After being banded with plication in August 2012, I have been having quite a bit of pain for the last three months. I went to my surgeon who acted like he doesn't want to bother with me. Just real rude and acted like my pain was no big deal. So I saw another surgeon who was kind enough to take me on. My body is rejecting the lapband. It seems it doesn't like having a foreign object in it. So my band is going to be removed and I will be revised to the sleeve all in one surgery. I have lost weight with the band but my body doesn't like it.

I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you still have an option. What kind of pain did you experience?

I am so very sorry but I'm relieved you found a good surgeon to take you and your pain seriously.

Best wishes to you and I hope all goes well with your revision to the Sleeve.

What were your symptoms?

Sorry to hear that the Band isn't working for you. A woman. Jean, (don't recall her last name) she always wrote about the band and a book, too. She had the band removed and had the sleeve done this past summer. Jean wrote a story within the past few months on this site so maybe she can help you also with questions. Very smart going to another doctor for help.

Good luck.

My symptoms are constant stomach pain, nausea and just not feeling well. They did a fluoroscope X-ray and everything was as it should look. My abdomen is swollen and bloated all the time. It is to the point that I can no longer eat anything solid without a horrible pain. So until my revision I am sticking to soft mushy foods and protein drinks. My lapband surgeon's aftercare is horrible. He also told me the revision needed to be in 2 surgeries if I was going to try and go through insurance. That was a huge red flag for me. My current surgeon was recommended by my PCP. They use to work together at the same hospital. He is wonderful. So totally different from my lapband surgeon. I feel totally at ease with having my surgery in 2 weeks.

Do you have pain with soft mushie foods and protein drinks?

Do you have pain with soft mushie foods and Protein drinks?

Yes but not as bad as with total solids. I have been avoiding eating anything lately except for those soft foods. My new surgeon told me to just stay hydrated and get the Protein Drinks in. I feel the pain in my stomach every time any food or drink goes into it.

is the band the problem or is it the plication?

is the band the problem or is it the plication?

The surgeon said its the band being rejected by my body.

Wow, I wonder how often it is rejected ? How long did it take them to come to this conclusion, I am having problems never getting to the green zone. Either I'm starving or I can't eat anything. They mentioned a revision and I have had 2 surgeries last year to fix complications; hiatal hernia and gallbladder. I can't do another unless there is a promise of relief. However I don't know if insurance will cover a revision. Did they cover yours?

Wow' date=' I wonder how often it is rejected ? How long did it take them to come to this conclusion, I am having problems never getting to the green zone. Either I'm starving or I can't eat anything. They mentioned a revision and I have had 2 surgeries last year to fix complications; hiatal hernia and gallbladder. I can't do another unless there is a promise of relief. However I don't know if insurance will cover a revision. Did they cover yours?[/quote']

They did a fluroscope xray and everythibg was in place. No slips, no stretched pouch. They came to the conclusion that with my symptoms and no other problems ut was just being rejected. I have insurance but they do not cover WLS or revision. So I am self pay. I did chabge surgeons because my lapband surgeon doesnt care about you once hes done ykur s u rgery and gotten his money. I have never had much restriction but still lost weight. I have so much pain I am ready for it to be out of me. My new surgeon also stated that it was nothing I did or didnt do. Rejection is not common but it does happen. My body is seeing it as foreign and is attacking it. So it has to come out.

It's good you found a revision doctor who can do the removal/revision/plication take down at once. Recovery is a bit more difficult and longer than implanting your band, but once you are there, the aftercare is minimal.

Just want to warn you that I know several whose tests showed the band placement was fine and once they got into surgery, they found the bands had eroded, adhered to other organs, etc. barium swallows, even endoscopy showing a healthy stomach can be a false negative for slips and partial erosion. They just can't tell for sure, until you're opened up.

Best wishes for a quick surgery and speedy recovery.

Here's the cynic in me. Follow the money. Your new surgeon is not a non-partisan participant in this discussion. He may be telling you what you want to hear?

tmf

Here's the cynic in me. Follow the money. Your new surgeon is not a non-partisan participant in this discussion. He may be telling you what you want to hear?

tmf

Actually my new surgeon is great. He is a friend of my PCP and he pulls no punches. He definitely does not tell me what I want to hear actually my lapband surgeon was the one who was so concerned with money. He wanted to do one surgery until he found out I was trying to use insurance. Then he changed. That raised a big red flag. Then when I talked to his scheduler she also told me to get a second opinion.

My lapband surgeon's aftercare is horrible. He also told me the revision needed to be in 2 surgeries if I was going to try and go through insurance. That was a huge red flag for me.

As far as I know, the most common reason for doing band removal and revision surgery in 2 separate surgeries is to allow the body to heal before subjecting it to more surgery. I don't want to rain on your parade, but it's impossible to predict what your upper GI tract is going to look like when your new surgeon goes in there to remove your band. If there's a lot of scar tissue or inflammation, it might not be safe to proceed with the sleeve at that time.

I had my band removed in April 2012. I went in to the operating room expecting to wake up with a sleeve, and I woke up with nothing - no band, no sleeve. Here's a link to a recent thread about the band versus the sleeve, on which I posted my own story. If you have any questions after reading it, please let me know. If I don't know the answer, I may be able to point you in the right direction.

Just one more thing - I applaud you for getting a 2nd opinion about this. Your health is too important to allow a doctor to pooh-pooh your concerns.