Band revision advice please!

[Fatass40]

Hi all


I'm planning to have revision as I've struggled, from day one, with my band. I now feel that the time is right to have it removed & have revision to either bypass or a sleeve.

Can I ask others who have had revision surgery privately, whether you had an 'all in one go' approach or a removal followed by new surgery.at s later date? Where did you have it done, with whom & if you don't mind sharing, rough costs.

I'm midlands based but am seriously considering Prof Ammori.

Many thanks

Claire

Ps.. What surgery did you have & is it better than the band?!?

 

[Sashie1977]

I had mine all in one go. I had my band in 2007 and I had it converted to a sleeve on the 20th Sept 2012. It cost £11000 at Murrayfield Spire in Edinburgh who are fantastic. My surgeons were Mr Debeaux and Mr Tulloh
Personally, I love my sleeve and I wish I had done it sooner. The band for me didn't work, I wish it had but the sleeve is the best option for me. I have lost almost 7 stone with 1 stone to go since the 20th of September....love it!

 

[Fatass40]

Hi Sashie

Congratulations on your weightloss!!

I had my band in 2008 but have spent a lot of the time since pregnant so perhaps I haven't given the band a chance but I've never got on with it. I hate the feeling of food being stuck waiting to pass. For this reason I'm thinking about the sleeve as I understand that you have a pouch with a bypass which worries me. Can I ask why you didn't get on with the band? (If you can pinpoint a reason). I was thinking that it would be £10k+. Did you go direct or through an agency (healthier weight, BMI etc??)

I hear such horror stories about revisions not working and slow weightloss but you're evidence against. Can I ask what it is about the sleeve that has made it better for you.

Thanks
C

 

[moomoo1]

im waiting for nhs revision work, the band originally worked great lost 7 st got pregnant gained mostly all back then started meds which made me gain heavily very quickly my band has slipped and just doesnt work as it should so im opting for a bypass which is all done in one go

 

[Mazza]

There are a few converters around but not all post regularly.

I know of two band to bypassers who had a two stage convertion. One has done very well and lost all of her weight, the other hasn't lost all she wanted to. They were both told by the surgeon (same one) that their pouch is larger than a first time patient due to them having had the band.

And from what I gather through my own research if converting to a sleeve, the surgeon also prefers a two step approach.

Apparantly the sleeved stomach can be harder to seal after band removal, leaks etc can occur!

The provider I used does conversions but I don't know anyone who has used them for that.

Good luck with your research!

 

[vampalicious]

...

 

[Fatass40]

Interesting stuff...

Can I ask who your surgeon is? Are you paying privately & if so, is it more because it's being done over two ops?

Thanks

C

 

[Sashie1977]

Hi Sashie

Congratulations on your weightloss!!

I had my band in 2008 but have spent a lot of the time since pregnant so perhaps I haven't given the band a chance but I've never got on with it. I hate the feeling of food being stuck waiting to pass. For this reason I'm thinking about the sleeve as I understand that you have a pouch with a bypass which worries me. Can I ask why you didn't get on with the band? (If you can pinpoint a reason). I was thinking that it would be £10k+. Did you go direct or through an agency (healthier weight, BMI etc??)

I hear such horror stories about revisions not working and slow weightloss but you're evidence against. Can I ask what it is about the sleeve that has made it better for you.

Thanks
C

Sorry, I have only just seen your questions!

I was the same, it felt as though food wouldn't pass and the only place for it to go was back up! I had the band done privately in Glasgow but their aftercare was shocking. No dietician, no menu suggestions, I was basically left to my own devices. I never thought of forums like this and perhaps I would have got on better with it if I had, so I am partly to blame too. I found the band too easy to cheat. Because veg and protein wouldn't go down, I would fill up on chocolate and ice-cream. Plus I was miserable, so all I wanted to do was eat. It just wasn't suited to me.
I went to see my GP to see if he could suggest who to see regarding a second opinion. He referred me to Spire in Edinburgh, a private hospital. I didn't go though an agency or anything like that. They did a barium swallow and told me my band had severley slipped, my port had flipped 180 degrees and it was cutting into my stomach. The options they gave me were to convert it to a sleeve or a bypass. The bypass scared me so much so I went for the sleeve. I love it because they remove the hunger hormone/gland so I don't feel hungry meaning I don't have the desire to eat. The sleeve and bypass change your tastebuds too. I now can't stand chocolate and ice-cream so I can't even cheat it! My weightloss has been fantastic and I am about a stone away from my target which I am delighted with. The team I have are fantastic and support me so much. They are on-call all the time and I have a fab dietician.
Sadly though, my bariatric team did another barium swallow recently and have discovered a problem. Not with the sleeve itself, but with the scar tissue the band has left causing my sleeve not to work properly. Food can't pass through very well, my band was so tight that my stomach has lost the ability/function to push food through, so I am going in for a bypass conversion on the 30th of May. Apparantly I'm unique as I will have had all 3 ops! lol I wish I didn't have to go through this because I love my sleeve. I will hate not being a sleever anymore! lol
My bariatric team have done so many band to sleeve conversions or band to bypass conversions because many people can't get on with the band. They have stopped offering it altogether. However, there are many banders on here who do fantastically well and I can do nothing but admire them.
I hope you get on ok and good luck!

 

[Yvessa]

If it helps I know of someone else who has had all three, band to sleeve for the same reasons and then sleeve to bypass due to reflux.

 

[Mazza]

Wow good luck with revision number two sashie!

Claire, are you any further forward with your research? It would be good to get the revision done in one but with what sashie has been through, maybe if her stomach had the chance to heal after the band removal there wouldn't be the need for op three?

 

[Fatass40]

Perhaps... Food for thought (if you'll excuse the pun).

I'm actually considering opting for a mini bypass (a bit of a combination of the sleeve & bypass). It's supposed to have very good results but is slightly less traumatic to the body - Mr Van Den Bossche is an advocate I believe. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Spire Southampton with a quote.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks again Sashie... Fingers crossed your surgery goes really well!

Cx

 

[Mazza]

*goes off to google mini bypass*

Found this peice of info - sounds good Claire! x

Mini Gastric Bypass - Weight Loss, Complications & Comparing It with Other Procedures