My surgery is scheduled for 8/30. I've been on vacation for about 11 days and still have 7 to go. I figured a longer vacation with my family would be just what I need before I undergo this big change.

I had my lap band removed after 12 years on 4/26 and had to heal for 3 months before having the conversion surgery. During my pre op appointment, my surgeon went over the risks and benefits of the surgery and there was on thing that he said that hit me in the head and now has my questioning if I'm making a mistake.

Apparently band to sleeve conversion patients tend to have less overall weight loss, sometimes as low as 40-50% less, than us non-banders. On top of this, there's like a greater than 50% chance of developing medication resistant GERD, even if you've never had it, and that may have cause to have another revision to RNY or DS in the not so distant future.

I've asked this question before and didn't get any answers, so I'll try again now because I'm running out of time to change my mind. Can you please share your positive/negative band to sleeve conversion stories with me. Can you include your age, surgery weight, current weight, goal weight and length of time since you've had surgery. I'm very nervous that I may not be making the right decision and just need some positive reinforcement stories, please.

Thank you in advance!

Amy

It sounds like you're worried about something that may or may not happen.

You can have the surgery & lose 40-50% or you can stay as you are. Which would you prefer?

I was looking for any reason to cancel my procedure up till I they gave me the happy drugs. I hope you get the information you are looking for to make the choice you need. Good luck! I was terrified. I was scared before, wanted to cancel, didn't want the surgery, afterwards I had 4 weeks of real scare and regret. I'm 10 months out now and wish I had done this 20 years ago. But my story and journey is different. I haven't had other producers.

But what I DID do was 16 months on an all liquid diet. I lost 160 lbs. That was 5 years ago. I gained 60 back over 3 years and then my body went into medical crisis and I came out the other end with no gallbladder and 20% of my stomach. lol! When I was doing the liquid diet I was informed that the starvation aspect to it causes the metabolism to slow down enough that it takes 5 years for it to get back to where I was before. True? False? I don't know, I haven't read up to find out if that is real or not but it would explain why people who are already on a calorie restrictive regimen/procedure wouldn't have the same overall efficacy as someone who's eating 2000K plus unrestricted for unknown periods of time.

You might want to call your surgeon back and ask him what the data is behind those statistics. Does it have to do with the calorie restriction/metabolism changes that effect us for about 5 years? What are these numbers and how do they really apply to you?

Also, we are so much in charge of our own destinies here. Part of why it isn't successful for people is because they don't commit to this enough, they don't eat the right things or don't do the exercise and work that's needed on the front end. I think it's important for you to understand what story that data is really telling and I'd recommend calling your surgeon's office rather than try to get anecdotal based "evidence". Peer review data might be more what you are looking for to answer your questions. Do a search on the phrases "peer review article" "band to sleeve conversion patients" "less overall weight loss" "40-50% less","greater than 50% chance of developing medication resistant GERD". Search these things with PEER REVIEW articles, that is the real data you are going to want to review. Confirmation bias is the problem with using anecdotal evidence to support a theory.

There are lots of stories on the band to sleeve forum

https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/394-band-to-gastric-sleeve-revisions/