Lap Bands were never intended to be left inside forever. It is a foreign object inside the body and it was estimated that its useful life would be approximately 10 years. One of the main reasons why patients choose to have a Lap-Band procedure was because it was reversible. Years have gone by since the Lap-Band boom and along the way, many patients have had to have their lap band removed for different reasons. If you are one of the ones that still have a lap band inside here are a few signs that indicate it is time to remove it.
- If it is no longer helping you control your weight. If you have regained most of the weight you initially lost and the band is just sitting there, you need to remove it before it starts causing other problems, like an erosion. It may also slip and cause digestive problems listed below.
- You are having digestive problems like: vomiting, spasms, dilated esophagus, regurgitation, constant burping, you are not able to eat nutritious food, chest pains, constant dehydration.
- You have constant acid reflux. Prolonged acid reflux that is not controlled with medication can lead to serious esophageal and dental problems.
- You have problems with your port. Pain when you touch it, pain when you sleep on our stomach, pain when you wear something that lands on it, pain when you exercise or move a certain way, the skin over your port opens ups.
- You have signs of an erosion: Infection on your port, gastric symptoms, nauseas, dysphasia, foamy smelly vomiting, An eroded band needs to be removed immediately, gastric juices may start leaking into the Abdominal cavity and through the port causing infections
95% of patients who have their bands removed experience weight gain. We find that this is the main reason patients do not want to take it out even though their quality of life is not good with the band. The good news is that unless your band is eroded into the stomach you have the option of having your band removed and your surgery revised to another bariatric procedure, a permanent one. This can be done in a single step, you do not need to have two surgeries done.
At Mexicali Bariatric Center we specialize in revision surgeries and have revised hundreds of patients’ from the Lap-band to other bariatric procedures successfully.