nailgirl846

I finally had my band removed 9/18 and the first 4 days were pretty painful (from the differred pain - so the worst was the pain in the tip of my left shoulder/neck area as well as my left mid rib cage) Thank goodness - that pain is gone now. I do have some minor pain in the incisions but nothing compared to having the band put in - the port hurt and never stopped - until now that it is gone . I'm so happy to be able to (once I'm healed) go through my day and eat whatever I want and not worry about running to the bathroom to throw it up and dealing with the slime and pain associated with that. Not worry about traveling and what I could or couldn't eat and being in a hotel room and on a schedule and not be able to eat because I'm too tight and then a few hours later I'm starving and no one else is. (Vacations have not been any fun - airplane trips make the band tighten up for a day or 2 - then its time to go home...) Several times a week (normal life - just day to day) my band would be closed so tight I could barley sip Water if I had any stress (and I own my own business and unfortunately - it is very stressful) and I have had it unfilled since 2010. It was so painful to have food stuck all the time. It had slipped and I didn't know it, I just dealt with the side effects. This was my choice - I thought it was how it was supposed to be. I mostly ate liquids and occasionally soft foods. I cant wait to eat meat - apples - lettuce - rice... in moderation of course! I have been so unhealthy because of the lack of proper nutrition - I'm Vitamin deficient and take so many supplements. It will take a while but I will get my health back on track (hopefully my hair will thicken up again) I will also keep moving each day. This has been to much of a bad dream to let it bring me down. I hope I don't experience any post surgery problems either! (Good luck to everyone here as well!)

Had my band removed yesterday and I'm in a lot of pain. The worst is the left shoulder/neck pain from the Co2 gas (and the tummy area too!) The incisions hurt of course but where the port was it is sooo painful! From day one (back in 4/2007) they said the soreness where the port was would go away and it never has! I cant wait to have no pain there!!! I had the band removed because it has made my life a nightmare. I have had it unfilled for 6 years and I still cant eat much (unless its ice cream, processed, or fried foods) Almost everyday I have to throw-up to try and alleviate the excruciating pain from food being stuck. (then I cant eat or drink anything for hours afterwards) Some days, if I have any stress at all the band will just tighten up completely around my stomach and I cant drink or eat anything for hours (sometimes till the next day). I have become deficient in many Vitamins and in Protein (because there is no way meat can go down - ever!) I try to drink Protein drinks daily but it isn't enough and my hair is much thinner than it ever has been. I hate going on trips because I never know when I'll need to run to the bathroom to throw up - or if I wont be able to eat or drink anything at all and just be miserable. So I finally called my surgeon and their office said my insurance wouldn't cover it and that it would cost $3500 to remove it. I told them my insurance will cover removing it, if it's medically necessary. I only wanted an appointment with the Dr. to explain my issues and see what he recommends. They wouldn't let me make an appointment unless I paid with cash, just ridiculous! I knew my insurance would cover the visits and tests. So I contacted another Dr. and they got me in and did some tests including an upper GI scope and he said the band has slipped an should come out. So a few months later it was removed. My insurance paid for the removal and here I am.... hoping for the best outcome. As much trouble as I've had with the lap band - I cant see myself getting another bariatric surgery. I'm looking forward to living a normal life. Just hopefully I will make better food choices. (than ice cream, processed foods and fried foods - which was the easiest foods to eat/swallow when I was having trouble... which was everyday!) Of course I will continue to exercise and hopefully keep loosing weight...

I'm having the same problem. I had my band removed yesterday 9/18 and I get full and bloated very fast. I can not eat anymore than I could before I had it removed. I had the band implanted in 2007 - so maybe my stomach will need to stretch out or something..?..I hope in time (a very short amount if time) I'll be able to eat normal healthy meals, instead of soft mushy food all the time! I also have a lot of pain in my left shoulder, neck and belly area from the Co2 they used in surgery - I cant wait till that goes away so I can take a full deep breath! I hope you can eat normally soon also! Best of luck to you!