Band PPL who have been revised...what did you choose??

If you had been banded at one time...and had a revision...

what did you revise to?

how was your weight loss after revision?

what made you choose choice of WLS on the revision?

if you can.....give me details like if you chose RNY or the SLEEVE...what  have been your pro's or cons now...

ANY, ANY, ANY information that a band revision person has to give...please let me know!!

CHUNX  

I am getting my band yanked on Tuesday and the RNY in the beginning of April.  I cannot wait.  

I don't have anything else to offer, but just wanted to tell you.  And my surgeon said people like me do fantastic with the RNY too.

I will keep you posted.  The band removal is a same day deal.

Jen

Jen! Congrats!!  I am so frik'n excited for you....PUH-LEEZE keep me posted!!

I got my lapband in June, 2006.  I had a revision to RNY on June 9, 2008 per my surgeon's suggestion.  I had nothing but trouble with the lapband and could not eat anything healthy...but junk went down fine.  I only lost about 35 lbs. but gained most back mostly because I could not eat meat, salads, vegetables, etc.
My weight loss has been excellent...93 lbs. only about 30 or 40 more to go depending on which goal weight I wish to be at.  The weight has come off effortlessly.  It is nice to be able to go in the store and buy clothes right off the rack, go to the dressing room, try them on and bring them home!  I was a size 24-26 sometime 28 depending on the store now a size 18 but can fit in a 16 pants, they are tight though, I can fit into some size 12 blazers I wore back in 1996 but they don't quite button in the front. I still have quite a bit of belly fat, I did lose some though.
The RNY is a malabsorbtive procedure so vitamins every day are a must....my labs have been excellent.  My surgeon starts doing them at 3 mos. out and every 3 mos. after that for the first year.  I go tomorrow for an appt. with him.  Some programs don't do the labs until 6 mos. out IMHO is a mistake...if you are deficient you won't know about it for quite some time and by then your numbers could be in the toilet.
My eating has been normal since the beginning.  I eat normally and have no problems with anything except I have to avoid grease and sugar.  I can eat salad, broccoli, steak tips, pork tenderloin, etc.
I am VERY, VERY happy that I had my revision.  The surgery was rough, five hours, he had to take down the lapband, remove a ton of adhesions, repair an umbilical hernia I was not aware of, then DO the gastric bypass.  But he is so skilled and one of the best bariatric surgeons in Boston.  The Brigham & Women's Hospital is a teaching hospital, part of Harvard Medical School, and one of the Top 10 hospitals in the country.  I drive 90 MILES one way to see him but he is so worth it.
I would not consider a strictly restrictive surgery for a revision.  I had a lapband originally because I had kidney cancer in 2003 and was scared of getting it back with a malabsorptive procedure. 
The best advice I could give you is to get a VERY skilled surgeon who has done a significant number of revisions.  My procedure was done lap by the way with 9 incisions and he used some of the same ones from my lapband.
Life is good now.....I have so much mobility I can shovel snow like crazy...lol.  I think I am probably one of my surgeon's oldest revision patients, I was 53 years old when he did my surgery.
Valerie

thank you for your information and sharing your story...thanks!

Your welcome...sorry I was so long.  Good Luck with your decision!
Valerie

Valerie,

Your story gives me a bit of hope as I too had the lap band, 8/07, and ended up gaining instead of losing.  I felt like a loser and was afraid to revise to RNY.  The more stories I read that sound similar to mine the better I feel about finally getting a revision.  Thanks,  brandyII.

 You should know that most people revising from the lapband DO choose the RNY.  

Mainly because this is the option which is easily available to them and sometimes because they are unaware of the other options (sleeve, DS).  

Another factor in their decision is that, in their areas, there may not be any doctors who do the sleeve or the DS.  (And, don't expect a doctor to give you ANY information about a surgery he doesn't perform - it's like going to a Kia dealership to buy a Mercedes - if they don't have it to sell, they're not going to talk to you about it!)  

Or, those procedures may not be covered by their medical insurance.

Those revising to the RNY should be aware that it is a statistical fact (it was on Oprah even) that RNY'ers frequently gain back a significant portion of their weight loss.   Then, the most popular revision available to them is usually to place a band OVER their pouch to replace the restriction they have lost.   This happens so frequently, that in Europe, a lapband is placed over the pouch during the original RNY surgery, so that when the pouch stretches out, restriction can be restored by the band.  

With the DS or sleeve procedures, the greater curvature of the stomach is cut out and removed.   This is significant because it is in this area of the stomach where Grehlin, the hunger hormone, is produced.   The reduction in this hormone is a integral in achieving and maintaining sustained weight loss.  

After RNY surgery, the patient does not have the benefit of Grehlin reduction, so the hunger will still be there, and when the pouch stretches out in a few years,  it frequently results in weight gain and subsequent revision surgery.  The  published research and statistics reflect this

The evidence for this is clear, even on the forums.   I have yet to see anyone with the DS looking for a revision.

To those who are looking for a revision to something else, you must do your OWN research and not depend on what someone else's experiences are.    You don't know what the other persons eating and exercise habits or lifestyle choices are.   What works for someone else, may not be as effective for you.  Plus, if you are reading about someone who was revised to the RNY, sleeve or DS from a lapband on this forum, it is usually a recent surgery and you don't know where they're going to be when they are 5 years out.  

I've seen people maintain their weight loss with their original RNY for many years and seen people gain it all back plus more as much as 8 years out.   It all depends on the individual's personal eating and exercise habits.   IF someone is willing to cut out carbs, go to the gym every day and really "work" it for the rest of his or her life, the weight loss can be sustained with ANY surgery.  Problems result when the person slacks off from their initial compliance.   Some surgeries have better "holding power" than others do - they provide the person with a stronger "tool". 

So, do your research and decide what is the best direction for you to go in.   And,  don't let some doctor or insurance company manipulate you into settling for something you don't want.  Learn the lingo so you can talk "surgery"  intelligently with the surgeon.  

Good luck!   

Hi,

I went from band to sleeve, but I was successful with the band before the complications started with the band. THe basic guidelines on whether to chose a restrictive vs a malabsorptive revisional procedure should be based on how well you did with restrictive only, starting BMI and whether anatomically a surgery is the best one for you as well. Some people are not good candidates for certain types of surgery and it needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. I did not need malabsorption to get me to goal.

Babs

Hi CM:

I chose a VSG.

I lost 50 pounds in 4 months and have had a 4 month stall.

I was torn between a VSG and DS... and went for the VSG on the advice of my surgeon, who was afraid of what he'd fine after 7 years with a Band and thought I could easily drop 80-100 pounds with the VSG.  My inner-gut thought I needed a DS, though.  (Trust your inner self!)

For me, with a 34 French sleeve, I can eat a lot more than with my Band... and actually have been able to eat a lot more than most Sleevesters.  I don't know why.  I saw my sleeve on fluoro post-op.  I know it's small.  It was oversewn.

The ghrelin effect for me (no hunger) only lasted for about two months too.

The biggest issue with the sleeve (IMHO) is that it restricts quantity...yes... but it does not keep you from coming back to eat.  So, I eat a small meal... and then 1-2 hours later, I'm eating again because I'm, hungry.  It's easy to eat around.  

Oh vitamins are a must with the sleeve.  My 6 month bloodwork showed very low Vit D and elevated PTH.  So, remember that the sleeve is a lot more serious than a Band.  You MUST take sublingual B12, vitamin D, calcium, a multi, and possibly Iron for life.  You must get bloodwork for life (Just like the RNY and DS).