If you've had the actual vertical banded gastroplasty....

Hi, my name is Shawna. I got the vertical banded gastroplasty in Cardston, Alberta by Dr. Hollingsworth. Less than 6 months later i noticed the restriction had disappeared. For real. I lost about 40 pounds in that first 6 months.
I had a few Scopes finding The staple line was broken down by half. My original doctor didn't want to touch it. Dr. Nohr said it wasnt suitable to revise to rny.
A year later i lost some more due to my own efforts - I was getting married. In the last 11 years i have lost probably 300 pounds. Oh, yeah and gained 350. Today i weigh 315 +/-10 pounds. I'm in communication with Dr. Gagner for a revision. He is recommending the intestinal part of the ds surgery.

This is where I'm at.
What is your experience with the actual vertical banded gastroplasty?

Shawna

Hi Shawna,

I'm sorry to hear of your experience with the VBG.  I had it almost 9 years ago. I lost 145 lbs in 14 months. I did get down to 158 at one point, but needed to regain some weight because I didn't feel good at that weight.  I am most comfortable at 175, but have gained some in the past 2 years. I am currently at 182. I hope to work harder at it when the weather gets nice again and I can be outside.  

I haven't had an revisions or anything, but I do know a few people with the VBG who have had injections at the banded opening to give them more restriction. My doctor does it as an outpatient thing with a scope down the throat, much like an endoscopy.

I wish you well, and hope you get the satisfaction and results you want.

Lois

Hi Shawana,

I had the vbe in 1996.  I lost a lot of weight and because of the staple line breakdown gained almost all of it back.  I blamed myself for many years, until i looked into revision.  I received my RNY on Jan 17, 2013.  I am pretty happy overall.  i have lost 36 pounds.  You will lose weight much slower than the originial surgery, but it will be consistent.  I wan ted the Ds surgery but my doctor didn't do that type of surgery and recommended the RNY.  Although i am happy with my surgery If i had to do it again I would go with the Ds.  You can take Motrin and other pain killers.  I have back pain and knee pain in general and I am upset that there isn't  a otc medication that works like motrin.  Tylenol isn't helpful.  Listen to your doctor but i vote for the full ds if possible...check out the ds site and do the research.  You and youre doctor will make the best decision for you.  

Good Luck with your surgery.

Michelle

I had open VBG about 13-14 years ago in Lubbock TX, Dr. David S Hall was my surgeon.  It was the most horrifficly  painful thing I have ever had done, worse than child birth, worse than when I rolled my SUV 5 times and had to be cut out by the Jaws of Life. 

The surgery worked, I ate very little and lost from 270ish lbs down to about 150lbs (I am 5'9"tall) I was happy with the results, never had hair loss, gas, etc..but after about 6-9 months I began vomiting after I ate anything at all, and I continued to vomit  for the next 12 years. 

I suddenly stopped vomiting and began gaining weight about 1 year ago and havent vomited since and now weigh approx 240ish.  I went to the Gastroenterologist, had an upper and lower GI, and found out that I had 4 area's in my staple line that had come completely undone.  I had no clue that this could even happen, but it explained why I was snoring loud enough to wake the neighbors, the sleep apnea came back, the GERD is back with a passion!  Ooohhhh...andbecause of all the vomiting , I have had to have all my back teeth pulled because the acid has so badly eroded my teeth, I need to have 2 more pulled this week, and at only 43 yrs old,  I should lose all my teeth by 50!

So i called my surgeon's office and he had died , and they had destroyed my records after 10 years.  Yippee!!!! 

I am now on Medicare A,B,&D and Medicade for the Disabled, and I am at the beginning stages of planning on having a revision to a Gastric Bypass.  It has to be a Surgeon AND Hospital that are both certified "Center of Excellence", which is proving to be quite difficult since I live in a rural area.Sooo...that is where I am at this point. 

If anyone is considering VBG as their WLS I would HIGHLY recommend AGAINST it.  Mainly because it is the most horrible, excuciating, tortuous, atrocious, agonizing, dreadful pain you will ever experience in your entire life!!!      I have a very high pain tolerance, and natural, drug-free childbirth of a 9lb baby was, on a scale from 1-10, a solid 7!  VBG was a solid 12.7!!!

Gina

Dear Regina,
Sounds pretty much like my story! So sorry about all your pain, that is exactly how I describe my VBG . I finally got my ring out last week. I had an RNY revision on the 3rd and am now trying to heal. I pray I feel and do better with this.By the way my first surgeon was Stephen Hamn in Plano, Tx This one is John Alexander in Dallas.Hope everthing goes well for you..

Pat

Girl I hear you I had mine in 2002 and I throw up on a daily bases and had to have all my teeth pulled as well. I got sick of the dentist telling me I don't brush my teeth. I was like man I brush the 5 times a day and throw up 30.. I'm having my reversed. My band has slipped and my pouch is smaller then an ounce.. so I'm with you on that one...