Band removal/gastric bypass in 3 weeks!

I just had a minor freakout moment!  I am scheduled for band removal and revision to gastric bypass on the 4th.  When the surgery scheduler called to make my final 2 appointments (next Friday!) she reminded me that I may not get both things done at once.  They are planning for both, but there is that possibility.  Does anyone know how often they plan to do it all at once and then discover during band removal that there are issues?  I planned this surgery for summer/fall but the process took so danged long I am barely making it to the end of the year and my husband's insurance changes on Jan. 1!  Yikes!  Should I be worried?  I don't have any symptoms and my egd and barium swalow were fine. 

Hey there!

I had my lap band removed on October 22 and I'm scheduled for RNY this Thursday. The scheduler is right...sometimes the surgeon doesn't feel comfortable removing the band and doing the revision surgery at once.

According to my surgeon, most of it has to do with the development of scar tissue causing stricture (tightening or narrowing) of the area where the band is. I was also told that sometimes the surgeon can't know for sure if there was any erosion of the band until he really takes a look at it during surgery.

If your EGD and swallow were fine, they'll probably go ahead and do the removal and revision all at once. I think they just like to prepare you for the worst because in some situations, everything looks great on the EGD/other tests but the surgeon REALLY only knows if everything is fine when he gets in there and removes the band.

My surgeon looked at my CT scan and wasn't quite sure whether the band had eroded or not, so he decided to get in there, do the EGD during surgery, and let my stomach heal before proceeding to the RNY. Turns out that everything looked GREAT when he went in there- no erosion, no issues. So technically, he could've done both surgeries at once. I was fine with it though...of course I would've preferred just one surgery! It'll all work out though.

Don't be worried- if the tests were fine, you'll more than likely be okay for the removal and RNY in one go!

Thank you, KSFNP1!  I am pretty sure everything is going to be fine but I guess it just finally hit me between the eyes that the chance exists for this to be a 2-part surgery.  I am more worried about it being a new benefit year for my insurance than anything else, lol.  It will cost me a whole lot more than I am expecting to pay after January 1st!   The only thing I can see being a problem is my pouch dilation, but I will have been on liquids for 2 weeks prior to surgery so hopefully that will be minimal.  I have my meet and greet with my surgeon on Friday so I will ask him about pouch dilation and how they do the bypass with that.  I guess my pouch will be up higher than it would otherwise?

Anyway, thanks for answering my panicked plea, lol.  I do feel better now that I realize it isn't the end of the world if things don't go just as I expect them to.  After all, surgery is only the first step in my new, healthy lifestyle!  :) 

I just had my band removed and converted to RNY this Wednesday.  My surgery took a long time with the adhesions, but he was able to get the revision done.  Recovery hasn't been too bad, I am checking out of the hospital in an hour and while I am sore, I don't feel too bad.