Nrro

Hi all. I have had a lap band since 3/2009. Although I have maintained a 70 pound weight loss, the band has been progressively tightened to the point that now I have esophagus irritation so it has been determined to be "failed" and now I need it removed. I started my journey at 320 pounds, and now I am at 250. Goal weight 180 pounds. On Monday I head into surgery to have the band removed (it has been released for two months) and a gastric bypass performed. My question is how many that have has this procedure done were unable to do it in one surgery? The surgeon only gives it a 50/50 shot as apparently the underlying tissue associated with the band site may not support correctly creating the new pouch. I would really hate to have to do this in two separate surgeries several months apart, and apparently I won't know until I wake up how it turns out. All pre surgery checks including a barium swallow and an endoscopy all indicate the band is still properly placed, but apparently they have to be inside during the surgery to know for sure if there has been any erosion. Thanks in advance for any input! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So it turns out that they could do the revision in my case once they were in there and checked out the tissue. Surgery was done on 2/6/17 however due to some complications I was just released yesterday. Also Ended up getting a gout flair up starting yesterday that currently hurts more than any of the surgery locations. Supposed to get staples out tomorrow. I gained quite a bit of weight in the hospital which should come off pretty fast as it is excess fluid, then I can start actually tracking how the weight loss is doing.

Good luck! I am getting discharged here in a few hours. The advise I took from the group here to bring your own toiletries was very helpful. I had some complications so have been in the hospital longer than planned. Being able to "bird bath" in the room sink with my own shampoo/conditioner, body wash etc was very handy and one of the simplest things to bring my mood up and feel more normal. Having Your own slippers that you can get on an off without bending over much really helps as well for the hallway walks.

Thanks nursedennise. For your surgery did you go into the OR for both procedures simultaneously or was it planned in advance for two separate procedures? Thanks again for the response. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks all. I was hoping for better odds than 50/50 as I am excited to get the bypass done and get rid of the band. However, I want it to work well so I guess I will just have to be patient and trust the surgeons call. I think I just hate the idea of waking up from anesthesia Monday afternoon and finding out I have to wait several more months to finally have the bypass done. And to be honest I don't want to give back the 70 pounds I have lost with the band once it is removed. I still remember what it was like to be able to put on 5 pounds/week without even feeling like I was over eating. So although I have hated the frequent "sticks" and adjustments to keep the band tuned, it has still allowed me to lose a significant amount of weight and I have gained the resultant health benefits of that loss. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App