Failed Band Patients.. Question

For all of those who have had their band fail and replaced by RNY, sleeve, etc... what type of band did you have?  Was is a Realize or Lap Band?  What size????  I'm just curious if there is a correlation with a type or size?  Also.. what year was your orignal band put in?

Thanks!
Kim

I had the larger band, and it eroded. I just saw a commercial yesterday for the lap band and for the  first tine ever I heard them same that it is NOT for those with immune disease, and I do.

I haven't had a revision surgery, but I had the Lapband placed in 2003. It was a 4cc sized band. I believe the company was called Inamed that made the band that I had.

My band eroded, and it was the 14 AP large band.  Not sure what company made it.  Haven't had the revision yet either. 

I had the Lap Band brand band (ha ha, say that over and over) placed in January 2007..  It was the 4cc size.  I am revising to a sleeve. 

I had the lapband.  It actually slipped but group death refused to allow me to go to my surgeon, refused their dr's to even X-ray me.  The dr's kept telling me it was simply acid reflux.  3 months later and not getting any better, I went into the emergency room hysterical after 7 days of not being able to keep even water down and so tired and drained I could barely walk.  They x-rayed me just to get me out of there and realized the band had slipped and my stomach had herniated into my chest.  When they went in to push the lapband back down, my stomach was about a day away from needing to be removed completely.  It was a gray blob when the surgeon saw it and they removed the lapband.  My original surgeon called me and said I was a day away from a colostomy bag for the rest of my life.  My employer was bought out by another company and 3 days after surgery, my insurance carrier changed to United Health who has worked with my surgeon to get me the gastric sleeve on Feb 8th, 2010.  The ever so wonderful Group Death has since said that any appts that I had gone to, the surgery, all of it, they will not cover because it was caused by the lapband.  They say they're not responsible for any pre-existing conditions.  

The lapband, btw, worked great...I went from 350 on 01/2008 to 168 in June 09 (I'll admit, that last three months I lost about 50 lbs simply not being able to eat anything).  I still felt hungry, still craved EVERYTHING in site, I'd buy a small fry just to eat two and give the rest to my dog (he's on a diet now, my surgery ruined his lithe wiener dog shape).  The gastric sleeve, however, is removing the part that creates the hormone that makes us crave and makes us hunger.  From the research I've done, I haven't talked to a single person who's even been hungry since surgery.  

Your experience sounds so eerily similar to mine. I am feeling all kinds of empathy here for you!!! 

My surgeon told me to "get a hobby" when I told him that I couldn't eat, drink water or poop! I found a different surgeon who was a specialist in lapbanding and his first words to me were, "What the f*** did they DO to you?!"  Those were his exact words, he was so appalled by the state of my guts. I lost 100+ pounds the same way you did... by not being able to eat a single thing for 2 years.

Is your stomach OK now? Do you have residual damage? My diaphragm is all kinds of screwed up and is slowly healing.

I had the lapband surgery because it was touted as being, "LESS INVASIVE and SAFER" than the other options. Having a device that strangulates your stomach isn't less invasive and it's certainly not safer, in my opinion.

I hope you're better now. I'm sorry you went through this, too.

Nicci

Wow!  These stories are scary!  I don't think there's a correlation with what type of band people have and the failure rate, but from what people are posting here... it seems as though some of the issues people have, start from the competance of the surgeon. 

My band slipped and has been fixed but the fault lies completely with me. I got too arrogant with my band (eating too big of a bite, band was too tight and I was too selfish to get it unfilled b/c I was lovin' the weight loss).   I LOVE my surgeon though.  He listened to me and helped me immediately.

4cc placed in 2004. Did great for 5 years. I just revised to the sleeve on 12/29. I had quite a bit of adhesions and scar tissue from the band. Glad it's gone...