8-Years Failed Band - 2-Part Revision Surgery Scheduled - Need Support

Hello everyone, my name is Mona. If you look at my profile and history, you might see that I was active here since 2007, when I had the band placed and thought it was the answer to my prayers. I WAS WRONG, SO WRONG! I will do my best to revise all those stats as soon as I can.   I included my story below, long story short, I am getting the band removed and revised to the RNY. I would love to have some support as I take the plunge into this very important and life-changing "revision decision." I wanted to get the band removed and have the gastric bypass done all in one surgery but my bariatric doctor, Dr. Daniel Fang in Phoenix, wanted to do an endoscopy first to make sure I did not have erosion before planning the 1-step procedure. Although I did not have any erosion, (Thank God!) unfortunately, he found that my band has somewhat slipped, so I have to get the revision done in 2 surgeries, the first of which will be done next Tuesday, the 11th of August. He will remove my band and my gallbladder, since I have developed gallstones since my band was placed, then we have to wait 3 months to do the gastric bypass portion of the surgery. I had no idea that my band had slipped, I haven’t had any symptoms at all, so it was a very big surprise when he told me about the slip.

For those interested, here is my back story:

I had the Lap-Band (AP Large, 14 CC Band) installed in December of 2007. I was so insistent upon having the Lap-Band and did not even want to hear about or entertain the idea of any other form of surgery or option. I was convinced that it was the safest and only way to go for me. Hindsight is 20/20! It was the worst decision I have ever made and nearly cost me my life. I was a cash pay patient and found a doctor in Denver, CO that would do the band for just under $10k, so I drove from Phoenix, AZ to Denver, CO and had the band placed. I was only in the hospital for 5 hours and back in my hotel room that same night. Two days later we travelled back to Phoenix and I thought all was well. A few days later, I developed a fever and just was not feeling well. I went to the ER and they admitted me. They called several bariatric doctors but none of them wanted to get involved because they were not the doctor that did the surgery. Thankfully, Dr. Fang, who is now going to do my revision surgery, agreed to take care of me, admitted me, and did an endoscopy to see what was going on. He discovered that I had a micro-perforation in my stomach from the band surgery. One of the stitches was pulled too tight and had caused a micro-tear in my stomach tissue. He told me it was very serious and if they had to go in to repair it, I had a 50/50 chance of survival! I was petrified. He said he was going to put me on nothing by mouth plus a Protonix drip and other IV meds for 2 weeks and see if the tissue would heal on its own. Thank God it healed, so they did not have to go in to repair it. I should have been more cautious of my own health and red flags should have went up when I realized that the doctor that did my Lap-Band surgery did not even require me to have ANY pre-op testing or clearances AT ALL, before doing the surgery. Again, hindsight is 20/20 and I was determined and stubborn.  

After I was released from the hospital, I gradually went back to regular foods and then started getting my fills. Since I did not have an aftercare program, I was basically on my own and had to find a place to do my fills. I started doing fills and initially, I lost a little over 100 pounds and went from 375 to 265 in a little less than 2 years, but I will admit that I did not do it the healthy way. I was overfilled most of the time, barely able to hold down water and I used this time to starve myself to lose the weight. I slimed and threw up all day long, it was a hot mess and I was miserable. As time went by, the weight loss slowed and I was able to eat more and more so I kept getting more and more fills done, thinking I was losing restriction but that was not the case. Unfortunately, the reason I could eat so much more was because my esophagus was stretching and turning into a stomach!!!!! When this was confirmed, the doctor took all the fluid out and told me to wait for 6 months to have it filled again, but I had to have an endoscopy to make sure the esophagus was back to normal first. I did not have insurance and had started to develop a major illness, so I could not afford to get the endoscopy, and was unable to fill the band again at that time. Within 2 years, I gained back every ounce I had lost, plus another 35 pounds and ballooned up to 410 pounds by the end of 2011. I hovered around the 400 pound mark from 2011 to 2013 and then decided to give the band one more try but “this time” I would do it the right way. I had the endoscopy done, got the all-clear, and started to do fills again. I lost about 40 pounds over 6 months, but the the stretching started again and the GERD was so bad this time around that I just could not take it anymore and I had the fluid removed again. So long story short, here I sit, nearly 8 years after having the Lap-Band installed and I am currently 402 pounds, that is 27 pounds more than I was before I had the band placed, and I AM MISERABLE!!!!!!!

Since 2007 when I had the Lap-Band installed, I have developed multiple sclerosis, diabetes, severe chronic back pain from 5 herniated discs that won’t heal because of my weight, arthritis in my spine, and because I weigh so much, the MS complications have been exasperated exponentially and has caused me to be in a wheel chair because I can no longer walk due to my legs going numb from the constant pressure of my weight on my spinal cord and the loss of balance. I am in no way blaming these issues on the band, I do not believe the band had anything to do with my developing MS or any of the other issues I have developed subsequent to the band being placed. I am only 46 years old and I am too young to just give up! My PCP and neurologist have told me that if I can get under 200 pounds, I will very likely walk again, although it would be with a walker, it is still a far better scenario than where I am right now.

I am excited and scared, all at the same time, as I hate the thought of surgery, especially at my weight and BMI, but I am determined to do it! I go for my band and gallbladder removal on Tuesday, August 11th and then will be on a very strict low-carb diet for the 3 months following the band removal so I can get my BMI as low as possible for the gastric bypass procedure. My doctor said I did not need to be on a pre-op diet, so that is a little concerning to me because I am worried about the size of my liver, but he said I don’t need to be on any special pre-op diet for the band removal, just for the gastric bypass portion of the surgery. I am still going to do a 7-day liquid diet, starting today, so I can feel better about it myself. I am planning to have 3 protein shakes a day and plenty of water and Crystal Light.

I would love to hear from others who have underwent similar cir****tances. I am going to try a whole different approach this time around. I am normally not one to share my life or feelings, but I need the support and I believe I also have plenty to share that may help others to make a better decision. I really hurt myself by not following the rules and not using the support systems that are in place, such as this site, to help me through. I was a cash pay patient and after travelling to Denver, CO to have the Lap-Band placed, I was on my own when I returned to Phoenix and tried to be my own doctor, which as you can see from my preceding story, did NOT work out to my advantage. This time, I am going to a local doctor, with insurance (Medicare and Mercy Care) and will be following the rules and using every bit of support that I can possibly get. I look forward to getting to know all of you and to your stories as well. 

Hi Diva, my story isn't exactly the same, but I did have a band removed and a revision to RNY a few weeks ago. 

The band was a bad decision for me, too. It was more pain and misery than support, although I didn't have much regain, thankfully. When I had the revision the also found a hernia hiding--which was also contributing to the terrible GERD and constant vomiting.

I already love my RNY. I am not on fully solid food yet, but I can already tell how much easier swallowing is! I ate scrambled eggs and soft shredded chicken with NO issues for the first time since 2009!

My only "complaint" is that weight loss seems to be going much slower than I expected, although everyone warned me that revision losses are slower. Not sure if starting RNY with a BMI of 33 is contributing to the slow loss, too, but it is disappointing to be 2.5 weeks out and only 7lbs down...

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with the revision! I'm sure you will be much happier!

I can relate.  I had the band in January of 2007.  I lost 100 pounds and then gained it back.  I learned for me that if I drink hot liquids with the band I can eat whatever I want.  My band had slipped and was removed August of 2014.  I had to wait 3 months to get the bypass but my insurance denied me so I had to fight with them.  I finally had RNY on 5/18/15.  I am trying to do things differently this time.  I am following the rules and exercising.  Weight loss has been slow but that is OK.  Today I go for my 2 month follow  up visit and I am hopefully when I get on the scale it will be down.  It is not easy even with the surgery.  I see a therapy and am attempting to deal with the issues that led to my obesity.  I have alot of changes going on in my personal life that complicate things.  Food was my source of comfort and now I have to deal with raw feelings.  You are not alone and together we can do this.  Support is key!! 

I have one word to sum up my lapband that I have had since 2004"Miserable"!!!

Hi Mona,

Thank you for sharing your story! My lap-band failure was 4 years ago, but thankfully I did not have any severe medical issues with it; only problems eating/drinking. Sorry to hear that you will need to go about your revision in 2 parts - as much as I want this lap band failure out of my body, I would definitely not have two separate surgeries if I had the choice. It stinks that it looks like you aren't given a different option. :(

In my experience (with both my Lap Band surgeon in 2011 and my RNY Revision Surgeon now) I am very confident in their practices and procedures. I have very specific guidelines to follow before surgery - many tests, clearances, and the like... and a very specific post-surgery recovery plan and nutritional guide.  There is no way I could have figured that out on my own. Hopefully with your revision, you will be given the same kind of resources.  Of course it varies from Dr to Dr, but here is a link to my surgeon's RNY packet.

It's awesome that you're dedicated enough to start yourself on a pre-op diet! I'm doing the same... I am not required to do any kind of medically supervised diet, so while I wait through my approval process, I am journaling my food and cutting carbs, eating protein first, etc.  It's really helped so far!  I've noticed the RNY forum here on ObesityHelp is one of the most active too - check that out for an awesome group of people (Revisioneers and pre-ops like us included). You won't regret it.

I too had the lapband in '08.  I never lost much and didn't keep off what I did lose.  I was uncomfortable and miserable.  Last August, I had my band removed and three months later, in November, I had the DS surgery.  I am now eight months out and I am down 110 pounds!!  It is a COMPLETELY different world now.  No more pain or things getting stuck or throwing up.  I am so glad that I no longer have the band or feel the port in my abdomen.

I wish you good luck in having it removed and best wishes on your next phase of gaining your health back!  Take care.

I had lap band surgery in 2011 and lost nearly 100 pounds. I started having major issues last summer, vomiting continuously and not even able to keep water down so they removed all fluid. I had to wait 3 months for a fill.  I did ok but neve seemed to get full after this so for a year I was able to eat much more and couldn't figure out what was going on. I started having major GERD which was extremely painful and went to the dr. This was in May of this year only to find I had an extreme prolapse over my band. They removed all fluid and I had to have my band removed in June. My dr suggested RNY but I wanted sleeve. He would not do both the removal and revision in the same procedure. So in June the band came out and I decided to follow his suggestion and get RNY. I am 2 weeks post-op RNY tomorrow. So far so good. The biggest complaint for me was anesthesia after surgery (nausea). Also, I seem to be a little more sore and I'm exhausted all the time. I think those of us that have revisions need to be more patient and allow our bodies time to adjust. Which is easier said than done! Good luck to you!

I went to the new surgeon today and I don't know he only does sleeves and lap band revisions in 2 procedures....I don't know...I was hoping to have it all done at once.I am torn between revision to sleeve vs bypass.Incidently I barfed in the car shortly after I left his office.Reflux so bad I had to take a deep breath during our conversation.he has scheduled a barium with scope.He will probably remove the fill.I am miserable ...band drama.:-/

Hi Mona, I can't say have had a similar experience, but I have had a RNY in 2002- I am so very grateful I did not go with a band to start with! All I hear is horror stories! I did great with the RNY  going from 317 to 138 in two years. But over time I regained. A good portion of it was due to my body adjusting to the malnourishment and getting back to its normal metabolic rate and the other portion was me going back to old habits. I just had a revision from the RNY to a distal RNY and am hoping all the excess weight will come back off. It is a lot slower, and I am NOT a patient person, but I am trying.
So the moral of this story is-with a RNY you will lose, and do well, but after the first two years you HAVE to stay on your same type of diet as the first two years. I could eat up to 3 cups of food before the revision.. now I keep a 1/4 cup measuring cup on my refrigerator to monitor my food intake amount. 
Are there other options your surgeon has talked about for you? I have heard a lot of positive things about the DS but a lot of insurance will not cover it, period.. others will. Mine would not so I went with a distal RNY instead and so far anyway (it has only been 3 weeks though) I have done great. Today was my first day of actually wanting to eat and I honestly HATE it!!! But I am determined to adjust. The distal will help a lot, but more if I keep up my end of the bargain. Same as the original RNY so make darn sure you take the 2 year honeymoon time and get those positive changes active and what you will consider normal behavior and you will be successful. 
As a curiosity, I just south of Denver so know who most of the surgeons here are like. Who did your first surgery? I am curious.. Both my first surgeon and the revision surgeon were / are fantastic.