mandi78

For the past few weeks I have been having this feeling of pressure/discomfort in the middle of my chest and the feeling of something being caught in my throat. At first I thought it was anxiety but now I'm not so sure. I have had my lap band for 3 years now and have not been to the dr in over a year about it because my surgeon basically made it clear, after the surgery of course, that he didnt want to deal with patients after they were banded. He has an aftercare center that does the fills but any issues or problems, they refer you back to him. He suggested I have my band removed because it wasnt working for me and because I was having off and on discomfort on my left side which he believed was due to the tubing. I was all for having it removed, but his office staff would never return my calls or emails to setup the surgery for removal or find out if my insurance would pay for it. I haven't really had any problems until now (with the exception of the discomfort on my side) and I am worried about what it could be. Has anyone else had this issue? Does it sound like erosion or something like that?

Since my last fill, I have been vomiting almost daily. I finally have the restriction others have been talking about for months. I'm just wondering how often you all vomit. Is there a learning curve or will I be doing this forever?

Does it feel different than the band in relation to the feeling of fullness? I have had my band over 1 1/2 years and weigh about the same as I did before my band placement. I just cannot handle the feeling of pressure in my chest the band causes....the so called feeling of fullness so I drink to wash down the food because I cannot handle that pressure, it makes me feel like I'm suffocating. I'm wondering if when you have the RNY, is the feeling of fullness closer to the way you would normally feel full before having any type of bariatric surgery. Also, are the rules similar to band rules such as no drinking with meals, no soda, no large pills/vitamins, etc? Thanks.

Hi, I was banded 3 years ago and for some unknown reason (not sure if its band related or not), my WBC count has been high for the past month (or that's how long we know of anyway). Normal is 4,000-10,000 and mine was 14,400 on August 13th; 12,000 on August 18th and 13,700 on September 10th. I have no obvious signs of infection....no fever, no sinus/upper respiratory issues, no uti (dr did a urinalysis) and I don't feel sick. My dr is wanting me to see a hematologist. I'm kinda freaking out but also wondering if this is even high enough to warrant going to a hematologist. Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience. Could my body be rejecting the band?

Hi Cindy, my white count has always been at the high end of normal but never over 10,400. It usually ran around 9000-10000 or so. It is the lymphocytes that are high. She also did a C reactive protein (which measures inflammation) and it was high....around 10 I think. I'm told normal is around 3 or less. She also did a SED rate which also measures inflammation it was at the high end of normal. Thanks for the reassurance. I keep telling myself that even if it is something horrible, we have probably caught it really early since I'm not having symptoms and its only slightly elevated at this point.

What kind of tests did you have to have other than CBC?

Did you ever find out any more info about this issue? I am having the same issue. I was banded 3 years ago and for some unknown reason (not sure if its band related or not), my WBC count is high. It was 14,400 on August 13th, 12,000 on August 18th and 13,700 on September 10th. Like you, I have no obvious signs of infection. My dr is wanting me to see a hematologist. I'm kinda freaking out but also wondering if this is even high enough to warrant going to a hematologist. Just wondering what you experience turned out to be???

I was wondering if anyone in the Dallas has a surgeon who you know of that is willing to take on patients who are already banded. I need to have my band removed and the people at my original surgeon's office are not willing to help me. The surgeon said he would remove my band but he was not very nice about it and now they will not return any of my phone calls or emails regarding insurance/surgery scheduling, etc. I live over an hour away so I can't just go by there and besides that, if they are not willing to help me then I would just rather find a new surgeon rather than fight with someone who doesn't want to deal with me. I don't like the idea of my life being in someone's hands when that person and his entire staff have made it clear they do not want to deal with any patients after the surgery is over and they have gotten their money. Thanks.

Yep, same issue here. He did my surgery and I went to him about 2 years post op for pain and discomfort caused by the band. He seemed irritated to have to be bothered by me. He said we should go ahead and remove it since I had no luck losing weight with it anyway. He said he would have his office manager, Valerie, check with my insurance company about paying for the removal surgery. This was over a year ago and I have called, left messages, sent emails and nobody will respond to me. I cannot find another surgeon who is willing to take me on. I know of some people on here who have had life threatening issues due to band complications and I am really afraid I could be one of them but I don't know what to do because I can't get any of these money hungry weight loss surgeons to help me after the fact.

Wow, that's terrible. I thought if it was an emergency type situation, insurance had to pay for it regardless of whether they paid for the band or not. When my surgeon talked about removing mine, he said they would file it with insurance as removal of scar tissue from stomach since they would be doing that and not even mention the band. I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this. Like you, I wish I would have never gotten the band at all. On a scale of 1-10, how bad would you say the pain was at its worst?

Formyboys, What kind of pain it is that you have? Is it like cramping or sharp pain or what? And where exactly is the pain? Also, what kind of dr did your surgeon refer you to? I had some pain in my left side for awhile last year. My surgeon recommended removing the band since it hasn't worked for me anyway. I wanted to do this but his office would never return my calls or emails regarding insurance. I also could not get another lap band surgeon to see me. They all just referred me back to my original surgeon. Eventually the pain went away so I just forgot about it. Now the pain is back and I am also having constipation. I'm worried that I may be having this issue and I really don't know what to do. I don't want to go back to my surgeon because I feel they are just money hungry and they got my money and don't care any more. I would like to see another dr if I can find one who will see me.

My surgeon suggested today that I have my band removed since I am having chest pain and left side pain that I am pretty certain is being caused by the band. That coupled with the fact that I have not lost any weight because I cannot stand the pressure in my chest it causes when I eat. My questions are: 1-If you had a non-emergency band removal, did you have to stay in the hospital overnight? 2-Does anyone have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and if so, did they pay for the removal? 3-What was the recovery/pain/gas, etc like? Similar to when you had the band placed? 4-Did you have to do a pre-op diet before band removal? My surgeon said I do not have to but that makes no sense to me because it seems like the work they will be doing in there (band removal plus removal of scar tissue/adhesions), they would need the liver to be shrunk and out of the way and I have a history of having an enlarged liver. 5-How long after surgery did you have be on liquids?

It just depends on what your pre-op diet consists of. I was allowed to have 2 small lean meat/veggie meals per day on mine but it's just whatever your doc told you that you are allowed to have.

I have the same side stitch feeling on my left side as well but mainly just when I lay on my left side. Its a little uncomfortable but not really painful. I am over a year out and have been having it since having my band put in. Are any of you who are a year or more out still having this feeling?

Glad to hear everything is ok. What is an esophogram? Is that the same as the barium swallow xray? Can they tell from that if the band is eroding or something like that? I have been having some pain in my upper stomach area and I'm not sure what to do. I don't really want to go back to my surgeon as I was not impressed with him....I feel that once he got my money, he was done with me. The aftercare center where I have gotten fills just tells me to go see my surgeon if I have any problems. I am going to have to find a new PCP because my old one is not on my insurance any more. I feel that I need to get things checked out but I don't know who to go to. I hate starting all over with a new dr.

Dont want to scare you but you should see a dr right away.

For awhile now I have been noticing that sometimes (usually only in the evening/night) when I take a deep breath while laying down or sitting down, when I exhale, my heart kind of beats harder for about 4-5 beats. It does not skip a beat, double beat or anything like that, its just like a harder pounding for a few beats. I see a cardiologist for sinus tachycardia (fast heart beat), thickening of the heart muscle (due to strain of excess weight on my heart) and a mild mitral valve regurgitation (probably hereditary). I told the cardiologist's nurse in January and she didn't seem concerned, she just said if it started doing it a lot I might need to wear a holter monitor (which I did about year ago and all was fine). Like I said, it only happens sometimes, not always and I cannot make it happen. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? The PA who did my physical at my consultation said "Well, I don't want to tell you anything for sure since you are under a cardiologist's care but most people's heartrate does increase upon taking deep breaths." It just feels kind of odd and I don't remember it doing this before I gained weight. I have an appt with my cardiologist on Tuesday for clearance from him and I will mention it to him. I was just wondering if anyone else has this and if it prevented/delayed surgery. I don't want that to happen, but of course, I dont want to go under anesthesia if there is something else going on with my heart.

I am really struggling and I am so disappointed in myself. I was banded in September and have not even lost 30 pounds yet. I have actually gained a few recently and have really only lost around 20 pounds. I am an emotional eater, I knew this before I was banded but had been in therapy almost 2 years and thought I could do it. Well, I was wrong. I have figured out ways to eat around the band and that's exactly what I'm doing. Is anyone else struggling with this? It's an addiction.....I just can't stop myself from the chips, dip, chocolate, cheese, anything fattening or starchy that I can get down. I finally got restriction with my last fill but wound up vomiting several times daily and still, I would eat whenever and whatever I could get down. Now, it's loosened up again and I can eat more even though I haven't lost any weight. I was exercising but have slacked off. However, even when I was exercising (and I was busting my butt in the gym) I still wasn't losing because I can't get control over my eating. I am so embarrassed and ashamed, I know people are thinking "she had weight loss surgery and she's barely lost any weight at all". I'm so humiliated. I'm still in therapy and it's helping me emotionally but I just can't seem to get over my addiction to food. Any suggestions besides "just stop"? I've tried, believe me.

I have been having a lot of mucus in my throat and throat clearing during and after meals lately. Do you think this could be related to my band? I know it's not too tight, in fact, if anything, its not quite tight enough right now. Have an appt for October 3rd but was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

I have high blood pressure so I can't take anything with a decongestant in it. I have been taking Xyzal or zyrtec (not together) but they haven't really helped much. The weird thing is, I don't have any nasal issues (running or stuffiness)...it's just mucus in my throat and back of nasal cavity where it leads into the throat.

I was banded 11 months ago and here I sit, only about 4 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I have nobody to blame but myself. I know the band is just a tool, it's up to me, etc, etc. I was hoping the band would force me to not eat the way I was eating but it really hasn't. I can't stand the way it feels when my pouch is "full". Its uncomfortable in my chest and makes me want to gag. It feels like I can't breath and I panic so I drink to wash the food down. Then, I eat more. They've done x-rays and say my band is in proper position. Those who have the sleeve, is this how it feels when you are "full" or is a more normal feeling of being full in your stomach? I'm looking into my options of having the band removed and trying something else but I don't want it to just be another failure. I want something that will force me into compliance and the band has not done that. I have been in therapy for over 3 years and seen a few different therapists and have worked on the emotional part of my eating/food addiction but can't seem to move past it. Thanks for any advice.

Yes, what Jodi said is right. Research shows that many who have slips later down the road did not follow their post op diets properly. It's not just about the fact that it "seems to be fine" now, you are setting yourself up for problems later by not following your dr's post op diet to the T.

Try the thread below, there are tons of recipes and ideas. Also, my favorite thing to eat when I was on mushies was to take fat free refried Beans (old el paso brand is the best in my opinion), put them in the blender or magic bullet with some vegetable or chicken broth and blend to a thick runny consistency. Heat and add in a little cheese if you like. It was soooo good after not having food for so long (and having all those sweet shakes and stuff). My DH joked and called it my bean shake but that is what I had for dinner nearly every night on mushies. Also good are cheese grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream Soups, yogurt, applesauce. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f82/mushies-stage-recipes-17637/

Genisoy Heart Smart baked soy crackers....they are soooo good. I didn't discover these till after being banded and they are a great snack alternative to chips. They are low in calories, fat and sodium and have 7 grams of protein per serving. I love them and you could just put some in a baggie and it would just seem like you are eating chips. Pair with some string cheese or eat by themselves. Genisoy has a lot of other soy protein based snacks but the only ones I like are the smart hearts, crispy dippers and soytato chips. They can be hard to find but the website is good about having stuff on sale so sometimes I order from them and sometimes I can find them at Kroger or Whole Foods. WalMart stopped selling them. :redface:

I have not heard of anyone doing this but I have heard there is a new procedure called Stomaphyx to help gastric bypass patients whose weight loss has stalled or who have regained. StomaphyX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia StomaphyX - Bariatric Revision for Gastric Bypass Surgery