Band to RNY after 12 years banded. Lots of questions

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping to connect with some of you that had a revision from Band to RNY (the majority of the posts that match are several years old).

I was banded in 2007 and have yoyo'ed and am now at my pre-surgical weight again after 12 years. I met with a bariatrician that recommended that I go to RNY for my revision, and I'm in the process of joining the program and getting surgical approval (including possibly 6 months of medical weight loss program before qualifying).

In those 12 years of yo-yo'ing, I've tried pretty much everything and always slide back, and at this point, I've stopped trying, as my metabolism is a mess from all these years of insanity. Going to RNY is the next logical choice - I need the malabsorption and all the other mixed blessings to lose weight at this point (as the doctor said, I don't have a big enough hammer to get this done).

So, all that said, I have some questions for those of you who have gone this route.

• Were you able to do both procedures in the same surgery, or did you have to go in twice, and if so, why?
• How was the healing process for you? My doc is saying 4 weeks off work, not 4 days, as it was with my band. Since I have a desk job, I'm hoping I can still work from home after a few days while finishing the healing process (my brain isn't having surgery, after all).
• How did you handle the change emotionally/mentally, compared to your band? Was it more reminders of how to eat and think, or is it drastically different?
• Any tips or things to keep in mind?

Thanks in Advance!

I've not been banded, but I've seen posts from lots of people who have.

Some doctors can do both procedures at once, others prefer to do it in two surgeries. I believe it can also depend on the amount of scarring around the lap band. So you should definitely ask your doctor about it.

For revisions, I think the average amount of time away from work is about 2 weeks.

Thanks! The doc I'm with said he can do both at the same time in about 50 percent of his cases, dependent on the scarring and whether the stomach's shape with 4 weeks' recovery time - wow! So, I guess we'll hope for the best!

Hi

I am new to this forum. I had a band in 2007 and managed to lose and maintain a 90 pound lost ( started at 350 currently 260). I now have acid reflux and the gastroenterologist has recommended removing the band. I thought a sleeve would be better, but looking at all the responses a RNY would be better and most effective for me to lose the remaining 100 pounds.

Has anyone had the band removed and had a sleeve revision that was successful. I look forward to learning from this forum as I complete my 6 month nutritional counseling.

Hi ladies,

i had the the band 2006 revision to sleeve in 2016 but had it done in 2 procedures because when my surgeon went in to do everything in one day he noticed i had a hiatal hernia (small) and fixed it, and scarr tissue so he went the route of just removing the band and then i had to wait six weeks for my stomach to heal and then do the sleeve......no the sleeve was not successful i only lost 25 lbs and went on to gain all of it back plus more and got GERD.. so i just revised again from the sleeve to bypass on 1/30/ 20 exactly 3 weeks since surgery..i never thought i would have to nor did i want too get the gastric bypass since i had family and friends who had it done 25 plus years ago and had horrible stories to tell... but 30 years later with a whole lot of experience trial and error i feel confident i will be ok.. nothing really new from band to sleeve to bypass in my opinion because you still have to eat the right amount of food... learn how to eat properly...no drinking up to 30 minutes after you eat, you have to excersize, ect..ect...

pretty much the same the only difference i see is no sugar and no carbohydrates (thats pretty much why we are here) and unlike band and sleeve we MUST take vitamins..

Good Luck

You will be fine..