Mommy2Ps

For all intents and purposes, I've had great success with my band. In almost two years, I've lost 92.5lbs. To say I am a new person is an understatement.
Now, I wasn't the perfect band patient 100% of the time, but I did follow the rules for the most part. In two years, I've had three slips. The first starting Nov 2011, and I attributed it to portion size and eating too fast. The second slip, earlier this year was caused by vomitting when I was physically sick. Instantly I felt like a pop and then it was followed by nights of reflux. Again, they took out the Fluid 100%. Now this last time, happened yesterday.
I went in to see my Dr on 6/13 and was told I had a marginal dialation that looked like it could be corrected with a two week plan of liquids, mushies, and .5c meals twice a day. So that is EXACTLY what I did. (Ok, I had one day when I went to the amusement park and had some popcorn and a few bites of funnel cake. I'm not gonna lie! But, I knew my limits and stayed within them.).
In that time til my next appt, yesterday, they were pleased with my 4lb loss in thirteen days. The reflux was non-existent and I was thrilled that I seemed to have corrected the band issues I was having.
WRONG.
Imagine my shock when I saw on the Xray that my stomach had totally muffin-topped over my band. Something happened in those thirteen days that I can't explain. It was so bad, they even asked me if I was in pain because it looked pretty bad on the monitor. NOTHING. ZERO. ZILCH. No pain, no reflux, no NOTHING. SHOCK. Pure shock that that could have happened in 13 days of being on a strict liquid/mushy diet and only eating a cup of food a day.
Now, almost two years to the day I had my surgery, I'm told my band needs to come out and I'm SCARED TO DEATH. The doctor (one of the best in the country) is saying the band is failing many people and its promise for long-term use were incorrect. The slips are re-occuring at an alarming rate and it's proving to not be a long-term solution like it was originally intended.
My question is, and I do have one, do you REALLY think it needs to come out...or do you think it will hurt anything if my stomach slides back down to where it needs to be? Now, I'm not looking for fills anytime soon, I'm just scared to death of losing what I've worked so hard for and being left with nothing. He seems to think it could turn into a life threatening situation and it does need to come out. I'm scheduled for an EGD on 7-26, and then I will meet with the surgeon again to decide when it's going to come out.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, he's strongly advising me to get the Sleeve. Which would be fine and dandy if my insurance would cover it. Granted, I have great insurance and they covered my band two years ago, but now I'm with another company and since my BMI is only 32 with no co-morbitities, I'm dead in the Water.
Anyway, thanks for getting through that if you've read it all.
I'm just so disappointed, so upset, so frustrated and my world has completely been turned upside down following this new revelation.
-T

First of all, congrats on your weightloss! That's incredible!! I also think it's funny that I was banded on 6/29/10, a year to the date that you were!
As for your sister, that's a tough one. I think the best thing to do would be to drop it entirely. Don't share with her about the losses unless she asks. Watching you shrink is probably painful to watch in and of itself. Having to hear about it too, just adds salt to the wound. KWIM?! She probably hears from other family members how great you look etc, so she probably imagines that the spotlight is now focused on her too, for comparisons sake. For example someone says "Molly looks great! and what she hears is "Molly is looking great, why aren't you losing weight too?!?!" Make sense?
All you can do is carry on with your own life, be there for support and guidance IF and WHEN she asks for it, and just love her as you always have.