Can An Endoscopy Be Done After The Lap Band Surgery?

[yelorz 9]

Help! My surgery is scheduled for this Friday. When they did the endoscopy, they found a quite a large polyp on my duodenum. The doctor who did my endoscopy said that it would probably have to be removed by doing a second endoscopy. My endoscopy was done a week ago and I still can't get the doctor to call me back! What I desperately need to know is should I have the polyp removed before I have the lap band surgery? Is there anybody out there that can answer this question? Time is ticking as my lap band surgery is scheduled in four days.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

I don't see why they'd need to remove the polyp before your band surgery, depending on where in your duodenum it is. But even if it's at the top of the duodenum (where the duodenum connects to the bottom of the stomach), I don't think it would get in the way of placing your band.

Yes, you can have endoscopy after your band surgery. Some bariatric surgeons do annual endoscopies as part of the post-op follow up protocol. I had an upper endoscopy earlier this year without any problem. Some surgeons recommend that your band be emptied of saline before an endoscopy, but mine wasn't. The only other concern I have is that if you have an endoscopy done by someone other than your band surgeon, make sure they know you have a band so they'll be extra careful inserting the scope.

[yelorz 9]

Thank you so much for this information! Good to know! Now maybe I can have my surgery this Friday. Yah!!!

[Lilbelly 31]

Yelorz I would ask your lap band dr. that question too. See what he says.

[yelorz 9]

Yelorz I would ask your lap band dr. that question too. See what he says.

Trust me - I've been trying to do that since last Friday! The doctor who did my endoscopy told me that I had a polyp and that it would probably need to be removed even if it wasn't cancerous. He said he'd call me in 3-4 days. He hasn't called me yet. When I call his office, they tell me he's in surgery. I can't get him to call me back.

I also called the doctor's office who is going to do my lap band surgery. They haven't called me back yet either. Talk about frustrating!

[yelorz 9]

Just an update. Finally got to talk to the doctor who did the endoscopy and he said that my biopsies look perfectly normal. He thought the polyp might be pre-cancerous but it wasn't. He also told me that it would probably be a good idea to schedule an endoscopy yearly from now on. He said that you don't have to worry about doing an endoscopy after you get banded because they have several different sizes of scopes that they can use. Whew!

Surgery on Friday! Yah!!!!!!!