Georgia Peach

I read a previous post about a fill doctor/center in Moultrie, GA. I am in Valdosta which is only 30 minutes from there and desperately need an unfill. My surgeon is in Atlanta which is 4 hours away.

:confused:I need a lapband revision and have been referred to Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan at Emory Bariactrics in Atlanta. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of her or her experience. Dr. Edward Lin at Emory is referring me over to her as his is so booked and I am needing to get this taken care of quickly. Both of them work at Emory Bariactrics in Atlanta. Any input is appreciated.

I have to have a band revision/replacement and was wondering if anyone knew anything about the newer Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan at Emory Atlanta? Also Dr. Lin.

Don't wait...you may have pouch dilation, esophgeal dilation or a slip. My niece had reflux so back with her dilation it almost severely damages her esophogus. I also had what they thought was pouch dilation, actually a slip and had my band replaced just this past monday with a new ap band. Now I know my band is in the correct place and we can proceed again. Don't play around with reflux or a slip. My pouch did go down after an unfill but then starting getting big again after several fills. I actually had a slip and am extremely happy I went ahead and had surgery again. There was no hope for me to lose the wait I have regained until the slip was fixed. good luck!

Good luck to you. I hope things stay well with you but be aware that if your band eventually needs a repair you are far better off to go ahead and find out and take care of it sooner than later. Slight slippage and pouch dilation can be very similar. I have spent the last 4 months being unfilled and trying to refill only to have the pouch dilation and/or slip reoccur after getting very far into filling again. My pouch also looked back to normal after a 6 wk. unfill. Finally my doc decided I needed surgery. I now have a brand new band in correct position as of this past monday and am looking forward to finally having it work again the way I know it can. I am 4.5 yrs out and have lost 100 lbs. but regained 50 in the last year while trying to fight and figure out the pouch dilation and slip thing.

HI I noticed you were rebanded on 8/5. I just got rebanded on the 18th due to a slip also. They put my new ap band in in a much higher position. Was wondering how things are going with you and what they said about your new band placement. I was banded 4 years prior to a slip.

I had 2 surgeons suggest to me that patients that have to deband they are having extreme success with them when converting them to gastric sleeve...less risky than rny. I would probably consider that if I were you.

I too am also being scheduled for a revision/replacement due to slip and pouch dilation. The doctors feel confindent they can do it but must always warn the the health of the stomach is there number 1 concern and that there is always a chance they might have to remove the band but this does not mean it couldn't be put back in at a future date. My surgeon seems confident that he can reposition though so I am just grateful to have the opportunity to get it fixed and will pray that he can do it. the other option is to revise to a gastric sleeve if they can't do it and i don't want that so they are going to give it their very best to reposition a new band into place. Good luck everyone with revisions and please lets keep each other posted on this complication site . I expect to have my surgery in approx 2 -3 weeks.

I am 4 yrs out and my experience with esophagus dilation, also called pouch dilatation, is the exact same as yours. This is very important information for you to take to your doctor. My doctors are at Emory in Atlanta, GA, highly experienced with hundereds of these cases. Dilation can fix itself from and unfill and patients can be refilled again sometimes with success. The most important thing is that my surgeons told me that it is almost impossible for even the most experienced surgeon to detect a true slip on a barium swallow test. I had dilatation also but have also been confirmed with a slip. The doctor says corrective surgery for revision and/or replacement is mandantory as this is an "unhealthy band" situation and I am at medical risks of serious complications. He said that when the wall is weakened there is usually always a slip involved and that revision is necessary to correct this situation. By the way, my niece also had pouch dilatation after 2 yrs and is now being refilled. I'm waiting for her to have a fluro or 2 down the line to see if she also stretches out again. I have had 2 surgeons now say I have slipped in addition to the pouch and esophagus dilation and must have surgery. No one wants to but at least now I understand what is wrong and they are going to do everything they can to revise it. There is a chance of losing the band when trying to revise due to difficulty in securing in back into place but the surgeons are confident that can do it. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is all your fault. Good surgeons know not to over fill nor to allow patients to go too long too tight and also to look at patients regularly under fluro or barium swallow to look for signs of dilatation. I would absolutely get another opinion form a very experienced surgeon. Do not fool around with a chance of losing your band with a surgeon that does not seem committed to helping you keep it if this is what your want. Most are willing to tell your their success rate with revision and whether or not they are confident with your case. I'm sorry this has happened but I've been there and did not give up and was extremely happy when I got such a tremendous load of great information from 2 very experienced surgeons at Emory in Atlanta plus one amazing senior surgical resident who explained how slips cannot be always detected on the upper gi. Please let me know if I can help your further with more info. I have gained 45 lbs . this last yr due to this situation and was also going from one extreme to the other too tight and throwing up to too loose with only a .25 cc change.

I'm not sure about your area but wanted to assure you, don't hesitate to get the band and don't procrastinate. It has changed my life. I would have given anything to be able to have this opportunity at your age. It is totally safe and easy to lose when it is adjusted correctly. And if anything ever goes wrong you can have it removed and your body is still intact! I have lost 100 lbs and even though I need a revision due to a slight slip, my life is not threatened and everything inside me is still intact. Good luck!

I had a port revision this past Monday. It is a short surgery and I had the same soreness as with the 1st surgery, but now I'm feeling fine.

Was wondering how things are going with your unfill. I too had to be unfilled due to dilation and my surgeon says that although my pouch has gone way down it is still enlarged and that I have a slip and need revision surgery. Naturally I am worried about losing my band if they are unable to replace it.

I too have to have band repositioning and/or replacement. Mine is due to pouch dilation and slip. My band is not as high as it should be and even after 6 weeks unfilled my doc says my pouch is still too large probably also due to a slight slip. He is recommending surgery as he says I have an "unhealthy Band situation" and could end up with major problems. What is terrifying me is that he and other surgeons I have heard say sometimes patients lose their bands as repositioning is impossible. Is your situation sort of like mine and has your surgeon said you could lose you band? I feel like they have to tell you the worse case scenario and the odds are well in my favor I will keep it.

Please tell me about the Allergan ap and why it is better. I too have to have replacement surgery and am petrified I may come out without a band at all because I have had 2 surgeons tell me replacement and revision are very difficult and the health of the stomach is what matters and that sometimes that have to remove the band. I would appreciate input on what your surgeon said about the potential of losing the band and about the new band you are looking at. Thanks so much. I had lost 100 lbs and was so happy and now in the last 1.5 years I have regained 50 lbs! due to pouch dilation and slippage.

How do you know your band needs to be replaced. I'm 4 yrs. out with the originall 4cc lapband and have to have revision/replacement surgery due to a slip and a pouch that is still enlarged somewhat even after unfilling 6 wks. What is scaring me to death is that my surgeon says I need to know that replacement may not be possible and I may come out of surgery without a band. I do not want this to happen and am even almost willing to consider a gastric sleeve revision rather that coming out without a band even though I feel cutting away most of your stomach is a very radical operation and the rny even more radical. The reason i went with the band to begin with is the fact that if there are problems a simple removal will bring your body back to it's normal anatomy. This is reassuring to me. I would be interested to hear more about which band I should go with. I was also told that even if removal was necessary that we may be able to go back in later with another band. I would appreciate any help and input from those that have been through this.

For me my pouch dilation and/or slight slip, (they are similar) came on gradually I think from being too tight. I had some reflux each night and would chew a tums or 2, also when I was very tight I would throw up 1 or 2 times a week. After a year or so my restriction was decreasing and I was hungrier...also unable to get to a good fill level, going from too tight to too loose with only a .25 cc change. Good luck, the upper gi will let you know and if you have dilation you should be unfilled and wait to see if it corrects itself. Mine did some, but not enough to correct the problem according to the surgeon. Now he wants to do a revision on my band.

I would keep a very close watch on it because my pouch was also dilated and now i have to have surgery to revise my band. A dilated pouch and a small slippage are very similar I'm told by my surgeons and very difficult to determine the difference on an upper gi. My pouch went down with and unfill and waiting 6 weeks but it is still slightly enlarged.

:scared2:Anyone out there had a revision and care to share. I had an unfill due to pouch dilation and/or possible slippage as seen on upper gi....waited 6 weeks and pouch has gone down but my doc says it is still a little large and he is recommending surgery to correct it. He says sometimes revisions can't be done and he has to take out the band and/or convert to gastric sleeve or rny. I don't want either of those and just want my band to be back to normal. I loved it when it was working right. I guess I went too long with too tight a fill but my fills were never done under fluro so no one knew about my pouch dilation which was happening a little at the time I think. I had lost 100 lbs and have now gained 35 or 40 back and want to get this fixed if possible but am worrying about losing by band in surgery if he can't get it revised properly. I have had 2 doctors tell me that sometimes revisions are not possible because of all the restitching over stitching etc. I also was hoping to get a new band during revision as I have heard the newer ones are better. I got mine 4 years ago and it worked beautifully for the first 2.5 years. Please help me by sharing if you know anything!

:confused:I've been banded 4 years and recently diagnosed with a fairly substantial slip seen on an upper GI. My surgeon said my only options were to leave it the way it is right now but I may start having problems, repair it, or remove it. I questioned him about unfilling and perhaps it might be possible for it to move back. He said quite confidently "it is not going to move back". My problem if that I keep reading about people with slips who are unfilled and then supposedly get better and their bands move back. I don't want to rush to surgery but I also don't want to waste time especially since we are going to get an insurance approval I'm pretty sure for a repair or a new one. My surgeon says the only way to fix it is surgery and that it will not move back. I'm confused. It seems like to me that once the initial integrity and stitches of the band are compromised and loosened from a slip that the only way to secure it permanently again and to get it working again would be through surgery. I don't really want it but neither do a want a problem band that may just keeping slipping. I would guess the stitches would be loose. Any one know the answer?

I don't understand the concept of a slipped band returning to normal anyway....it seems like to me that once the damage is done and the stitches are loosened that the original integrity of the band would always be compromised and loose. What do you think?