Has any one has a SLEEVE gone to Lapband????

I had a lap band 12 years ago and had GREAT success with it.  In 2009 it slipped and so I revised to a gastric sleeve.  THE WORSE DECISION OF MY LIFE.  There was significant trouble with my stomach healing and I had a hole at the base of my esophagus for 9 months.  I was on a feeding tube for a year.  Once I recovered I was fine and maintained a great weight of 150 pounds.  All was well and life went on.  My gastric sleeve was a total joke though as it provided NO restriction at all.  Its like I never even had the surgery. 

Well, we moved to a new state the very end of 2013 and I had severe allergies that they could not get under control.  I basically lived on prednisone and pain meds for 6 months.  BOTH of those things cause me to gain a TON of weight. 

Soooo... here I am all chubby and utterly depressed.  I have tried everything to lose weight and I can't.  I was able to maintain, but since I a lapband for so many years it takes eating almost nothing for me to lose weight.  I LOVED my lapband and I want to go back to having one. 

Does anyone know if its possible to go from a terribly done gastric sleeve that seems to provide NOOO restriction back to a lapband? 

I cannot have a gastric sleeve revision (or a bypass) because I am unwilling to let anyone cut my stomach again - other than to place a band over top of it, which is less invasive.

Any help would be soooo appreciated!!!!

"since I a lapband for so many years it takes eating almost nothing for me to lose weight."

I think a better option would be to leave your Sleeve completely alone and add the Switch for a complete DS. The DS has a Sleeved stomach, so you're already half-way there. The intestinal bypass part, or the 'Switch' of the DS will make a dramatic, permanent change in the way your body metabolizes food, and it will cause you to permanently malabsorb a significant per centage of the calories you eat.

If you had such a bad time with the sleeve it is probably because of damage caused by the original band and it's slippage. The band causes scar tissue to build up and that causes extreme damage to the stomach and the shape of the stomach. I have never heard of a band over the sleeve, sometimes they can make the sleeve a bit smaller but in reality it usually boils down to what you are eating and how you are eating it. Even with a big sleeve most can lose weight if they follow the eating plan of dense protein first, then veggies and stay fairly low in carbs. With any weight loss surgery you still have to follow a diet plan and exercise.

Also while prednisone may cause an initail weight gain, that tapers off over time and you should be able to keep the weight gain to a minimum after a few weeks. I've been on it for over a year and not gained over 10 lbs, which I managed to lose after the first few weeks. It all takes hard work no matter what you do. Good luck to you!

Just as his Lady says.  The problems you had with the sleeve is do to damage caused by the band in the first place.  This is why our surgeons and the ASBMS recommend waiting between getting the band removed and being sleeved to allow the stomach to heal.  Many in the thinned area where the pull the stomach over the band to stich.

Ugh, there is no easy way out is there!?  I'm at 175 pounds which is the heaviest I've been in 12 years.  While it's not HORRIBLE I am desperately worried about being fat again. It doesn't help that I'm terribly allergic to the state we moved to this past winter so I can't go outside and get the exercise I used to get (plus its SUPER humid here which is really, really hard on my breathing).  And yes, of course I try indoor exercising.  But having a 3yr old and a 5yr old, plus working 60 hours a week, and going to school full time (online university).  And did I mention the consulting contract I still have for a company in our old state that takes 5 or 10 hours per week?  Sigh, there is no time to exercise.  I can't get out of bed earlier than I already do (5:00am).  

Whine, whine, whine.  Cotton picken.  I was hoping there was an easier way to get back to my perfect life I had when I was banded.  

Thank you for your replies, I really appreciate it. :)

Sounds like you moved to Michigan :)

first I completely understand, and you are not alone.  the short answer is yes you can get a band over your vsg, I know someone who was band x2, slip, etc then revised to a DS, lost < 10 lbs, then had her 3rd band put over her vsg and then she started losing weight again, this is unusual as you know. 

I understand what you mean about the vsg not giving your restriction, that is not that uncommon in some bandsters, I am one of them.  I had the band for 8 years loved it till I hated it the last 2 years that I was sooo sick.  revision to ds post surgery in hospital I was drinking 8 oz of H20 easily while my roomie also DS, also same surgery, same surgeon was struggling to get in capfuls. 

I will tell you once the band goes bad it is virtually impossible to get good restriction, been there done that.  I would tell you to stay away from this option, the band has the highest reoperation rate and can cause permanent damage, I know I have it.   I miss my band too, the first 5 years were honeymoon, the last 2 the nightmare. 

I will make a few suggestions:  first get an UGI, have a good surgeon see what your stomach capacity is.  Do you need a resleeve (sounds like it) and I would see a good surgeon for this, scary since you have been through the ringer.  Again chose carefully.  I will tell you that if you had the vsg post lap band and you had any damage and you didn't have your band removed and allowed your stomach to rest and heal before you had your sleeve your chances for leaks would have been astronomically higher.  I had my band removed and waited months before having my revision, since no one would touch me with my lap band nightmare permanent damage.   and I am sure that is the reason you had issues with your vsg healing properly.   I would also think about adding the DS portion, the surgeon can tailor your limbs to have more or less aggressive absorption.  again pick carefully, very carefully resleeving has many risks.

you have to do what is best for you, I personally would never get a band ever again, love hate thing, but I do miss the restriction I had with it, and I have never felt restriction again after I had the band removed.....

Hello Yes it's possible to have lapband over sleeve I'm scheduled right now to have mine done on Feb 5th. And I had my sleeve done back in 2010 and loss a 135 pounds. And after a year I started to regain up to 50 pounds. I was resleeved again in 2012 and never loss the 50 pounds actually gain 10 more pounds  after that. I loss my restriction with the sleeve  and trying to get back with the band.