Molina Band removed,but am left with a stricture

Question
I had a Molina band placed in the 1980's, lost 100lbs and have kept all but 15-20lb off.I am 52 years old and live a very healthy life style through diet and LOTS of excercise.After years of problems with the Molina band I had it removed only to be left with a stricture in my lower esophagus and upper portion of my stomach.I have been unable to eat solid foods for almost 6 months now.I was recently told by a Thoracic Surgeon that Gastric Bypass was the only alternative to fix this.My concern is I don't have that much weight to lose,maybe 20-30,can this be dangerous?And is there in your opinion another alternative?

Answer
Charlene,
Thanks for writing.  My key advice is for you to seek the opinion of an experienced bariatric surgeon in your area.  I don't know the exact location of your stricture, but one option that I would consider would be a stent.  This is a device originally designed to stretch out strictures caused by cancer, but it also can be used for strictures related to old scar tissue.

Be advised that the situation may be more complex than just a stricture, and you may also have weakening or failure of your esophagus above the stricture (old band site).  If you have permanent damage to your esophagus then it may end up being better to have a gastric bypass; this type of judgment is best made by the experienced bariatric surgeon.

Best of luck!
Dr JP

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