Gallbladder rem & band to sleeve revision

[Louie'sMom 5]

I recently had pancreatitis from gallstones and will have to have Galbladder removed. Doc will also prob remove lap band at that time. I'm on the fence about also having sleeve revision (if covered). Terrified to lose lap band and be off shots (possibly forever) and have massive retain but also don't love the idea of having half my stomach removed FOREVER! Anyone been down this road have wisdom to impart!?!?

SW 250 (in 2017). Lost and regained til started shots in Oct 2022 at 241. Currently 205-210.

[lisamarie63 4]

Hi.. I’m so sorry you have had problems with your GB and the pancreatitis🙏I had my lap band in 2005, original surgery, SW-325 and had my 1st revision in 2008 SW-263. I had problems with my port and pain on my left side where it was, had many tests, but nothing came up. I started having major autoimmune problems like a connective tissue disease, a fast growing case of Rheumatoid Arthritis,Celiac Disease and Sjorgens Syndrome… come to find out , my lapband was the cause!! I had it removed and my Surgeon did the sleeve on me 8/18/23, SW-260, CW-163, GW-150! This was the Best Decision I’ve ever made!! I no longer have problems with my Autoimmune Stuff!! Nothing!! Don’t be afraid!! You can do this!! Plus you have a community to fall back on!! We’ve all been there at one time or another!! Good Luck and keep me/us posted!!

[NickelChip 1,268]

So, I never had lapband, but I was exactly your starting weight and height last year and chose gastric bypass after 7 years of nutrition work and trying Saxenda and Wegovy with varying degrees of effectiveness but too high a cost and too hard to get with shortages. I was 250 in 2016. I got down as low as 205 in 2018. I slowly regained until I was back to 250, despite my best efforts. I'm now 11 lbs away from being back to a normal BMI for the first time since I was 18 years old!

What I can tell you from my experience is obesity is a disease that never goes away, even if you lose weight. Your body will always want to be bigger without constant intervention. Surgery is the strongest intervention you can give yourself. Personally, I chose gastric bypass because I didn't like the idea of completely removing my stomach. It's still there, hanging out, not doing much. All my intestines are still there, just in a slightly different configuration. Plus, I know that bypass offers a somewhat stronger and more durable metabolic response, making it less likely to need GLP-1 meds in the future to maintain weight.

If you have the lapband removed and do nothing else, realistically, you will probably be back to 250 within a few years and never be much lighter than that again FOREVER. If you continue meds, you might stay where you are or lose a little more as long as you keep taking the meds FOREVER. If you get surgery, you can reasonably expect to get down to 160 or less and maintain that for a very long time with reasonably good nutrition and exercise, hopefully with no other interventions needed (although you may eventually need meds). But no matter how you look at it, the struggle with obesity is forever, so you have to choose the option you are most comfortable with in the longterm.

[Louie'sMom 5]

Thank you both so much for sharing flir stories and wisdom. I meet w the doc tomorrow to discuss options. In the meantime I was due for my Wegovy shot on Thurs. Have been ravenous since Sat evening. Which is making me painfully aware that I may need a more permanent solution cause what if something changes and I no longer can get the meds via insurance. It's a lot to process. But now I guess I need to research more about sleeve vs band vs other options. Thanks again. Gina.