LapBand Revision

Hi I've been researching all the different types of surgeries offered and I've decided that the LAP-BAND is the best choice for me.  However I'm noticing that a lot of banded patients are switching to other surgeries..  Just wondering which surgeries you've switched to and why.  Thanks for reading. :]

I havent switched from the lapband but I am looking into a revision.  I would definately research, research, research.   Everybody is different.  I honestly hate this band and if had to do it over would've went a different route.  It has done nothing for me.  I work with several people that have had the band and it has done nothing for them.  Sorry to be so negative but I wish I wouldve been told more before I made the leap.

Hugs and good luck
Melissa

I had lapband in 08 and never lost any weight with it even though I was compliant. I just had RNY 2 weeks ago. I chose RNY because the Dr.s said this was the safest with malabsorption. Some people who have had more drastic surgery have lost too much wt. and cannot keep their nutrtion up. I agree Reasearch very carefully. I didn't have gastric bypass first because years ago I had a friend who almost dies. I now have many friends who have done soooo well and look healthy I felt confident to go ahead to get healthy myself.

I had a band placed in October 2008, initially lost weight, got a flipped port that was being ignored by my surgeon, it caused the tubing to pull on my stomach, and I started looking to revise to the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy at my 6 month mark. I initially lost 25 pounds or so the first 2 months, but lost restriction, my husband deployed, and I gained back about 18lbs before my revision in June 2009.

I hated my band. There were days that I could eat any type of food, there were other days that I could barely tolerate water or Crystal light. It was a huge mess, and I had chronic pain at my port site that would hit pain levels 6-8 on a daily basis.

The band destroyed my stomach tissue from all the tugging because my port not only flipped, but it was kind of twisted, and moved around in my abdomen. This was no fault of my own. I complained to my original surgeon for months about port pain, but he ignored my needs. I left his practice when he told me to just deal with no restriction, diet harder, but don't work out because that would make the flipped port situation worse. Ummmmmmmmm, yeah that isn't how this is supposed to work.

I chose the sleeve because I am a volume eater, and knew that I did not want to have a malabsorptive procedure done. I knew if I could get good restriction without all the maintenance of the band then I would be successful. Plus, the regain stats, and number of patients that seek a revision with RNY scared me. Today, at 5.5 months post-op, I can eat anything and everything I want, just in smaller portions. No dumping, no nutritional or vitamin deficiencies. If I would of known the sleeve was available in our area, I would of never had the band placed. We're a military family, and navigating with the insurance and provider options were complicated when I first started exploring WlS. Luckily, I won't ever have to go through anything like this again.

Since my band to sleeve revision on June 3rd, 2009, I've dropped 95 pounds, and am in a medium size top, and size 14-16 or junior size 15/17 depending on the brand and cut) of jeans.

Like someone else said, just continue to research all of your options and choose the surgery that is best for you, your weightloss goals and your lifestyle.

I had a band for 18 months and hated every single day of it.  17 months ago I switched to a sleeve so I could eat solid food.  The band was probably the biggest and most expensive mistake of my life. It is NOT safe!  People always talk about how it is the safest surgery. That's true.  The sleeve carries less than 1% additional surgical risk over the band but long term the sleeve is the safest surgery hands down.

I was on liquids for 4 months before I finally got a revision.  I have permanent esophageal damage from that horrible thing.

I'm going to copy/paste something I post when someone asks about band vs. sleeve.  Not suggesting you get a sleeve, there are four surgery types out there.  But this was written to someone asking about band vs. sleeve:

>>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.
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Might want to read this too:

www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASMBS/14954

Well,  I lost about 75 pounds initially,  It was great ( still about 60 pounds from goal), and after having a baby gained 45 of that back.  Now the band just doesn't work.  My band has always been very sensitive to my hormone level.  Something went goofy after I had my baby...now I really don't get restriction and do not get a full feeling. 

Today, Knowing what I know now and living with the band for 4 years...I feel like I was not honest with myself.  Yes, I was going to the gym faithfully, but as many times before I started going less frequently...life happened etc (got married and baby etc)  Now I know how very important it is to be honest with myself and what I need to be successful and not need another surgery again and not risk failure.

For me the DS is the best option..I will be able to enjoy regular meals in the future, wont feel deprived, the DS will forgive me when I have moments of weakness and can't always be on my "A" game.  Even with best intentions and determination..we make bad choices and can't always fight off those deep feelings we have about food and the comfort it gives us.

Think long and hard, and consider all of the options, and how the surgery choice will work for you 10 years from now..not just 1-2 years

 

I had my band placed in Nov of 06. I loved my band for almost 2 years. THe weight came off, I was getting near a more reasonable weight, and all was well. I lost -127 in 21m. I was happy.

Than last Sept. I started having heart burn, and acid in my mouth while I slept. I could only sleep on my left side. SO went to the Dr and he did a fluro. He saw that I had mild pouch dialation, so all my fill was removed. We waited 6m. and I gained back 15lbs. during the 6 m. Love the holidays! UGH SO IN March we put a small fill back in. All was good, waited till May and had another fluro, and my dialation had gotten worse with the rest! SO out everything came again. In July we did a request for revision. I had to see a new Dr and go thru all he hoops. I finally had revision on OCt 30. I am happy I did. With the band I started getting sick (read throwing up) every day while I was waiting for my revision! I was happy to have the band GONE!

In the end I ended up gaining 28-30 lbs waiting for the re do. Now I am 19lbs down from the band stating weight!

I agree with a PP research!

I had lapband for 9 years (actually 2 as I replaced one); initially had results but after about 2 or 3 nonstop problems.  Reflux, spasms of esophagus, dilated esophagus, etc.  On Aug 31 of this year I had my 3rd bariatric surgery and revised from band to RNY bypass and very happy.  Doing Great, lost 42 lbs since 8/31, altogether about 125 with about 30 lbs to go to goal.  for me, I wish I had done the bypass from day 1 but everyone is different.  Good luck to you

I have had my band for 5 years. It has been unfilled for the past year due to complications. It was a great thing for 4 years. I lost over 100 pounds, and I loved it. One day it just decided not to work anymore. Gerd, waking up with your mouth full of acid, getting NO sleep! It was terrible! Some lapbanders will tell you that this isn't possible, and that I must have done something wrong......I can assure you I worked my band like a trouper! I remember the date and time it just "broke". I'm scheduled for a revision 12/29. My current doctor won't even do the band surgery anymore. He said he feels bad that he put so many in, and now is seeing so many issues. He said about 8 out of 10 patients are having difficulty. For some, they will be fine and never have anything go wrong.

I, too, had to jump off the band wagon!  Had my band placed in Oct 2006 and had my revision to RNY in May 2009.  I did well with the band at first - lost 70 lbs. in the first year.  Then my gallbladder went caflooey and had to be removed.  Things were never the same after that.  By January 2009 I had horrendous acid reflux, couldn't eat any solid foods, was regurgitating in my sleep - very unpleasant.  I actually gained back 19 lbs. because my band was empty (no restriction) and all I could eat was "crunchie" food - crackers, chips.  My surgeon worked with me to get through the issues, but in the end he suggested the band be removed.  Surprisingly, my insurance company approved a revision to RNY pretty quickly. 

In hindsight, I'm sorry I didn't go with RNY in the first place.  I was my surgeon's first band revision and he had four more scheduled after me.  My good friend, who had her band placed a year before me, is currently waiting for approval to have her's removed, too. 

I don't mean to discourage you - you may do just fine with the band.  Just do your homework and really think about it.  PM me if you have any further questions - I'll be happy to help, if I can.

Good luck,
Debbie Joy