If you were revised, Please Read.

Hello all,

I am in the process of being scheduled for surgery from lapband to vertical sleeve. My question is for those of you who had the lapband and are going for sleeve/ds/rny, Did you have your procedure done in one procedure or two? I was told by some doctors they remove the band then you come back after your healed then have the next surgery 4-5 months later and others have told me they can do it in one procedure. What are the risks if done in one procedure? Is it really a big difference if done in two procedure vs. one?
Any info you can give on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Thx

It really depends on the surgeon and what he finds when he gets in there.  Some surgeons always do it in two surgeries to give the stomach a chance to heal and some will go ahead and do the revision if things look good.
If you have a good surgeon and you trust him then go ahead with what he feels is best for you.  You don't want a revision on a damaged stomach and have all kinds of complications.

would all depend on why you are revising.
lack of weight loss, mechanical failure, damage "known" caused by the band ??  

there might be a reason to let the stomach heal after removal - in fact, some damage might not be detected on tests till opened up....it's all personal.

what i would suggest is find someone who has done MANY revisions - not just someone who does both stand alone surgeries.   it does make a difference.

Hi,
I had the ban removed and the sleeve and had a hernia repair all at once. It all depends on how good your surgeon is and if he has done these procedures at once before and how many.  He had also told me that it was safe but if there were issues in removing the band then they would just do one procedure and wait to to the sleeve another time. Nothing wrong in waiting but my surgeon was a pro at this so I went with his suggestion. If your surgeon says wait then wait.  first to me is follow your MD's advice they are they ones doin the work in the end.
Healing nicely Ithinkg I'm all good now. Had my procedure in February of this year.

I was revised on Nov. 23. my doctor did it all at the same time. I will tell you a complication that no one could foresee. I am currently in the hospital. For 2 weeks I have only been able to drink 20oz of fluid and when I eat mush 1/3 cup I was vomiting (I blogged my food journal). I was admitted for dehydration and vomiting everyday was not normal. The Upper GI showed a blockage where the Lap Band was located on the top portion of the stomach. The 3 sips of contrast was not moving. Then I had a EGD with dilation thinking they could dilate the area. The GI doctor said I had a kink and no dilation was done. I have scar tissue around the stomach where the band was located and the scaring is playing a tug of war. I will be having surgery tomorrow to have all the scar tissue removal and they believe my kink with smooth out.

So to your question no one knows what the doctor will find once they get in. Yes, it can be done in one procedure, but it is up to your physician. The Band has done more damage to me then I ever realized. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or any concerns after surgery.

Thx so much for your responses. My doctor said he can do it in one but that's if there are no complications or problems when he gets in. I pray there are no problems or complications either way, I don't have the money to go back for a second procedure.

I had my revision 2.5 weeks ago and it was done in one procedure. I have lost about 20 pounds so far, but had some troubles also. I have already had one dilatation and probably need another soon (or so I've been told). I am averaging about 300-400 calories per day and I am burning most of those off with walking. Feel weak which is to be expected. I am getting about 45 oz of fluids and about 45 g of protein in per day, so I have work to be done yet!

Congrats on being revised. Dont know much about the dilatation but hope all goes well. Thx for responding.

 According to my doctor a lot of the "what if's" that you face could be the amount of scar tissue formed from the band.  This is especially true if you had a prolapse.  If the surgeon goes in and you have massive amounts of scar tissue from the band he/she may make the choice to not do the VSG at that moment and may require it to be done with two surgeries spaced over time.  From what I understand that is VERY rare.  I had hell with my band and my scar tissue was moderate.

Going from the band the the VSG was awesome and it's the best choice I have made so far.  There isn't a day that goes by that I am not glad I made the change.  

mr handsome !!!

good to see you back !