Lap Band to sleeve

[cargirl13 5]

So on October 6 I will be going from band to sleeve. They wanted to do a scope to see if the band did any damage. My scope came back great and he said it looks great BUT there is a chance that he may remove the band and I'll have to wait for the sleeve. I said isn't that why you did the scope today. He said yes BUT.....I said no you are doing the sleeve, he just kept saying we will see. I don't understand why a week before my surgery he is telling me this. I'm so frustrated! Any advice?

[Bndtoslv 292]

I had to wait and it isn't so bad! You want the safest thing. Also there is a better chance at getting a properly shaped sleeve in 2 steps. Best of luck!

[NoMoBand 278]

My doctor told me the same and told me that I could wake up to discover that he only did band removal and this was his explanation. The sleeve surgery itself is a 1 to 1.5 hour procedure. With a two in one surgery, the surgery could last much longer depending on how much damage the band has caused and repairs and also how much surgical scar tissue that must be cleaned up. If there is too much to be done/repaired, this will add to the normal 1 to 1.5 hour surgical time making the surgery less safe for you. In addition, if the repairs are extensive, there is a greater chance of leaks on the staple line afterward. Some doctors will not even consider 2 in one revision and will make you wait weeks or months for things to heal from the band removal before they'll go back in to do the sleeve. My doctor also told me that he wouldn't know what he was up against until he was inside, because unfortunately the preop tests/procedures don't show everything. I was lucky, he was able to do both. Word of encouragement for you. Same as in my case the band looked great from pretest scopes and the only thing that might hold me back was having a huge amount of scar tissue. You should be fine. Hope this helps. jake