Joining the band to sleeve crowd

Hi! Banded in 2007 and I'm currently 220 lbs. I went from 275 to 190 with my band. I'm working on the pre-requirements for a sleeve revision to take place in Novemver. I want to get to goal weight this time - 175.

Next week, I have my fifth insurance required meeting and my psych clearance. I'm nervous about insurance approval but the doctor doesn't seem to think well have a problem.

im scheduled for Nov 21. I need to ask wether I stay in the hospital this time or is it outpatient like last time?

Did you know that you can also regain on the sleeve? I've met people who have already regained ALL of their weight. Especially those that don't follow diet rules and a healthy lifestyle, which were the hazards of the band too. This worries me, but not enough to get an RNY.

I'm very active - a cyclist and a gym rat. I also enjoy yoga. All of these things are complicated because of my weight. Any other fitness freaks here?

looking forward to meeting other revision patients!

heather 

I had the sleeve in 2010. Never got to goal and regained half. Maintained half weight loss for two years now. I did let carbs back in too early. Also my sleeve stretched some. Mostly at the top. I just got my approval to revise to RNY. Wishing you luck on your approval and your revision. I know how it feels to not get to goal. Good luck!!

I had the sleeve in 2009. I never got to goal. And I've regained about two-thirds of the 70 pounds I lost.  So, yeah, you can regain with the sleeve. Grazing is bad, bad, BAD. Don't do it!!! I should have NEVER added carbs back in. NEVER. I'm an addict. Sigh.

My biggest problem is I had GERD before the sleeve, and it's only gotten worse the last few years. The sleeve has not helped the GERD. Now I'm fighting with the insurance to get them to approve *something* to fix my hiatal hernia (which I had before the sleeve and which was not fixed during the sleeve). The doc says he can't do the normal fix because I have a sleeve. He says he has to do RnY. The insurance won't pay for RnY. But I have erosion in my esophagus and have needed to have polyps removed from my stomach because of PPI use. GAH! Still appealing.

Anyway, my point is if you have GERD, you need to do some research about the sleeve and GERD before revising to the sleeve. Just FYI. Good luck with your revision!!!

Robin

What insurance do you have? I'm surprised with all the major medical problems you're having that they will not approve a revision to rny. 

United Healthcare. So far they have denied, denied, denied. We got them to open a second case number after the first was denied as "weight loss surgery" so the insurance gal in my surgeon's office got them to open a new case as 'hiatal hernia repair'. Now it's in the appeal's process so it can be denied (yeah, I'm cynical) so we can do a peer-to-peer.

I am not hopeful they will approve it without an independent review (or even WITH an independent review at this point), but I'm getting ready to file a complaint with our state insurance commission. I've HAD IT with UHC. This stuff has been going on for A YEAR.

And they've also denied my eye drops. I have rosacea in my eyes. OTC stuff does not work. Restasis is a covered medication. Yet they WILL NOT pay for it. The doc has even written a letter! Still denied. Failure to progress. No therapeutic value. Do they make people whose blood pressure medication works go off of it because it works? What about Viagra? Oh, it worked so you should be getting better??? UHC is NOT making me happy the last few months.

I have holes in my esophagus! I have had to have polyps removed from my stomach. I think they just want me to get cancer and die. (Told you I was cynical today.)

Robin

I had them years ago. So glad I don't now with what you're going through! Just ridiculous! I'm so sorry. I agree you need to file a complaint. This is BS! You have more than enough issues to warrant a correction. Please keep us updated!

I am also a band to sleeve revision, I just had it done. Yes you can regain but this is true for the bypass as well.  I first made sure I had the sleeve done by an experienced revision surgeon that knew how to do effective  sleeves. Read too many stories of huge sleeves not helping with any restriction very soon after surgery.  Now that I have my sleeve I plan to do everything on my part to make it work. I am human I may stray from the path but my goal is set and I am moving towards it daily. 

I cannot imagine  going home the day of surgery, the sleeve is so much more than the sleeve, I was kept at the hospital for 3 days. There are leak tests to be done daily too. 

To the  failed sleeves, instead of the bypass why not the Ds?  Stats are much better for long term maintenance according to everything I have studied. 

For me, the sleeve exacerbates my GERD. I have go to have the GERD fixed, and to do that, they have to fix the hiatal hernia. The only way they can fix the hernia is with bypass. Adding the malabsorption part of the DS (since that is all I am missing with already having the sleeve part) would not address the GERD or the hernia. Sigh. Such a mess.

Good luck! My sleeve was also larger--a 48 bougie, I believe. And it worsened my GERD immediately. I can only imagine what a smaller sleeve would have done!

Robin

You can regain with any surgery because you can eat around any surgery.

I also have Gerd really bad and that's the main reason that insurance company approves the revision to the RNY. The DS does have great statistics but the amount of supplements you have to take her typically a lot more than that of the RNY. Also my surgeon said that there's about 25% chance of getting permanent diarrhea with the DS. The malabsorption with Rny last forever but declines overtime so it doesn't last the way does with the DS but it is a great tool to help you at least get to your goal which I could not do with restriction alone. My dr. used a 40 bougie which is bigger than a lot of the other surgeons but he did that to try lessen the chance of a stricture or some other complications.