JustinRhodes

Hello, My band eroded,and I had to have it removed in October. Things didn't go to well in recovery, and I ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks. The hole in my stomach popped open while I was in there, I bled out and had to have a 4 unit blood transfusion and a second surgery to re-close the hole in my stomach. In all, I was off work for 7 weeks. I'm back on solid foods now, and back to work. The problem is I still experience diarrhea almost every day. My PCP seemed to think it was due to percocet withdrawals(had my last pain pill a week ago), but I've read up and think it's more likely related to gastric dumping syndrome. I take Imodium AD per my doctor's instructions to manage the diarrhea, but it still gets pretty darn uncomfortable, especially if I eat just a little too much, and my body slowly lets me know that it's not happy. The adhesions from my recent surgeries create enough discomfort, but when my guts start to act up, it just makes me feel nasty. My original lap band surgeon in Mexico discovered that I had a hiatal hernia and decided to do a fundoplication while he was placing the band, so I get gassy and it's almost impossible to burp. All trapped gas has to come out the other end unless I jam my finger down my throat to purge the gas out of my stomach. All in all, it's a very uncomfortable situation. Has anyone here experienced something similar after band removal? If so, did it resolve eventually? What did you have to do as far as procedures, medications, exercises, etc?

Just thought I'd pop in and post a quick update: The new probiotics seem to be working really well. My motility is good, and I'm less gassy(which I also attribute to being able to burp again). The only side effect I've noticed is that my poop has an unusually strong stench, but I feel pretty good overall. Has anyone else experienced the stinky poop phenomenon while on a probiotic regimen? I take this to mean the bad bacteria is getting evicted, along with whatever other nasty stuff was residing in my gut...

Well, the diarrhea has definitely subsided for today. My PCP told me three weeks ago when I saw him that he didn't believe I was experiencing dumping, but rather, withdrawals from the narcotic pain meds. (in all, I was on some form of a narcotic for close to two months after surgery). As time goes by and my symptoms get better I feel more inclined to trust his advice. I did start introducing more Protein into my diet yesterday, mostly by way of a preservative-free beef Jerky from my local grocery store that I find is really gentle on my stomach. I snack on that all day, and drink a 30g protein Rockin Refuel drink once daily. There definitely seems to be a correlation between my protein intake and my sense of well-being. When I was on TPN, I was infusing about 140g of amino acids daily. When I think to do it, I like to aim for 100g of quality protein by mouth per day, with >80g being a realistic goal. My fundo relaxed a bit, to the point that I could belch all day today. Might seem pretty inconsequential I'm sure, but the lack of GI bloating/pressure has increased my comfort level astronomically. Metagenics package is slated to arrive sometime tomorrow. With the cold weather we've been experiencing lately here in Arizona I took a gamble on the free shipping option. Plan is to continue taking in lots of protein, keep the diet as natural as possible, and start taking the Acute Care probiotics once they arrive.

I went ahead and ordered some Acute Care, was able to get a decent discount through one website as a new customer. It should arrive by the end of this week. I'll take it and see if it helps.

Cheryl... Right now I work a much more physically demanding job than I did when I first got the band, so I'm optimistic that I'll be able to manage my weight w/o revising to a new WLS. That, and the fear of being cut on again keep me from jumping back into surgery just yet. Hiddnstar... Great info on the probiotic, and thanks for all the info you shared! My family doctor is a big champion of the probiotics, and told me that with the length of time I had been on antibiotics(4 wks on Unasyn, 2 wks on Augmentin), I definitely needed to get some good bacteria back into my gut. I too have throat spasms on occasion. Just finished a bottle of something from my local health food store, the name eludes me but it certainly didn't eliminate all my symptoms. I'll try to get ahold of the Acute Care by Metagenics you mentioned, see if it helps, and report back. To answer your question: I had the band for just under two years. lost 80 lbs with it, then an additional 20 in the hospital after it was removed. Thanks again to everyone who's shared helpful info and suggestions, I really appreciate it!

Cheryl... No gallbladder surgery. I did have a bit of pain under my right ribcage for several weeks following my reintroduction of solid foods, which I've more or less attributed to surgical adhesions since they hurt mostly when I move and twist in certain ways. My primary care physician also believes it's a matter of my body getting used to food again, as I went almost 5 weeks without food by mouth, incident to the band removal (1 week on saline IV, appx 4 weeks on TPN). That's comforting to know, although I do tend to get a little impatient once in a while wanting things to get back to "normal," and I just need to try and be more patient with my body. mrsto... I have no clue why my band eroded, though I wish I did. It was placed by a surgeon in Mexico, and my new surgeon in Arizona took me in and seemed equally stumped. He didn't seem inclined to point to any particular cause, other than to say that people's bodies reject the band from time to time since it's a foreign object in the body.

I had my band placed in 12/2011. it slipped and eroded. The port migrated toward the skin with a pocket of Fluid which eventually burst, leaving the port exposed. I had surgery to remove the band on 10/3/2013. Had a laundry list of complications and ended up in the hospital for 19 days, ended up having a second operation to re-repair the hole in my stomach. I'm finally at home on a home healthcare program, infusing TPN and antibiotics on a daily basis through a PICC line. HHC nurse comes by three times a week to check on me, change PICC dressing, and draw blood as necessary. No shortage of pain. I have a choice of liquid Lortab or liquid Tylenol to manage it depending on the severity. Still, I feel I'm getting a little better each day. hopefully i'll be back to work in about two more weeks.