Lap Band removal/sleeve in 2 separate procedures

[dvons 63]

I'm still in pre-op testing. The typical: sleep study, endoscopy, EKG... etc. but I will be having my procedure done in one operation as outpatient. My band was completely unfilled and feel like I could eat a horse. Trying hard not to gain any weight before the surgery.

[DSLdiversity 70]

dvons, I feel you, my band is unfilled as well and I am COUNTING the days until my surgery! I wish I could go to sleep and awake from anesthesia... lol

[yvonne74 73]

I'm trying to get the revision done as well. I really want a 1 step process but this new Dr doesn't have experience doing the revision so he wants to "play it safe" and do a 2 step.. This really stinks b/c of my work schedule. My boss really harps on our attendance. I know I will have a Dr's note but when I got the band it was over the summer. But my monthly appts, my boss threw a fit about it so bad that I had to contact my union and complete Intermittent FMLA paperwork to get her off my back.. Even this year, I was out with extreme pain (come to find out it was incisional hernia), but she emailed me and CC'd the assistant principals asking about my absence.. Then sent a second emails saying "A little birdie told me that you are really sick, I hope things are ok"...

IF I can get approved (according to this Dr it will be difficult to do), I will have the removal in July (easy part he says) but have to wait 2-3 months for sleeve (this is the hard part with insurance)..

[DSLdiversity 70]

Yvonne I will pray for you. I'm grateful that my surgeon offered to do my procedure as an all in one. But with this being the case I have to wait a bit longer because the procedure will take longer. God willing I will get done in early August before the regular semester starts. I'm also an educator. It's a bit easier for me since I teach in higher Ed. A lil flexibility. Side note the first surgeon I went to did not want to da a one step procedure. I didn't choose him because he was "rude" to my wife and I. He is a very skilled surgeon...

DSLdiversity

[yvonne74 73]

Thank you!

[AmyD102 95]

My surgery is this Thursday June 23, wish me luck!

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Hey Nina, how did your surgery go? How has the recovery been so far? Hope you are doing well!

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[nina1562 35]

@@AmyD102 my surgery went really good (thank God ) my doctor removed my band and was able to do my sleeve at the same time...first day of surgery I was pretty much sleepy all day but with no pain, 2nd day I was alert and with just a little discomfort on my belly but not much, I also started liquid diet the day after surgery and no nausea or voting which was great....Doctor discharge the day after surgery and it's been good only a little bit of sourness and not much gas pain either. ..I hope to continue like this through my recovery...thanks for asking

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[Toya214 17]

I had my band removed in December and I will have the sleeve on 7/20. I still felt restriction for a while when the band was removed but I don't feel it anymore. I have maintained my weight with the removal but I look forward to kicking this weight loss into high gear! Day 1 of liquids it has not been horrible so far just miss chewing. We will all get through it!

[Mrs. Wyckoff 6]

I got that lap-band in June of 2015 and decided that since it will most likely have to be removed, I opted to have revision surgery to the gastric sleeve on July 4, 2016. Also, it took me a year to finally be mentally ready for a more evasive type of surgery. I'm only a week post-op and I am feeling great. There is a little soreness for sure in the muscle where the port was removed, but its tolerable. 3 years prior I had my gallbladder removed and my surgeon said I had a lot of scar tissue, but he removed it in order to get the surgery done (although I understand your circumstances since you had hernias as well). Surgery overall is not pleasant for me simply because I hate staying in the hospital. But I think the mere experience of having surgery in general makes the next procedure tolerable since you know the routine. Most likely now you have the sleeve and I hope all is working out. I do not miss the band at all!

[cindash 25]

Sorry I just seen this, I don't usually go on this site much, I spend most of my time with a great group on FB, called Bariatric Living & recipes. So please accept my apologies. I am always available on FB too or by email if anyone wishes to keep in touch. I do have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sleeve, best thing I've ever done.Wish I never got the band. I don't ever throw up, have food stuck, and can eat whatever I want if I WANT TOO. I had my surgery Feb. 29th and have lost 35 lbs so far and feel great. Its slow but that is ok with me. SO if anyone is thinking about the sleeve, I say GO FOR IT! My doctor is great also, Dr. Edward Pucci out of Ridgewood, NJ, but he does have offices in NY too. Thats all everyone keep the faith and contact me if you want to be friends! Check out the Facebook group too!

[bdisaia 5]

I did revision to sleeve from band all in one ! I was 211 on surgery day June 6 th I am now at 178 loosing slowly but I feel so awesome ! The band was terrible vomiting reflux stuck none of that so far 13 weeks out !

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[chevygirl10_24 15]

Congratulations to you all!! I have been searching through google "how long does it take for stomach to go back to normal after band removal" All i get is your stomach goes back to normal after removal .. i want to know exactly how long, days, weeks, months. i know it depends on everyone different situation. Mine is ... I went to get the band removed and sleeve done at the same time exactly 1 week ago today. and when i woke up my doc had to tell me that i wasn;t sleeved because the band had slipped and the lower part of my stomach was going through the band making another pouch with my stomach above the band. i had very little scar tissue as a matter of fact scar tissue wasn't the problem.. he wanted to let it get its normal shape back so that we can have an un complicated surgery ... Im ok with that i trust my doc 100% but i was just curious how long does it take. he wants to wait 6 to 8 weeks so im scheduled exactly 7 weeks from April 5th.

Just curious i read that some docs wants to wait 2 weeks 4 weeks 2 months 4month 6months ????

How long did you have to wait and why thanks..

My Dr made me wait at least 9 months.... said people who wait less have a higher risk of complications.....band out 12-2015 sleeved 9-2016

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[badkitty 14]

I had to wait six months. The recovery from band removal was easy; the recovery from sleeve took longer. There's no way I could of gone back to work the next day. I needed at least two weeks! Now that all that has passed, I am so happy with the sleeve. I was never happy with the band; it just didn't work for me. I felt sick all the time and didn't lose much weight. I have not been sick with the sleeve and actually feel full after I eat. No regrets!

[Katie2016 17]

Hi everyone I had my lapband removed last week, went to follow up appointment today and received my date for the gastric sleeve 7/27/16

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Had my lap band done in 2010. I loved my band j lost 60 pounds and was happy with my weight. I hurt my back and couldn't work out and started gaining weight my band was no longer working for me. My Dr's recommended the sleeve because I was also going to take 3 pins in my SI joint and they didn't want me to gain more weight. So i decided to do. I am 6 weeks post op now and I still ask myself wth was I thinking. I have really bad anxiety and have decided to see a therapist. I am doing fine as far as protien Vitamins ect. It's more of a mental change. It didn't bother me that I had my band in my body. I feel more self conscious now and with thin gs like possible hair loss ect it makes me uneasy. I feel that my dr and NUTRITIONIST down play it a little saying that as long as I get me protien and Vitamins I will be okay. I worry every ache and pain if something maybe wrong. I think when I removed my band I felt that I was a kind of loosing more. My dr did it in a 3 month period. I only need to lose the 50 lbs I gained and I have only lost 15 so far .. the slower the better for me. As of right now I could totally use some support and words of advice and encouragement. I just want to feel normal.again like I did with my band. My dr says that they are doing so many conversion that the band is not really an option.

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[debrainwater 0]

I had my Lap-band in April 2008 and did very well with it. I lost between 75-100 lbs and had minimal issues with it. I did have heartburn daily, felt like I was choking at night (not to bad) and food would seldom get stuck. I was able to keep the weight off for almost 8 years. It wasn't until Aug 2016, I noticed that I would extreme abdominal pain after eating. My husband was able to get new insurance through his work, so we went to the ER. They must have ran 3 different test on me and it wasn't until the next day after my bariatric surgeon was notified, did they figure out that my band had slipped. I was so upset that they had to remove it, I literally cried. I was so scared to gain the weight back. I begged my surgeon to just adjust it, to no avail, it was removed. I went to see my PCP to ask for the sleeve and she told me she would request for an approval, but didn't think I would get approved due to not meeting the criteria. Well, GREAT news, I was APPROVED and will be having the sleeve done in about a month. I have to wait 3 months to heal. Another great thing is my husband has decided to have the surgery (sleeve) as well. My question, do you feel that we should have it done the same time or at different times? And, it the recovery different then the lap-band procedure?