Band after Bypass

Hello.  Here is my story.  I had RNY gastric bypass in 2002, lost 120 pounds.  Had abdominoplasty and bilateral brachioplasty in 2009.  In the last year I have gained 70 pounds.  I am totally disgusted.  I am eating better than ever before, organic and less junk.  Had a stomach scope yesterday and they told me my pouch is distended/stretched.  I am wondering about a lap band now, has anyone had this procedure and how did it work??

Well, lots of people have had the lap band, though not as many have had band over bypass.  But the lap band has all sorts of problems, so many that some surgeons and hospitals no longer do bands (including the Mayo Clinic), because they have very high complication rates and low rates of success.  they don't work any better or have any fewer problems if done after RNY.

Have you talked to your doctor about your options?  Have you thought of revising to DS?

Carnie Wilson had band over bypass in 2012.  She originally lost 150 pounds with RNY and regained most of it.  She lost 20 pounds after BOB and says that she has managed to lose another 10 with careful dieting during the last year.

I've been a member here at OH for almost eleven years now, and in that time I can only recall TWO people who had good, long-term success with the BOB procedure. When I say "long-term", I'm talking 3-4 years.

The Band has the highest re-operation rate of all the forms of WLS. There are also a LOT of complications, ranging from very mild to life-threatening, and it only has a maximum lifespan of ten years.

The most successful form of RNY revision is a complete take-down and revision to a DS/Duodenal Switch. (The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, period.) HOWEVER---there aren't many surgeons capable of doing this very complex operation, although the numbers are growing. This means that most people who choose this option have to travel to reach one of these surgeons. It's also VERY important to have a surgeon with plenty of experience---this is SO not a 'see one, assist one, perform one' kind of surgery.

I suggest you post on the Revision board, and the DS board. You'll find a lot of folks who've revised from an RNY to a DS on the various FB boards, too.

Look at the profile of Heathercross. (Blue bar at top, More, Community, Member Search) She has been very successful with band over bypass. She is happy to answer questions but gets so many PMs from RNY regain people that she asks people to read her profile first to see if questions are already answered there before PMing her.   

By the way, there are indeed high re-op rates with the band but it is nonsense to say it has a "maximum lifespan of 10 years". 

Kate, I said a lifespan of 10 years based on what Allergan, the manufacturer of the Band, said. If you have info that says different, I bow to your greater understanding.

The words "maximum life" imply all bands must be removed by then. As I know quite a lot of people who have had bands longer than ten years, that is clearly not the case.

I have several times read on here that the band, according to Allergan, is designed to last ten years and would be interested to be pointed to the part of their literature which says this as I can't find it. They say that people need to be aware it is designed to be a long term implant and as such (like any implant) may require removal. But I can't see a time scale or any reference to inevitability.  I have just spent time reading to try to find it -admittedly skim reading so I may have missed it.