marsha

Hi Morningoasis, I'm glad you're going to get this taken care of. I forgot to mention that some of my pain was very simular to yours...I couldn't take a deep breath either. I'll be interested to hear if your insurance will pay for this. I looked up my policy with BC/BS and it states: "No coverage for bariatric surgery including reversal, revision, repeat and staged surgery, except for the treatment of sickness or injury resulting from such bariatric surgery, or unless required by law." I'm hoping they consider abdominal pain when eating sometimes a "sickness" . If not, then I'll have to go back to Mexico and I'm not looking foward to that with all the killing going on there. Ofcourse, I could always wait until the band causes me a "sickness" :thumbup: I am also worried about living without my band. Although I never got to goal, my band has kept me from gaining it all back. I hope that repositioning is all we'll need. Take Care, Marsha

Does anyone have any idea on cost of the sleeve in the US as opposed to Mexico? (self pay ofcourse). My band has slipped and I may have to get it removed...I'm considering sleeve at that time. My original band was done in Mexico by Dr. Kuri,

][/color] <o:p> If anyone has experience with slippage like this, please continue to share. All of this informaiton in this thread has been really helpful. I noted the smoking, coffee, chocolate, mint and articicial sweetners as triggers. This week I am going to cut out these items (coffee has already been reduced to 2x's per week from daily.)</o:p> Hi, I havent posted in a really long time. I've had my band for 5 years. I've been a pretty good band patient in that I eat well (avoid junk food) and I've lost a majority of my weight (the last 25lbs have stuck with me). I have only pb'd once and that was about 4 months after my surgery. About 2 years into my banding I had a problem with reflux. I had all my fill removed and and upper gi and endoscopy done. Everything was ok so the doctor changed my gerd medication and I returned to normal. At that time they refilled my band to 2.2cc (the most I ever had was 2.5) and although I didn't have much restriction the doctor refused to increase my fill due to risk of return of the reflux. Since then (that was 3 years ago) I lost another 15 lbs and was doing fine until November (about 4 months ago). I noticed that I completely lost restriction at all but only sometimes. Other times my band was tight as could be and a few bites would get me to stop eating. I thought this was just my band being tempermental :-) Then in December I got some severe left shoulder pain and pain just under my left rib cage when I ate. I switched to liquids and a few days later it went away. I was fine for about a month, then the same thing happend in January. This time I called my gastroenterologist and he ordered a gallbladder ultrasound, and an endoscopy. The gallbladder came back fine, the endoscopy showed mild gastritis but the doctor said something very strange to me after the endoscopy. He said "Are you sure you have a band? Because I see no evidence of it at all". I immediately called my fill doctor here (I'm a mexican bandster) and he said get an upper gi. I had it done yesterday and the report states " there is no evidence of an upper pouch. It appears that the lapband has slipped and is located at the gastroesophageal junction". So, I'll be seeing my US fill doctor on Wed. The weirdest thing is that I have NEVER vomitted. And, I can count on 1 hand how many times I have "slimmed". I still don't have any difficulty eating...I do get that soft stop feeling once in a while. I'm hoping I don't have to get my band removed. After 5 years, we're best buddies!

I was recently denied surgery by my insurance company and I'm considering going to Mexico. I'd like to hear any stories or information any of the Mexican Bandsters would like to share (good or bad) that might help me make a decision as to which Doctor to choose (there seem to be many good ones). I've also heard that many include free fills after surgery (of course you pay your own airfare for the fills) Is this true? Thanks for all your posts. I love reading them and I love this site! Marsha

Hi everyone, I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've been banded for 4 years. My last fill was 2 years ago. My band is pretty loose, I don't have much restriction. My doctor seems to like it that way. About 2 weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with severe heartburn. (This is not normal for me). I took a zantac and a tums and it subsided. The next day, I decided to go on liquids for a few days just to calm my stomach down. I continued to take zantac twice a day. I ended up staying on liquids for about a week. I was fine during that time, just a twinge of back pain once in a while. A few days ago, I started eating mushies. I had that twinge once in a while again but I figured maybe I ate too much since it was mushie stuff. Yesterday, I started solid food...every time I ate I got severe back pain and excessive burping. I couldnt get the burping to stop until I layed down in bed that night. Today, I tried solids again and the same thing happened. I made an appointment with my doctor but I cant get in till Monday. In the mean time, I've gone back to liquids. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks for any help, in advance!

Linda, I was banded 4 years ago and I still have shoulder pain! It comes and goes.

Hi Everyone, This post is for all the CLeveland Clinic people. I've just completed all my pre op stuff and consults. When I went to the nutrition class, Michelle told me she would submit my file to Karen and then my file would go to the surgical scheduler. She said I should hear from her with a surgery date within 2 weeks (I know the surgeries arent being scheduled until Feb right now). It has now been 3 weeks, so I called the office and they told me to wait another 2 weeks for someone to contact me and if I don't hear from someone in 2 weeks, I should call back! I can't believe it takes 5 weeks for someone to schedule a surgery!?! Did anyone else have this problem? It will be one year from the time I started until the time I'll have surgery (I'm beginning to think I should have gone to US Bariatrics which was my 2nd choice) THanks for you help...:cry Marsha

Hi Melissa, I'm Marsha and I live in FLorida too (south florida). I was just like you a few years ago when I had my lapband placed. Now, I actually like to see photographs of myself. I'm not at my perfect weight yet but I actually like myself again. Keep the pictures you don't like and take them out on days you struggle through (when you get your band). For me, my old pictures helped me to look back and see what I had accomplished even if it was only a few pounds. It also help me remember where I didn't want to go back to. I also have an old pair of pants (size 24). Every once in a while I take them out and put them on and give myself a big pat on the back. It may sound silly but you will have tough days with the band and these things can help you get through them! Good luck with your journey!

I've lost 49 lbs in 3 Years! You are not alone. Most of my weight was in the first 6 months (45 lbs). I've only lost 4 lbs in the last 2 1/2 years. I have absolutely no restriction. My fill doctor wont put any more fill in my band ( I have 1.9cc) because when I had 2.5 cc in my band I had a lot of reflux. So, I also feel like a failure. :-(

Took me 14 days!

mine is Angeldust

I've been banded for 3 years only my husband and mother know I was banded. At first, I didn't want people judging my weight loss (weather it was enough or not) and I didn't want them judging what I put in my mouth. Now, I'm glad I haven't told anyone because the weight I've lost was hard work. I don't want anyone not giving ME credit for that. Some people tend to think that the band and RNY are easy ways to loose weight. They are not. When people ask me how I've lost the weight I say "Diet, smaller portions and Exercise", because that's the truth.

I drank lots of soda before my band. Now (since being banded), I don't drink any soda. Believe me I tried to drink it but it actually hurts my stomach and I get severe shoulder pain (from the gas in the soda). I havent drank soda in over 3 years and I don't miss it one bit.

I've been banded for 3 years and I'm still struggling to loose the last 25 lbs. I've been gaining and loosing the same 10 lbs for over a year now. My fill doctor wont give me anymore fill because at one point (about 2 years ago) I had major problems with reflux and he had to empty my band completely to give my stomach a rest. Now, he wont fill me back up to my previous fill level and so, I can eat alot. :-( Its frustrating.

I can not eat anything when I'm angry or stressing over something. I ALWAYS get stuck. Also, if I'm in a hurry I get stuck even if I'm just taking 1 bite of something and chew more then usual. So, I've learned to only have liquids in these situations. Personally, I never PB but I do get stuck and it can last for hours!

Since getting my band, I get them occasionally. It usually happens after I eat but not all the time. I can usually get them to stop by coughing. Here's my theory (for what it's worth, I'm a nurse not a cardiologist)...when I eat, my pouch expands a little which "bumps" into the heart muscle and causes the palpations.

What I loved about Mexico is that my doctor gave me his cell phone number! It's been 3 years since I was banded. I recently had to talk to him about another problem I was having and I just picked up the phone and he answered! You cant get that in the US.

I paid a program fee of $300 then I was turned down by my insurance. The fee was non refundable but they made me pay it before they'd even submit paperwork to the insurance company. I ended up in Mexico.

Hi Everyone, I need some opinions... I'm planning to be banded soon. My surgeon offers 2 types of bands...The lap band and the swedish band...does anyone have any info on the differences? Does anyone here have the swedish band? Thanks for helping! Marsha

This post is for anyone with insulin resistance. I'm curious what medication (if any) are you on. I was taking metformin but it gave me severe abdominal pain. My doctor told me there is no other medication to switch me to. So, I'm just curious if anyone is taking anything else. Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a little feedback or simular experience from anyone who wants to share. Here's my story: For about the last 6 weeks I've been having reflux problems at night. I feel acid in my throat and have a sore throat in the morning. I tried taking Zantac 150mg but it didn't help. Then I tried Prilosec which helped a little bit. I also elevated the head of my bed and stopped eating after 6pm. I also cut out acidic foods. Since none of this seemed to get rid of it completely, I called my fill doctors office. He was on vacation so his nurse told me to go to my primary doctor and ask to have an upper gi/barium swallow done. I just got the results of the upper gi and the impression by the radiologist reads: "old duodenal ulcer or duodenal inflammation.". The primary doctor told me to go back to see the fill doctor (his office is closed until monday) because she didn't know what to do from here. In the mean time she gave me Nexium to take and I'm doing MUCH better since taking it. I don't have any acid in my throat and my sore throat has gone away. I didn't have much faith in the radiologist who did the upper gi because he had never seen a lapband before. He asked me lots of questions about it including "when are you going to have it removed". He didn't understand that I couldn't drink the barium really fast because I had to wait a minute in between swallows for it to go down (it was morning and I try to be extra careful in the morning because I'm a little tighter then in the afternoon) It made me nervous! I have to call the fill doctor on Monday to see if he'll see me. I posted a message on Dr. Kuri's website to see what others thought and I got an immediate email from JoAnn (patient facilitator) telling me to call Dr. Kuri right away! And Sandy,RN told me to get an unfill right away to prevent reflux damage of the esophagus. She thinks I've waited too long already but as soon as I realized the reflux wasn't a temporary thing, I made appointments (it just took a long time to get an appointment with the primary doctor and then I had to wait to have the upper gi done and then another week to get the results) Oh, I hope my band has not eroded or something terrible. I'm doing so well with my weight loss (it's been slow but steady). I hate to think of loosing my band and gaining it all back. :-( Anyone else have a simular experience?

Hi Kathy, Thanks for responding. I guess I'm just a little freaked out about this. The duodenum is the 1st part of the intestine. It is connected to the stomach and it IS lower then the band. I think I'm concerned because I'm hoping the radiologist (who knew absolutely nothing about the band) read the xrays right. I just hope he knows what he's talking about! I'm really doing well with the Nexium so I know I just need to calm down. I'll feel better after I see the doctor. Thanks again!

I was talking with 2 co workers at work one day. Lets call one D and the other S. They both owned horses and kept them at the same stable. S only owned her horse for about 3 months. D was telling her that other people at the stable were commenting that S wasn't taking good care of her horse. She said that some were considering calling the humane society. D continued to tell S what she needed to do to care for the horse properly. They were discussing that the horse needed to be exercised daily and S said she didn't have time to do it every day. Then I opened my big mouth and said "I'd be happy to help out and exercise your horse a few days a week". Here response was "I don't think my horse can handle your weight!" I only weighed 175lbs at the time. I was so embarrassed!!!

Kim, Thanks for posting this. Even though I'm not a newbie, it helped me a lot to read this! As you can see by my numbers, I haven't lost a lot either. I struggled after my 2nd fill because I thought I should be losing and that I must be doing something wrong. I actually had restriction after my second fill then about a month after, it mysterously (sp?) left me. I thought it was just me. I finally broke down and went for a 3rd fill. The doctor told me that quite a bit of my 2nd fill had leaked out!!! (It wasn't me after all!). To think I spent all that time waiting and blaming myself! He refilled me and BINGO...I've got restriction. Now I'm just hopeing that nothing will leak out or it will be back to Mexico for a port/tube replacement. So far, I'm good and loseing again! YEAH! I still wouldnt give up my band! I'm glad you're losing again! You're on your way!

I've been banded over a year and only 39lbs down! Now, that's what you call slow!