Expert: John Pilcher, MD - 7/16/2008

Question
i have had my lapband for almost 2 years.  i have lost 124 lbs.  i have had great success.  however, i was running a race against my son and it caused the band to move position (slip) so now i feel horrible.  I am looking at complete removal or possibly removing and replacing.  I am also going to try and get pregnant.  do you know anything about the new band out? realize vs. the lapband?  also what about scar tissue with putting a new band on the same day as removing the old one?  how can i avoid slippage in the future.  i am cash pay so this is a very EXPENSIVE habit.

Answer
Dear m,
I'm not sure what you meant about the "race against your son," maybe the  Band was tightened quickly for you to lose weight??  In any case, my feeling is that the occurrence of slip is not usually under a patient's control unless they are really pushing eating a lot.

You have understood correctly that, in the case of a slip, it is often best to remove the current Band and place a new one.  As far as the Realize Band in comparison with the Lap-Band: my opinion is that they are functionally very similar but I like the Realize Band better because it comes with an improved system of lifetime support.  You can get an idea about the support system on the website www.realizeband.com.

I'm not sure what to tell you as far as avoiding a future slip.  Definitely, surgeons want to avoid a slip as much as patients do.

There is usually not a problem with placing the new Band on the day the old slipped Band is removed.  It is true there is some scar from the old Band, but usually the surgeon is able to work with this OK.

I hope this is helpful!
Dr JP