Considering RNY- no success after 1 year!

I have had difficulty with the band.  I got my band 8/09 and have only lost and gained 30 lbs back and forth.  I choke on everything if I have a fill. Even without the fill I spontaneously vomit certain foods. I can and do eat other foods, resort to soft foods, have no sense of restriction or being full.  I have been in therapy all year. I have given away hundreds of dollars of carb foods and restarted my protein focus 8-10 times.  I am too heavy and have knee problems, work 12 hours shifts as a nurse and of course lose momentum in any excercise or food program. I couldn't do this before I got the band , and I see no help in the band at all.  I feel I didn't get enough insight into how difficult this would be for me, how much resistance I still had, etc, etc. I think I should have had the RNY and am thinking about it now.  Comments would be great! Smyley Face

Wow, that sounds discouraging...So sorry to hear your struggles, especially from a fellow nurse.

What does your doctor think of all this?  Is there a support group involved where you can hear from others who are banded?

Resistance to what?, if you don't mind me asking?

Stay strong, no matter what you decide!

I had my realize band placed 07-08 and lost 35 pounds and have since gained it all back and like you i still have issues with some foods. I have 6.5cc in my band and i am too thinking of revision. I am at a loss as what to do- i now have elevated liver enzymes ast 56 and elevated glucose at 127 fasting ....so frustrated!!!!! I now AFTER the band have hbp also, and i too am a nurse... i feel for you!

I'm just curious, and please I mean this with no disrespect, but how did you guys gain back 30 to 35 pounds if your following the rules and can't keep food down?  Is it to assume the soft foods was what did it?  That's a scary choice to face and I am sorry you both are having issues.  No matter what you do, I wish you the best and hope you figure out what you need to lose weight, get healthy and feel better.  It's obvious from reading on all the boards we will all excel better with different surgeries, I am just sorry you had to go through this to find it out.

Hang in there!!!!

Boo

 Hi I am not a band patient at all but they regain the weight due to eating "slider foods" which sometimes are the only things that they are able to get down if they are having dificulties with the band.   Some people have absolutely no problems at all and others have nothing but problems with the band.    Just my thoughts and saw this and thought that I would answer that question for you.   Good luck with your realize band....I hope you have much success with it.


Hugs and blessings ~~~ Vivian

SmyleyFace,

 

There is a certain percentage of people that the band doesn’t work for. In the seam regards, there is a certain percentage of people that the bypass doesn’t work for. Also remember, even if either operation is 100% successful, folks can still fail if they don’t adhere to the rules.

 

So before you decide on another operation you need to find out if (A) this tool was actually wrong for you (B) did you follow the rules 100%?

 

If you can honestly say YES to question B – then this tool wasn’t a good choice, and getting another may be. If you said NO to question B – then (IMHO) no matter what operation you choose to have, you may not be successful unless you follow all the rules 100%.

 

With all this said, whatever you decide will be RIGHT FOR YOU. If for some reason I need to give up my band, I would look into having the Gastric Sleeve done. It’s like a cross between the band and a bypass, but with a lot of stapling. This is a option you may want to look into. Depending on which state you live in, some insurance companies don’t cover it. Here in NJ only one company recently covers it.

Good luck to you. Know no matter what you decide, it will be the CORRECT decision because YOU MADE IT !!

Know we're here to help you in any way we can.

Hello SmyleyFace,
I am still pre-op for any WLS but am most interested in the duodenal switch, and have been reading that message board obsessively for several months.  It has quite a few posters who tried the band or RNY first, and then the DS, and are having more weight loss with the DS.
I am unclear on the date you got the band.  In the post you say 8/09, but the date that appears to the side of the text, under your avatar, seems to say Aug. of 08?  If it was just this year, any revisional doctor I would think would want you to give it longer before changing.  Insurance probably would, too.  I think you'll have a hard time getting insurance to agree to pay for a revisional surgery, unless, maybe, there was a mechanical failure (like a band slippage). 
A previous poster suggested the vertical sleeve gastrectomy.  Almost no insurances cover it, because it doesn't have data from long enough out to say what average losses are with it more than a few years post-op.  It is the first half of what is done in a DS.  Several people who have the DS believe it is the vertical sleeve gaastrectomy that gets them the weight loss, but that the malabsorption of the rearranged guts that is the 2nd part of the DS is what keeps the weight off.  Although, there is also a belief that the two parts of the DS work synergystically to get and keep the weight off.

It doesn't surprise me that the band did not work for you. I'm sorry to hear that. Well I have a friend who gained the weight back after having the RNY.  Any type of weight loss surgery will also have to be a lifestyle change as well.

I found myselft starting to go back into past habits which started the weight gain in the first place. I had to find the root of the problem with foods. Once I found the root, I was fine. I'm just thankful that I caught it early.

Hang in there and I wish you luck with whatever decision you make. Do what's best for you.