lapband scarring

Question
I had lapband surgery 2.5 yrs ago & just recently had to have it taken out due to scarring  around the band. It was choking off my stomach to the point that I couldn't eat or drink for 6 days. The doctor said he couldn't put in the bigger band because my scar tissue was so thick it would just do it again to the new band.

My question is if this happened with the lapband, would I have similar issues if I qualified to have gastric bypass?

Answer
Tambra,
This scenario of thick scarring around the Band is not typical, but still I think I can answer your question.  Most likely, the scarring was a reaction to the presence of the Band itself, and it seems unlikely to me that you would have a similar problem with a gastric bypass.  I certainly think it would be worth your time to meet with an experienced bariatric surgeon to consider a possible gastric bypass - the surgeon can then look closely at exactly what happened with the Band and decide if a gastric bypass seems reasonable from a risk/benefit standpoint.  I suspect the answer for you will be 'yes.'

Best of luck,
Dr JP

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