ASK YOUR SURGEON IF REVERSIBLE PROCEDURES ARE RIGHT FOR YOU- TAKE IT IN...
Amen, I had my band removed over a year ago and no revision. I still have damage and horrible pain from the damage my lap band did to me. I should have gotten a sleeve, the leak rate for sleeves is miniscule compared to the permanent damage done by the band. If they got that bad a leak they had a lousy surgeon not a lousy procedure!
I *WANTED* my stomach permanently altered, if my only option would have been the band I would not have pursued WLS. I chose a Bariatric Center of Excellence and a surgeon with decades of experience with bariatric procedures, and I had total faith in the surgeon and his support network through the entire process. Leaks happen, and they suck when they do, but the track record of the band is far from perfect, all you have to do is type in a quick search on the internet and you'll come up with more band horror stories than you will sleeve leaks.
I HAD a band and it nearly killed me and I'm still suffering from the after-effects a decade after removal. The band has a TERRIBLE track record. It's removable, not reversible. And it's simply not true that you can "upgrade your band to a sleeve." Quite often there is way too much damage to revise to another form of weight loss surgery. If you Google Lap Band + failure rates or Lap Band+ complications, you'll find many, many reasons why the band is NOT a good option at all.
I'm sorry that your cousin had complications, but advising people to choose the Lap Band is not good advice.
Avoid kemmerling, Green Bay, WI
