I would think they would be very similar in the "dangerous" catagory.  You are taking things out and moving things around.  Find a doctor you trust and talk with them and go from there.  There are risks with any surgery.  Yes, you have a bigger chance of leaking after either with more scare tissue but are you sure you have "lots of scar tissue".  Did they actually look or are they assuming?

Hi,
I too lost my band. I had the band in Oct 2010, I got an infection and my port was contaminated. My Dr. thought it was best to leave the port in get me fully restricted, take the port out, heal, then replace the port. Sounded good except for the bumps in the road, when they took my port out i was nipped in the intestin causing 30 days of pain, lots of tests, and unknown reasons for why i was so sick. I ended up being septic, that is when they realized my colon perforated from emergency exploratory surgery. They thought I had diverticulitis but we figuered out that was not the case and it was casued by being nipped during the time they took the port out. So my story continues as after i went home fater a week in the hospital on heavy antibiotis I was suffering sever shoulder pain, so bad it would make me loose my breath, pain was in the nerves.  a month or two this pain and a problem breathing deep they figuered out that that the tube teh port connects to was lodged between my splean and my liver casuing it to hit a nerve that was casuing the shoudler pain.  Solution was to go in and have my port replaced so the tube would no longer be hanging free...so I did...I thought I was going to until i came out of surgery and they said they had to take my entire band becasue it was so infected they could not use it any longer.  So as of today I am still suffering from breathing completely deep in...not as bad as it was, much better, but still an issue. So now maybe some will think I am crazy but after puttign my 50lbs that I lost back on I am researching either bypass or the sleeve....any thoughts?

Hello Faithstep,

I was on my doctors web site Dr. Ruthledge when I saw your request for help and my heart went out to you because I experienced a simular situation with my lap-band. I felt like a DUMMY TOO! My Mother died with heart failure & with diabetis, my sister was in a diabetic coma for 5 years before she died, my brother is a diabetic and I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic so I thought the lap-band was going to be the solution to my problems! 

I was asked the question why do you think your lap-band failed? MY ANSWER:  It failed because I am having problems with swallowing my food. I vomit constantly. Actually almost everyday with one of my meals, either breakfast, lunch or dinner!  I'm having Acid Reflux problems too. Food always gets stuck in my Esophagus/Throat & clogs my stoma. Sometimes before I vomit I feel like I'm going to faint because I can bearly breathe with the food blocking my passage way.  Now in order for me to eat daily without choking I MUST drink water with my food, because of course the water helps the food pass down my throat to clear my stoma, just sometimes. 

I had a doctor's appointment with the surgeon that installed the lap-band in April 2010
(I won't give this doctor's name but it isn't Dr. Ruthledge) and I told him that I thought that my lap-band might of slipped and explained to him the symptoms that I was having, and he said that he didn't think it slipped because I would be in severe pain if it did. This was his opinion without even attempting to run any test.I had my lap-band put in 8/1/2008 I weighed 185 lbs. and was growing. I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic before I had my lap-band and the most weight I've lost within two years was 35 lbs. I was 150 lbs. at my lowest for ONLY 2 months. Now at the present time my weight is 175 lbs. So I paid this doctor $15,000.00 plus, for the lap-band procedure and now I am 10 lbs. away from my pre-surgery weight, I'm miserable because I am afraid to EAT, even when I am starving!

It was a blessing when I accidentally found Dr. Ruthledge's web site!  I googled failed lap-band and to my surprise I discovered Dr. Ruthledge information & videos on the Mini Gastric Bypass and failed lap-band videos. The first thing I said was,
"WOW I'M NOT CRAZY AFTER ALL! LOOK AT ALL THE FAILED LAP-BAND CASES HONEY (speaking to my spouse)! I immediately started to research!  After 2 months of going to his meetings and interviewing some of his patients I decided that I was going to ask Dr. Rutledge to please remove my failed lap-band before I damage my esophagus with all this vomiting and back washing of acid reflux & food that I'm suffering with.

So on 8/25/10 My WONDERFUL Dr. Ruthledge removed my lap-band and replaced it with a Mini Gastric Bypass, and guess what Dr. Ruthledge said that my lap-band did slip just like I thought it did. In spite of the bad experience with the lap-band I am happier then I have ever been with my new MGB procedure, because the food goes down smoothly without me choking and at last no more vomiting Thank God! So my advice to you in my opinion is the BEST REVISION would be to get that THING taken out of you, research The MGB procedure and talk to several people that had the same surgery I promise you won't regret it. Doctor's staff is so nice to work with and everyone is so PATIENT & GREAT to be at your service &  Dr. Ruthledge is GOD-SENT and he is a GENIUS! DON'T REVISE your lap-band REPLACE IT with a MGB! God Bless You.

Sincerely,
Charlotte

P.S.  I FOR GOT TO MENTION THAT SO FAR I AM LOSING A POUND A DAY! WITHOUT STARVING AND I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED ANY EXERCISING!