quakergirl

I had my surgery in the USA back in 2003. I have now moved to the Milwaukee area and would like to find a doc to follow up with. Which docs have you guys had good experiences with in this area? I'm hoping it won't be too hard to find someone willing to see patients who had their surgery with other docs.

I've been banded for almost four years now and have always been very happy with my band. I had never been able to lose weight on diets, but with the band the weight came off quite easily. Everything seemed to be going so well, after about the first two years I almost sort of *forgot* about the band on a day to day basis. HOWEVER, I recently realized that it is important not to become complacent about the band! I've been at the same level of restriction for a few years now. Just a few days ago, while having lunch, I noticed that I had suddenly lost ALL my restriction, and it scared me because I knew that it had to be some kind of band problem with such a sudden onset. While I was waiting to get in to see my surgeon, I had time to really analyze my symptoms and noticed that I also had a vague "something's off" feeling from my stomach area - little tweaks of pain in my chest and referred pain to my back between my shoulder blades (very subtle, and if it weren't for losing my restriction I probably would have just ignored the pain). Yesterday, I finally had an upper GI test done, and it turns out that I have a dilated pouch. Believe it or not, I was actually HAPPY to hear that news, because I was relieved that it was a problem that can be corrected without surgery. My surgeon simply took all my fill out for two weeks to help my pouch shrink back down to proper size. I'm trying to give my band/stomach a break by trying to stay on liquids and soft food for that time period (plus I find it hard to eat enough liquids to pack on weight than I would if I were on solids, which is obviously a big concern while my band is empty!). At the end of these two weeks I will hopefully be able to get a fill again. This experience definitely made me realize that I had relaxed too much as the years went by and wasn't paying enough attention to the band! For example, I had allowed myself to fall into the habit of drinking Water with meals. I knew I wasn't supposed to do that, but I figured it was harmless because 1) I was satisfied with my weight loss and 2) it wasn't causing me any pain or blockages. Now I realize that, even though I couldn't feel it happening, it was probably stretching my pouch out when I put that water into my pouch on top of the food I was eating. I won't be making that mistake anymore! Looking back now, I suspect that the pouch has been dilated for quite a while and I just never realized it because the symptoms were not bad enough to get my attention: a little bit of burping and reflux. For a long time since I've had the band, I've had a problem with excessive burping and gas noises in my stomach (which was kind of embarrassing when I'd be in a quiet moment with other people and my stomach would start rumbling away, as you can imagine!). I had read that a lot of bandsters have more gas as post-ops than they used to, so I just figured the burping was a quirk of my band that I would have to live with. However, NOW that I've had my fill taken out, my stomach's nearly-constant rumbling has all but stopped, so I think all that burping was just from air getting caught up in that overly large pouch. Maybe this means that once my pouch shrinks back to normal size I'll be free of that lovely side effect forever. I've known all along that acid reflux can be a sign of an overly tight band, but I never had any *other* signs of excessive band tightness (apparently thanks to that big pouch), so I figured that my bouts of night-time acid reflux were another little quirk I just had to deal with. I found that I could pretty much avoid the reflux as long as I didn't go to bed too soon after having eaten and made sure my head was propped up a bit on pillows. However, last night with an empty band, I slept with my head flat and had no reflux at all, so again I think my large pouch must have been to blame, allowing an abnormal amount of acid to pool up against my esopaghus sphincter when I was laying down. So, in a way, I'm glad that I found out I have a dilated pouch since it gives me hope that maybe once my pouch is back to the size it should be I will get rid of those annoying little "quirks" that I used to think I just had to live with. My main point is this: I would encourage everyone out there to stay vigilant through the years. Even if you're not having pain, and even if you lose all the weight you want to lose, pay attention to any little signs that something weird might be going on! With all that being said, I'm still totally happy to have the band now that I'm approaching my fourth anniversary with it. If you're a new bandster who finds it scary to read about complications, let me reassure you that stories like mine don't mean that all old-timers run into trouble. It's just that, after a few years with the band, it becomes a normal part of life and it seems kind of boring to keep talking about it *unless* something weird goes wrong, so most old-timers don't bother to come to sites like this to post "Yup, everything is still going just fine!" after a while. I still feel the lap-band complications are not that bad compared to how bad things can get with a gastric bypass operation. One thing I found comforting when I first realized something was wrong with my band but didn't know what was going on was that, no matter what was wrong with my band, I knew it wasn't something that truly posed a danger to my life or health. I was definitely scared that it might turn out to be an erosion and I might have to lose my band. I know if I went back to a normal stomach, I would pack on weight again. Now, more than ever, from seeing how my urge to eat excessively has come back in full force since I lost my restriction, I understand that morbid obesity is not just a personality flaw or a lack of control, but a disease that needs to be treated by surgery. However, even if I had to lose my band, I would seek out a surgeon to do the Sleeve Gastrectomy operation, rather than getting a bypass. The sleeve gastrectomy seems to be becoming more popular nowadays. Back when I was looking into weight loss surgery (which was only about five years ago, remember), nobody was even talking about the Sleeve gastrectomy as an option. My choice was basically between the lap-band or one of the drastic, risky bypass procedures (the RNY or the Duodenal Switch). Back when I first started looking at weight loss surgery, I was rapidly soaring towards 400 pounds, and I knew I had to do SOMETHING to put an end to the madness. If the lap-band hadn't been around at that time, I probably would have resorted to a bypass operation out of desperation back then. However, I'm only in my early 20s, so I would not have been very happy about having to condemn myself to live out the rest of my life (hopefully 50+ years!) with constant malabsorption of nutrients and Vitamins. I don't think that's a healthy way to live in the long-term even though in some cases it may be necessary as a last resort for someone whose obesity will kill them soon. So, even *if* I had to lose my band at this point or somewhere down the road, I'd be grateful for these years of service it provided me with, because it saved me from having to get a bypass operation back then when the bypass was pretty much the only option, and now we seem to have other promising options like the Sleeve gastrectomy that don't require a drastic malabsorption component like the bypass does. It's amazing how much the weight loss surgeries have changed in just these past 5 or 10 years. In another five or ten years, who knows how many other major changes might happen in the field? So, for that reason, I definitely am glad to have an option that is effective, but also relatively "gentle" and easily reversible, even though the trade-off is that we occasionally have to worry about issues like slippage/erosion. All the best to everyone out there with wherever your band journey takes you!

It seems like my surgery has set off a ripple effect and everyone around me has started trying harder to lose weight (non-surgically, so far). I thought of that tonight when my buddy told me he had started going to the gym. My mother and my brother have also started dieting. All of them are significantly overweight (like me), but none of them were really trying to do anything about it until now. I am glad that it seems like this has been a catalyst for other people becoming healthier too...but it also worries me that they might be feeling threatened by my losing weight. None of them liked the idea when I first mentioned I was getting the surgery.

When I was 367 pounds, I carried most of the fat in my belly and legs, so you can imagine how flabby my legs were after losing about 150 pounds. I could grab big handfuls of loose skin on my thighs, they always slapped/rubbed together when I walked, and I worried about odors...I'm sure many of you can relate. Fortunately, I found a great plastic surgeon who was willing to do a thigh and calf lift on me (my calves were also hugely out of proportion, albeit not as flabby as my thighs). At the surgeon's advice, I FIRST had liposuction done on my legs last June. No skin was removed in this procedure. It was just meant to help loosen up the skin (especially on the calves) so more could be taken off later down the road. Finally, about three weeks ago, I had the actual skin removed...a medial thigh/calf lift. Even in those early days when my legs were bandaged and swollen, it was an instant improvement over what I had been living with before. The incision runs from my inner groin down to abut three inches above my ankle. It healed up quite nicely except for pulling apart a bit at the knee (quite common, due to how much tension there is on the skin at the knee, but even that area has been healing...just a bit slower than the rest). The swelling is starting to go down now, so I can appreciate the results even more now. While my legs are still not model-gorgeous, I wasn't aspiring to perfection...simply normalcy. They sure look a lot better now than they used to! It is much, much easier to walk now AND find pants that fit (before I had to wear draw string pants, because any pants small enough to fit my waist wouldn't fit over my huge legs). In terms of pain, the surgery really wasn't that bad. The liposuction aspect was actually the most physically difficult part. For many weeks after the lipo, my legs were a bit sore and extensively bruised. It looked like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. Nonetheless, after both the lipo and thigh lift, I was able to walk even on the first day post-op, and could move around pretty easily within a week or so. If you can spare the extra recovery time/money for it, *personally* I would recommend doing liposuction and the thigh lift as two separate procedures. I think that makes it easier to heal than doing them both at the same time. I have heard others talk about a thigh lift as being very painful to recover from, and having problems with healing...but, for me, the actual thigh lift recovery was a breeze. I attribute that to having gotten the bruising and swelling from the liposuction out of the way first. Of course, consult your doctor to help you decide what's right for you. Anyway, I just thought I'd write a little about how it was for me in case anyone else is thinking about having this done. Best of luck to all of you!

Sorry to hear that this happened to you. I think once you reach the point of not being able to swallow your spit you need a de-fill. The more you PB, the more it irritates the stomach and probably aggravates the situation with swelling. Hope you feel better soon!

Another free site that I think is pretty good is OkCupid! Free Online Dating It tends to attract a younger crowd than many other dating sites, but I think it's neat.

Yeah, there are a lot of women out there who LIKE single dads, because it is very admirable when a guy shows he is willing to make the sacrifices needed to be a good dad. I'm sure if you keep looking long enough you will find a woman who will appreciate you!

I had a BMI pretty close to what you're talking about, and my surgeon didn't have any objection to me getting the band. Personally, I feel that the gastric bypass should be considered a true last resort due to that permanent malabsorption aspect to it, and the amount of weight I've lost with teh band has definitely had a dramatic positive impact on my life, so I am glad that I had the option to go for the band.

I happened to run across this post tonight. I see from their updates page that they are trying another chemo. I definitely hope that this treatment works for that precious little guy and his family. What a scary thing to go through as a family.

While it's not the same situation, I can somewhat relate. I lost my restriction for a while due to a dilated pouch recently, and I rapidly packed on about 7 pounds during that time period (which was especially scary because I have had plastic surgery for the loose skin and didn't want to stretch my skin out again!). I was so shocked at how different I felt about eating without my band to rein me in. Even after several years of being "trained" to eat sensibly by the band, without the band I was back to my old self...yikes. I strongly believe that overeating has more to do with genetic factors (like genetic differences in how we experience satiety and stuff like that) rather than "willpower", so I don't think any of us should be beating ourselves up about that sort of thing. Fortunately, once I had my band filled again (even though I'm not as tight as I was before), it definitely made a difference for me and those extra pounds came off pretty quickly again. I'm sure that once you have a new band things will get right back on track. Good luck with your surgery!

I am in the medical field too, but I don't think I would feel safe doing my own fills. There is no situation where a fill is an *emergency*. It would be easy to fall into bad habits, like giving in to the temptation to empty your band to binge on certain days and then tighten yourself up the next day (rather than consistently adjusting your eating to the band's tightness, as we all should be doing now!). I would be concerned that you could irritate your stomach if you were adjusting its so frequently, and possibly increase the risk of erosion. However, I would definitely unfill myself if I had the proper equipment and it was a serious situation (like if I was starting to vomit violently, or over-filled and totally blocked off) because in that case I think the risk of slippage from the vomiting would be more dire than the risk of port damage from doing the unfill improperly. I can understand that someone who lives in a very isolated area with no band-informed doctor around might benefit from being trained in how to do unfills on himself just in case he has a problem that needs an immediate unfill. However, that isn't an ideal situation, more of a situation of making do with what you have, and I definitely think that band adjustments should be left in the hands of our surgeons or another person who has a lot of experience with the band if possible. On one hand, I think it would be good if our surgeons gave us a card we could give to ER docs with very explicit instructions on how to unfill the band if a dire situation occurs, but I know if I were a surgeon I'd be afraid to give my patients the idea of doing their own fills/unfills. :rolleyes

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing all these problems. I appreciate that you wanted to talk about your story for others' sake, since I'm sure it's not easy to have to revisit all those unpleasant details. People need to hear both the good and the bad to be prepared. I can understand that pregnancy makes things more complicated, but I'm surprised that they've told you not to take any treatment at all. I found this page: http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2701.htm#section~medication which says there are some antibiotics that can be used to treat pseudomonas that are safe to take during pregnancy. Are any of those an option for you? In any case, I definitely wish all the best to both you and the baby.

Yes, I would agree that it sounds like you're having acid reflux while you sleep and that the acid is irritating your voice. I'd recommend getting it checked out with your doctor to be sure that your band isn't too tight. I've heard that many people who had reflux prior to getting banded no longer have it afterwards, but I have noticed that if I eat too close to bedtime or sleep with my head low, it is an issue for me at night since I got the band. Fortunately, I can usually avoid it by sleeping with my head raised up by some pillows and avoiding eating or drinking anything for a few hours before I take a snooze. Good luck on getting this sorted out.

Hi. I was banded in May 2003. :bolt: As you can see, my final weight loss ended up being about 160 pounds. I have not had any fills for about two years because I feel comfortable with my current level of restriction and eating ability. I haven't had any significant complications. On a day to day basis, it is not that big of a deal anymore and I don't really think about it all that often anymore. It's just my normal way of life now. Best of luck to you!

From what I've heard (I think I read it on the SmartBandsters list from the nurse over there), waterlily has it right. It would require a blow hard enough to cause serious internal damage to dislodge the band, so if something that bad did occur the band would be the least of your worries. If I were you, I'd just make sure you always carry a card in your wallet with you when you're out on your bike so the EMS people know about the band if there's an accident, but other than that I don't think there is any need to change your lifestyle. From what Iv'e heard, most slippages are from long spells of vomiting. Personally, I'm coming up on my fourth anniversary with the band. Over the course of that time, I've been sick and have had bad coughing fits and violent wretching from vomiting a couple of times, but yet my band seems to be doing fine anyway, so I'd say try not to worry too much about slippage unless you start experiencing symptoms. Hope it all goes well for you.

Donna, I am truly sorry to hear you are faced with this. If you don't already know about it, I wanted to mention that there is a website at http://www.bcmets.org which has a very active mailing list of other women dealing with metastatic breast cancer. The ladies there might have some useful advice and support on how to cope with things like medication effects. Some of them have been living with bone mets for years without any spread to the rest of their bodies, so there is hope. All my best to you and your family.

Even after all these years with the band, sometimes it hurts if I lay on it all night, although it's not as sensitive as it used to be. I don't think you can actually cause any harm by laying on it though! As for the drinking water issue, I don't think that drinking non-carbonated liquids would pose a danger since it can drain though the opening of the band. Ask your doctor if you're worried, but I dont' see any reason for alarm myself.

How many fills have you had? Do you feel restricted when you eat? It's possible that you just haven't hit that "sweet spot" yet with your fills. If you feel like you're just relying totally on willpower, then something is definitely wrong. Hope things get easier for you soon. :confused:

Sorry to hear that you're going through such a rough time right now. It sounds like right now this is probably the best way to ensure you can stay healthy. In the long run, your health is what's most important and I commend you for doing what needs to be done in order to protect it. Please keep us updated on how you're doing. Hope things go well for you.

I happened to pop in here after a long hiatus, and happened to see your post. I remember you from the old days here. Welcome back. I am sorry to hear that you have been experiencing depression lately. I hope that the community here can be of some support. It sounds like you have definitely made a lot of progress, and have a lot to be proud of. I certainly hope things continue to get better for you.

I've been banded since May 2003, and have lost ~150 pounds without any serious problems. The band really changed my life, and I've never regretted it getting it. I just returned to this board for the first time in almost a year (it says I last logged in March 05!). When I was pre-op and new to the band, I used to visit bandster websites daily, but as time went on I just kind of drifted away. As I got used to life with the band, it stopped being such a focus in my life. At this stage, there are many days where I don't really think much about it at all. It's just a normal part of my life now. Another factor is that I am in medical school now, and don't have as much free time as I used to for websurfing. Incidentally, I don't think I would have made it into med school if I hadn't been able to get the band when I did...I doubt I would have had the confidence to make it through the interviews if I still weighed my maximum weight. Anyway, I felt I should post here, to make sure that the new bandsters know that, yes, there are some old-timers out there who are happy with our bands! All the embarassment and suffering that I endured back when I was "Super Morbidly Obese" is now a hazy memory for me. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get the band. I would have resorted to the gastric bypass if it had been the only option, sooner than staying as fat as I was, but I definitely believe the band is a safer, healthier way to lose weight in most cases. All along, my mindset was: I don't want to be model thin. I just want to be thin enough to function normally in society. Thank God, that wish has come true with the band's help. I definitely am better off now than I was three years ago! Hope that everyone else has a successful journey too!

Found out about this mailing list today: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/michiganbandsters/ There's another mailing list at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/eastside_bandsters_mi that seems pretty welcoming of anyone in the great lakes area. Just thought I'd let people know because the more places we have to talk the better.

I have a horrible amount of hanging skin on my tummy, so I'm beginning to look for a plastic surgeon to do a panniculectomy. Do any of you have any recommendations for plastic surgeons near Detroit?

Wow. GREAT photos. You look wonderful! I remember reading about the difficulties you had early on, but I am so glad that thigns are going so well for you now. Congrats!

Thanks for the tip. Do you have any names for the docs who deal with insurance? I have tried doing a web search but couldn't seem to find much. Thanks for the reply.