Poor weight loss after band to sleeve revision surgery?

Hi everyone!

I posted this on the Revison forum, but wanted to post it here as well to hear from some VSG patients who've had revision surgery.

I was jus****ching a video on Youtube posted by Endobariatrics, and Dr Alvarez was saying how band to sleeve revison surgeries sometimes can't be done all at once because of scar tissue, and that the weight loss of the patients who do it all at once can be poor compared to patients who have never had the band and get sleeved first.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Endobariatric#p/c/DCC7DC6C03E946 9B/8/VXAOV4nz9qE

I'm a little confused and, I'll admit, upset, because after reading through so many posts about revision surgery, I never read any posts about slow weight loss after revision surgery, band to sleeve. I'm calling my surgeon on Monday, because he never mentioned any of this to me. I know there are greater risks of complications with band revision, but the poor weight loss?? I'd never heard of that.

I'm scheduled for band to sleeve revision in January 2012, and this video threw me for a loop!

Any input from those who've gone before me would be greatly appreciated!

I haven't heard that before either...for what it is worth, I am a band to sleeve revision and I am pretty happy with my results so far.

I had my band removal and my sleeve revision done all in one procedure.

Best of luck,
Lindsey

Someone mentioned this in my support group this week. She said that she was losing much slower because she was a band to sleeve revision. Someone asked and she said that it was explained to her that her metabolism was already slowed down due to the band so that she lost much much slower.

Again, this was not a doctor, just people talking in the meeting.

Hmm..I guess that is possible.

I should add that in my second year with the band, I gained back a lot of the weight I had lost. Then I was completely unfilled for about 5 months prior to my revision surgery which I also spent eating and gaining weight, so that may be why I haven't noticed particularly slow weight loss.

 My surgeon explaine to me that b/c he might not be able to do a strightforward sleeve on me b/c of the scar tissue left behind by the band I might have slower weight loss b/c he would have to give me a bigger sleeve. My scar tissue was significant, but it was in places that did not impact my suture line so I got a "normal" sized sleeve. 

Typically, revision patients do have slower/lower weight loss numbers because most are revised at a lower starting weight. OR, they choose the wrong revision surgery. Meaning a band to sleeve patient that wants to still suck down 2000 calorie milkshakes isn't going to do well with the sleeve vs. DS.

I think it really depends on "the need" for revision. If it's related to patient compliance/diligence/behavior changes etc etc, then a revision to a strictly restrictive only procedure may not be as successful. But, then we see the same issues with virgin sleeve patients.

My surgeon told me I'd lose slower, and less weight simply because I was a revision. Well, I proved him and everyone else wrong.

Thanks, guys!

I was banded in November of 2006, and initially I lost 27lbs. That was it. From that point on the band did nothing for me. I didn't have any complications with it, no slippage, but I learned that I could eat right through the band. I am 30lbs heavier now than when I first got the band. It's not my doctor's fault, it's just that the band and I are not compatible.

I wish I had known about the sleeve when I was looking into having the band. I'm self pay, and the thought of paying so much money only to have poor or insignificant weight loss is really getting me down.

Thanks for the responses!

I take it Dr.  Alvarez practices outside the United states?  It could be that he is planning on charging for two seperate surgeries.  It sounds like politics to me.  I had my band removed and was sleeved all in one surgery and I am losing weight pretty much as expected.  Although I had lost over 100 lbs with the band I am surprised that I have stalled after three weeks, then started losing again.  I am concerned because the switch to the sleeve was not to loose another 100 lbs, it was to lose a few pounds and to maintain the weight loss I had with the band.  I had to switch because of slippage.  With the slippage I only gained 19 lbs after fluid was taken out of the band.  I do not think that a person will lose as much as a patient that has never had weight loss surgery, its obvious that a person that has had some type of weigh loss intervention and depending on the time you had the band, the metabolism might have been altered but nothing is impossible or written in stone. 

Santos

Dr Alvarez is in Mexico. He isn't my doctor, but I enjoy watching his channel on Youtube. He seems very experienced in doing the sleeve, which is why I can accept that he may be right about slower weight loss. After watching that video I've been doing searches on the web trying to find evidence of what he said, and sure enough, I have found some revision patients that claim not to have lost much weight after revision surgery.

The good news is that from this forum and other forums I've visited, there are more revision successes than failures. I feel a little better. I'm going to stay positive and believe that I will be one of the success stories, like you and so many others. Thanks so much for your response!

I had my band to sleeve revision on 5/16. So far I've lost 25 pounds.  People usually lose more than that at 3 months out but I had my revision at 188 so I guess techinically I was a "lightweight". Just thought I'd give you an example. Good luck! :)