Lap Band to Gastric Sleeve

[Shanimal 6]

I was banded in March 2011, lost about 70 pounds and over the past few years I've regained it all. I went back to my surgeon who advised that the band slipped and I had all CCs removed. I've been overall disappointed with the side effects of the band and know that I want, at minimum, to get the band removed. I've been considering doing the sleeve since my insurance will cover it. Does anyone have similar experience?

[mcfluffington 179]

Maybe if you look around in the Revision forum you'll find someone with this experience.

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

No clue on band but i will tell you the Sleeve is great and since I am lazy done for life - No slipping here for sure

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I had lap band in 2005. I lost about 80 pounds but was miserable almost the entire time. I later found that my band slipped probably in the 1st 6 months due to violent vomiting secondary to gall bladder dysfunction.

In 2009, when my surgeon discovered the slip (FINALLY), he removed the lap band and offered to convert me to sleeve then. I chose not to for various personal reasons.

Skip ahead to 2015. I have gained all of my weight back and can't seem to get back on track. A friend, who had also been banded and converted to the sleeve, got me thinking and I finally decided to get sleeved.

I underwent gastric sleeve in April 2018. The pre-op and immediate post-op is nearly identical. The pain I had with the sleeve was similar to the port pain with the band, although I couldn't sleep laying down on my side for about a month. My weight loss was much slower with the sleeve. They say it's because I've been down the bariatric path before and my body is slower to respond (metabolism remembers). Besides, I'm a little older.

Today, I've lost 86 lbs. At this point, I'll stall for 2-3 weeks then lose a pound or 2. I have more energy and I don't feel deprived, at all. The only negative is that I have a bit of nighttime reflux. It's a battle I wage every day and am seeing a gastroenterologist to monitor and treat. So far, it's not significant enough to consider any kind of revision and my plan is that the sleeve is my last stop on the bariatric train.

[SorryNameTaken 85]

I was banded in 2008, lost a bit of a weight, struggled with finding the perfect fill for me. Eventually I became so miserable with the band that I gave up, ate what was easy to get down, and gained all the weight back. Over the last 2 years or so I was getting so miserable, everything would get stuck and I was having reflux, which I never had. I kept telling the doctors I was slipped, but my X-ray showed everything was in a normal position, so I decided to start the process for a revision.

I just revised to the bypass on October 24 and I certainly was slipped, my band was around my esophagus with my stomach incarcerated inside the band. They don't know how I was managing to eat anything, but I was! So far I am SO glad to have revised. The pain was approximately the same as band surgery, I did not need narcotics, my surgery was Thursday, I went back the next Thursday and likely felt good enough to go back sooner. But I can eat comfortably and that was the ultimate goal. If I don't lose another pound, I'd be sad, but I'd be fine because it's so freeing not to have that band anymore.

Now, just to get back to reality, I did have complications from anesthesia, so not everything has been rainbows and sunshine, but I'd still do it all over.

Your mileage may vary, but based off of my short month long experience, I'd recommend at least talking to a surgeon about revising and seeing how you feel about it after that.

[LadyVS 75]

On 11/26/2019 at 10:46 PM, Shanimal said:

I was banded in March 2011, lost about 70 pounds and over the past few years I've regained it all. I went back to my surgeon who advised that the band slipped and I had all CCs removed. I've been overall disappointed with the side effects of the band and know that I want, at minimum, to get the band removed. I've been considering doing the sleeve since my insurance will cover it. Does anyone have similar experience?

If you go to the revision section of this website, you will see a whole lot of us with the same problem. Yes, I just had my band taken out last week and sleeve done. I am so happy. It's something to think about. Good luck with making a decision.

[LeeAnnfromNC 46]

I had a lapband for years. I did well, lost 98 pounds. Still had another 20 pounds or so to go to my goal . I gradually regained about 60 pounds, couldn't get back to losing and eventually started having problems eating and had abdominal pain issues. Testing didn't show anything wrong with band or with anything else but I knew just from the way I felt that the band was the problem. I had my band removed on July 31st and had gastric sleeve surgery on October 9th. All is well now. Abdominal pain was gone immediately after band was removed. Weight loss resumed when I started my pre-op diet and all has been great since the sleeve surgery. I am down 30 pounds so far. Loving my sleeved stomach.

[sidvicious 20]

Banded in 2012 lost 75 lbs but starting gaining in 2016. Just had sleeve on 12/2/19

down 21 lbs. have come to accept that i am a carb/sugar addict and if i don't come to terms with the addiction than i will ultimately be in same boat.

[LeeAnnfromNC 46]

I'm right there with you. I also got a lap band in 2013, lost 98 pounds, then started a gradual regain of over half of what I had lost. Eventually developed abdominal pain issues. Testing showed no other possible reasons so my band was removed July 31 of this year. Pain gone immediately so had to have been the band. On Oct 9th I had vertical gastric sleeve surgery. I am down 35 pounds and 2 pant sizes so far. I hope I learned an important lesson over the past years....that the same actions (excess carb intake ) always equals the same result (weight gain) . At 63 years old I'm getting too old to keep starting this journey over again.

Edited December 14, 2019 by LeeAnnfromNC
submitted before finishing comment

[DKRband2sleeve 0]

I had my lap band in 2007, I intilally lost about 60# (never reached my goal weight) I was up and down and maintained keeping off about 40#. About 2 years ago I became severely anemic and perimenopausal and gained 25# and have been up and down 10lbs ever since. I have decided it’s time to take this out and just pay out of pocket ( I have 2 more years before ins will cover) 3 things: (1) I’m anxious about a part of my anatomy being removed permanently (not not like a gallbladder which I had removed (2) had so many surgeries 4 yrs ago (nothing to do with the band) I’m nervous about more surgery. But I know it’s the right thing to do (3) if the band is causing problems can I petition insurance to pay?

[S@ssen@ch 745]

3 hours ago, DKRband2sleeve said:

(1) I’m anxious about a part of my anatomy being removed permanently (not not like a gallbladder which I had removed (2) had so many surgeries 4 yrs ago (nothing to do with the band) I’m nervous about more surgery. But I know it’s the right thing to do (3) if the band is causing problems can I petition insurance to pay?

I could SO relate to this post. I originally had the lap band because I didn't want my anatomy permanently altered. After my band slipped in 2009, I lived without it and maintained most of my weight loss. In 2014, I had some major stresses in my life and I reverted back to some really bad habits. As a result, I gained all of my weight back. It took me another 2 years to reconcile with the fact I needed help and I may need to have parts me permanently changed or removed. It's a process. You'll be ready at your own pace.

I CAN answer the 3rd question: Most insurance plans allow the surgical removal of a defective implantable device (aka the lap band). I'm not sure what you mean by the "I have 2 more years before the ins will cover." Never heard of such a thing in the case of removing an implant. Talk with your surgeon, they have people in their office who do nothing but handle the insurance claims and they usually know their stuff. Depending on your insurance and your circumstances, you may be able to have the band out and have a conversion to sleeve/bypass in one surgery. It's more cost-effective for the insurance and unless you have medical contraindications that would make the dual surgery unsafe, you should be good. Again, consult your surgeon and the office.

[LeeAnnfromNC 46]

I had a lap band for 7 years. Initially very successful. I didn’t like the side effects and eventually we just couldn’t get the fill level exactly right. I ended up gaining about 2/3 of my weight back. I started having problems with stomach pain. When no other cause was found we decided to remove the band and the stomach issues immediately stopped. I had a separate gastric sleeve surgery 2 months later. I absolutely love my sleeve. Weight loss has been great , I feel great, and I have had no side effects. I would do it again in a heartbeat.