KarenB

couldn't edit...all i got was smiley faces, millions of them! ***THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GOOD THOUGHTS, PLEASE KEEP SENDING THEM!***

Hi everyone. The sleeve is not an option because it's not covered by my insurance. Also, I can't take a chance on relying on just restriction. Nutcracker Esophagus is a rare condition marked by very rapid contractions through the esophagus; it's confirmed by a minometry (swallow test where they put tubes through your nostrils into your exoph. Not fun, but worth it.) It can cause pain, I thought I was having a heart attack, and it can ultimately result in cancer. It was first suspected in me when my barium swallows went down so fast & they saw so many contractions under fluro. when the barium went down. Then when my fills kept closing up after 2-3 good weeks, I had the minometry. One time, it got to the point where I couldn't sip Water, had waited a week for an unfill becasue the person who does them wasn't around, and I when the Fluid was out, I spit out a tiny Welbutrin pill that had been sitting there for the whole week. It looked untouched. Don't worry, it's RARE! Betty, Hanna's doing great. She's down 50+ lbs., still a little way to go, but a great difference in her life. She's been in Israel since September, due back June 7. I can hardly wait. She's 19 already, can you believe it? And look at you, girl, down 98 lbs. WOW! That's so great. I am so happy for you. You must be lovin it. It's so nice to hear from old friends. That's my bad habit, hiding out when things aren't going well for me. I'll tell you about my family, my job, anything except me, because I think I failed. I thought I could keep the weight off once the band was unfilled. Ha! Having lots of tests, Tuesday's endo. & phych, Thursday's nutritionist (and colonoscopy, but that was from before), next Monday's stress test, echo, and the lovely sleep test. It's so weird, because when I first met the doctor, it turned out that he knew & is friends w/ my doctors from my mastectomy...so he's getting me in when docs supposedly have no appt's. also the psych didn't have appointments for over a month...when I heard her name, I realized she had led a weight loss group Hanna participated in years ago...I emailed her Thursday night & I'm seeing her Thursday. Weird, huh? Just waiting to hear when the endoscopy will be. I'll definately be approved for band removal, it's just the by-pass that we'll have to wait for. Maybe they can just sneak it in as long as I'm on the table. Keep ya posted...

I just moved my thread to "Lap Band Removal" Seeing your post reminded me how much I missed you guys. Thanks for the good wishes.

Moved post to Lap Band Removal!

Hi Alexandra, long time no post (me). I'm sorry you went through all that, but happy for you that all went well w/your band removal. Your picture looks amazing. You've done such a wonderful job w/your weight loss and it shows in your glowing face! I just posted that I'm having my band removed & going for the RNY. I'm glad I checked in!

Hi. My daughter is spending the year in Israel (until June) and is experiencing what could be band-related problems. I remember reading here that someone (or more than 1 person) was banded in Israel (Tel Aviv?) Can someone please recommend a band doc for my daughter? Thank you,

As I've posted before, I've been having a lot of pain lately. Sometimes so bad I can't even lie on my stomach at night. I suspect some of it is from the fact that I'm chronically very constipated as a result of the meds I need to take because of Nutcracker Esophagus. Funny name-- potentially dangerous condition. I did e-mail Dr. Ortiz with all this, and he was leaning toward removal...wants me to come down there, but... Since my insurance changed to much lower out-of-network benefits, and since Dr. Ortiz's hospital charges are higher than I can pay, along w/transportation, hotel, etc., I was kind of dithering around...made 2 different doc appoints & didn't really know what to do or whom to see. (Amazing how lack of insurance coverage limits things.) Yesterday the pain was so bad that I called my internist/gastro (whom I really trust & who diagnosed the nutcracker) & said "listen, I know you don't know what a band looks like, but you have to find me someone who does cause this really hurts". Turns out, he's started doing endos with a band doc, now knows what it looks like, and can share the pictures of an endo with him. I had the endo today, he couldn't really see anything, but will consult w/the band doc. Meanwhile I called the band doc (Dr. Vohra, for anyone who's from Long Island) who got on the phone right away and confirmed what I've been feeling for a while now: The meds for the nutcracker aren't agreeing with me; the nutcracker could very well resolve itself if I have the band removed; the nutcracker is potentially too dangerous to fool around with, and since I can't have more than a .5cc fill, the band has basically done its work. I have very mild restriction, but basically the band is just there and not very useful. Even if it doesn't resolve itself, the next step in treatment is definately not band-compatible, which is botox injected into the esophagus. When I see Dr. Vohra on Wednesday, he will have seen the pix of the endoscopy & will be in a better position to tell me if there's any erosion, etc., but the point is still that both doctors feel strongly that it has to go. Oh yeah, he'll work around my insurance, admit me thru emergency, etc. So that's my long story. Some of you have followed my journey; never easy because I couldn't keep my fills, only knowing why after the diagnosis. My first thought after speaking to the doctor, and EXACTLY what my husband said, was: "Don't ever think it wasn't worth it." And I don't. More details to follow after I see Dr. Vohra on Wednesday.

Snow White, My suggestion is to have an endoscopy. Yes, it's true that banded people can have esophagus problems. I developed one, a rare condition called Nutcracker Esophagus (you can google it--some people here are probably sick to death of hearing about it). It necessitated (?) keeping a very small fill (.5cc) and also watching very carefully to possibly remove my band. I had a barium swallow recently & endoscopy & just have to take the results to a local band doc I found. Didn't mean to scare you--you might just have esophagitis which is healed by Nexium. But please have it checked out.

Looks like the barium went where it's supposed to go. I have to take the pix to the Dr. As for my hubby, I guess wife knows best. We knew he had hep.c as a result of blood transfusions over 20 yrs. ago. Even tho his blood work looked decent, the liver biopsy shows it's advanced. He'll have to start treatment (interferon therapy?) in a few weeks. If anyone has experience with this, please PM me. I'll keep these posts on the topic & let you know after I've seen the doc. I think I can keep my band for the time being. Two HUGE cups of barium; yuk!

Thanks, Alex, I needed that. Going for barium swallow/upper GI tomorrow; I'll let you know.

I had the same symptoms before banding, it was acid reflux, which can cause damage to your esophagus. I started taking Nexium, which to me is a wonder drug! After being banded it went away until I developed an unrelated problem; it caused my band to become too tight. From what I've read, a too-tight band can definately contribute to acid reflux, and night-time eating can too. If you eat at night, then lie down to sleep, the food just lies there and causes acid to come up in your throat. Hope this helps; it definately should be checked out.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes & prayers...we certainly need them right now. Thank you Sparkling, the endorsement of Dr. Vorha is comforting. Not much in the personality dept, right? But I sensed a hidden one in there. His staff just raved about him, the all swear up & down he's one of the best lap-band surgeone around. I still haven't had pain--I'm almost 100% positive it's not my gallbladder, but was related to the medication I was taking. Buy I'm glad he's checking all posibilities & the barium swallow should be very telling. I'm more worried about my husband than myself--he has a fever today which comes & goes. We're waiting for the results of his liver biopsy, which, strangely enough, checks for other things besides cancer. He's having an endoscopy Wed. a.m. because of the internal bleeding. But the worst part is that I keep snapping at him. I'm all screwed up right now, but we should have some answers this week. That really got off the subject. Talk to you guys soon.

Hey guys. Well, I went to the doc. He was pretty nice...a little puzzled that my pain has gone & he's sending me for another upper GI series (last one was several months ago) and ultrasound to rule out gallbladder. He was interested in gallbladder when I showed him where it hurt. Silly me, I thought that was where my band was, but I didn't even know where my stomach was! If the pain comes back, I'm to call him immediately, but he's pretty sure that a loose band & stopping the constipating meds did relieve my symptoms. He did say that when a gastro. can't see the band on an endoscopy, that's a good sign. He's going to look at the films, cause they're @ the same hospital. So, upper GI next week, ultrasound the week after. Leenerbups, everyone's pretty certain that the band DID NOT cause my esoph. problems, but that in people who are either pre-disposed or just beginning esoph. issues, it can manifest sooner after being banded. It's like the plumbing just doesn't all work right. Also, BEFORE banding I had reflux big time, and Dr. Ortiz said that after banding, I wouldn't have it anymore. And I don't. Go figure! That's it for now, I guess. I'm glad I don't seem to have to do anything this minute, hubby's having liver biopsy tomorrow & endoscopy next week (he's anemic, which men aren't supposed to be--seems if they are, they're losing blood somewhere internally) AND my mom's having back surgery in the next few weeks. Never a dull moment! Thanks for all your kind works, I'll keep ya all posted!

Your very interesting post shows how important it is for us to have a doctor who will actually LISTEN to us and to trust that we actually do know something about our own bodies. It's also great to hear that someone who's been banded is in good shape. Please let us know how the fill goes.

Leenerbups, nobody knows what causes this stupid condition, and there's a possibility it will resolve itself when I'm unbanded. As dumb as a name it is, it you google it, you'll see that it's potentially serious. So those of us w/motility problems definately need to have them checked out/monitored. Thanks for your concern.

For the past 2 days my stomach hasn't hurt. I stopped the calcium channel blockers because they made me too constipated & the dr. prescribed Mirilax. Maybe that was the problem? I can only hope. Even if I have to have my band removed, I'd rather wait a little while if it's not so urgent as it sounded. Since the band is looser than it's ever been, maybe the nutcracker has subsided? Nobody knows what causes the nutcracker, but since I never had it before and a normal fill always became too tight because of the excess motility, all the dr.'s I've seen have said it is related to the band. It's becomming known that being banded can bring out motility problems. Maybe some of us were pre-disposed to begin with, but there's no way of telling. As I said, I'll know more in a few days. At least I'll know my options from this doctor insurance wise, and then I still have another doctor to consult with at NYU if it's not so urgent. I'll keep you posted.

Hi guys, I just saw all this. Xann, I've used Dory Ferrara, the NP you mentioned. No, she doesn't use fluoro, but you do have to have a barium swallow @ lab & take x-ray to her before your first fill. On the plus side, she NEVER misses & gives great fills. On the minus side, as with all U.S. fills I've heard of, she's conservative. Starts @ .5cc's, then goes up gradually. Unfortunately, I've had esophagus issues that necessitate my band removal in the next few weeks. I don't think I can afford to pay Dr. Ortiz's removal fee, as much as I love him. Has anyone heard of Dr. Vorha on Long Island? His office is in Hewlett & he operates @ So. Nassau. My gastro thinks very highly of him & even though he's not on my insurance, he's willing to admit me through emergency to get payment.

Thanks my friends. Paula, I'm seeing him Wednesday, but he did definately say sooner rather than later, so I think things will move quickly. I was telling a friend "why can't I just go have it removed without seeing him first?", but I guess any doctor would want to see the patient before operating! And what idiot would rush into an O.R without even meeting the doctor? (me?) I'll post as soon as I come home on Wednesday--5 whole days away! I DON'T REGRET FOR A MINUTE HAVING THE BAND! IT'S NOBODY'S "FAULT" THAT I DEVELOPED THIS CONDITION, AND I'M SO HAPPY WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS.

Definately good advice about the water. & thanks for the gallbladder description. It's NOT that bad. I've started taking Senecot every other day & it does produce results. I notice the worse the foods I eat, the worse the pain. I also have not been excersising officially, although I do train & subway steps everyday, so that counts for something. I'm going to drink a bottle of water now & call the dr. tomorrow. Thanks for the good words & I'll keep you posted after I talk to/see the doc.

Hi everyone. I've been away for a while, sick husband, etc. A few months ago I was diagnosed w/"Nutcracker Espohagus". Basically, it is an overactive esophagus. I could never keep a fill, kept closing up & having to be unfilled. I had upper GI, endoscopy & the definative swallow test, momonotry. So I have a small fill (.5cc's), small restriction, which I can live with. The medication for nutcracker is Calcium channel blockers, which I've been taking. Side effect is major constipation. The fill level is loose, but at least I don't close up anymore. Anyway, lately I've been having pain both in my lower abdomen (which I THINK is mostly from the constipation) but more recently in the stomach area. It starts hurting after I eat, but I don't feel any added restriction or any problem w/the food going down, etc. It seems to be AFTER the food's gone through the band. It's not a sharp pain, but defintely there. At first I called Dr. Ortiz & told him I thought the nutcracker was acting up again & he first said it might be time to have my band removed, but last time I spoke to him he said to come down for tests. It's not that easy to do from here, so I'm thinking I'll go to the gastro I know here who's familiar w/the band & at least schedule a barium swallow. He also did my last endoscopy, so he could do one & see if anything's changed. After all that, has anyone else experienced pain in the stomach area like I've described? Does it sound anything like slippage or erosion? Thank you,

You're in my thoughts Jonathan. Hope all went well by the time you read this. I too thought your problem was resolved; I'm really sorry you have to go through this.

I never thought of gallbladder. Does that hurt in the middle? It almost feels like my band hurts, not that I really know where it is. Thanks for the congrats, Michelle. I KNOW this is all worth it, even if it means ultimately losing the band. Yesterday I had to go suit shopping (yes, a woman who despises shopping) and every single 12 fit. What a shock! This pain is getting worrisome, as it seems to always be there. I vow to call the dr. tomorrow. My insurance has changed to a semi-HMO, and this gastro isn't in my network, of course. But he is one of those rare doctors that takes whatever the insurance company pays. I say "semi-HMO" because at least I can go to a doc outside the network, at reduced benefits. This HMO stuff is all new to me; I don't even know if I'm able to get a referral to a doc who's out of network! I think I'm putting off tests because I went through all this a few months ago to diagnose my esophagus problem, but if it were anyone else asking I'd tell them to hurry up & go. Thanks for the encouraging words.

Hi Kelly. I just read all your posts. So sorry you had to to through all that misery. I've been having some problems but will start another post to try to get some help. Thank you for sharing your journey. Sounds like you got it out just in time; not being able to swallow spit is definately bad. Keep up the good spirits; you're an inspiration! Take care,

I can't believe it! I have lost 69 lbs. My goal was 90 by now, but I think I've done pretty darn well and that I'll get at least to 85. It hasn't been an easy year. Some of you know what's been going on. My husband's been ill for more than a year, and he got so sick in August that my band literally froze up, and I've had problems ever since. I've had 3 unfills! I am proud of myself for being a "responsible bandster" and getting unfilled when I was way too tight instead of trying to ride it out. I am grateful for lining up good aftercare BEFORE being banded Mexico. I am happy I chose Dr. Ortiz & that he's been in constant touch w/my doctors here to resolve my stupid nutcracker problem. I'm happy that I've been a positive example for my daughter. I think I'm doing better with medication and looser fill. A looser fill makes me more aware of what I eat. And believe it or not, I'm happy that I've lost so much weight that I have to have my abdominal surgery (related to my mastectomy) revised to remove the majorly buldging stitches and that it will result in a tummy tuck. That's why I might have to stop at 85 lbs.; if I lose too much I will bulge again. What a problem to have! On that subject, I am happy that my plastic surgeon, who will perform that surgery, is so amazed by my weight loss. I've taught him (and my internist) that bypass is not the only successful WLS. Surprisingly enough, when I saw him the other day, I brought along a detailed image from of a banded stomach & the port location so he doesn't damage it when he "peels back" my previous surgery. The area is from just above the pubic area to just below my belly-button. He said, "Karen, I know where the port is, I've helped some other surgeons re-position them". That really blew me away and gave me peace of mind. I'm grateful for the past year and in light of people's recent problems pray that I will be able to keep my band. Besides marrying my husband and having my two wonderful children, it's the best thing I've ever done. I'm happy that I've made friends on this board, and I'm very grateful for your support and encouragement. Thank you.

Thanks everyone. Your posts made me feel really good.