Revision or not

I'm new here, so, here's a brief background of my story. I had the band in 2004. I lost 100 lbs.  I kept most of it off for 3 years until I started having terrible reflux and was literally puking through my nose when I was trying to sleep at night.  Fluid came out, pounds came on. 25 in a week.  I begged my doc for some meds to help with the undoubted onslaught of hunger. No dice. I gained about 40 lbs back and then yo yo'd from that to nearly back up to my pre-surgery weight 10 years later.  To say that I was unhappy with my surgeon is a gross understatement but not the point of my post.  In September of this year I finally managed to convince the surgeon to do a barium swallow.  I had begged for tests for years because I knew something was wrong. He said it was the tightest band he'd ever seen when a person could eat or even drink.  I told him what I was capable of eating but in his usual uncaring and total jerk way he apparently didn't believe me.  I am capable of eating anything, burger with a bun (two in fact) etc. etc.  Anyway, I decided I was ready to lose this weight and I contacted a new surgeon, had my appointment and within moments this surgeon says he's concerned I have an erosion. I have been concerned about that for years!  I could not get my former surgeon to listen to me. So, now instead of getting what I thought was a straight forward revision, I will likely have two surgeries.  One to remove the band and if it's eroded, a second surgery to convert to the sleeve. I am so freaked out about this.  I am terrified to have one surgery, much less two and once the band comes out, I am just beside myself about how much weight I will gain.  He also is saying that on the off chance that there is nothing wrong with my band, he'd like for me to try to work with the band a bit more before converting to something else.  He said my results with the band were a-typical and I was so successful with it, it would be in my best interest not to have another risky surgery before we are sure this won't work again. I'm very confused. My band is as full as it can be without me experiencing horrendous reflux. I don't know what else can be done to make it work again.  I was so looking forward to a nice big weight loss to kick off my new year. 20 lbs would change my life right now.  Thanks for reading, I know this is long

The manufacturer of the Band now admits that it's not intended to last for more than ten years. Get it out, now. As for getting a second surgery---some surgeons might be able to revise you to the Sleeve at the same time as Band removal, other surgeons might not. I would get a second opinion, and maybe even a third and fourth.

I vaguely remember in my seminar for the band that it had about a ten year life span....somehow that jogs a memory.  I want it out. My husband wants me to try to work with it it is possible and so does the surgeon but I am as certain as one can be without being able to see something that it is damaged. If the band has the amount of fluid in it that my former surgeon said it had there is no way there isn't something seriously wrong with it.  I suppose all I can do is wait and see after the scope.

The bariatric association recommends getting the band removed and the revision in two stages any way.  The stomach needs time to heal from the band before revision.  This drastically reduces the chances of complications.  I too was upset about having two surgeries until I did the research.  Any time some one has had complication from the band to _ _ _ they have had the revision done in a single surgery.  My results are very informal, just the results from here.  But, the ASMBS says the same thing.

I'm not saying you will have complication with the all in one surgery.  Just saying those that have posted complication did it in one.

Don't freak out.  Get the band out ASAP before more damage is done.  Let your body heal.  Than talk about a revision.  Some surgeons want you to wait 2/3 months others 4/6 months and some even a year or more depending on the damage.  Take the time and do it right so your risk is less.

Just a FYI.  The band removal was harder for me than getting the sleeve.  It was easier than getting banded and the removal surgery.

I have a scope on Jan 2nd so we'll see what they say about the band. Thanks for responding. I'm so afraid of how much weight I will gain when the band comes out and how long it will take to have the second surgery.  I am so miserable in my body right now.  I have no clothes.  I have gained about 40 lbs  this year.  I thought, silly me, that once I made this decision that by the middle of January I'd be having surgery.  Now, that looks very, very unlikely.  I'm also worried that if I lose weight my insurance won't pay for a revision.  So you had a longer recovery from the band coming out than the revision to the sleeve???

Your story sounds familiar.  I had gained back to pre-surgery weight.  Than lost the last months as they would remove fluid every month as the band would get tighter and tighter.  With the band loser I could eat the high protein food I needed to lose.  During this time with hard physical work I was able to get down to a BMI of 32 for the first time.  Than I had to be 35 to get insurance approval for the sleeve.  After the band was removed I went on  20 day cruise and came home to Christmas and by the New Year was up 30 pounds in 30 days.  I was able to get 12 pounds back off with the diet pre-surgery.  I am down 120 pounds from when I started this journey in 2008.  Yes, the sleeve with the 45 minute repairs from the band and the sleeve was easier than when they took the band out and booted me out of the hospital and home in 4 hours, including the 25 minutes drive.