Band out and sleeve done at same time...

Hi Jazzy,
I have also been seeing Richard Gilhome for 6 years & will be going from a band to a sleeve.
The nurses Cheryl & Andrea are great to discuss this with. Cheryl & I had a good chat yesterday about this exact same question.
They have done trials over several months & the data suggested it made no difference to leaving the stomach or sleeving straight away.
What did make a difference was the massive weight gain the patients had between removal of the band & the sleeve being performed. The patient's mental state with having a weight gain over the time they were waiting for the sleeve apparently was also a large factor.
Richard was discussing with me that they have developed a new stitch & so far there has not been any leakage.
The reason they did wait the 3 months was the increased occurance of leakage which this stitch has overcome.
I am seeing Richard on 13th September & will be booking in for the sleeve hopefully the following week.

Hi Jazzy

I had my band out 6 days ago.. my doctor told me he can't do the band removal and sleeve at the same time .. because the sleeve will leak . He originally said the scar tissue on my stomach will need 3 months to heal following the band removal.. the good news for me is that after he had a good look inside me on monday he has said he can now do the sleeve in 7 weeks (so i don't put anymore weight on).. so i am looking forward to September..

The scar to remove my port is double to the scar when it was put in.. a different doctor put the band in.. The doctor said my port was firmly attached and a bit tough to get out..

Can anyone tell me........ ? will the sleeve reduce my huge appetite.. I am already starving and have to try really hard not to put more weight on before my sleeve op..

cheers

PJ

Hi
I just had the band to sleeve op on 6th July. the operation was a complete success. Was done in just less than 2 hours. I have had a great recovery and feel great!

But having read a few posts on the forum it seems to depend on your body. What i mean is that some who have had the band have found perforations, liver growing around band, huge scar tissue formed etc once the surgeon went in. It may be difficult for the surgeon to perform the op at same time as taking band out with this.

It really is a case of finding out when the surgeon is in there as I don't think that any surgeon will truly know until they are 'looking at the damaged goods' for want of better words!!

I was lucky as my band came out instantly with no trouble and minimal scar tissue build up--others dont seem to be as fortunate!!

I had a revision surgery on 6/3/2010 from the band to the sleeve all at the same time. Save certain complications that I with the band I have had a relatively normal recovery which seems to be in line with many others that I have read about throughout this site.

hi

to be honest i dont think i do get acid reflux--i never had it with the band.
However with the sleeve (6 days post op) i was having what feels like stomach contractions. These can take place before or after food. It is very weird...like radiating pain every 10 seconds or so. I've never had a baby (yet!!) ..but I sort of felt like I would call it "pouch contractions" - pressure and pain and tightness, a short break, and then again.

However so far so good today as i have not had any of these pains at all!!

Apparently the research is saying that 3 years post op the results of the sleeve v bypass is around the same (maybe 10-15pounds more with bypass) the bypass is quicker weight loss but sleeve catches up after time.

Personally i do not see how weight gain will happen unless there is a lot of cheating... in my opinion a sleeve or a bypass can only provide a limited amount of weight loss---it is then upto the individual to make the correct choices to maintain. With any WLS there must be a limit to how much a person can lose with the op alone---whether it be 10 pounds, 100 pounds or a 1000 pounds. once the WLS has done its job then we need to provide ourselves with extra weight loss factors eg exercise and correct food choices. there will also be a genetic limit to how much weight we can lose IMO!

Do you get acid reflux with the sleeve? One of the main reasons I want to convert from band to sleeve is the terrible acid reflux. Also I'm wondering down the line if you need some other weight loss surgery to complement the sleeve should you have excess weight gain again. Does any one know? What do you take for acid reflux?

Hi!

I have had my band out and was sleeved in the same operation on 6th July 2010. It took less than 2 hours!

The operation was a complete success and the surgeon is very happy.

He said that the bypass is very difficult after a band being in due to scarring around the band site. He states that he always recommends the sleeve for band revision surgery.

I have had no pain whatsoever after the op and was discharged from hospital one day early!

Feel free to ask me any questions--i am rapidly updating my blog with my experiences from the surgery which should have most things in!

My doctor is removing my band at the same time I'm sleeved. He told me he routinely does surgery this way. I'm not really scared because he's the world's 3rd best bariatric surgeon. I assume he does his best to straighten out the stomach before he sleeves. He's in Mexico. Dr. Roberto Rumbaut.

Hi Jazzy,

I had my band in for a grand total of 6 months - it was a total pain in the butt.

I had my band out and then was sleeved almost 3 months later. Right after I had my band taken out I still felt some type of restriction and my surgeon explained this was because my stomach was still 'scrunched in' from the band and would take a while to go back into a normal shape - and that was only after having a band for 6 months!

Compared to the band the sleeve is just the best thing ever - I love it already! Today is 5 weeks since my operation and I'm down almost 9kg since my operation.

Definately have a big chat to your surgeon but I think a couple of months between procedures seems to be the norm.

Take care Jazzy,

xxHuggyBear

Hi Momkapo

Yes definately seeking second opinion thats for sure. You did well having the band for 7 years, mine has only been in for 12 months.

Thanks
Jazzy

Hello,

I got my band out in April and the doctor told me I had to wait 6-8 weeks before a sleeve. The stomach has to repair itself before surgery. Def get a second opinion.

I am getting sleeved in 1 week and cannot wait. The band worked for 7 years for me and then stopped working. Bummer.

Hi Everyone

Shelly, my surgeon is Richard Gilholme (Melb) and he has given me 2 people to contact that have had the sleeve done but Im not sure if they had the op at the same time of the band being removed. I will be calling them and having a good chat about it.

Lib, I have had the band for 12 months (no fill for about 3 months now) and I did think that as it is only a relatively short time to have the band in maybe this is the reason. But reading Jen-e's thoughts it makes sense that the stomach surely would be scrunched and this would make more sense to let this part of the stomach heal and then do the surgery.

Well its back to the drawing board for me to do lots more research and discuss possible complications etc with my surgeon. Thanks so much for everyones responses it really is appreciated.

Will keep you posted as to whats happens next.

Thanks again
Jazzy

Hi Applesauce

I know it just doesnt sound right to me - I am seeing my surgeon this week so will discuss a bit further.

Thanks
Jazzy

Hi,
I had a band for 8 months. My sleeve was done 2 months after it was removed. After the op the surgeon said the part of my stomach that was stitched up over the band still hadn't flattened out properly. So the op took a bit longer than normal. He did say he managed to get that bit flattened out and the sleeve was looking good.
The scrunched up part of the stomach where the band was can be tougher for the staples to go through too. After a few months this area softens and straightens out so it's easier for the staples to go through hence less risk of a leak or bigger sleeve.
So my thought is that it might be a good idea to wait a while after the band is removed.

Hi there

My band came out last November. The Dr. I've choosen to do my sleeve said that it's common for problems to occur when it's all done at once; down the track (after the band is removed) is far more preferable.

All the best.

maybe ask other ex banders/now sleevers thier opinion on this.
Who is your doc? see if anyone else on here has used him for the band then sleeve(as libby said we havent heard of anyone on this forum who has had both done at once)
I would definately do lots of research before making any desicion as you want a good outcome and dont want any extra risks.also has the dr said if hes done this before on other patients???if yes what have the results been?If no then id probably wait 3 months then have a sleeve (but thats just my opinion)
let us know how you go
hugs

shelly

Hello and welcome,

I've not heard of anyone being debanded and sleeved at the same time but that is not to say it isn't being done. How long have you had the band? Maybe if it's relatively new it wouldn't have impacted much on your stomach??? I would probably say to the Dr that you've heard there is normally a 3+ month wait and see what he says?

Honestly I have never heard of anybody ending up happy with the results when this is done as the stomach takes months to unfold and you dont want that happening after the sleeve and a bigger than wanted sleeve. I am sure there will be a few out there that it has worked for but I just wouldnt risk it.

applesauce

Hi Everyone

I have been around the forum for a while and thought it was time to take the plunge and join in and ask for some advice/thoughts etc. I have a lap band band and are in discussions to have the sleeve done (I'm a bit scared I have to say). My Surgeon said he can take the band out and do the sleeve at the same time and I am a bit worried as from what I have been reading on other posts the majority seem to have the band removed and then wait for 2 - 3 months and then have the sleeve done. Has anyone had this done at the same time?

Thanks
Jazzy