Dr. said band to sleeve operation pointless and unsuccessful!?

I met with my doctor the other day and he said band to sleeve operations are rarely successful. He said the weight regain occurs a lot faster or very little weight is lost anything at all.

needless to say I am very disappointed to hear this and I am reaching out for success stories. Beyond three years that it was if there are any? I just can't believe this is true and I feel like I remember reading success stories. Perhaps, this has to do with his technique and this is why this is happening. He seems to think that you just never get the sensation of being satisfied... I think most disturbing is that he said some patients never really leave anything at all... 

By all means I don't want to offend anyone I'm just repeating what I heard and effort to get some clarity and perhaps some inspiration. FYI he also said that a gastric bypass is the best way to go for sustainable weight loss. 

I personally had the sleeve so I can't say first hand. I know the doctor I used does a lot of band to sleeve revisions. Just by talking to those in his Facebook group it seems they have all been successful. It may just be that your surgeon is more comfortable with the bypass so he is trying to steer you in that direction. I would ask more questions. ..and maybe talk to a second surgeon for their opinion. 

Hi Lilly,

I know it is fustrating as i am seeking and reading as much as i can for revision the same as you band to sleeve.   I really think it is your personal choice and it all depends on how much you want to lose how fast and under what cir****tances.  im scheduled tomorrow morning for my upper GI and barium swallow to determine if the removal of the band and the sleeve will be done at the same time. i looked up this morning if i can be revised from sleeve to rny(gastric by-pass) just in case i am not successful with the sleeve...  I had the band in since 2008 lasted/worked for me for about 7/12 years then i developed gerd heartburn ect.. and have been on my own since about 2 years ago (yo yo dieting, diet pills weigh****chers ect) and it just creeping up slowly (my weight)  lol  i will never say i regret my band (willie) is what i called it lolol  it served its purpose and i did well losing about 80lbs. bring me about 5 lbs lower than MY personal goal of 183  im tall 5 '9.  

I had asked a question here (somewhere ) and someone responded to just go up to the 'Search this Forum" box top of page and ask the question because it was probably asked before sorry for asking whoever you were and thanks for the info cause i use it now more than ever......

I hope you get your answers you are looking for and good luck....

Rblain

His assertion seems... odd.  Don't hesitate to ask what studies back up his opinion.  I asked my doctor to back up all of his claims pre-op with facts and scientific studies, and he did so.  

It is true that, statistically, the RNY has better weight loss than the VSG.  Thing about statistics is they just predict trends using data sets and don't necessarily represent the entire cir****tances of an individual.  There's a lot of variation in success between patients that get lost in the averages.  In addition to that, there is a growing body of recent research which shows that weight loss is closer between VSG and RNY and is actually pretty close.  The VSG also has a metabolic component, though it's not malabsorptive, it still alters the way we metabolically process things, as well as the neuroendocrine response.  Now, one can also make the argument that RNY is better for other reasons (if you have pre-op GERD, diabetes, etc), as well. 

I'd also say outright that he's incorrect saying the RNY is the best because the DS is the actually the surgery with the most EWL and it has the highest success/least regain long-term.  It's far better than the RNY or VSG in many respects, however it also requires someone very pro-active and informed to maintain the vitamin regimen.  The RNY and VSG aren't shabby either, but the RNY definitely isn't necessarily "the best way to go."  The DS is called the "Cadillac" of the surgeries for a reason; it's also the most rigorous post-op and the most expensive, but, depending on someone's needs, 100% worth it.  

I guess what I'm saying is defnitely ask around, and don't hesitate to ask him to back up what he tells you, either. :)

Get a second opinion. Sounds like he's pushing a personal agenda...if it were me, I wouldn't let him operate on me. 

I know of several major success stories - USAFWife is one, Tripmom is another. check out their profiles. 

I'm suggesting you get a second opinion from a surgeon who has done a lot of band to sleeve revisions with success. I'm guessing that his band to sleeve revisions have not yielded the type of results he had hoped for. The sleeve is not a standardized surgery. Some surgeons make larger sleeves and if the surgeon is not comfortable dealing with the scar tissue from band erosion, etc... the surgeon may make a very large sleeve. A Super big sleeve (60F or larger) usually means difficulty in maintaining lost weight (or even losing weight). 

There are very skilled band to sleeve revision surgeons out there with patients that have had great success. Find one and and find success! 

I agree with Karik 100%- find another doc.

I am not three years out but couldn't help but reply. My surgeon recommended the band to RNY for me because the sleeve can make heartburn worse and there tends to be more weight loss initially with it, I am a slow loser and he thought malabsorbiton might help me more.

However once I decided on the sleeve he was ready to get to work, very supportive and never ever said the things your surgeon said. My surgeon said that if I work as hard with the sleeve as I did with the band there is no doubt I would get where I want to be, he did say 50-60 pounds for me is what I would lose but that is all I wanted.

The sleeve is a tool just like the band and just like the band there are ways to eat around it, maybe that is what he means by unsuccessful. But any weight loss surgery has ways to beat it if one wants to, I know RNY people that regained all their weight and then some. It worked at first regardless of what they ate but because they didn't change their lifestyle and relied on the operation to do all the work at first well that honeymoon doesn't last.

My surgeons statistics and numbers of success are phenomenal and he truly wants to help his patients battle obesity....I would run if a surgeon ever was as negative as yours. There is a huge amount of work and effort to be successful with any operation and you need as many people on your side as possible and a confident, supportive surgeon is paramount in my opinion.

There are other, important questions you should ask, preferably from another doctor. What condition is your stomach in from the band? Lots of scar tissue in certain spots could decide which surgery you are revised to. If you had gerd and developed Barrett's esophagus, that would tell you which surgery you need. And so on.

I know weight loss may be your big concern, but there could be very important physical factors that are more important.

Lastly, you don't really say why you want a revision. If the band didn't cause physical complications, but just didn't help you lose enough weight, you might need to think harder about some things. You WILL be able to gain weight with VSG, RNY, or DS. You can eat around any surgery. So think about why you struggled with weight after the band, and try to work with the non surgical aspect of this as well.

And last, many with the band couldn't eat many things, as they were always getting stuck, vomiting, etc. After revision, they are actually able to eat more, not less, because the band is gone. That's one of the big reasons some people either don't lose, or gain, after revision. Keep that in mind.

Maybe post something on the RNY board as well. I know there are people on there that revised from band to RNY and find out why they chose it and how they did.

Most Docs speak from their own experiences, there are always those who fall out of the 'norm' but they are talking from what they normally see.

My only thought is the band and the sleeve are both restriction-only procedures, so therefore maybe he feels if patients haven't been successful with the band they most likely will not be successful with the sleeve. RNY is both restriction and malabsorption.

I know for me I was at a point in my life where I would restrict my diet faithfully and not lose any significant weight. so for me I wanted the malabsorption to get me on my way to goal. No regrets.

Good Luck...