Hi,

After 6 years with the band, and losing about 80lbs, I started gaining weight. Went to my doc in January was told Band had a leak? Went to get a 2nd opnion, had a florascopy done, Now I find out band has a kink in it, in the tubing.

So my choices are:

Get band fixed.

Replace band with new one?

Take it out?

Doc want me to have By-pass?

I went to another web site, Obesity help .com. most on there say when they have had band issues, and got it fixed, It was never the same as after original surgery.

Wondering if anyone out there has had a revision surgery from Band to Bypass and how your doing? My doc says Ill loose 100 lbs in 6 months if I do it, plus loose my diabetes.

ANY THOUGHTS? Thanks,,,,I need it.

I would defiantly research bypass alot before I made that decision. I wonder if lapband with plication is an option, or maybe the vertical sleeve, heard that they are both very effective. If niether of those is an option and you comfortable with bypass I say go for it. Lots of people have had alot of success with bypass.

You have had the band 6 years, lost and kept off 80lb and you call that a failure????? Where would you be now without the band.

If this was me my first choice would be to get the band fixed. But if that was not an option then I would investigate all the other types of surgery in depth and try to decide what I thought was best for me. Yes with a bypass you probably will lose quickly initially( although as you have already lost a considerable amount of weight that may not be so) but you still have to make sure you change your eating habits or chances are that the weight will come back on. There are many people who have had the bypass and lost weight only to regain it. Some of those people are now having bands over their bypass.

The bottom line is which tool will be the one that you are best able to work with for optimal results.

If I were in your shoes, I'd have the band fixed. It's already worked for you so why mess with you know works?

Small side note: Gastric bypass isn't a guarantee of weight loss anymore than the band is. A friend of mine had gastric bypass a month after I had lap band. She's only lost about 20 pounds whereas I've lost over 100.

Wow Mis73 do you know why she's only lost 20? My dr likes the sleeve over the band. They thought I may have a slip a few months ago so we talked about revision to the sleeve. Thank goodness there was no slip! A complete unfill and rest & I am back to normal.

Snack-keep in mind this response is coming from someone who just had their band removed due to slippage and is now waiting 6 months for her stomach to heal so I can get a bypass....

You've lost 80 pounds but still have 100 to lose? If you're happy with that weight and are able to comfortably maintain it with your band then the band is definitely something to consider. That is a huge accomplishment and you should be proud! If you worked harder on diet and exercise could you lose more with the band? Are you trying to lose more? Yes, you're likely to lose more with the bypass and some studies are now saying the bypass may even be a 'cure' for diabetes. Neither is a miracle and they both have their downside. If you've been comfortable with your band and feel like, with some effort, you can get more weight loss then I say go for th band again. I had problems from early on and am just not willing to do that again.

The few people I know with the sleeve have had very disappointing weight loss with it soi really can't give you more info on this one...sorry.

Wow Mis73 do you know why she's only lost 20? My dr likes the sleeve over the band. They thought I may have a slip a few months ago so we talked about revision to the sleeve. Thank goodness there was no slip! A complete unfill and rest & I am back to normal.

Yes, because she hasn't changed her eating habits beyond smaller portions. She still eats tons of fast food, fatty sugary baked goods, candy, etc. She eats the same crap food that led to her obesity to begin with.

That's why I always tell people, it doesn't matter which WLS you choose, you still have to make the conscious choice to eat healthy for a lifetime.

1. I don't consider kinked tubing to be band failure, especially if you've lost 80 lbs. It's a complication, sure, but a fairly easy problem to fix.

2. I used to participate on OH forums a lot. One of the reasons I left OH was because of extreme negativity there. I'm not saying that the people posting there aren't having problems, just that you're probably not getting a well-balanced view there. One of the wonderful people I met on OH had a leak in her tubing (apparently from the tubing chafing against her abdominal wall for 6 years), had it replaced, lost the weight she'd regained, and is doing fine.

3. I know 3 bandsters who revised from the band to the bypass. Their weight loss with the bypass is happening at the same pace as their weight loss with the band (i.e., slow). One had some serious complications from her revision surgery but is doing OK now.

Most people I see failing with the band won't tighten it down enough to prevent them from eating almost normally. I laugh at these people. When I had the band, I was determined and I lost 100LB as well, then it slipped

I say this with all due respect, but I wouldn't be laughing at anyone because you're wrong about what the band is meant to do and that's probably why you slipped. The band isn't supposed to be "tightened down" to prevent you from eating normally. The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. It's up to you to make good food choices and stop eating when you're no longer hunger. The band isn't supposed to stop you from doing either.

Way too many people walk around with bands entirely too tight because they're expecting the band to do something it's simply not meant to do. As a result, way too many people also end up with slips because of it.

While my surgeon couldn't determine exactly what kind of leak I had in my band, I did have two slips and some type of leak, as it just wouldn't hold Fluid.

After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to revise to the sleeve. I lost a TON with the band, but it was a long, complicated road to get there. The slightest fill would send me from no restriction/no relief from hunger/no lasting satiation to unable to swallow my own saliva. It was a back and forth game that got tiring. And expensive, since I'm self-pay. I followed the rules to a "T", and worked out a ton, but I was miserable for a big portion of the last almost three years.

My band was removed Friday. It caused a significant amount of damage, including scarring and pulling my fundus through my diaphragm. I'm onto my four-month healing process before revising to the sleeve.

No WLS is guaranteed, and none is right for everyone. You just have to go with what you think will work best for you, follow the rules, and hope for a little luck!

While my surgeon couldn't determine exactly what kind of leak I had in my band' date=' I did have two slips and some type of leak, as it just wouldn't hold Fluid.

After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to revise to the sleeve. I lost a TON with the band, but it was a long, complicated road to get there. The slightest fill would send me from no restriction/no relief from hunger/no lasting satiation to unable to swallow my own saliva. It was a back and forth game that got tiring. And expensive, since I'm self-pay. I followed the rules to a "T", and worked out a ton, but I was miserable for a big portion of the last almost three years.

My band was removed Friday. It caused a significant amount of damage, including scarring and pulling my fundus through my diaphragm. I'm onto my four-month healing process before revising to the sleeve.

No WLS is guaranteed, and none is right for everyone. You just have to go with what you think will work best for you, follow the rules, and hope for a little luck![/quote']

You and I are in never never land together! My band came out last Wednesday and I've been told 6-12 months to heal before bypass.....hope you do well the next 4 months. I know I'm paranoid as can be about everything that goes past my lips right now . Good luck!!!!!

Hard chioce. The LB does have a greater risk of side effects, slippage, erosion, rejection. It's bound to have problems again, even if its 10 years from now. Sleeve is a good alternative to the GBP, lower risks as well. But you will have to weigh the pros and cons and decide from there. Hard chioce! Great job on lost thus far!

Warning to anyone new reading this thread. The purpose of the band is not to have it tightened down so that you can't eat. Do that and it is almost guaranteed that you will end up with a slip.

Thanks everyone for all your advise....I didnt mention that I have gainned back all my weight in last 12 months. Part is my own fault part is band's as I have had no restriction since Jan.12.

I didnt know that stomach may have heal after band is removed, I guess from all the stiches as it was sewed in during inital surgery. I dont think I can weight that long for stomach to heal, so leaning towards fixing the band.

This whole weight loss surgery process has been a major ordel, Thinking twice about everything,

Actually after seeing the inflammation and other issues inside, my doc would have made me wait for another band as well. You may be lucky and have no problems but sometimes you just need time to heal. Best if luck. I know it's hard :/

I had the same thing. I had a leak about 18mos after having the procedure. I had my band fixed and am glad. I also got a smaller port and they found a hernia that they fixed.

-Cordelia, banded 1/08