Band to Sleeve and other questions!

[drewr 1]

Hello, I m new to the forum and thinking of getting a weight reduction surgery. My main questions is, I cant decide between the Lap or the Sleeve? Any advice PLEASE?! Thank you.

[iamshazza 41]

Hi drewr,

I think I would opt for the sleeve. Having lived with the band for 6 years. I haven't done very well with it and now it seems cannot find the "sweet spot" again. It only took once to be too tight and have to get unfilled. Now it seems like I'm in every 3-4 weeks getting filled and unfilled and filled trying to hit that sweet spot and it just doesn't seem to be there. I'm hoping to be able to get a revision from the band to the sleeve in January or February 2016.

But, some people have had great success with the band too...It's an individual thing. I'd definitely go to a seminar and ask a ton of questions. Good luck to you!

[drewr 1]

Thank you, it helps.

[NoMoBand 278]

Drewer, I was a very successful patient with the lap band, until by chance, I discovered that it caused my esophagus some real issues. The scariest thing about my situation or what I now know was a blessing in disguise. I was doing awesome with the band and lost over 120 lbs. at the most successful point of my journey. I had no real obvious symptoms or problems, other than I could eat a bit more and had some very little night issues.

My insurance company changed at work and so did the their bariatric service. I was forced to switch bariatric services and doctor and when I saw the new doctor, he asked for a UGI. To my surprise, the UGI technician told me to contact my doctor as soon as possible. Things took off very quickly after that and I ended up getting my band removed and revised to sleeve. Had I not seen the new doctor and UGI performed I would have ended up with much more damage that I had - Thank God!

Wish I had gone sleeve originally. My vote: Sleeve 100%! Much luck to you! Jake

[drewr 1]

Thanks Jake. How long do you have a sleeve for? How do you feel now?

[NoMoBand 278]

Drewr,

I had my revision in May, so, I am approaching my 4th month. I feel great! I had the lapband 4 years and can report that the differences between the lapband and sleeve are substantial. I don't miss the getting stuck episodes if I didn't chew my food well, with the band then the slimming or upchucking that followed, measuring my meals assuring that I didn't overeat, the night coughs when I would wake up choking cause I either ate too late or it could be a symptom of something gone wrong with the band, the foaming that I'd spit out continuously when my allergies were at their worst, pain in my port area if I put too much pressure on the torso area, the feeling that everything was about to explode with upchucking due to a bout of stomach flu or food poisoning, the worries that my band could erode into my stomach or the band could slip at any time, ending up in the emergency room and the ER staff not knowing what to do with a lapband patient, the fills and unfills, the uneasy mental feeling of having a plastic device and tubing inside my body, the constant fear of band removal due to complications etc.

Sure there are issues and concerns with the sleeve, but, far less than the band and so far I am a very content recipient of the sleeve. The very best with sleeve is I don't have to measure my meals. When your banana shaped stomach is filled, that's it and no more! The only down side for me is that some sleeved patients will develop heartburn and I'm one of them. It's very minor and nothing that Pepsid AC doesn't take care of. Doctor tells me that this may very well go away. So far, I have no regrets! I feel very privileged to have experience both band and sleeve and again by far I recommend the sleeve over lap band! Pardon all my repeats from my previous responses to this post, but, this last one has a bit more detail that I wanted to share with Drewr.

I made a promise that I would never bash the band system because it saved and changed my life and I'm very grateful for it, however, I will share the truths and differences between the two and of course these are the truths that apply to me and my journey. Hope this helps. jake

Edited September 1, 2015 by NoMoBand

[lucky1gg33 107]

Your story rang true with me. I don't regret my band bc it got me healthy.... but sooo glad to be sleeved now

[drewr 1]

Thank you All for your help, taking time to write back to me and giving me hope. I still have may be two month before I have to make my decision, so I will be here, following you and supporting you in your progress.

[bandproblems 10]

Jake,

I am in the same situation as you, having had my band for 4 1/2 years and having lost 115 lbs. After more and more problems eating I had an UGI and it turns out nothing will pass through the band, even after complete unfill. My surgeon says that my food gets digested in the enlarged esophagus. I am still not completely sure how that works since I can sometimes feel the food pass through even during the meal, but the UGI showed none of the barium liquid pass through.

The band needs to come out. The surgeon wants to do a conversion to bypass but I think a sleeve would be better, although a sleeve is irreversible and leaves you will only a small part of your stomach which could be an issue if you later develop some problems with the stomach such as cancer.

My insurance will only cover removal since my BMI is now only 28.

I am also considering just the removal since I do not have $10,000-12,000 to pay out of pocket for conversion. I am wondering if I could control myself and keep eating small portions just because of fear that I would gain all my weight back and have to get another surgery in a few years.

BTW, I do not really need to loose more weight, maybe 10 more pounds, Will a conversion to sleeve result in even more weight loss or will I be able to maintain only ? Is is possible to leave more of the stomach if a patient already lost most of the goal weight ?

TX

Drewr,

I had my revision in May, so, I am approaching my 4th month. I feel great! I had the lapband 4 years and can report that the differences between the lapband and sleeve are substantial. I don't miss the getting stuck episodes if I didn't chew my food well, with the band then the slimming or upchucking that followed, measuring my meals assuring that I didn't overeat, the night coughs when I would wake up choking cause I either ate too late

Edited September 6, 2015 by bandproblems

[dlucia 2]

I was banded in 2011 and did very well and lost over 150 pounds. Then at the end of last year I noticed I was having problems with heart burn and things were getting stuck more often. I put it off to stress of the holidays. Then the begining of this year getting things down got worse and the only thing that really could get down and helped with my heartburn was ice cream and milk shakes. Well of course I started gaining and gaining. I finally broke down and saw my primary doctor. He sent me for an Upper GI. Come to find out my band slipped, so I made an appt with my WLS doctor. They looked at my Upper GI results and said all the Fluid had to come out of my band and they would monitor it to see if it slipped back in place. Now we are at the point that the band is not useable any longer and they have recomended removing the band and replacing with the sleeve. I have gained over 100 pounds back through this process and have a save the date surgery for November 18th to get the band out and the sleeve in (my insurance is requiring a new 6 month nuntrition counceling plan before they approve and then they will only pay a portion, I have to come up with $10,300 out of pocket). But has anyone had an issue where when they went to take the band out they could not get the sleveve surgery done all at once, my doctor said it is always a possibility and I am worried about the cost of having to possibly come up with even more money for a 2nd surgery if they cant do it in a "one and done" surgery. I am glad to hear that people that had the band and now have the sleeve are happy with the switch.

[NoMoBand 278]

Bandproblems,

If nothing is going through and you are completely unfilled, it sounds like you have more damage than what they can see.

In my honest opinion and the little time I experienced in between being unfilled and revision, you will gain your weight back, even with regular exercise. Your old eating habits will come back, it's so easy to find that old friend again.

One of my concerns was once sleeved I would lose the same amount of weight as I did initially with the band which would leave me skin and bones, but, it doesn't work that way. You will lose weight quickly while you are on the pre-op diet and then the healing stage post op diet, but, once you build up to regular meals your weight loss stabilizes. Your body weight is at a very different stage now before you had the band done and the body now responds differently to weight loss, so, no you won't disappear. lol

As far as the stomach size they leave behind for a revision patient depends on how much surgical scar tissue the band has created, thus, this is different for every person, but, the stomach size difference is minimal. Google "bougie size" and you will see the difference in the circumference on the sizes. Once I completed the progression diet after surgery and began eating normally again, I eat the same amount as when I had the band which is about 1/2 a cup. In time, your sleeve stretches a bit and you eat a bit more. What I've researched is usually 1 cup.

Last, a UGI only shows if things are going through or not. If you doc hasn't mentioned yet, I would ask for an EGD to see how much damage you may have. Depending on what kind of damage the band has done or doing, your doc may be able to get your insurance to cover the whole revision. Keep us posted. jake

Edited September 6, 2015 by NoMoBand

[NoMoBand 278]

Dlucia,

Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility of a band to sleeve revision not happening in the same surgery and this is due to how much damage the band has inflicted and repair or how much scar tissue that needs to be removed. The doctor probably has some idea, but, won't know for sure till he/she's inside. Not only are the repairs important, the doctor also takes under consideration how much time you will be under. This is why some doctors refuse to do both at the same time requiring a 2nd surgery for the sleeve. I was lucky that my doctor will do both, but, I was warned that when I woke up I could wake up to the news that band removal was all he could do. I did have lots of scar tissue repair and fortunately he proceeded with my revision. My surgery took a little over 2 hours.

[dlucia 2]

Thanks for the replies.

Since my band has been un-filled, food passes through like I was never banded. All the food I did not or would not eat when my band was working I am now able to eat (hence the huge weight gain).

I went into a full blown panic when my doctor told me they had to un-fill the band completely. I know myself and I have no self control with the amount of food I eat, that is why the band worked for me so well. It put limits on the amount I could eat.

I am glad to hear that with the sleeve it has pretty much the same food limits as the band. As much as I tried to eat the same way as being banded it just does not work. The longer time goes on and the more weight I gain the more depressed I get. I have started hiding the amount of food I eat again. I have pretty much stopped going out (except when absolutely necessary) because I am embarresed with my weight gain. You know how you hear "you dont play well with others" well..... I dont play well with food.

My doctor warned me about the scar tissue and such and although he is going to try the all in one surgery from band to sleeve there is a possibility I will wake up and only have the band removed. This thought alone drives me crazy.

As for my insurance, my doctors office filed an appeal to get both the removal of the band and the sleeve surgery both covered and my insurance stayed steadfast with the fact they have a "lifetime weight loss benefit limit" and getting my band took 75% of that "lifetime limit".

I did GOOGLE "Bougie Size" and found that information very interesting and helpful.

Did anyone else go from band to sleeve and have that LONG period of time where they could eat anything they wanted and gain a whole bunch of their weight back?

[drewr 1]

So, everyday there is something new... Bougie Size... is that something I can choose or its chosen for me? Who and how Dr. decides which size to use? Any takers for this question? Thank you all in advance for your support.

[al1234 4]

Do not get a lap band if their is s family history of autoimmune disorder's.