I was just approved to have my lapband removed on 10/30/13, but I am freaking out a bit. I have had an unfilled band for 3 years now and weigh about 10 lbs less than I did when I got banded. My weight keeps rising, and would be higher, but I work out religiously. My BMI is about 35. I am terrified of gaining weight after the band is removed. My surgeon has a policy of waiting 3 months before scheduling a sleeve, so that's three months of potentional gain. Also, I don't yet have approval for the sleeve, so working hard to lose weight during the 3 month period will make approval even more unlikely, especially if my BMI drops a little bit. I know myself and while it would be wonderful to get my BMI down after removal, it wouldn't last and I would be exactly where I started before I got banded. I am 53 years old and losing weight gets harder and harder each year.

I guess my question is, do people who have gone thru the removal gained much between surgeries? Was the lapband removal surgury difficult to recover from? Days? Weeks?

Terrified of going backwards.

Thanks.

just a question, why are you having lap band removed?

It's been an exercise in frustration, vomiting, regurgitating and doctor's visits. I have had it prolapse and then replaced. Initially lost 60 lbs, but after the prolapse, weight keeping coming back, even w/the vomiting. In an effort to protect my stomach and esophagus my dr decided to unfilled me, which then led to additional weight gain..

Bottom line, band has not been successful for me nor have I been successful with it. Regardless, I need to have it removed. Why keep this foreign object in me if it is doing me no good?

I gained a total of 28lbs from the time I was completely unfilled to the time I got sleeved. I had to do my surgery in two steps like how you surgeon does it. The recovery for the removal was SO easy at least for me I was back to my normal self that evening.

I gained a total of 28lbs from the time I was completely unfilled to the time I got sleeved. I had to do my surgery in two steps like how you surgeon does it. The recovery for the removal was SO easy at least for me I was back to my normal self that evening.

Hynita--how long had you been banded for? Was the sleeve recovery easy as well?

Had my band removed 5/22/13, and i'm due to be sleeved 8/21. Recovery from the removal was not so bad, worst part was the gas from the surgery. Only semi painful part was where the port had been. I'm not sure how much I gained, but do know my bmi went from 35 to 41 and is now back down to 36. My original band was placed September of 2004. good luck!

Purple-your BMI went up to 41 since the band was removed in May? If so, how did you get it back to 36 in 3 months time? Thanks for your response. I have BCBS and wonder if I will need to puff my BMI up before they will approve my sleeve.

Hynita--how long had you been banded for? Was the sleeve recovery easy as well?

I had my band a little over 2 years. The sleeve recovery was a slower then the removal. The first couple days were the worse.

Purple-your BMI went up to 41 since the band was removed in May? If so' date=' how did you get it back to 36 in 3 months time? Thanks for your response. I have BCBS and wonder if I will need to puff my BMI up before they will approve my sleeve.[/quote']

Im not sure honestly. Im going by what my pcp said today and what I was told at my month post op. I've been on the liquid diet for the last week. I have bcbs also and they treated me as if I never had surgery. So I did have to gain weight to get approved.

You could also talk to a couple of other surgeons to try and find one who would do it in one step.

I'm so glad I did. I had a long hard surgery and recovery. I don't think two steps would have made it any easier. My stomach had prolapsed and adhered to my liver! 4 1/2 hour surgery to fix it.

Good luck!

I was just approved to have my lapband removed on 10/30/13, but I am freaking out a bit. I have had an unfilled band for 3 years now and weigh about 10 lbs less than I did when I got banded. My weight keeps rising, and would be higher, but I work out religiously. My BMI is about 35. I am terrified of gaining weight after the band is removed. My surgeon has a policy of waiting 3 months before scheduling a sleeve, so that's three months of potentional gain. Also, I don't yet have approval for the sleeve, so working hard to lose weight during the 3 month period will make approval even more unlikely, especially if my BMI drops a little bit. I know myself and while it would be wonderful to get my BMI down after removal, it wouldn't last and I would be exactly where I started before I got banded. I am 53 years old and losing weight gets harder and harder each year.

I guess my question is, do people who have gone thru the removal gained much between surgeries? Was the lapband removal surgury difficult to recover from? Days? Weeks?

Terrified of going backwards.

Thanks.

PrettyPuffy,

If your band has been unfilled, it hasn't been doing what it is supposed to be doing anyway. You have no restriction. I still have my band in, but it has no Fluid in it. The only thing it is doing now is taking up space and causing me heart burn. My doctor plans on removing it and performing the sleeve in the same procedure. I am also at a BMI of 35. If my ins. co. has me do the 6 month diet, the earliest surgery time for me is December and it could go to January or February in 2014. I am worried also about gaining weight due to no restriction. I am trying to be very careful in what I eat and paying close attention. I don't want to have to lose any more weight than I already have on me. I am also in my 50's and worry about being a slower loser due to age and being a revision patient. At this point I am also not too far away from my original weight before getting my lap band.

You might check with your ins. co. on their requirements. My employer's contract is with UHC and has a BMI of 35 with one comorbidity. If it is a determined to be a device failure the BMI may not need to be even at 35. My. ins. co. told me that they use your initial weigh in weight and if you drop below a BMI of 35 during the supervised diet, that will not disqualify from having surgery.

Good luck.

I had my revision (and hernia repair) done all in one procedure and my recovery time wasn't any longer than anyone else's

PrettyPuffy,

If your band has been unfilled, it hasn't been doing what it is supposed to be doing anyway. You have no restriction. I still have my band in, but it has no Fluid in it. The only thing it is doing now is taking up space and causing me heart burn. My doctor plans on removing it and performing the sleeve in the same procedure. I am also at a BMI of 35. If my ins. co. has me do the 6 month diet, the earliest surgery time for me is December and it could go to January or February in 2014. I am worried also about gaining weight due to no restriction. I am trying to be very careful in what I eat and paying close attention. I don't want to have to lose any more weight than I already have on me. I am also in my 50's and worry about being a slower loser due to age and being a revision patient. At this point I am also not too far away from my original weight before getting my lap band.

You might check with your ins. co. on their requirements. My employer's contract is with UHC and has a BMI of 35 with one comorbidity. If it is a determined to be a device failure the BMI may not need to be even at 35. My. ins. co. told me that they use your initial weigh in weight and if you drop below a BMI of 35 during the supervised diet, that will not disqualify from having surgery.

Good luck.

Wow! You and I have nearly identical stats. Thank you so much for your reply. Please let me know how everything goes for you. I have BCBS and will call them to see if they say the same as your insurance with reference to approving should I have any lowering of my BMI as well as what date they use for my weight.

Best of luck.

I was banded in 2007. Had the band taken out last year Oct 2012. I was supposed to have the sleeve done at the same time but the surgeon said the band did so much damage that he wanted me to wait at least 6 months. I waited 9 months and had my sleeve done last month July 8th. I ended up gaining 70 pounds in the nine months that I waited for my sleeve. It was because I was anticipating my sleeve and completely overindulging. :-(

Oh and also the recovery from the sleeve was much easier and much less painful than the band. Thank goodness!

I had my band in May 2008, had it removed in January 2012. I had to wait 13 months till my sleeve in Febraury 2013. Band removal was easy, I had a bit of pain but after 4 days or so I was fine. I did gain about 88lbs. I had no pre op diet. What a fantastic life post gastric band!! Sleeve was the best thing that happened to me.

Hello Everyone, I just joined this forum. My Doc has the same policy of waiting in between both surgeries. I think it makes a lot of sense. If you are going into someone's stomach and going to staple all this tissue into a shape of a banana , you would want it to be good tissue and not want it to come apart and have problems down the road. This is what we pay good doctors to do. So I don't mind waiting If the Job is done RIGHT. However, I do worry about the weight gain just like the rest of you. My Doctor, when dealing with the Ins company wrote them a letter and ask for approval for BOTH SURGERIES AT THE SAME TIME. So i got the approval for both surgeries already. He said he wanted me to have my band in while I was getting approval for these surgeries. Now I will have my Band removed on Oct 9th 2013 and Jan 1014 have the sleeve done. I will do my best not to gain, but I know it will be hard over Holiday time....But I want good tissue for him to work with.. and after having a band in for so long, it can only be wise to let good tissue grow... I do want to ask "what is "BCBS" THAT you speak of?? I don't think I have ever heard of that? Wishing you all well Jewel J