Challenges faced as a new RNY post-op revising from a Lapband

This Wednesday I am having my Lapband revised with a revision to RNY. If you want to know specifics, they can be found on my blog http://beariatric.com. I did a good bit of research before choosing this path. I would like to hear from RNY post-ops about the challenges you faced in the weeks and months after surgery and how they differed from your Lapband post-op experiences. I know recovery will be slower. I am looking for some real life experiences to help guide me in the coming month. -- Tom

Hi Tom - Your story is exactly like mine - except that I have gained 60 lbs!!! I am 2 weeks from revision so I am interested in understanding challenges also. Hoping you get alot of replies to your note.

Over the past year I have found that my experience with the band is somewhat common. It seems to occur around the 4-5 year postoperative period. My surgeon tells me they are experiencing a 15% failure rate and an additional 10% of folks unhappy with their band. That is a 25% revision rate. That seems very high. Tom

 

It is actually much higher than 25%.  The fed govt issued a subpeona to Allergan wanting to know why 50% of bands are removed in 2-6 years post op.  :o(

The 25% is what my surgeon is seeing in his practice. It is actually disturbing. I suspect some day we will see a class action lawsuit on these failures.

Tom, as a BOB who started out with an RNY (2002) and got banded in 2011, I will tell you its NOTHING like the band.  The RNY is a piece of cake that you should not take for granted.  While the Band is hard, the RNY is easy peasy.  Recovery is a little longer but I doubt not much bc of how the surgery has changed over the years.  I had my RNY open in 2002.  My profile is very thorough.  it was tough - to say the least.  While I walked home from my Band Surgery, I was in the hospital for a week for the RNY. I was out 6 weeks and it was very trial and error.  As someone who has a unique perspective - RNY in 2002 and then Band over Bypass in 2011, please feel free to contact me [email protected]

Thanks for your perspective. I suspect that going from a highly restrictive surgery to one that is less will take some adjustment. One thing about my band is that it definitely told me when to stop eating. I have a fear of being able to eat around the RNY easier. Tom

You can eat around it with snacking and slider foods.  But you will not feel the same restriction, IMHO.

I hope you don't mind my jumping in here. I am contemplating weight loss surgery and I'm curious as to why you didn't choose the Duodenal Switch over the RNY or Band and why you went on to get the band later. Just trying to figure out which surgery would be best for me. When you say the RNY is easy peasy, in what way?   Any input, good and bad, is so appreciated.

Bc in 2001, when I was researching DS it wasn't widely covered. Also, Mitchell Roslin - the WLS God - told me and others in Support Group - that DS was for those extremly overweight, with A LOT to lose, and who had issues with sweets.  I had the RNY which was the gold standard at the time. I did very well, losing 130lbs in just over a year. I kept it off till 2008 and then it started to creep back. I had gone from 305 to 175 and gained back to 250.  When I started to research a revision in 2010, I was told the best option was an RNY revision bc my pouch had stretched significantly.  My stoma, however, was still intact.  I was too scared of the complication rate with the RNY revision which is very high.  I wanted to BOB - band over bypass - bc of the restriction I would get.  I also asked just 'hypothetically" about the DS and was told NO, just like I was in 2001 and also it would be very, very difficult due to my open RNY.