Band Slip - What do I ask?

Hi...getting up early to take my husband to the airport and I thought I would help you with this..

Just to give you some background, you mentioned that you had been suffering from allergies and sinus issues...please be aware that symptoms of band slippage are, reflux, especially night regurgitation, vomiting, constant coughing and sometimes sinus issues and drainage believe it or not, some people get this confused, but also sinus drainage and colds CAN tighten the band, this is why I never keep my band real tight, I always keep to where if I have an illness and it tightens I will still be able to function. You may have had some allergies, but when the band is too tight you may have thought you had other issues and as a result the slip was not easily fixed without surgery.

There have been many people that bands slipped and they got it fixed and never had any other problems, but there are also some people that I have seen have actually had 3 band slips that required surgery, and some people suffer slippage so bad until they are no longer candidates for bands and must revise over to the Sleeve or RNY if they still want some type of weight loss surgery, so every one is different.

There are different types of band slips, and everyone may not experience the same symptoms, your slip seems like your band prolapsed meaning your pouch prolapsed over your band, this type of slip is probably easier to fix, when I suffered pouch dilation a few years ago if I did not get to my surgeon in time my pouch probably would have prolapsed over my band also, but the saline was removed therefore allowing the pouch to shrink back immediately.

There are two types of band slippage; anterior and posterior which basically refers to whether the back or front side of the stomach slips. Band Slippage or prolapse is where the stomach slides up through the Band, making the pouch bigger. If this happens to a patient its because the Band usually becomes too tight, and patients will experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. This is due to the amount of stomach being “squeezedÂ" by the Band is increased, thereby obstructing the Band.

Anterior slippage is where the front of the stomach slips up though the band. Surgeons try to prevent this by suturing the stomach below the Band to the stomach above the Band, “lockingÂ" the Band in place in the right spot. In spite of this, slippage still occurs. It can happen for two reason, one because the surgeon haven’t placed enough stitches, or they haven’t been placed in the right place or secondly slippage can also occur if patients eat too much and vomits frequently.

The Band has to be dissected out, all the sutures removed, and the position of the stomach made right. Some surgeons remove the Band and place it back with a new one and others just straighten things out.

No one knows if your band will work again, but carefully following post op rules and not getting aggressive fills and not staying too tight will probably better your chance of a successful outcome...Good luck!

Once a band slips you are are just about close to 100 % guaranteed that it will slip again. PLEASE do not revise back to the band. Come on over to the group listed in my siggy.

P.S. Nana is the single most harmful poster on all of OH 98 % of the time. She has me blocked so this could be the 2% of the time she is actually being truthful in her replies, but just in case she isn't being truthful I felt it important to tell you to ignore her.

So I am just looking for help on what to ask regarding can there be damage to my system at this point and if so what? I want a list of questions to ask my DR tomorrow.  

liver damage.
my band left adhesions on my liver that had to be removed during revision - - there is also a lady on the failed group who had the band completely erode into her liver.

BTW - not every complication can be picked up on tests.

It's your choice, but I was a band to band revision ( as well as my daughter )

Your second band can not be placed in the optimal position due to scar tissue from your first band. Usually this means placing your revised band higher up your stomach. This is going to make finding restriction miserable because you can end up being too tight or too loose from the very beginning (regardless of having your band completely empty if you're too tight)

IDK why but many of us are/have experienced our band tightening by themselves even when they were emptied.

I'll leave you to your decision because it is ultimately your decision, but I wanted to leave you with this last thought.....

(A gastrectomy is a partial or full surgical removal of the stomach)


Did you know that gastrectomies were first performed in 1881 by  by Theodor Billroth  for cancer of the stomach and that they are only recently being performed as a stand alone procedure for weight loss ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Billroth
Billroth worked as a doctor from 1853-1860 at the Charité in Berlin. In Berlin he was also apprenticed to Carl Langenbuch. From 1860-1867 he was Professor at the University of Zurich and director of the surgical hospital and clinic in Zurich. While in Zurich, Billroth published his classic textbook Die allgemeine chirurgische Pathologie und Therapie (General Surgical Pathology and Therapy) (1863). At the same time he introduced the concept of audits, publishing all results, good and bad, which automatically resulted in honest discussion on morbidity, mortality, and techniques - with resultant improvement in patient selection. He was appointed professor of surgery at the University of Vienna in 1867 and practiced surgery as chief of the Second Surgical Clinic at the Allgemeine Krankenhaus (Vienna General Hospital).

He was directly responsible for a number of landmarks in surgery, including the first esophagectomy (1871), the first laryngectomy (1873), and most famously, the first successful gastrectomy (1881) for gastric cancer, after many ill-fated attempts. Legend has it that Billroth was nearly stoned to death in the streets of Vienna when his first gastrectomy patient died after the procedure.

Billroth was instrumental in establishing the first modern school of thought in surgery. Among his disciples were luminaries such as Alexander von Winiwarter, Jan Mikulicz-Radecki and John B. Murphy. William Halsted's pioneer surgical residency program was greatly influenced by Billroth's own methods of surgical education.

I had two slips.  The first wasn't bad (painful) so I had the band repositioned.  I believe that my doctor rushed my fills and that is the main reason that it slipped again (just a guess). 

During the second surgery to remove the band, the surgeon said there was no substantial tissue remaining to sew to.  He gave the example of the surrounding tissue being like soft cheese. 

If you have your band repaired, wait a long time before getting any fills (at least 3 months).  Sorry that this has happened to you, I know what you are going through. 

I do know some people on this site that have kept most of the weight off after having their band removed.  You have to be diligent ALWAYS.  I did pretty good for the first year, then I started regaining the weight that I lost with my band.  I'm getting the sleeve on 12/22 because my diabetes came back out of remission.  Hope you make a decision that you are comfortable with.  Good luck!  Greg

I had a slip that required surgery to reposition my band.  I was 2 years and 105 lbs down in my weight when my slip happened.  March, will be two years since my second surgery.  So far, so good.  I regained a little over 40 pounds during the entire process.  I was going through a divorce, losing my house and my dogs....all very stressful things and I turned to food for comfort.  My surgeon took my fills very slow with my repaired band.  

I have lost over half of what I regained....not a fast loss for sure, but it's better than where I was before my inititial surgery, for sure!  ha ha

I am hopeful that my band will hold on for many years, but I know that the statistics aren't always so hopeful.  If I have another slip, I will do what I can to try and revise to the sleeve.  Good luck on your surgery.....sending positive vibes.