Correction surgery

[violetsmum 6]

Hi I was just wondering how many of you lap band veterans have had to have some form of correction surgery?

I was banded in 2008 and initially did really well, losing about 7 stone (100 lb) in total. But since last May things have been going drastically wrong. I've now put on half of my initial weight loss, I'm sick after every meal & either constantly hungry or uncomfortably full. I'm on PPI's for acid reflux and sometimes the pain in my chest & around my rib cage is excruciating.

I had a barium swallow on Thursday and was told my band has slipped. My pouch is grapefruit size (instead of golf ball size) but the gap is small. So I'm eating more to fill the pouch but the food is not going through very quickly, So hence I'm being sick!!

At least I now know what the problem is, but was just wondering how common this is? Im now waiting to see consultant to discuss my options and wondered I'd anyone has any experienCe of this happening.

Also, with a band that is 7 years old, is it 'worth' having it repaired? Does anyone know how long they are expected to last?

I have been doing a bit of research and it seems that by 10 Years 50% of people have needed correction surgery of some sort.

Can I ever get back to my initial success or maybe I've become too complacent?

[losing_the_band 133]

I had the same thing happen with my first band. Unfortunately, repositioned bands are at a higher risk of slipping again. You're also at a higher risk of slippage with a new band, too. I would strongly urge you to consider a conversion to a different type of bariatric surgery.

I didn't qualify with my insurance to convert to bypass or sleeve (ironically, I had been TOO successful initially, so I no longer had the 2 years of 35+ BMI that they required), so I had to just go with having my band replaced. I've found that the second time around is much harder. I can't achieve a good restriction level. I recently had to have a complete unfill because my surgeon thought the band might have slipped (really bad slime/PB session and bad reflux afterward), but before that I was (un)lucky enough to be both too tight and too loose at the same time. Mornings were very tight, to the point where I had difficulty eating anything. Evenings were very loose, to the point I was a bottomless pit. I'm actually about 20 pounds heavier now than I was when I had my band replaced four years ago.

Sometimes, I think that we (banders) think that if we have to work harder for weight loss, it means more. It's basically the same thing as people telling us that WLS is the easy way out. Really, all it means is that we're having to work harder to achieve the same results. And unfortunately, statistically, most of us aren't even going to get the "same results."

After eight years of this, I honestly don't really understand why we do this to ourselves. I'm at the point where I'm tired and I just want to see some lasting benefit for the crap I've put myself through. I should hopefully be able to get a conversion to RNY or VSG approved by insurance, but it's going to take a lot of jumping through hoops. And unfortunately, I have some additional issues now because of the band that are likely going to make losing harder, no matter what surgery I go with.

Edited March 16, 2015 by losing_the_band