Revision to sleeve-- Dr. says only bypass

Hi, I'm new to this board. I have a lapband - 2002- disconnected at port. My BMI is 36,  I did TONS of research on the sleeve, chose a Dr. in Mexico. I am self pay, Ins has a once in a lifetime rule....they did not pay for the original surgery. I sent all documentation to DR, & after reading my endoscopy report he says that I have a VBG with ring do I will have to have bypass. Now I put a lot of effort in choosing him, so I respect his decision, but it has thrown me for a loop. I associate bypass with a woman  I knew years ago who had the worst gas....no kidding, horrible foul smell...she later had surgery to fix it but that is the image..stench... is in my mind. Also , I did not know that there were different lapbands. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Your post is a little unclear, my understanding is in 2002 you had a gastric lap band which disconnected at the port.  You had an upper endoscopy and it demonstrated you had a VBG?  Did you have an Barrium swallow also?  Was this performed in Mexico? 

Gastric banding and Vertical Banding gastroplasty (what you were told  you had) are very different.  If you had the VBG in 2002, that would be interesting as that was hardly ever performed as it was being obsoleted due to many complications.  It was also called stomach stappling.  With a gastric band there is no stappling.

If you do have a VBG the reason your dr is telling you that you have to have RNY is because he/she is not familiar with the revision of the VBG to VSG.  That statement is completly false.   There are few surgeons that can perform that revision.  There would be NO surgeon in MX to do that.  In CA there are Dr Keshishian and Rabkin, a couple more throughout the USA, Brazil, Spain.  Be very careful if your chose to get the VSG, and pick a surgeon who can properly perform that revision. 

"Also , I did not know that there were different lapbands"  what you say your endoscopy shows is not a lap band, but VBG those are mutually exclusive.  There is only one lap band-allergan, lap band is a trade name of gastric banding.  There are 2 brands of gastric bands, allergan and realize.  VBG is not a gastric banding, and of course it is not the allergan lap band. 

good luck with your road to health.

Thankyou for your response.....The gastro did make a mistake on the report. I had an adjustable gastric band. I don't know why I did not pick that up when I read the report when I got it originally. Now I can proceed with my original plan to lose the band & get the sleeve.

I agree with the above poster as it isn't clear which surgery you had in 2002.  Lap Band and VBG are completely different.  

That said - I am a revision from Lap Band (2006) to RNY bypass (2013) and have been thrilled with my decision.  I have had no issues with gas, eating, etc.  The surgery has evolved from the early days and if you go to the RNY board and use the search feature I don't think you'll find it to be a common complaint among bypasses these days. 

It is very important that you understand what you had and what you will revise to so you can prepare both mentally and physically for your life afterwards.  You don't want someone inexperienced to do this obviously!  I am happy to share my experience if you have any specific questions.  But hanging out on the RNY boards might give a better sense of what it's like for post-ops.  Good luck with your next steps.

Thank you for your quick response. I have an adjustable gastric band. I will call the gastro who did the endo & tell him about the error. I also had a barium swallow test a few years ago, & will forward a copy to the bariatric surgeon.

That sounds like a good place to start.  I also think you'd do well to ask yourself if a restrictive only surgery was enough for you.  A huge factor for me in going with RNY vs. the Sleeve was that I felt I needed more help to get to my ideal weight than a restrictive only procedure could provide.  I did;t want to find my self in the position of needing a third surgery down the road.  I also had GERD caused my the Band and other issues not making me a good candidate for the Sleeve.  

I have had some complications - it hasn't been an easy journey, but I would do it again.  I would do it over every year if I needed to ignored to be this healthy and this to maintain this weight.  In fact for me at least, the RNY has been so much simpler to adjust to and the lifestyle is consistent and easier for me to follow than living life as a Banded person.  

I hope this helps.  Good luck!!