Mutti

I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that. I can't believe your doctor won;t let you get it out. It seams like the doctors tell you when you get the band that it can always be taken out, but the difficulties of taking it out, they don't want to mention. I wish you the best of luck. If I were you, I would find a doctor that will take it out for you. The sickness that you mention is not what you signed up for when you got the band.

Hi, I remember seeing a post about the 4cc band recall and now I can't find it. Does anyone know what a person needs to do for that and where to go to find the recall? Thank you in advance for the help.

That sounds exactly like me! Thank Goodness! I mean, I have been on here for weeks trying to figure my issues out. So glad I finally found someone that understands. I think I friended you. maybe we can message each other as to how things are going?

You are so sweet. I just have pain in the center of my chest. I don't know if it's eroded or not yet. The pain seems to be getting worse but it doesn't sound any where as bad as yours. My surgeon told me I would have to wait 3 months for a revision. I have heard of people that had an erosion and didn't know they did. I don't know. I just want it out. It feels like I am being strangled. Its just hard to describe. Maybe it is to high. Maybe its just Gerd. I don't know what size my band is. I will have to ask. Hopefully this will all be over for both of us soon. Take Care

Hi ktiggerama, Our stories are very similar. I had my band on 8/7/06 and will be having it removes 8/8/2012. (6 yrs almost to the day which is a coincidence) And my name is Kim also. haha. Anyhow, They did a barium on me and said everything is going down ok. I have chest pain and tightness and heartburn. I dont know what they will find as of right now and I'm not sure what they told my insurance company( BCBS), but they ok'd it. My surgeon wants me to revise to VSG and I would like to have it done at the same time as the removal if there isn't to much damage around the band. I lost 75lbs the first year which was my goal and I have gradually gained it all back. Good luck to you and I would be more then happy to share what I have learned from my research from here and other sites.

This is going to sound really silly, but if you get on your hands and knees and then lower your upper body, that will help the gas move.

You make some very good points m1aman. I guess I did make the statement wrong, Sorry about that.

OK m1aman, This is how I understand it from my surgeon. ( May be Wrong May be Right) The band is sitting on your stomach like a rubber band around your finger. If you tighten the rubber band, the blood is restricted. So with the lap band, the band is tightened around your stomach to reduce food and drink flow into your stomach, the coke (coke is very acidic) would sit above the band waiting to go through. While it is sitting there it can eat at the stomach wall from the inside out thus causing erosion. Also, the skin under the band can die because it is no longer recieving a blood supply which causes erosion period. I hope that makes sense.

My Dr. told me no not ever! It stretches your pouch and the acid from coke and other drinks like it may erode your band.

Thanks for the good advice dstollery. I wish you luck on your weight loss journey.

I told a nurse friend of mine that I was thinking about having RNY and she said that one of the doctors told her that it is like starving yourself to death. My BMI is 36 and she said that I am not big enough. Any ideas as to how I should reply to her?

Thanks for your help ladies. I feel alot better about her remark now. I do have other issues for my BMI ( back and knee pain) so I know I will qualify. I have heard the remark before, Don't loose to much weight. I don't want to loose to much, I just want to be healthy.

I used to have severe anxiety too. Real Bad! Chew very well, slow and never drink to fix it. I guess for me, it isn't really a vomit but a regurgitation. It doesn't have the stomach acid in it so it doesn't taste horrible. It is still no fun though. Ideally you should go on liquids for the rest of the day after you get stuck, to let the swelling around your band go down after it happens . I used to think that I was going to choke and die but I have even had the flu a couple of times and I made it through. ( I have heard that liquid childrens benedryl helps for the nausea when you get the flu. You won't vomit as much but it will deffinatly come out the other end (diareha) and last longer.) If you are following your doctors orders, you will be fine. I am 6 yrs out now.

Thank you for your reply. I had really bad anxiety right after getting the band, They told me it was from the med Reglan that they gave me. I lost 75 lbs the first year, had my galbladder out and after that I just started gaining the weight back. I have gained almost all of the wight back now and the band seems to be getting more and more uncomfortable. As with mlliemac, I never found the green zone again. I am just starting the process and don't know if there's even a chance for a revision. I have had my band for 6 yrs.

I am thinking about having a revision to the gastric bypass and am wondering how this went for you. Does it feel different then the band? Is eating a lot different then you ate when you had the band?