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Update: My band was removed December 15th, 2014. The surgeon found a hernia; polyps in my stomach (they are rare, but can be caused by long term use of acid reflux medication); and concrete "food pills" that were stuck in the lining of my stomach inside the banded area. The concreted "pills" were causing extreme pressure between the band and my stomach, which was the source of the severe reflux. Unfortunately, they didn't show up on previous tests, or could have perhaps been treated separately to see if that would have allowed me to keep the band. The bottom line is that I slept soundly last night for the first time in more than 5 years.

My lapband journey began in November, 2007. I flew to Monterrey, Mexico for surgery with Dr. Zapata. He is a skilled surgeon who does many of these procedures quickly and efficiently. I got a 4cc band. After the surgery I experienced minimal pain and virtually no complications, except a little nausea. I went in for my first fill about a month after surgery; long enough for the swelling and initial tightness to recede. My first fill was tiny, just .1 or .2 cc's. Even though it was very small, and all the subsequent fills I received were very small, it was enough to cause me to vomit every time I ate. After 4 weeks or so, I was able to keep down some food and after about 6 weeks I went back for another tiny fill, believing this was the protocol I should follow. Since the very beginning, I have experienced vomiting, severe reflux and an inability to exercise without it causing almost immediate vomiting. Even with a few sips of Water in my stomach I will vomit if I try to go for a walk. I have to wait at least 6 hours after eating before I can even think of walking from the car into a store without stopping to vomit. I can't sleep laying down. Even propped up, I aspirate every single night. It takes a few hours, but the Fluid in my stomach always finds its way up and I wake up choking. I've had lots of tests done over the years since being banded and have tried everything to make this band work for me. I recently had another endoscopy, upper gi series and fluoroscopy done and it was determined (yet again) that my band has never slipped, and my pouch has never stretched. I have made the very difficult decision to have the band removed, since there seems to be no other option for me at this point. The surgeon who will be removing my band has assured me I am not alone. The band is a wonderful idea, and does work for some people. I never had any acid reflux before the band, not even heartburn. But for some people like me, this is nothing short of a torture device. Intended to allow me to eat small amounts of foods I love (grilled chicken and fish, steamed vegetables); I have been unable for years to eat anything that has much lean Protein in it, because it is too hard to digest and doesn't pass through the band quickly enough, therefore causing food to come right back up. I've lost some weight, and I hope I can keep it off and lose even more, now that I'll once again be able to eat food off the grill. I wish I could report things a different way; I feel that I've given this enough time and enough different chances to try every possible "fix" for the problem, but unfortunately, this is how my band story ends. Good luck to all of you - try your very best - give your band every chance to work. Kristine in Texas

I'm 7 years post-banding and need recommendations for a surgeon who can work on my tubing. I went in for an unfill a couple months ago, due to severe acid reflux and some other problems. The Dr. was using flouro, and the needle was definitely in the port, but nothing would come out. She said the tubing is twisted or something else is keeping the Fluid from coming out. The band definitely does have fluid in it, and is fairly tight. My surgery was initially done in Mexico, but I would prefer to have the repairs done in Texas. (I'm just north of Houston, in The Woodlands) I need to know if there is a surgeon who will work with patients who were banded somewhere else. Any suggestions?

I've been banded 3 years myself, and had my last fill about 8 months ago. I'm planning to have the next one in September or October of this year, so almost a year apart. According to the fill doctors I've used (we moved, so had to change docs), there isn't a "magic" formula for the length of time between fills. I'm not in a particular hurry to get to goal, but prefer to learn how to manage each new weight for several months before getting another fill and going down to the next weight plateau. I've lost about 75 pounds so far, and I expect to reach my goal weight of 116 within another year, possibly two. I am about 30 pounds from goal now. Everyone is different, so if you are noticing your appetite increasing, really do a thorough assessment on whether your hunger is emotional eating or actual hunger in between meals. I remind myself every once in a while that the fills can't continue forever. At some point, my band will likely be full. After that, if I haven't dealt with the emotional eating, I will gain back some of the weight. For me, it's better to wait longer for a fill and learn to maintain for a while, but as I said, every person is different, and with different amounts of weight to lose, and unique situations. Good Luck!! --Kristine

I LOVE Dr. Stephanie Eijsink, who sees lapBand patients in College Station every other Saturday (she alternates between College Station and Tyler and does LapBand fills on Saturdays only). She charges $200 (cash only) for a fill with flouro, and uses lidocaine before the needle is inserted. She is really great, and has a lapband herself, so she understands the quirks of the band. Her husband takes the appointments for her, and usually you'll need to leave a message and will get a call back within a couple hours. She is not a lapband surgeon, and will do fills on patients from Mexico. Her number is: (903)520-8847.

Thanks for all your replies, I think I have finally found some posts that address this problem. It has taken me quite a while to learn how to navigate property through this forum, but when I went into the topic about lapband problems and complications and did a search for "aspirating" I came up with several other posts on this subject. Almost all of them indicated that the problem is mostly related to being overfilled. I guess maybe quite a few people had a slight unfill and found relief. I think I'll wait it out for a little longer, though. We just moved from Texas to North Carolina and I can't see my fill doc right away. There are other doctors at Fill Centers, but I went to one of them a month and a half ago and he is not nearly as good as what I'm used to, so won't go back. I have found that if I am extremely diligent about when I stop eating in the evening, and don't drink anything at all for the last two hours before I go to bed, I seem to do okay. I absolutely can not eat any red meat after about 3 in the afternoon, as it stays in the pouch much too long. I expect that as spring gets here and I am once again able to exercise outside, I will begin to lose weight again and will see the band become a bit looser. This is so frustrating, and I definitely don't want to wind up with pneumonia, but I'm going to try taking the extra steps to manage it for now. Jbrommer3, Please post back if you don't mind, and let me know what your doctor says? Best of luck, Kristine

I've been banded for about 15 months and have lost about 55 pounds so far. I'm pleased with my fills (5 so far) and am able to eat small meals slowly without too much difficulty. About 8 months or so after being banded I began having acid reflux for the first time in my life. I began eating my last meal earlier, nothing after around 7pm, then began taking a walk after eating my last meal in the evening, and finally added some acid controlling medication in the evening. That does seem to help somewhat, but over time the acid seems to be getting much worse. Over the past two months or so, I have begun aspirating in the night once or twice a week. I wake up choking horribly and in much pain. I have searched on the web for information on this, and other than the fact that it seems to be somewhat common in post-banding, I don't see much about what can be done. Today I have tried some apple cider vinegar (according to what I read, 2 tblsp twice a day helps some people tremendously), and will give that a shot for a few days to see if there is improvement, but if the aspiration doesn't improve soon I fear I will have to have the band unfilled, which would be a huge disappointment. This is such a serious medical complication that I don't want to take any risks with it. Anyone else having this problem, and if so, what did you do to seek improvement?

I have been banded for about 15 months now. Until recently, I lived in Texas and drove about an hour away to Dr. Eijsink for fills. The usual wait for a fill was maybe 10 minutes, sometimes less than that. She was quick and thorough, and I was quite satisfied. Now that we've moved to NC, though, I had to find a fill doc nearer to our new home and called Fill Centers USA for a list of their fill docs. They found me a place not too far away, about an hour and a half away. I made the appointment, and for the first appointment I was told to come 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork, which I did. Then I proceeded to wait......over an hour before I was taken to the back. After some initial questions and my weight, blood pressure, etc. were done, I went into a room and waited again. It was TWO HOURS after my appointment time when I was finally seen by the doctor. When he did come in to do the fill he did a good job and seemed thorough. It is still early on, and I'm still not eating solids so can't tell for sure if this fill is sufficient, but I expect that it will be fine. The problem I had was with the wait. I think anything over 15 minutes is unacceptable, and if I have to wait that long again I will cancel and insist that I not be charged. My time has value, and as a fellow professional, they wasted about $300.00 worth of my time that day. When I spoke to the people at Fill Centers, who called me for feedback the next day, they indicated that they were aware there was usually a wait time at that doctor, but they certainly didn't inform me about it when I called. I would appreciate the people at Fill Centers taking note of this thread. You have the ability to let people know what they are in for. Some people may choose to sit and wait anyway, but others won't waste the drive time and will choose another option. For those of you looking for a fill doctor, wait time might be another question you add to the list when you are inquiring for a fill. Kristine, North Carolina

The gas problem goes away after a few weeks. You'll likely have pains for about a week, maybe two, and then you'll notice it more than usual for the next couple months, until you get used to the band and stop swallowing air with every bite. After the hunger pains subside, (and they do subside) you'll be able to eat small bites slowly, which creates much less gas. I find it harder to burp than before, so if air does get stuck, well, it has to find another way out. But after 10 months post-op and 50 pounds lighter so far, I have very few problems with air anymore. As far as the diarrhea, one of the things that caused it for me was the lack of solid foods. It just sort of cleaned out my system, but after a few days it went away and hasn't been an ongoing problem. Maybe you could take some imodium if it doesn't get better in a day or two, and make sure you increase your fluids to compensate. Best of luck to all of you! Kristine The Woodlands, TX Banded 11/12/07

I drink a lot of hot tea, and usually have a cup, or sometimes even 2 or 3 cups early in the morning. Normal for me is eating my first "meal" sometime between 10:30 and 2:00. Anything earlier hurts, because I'm very tight early. Fortunately, though I am not hungry early on, and the tea does the trick. Lots of people use the Protein shakes, but I can't consume anything cold. My fill doc has a band, and she told me that for her it is usual to wait until maybe 1:00 in the afternoon before she is able to eat. So, morning tightness is perfectly normal for some, and for others "normal" seems to be a little different. You'll do great!!! I've just hit the 40 pound mark! Losing slowly but consistently, and I'm very thankful! (I was banded on November 12, 2007 - 40 pounds lost in 26 weeks) Kristine The Woodlands, TX

Never fear, you will get past these cravings. I was, in my opinion, addicted to diet coke prior to my band. I had one about an hour before the cutoff time for eating and drinking prior to surgery. Afterwards, I thought for sure that would be the one thing I could not give up. But, then one day I tried a little. Just a sip or two, and it's hard to explain, but it just isn't the same at all. It's not satisfying, and you couldn't even THINK of taking anything more than a tiny sip at a time, so you don't get to enjoy it. I've had three or four sips since then (really! that's all!) and I can honestly say that I don't miss it at all. What do I miss??? Well, I've lost 40 pounds somewhere, and can't seem to find them! Of course, I'm not really looking very hard. LOL Kristine The Woodlands, TX Banded since November, 2007