Hi all,

After two failed lab bands, I am scheduled to have the band removed and revised to a sleeve.

Despite my best efforts, my surgeon insists that I have the band removed, allow 3 months 'rest' time for my stomach then have the sleeve procedure.

Has anyone had the same experience and how did you manage/control your weight over that time? I'm terrified I will gain back majority, if not all of the 60lbs I've lost this far in that 3 months.

Any story's or tips from fellow banders/ex banders/current sleevers would be appreciated!

Cheers

Hi Chrissy,

While I don't have any insight for you on what your going through, I wonder if you might have some for me...

Why did your bands fail you?

It sounds like you lost weight with the band, how did it fail?

I wish you the best on your upcoming revision.

I too am curious as well. If you don't mind sharing, what was the need for the second band especially since you have lost 60 pounds in three months. That is awesome. It took me well over a year to lose that amount of weight.

Hi all' date='

After two failed lab bands, I am scheduled to have the band removed and revised to a sleeve.

Despite my best efforts, my surgeon insists that I have the band removed, allow 3 months 'rest' time for my stomach then have the sleeve procedure.

Has anyone had the same experience and how did you manage/control your weight over that time? I'm terrified I will gain back majority, if not all of the 60lbs I've lost this far in that 3 months.

Any story's or tips from fellow banders/ex banders/current sleevers would be appreciated!

Cheers [/quote']

I too question your need for a sleeve revision. Why did your band fail twice? What happened the first time you were banded? Did you have a slippage, was there erosion? My doctor performs sleeve revisions but it has to be drastic for him to revise to a sleeve. Good luck but please let us know what happened with your bindings. This is a learning forum as well and we could all learn from why your bandings failed. Good luck to you.

Hi all!

Yes, the band had originally proved very effective for me - the first time around. I'd say it was about 2 years after initial placement that I was diagnosed with the first slip, the band had moved down my stomach and the only thing I was able to keep down was milk. I had the bad repositioned and since then I have has minimal success and maximum trouble! Every fill was either to tight or no restriction. I began having to have refills quite regularly as the band started leaking and loosing effectiveness.

Originally my surgeon thought it was 'in my head' and there was nothing wrong with it, I was just bring paranoid after what had happened with the original lap band. Eventually I convinced him to send me for a swallow which showed a pouch dilation above the band. Dr.D removed all liquid and told me to come back in 2 months after the pouch had time to rest and hopefully slip back through the band. This seemed to work for a while but all it did was resolve the heart burn I was having - there was no weight gain.

In recent months I've been unable to eat solid foods. meat is absolutely off the menus! And I have been unable to eat more than 3 hours prior to bed - any later than that and I wake up chocking on reflux and have to make myself sick to remove any reflux from my chest. I'm piping antacids like candy!

Fast forward to today and the most recent swallow shows pouch dilation above the band and again, a slippage down the stomach.

Apparently it happens to some people and you stomach begins to accommodate the band. My surgeon says that the band was not really meant for long term usage and most have about a 10 year lifespan on them.

Hmm interesting. Sorry the same thing happened to you twice. Thanks for answering our questions and good luck.

Apparently dilation, once it occurs once, is of a much higher risk in replaced bands. If I had suffered a slip instead of a leak, I would have revised to a sleeve.

But to get back to your question about not gaining: I gained with my leak but turned that around and starting losing again just before it was replaced. To do that I had to become super strict with cals and exercise. I never had to do that with the band (count calories) but without the band it was crucial. You only have to do it for 3 months, and that's so completely do-able.

Good luck!

I'm sorry you're going through this. Everything you have written sounds very familiar. I've watched the same things happen over and over for the past 10 years. A lot of times the problems start at the 2-3 year mark and then it's a lost cause after that. (Speaking from experience.)

Best of luck to you with the sleeve. I hope it works well for you.

Yes, I can speak from experience too! I lost 45 lbs in 7 months when first banded and nothing else since. That was 4 years ago and have been having issues as well. The band and I quit each other 3 years ago and my Dr has assured me that it will never work for me again despite all of the fills that I was constantly getting and then to be unfilled b/c of being too tight. Good luck to all of you that haven't had any issues with the band and can't understand how this could be. I love my band and will truly miss it after 8-6.

My only advice is try your hardest!!! I had my band removed last August with expected revision to RNY but during the removal surgery had so much scarring and inflammation from the slippage that my doc took out my band and sent me home to heal for 6 months before revision. I lasted about 6 weeks maintaining my weight and then got ticked off that I was starving all the time and fell back into old habits. I gained 30 pounds in 6 months....was so mad at myself (but boy were the holidays yummy!!!!!). Practice your healthy eating habits. Small frequent meals throughout the day. High protein, low carb, and above all, KEEP EXERCISING!!!! Best of luck with everything!!!!

no! I'm having the same problem and really don't want to lose my band!

I just got upper GI and was told my band has slipped (horizonally) and stomach is hanging over the band. I saw the pictures and they didn't look good. I have to have my band readjusted or taken out. I don't want it out. I just don't want my throat burning with acid. Has anyone had a slippage and it fixed? Do you think I should fix it or remove it? If I remove it, will I blow back up to 250?