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Good luck to u. I had a band to sleeve revision (due to a slip) 10 mths ago. While I've not done as well as most on this board (basically I've lost the 30 lbs I gained during the year I tried conservatively to fix my slipped band by unfilling) but it's an amazing maintenance tool. Not even trying, I'm able to maintain my loss for months. Everyday (yep, I'm an "every dayer") I expect to gain a lb or 2 and everyday it's exactly the same. I still have 10 lbs to goal and I will eventually get there. If I tried a little harder, I'm sure it would come off easily. I'm just happy maintaining in a size 8 for now. Don't forget it's not magic. U hafta work it, just like u did the band. It's much easier than before wls, but it still isn't magic. So, so, so glad I had my revision. I used to vomit almost everyday. I've only vomited 2x in 10 mths - and it was difficult and unpleasant. To be avoided at all costs. My stomach doesn't hurt all the time and I can eat anything (including pancakes, which I couldn't with the band) Again, good luck!

Sorry to so late to respond. Just learning how to reply. Lol. Nevertheless one side did not heal properly and the inscision keeps opening like a sore. They didnt do the back fat so a revision needs to be redone. A belt lipectomy seems to be the only thing that can fix the problem. I also have a rash on the other side as well. Seems to me that if my cut had of been higher then i wouldnt be having this problem. So i am doing the waiting game. I feel thay i am going to get it. Thanks for the concern

I did mine at the same time. My band slipped back in June and I waited over 2 months for my insurance to cover the revision surgery. Once they approved, I scheduled my surgery. Had it on the 11th with an overnight stay in the hospital. I am so glad it is all said and done!

I don't know of anyone who maintained after band removal. It must be possible, but take great commitment, determination and discipline and, let's not forget, a positive attitude. One person who'd been a champion band owner, maintaining about 14 years, had it removed due to a strenuous movement that cause a major slip. At first she chose to try to maintain on her own. However, she had sleeve surgery three or four months after band removal because she'd begun to gain. She's the only one whose details I know. Some people here have gone from band to sleeve. Perhaps they'll stop in and tell you what they know. Who says you have to wait a year for sleeve? Is that the surgeon or something else you believe on your own? Did you ask why the band has to be removed? There is a theory that, once loosened, a band never works quite as well once refilled. I don't know if that's true or, if it is, whether it applies to everyone. Sometimes a band is loosened so that the dilation can correct itself. It usually takes a few months, and then the band can be tightened again gradually. Did the surgeon mention that as an option before going to the OR again? If you expect to regain, you will. If you have to ask the point of continuing to work out, your planning to regain. GEt your thinking, emotions and head straight before you even think of revision surgery now or later. Surgery is no guarantee of weight loss -- you have to do the work. YOu might consider a therapist, one who has some particular knowledge of the weight-loss/emotional intersection. It's a shame that your mother piled her insecurities onto you, especially when you were so young. That's got to have a large role in your struggles now.. Always question medical advice at least to the point of asking if there is an alternate to try before going the more drastic route. What caused the dilation? There may be other causes, but I know only about overeating and eating too quickly, not chewing thoroughly and not pausing between bites. However the current situation is resolved, I wish you the best. I also wish I had time now to do some editing so that this note would be more cohesive.

I had the band for 2 years and had problems the last year with it. I had a revised sleeve surgery. The surgery was a breeze, no real pain to speak of. I have been having real hunger pains every two hours. I was eating small amounts every two hours. My doctor told me not to do that it will not help me in losing the weight. I lost 15 lbs. since the surgery which was this past march. What is the amount of protein that should be eaten in a meal? I can eat a 5oz. Yogurt without a problem. But when I eat say chicken I can't even eat any more than 2oz. However I still get hungry at the two hour mark. I have added protein through out the day added to my water. I thought this would help but it does not do what I thought it would do. Should I just work through the hunger pains until my next meal and hope my system will get used to it. What does a meal consist of. Just need some advise. Thanks

It's been a year since my surgery, and I've lost a total if 25 lbs. Every day is a struggle to watch what I eat. Dr isn't happy with weight loss and would like to do a revision, sleeve or bypass. What's worse is hubby went on calorie counting binge and has lost over 50 lbs. every day I hear how much fiber, protein, and calories he has eaten. I gets numerous ?s on what we are having, what is a serving, etc. He's driving me nuts, and all I want to do is crawl in a hole and eat. It's hard when you have no one to help you over the humps.

I stayed three nights which is standard for revisions for my surgeon.

That's that "Revision pace", slower, but supposedly more consistent. Guess we'll see! Congrats BTW, I know exactly what you are dealing with LOL And now back to your regularly scheduled forum posts.

I'm 32 and I too have PCOS and have struggled with infertility. I'm getting a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Altimarano on Sept 11th. My bmi is now shooting towards 60 after failed lap band. I'm hoping this is my savior. Dr. Altimarano is amazing. I can't wait.

Hope it all went great ! Keep us posted. I'll be revising on the 19th. Wish it was tomorrow, the waiting is tough.

I'm in WA State now, but I am originally from DFW and was banded and revised 5 yrs later to a VSG. Dr. Kuhn is awesome. He's been in the WLS business for a very long time. I worked for a GI doctor at Baylor and he highly recommended Dr. Kuhn to anyone asking about WLS. I've heard good things about Dr. Barker. I had a friend who worked in his office. He runs his clinic more like a number system, and you have to wait and wait, so don't take kids to the appts. But everyone says when you see Dr. Barker you have his attention 110% of the time and he will make sure you have all your questions answered. I'm not sure what Dr. Benavides does these days, but anyone associated with primarily Lap Bands and what used to be The Surgery Center of Richardson I would run from. Dr. Frank Felts not so much. I had another physician several years ago that originally put my band in. After years of problems such as vomiting, dehydration and sickness, Dr. Felts failed to find anything wrong with my band. He refused to say anything negative about the doctor who did my original surgery. After MANY Barium Swallows and TWO Upper GI Endoscopy Scopes Dr. Felts said it was all in my head and fired me as a patient, giving me 30 days to find another doctor because I dared to tell him he was WRONG and I was so dehydrated I couldn't swallow Water let alone eat solid food 4 1/2 years out from band surgery with ZERO Fluid in my band. BTW, My band was found to be put in BACKWARDS and dangerously close to my Aorta!! Dr. Felts was also JUST GETTING STARTED doing VSG and he refused to tell me how many he had done of the regular VSG surgeries and how many revisions from Lap Band to VSG he had done. I felt like he wasn't being honest in my personal opinion, he wanted me to have TWO surgeries, one to remove the band and a second to do the VSG as he didn't have the experience he was used to doing ONLY Lap Bands! I found Dr. Manuel Castro who practices at Methodist Dallas on this forum by another person. She had him for both band and VSG. She highly recommended him. I had surgery by Dr. Castro in August 2010. I had an allergy to the skin-prep that was worse than recovery pain. Dr. Castro called me several times to check on me. He investigated and called me to inform me what my allergy was so that I could avoid it in the future. The doctor himself did so, not a nurse! He can be hard to understand as he has a thick Spanish Accent, but he is VERY VERY caring and talented. Something I personally had NEVER experienced before from a Bariatric Surgeon! I highly recommend Dr. Castro. His wife was his office manager at the time I had surgery and can be difficult to deal with. Be sure to verify your own insurance as she soemtimes isn't clear about it. Otherwise, he is worth the wait and dealing with his wife! Dr. Castro is a Lap Band to Sleeve Revision Specialist. I can't think of any other Bariatric Surgeons I personally dealt with in DFW. If Robert Powell is around AVOID him like the Plague, he's the idiot who placed my Lap Band Backwards! LOL Best of luck to everyone! I hope this is helpful, it's 5 yrs worth of my experiences in one post! -Carrie

Hi Duckhnt, I had band to RnY revision six months ago. The main reason my doctor advised me to choose RnY was because of the severe GERD that was caused by the band. The sleeve is usually not a good choice for people who suffer with GERD. Now your situation may be different...but what happened to me is that the lapband was overfilled and resulted in a Dialated Esophagus. Thankfully the esophagus retracted back to normal and I was able to have the revision to RnY. Like you I was awakened every night with acid reflux. My poor husband had to endure my nightly coughing sessions and neither of got any quality sleep. The RnY procedure totally put that to an end...and my weight loss has been kickstarted again. If you haven't already, get to a bariatric doctor asap. He will probably order an Upper GI to see whats going on. Best of luck to you!

Wishing you the best. Glad you are getting a few more opinions. I don't think most doctors are in it only for your money. And even if there were, it wouldn't pay to have unhappy patients. Good practices are built on reputation and word of mouth. I think there are many approaches to ps. I had some docs that wanted me to do lipo first and others that prefer to do it at the same time. Part of it could be where they trained, how much CE they do and yes, experience with bariatric patients. I am having more ps surgery in October and my doc is fixing one of my breasts (that he did) that is a little lower than the other at no charge. He is also revising my TT, with a vertical incision because I have lost more weight and have more loose skin. I was like you and had some upper stomach fat as well. I was and am happy with my first TT, and wasn't anixious for the additional scar, but I'll look much better in clothes. I am paying for the revision of my TT, because it's not the doc's fault. Also, having a thigh and butt lift and arms done. I hope you can resolve this and get the results that you want.

Hi everyone, I am currently 10 days post op from my surgery and I have to say I am already sooooo happy I did this. I was very successful with the band for 2 years and then started to have some complications. I had a slip and esophogal dialation. So that is when I started to consider a revision. So going into this surgery was much more stressful - the pre op diet sucked, I was much more nervous and stressed . But it all went very well and I do not regret a thing. My recovery was about the same as the band but I do feel like I am losing more right away. As a side note - When they removed the band they found the tube had embedded itself into the middle of my liver and was literally cutting through it. The also said my liver was starting to grow around it. Crazy! So anyways I guess not life threatening but scary, very happy it is out. Pre Lap Band: 255 Post Lap Band: 210 Pre Sleeve: 223 10 days Post Op: 208 I feel great although still on liquids 4 more days. I cannot wait for mushies! But so far so good.

Congratulations, Anne! I had my band to sleeve revision surgery on June 30 and I'm amazed to read about how many people have had issues with scar tissue! My surgery was supposed to be two hours, but ended up being five hours because of the amount of scar tissue that I had in my abdomen! I had no idea that this was a common problem! I also had problems with a dilated Lap-band "pouch" and ulcers. I'm so glad to hear that everyone is doing so well with the sleeve! I was at the doctor on June 23 for my final pre-op appointment, and since then I have lost about 12.5 lbs. Definitely very happy with this decision. :-)

So I was banded 8 years ago. No real complications...got to a the median estimated weight loss over time. Began to creep up a pound here and there and figured would "upgrade" to a new long term solution with the sleeve being the direction I was pointed. Main reasons were that I know that at some point the band will fail etc as it is a mechanical device...and secondly to get ahead on the weight regain curve. Saved up on self pay, got my unfill about a month ago now in preparation for a Feb 19th sleeve revision surgery which is scheduled. Now here is the problem...and question.. prior to banding I had severe gerd...to the point where I was afraid to go to bed at night. Woke up with acid in my sinuses 3 times a week, choking on stomach acid whole nine yards. I thought it was because I was fat and was one of the driving reasons for my weight loss surgery. In my banding surgery they found a hernia and repaired it. Cool that must be my reason right? Fat and hernia... Never had Gerd or heartburn post banding...well, until after my unfill that is. Just about after every meal I have heartburn to some degree. Havent had a night time gerd episode "yet" but after reading all the GERD stories on sleeves I am hyper nervous. To the point of looking at all options to include blowing the surgery off...Does anyone have any experience, stories from yourself or even other friends where something similar occurred ?? Any suggestions at all? I haven't talked to my doctor yet as I want to kind of have my mind in a strong direction before doing so. I am thinking about bypass, but it seems the most extreme and frankly freaks me out a bit. My BMI is 34.5 currently...Also what if I try to go back into lapband fills after the break? Maybe it will be like a new banding? but that contradicts one of the reason I wanted a revision in the first place, lol.. Anyone tried unfill to refill strategy ? Any thoughts or comments are appreciated!

I'm thinking this may be my situation. Probably 3-4 days a week, I can't eat things I should because of my band. I'm thinking the issues with it may make it so that I can get it done sooner as long as I'm a candidate for having the revision in one surgery.

Well you are much better then me because I do not let doctors blow me off like that. I would have sat on the floor like a child until he answered my questions. I don't know anything about port revisions so I am not help in that department however the fees with other doctors are usually right because they are taking over someone elses work. I dont know what to tell ya except try to find another doctor and research him before you do go to him/her.

In reality waiting between procedures is the best option. I didn't have that option (OOP couldn't swing 2 surgeries) since my insurance didn't want to cover my revision. I didn't want to battle them either as I just kept piling on the weight, I think I'd waited too long as it is. Those weeks will go by fast. I know you will also love your sleeve too.

So glad you are doing so well! I am new to the sleeve forum. I have had a band for three years. I finished all the tests for a revision to a sleeve and now awaiting approval from insurance. Did you have the band removed and the sleeve in one surgery?

So happy that your band is gone!!! Double happy that you are doing well inrecovery! It's a tough journey for anyone to have a sleeve, but I think those of us that have had revision have a unique emotional journey to navigate. It's hard to go through one failed WLS and summon up the courage and hope to have a second. Really happy for you and happy that they got the band out before it did any further damage. I had scar tissue on my liver, but nothing as drastic as yours. Wishing you an uneventful recovery :-)

All of my paper work has been sent in including my Insurance approval, Psych evaluation, labs, food journal, two completed quizzes, Lapband Surgeon's notes and sleep study reports. After all the paperwork is reviewed and it's determined complete, (please, please be complete!) I will have my first appointment with the Nurse Practitioner and Dietitian. I need to complete two visits with each and lose 15 pounds before I meet with the Wizard of Oz also known as the Surgeon! This is quite the process!

It has been a long journey....approval for removal of my lap band was done December 13, 2013. They originally denied the revision to RNY. But after many months, dropped ball, etc..a peer to peer review was scheduled week before last. The day after my doc called and rescheduled my appointment because of unforeseen circumstances he was going to be off a week. I had put in my mind the review wouldn't happen until this week when he returned, but today I got the letter from my insurance company!!! Bless his heart, he must have spoken to them before he left. And I don't have to go thru the appeal process. Peer to Peer review process worked. Thanks to this site for all the support ..... really helped during the waiting time.

I am a lapband to sleeve pre-op, too, but my process was less tedious than yours. I did all that pre-op stuff with the lapband, but with the sleeve I only had to revisit the dietician and get a medical clearance from my primary doctor. No psych eval, no pulmonary clearance etc. I did standard pre-op last week and I'm all set for surgery in 4 days. Isn't it interesting how requirements differ amongst surgeons? My pre-op liquid diet is only 2 days. From what I've read here, 2 weeks is more common. Either way, it is "quite a process" to revise and I pray it's worth every minute of it for all of us. All the best!

I know this is old post, but it was brought back up by EdenDesired's reply. I thought I'd reply just in case someone else runs across this and has the same questions. I have bipolar type II. I've been diagnosed for over 20 years and have tried pretty much all drugs that was for BP/Depression or even thought to have a benefit for BP's. There was some cocktails that worked and would work for a good while. Other cocktails would make things worse. But such is the life of BP. I've had two bariatric surgeries. RNY in 2001. I lost 200 pounds and was stable for about 15 years. I gained it back due to what ever reason, divorce, having to take over the complete care of my father, depression/stress from work, etc... ya know Life. I had revision surgery on June 28th, 2019 from RNY to DS. I was able to go forward with this new surgery only because I had a Pdoc that knew about new drugs that are working now and was willing to work with me to adjust things till we got to the right recipe. There is one main new med, and then re-adding some oldie but goodies that i have tried in the past, but are working better with the one new med. It stabilized me more than usual. Didn't stop being depressed/manic, but it limited the cycles in a major way. As to what my Surgeon and Pdoc thought. Pdoc thought I was stable on the meds and had been for a year, so it was a good idea, but told me I should expect to adjust everything as I shrink. Surgeon didn't have an issue as long as I passed the Psych eval. As to the surgery and the meds, I took all my meds all the way up to the morning of the surgery. I was off of some of them while in the hospital, but as soon as I could swallow pills, I was released from the hospital and I was to continue my meds as normal. 1st surgery, they gave me liquid versions of the medication when I went home for a time. The liquid versions don't taste good. When I was having issues and the cocktail wasn't adjusted well, I looked into ECT and a bunch of other things. ECT was one of my choices if other things didn't work out. Have you considered Ketamine Treatments? It is being used for Resistant Depression and you don't need hospital stay for it. Its doing wonders for many. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketamine-for-major-depression-new-tool-new-questions-2019052216673 Be mindful though when finding a Doctor that provides the treatment. Several clinics are setup by non-psychiatric physicians. _kimga_ I hope you're doing well and you are able to move forward with the surgery. Any questions, feel free to ask.