good news! I'm keeping my band...

Several months ago I was having issues with the band - reflux and nausea - so got an X-ray and Dr. H said it had slipped - a small slip - and he wouldn't fill it anymore - it needed to come out.  He said he would let the recently hired surgeon (who specializes in revisions) give me a different kind of surgery or another band if I wanted ( for the low, low price of several thousand dollars, of course) The thought of losing my band after having it in for only 4 years and having to pay again for more surgery was making me  and .   He wouldn't fix it or offer any other solutions other than removal of the band.

Sooooo.....I got a second opinion this week (from a different doc - Dr. C.) and - good news (sorta) - I have a hiatal hernia that needs to be repaired.  The band hasn't slipped - it has travelled up past the diaphragm and that's what's causing all the problems.  I'm completely unfilled but having very tight restriction.  That means that next Thursday I'm getting surgery for the hiatal hernia - and - Dr. C is also going to give me a modified gastric sleeve - suturing the stomach partway closed like a gastric sleeve but not removing the stomach.  He says this procedure will make it nearly certain that I will never have a slip in the future. 

Sooo.....I will get to keep my band, be assured of no future slips, get the hernia fixed - AND - since it's a hernia repair - it will all be paid for (minus a co-pay, of course) by insurance!!

Very cool Ann !!!! congrats on the good news !!!

Good for you for getting a second opinion.  And congrats for getting band fixed/modified under insurance!!   Sorry about the HH.

great news and good information for some of those 'slips"

 Congrats! That is something new! I hear surgeons nowadays are perfecting new techniques with the band and Sleeve, I think in a few years they will have a new surgery that is safer and more effective than the band and Sleeve, I wish you well with it.

This is such great news.  Thank you so much for sharing this with us.  I would really like for you to keep us posted on how you are doing with this new procedure in the up coming months.  I am just thrilled for you that you hung in there.

Anne, I don't want to burst your bubble.  I was reading this last night and it went over badly with me.  It sounds like your doc is wanting to do a Vertical Sleeve Plication with a Band around it???  Honey, I was set to get the plication - it is a bad surgery.  The sutures could end up blocking the vessels around your stomach and causing necrosis (dying stomach tissue).  Oh, and then putting the band around an already compromised blood flowed stomach just sounds horrible.

There are a couple of people who have gotten this procedure on here.  Please get a 3rd opinion.  A plication really can not be taken down after a couple of weeks  (see Nissan Fundiplication - it's a huge risk to take down and most surgeons don't want to touch it afterwards - it's a procedure used for reflux).  All the tissue becomes scarred from the sutures.

I pray you know that I am not trying to get you down.  I hope the best for you.  I know how it feels to want to save your band.  Please get another opinion if you can from a doc who does ALL procedures.

All the best to you.

Leila

I'm happy for you that it's working out! 

I had surgery on Thursday. It went well. The doctor took off the band, repaired the hiatal hernia, put a new band back on and did the plication. I was in a lot of pain right afterwards and now I'm still uncomfortable and the gas is pretty bad. The surgery took longer than expected because the hernia was worse than he had thought. He knew that it was a "massive" hernia based on what he saw on the xray - but - my stomach had gone completely through the hernia and was in my chest!! It took him a while to bring it back to the right place and repair the hernia. Still, he was able to do it laproscopically. I'm so glad I didn't wait any longer than I did to get this fixed.
So, now I'll just rest and recover.