I can't figure out what to do, and I would love some input. Including my initial banding, I have had 4 surgeries in a little over a year. There was the banding, removal of a port due to an infected port incision, replacement of the port, and repositioning of the band due to slippage. My last surgery was in January. I found out two weeks ago that I have slipped again. I had another set of x-rays done yesterday and they said there was minimal improvement. My doctor is out of town until next week, so I met with his PA. She said if I were her patient she would be scheduling another repositioning surgery for me next week. I asked my doctor's nurse what she thought he would want to do, and she said she thought he would want to replace my band with the larger 10cc band. He wanted to before, but the last slippage was pretty severe and I needed surgery pretty quickly. My insurance hadn't approved anything before I went in, and he said he didn't want to stick me with an even higher bill if they didn't pay.

I'm really, really tired of having surgery. If there was a guarantee that this would be the last one, I would say okay to the larger band. However, we all know there isn't. Part of me wants to ask him to lobby my insurance company for a bypass. I don't want to have my intestines re-routed, but it's preferable to having 4 surgeries a year. At the very least, I'm going to ask if I can have a few more weeks to see if it gets any better.

FTR, when things were going well with the band, I loved it. I would still recommend it to anyone considering it. I'm just not sure my body is a good match for it.

What would you do? Get a larger band and cross your fingers? Get a by-pass? Or just have the whole thing removed and accept the fact that I'll always be fat?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks-

I'm just full of advice today LOL. If it were me, and it pretty much is, I'd opt for revision to RNY. It's what I'm doing and my Doctor agrees. Apparently, according to him, you're more likely to slip if you've slipped in the past. Even with a whole new band. I can't afford to pay for any future surgeries should I lose my insurance so I'm going for the more "permanent" wls.

I'm just full of advice today LOL. If it were me, and it pretty much is, I'd opt for revision to RNY. It's what I'm doing and my Doctor agrees. Apparently, according to him, you're more likely to slip if you've slipped in the past. Even with a whole new band. I can't afford to pay for any future surgeries should I lose my insurance so I'm going for the more "permanent" wls.

I'm sorry you're going through it, too. My gut (so to speak :thumbup:) is telling me to do the RNY route. I have a feeling my doc is going to be against it though. I'm also a little freaked out by the idea of it.

When do you have your surgery scheduled?

What about a gastric sleeve? Are you a candidate for that?

What about a gastric sleeve? Are you a candidate for that?

That would be ideal, but my doctor doesn't do them and my insurance doesn't cover them. : (

I wouldnt have a surgery I didnt really want just because my insurance covered it, particularly when it came to rerouting my insides.

If it were me, I'd figure that I'd put so much into the band so far, but that its's not four separate problems, just a lot of dicking around to fix one really. I'd go the larger band if its truly what they're advising and be positive and optimistic that I'd had my fair share of trouble and from now on it was going to be right. But you know, I'd get a second opinion just personally.

But I would never have even considered a gastric bypass (not that they do them here in australia any more) so I am biased by that.

JeanneC -- I'm scheduled for mid-July. I'm not interested in the sleeve simply because I want the added benefit of malabsorption. I don't think I can get this weight thing busted with a purely restrictive option anymore. My Mom had RNY 7 years ago and I'm basing my expectations on her outcome. I should be close to or at my ideal weight within a year or two and I'll be able to keep it there, or within 10-15lbs of there. And I'm hoping for no more complications, my Mom's had only one that being anemia. Which she probably could have avoided if she'd take her Vitamins.

Good luck everyone!!

But I would never have even considered a gastric bypass (not that they do them here in australia any more) so I am biased by that.

They don't do bypass in Australia?? Wow! I didn't know that!!? Verrrryyy interesting!