Can anyone out there give an estimate/guesstimate of how many people on here have had a revision from the LapBand/Realize band to VSG.

Would anyone like to share their story? 
I would really appreciate. I want to share this info and your stories with a good friend of mine. 
thanks in advance guys
Javier

Band to sleeve revision here. Band August 2008, slip Jan 2011, revision to sleeve March 2011. Currently 4-5 pounds to goal. Plastic surgery on Monday. I went to Mexico for my band and revision with Dr. Ortiz at Obesity Control Center in T.J. Had a great experience both times.

There are lots of folks who have revised from Band to Sleeve.

You should check the Revisions group for more feedback.

I will be doing so sometime within the next two or three months.

 I gotta ask you, babe: WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING NAOMI, of all people?

I'm not following her so much as I noticed she disappeared.

At this point, she and I are polite to each other, which is all I really ask.

Please stop by the sleeve board and post this. I can think of 7 off the top of my head, all very successful, but would think you would want to hear it from them.

 Thanks i will. I stop by the revision board, but the format looked different and i had a hard time navigating through it.  The VSG board makes sence as well, I would like a few stories to share with my friend.  thanks for the idea. 

I had a band revision to VSG done here in Houston (Dr. Marvin).   I'm so glad I have that band out of my body.  

 Short answer: A LOT.

There's A LOT of us.

I'm 3 years out from my band to VSG revision.

I can either cliffnote version my band ****storm story, or give you the gory details. Either way, tell your friend to research the statistical facts on the band, and stop believing the unicorn fart rainbows stories. NOT negating true and successful bandsters AT ALL, just have her really do the research that is necessary. Personal stories are fabulous, but give her facts, no denying them. Complications are on the rise, damage is NOT always reversible, and revision is NOT always possible.

 i rather the ****storm lol

Band placed October 2008, flipped port early on.

Lost 23-25lbs the first 3 months out of sheer dieting, constantly hungry, wasn't not impressed. Over those first 3 months, my port migrated because I was doing the band thing, eating right, exercising, and then complications started coming, by month 5, I was in chronic pain, my port had migrated and was causing the tubing to pull on my stomach (this had been happening the whole time). Anyways, couldn't get a fill/unfill, was puking on water some days because of swelling and the tugging on my stomach from the tubing moving. Started pursuing a revision to VSG, insurance hoops etc.

Revised June 3, 2009, sprung a leak because the scar tissues and adhesions were so severe to my stomach that my surgeon had to repair the leak by literally sewing my stomach back from two separate pieces. I have permanent nerve damage that randomly hits, you'll find stories of "referred shoulder pain", I've had every diagnosis, had my gallbladder removed 8 months post-VSG in addition to hoards of scar tissue and adhesions removed from my abdomen. I had adhesions on my liver, all the way down to my colon, it was lovely.  And, the nerve damage is non-treatable, there's nothing to be done about it. I just get to live with it YAY. I had extensive complications after my revision and a very slow, pain-staking recovery that lasted for 3.5 months. At 3 years out, the only issue I have is the nerve damage. I have zero food restrictions, I hit and surpassed my goal weight in 6.5 months. Maintained for a solid year until pregnancy last year, delivered a beautiful, healthy, full term daughter on 30 October, and I'm 23.5 weeks into my 2nd post-op pregnancy. Baby Nuggest, a boy, is due 17 October 2012. So, not only did I survive, I'm literally thriving at 3 years post-VSG.

I'll add that I followed every flipping band rule, had a mere 3-3.5cc in a 10cc band, had varying restriction, in the last couple of months before revision at 8 months post band placement, I had to stop eating solid food and resorted to sliders just for some calories. I gained back 16lbs waiting for my revision.

If you want real statistical information to share with your friend let me know. I realize that personal stories are great, but given true medical stats and published studies can't deny how ****ty the band really is for a lot of people. The complications are on the rise, and the sucesses are few and far between.

 wow, I am sorry that you went through such hardship with the band. I find it just absolutely crazy how a procedure that we belive will help us can take such a turn for the worst. 
but i am glad that you found your way out of it and that are doing fine with your sleeve. Congrats on your pregnancy and thanks for sharing your story with us. 

I would greatly appreciate any statistical info that you could share. 
wish you the best. 
javier

It's not as uncommon as you think.

http://all-about-lapband.com/problems/failure.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16839478&ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/safety_information/


From the link above: Patients can experience complications after surgery. Most complications are not serious but some may require hospitalization and/or re-operation. In the United States clinical study, with 3-year follow-up reported, 88% of the 299 patients had one or more adverse events, ranging from mild, moderate, to severe. Nausea and vomiting (51%), gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation) (34%), band slippage/pouch dilatation (24%) and stoma obstruction (stomach-band outlet blockage) (14%) were the most common post-operative complications. In the study, 25% of the patients had their band systems removed, two-thirds of which were following adverse events. Esophageal dilatation or dysmotility (poor esophageal function****urred in 11% of patients, the long-term effects of which are currently unknown. Constipation, diarrhea and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing****urred in 9% of the patients. In 9% of the patients, a second surgery was needed to fix a problem with the band or initial surgery. In 9% of the patients, there was an additional procedure to fix a leaking or twisted access port. The access port design has been improved. Four out of 299 patients (1.3%) had their bands erode into their stomachs. These bands needed to be removed in a second operation. Surgical techniques have evolved to reduce slippage. Surgeons with more laparoscopic experience and more experience with these procedures report fewer complications.

Adverse events that were considered to be non-serious, and which occurred in less than 1% of the patients, included: esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus), gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), hiatal hernia (some stomach above the diaphragm), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), abdominal pain, hernia, incisional hernia, infection, redundant skin, dehydration, diarrhea (frequent semi-solid bowel movements), abnormal stools, constipation, flatulence (gas), dyspepsia (upset stomach), eructation (belching), cardiospasm (an obstruction of passage of food through the bottom of the esophagus), hematemsis (vomiting of blood), asthenia (fatigue), fever, chest pain, incision pain, contact dermatitis (rash), abnormal healing, edema (swelling), paresthesia (abnormal sensation of burning, *****ly, or tingling), dysmenorrhea (difficult periods), hypochromic anemia (low oxygen carrying part of blood), band system leak, cholecystitis (gall stones), esophageal ulcer (sore), port displacement, port site pain, spleen injury, and wound infection. Be sure to ask your surgeon about these possible complications and any of these medical terms that you dont understand.


http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1107072

Conclusion from link above:

Based on a follow-up of 54.3% of patients, LAGB appears to result in a mean excess weight loss of 42.8% after 12 years or longer. Of 78 patients, 47 (60.3%) were satisfied, and the quality-of-life index was neutral. However, because nearly 1 out of 3 patients experienced band erosion, and nearly 50% of the patients required removal of their bands (contributing to a reoperation rate of 60%), LAGB appears to result in relatively poor long-term outcomes.

me .  how many you got so far?  We are many!

I was banded with my first band on June 19Th 2006. This band caused me to vomit multiple times per week, and suffer from severe esophageal reflux every night when I went to sleep.
I had to sleep in an up right position....Yet still I would awake with a mouthful of burning acid.

The acid was so hot that it actually burned the back of my throat and that could last for a few days. My PCP had me on a PPI and even that did not stop the acid. There were many times I was unable to swallow my own saliva and/or swallow water. Even unfilled I suffered from the acid reflux and band tightening.

The band self tightens as it becomes older. This is unique to each individual. I believe it's due to how much scar tissue your stomach will produce after the initial surgery.

I experienced left shoulder pain from day one and it never went fully away. I listened to those on the lap band board with their well meaning advice telling me it, " was just gas " or that I was eating too fast, or not chewing my food well enough. I followed their advice and still I kept experiencing esophageal reflux every night.

Left shoulder pain can be considered normal under certain cir****tances. For example :
After abdominal surgery ( WLS ) you will experience trapped gas in your shoulders, but that gas usually dissipates within a week or two MAX.

The only reason someone with a band would experience left shoulder pain months/years after surgery is because they are experiencing diaphragmatic pain. The diaphragm cannot feel pain and refers the pain to the left, right, and sometimes both shoulders, as well as the chest and neck.

This pain can be confused with cardiac symptoms and anxiety attacks. Your left shoulder, arm, back,throat,neck and/or chest will hurt like you are experiencing a heart attack.

You may feel like you are having an anxiety attack because you feel tightness in your throat. This can happen before, during, or after you eat. It can tighten even when you haven't eaten. This feeling is your esophagus experiencing an esophageal spasm. Some of the lap banders will confuse this feeling by inaccurately calling it a " Stuck Episode "

Read the link below for more details regarding being " Stuck "

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4539222/Youre-not-quot-St uck-quot-your-band-is-causing-pressure-on/#37610670

If the band is not removed in a timely manner the damage to your diaphragm may become permanent.

My daughter who was banded the same day as myself had to have her first band removed for the same exact reasons I had to have mine removed.

Our bands had slipped.

I was banded with my second band in December of 2008. This was an unplanned emergency surgery, so I was not prepared to revise to another surgery without being fully informed. I regretfully chose to have a second band placed, as well as my daughter.

At this point I had loss 70 lbs the hard way. From 2008 to the time of my second revision. I was still able to maintain my 70 lbs loss. This was not because of my band. It was because I was determined to not gain any of my pre-op weight back. I had been through enough and I wasn't going to allow myself to gain any of that weight back.

I experienced even more left shoulder, back pain, now was experiencing a whole new set of problems.  Esophageal Motility Disorder & Dysphagia.

"The esophagus functions solely to deliver food from the mouth to the stomach where the process of digestion can begin. Efficient transport by the esophagus requires a coordinated, sequential motility pattern that propels food from above and clears acid and bile reflux from below. Disruption of this highly integrated muscular motion limits delivery of food and fluid, as well as causes a bothersome sense of dysphagia and chest pain"

I woke up with my air passage fully obstructed one night. I tried very hard not to panic and ran across my room to the bathroom where I was able to bend over the toilet while using both fists to press in on my stomach. I was able to successfully dislodge the object from my air way. I could have died right then and there.

I knew my problems with the band were becoming worse, so I had to do something about it. I called my surgeon and was able to get in that very day. I was directly admitted to the hospital where I stayed for six days. They removed my lap band and performed a VSG on me.


My band had slipped again. ?

UPDATE : No my band hadn't slipped, it eroded and I ended up with a surprise sleeve gastrectomy.

There are many who have been programmed into thinking by the makers of the Lap Band, Realize Band, and The O band that the band is " Minimally Invasive & Reversible " That is complete brain washing and anyone who chooses to go forward with having a band implanted for these reasons, need to research more because as you can see just by mine and my daughters experience alone.
That our surgeries combined totaled altogether 8 ' Minimally Invasive " surgeries.

My band was not reversible....it was removable, but not until it had already caused severe nerve and thoracic pain which just may end up being permanent damage.

Here is a link to more band experiences.

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/LapBand/4398937/New-here-Research ing-and-Learning/

 Thanks for sharing, and i am sorry you had such a bad experience, glad the vsg has worked for you. 

2 1/2 years. 19 fills, 4 partial unfills. No restriction. Have I revised yet? No. But only because of finances. I was self-pay for the band, and I may have to be self-pay for VSG as well.

There are MANY of us out there with failed bands!