Band to GB

I was banded in 2005 and was a extremely happy customer for over 10 years.  Then out of the blue my band decided to not play along anymore.  I was gaining weight and getting frustrated.  I found out it needed replacement parts since the tubing disconnected.  During the surgery my Doctor found out it now started slipping and eroding.  Unfortunately, I was woken up from surgery to find they had to remove the whole shebang.  I was heartbroken since I felt like I lost my best friend.  I loved the band and all that it had done for me.  I was so good to the band and took care of it and now felt like it failed me.  Now as of December I have gained a total of 20+ pounds in addition to the weight I gained before I had surgery making me 1/2 way back from where I started before the band.  

The doctor has given me the option for the Bypass.  I am scared.  I have heard both good and bad but the only personal experience I have had with another person who has had the bypass is they are not following directions and in short is the poster child of what not to do.  I know this won't be me but I am still scared.  I go in tomorrow to discuss more of the process and schedule a date.  

I guess I am just looking for information, experiences, pro/cons, and good advice.  I have had my psych evaluation and nutrition appointments again and they both feel I am a perfect candidate with my experience with the band and my continuing exercise routines.  

Thank you for your help and replies.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

Is there any way you can get the sleeve ? It's less invasive 

According to the doctor no. I guess there was some damage to the area he would need to go through and he doesn't feel that my stomach could handle it. 

I would get a second opinion about the sleeve, a more experienced revision surgeon maybe able to do more than this doc. It certainly can't hurt to have someone else take a look at it. The sleeve would be much more like the band as far as how it works and feels. The bypass is a perfectly good surgery but so is the sleeve and you don't malabsorb with the sleeve like you do with the bypass. It is up to you of course but if you aren't sure you'll be happy with the bypass just make sure you have researched all your options.

Unfortunately, the damage was bad enough where they didn't want to chance it.  In addition, he stated for what he is seeing in the bypass is that they seems to be better and longer lasting results.  I trust my doctor, he was actually trained by the doctor who did my band surgery in Germany.  My foreign doctor then was one of the first doctors to do the band.  Small world to find my doctor in Florida knew my doctor overseas.  :)

I was revised from band to rny in June this year. I had my band for 8.5 years, but i struggled with it for about  the last 5 years honestly. I gained back 1/2 of what I originally lost too from a slip (fixed in 2013) and dilation. 

I wanted a sleeve but was told due to reflux history and damage it was a very bad idea and ins might deny it based on that. So I went for the rny,with about 3 weeks to prepare myself for it. I can say, so far I am very happy. It is very different from the band. It took weeks after surgery to feel normal, just very worn out feeling. Restriction is different, you early have to watch portion size. And the processing of food of course... I get nauseous easily and some (very little) dumping win*****ludes the nausea, potty rarely and pbing here and there. Since you band is gone, if you want to move forward I would say rny is a good choice and I would trust your dr if you always have before. Of course everyone's situation is different :) but I am happy to talk about it anytime! Good luck on your next venture

Thank you for your reply.  I am scheduled for 16 February.  I am scared, nervous, and happy all at once.  I know how to tell I was full with the band, how different is it with the Bypass?  I always could tell the restriction and fullness is it the same?  I am already a slow eater, just wondering if it was somewhat the same?  What do you find is the same/different?  I also heard that spicy food was no longer tolerated is this true with you?  What was your biggest challenge?  How long were you out of work after surgery?  I have a desk job with some walking nothing strenuous at all.  

Sorry for all the questions, 

Thank you,

Tracy

It sounds like you and I have very similar experiences.  I was banded in January 2008.  I lost 115 pounds during the first year and kept it off for a while.  Then my band slipped and my port flipped and I was without any help for quite some time.  I gained back almost all of my lost weight over the next several years and was so sad.  

On May 18th of this year I had a revision to Gastric Bypass.  I am so pleased with the results.  In the last 7 months I have lost 71 pounds.  There are differences between the band and GB.  With the band, food got stuck easily and I would have to get sick to get rid of it.  I find now that I have to really measure my foods and eat slowly.  I also have to make sure that my meat is very moist.  Dried out meat (i.e. cooking on the grill too long) will get stuck and it is a miserable feeling.  I still eat spicy foods.  I've not experienced a dumping episode and I have had little cheats along the way.  If I have too much sugar or carbs I feel very weak and have to lay down for a while.  

I do have to say that I am losing at a slower rate than I did with my band.  My doctor said that most revisions loose slower, but can still achieve their weight loss goal.  

I considered the sleeve very briefly, but after talking with my doctor I decided that GB was the best option for me.  I did have some problem with heartburn and he said that the sleeve generally makes that situation worse.  I have had no heartburn since my revision.  Overall I am thrilled with my results and expect my loss to keep going!

Good luck with your decision!

Hi, I am going thru the same problem. I was banded back in 2007, I loved the band, I did well with the band. I have not had fluid in my band for about 3 1/2 yrs and was maintaining because I still followed the rules for the band. I broke my ankle in Dec 2013 and was down and out for 4 months, in those months I gained 30 pounds and now 2 years later I still can't take the weight off. I have had increasing problems with GERD and errosive gastritis which is becoming more difficult to manage. I am highest doses on GERD medication regimen and still have not relief. I am just waiting approval from insurance for revision from LB to GB, removing the LB will definitely help with GERD and gastritis. My biggest fear is more weight gain if LB is removed and nothing else is done. I think if you are dedicated to following the "rules" a revision will accomplish what you want. It's a lifestyle. Not sure if this is of any help to you.

I too loved my band which I got in 2007. At the end of 2014 I was having bad reflux and found out in Jan'15 that my band slipped and had to have all my fluid removed. I lost close to 100 pounds with the band but managed to keep off 80 pounds total. The thought of life without the band was awful - there was no way I could gain all that weight back!

After lots of research I realized if I got a new band the chance of slippage was very high, plus I developed Barrett's Esophagus from the band so I could no longer put all that pressure on my esophagus again. The sleeve was not an option either as reflux is a very common problem with that procedure as it sits horizontal and allows food back into the esophagus. Gastric bypass was really my only choice but I purposely chose the band years ago because the thought of changing my insides scared the heck out of me.

i spoke with a surgeon who thought the bypass would be ideal for me and help "heal" my esophagus because the bypass is a straight path from the esophagus to the stomach to the intestines. After a lot of soul searching and concern from family, I decided the have the bypass.

On 10/29/15 I had my lap band removed and a revision to bypass. The surgery wasn't bad and I was out of the hospital the next day. I was up and walking the day of the surgery and able to walk for 20+ minutes two days after surgery. I returned to work (I have a desk job) after 5 days off and really felt fine.

I, like you, followed the rules of the band and now follow the rules of the bypass. I credit my healthy recovery to following the rules, which aren't too hard once you get the hang of it. I've lost 30 pounds in two months (slower than most bypass patients but revision surgery patients usually lose weight slower as our eating habits were already drastically changed from the band).

As much as I loved the band, I notice a big difference in how I feel - I haven't thrown up once since revision surgery and I used to a lot with the band. I don't have food come back up into my mouth like the band, and don't have to stop eating because the band was tight. I eat 5-6 small (4 oz) meals a day and have had no reflux since surgery! I'm still in the soft food stage but it seems to have more options than the band, including toasted bread.

I've lost 30 pounds in two months which is slower than most bypass patients, but revision patients usually lose slower as we've already drastically changed the way we eat.

i wish you luck and success in your journey and hope you find the same success with the bypass that you had with the band! If you have any other questions please let me know.