 1st about a revision, which he doesn't do, so I was referred to another surgeon. Have an appointment pending for new surgeon but in the mean time, I checked BCBS revision requirements and it must have changed since I looked into it 2 months ago. Now it says: "The individual must have serially documented active participation in a non-surgical weight reduction regimen for at least 6 continuous months, in the 2 years prior to surgery, to enable both behavioral changes and adequate assessment of anticipated postoperative dietary maintenance. These efforts must be fully appraised and documented by the physician requesting authorization for surgery" What exactly does this mean? I have records from like MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun, a Couch-2-5k app, my surgeon's records of weights and fills from 2010-2012... but I haven't seen a PCP regularly for several years. Would any of these personal records count? Or am I going to have to do a 6 month PCP diet? I'd like to go into the appointment with documentation if I have it available. Thanks for any info you guys have!

I'm in a similar situation. I'm having issues with the rerouting and get very ill when I eat certain things. There might be a stress factor as one day I eat something; repeat the exact same thing the next day, but get sick from it. I vomit copious amounts of thick mucous. That started about last Jan. '13. It's gotten progressively worse and after UGI, CT and upper endo, I finally went back to the surgeon and he wants to go in and revise the jejunojejunostomy. The thing is, if I STOP eating soon enough, I can control the pain. If I don't, I vomit not only mucous now, but have to vomit the partially digested food to get relief from the pain. Sometimes I have to help it along by sticking my finger down my throat. But the "SICK" part is, then I still want to eat more!! I make myself worse by not stopping soon enough. I sure hope the surgery helps! I see Dr. Monday to reevaluate and schedule it. BTW; what is "myfitnesspal" and where do you get it?

@shizwiz I loved your post! Very informative and well written. All the small details were helpful. I will be going to A Lighter Me in March, the 4th with surgery scheduled on the 5th. I'm have a revision done so I'm a little concerned about the recover and changes from my last surgery (Sleeve 2012) I have been following the facebook for A Lighter Me and I have been impressed with all the positive responses. It seems to be a well tuned program. I wish you much success! Salena

My appointment went well. I have to do 3 months of nutrition classes, psych evaluation, physical therapy, and support group. I'll be able to get my revision surgery in about 4-5 months. I'm so excited!

I was band revision patient (done with Blue Shield). I went in to see the Kaiser doctor (So Cal) on the 15th of December and had my surgery on 1.5.15. The process was easy and smooth...

The big thing for you to talk to your doctor about is the reflux issue. The sleeve can make that situation worse. Bypass resolves it. Also both surgeries require Vitamin supplements. I personally planned to get the sleeve initially until the reflux issue came up and that is why I chose RNY. I have not regretted it for one second. Good luck on your decision and your revision if u choose to continue down that road.