hsigari921

Hi all! I was banded in Feb. and 2 weeks ago exactly, I went for a fill and checkup. The doctor assumed some sort of leakage so he injected me with a fluorescent dye and took x-rays. He later indicated everything seems fine and gave me an additional 2ccs. exactly 1 day later, the pain in my port area began. It is so bad that I can not wear jeans or sit upright for too long. I recently went to the hospital for gastritis and GI bleeding (unrelated to my band) and under CT scanning, they found slight inflammation of the abdominal muscles, but no sign of infection. They still put me on 3 antibiotics incase, but it has not helped with the pain. My question is, HAS ANYONE EVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS? Could the port have been dislodged or torn muscles in my abdomen? ANYONE with similar symptoms? I'm currently in a different state, but will be home in a few days where I will see my bariatric doctor. In the meantime, I'd like to get some advice!

I've had 9 fills because I feel no sort of restrictions. The 10lbs lost were lost all on my own (exercising, dieting etc). The lapband is suppose to be a "tool" to assist me in this journey. If I feel no restrictions, then WHY did I get it in the first place... if you were to diet all on your own, then why did you go through with the lap band surgery? You folks keep saying "take control of the situation yourself", then let me ask you, if you could have taken control, why didn't you do it on your own a very long time ago? I say I don't trust this doctor because I feel like he is putting in less than he claims and asks me to come in every 3 weeks just so he could receive payment (since i'm paying $120 out of pocket each visit). Thats why I said I dont trust him. He claims to put in .5-1cc each time, but I think in actuality he's been putting in .2ccs. Why else would I have 4ccs total, when I'm suppose to have 9 by now. Theres either a leak, severe evaporation, or a scam on his part!

Hi! I've had my lapband since Feb 2nd of this year and haven't felt much restriction. I have had a total of 9 fills (maybe more) and yesterday, I got so frustrated, I asked my doctor to take EVERYTHING out and measure it. There SHOULD be a total of 9cc in my band, but he was only able to extract 4.3. He asked me to come in every week to keep an eye on it. My question is, has anyone experienced anything similar to this or has heard of anything like this. I dont trust this doctor even though he is an expert in his field. Could there be a possibility that a few times when he has given me a fill, he hasn't hit the port and the saline and just gone straight to my dermis rather than my port? OR is this a true leak in the band? Where are the other 5 ccs that are suppose to be in my band!!?!?! No wonder I haven't lost any weight and have seriously been considering my decision in getting the band in the first place! Any feedback would be much appreciated!

I know what the "green zone" is, but can you guys share your personal experiences of what it is and how it feels. I just received my 3rd fill and I sort of feel full (but not really) so I wanted to know if thats it. Or is it a lot more restricted than that. Like 2 bites and you're full. I don't quite feel that way. I can eat half a sandwich and a small salad and feel full. Is that still much for people who are in the green zone? I'm basically asking what people's personal experiences of being in the green zone are.

Thanks for the comments... especially the last comment posted. It feels great to hear these encouraging words. Really does! I did receive another fill 2 days ago, so I'm just waiting to see what happens from here. In the meantime, I'm working out, eating right, and really trying my best. Thanks again!

That's the phrenic nerve that passes through the area. It's an indicator you've eaten too much or too fast and the nerve gets pinched. Try eating slower or less. It happens quite often to many people so don't panic. Take it as an indicator that you've eaten too much.

I was banded on 2/3/12 and since then, haven't loss anything! The little I have lost has been my doing (calorie counting, dieting, exercising) but no thanks to the band. I thought it is suppose to restrict your eating. Is it because I need to be filled more? I have an 11cc band and so far theres 4.5cc in there. What is feeling restricted suppose to feel like? When is this weight going to start coming off.. I'm so disappointed! I just dont see a difference. Anyone else in a similar boat or was in a similar situation?

It went through insurance- but he told me they bill insurance $125 (even though they dont get the full amount). I'm sure if you talk with him, you can talk him down to $100 or even less. Just mention that you're a self-pay out of pocket patient. If you have insurance, I'd check to see if they can cover.

I got my surgery in Mexico with dr Ortiz and I'm super satisfied. I wen to a doctor in Michigan to get my first fill and he asked why I went to Mexico. I told him it was because the surgery was more affordable since my BMI was only a 31. He told me he would have done te surety for me for $5500 had I done it here. His name is dr Ali Elhorr and he's based out of Dearborn Michigan. Look into him if ur interested!

Thanks everyone for your advise and blessings!

I'm having my first fill tomorrow (so excited!). I was wondering if there are any restrictions on eating foods before the fill. Also, how many cc's should I expect. I know it varies person to person, but a general average. My band is a 11cc band and I have no restrictions currently.

I also wanted to add to the previous post and say, the reason a lot of people's post op diets are a bit different (my doctor requires me to be on liquids 3 weeks followed by mushies where as other people go on mushies starting week 2) is because every doctors surgical technique is different. Some doctors suture the heck out of the band... what I mean is, the band is tied into place with a few sutures until your skin heals and natural forms its own sutures and holds the band into place. Other doctors such as mind, did not do too much suturing of his own (this is what he told me) because he prefers my body do the suturing rather than him do it which will lead to longer recovery and more pain. So to reiterate, the reason why some doctors move patients into mushies and solids much more rapidly is because of their surgical technique, thus a much less likelihood of the band slipping. This is to say, follow your doctors orders verbatim because only he and his stuff know what they did. Dont compare yourself or your diet to anyone else because everyone is different. So to read that some people start solids so quickly therefore its ok for me to do it, is a complete misunderstanding since everyone is different.

I guess I'll discover it when I go for my first fill. My wounds are still sore so I dont want to feel around for it, but I was just curious to know where it may be because I didn't know where they put it.

Guys, I know this may be a silly question to ask, but where is the port located. There is one big scar, 1 medium scar, and 3 little scars. Is the port located where the big scar is or where the medium scar is? Thanks!

Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice!!! You guys are awesome and I love this community. I too put the scale away because it was driving me crazy. During the clear liquid phase- Is sugar-free Jello and pudding a big no no as well? i'm on day 4 and dying to get something else besides juice Water and popsicles. I dont like the taste of the broth so much. Just wondering about the jello, pudding and yogurt. I emailed the nutritionist too to ask, but I thought I'd ask people here for their experience.