Lap-band for Nine Years to Gastric Bypass

I had my lap band in 2004....misery...finally revising to RNY end of December.

I wish you much success with your surgery!  My surgeon won't even do lap-bands anymore.  She just came back from a conference out of state and the research is showing that the success rates just aren't there.  They're causing people more problems than not.

I am having removal and bypass operation in one procedure ...oh boy...

You're having surgery tomorrow or do you mean a when you have surgery they are doing both all in one surgery? I am guessing tomorrow!

Anticipation just kills me, once I'm there and in my fancy gown I'm ok, before that for days I'm a mess! Just doing pre-op tomorrow is intimidating. lol

Revision and band removed Dec 28.

Welcome, Dawn.... There are a lot of band revisions here.  I had the band in 2007 and revised to rny in one surgery on 11/2/15. Get library books and research everything. Be knowledgeable and find support....this site is awesome. Be prepared and positive! 

Lisa

Hi Lisa:

Thanks so much for the encouraging words.  It's interesting that everyone so far had the revision all at once.  I guess my surgeon knows that I have to wait 6 months to get the by-pass and she just wants to remove the band as soon as possible.  My biggest fear is gaining a lot of weight when I don't have anything stopping me from overindulging.  I promised myself that I will be diligent and very careful about my diet while I'm waiting for my summer surgery.

I'm glad I found this site!

I had a lap band for 6 years and revised to RNY on 10/23/15. I'm 7 weeks out today and have lost about 38lbs. It's a slower loss than some, but I think it's good. Plus, it's much better than I ever saw with the band. 

I've been sick a few times due to eating/drinking too quickly or eating something my pouch wasn't ready for yet. 

 

You'll do great and will be so happy you decided to revise!

Hello,

 

I'm in about the same boat as you!  I had my band placed in April of 04...  I actually did well with it.. doc said I was a poster child!  HA.

it was slow at the start.. it was new and they just didn't know.. so eventually they learned they could add more to a fill and more often..  the weight came off.. I started at 306 and I hung at about 200 for many years..  fast forward 10 years..  Why do I have this gunk in my throat??  why do I have like spit up on my pillow in the mornings?  HHmm ask the doc and he said GERD.. boo.. ok take out the fill..  wait a month or so to let the esophagus to rest and start adding fill slowly again..  GERD!  Doc retires.. really?  HA.. kinda hard to find a doc.. Ok find someone. He won't touch me till he does a scope to make sure the band is ok.. more time and more lbs..  At this point it may even be a year later..  so starts to add fill.. on second visit he cant get to the port.. it has broken loose from the stitching..  Oh come on.. HA..  So I have to be cut at this point.. have had 2 issues with the GERD and have put a ton of weight back on.. so time to punt.. we discus and decide the sleeve would be good.. he will do it but he wants me to jump through a couple rings of fire first..  He is a very very careful surgeon almost to his detriment I think..  Don't get me wrong it is my life and I'm glad he's careful but...I think he's extreme.  He's an ok fella and medically I'm sure he's great but he's just not my guy if that makes sense.. so I start looking eventually I do find Dr Brown.. I love him.. I have much more confidence in him than I did the former.. he discusses with me.. makes sure I completely understand.  I tell him need to go to sleeve and he said NO absolutely not.. HUH?  What?  Ok Why..  the band is low volume high pressure.. and the sleeve is low volume and even more pressure.. it is known to give reflux/GERD..  why didn't the former tell me that?  He also said since I have put so much back on apparently I need a physiological change as well.  Well that makes sense..  So I am through all the diet exercise psyc cardiac.. you get the idea appts..  Insurance has approved!  YAY..  so it is Dec 14 and I have to travel Jan 4 for work..so we have to wait till after the first of the year..boo.. even bigger issue here is that my insurance is changing to a different company this year.. so frustrating.. so Dec 31 we will be sending the paperwork to the new company Aetna so it will be on their desks first thing in 2016!  Hoping to be able to schedule the second week in Jan..  Now Dr Brown will do removal and rny at the same time but prior to surgery he will do a scope to make sure my band hasn't done anything it's not supposed to like slip or erode!  fingers crossed.. if all is well surgery will be a few days later.. if there is a problem he will take the band out repair what may need to repair and give my body time to heal then do the bypass..  he doesn't anticipate any issues I don't have any symptoms of anything but he wants to make sure. 

 

I hope some of this answers some of your questions as to why not do the surgery all together or do it and why rny over sleeve etc. I found the info helpful. 

 

let me hear from you too!

Shelly,

that's the exact reason I am choosing the RNY over the sleeve. The NUT at my surgeon and others have suggested the sleeve, but I had horrible GERD with the band. My band has been out for over 2 years, I didn't think I wanted anything to do with another WLS after that experience, but here I am, in month 2 of my medically supervised 3 month diet to get approved for RNY. :)