What now?

In March of 2006 I had Lap Band surgery in Mexico with Dr. Sanchez. because my insurance had an exclusion. Everything went very well. I started getting fills with a Dr. here in Texas and began loosing weight after about 3 months (about 30 pounds). All was going well until the fill Dr. punctured my port. In the mean time, I got insurance coverage through a new job that covered WLS. I had the punctured port and band removed (probably should have only had the port removed- hindsite is 20/20) and had a new band put in February of 2007. I have not lost even one pound since the second band was put in. I had no restriction, even with the band filled past capacity. I am thinking about having RNY, but am scared of another WLS since this will be my third. I know I may get flamed because people probably think this is all my fault (you could have exercised more, eaten less, etc).  I just want to know if you knew you would be approved to have the 2nd band taken out and RNY done, would you do it. I know I have to do what I think is best for me, but I want others opinions. Thanks in advance.

I certainly understand where you are coming from.  I am feeling extremely guilty about even considering any type of revision or stomaphyx.  I am feeling like a failure, even though I haven't gained all of my weight back.  In the back of my mind I think, what if I'm the one person who has a stroke or dies and I leave my husband and children alone all because I am feeling fat.  It is amazing the negative comments I hear made about overweight people, I work in healthcare.   Good luck with your decisions.  Keep researching and you will know what is right for you. 

I am surprised too, by how unsupportive some people can be, even people on this forum. I joined eight years ago but quit because I got turned off by people hating me for being a lightweight. I recently rejoined because I need help and support. You have every right to be concerned but you don't need to feel guilty or feel like a failure. You didn't go through all of these procedures just to have them fail on you and let your down. Approximately 20% of all WLS patients experience a weight gain at 2 - 6 years post op and it's terrifying to think you might end up back where you started before surgery -- what's the point in that case?? It is really easy to get even more discouraged after WLS than before. Patients often consider revision surgery which is expensive, invasive and dangerous. I have had two post DS hernia repairs and and I am not looking for another big surgery in order to fix my tool, and I am upset that my tool is broken. In my case, my restriction is not working because my pouch has stretched. Amy revision I get is going to have to be non-invasive, like the Stomaphyx, which can be done in as little as 30 minutes with light anesthesia. If something is going to go wrong on the operating table then I want to lesson my time on the table! I've learned a lot about the procedure in the past week and have posted the info in other topics. I'm about ready to order my pre op labs and schedule the procedure. Good luck with your options!

Thanks, I am considering the stomaphyx also.  It would cost $8000.  My old surgeon moved to AZ and I saw him a month ago when we were there for a soccer tournament.    My fear is that I will have a complication and get stuck there, or need to go back after the surgery.  Do you think someone locally would take care of you even though you had your stomaphyx by someone else?  I talked to a local program today and they want me to see the dietitian, exercise therapist, rn and then the MD along witha $250 support group fee.  They refused to let me just have a consult with the MD.    It actually pissed me off that Dr. Rosen would not even see me unless I committed to the whole program, even though I just wanted to discuss the options.  Appear to be just a big money maker to me.  I loved my surgeon Dr. Schlessinger.  Who is going to do your stomaphyx?

You can probably find someone else closer to home and who won't nickel and dime you with the support group fees and all that. You've already gone through your original WLS so you probably know what you're doing right/wrong, etc. I wouldn't work with a Dr I didn't like or a program I didn't need unless there were no other options. When I first started looking for a stomaphyx doctor I thought I'd have to go to new york. Then I searched CA using the Find a bariatric surgeon feature on this website until I found those doing the Stomphyx. There were a bunch of them but the closest one was in Sacramento, about two hours away. I figured that I should check with all local docs in Reno to see if anyone was trained. The procedure is so new that not all docs have updated their surgery profiles on this website, so I called them all and just asked if the do it! When I called Dr. Sasse's office in Reno I found out he is trained in it and so are a bunch of others in town. I'd much rather stay here in town, especially if I need any follow ups. My first WLS surgery was done far, far away and I've only been back there for one follow up in eight years. It's just too far to go. I probably could have joined a support group locally but I was doing pretty well with my results on my own, until a few years ago. Now I'm despondent because of the weight gains, and its taken its toll on me emotionally, but the prospect of a reasonably priced, non invasive solution is giving me hope again. I hope you find someone. How far are you from Chicago? There must be tons of Docs doing it there..

I sure wouldn't blame you.  You had the LapBand and it didn't work.  Me, too.  There's an article posted over on the DS board that explains that the band works so-so (like HALF the excess weight might go away) on people who are under 40 years of age, are not morbidly obese and who will diet and exercise once they get the band.  (So what is it exactly that the BAND is supposed to do?) YOU didn't fail.  You just had a product that doesn't work well on the morbidly obese.  (Funny that, huh?) Come on over to the DS board.  We have many previously banded people who have for success IN EXCESS of that sad 50% of ewl that the band doctors quote in the article: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/a,messageboard/action,replies/board_id,5357/cat_id,4957/topic_id,3558217/ Good luck on finding a real solution for your problem, Sue

Hi :-). If you can't get sufficient restriction with your band filled to capacity and beyond, it seems rather clear to me that it's not ever going to work for you the way it is.  So, your choices sound a lot like: 1)leave a non-functional band in place and go about your life; 2)have a non-functioning band removed and go about your life; 3.) consider a third WLS procedure.  I hear you saying basically that you've had two band failures. What fault could that be of yours? The device didn't work right--twice, though apparently for different reasons.  If I were in your shoes, I'd be all for getting rid of the thing and finding a procedure that *does* work.  So the next question is, which procedure should that be? Your options are RNY (or possibly Fobi pouch gastric bypass), sleeve gastrectomy or duodenal switch.  I'd suggest to you that you educate yourself thoroughly on each of these procedures. Then do a personal inventory and be very honest with yourself about what you believe you could live with the best. Figure out what your particular "eating problems" are as well as your strengths.  As for getting a procedure covered by insurance, I'm clueless. I self paid for my DS. That might be an option for you as well.  If you do opt for a revision to another procedure, please be sure to seek out a surgeon who is highly skilled in revision procedures. They are a lot more complicated than "virgin" surgeries. Dr. Ungson in Mexico might be someone you could check out, or my surgeon, Dr. William Peters, in Scranton, PA. (He has a patient from TX there right now, recovering from a DS a week ago today.) His website is www.cutweight.org and his phone number is 570-969-2527. If you'd like to consult with him, he prefers phone calls to email--lessens the "phone tag" thing :-).