Hi,

i was banded in June of 07, and i did great right off the bat. I had 1 fill and i lost just over 70 pounds, then i went in for my second fill and stopped losing completely. I have been slowly gaining back the weight, and i can't keep anything down, i throw up about twice a day. I went to see my fill doc last month to see about getting some fill removed, but she said i was underfilled and gave me some more. Lately i've been considering getting the band removed and having RNY. What are the differences? Do you get stuck and throw up as much with RNY? What are the downsides to RNY? Any help is appreciated....

Thanks

If you are throwing up twice a day and aren't losing, you aren't underfilled. Maybe you need a new fill doc.

There are things that can cause you to feel like you are too restricted when in fact you are under restricted. You may be having problems with esophageal motility or dilation. Reflux can also cause you to vomit. food can back up, feel stuck and you have difficulty eating. That is exactly what happened to me. I made an appointment to have some of my fill taken out because I was positive that my band was too tight. When the surgeon looked at me under flouro, he told me that I actually was under restricted. However, he didn't want to give me a fill because of the other issues I had with my band.

You can get into a situation where your esophagus doesn't like the presence of your band. I was told that sometimes the esophagus will view the band as food that needs to be pushed down. So they kind of work against each other.

I had my band removed and converted to a RNY. Eating with the RNY is very similar to the band. You have to chew your food well, eat slowly and you can get things stuck and "PB".

I am not a surgeon so I can't give you advice, but I have worked for bariatric surgeons for several years. I suggest you sit down with your surgeon and have a talk. Explain how you feel and ask what his/her opinion is regarding your options. If your surgeon won't listen to you, find another one!

Feel free to PM me if you want to know more about my experience. Good luck to you and keep us posted.