Band to sleeve revision due to esophageal dilation & achalasia?

That "I'm adopted?" pic is priceless.

My dogs think I'm a strange dog who walks on 2 legs, pees in a toilet instead of on the ground, and can open doors. Otherwise, I'm just another member of their pack!

Sorry to hear about your problems with the band. Everyone with a band develops scar tissue/adhesions.
Personally I had severe esophagitis (which I was hospitalized for) and heartburn/ reflux. I believe if I had waited much longer to have band out I would have developed more problems

I also continued to have these problems 1-2 months after band remo al. I am glad (even though it was the toughest thing to go through) to have waited 3 mos for my esophagus/stomach adhesions to heal b4 being sleeved.

My surgeon said that he would do the sleeve at same time if everything looked perfect. Well, I came out without a sleeve. I was devastated.

Some surgeons will do it in one procedure, especially those with a lot of experience. The surgery will be a lot longer because they have to remove the large amount of scar tissue.

There is a very small chance of a leak. Ex- bandsters have a higher risk especially if the staple line is sewn/stapled through adhesions.

Research your surgeons. Ask how many sleeves they performed. I was sleeved in mx where those surgeons have done thousands. (insurance denied my revision after being de-banded which was also a huge devestation).

Needless to say, I have absolutely no heartburn/reflux/food intolerances w the sleeve. It has been a godsend to me after 3 yrs with the band.

Best of luck to you! You will love the sleeve!

Best of luck to you. The sooner the band comes out the better to pre ent furthur damage.

The sooner the band comes out the better to prevent furthur damage.

That's the way I feel, too.

Jean - Welcome to the VSG site.  Not sure if you recognize me from the Band board?  I'm two weeks post-op revision from Band to VSG.  I had a slip that was severe enough That my doctor wanted me to revise immediately.

I have had absolutely no complications and feel comfortable that the VSG is a better, long-term solution for me.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Thanks, Julie. Yes, I recognize you from the band board. I'm encouraged to hear that your revision went smoothly...hope I'll be able to say the same thing sometime soon!

Jean,
Best of luck and continued good health! Sorry to hear of your problem. I know you will enjoy success with any other WLS procedure.
Tom

Thanks so much, Tom. Your support means a lot to me.

Jean

I know I'm kind of reviving a dead topic here but it's along the same lines and I'm hoping for some input without starting an entirely new topic.

I am paranoid, possibly to the point of being a hypochondriac, but at 1 year post band I got an upper GI study just to make sure everything was ok because I had had so little issue with the band at all, it just seemed too easy, I felt "something" must be wrong.

My surgeon said my esophagus was dilated but within the limits of what you'd exect for a banded person.

So now, 2 years post banding, I went back for the same upper GI study again. I plan to do it once a year even though I have no symptoms of anything being wrong with my band. No reflux, no night coughing, no stuck or PB episodes, zip. Just complete paranoia that something is going to go wrong and better to catch it early.

So I had my 2nd annual upper GI today and the radiologist said my esophagus was dilated more than he normally sees. Keep in mind, it's not like he's dealing with lap bands every day and I'll only know if there's really an issue when the report gets to my bariatric surgeon.

Still, I'm a bit worried and I am of the mind that I'd prefer to revise before there's a problem instead of waiting until it's too late. But how can I ever expect insurance to approve a revision if I don't have serious damage to my body from the band? Just wondering if anyone ever tried this? I had great weight loss with the band and have kept it off over a year now. I'm not unhappy with my band or the way I have to eat and I certainly don't feel too tight. But I have this weird feeling that something will go wrong and I should ditch it before it does. I hate this feeling.

Am I just being crazy and paranoid? 

I don't think you should compare your surgeon's comments on your 1-yr upper GI to the radiologist's comments on your 2-yr upper GI. I would want to have one or both of them look at the images from both before concluding there was a change in the appearance of your esophagus.

I haven't heard of insurance approving a revision just because the patient was nervous about future problems. Most insurance policies require proof of medical necessity, and fear probably doesn't qualify as medical necessity.

I wish I could reassure you, but I'm not in a great position to that at this point in my WLS journey. A surgeon who spoke at last year's ASMBS meeting said that the band seems to create a high-pressure system that can put a lot of stress on the esophagus (those weren't his words, I'm paraphrasing), so it's not impossible that something will go wrong with your band. But worrying about it will do nothing to change the outcome and will cause you pain and anxiety. Having an annual upper GI study is an excellent pro-active approach for catching little problems before they become big problems. I suppose you could have a study done every 6 months instead (if your insurance will cover it), and/or add an upper endoscopy to your annual bariatric check up.

Jean