Looking for anyone revised from band to another band

Post Date: 10/10/09 8:30 pm
I'm looking for anyone who has gotten a 2nd band after having a first band put in and later taken out.  I've posted before and the only responses I got were people telling me NOT to get another band and to get sleeved or DS surgery instead.  I had the original lap band back in Jan. 2002 and lost 85lbs.  I went from 225 to 140lbs and was thrilled with my results.  That lasted for almost 7 years until I went to get a fill (the first one I had gotten in almost 7 years).  Over the next several months of trying to get the sweet spot, somehow my band failed (a leak and a dilatation of the esophogus).  I decided to get another band because I loved my first one and I know that they have made many advances in the band over the years.  I was banded 4 days ago with the Realize band, and I am curious of how this will go.  To anyone who has been banded more than once, please I need your imput!

The reason people would have been suggesting you not get a 2nd band is because when you surgically reposition or replace a band you stand an extremely high chance (about 70%) of another slip in the first year.  This is why none of the true revision surgeons will fix a band gone bad, they will remove it or revise you to another procedure.

I had a band for 9 years that i replaced with another band. It ultimately failed and 6 weeks ago I revised to RNY.  What would you like to know?
Maryjo

I'd like in on this conversation.  I MAY need a revision.  My surgeon said take it one step at a time, but he said if my UGI shows a dilation, he'll remove the band and suggest rny or sleeve.  I want to know everything.  I had my first band for 2 years then had that replaced due to a slip and hernia repair; it's been 1.6 years and i'm having slip symptoms again.  I am a compulsive overeater and sugar junkie, who nonetheless had done very well with the restriction the band offers.  I understand the sleeve is restrictive as well.  Do you get "stuck" like with the band?  How is is different/the same.  What is the recovery time like? 

I had a re-banding experience.  I had my band removed due to an erosion.  Now my current band might have a "leak" in it as it wont hold fluid....so I am probably not the best person to ask ha ha ha.  I would love to have a revision to a sleeve and wish so much I had listened to my OH friends prior tomy rebanding....live and learn

I'm going to be lazy and copy/paste something I wrote to someone else on the MB:

>>I'm curious about the long term risks and complications you mention - besides the need for a replacement once every ten years or so?<<

Esophageal spasms (I had this)
Esophageal dilation
Esophageal motility issues (I have permanent damage due to the band)
Pouch dilation
Erosion
Slips
A slip causing necrosis of the stomach
Stoma spasms (I had this)
Port pain (I had this)
Port infections
Band intolerance (I had this)
Scar tissue begins growing on top of the stomach and under the band causing additional restriction that we don't necessarily want and even with an unfilled band you can have too much restriction and an inability to eat solid food.

Mechanical problems:
Tubing disconnected from the band
Tubing disconnected from the port
Port flips
Kinked tubing
Leaks throughout the band, tubing, or port

The ONLY way to fix a mechanical problem with the band is surgical.  Studies range from 30-50% of people need another surgery in the first five years to correct something with the band.

If you need your band surgically repositioned such as after a slip or if you have your band replaced for any reason your odds for a slip are 70% in the first couple of years after re-op.

Banding provides the slowest and the lowest weight loss of all procedures.  When I got a band I knew I'd have to work harder to lose and maintain than with a more drastic procedure and I was fine with that.  I was not fine with puking, sliming, foaming, and all the assorted ways to vomit.  I was prepared for it to be hard, but not that *kind* of hard.  The kind of hard that I had no control over.

>>With the sleeve, are the results still the same? I've spent 25 years overweight and while I'm not looking for a "quick fix", I really don't want something so drastic as surgery only to have it take years and years to actually loose a noticeable amount of weight.<<

No, the results are better with a sleeve.  You'd be surprised at just how NOT drastic a sleeve is.  It takes just a few minutes longer to do than a band and recovery is about the same as a band.

>>I am currently doing portion control and healthy eating and while I might lose a pound here or there, for the most part it's not doing a bloody bit of difference (SO frustrating). I know with the lap band that your portions become miniscule compared to what someone without the surgery would eat - is the sleeve the same?<<

Good questions, btw. ;o)

With a band absolutely everything affects restriction.  Everything.  Time of day, TOM, weather, humidity, altitude, stress and various emotions, food temp, types of food, swelling for unknown reasons, everything.  Anything can affect restriction.  When I was banded I was always one extreme or another.  I could either eat an entire porterhouse or I couldn't keep my own saliva down due to obstruction for unknown reasons.

With a sleeve most people report that restriction is about the same all the time.  I can eat 2.5oz of solid protein and that's it, I'm done.  No more food.  Or, I can eat about 5oz of soft foods such as tuna salad, refriend beans, etc.  No more of "Today I have restriction, yesterday I didn't."  I have restriction 100% of the time across the board.  One thing that does make a difference for me is that if I drink something ice cold before a meal I can eat about half what I usually would.  Other than that, it's the same all the time.

>>I'm also curious if there are medical conditions brought on by excess weight that will make having this surgery impossible?<<

Not that I can think of.  For the most part if you qualify for a band (medically) you'll qualify for a sleeve.

>>I have GERD and a hiatal hernia. I also have arthritis, bursitis among others. I'm curious if the hiatal hernia would affect whether it would be possible to get the surgery (whatever one I end up deciding on) or if the surgery actually fixes or lessens the effects of these conditions.<<

If your GERD is from your hiatal hernia (likely, most of us have HHs due to excess weight) then fixing the hernia gets rid of the GERD.  If your GERD is not from a HH then the only surgery type that will be safe for you is bypass.

Most of us have HHs and especially if you carry a lot of weight in your stomach.  Most surgeons fix HHs at the time of WLS.

Sleeves have no maintenance and aftercare.

Bands have maintenance and aftercare for life.

Bands have the lowest and slowest weight loss.

Bands are not forever.

If you want to do yourself a favor I'd suggest finding 5 people that have been banded for 10 years or longer.  Not someone that your friend heard of or your doctor told you about, YOU find these people and YOU talk to them.  See how they still like their band.  I'll bet you won't find anyone banded for 10 years or longer.  It's been around for at least 18 years for US citizens (we've been going to MX for WLS since at least the 70s) so they should be around, right? ;o)  Bet you won't find any.  I've been posting on WLS boards for 3 years and the longest I've found anyone that had a band was 9 years and she was contacting me to ask about a revision to a sleeve.

Revisions are big big big business for WLS surgeons.  They are doing tons of them.

Never listen to a newbie about how much they love their surgery types.  They are in the honeymoon stage and they all love their WLS type and their surgeons.  At about 6 months they start getting more realistic and realize it isn't their surgeon that is doing the work to get the weight off, it's them.  But they still love their surgery type.

For bands at about 12 months out they are having problems but the scale is moving so they'll live with it.  At 18 months they are sick of the band problems and they are considering revisions.  At 24 months they are getting revisions.

There are some people posting here that have been banded 5-7 years and happy but not many.  They are certainly the minority.

Scan the band boards, scan the sleeve boards.  The band boards are all about not getting restriction, need another fill, getting stuck, dilated pouch, dilated esophagus, slow weight loss, etc.  Scan the sleeve boards, overall people are happy and losing well.  Sleeve people don't usually post long, they post before, during, and immediately after surgery.  Band people post for years trying to get support and information on how to overcome problems.

Just my experience.

Hi there,

I had my first band (a standard band... 4 cc's) for two years, and have now had the VanGuard (10cc's) for 3.5 years.  I am in the process of getting a revision approved to move from a band to a RNY at the current time, because my 2nd band is following the same path as the 1st.  (It just took longer, because the band was bigger).

I initally lost about 160lbs with my band, and as a 5'8" person I weighed in at about 170 lbs.  It was wonderful.   But, my body simply hates these bands.  It does not like having that little alien (LOL) in there.  I have had three band slippages, one was repared surgically and two were "nurtured" through a liquid/soft diet until they healed. 

I LOVE lap bands too.  I am such an advocate for them.  And, in my case... there is NOTHING wrong with my lap bands.  It is my body.  My body is sooooo sensitive.  I swell at the drop of hat... and when I swell, my band gets too tight.  We even stopped my period with an IUD to try to manage some of my issues.  I'm still in trouble.  Not the band's fault. 

Be well.... I wish you the best in your decision.  I do not think it would hurt to try again.  However, I have never see a 2nd band work out.  But, that's just MY experience. 

Jules
upstate NY

It's not your body, it's the band.

Banding changes the anatomy of your stomach and attempts to hold it there. ;o)  Your issues are verrrry common.

I used to blame myself for banding issue as well but to be quite frank, we are band stats and a very fast growing number at that.

Hi there,

I'm in your same position. I had a slip that was revised and another lapband placed. I originally lost 120 lbs, gained back 30 (also due to a back injury that prevented me from exercising for a year...nausea from painmeds for this injury may have played a part in the slip, but that's another story), and I'm now 2 months post-op from the revision. My doc has been fairly conservative; I got a first fill of 3 cc's after 6 weeks and I go back this week for a second fill. I lost a few pounds on the post-op liquids and pound or two after the first fill, but have pretty much just maintained. I'm really eager to have restriction again, but my doc just wants me making healthy choices for now. I asked my doctor, who runs a bariatric center of excellence and is a leader in the field, about the 70% statistic cited in someone's response here, and he did not agree. I notice that this person frequently cites this statistic but will not give a source when asked, so the comment about who is a "true" revision surgeon seems unfounded. So, I wouldn't let that pessimism get you down. It is true that we are at a higher risk of a second slip, so we have to be extra careful. I wish I had all kinds of numbers to give you about losing a bunch of weight post revision, but I'm anxiously awaiting getting to that point myself! I hope to lose 50 more (the 30 I gained and then some). We both lost a significant amount of weight with the first band, and so our bodies will not lose at the same impressive rates a second time around--We are already accustomed to small portions and low calories. So, I'm staying positive. I found I got similar responses to what you've mentioned on this forum, but if you post on the lapband message board there are a few who will come out of the woodwork and they have had some great successes after revision. You aren't alone. Revision from band to band is not popular on this board, but it exists with several success stories.

~~I asked my doctor, who runs a bariatric center of excellence and is a leader in the field, about the 70% statistic cited in someone's response here, and he did not agree. I notice that this person frequently cites this statistic but will not give a source when asked, so the comment about who is a "true" revision surgeon seems unfounded~~

I have posted time and time again where the stat came from.  About six months ago the bariatric convention in FL.  Show me one time where someone asked where the stat came from and I declined to respond?  Show me just one.  Back up your claims.

There are revision surgeons and surgeons who are not revision surgeons.  You are seriousoly unaware of this?  Just because someone has a CEO does not mean they are any good.  One of the worst docs around is a COE in NE.  Another in AZ.

COE does not mean the doc is "really good' it means their practice meets certain requirements.