Old bander, soon to be a sleever.
I am an old Obesity Help member, but haven't posted in years. I received my lap band on March 30, 2007, and have developed some complications. My band has slipped, and my "huge" (surgeons words) hiatal hernia has re-occurred. Jumping through the hoops to have a revision, no surgery date yet, but the surgeon says it needs to be "asap", as I have also developed Barret's Esophagus. Looking for any information from other revisers, do you still have GERD? How did your revision surgery compare to your first (lap band )? Thanks, all.
Susan 
If you have Barrets already the sleeve is not a good surgery for you to have. The only surgery suggested for esophageal damage is the RNY because it uses gravity to get the food down. The sleeve is just another pressure system working against the esophagus not as bad and the band but not good for the esophagus once it is damaged. Since revisions are so difficult to come by I would suggest you try to not need another surgery on the future. Best of luck to you believe me there are thousands of us with long lasting damage from those non invasive bands, we were all lied to by the manufacturer. I wanted a sleeve to begin with too but now I can't get any surgery because of other health issues but if I could get RNY I would even do that.
I had the lap band for 5 years and it gave me grief when tightened. I've had it removed in August nearly 8 months ago,b/c I didn't lose all I needed to lose. I was told at that time that I had an enlarged esophagus, and the band needed to come out. I am still struggling with the fact that I have out of control diabetes and still 65 lbs overweight. Acid rflux was a very big problem for me with a tightened band, but not unfilled. So I would love to get the sleeve but worry about the reflux issues. I don't know if you had those issues or not. Good luck on your upcoming surgery.
If you are very lucky you might squeeze by ok with the sleeve if your acid went away with loosening the band. The problem is there can't be a guarantee that it won't cause problems and most people with the sleeve tend to have acid issues at last in the very beginning. You would probably be better off with the RNY too just for that reason, please believe I'm not just pushing RNY but sharing what I have learned on other forums. So in the long run it's best to go with what you and your surgeon feel is best but you also need to know about any surgery you are thinking of and what the results of it can be. My main reason for sharing is that I still have horrid reflux from my band and it has been out for over a year and I just don't want anyone else to have to feel the way I do everyday! Good luck to you!
