Thoughts About Revision

Your perspective like others if VALID and NEEDED.

As for hunger I equate it to dumping in an RnY patient.  Not every VSGer loses the hunger and of course to varying degrees.  I for one did NOT realize how hungry I was until I woke up from surgery and didn't have this knawing tiger in my belly asking to be fed, ya know.

Anyway continued success.

Ms Shell

I got hit with the surgeon telling me yesterday that I had to have near immediate surgery (pretty much as soon as the insurance OK's it). Turns out last fill was probably a tad too tight (who knew, and how would I know what was normal?) and the top part of my stomach herniated up into the esophagus area. Sux for me. But also my fault for not going and seeing him when the side effects started.
Good news is, he is intended on fixing the hernia, repositioningthe band, and then doing a new procedure called i-band.

Anyone heard of it? Apparently, insted of a sleeve gastroectonomy (sp?) they simply take the stomach, and fold it in to decrease capacity, then stich the two sides together. He says it gives the benefit of banding, and a sleeve without the cutting away of stomach and complications from that. I trust him implicity because he has always been very direct with me. He aslo indicated where when the two are combined, there is an additional 60% weight loss in over 3/4 of the patients that do it. Interesting.

I will let you know how it goes. I have had the band for almost four years, and maintained all weight loss, even though i have kind of stalled and gotten stuck and lost that full feeling (most likely because of the slippage and herniation). Anyhow, for a revision, was curious if anyone had heard of this "I-Band" procedure or not.

Miltrez,

I believe that this procedure is the Gastric Sleeve Plication or Gastric Imbrication.  Following is the link from Dr. Alverez that explains the procedure.  Dr. Curry performs this procedure as well.  As far as I know, it's effective except you don't get the reduction in the hormone ghrelin like you do when part of the stomach is actually removed.  Ghrelin is partially responsible for causing hunger.

Very sorry to hear of your troubles.  Good luck!

http://www.endobariatric.com/plication.htm

I've been reading alot on Gastric Plication.  I'm waiting to see how it turns out.  Many surgeons are putting down surgeons doing it.  Seems really strange to me as far as effective.  Time will tell.  Seems like the just keep coming up with new ideas for WLS.

If I was you, I would not let them do this to me without researching it first, it's not really a popular procedure and the stats on it are bad, and there is a much higher longer term complication rate and risks with a plication.

Greg,
Thank you so much for the link. I will be a little more active here to let people know how it goes. Just to stave off the curiousity factor if for nothing else.