lap-band revision to RNY or Sleeve

Anyone here in Tennessee have that done? Where did you have it done. I am considering this revision surgery but scared that since I have had the lapband for 5 years something will go wrong with the RNY. Looking for experienced surgeons who do revisions.

Thanks!

Merry Mary just had a lapband to DS done a couple months back with Dr. Houston in Nashville and I believe she is happy with it.   She usually comes on the boards and can give you more info. 

I know you said RNY or Sleeve but you should also look at the DS  it seriously rocks I love mine.

Congratulations, John --only 17 more to go?  I bet you look great!

Erica... I love your new pic - will you be at the dinner club this month.  I plan on attending that.

Hi!  I had a revision from lap band to DS in late August.  Everything went fine during the surgery.  My surgeon and the surgeon for many other people on this board was Hugh Houston at Centennial in Nashville.  He is excellent and I highly recommend him.  I chose the DS because restriction alone did not seem to work for me.  I felt that I needed the malabsorption factor, too.

Dr. Houston perfomed a band to sleeve revision on my band surgery mate in April and she has done very well.  She is wearing a size 8 pants now.  My starting weight was below 200 for the DS, so I am consistently losing, even though it is not super fast.

Best wishes to you on your decision!

Ah, thank you everyone. Dr Houston has been my follow-up doc with the band for the last 4 years, I had the surgery done in mexico.

Can you explain something to me? I don't understand why he says the RNY isn't malabsorptive, except of nutrients because it is. A person shouldn't depend on the malapsorption to help them stay thin, but it does malabsorb for a while. I just don't understand how he can say it doesn't malabsorb fat/calories at least for a little while, even if it goes away and we should not depend on it.

I am glad to hear from some people. I was on the failure board and some people (not houston patients) were talking about how their doc did a revision and made their pouch too big and the RNY didn't work. That is one of my fears now, since I have the band, that somehow the pouch will be messed up.

This is such a huge decision but I know I am through with the complications from the band and ready to lose the weight for good.

Regarding the malabsorption: your small intestine is over 20 feet long and with a bypass, our surgeons are bypassing 100 cm (approximately 3 feet). The 100 cm they are bypassing is the area where the most iron and calcium receptors are located which is why gastric bypass patients have to take a certain type of calcium (citrate) and iron (ferrous fumarate) to maximize absorption.
Hope this helps!

Thanks, Pam, for your response.

I understand about the malabsorption of nurtirents, and from what I understand there is malabsorption of fat/calories with the RNY.

What I don't understand is why Dr. H. said there was NO malapsorption of calories with the RNY. I was taken by surprise by that. Next time i see him i will ask him to clarify.

Even though we don't want to use the malabsorption of calories/fat as a reason to not eat properly, I don't understand the point of saying it isn't there at all when I read in other places it is.

Thanks.