Ppl think they know everything

Long story short. Band coming out. Talking revision. Having troubles, I talked go my daughter about everything happening , she world in medical( receptionist/admisions) she asked a RN at her work (part time) about my band causing problems. The RN who also works full time got a Bariatric office. Told my daughter that if I got the fills that would get me to true restriction, I would not be having trouble. She said having my band out just go get the sleeve is wrong, I need to work the band and get the right adjustments. Lol.  She said the fluid in the band evaporates and should be adjusted every 6 months, I pay ?250 a pop really??!? Any feedback?

Just goes to show having an RN after your name doesn't mean you know what you are talking about! Yes to a tiny degree some of the saline evaporates (sorta) but no it shouldn't be enough to need an adjustment every 6 months. I went 2-3 yrs with out an adjustment and was just fine until enough scar tissue built up then I was way too tight and kept needing unfills at $225 a pop! After a couple of those I said empty it! Then I was good for another couple of years until last summer and then again I had trouble swallowing and pain under my center rib cage. That in turn got me where I was a couple of weeks ago when I had to get it out or go crazy from the pain! You aren't getting it out JUST to have a sleeve, you are getting it out because you are having serious problems with it. Not to mention few of us ever get good restriction! I would say she needs to get one and then tell us how it works!! You just keep on with your plans for a revision to the sleeve and when you are all skinny go back and giggle at her!

You make me laugh. Ha ha hee hee ho ho!!!! I love that you still have spirit left after all you have been thru. Thank you for still being on here.  Big hugssss!!!!!

She makes some good points that I am sure you already know.  You need to have the band properly adjusted so you can have restriction so you can lose weight.  Surprisingly there are some patients call me , years after having the band put in and never got an adjustment so they really never used their band properly.  Then we have patients that go to get fills constantly because they are only getting very tiny fills and they have the largest bands available.  I am hoping this is not your case and you have already  experienced how the band gives you restriction.   You do not say if you ever lost weight with your band.    If your band has  given you restriction and still not helped you lose weight  after all these years most likely it is not the tool for you.  There are many people that are successful with the band initially and then   it stops working for them;  it gets too tight, too loose, erodes, etc.  I am sure you can read numerous stories about people working with their bands consciously and still it not working for them. Adjustments every 6 months?  We never put a timeframe on adjustments.

 The sleeve, in my opinion, is a better tool for weight loss.  When you have an effective sleeve done you have permanent restriction.   Results are much much  better and quality of life if better as well.   I believe that if you get your band revised to a   sleeve and are ready to  truly work with it  you will  experience  the success as so many have done. 

Good luck, 

Thank you Dr. For your input. I see and read all your posts. I also see slot of band to sleeve in one surgery. What do you think about this. Some doctors don't like to do this. Why is that? Thank you!

Your welcome, I  am happy to share and hopefully help members on this forum.   The revisions  are done according to the surgeon/team experience and their level of comfort. I personally  feel very comfortable doing revisions in one procedure, band removal and sleeve at the same time.  It definitely has benefits for the patient to have it done in one step like less time for recovery ( one surgery vs two) , only one time under anesthesia,less time off work, etc but it has to do with the level of comfort the surgeon has.   When  I do revisions in 2 steps is when I encounter and eroded band.  Thanks for welcoming me here. 

Not a Dr Lucky but, according to my surgeon the ASMBS(American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) has found a much lower leak rate when done in two with a rest period for the stomach to heal.  This helps reduce the thinned/hook area from the band placement and/or scare tissue.

Hm, basically saying if it were properly adjusted it would work?? Well I think everyone knows it is not that simple. If it is NOT  adjusted properly it won't work! But that is not to to say "proper" adjustment exists for everyone. And I am saying that from the perspective of a happy and successful bandster.

And evaporation? BS!! We get fills as the fat beneath the band shrinks and the band gets looser. I haven't had fill now since early 2007! By her reckoning, my band should be empty and I assure it isn't! 

I would be seriously reluctant to have anything done by the bariatric office th nurse spoke to! 

" if I got the fills that would get me to true restriction, I would not be having trouble."

The issue is getting to the right restriction!  This nurse should be careful of what she says if she doesn't have a lap band.  I had my surgery in 2007 and could not get to a good restriction even tho I was there every 3 weeks for some sort of adjustment.  Then when I thought "we finally made it", I ended up vomiting 12 hours and had to have some fluid removed.  That was in 2010 and I haven't been back since and do not intend to go back.

I would like revision to the sleeve and my reason is not because I just want to change.  The way I lost weight after band surgery was more from vomiting than from restriction.  I played by the rules all the way but half the time could not keep things down. Getting the right restriction is like finding a needle in a haystack!  Adjustment every 6 months???  Mine were every 3 weeks or so.  And if I went now, I would pay $250.00 a pop.

This is a perfect example of why you should be careful who you tell and who you don't.  All the hype about the band is lacking in a lot of truth.