Hi LindaGold,Toanswer your question requires an individualized assessment any specific case. In general, sleeve gastrectomy is a very safe operation and things that make it most safe include a relatively low BMI at the time of surgery. Sounds like you have that one covered since your BMI is around 33. having undergone a prior lap band is in no way a contraindication to having the sleeve gastrectomy performed. That being said, it does come at a slightly increased risk compared to performing a sleeve gastrectomy on a patient with no prior stomach surgery. If if the stomach was seen together over top of the band to create a tunnel through which the band was sitting, those stitches will need to be cut and that area where the stomach is attached to itself creating the tunnel will need to be surgically opened up so that when the stomach is subsequently stapled to create the sleeve, the stapler is not firing through a "double-thick" layer of stomach folded on itself. Your situation is a common one, where you are almost forced to have a revisional Bariatric procedure to prevent additional weight gain and lose all the benefits achieved from your first surgery. While it's scary to think about the risks of these surgeries, the predictable health benefits will far outweigh the risk exposure, and that's why, as surgeons, we recommend these procedures in the first place.
