babsintx3

Hi Poodles, I also have this phenomenon!!! My theory is that it is caused by gas and bloating in the stomach that pushes the port into the abdomen. I notice when I have this pain it almost seems like my port is really sticking out and trying to push through my skin. Thanksgiving grazing made me feel like I was gonna explode!!! Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi Sue, Congratulations on your exceptional weight loss. I am glad that the DS is working for you. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi Paige, Once again, you associate a less full band with NOT having the ability to lose weight. This is simply not so. It seems that you believe that you cant lose weight with less fill in your band when experienced bandsters are telling you that you can. No one is telling you that you do not deserve a normal BMI. No one is saying that you deserve to be miserable and fat. No matter what I say you will believe what you want to believe. It almost seems like you don't want to explore the possibility that emptying some of the saline in your band might actually help you lose weight..... Babs in TX

Hi Sunta, I am against messing with the band at goal or any other time due to my own personal experience and what I have heard from others. I had an unfill when I had plastic surgery last year and all of my fill was taken out accidentally and my band has not been the same since. It took 3 fills, two unfills, five weeks with no fill and a refill to finally give me restriction the way it used to be. However, if you cant get through a month without PBing, then I would consider a little unfill since you are likely to do damage to yourself with chronic PBing. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi Paige, I lived and worked in Europe for ten years and understand the healthcare system. My husband is Dutch and I DO understand that you cant have immediate service . I am also not suggesting that the US system of health care is better. Regardless based on what you told us, your band is TOO TIGHT. You do not benefit mentally or physically from a too tight band. I don't see how barfing and living miserably (which is not what the band is about) is productive and helps you in any way at all. If it aint working of course you will be depressed. Anyone would be. However, you have not had enough fills by a competent professional to say that you really know that there is a problem with the band. Here in the states, the increments are much smaller for first and second fills and even third. Most docs are really conservative and it seems that the biggest losers are the bandsters who have the least amount of fill in their bands and do lots of head work as they build up restriction. So empty it, (not all of it) work on your head and healing your esophagus and giving it a rest and then fill it up really really slowly to find your sweet spot. Regarding your mental health issues, I understand that the band is causing them or exacerbating your mental health issues. The band is not for everyone. It doesnt work for everyone. But having some other bariatric surgery such as a bypass or DS may not solve your problems either. Its really a lot of work having a band, both mentally and physically. There are days I DO wish that I had some other procedure. I was always a volume eater and still to some extent dont know when to stop. My band makes it harder, but you can quite easily eat around the band. I know it to be so. I gained back some of my losses as a result of pouch packing and dilation. ALL of us here to some extent carry some major psychological luggage as obese or formerly obese people.. I lost a lot of weight with the band and sought therapy for the new problems of being thin, more attractive and desirable. I was miserable as a morbidly obese person, but I was also very very sad about some of the developments I encountered as a thinner person. I lost friends who really werent friends and people treat you differently. My point is Who cares whether the cart is before the horse? I would tell an alcoholic if one treatment is not working, then to try another, so I dont get your analogy. With the band LESS IS MORE. You dont have to be restricted to the point of daily barfing to lose weight. Does it really matter whether the band caused your mental health to deteriorate further because it hasnt worked for you? Having your hair fall out and not getting Vitamins coupled with not losing weight would make anyone depressed. Feeling healthier with a less full band will help you to think more rationally. Hugs, Babs in TX 334/190 ish

TUrner, How is your weight distribution?? I am bottom heavy and wear a size 16 pants so even after losing 150 lbs, I have troubles. Yet, I see folks that are top heavy that have 0 problems. Based on your weight only, its hard to make a determination if you would have a problem or not. Babs in TX 334/190's

Hi Michele, Congratulations on your sustained weight loss. I had no problems packing on 38 pounds during my band problems, so I cant even imagine what it would be like to maintain since I have not been able to do this. I lost about 20-22 lbs of the weight I gained, but I am still struggling to keep it off. Kudos to you !!! Babs in TX 334/190's

Paige, You have had lots of good advice here. Your band is too tight. You need to remove the saline and let your esophagus rest. It sounds more like you are working with incompetent docs. In 3 1/2 years, I have had 11 fills/unfills with my band. My doc was conservative with fills and it took several fills to get good restriction. Then I pushed the bar and got more saline than I needed . Then I had unfills. Then I had plastic surgery and unfilled. Then refilled. Finally I am resigned to the fact that I need less than I think I need to maintain my losses. I gained weight back and now I am back to losing again. Please get your band unfilled and work on resting your esophagus and working on your mental health. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

HI, I am three and a half years out and lost more than 150 pounds. I gained some back due to band problems, but I am losing again now that everything is working better. It still takes work,but I would never be this weight without my band. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi, Thanks for your responses. I am going to keep the Cobra for the moment for myself. My husband is another matter since he does not have any major health issues and should be insurable. I am going to look into some additional options for him. My kids are covered now for the moment and that was my biggest concern. THanks for all the info. Babs in TX

Hi, I had pouch dilation and was told that I needed a new band since after emptying the band and going on liquids for a month did not resolve the problem. I went for a second opinion and discovered there is nothing wrong with my band.. It was filled back up to a lower amount, since dilation is normally caused by overeating with a too tight band. I am doing great and I am losing again. Babs in TX 334/190/180

Hi Wheetsin, You are absolutely right. I wasnt trying to suggest that there weren;t other factors that affect gas prices in Europe, just pointing out that Bush is not to blame for all universal economic woes. Babs in TX

Hi Sunta, The economy runs in cycles of 8-10 years or more. What a President does in his administration has little to do with what happens to the economy on a day to day basis. Clinton had little to do with the robust economy of the 1990's and the subsequent demise of telecom and manufacturing practices in the US. Suppy and demand and geography dictate barrel prices. Move to Europe and see how happy you are paying $2.00 Euros a liter for gas and see if the Europeans are blaming Bush for high gas prices. They understand supply and demand, something the Americans generally speaking don't get. I lived and worked in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for most of my adult life and long before the Bush administration and European opinion of Americans has never been that great regardless of what President we have in office. As far as big business and taxes. Just know that the top 2% of income earners pay the largest portion of tax and should receive the most back. I am in the top 2% (which equates to an income of $100K plus a year or more) and I can assure you my ass is kicked at tax time every year. I have a family to feed and it seems like I am taxed for everything. Stupid me just found out that I have to pay Business Personal Property Tax, Hell, I didnt even know what that was until an assessor came to my "leased" office the other day and started to add up the contents. I dont consider myself big business and I am just a small business owner trying to make a living. I am a recruiter that specializes in lean manufactuing and I can assure you the problems started in the manufacturing sector, the economy was starting to tank long before the Bush administration. The smartest thing I heard on TV this week: "You can't prevent what you can't predict" . I think it was Desperate Housewives" last weeks episode..... Babs in TX Babs in TX

Hi, I am a Bush supporter. I voted for him and I support all his decisions so far. I hate the fact that our troops are dying daily, but I understand the need to keep them in Iraq. The American public is wishy washy and ornery. It seems that the uneducated think that the economy, gas prices and the decrease of jobs in the manufacturing and software sector to LCC (low cost countries) are the fault of Bush. When the gas prices go down and economy shows an improvement, ratings go up for him. Ditto on everything Jack said so eloquently. babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi, I eat pizza occasionally. Its always thin crust and sort of crunchy since the doughy kind is really hard to eat. Besides, I prefer the toppings and the cheese anyway, so if I eat it, I usually have one piece and then eat the toppings off a couple of others. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

HI Carlene, I am going through this now with my MIL. My FIL died last year. They do not have a lot of assets but they have a 3,000 a month pension.They did not own a home and had less than 10K in savings. At the time, they were living in FLA where the laws are dramatically differently. If you have lots of assets, the best place to live is FL because he living spouse is allowed to maintain 80K in assets exclusive of their primary residence and can qualify still for Medicaid. However, if you have an pension based portfolio, little savings and no assets, FL is NOT the place you want to live. Due to the fact that my FIL had Parkinsons disease, his care, bathing and transfer exceeded their pension and SS income and they were forced to move to a cheaper assisted living facility. Services were limited and my 79 year old MIL was living a 6 ft man (her hubby) into a wheelchair. He was falling daily and this was a big problem because they couldnt pay for additional services to make things easier for my mother in law. Personally, I dont have a conflict with transfering assets to siblings, but not for personal gain or inheritance. Healthcare costs are huge and that 400K you are referring to in assets could quite easily dissapear if you need a higher level of care in a CCRC or nursing home. A mediocre one in TX costs more than 3000 per month, a good one over 4,000 and an exceptional one between 4 and 5 k in TX. I dont have this dilemna since my mother in law doesnt have any assets, but she has a small pension that would not cover her if she were very ill for a long time. Babs in TX

Hi, Banded no more: To suggest that an asymptomatic person should stay up and worry about a rare complication (which we dont even know for sure was caused by the band, but probably was) is ridiculous. I believe that is the point that Dr. C is trying to make for the poster. When I had band problems, Dr. C took the time out of his busy schedule and got on the phone with me and also looked at my flouroscopy photos and he is NOT the person that banded me originally 3 1/2 years ago. Not many surgeons I know would take the time to spend with someone who is not their patient and even fewer ever post on the lapband boards. And although I am terribly sorry that this has happened to you. I am absolutely sure that as time goes on, more complications due to banding will surface, but I will not live my life worrying about all of them. And before you go off on a tangent and beat the crap out of me for saying this, please know I have had my share of band complications which include reflux (when my band was too tight) pouch dilatation, esophagus dilation (from eating too much and not being aware of this) and regain as a result. The band is far from perfect and is actually quite barbaric when you consider that it is a restrictive device that limits food intake or you barf.! The most important thing that the original poster needs to know is that if ain't broke, don't fix it. If you are not having problems, dont imagine them. It sounds like you are educated and that you know that there are complications and there could be future complications, but for the most part, most complications due not cause permanent damage . Even most patients that have eroded bands usually bounce back to normal.You should always be an advocate for your own post op care and a bi yearly endoscopy (if you have insurance since it is cost prohibitive for most) in my opinion will let you know all you need about pouch health. Even a flouroscopy would give you some ideas of what is going on in there. Although none of my problems were permanently debilatating, I cant be sure that there isnt anything later that will result from the banding. But being morbidly obese, a smoker and not being able to walk up a flight of stairs without stopping three times was most certainly worse for my health than banding complications. Death was a worse option and I was heading that direction at 334 pounds. Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi Alex, Get the fill. It sounds like you have similar issues with allergies and all over the board restriction and lack of everytime they take out and add saline to your band. The problem with being underrestricted as well as over restricted is it can lead to pouch dilation as you start to eat more and not realize you are pouch packing. After spending 1/2 hour last night over the porcelain god (which is a very rare occurence for me since I have been banded) , everytime I think I don't have restriction, I am alerted to the fact that the band is actually doing something for me. Unlike yourself, I have not had much of a problem with reflux with my band, but restriction varies as a seasonal problem due to allergies and slime. In my case, it was a dry rib at Chilis last night due to the fact I have allergies and I am really stuffed up. Allergies are a real problem for me too and my restriction is all over the board. My weight is coming back down, but there are days where I feel I have to work really hard to make the wise decisions cause I have restriction, but not the kind I had before that really let me know when to stop eating. Get the fill and nip this in the bud. I refused to get on the scale and gained more than 30 pounds in 8 months. Yeah, I am losing again, but its much harder to take it off the second time around. Babs in TX 334/180/190's

Hi Everyone, As you all know, I have had some problems with my band and at one point was told I had a concentric slip, pouch dilation and a prolapse. Seems all is well with my band. I have 2.00CC in there now and the Head of radiology who has lots of experience with bands did a one month post fill check up per my new lapband surgeons prescription. The pouch is close to normal size and everything is looking good. So my problem was long term pouch dilatation that has been resolved by emptying the band and giving it a rest during Aug/September 06. I have been very careful to keep my meals extremely small. I do have restriction although not like the way it was the first year and half of banding and I did gain weight over the last year, but I am working it off and hope by my 4 year bandiversary next year that I will get back to my lowest weight. FYI: I was not aware that I was pouch packing or dilating my pouch. It was a slow year and a half process of being overfilled and stretching the pouch a little more everyday. Please keep your portions small and even if you dont get the full sign, stop at a reasonable portion of 5-8 oz of food total. I am back to bandster rules and I have lost 16 pounds of the weight I gained. I am still not at my lowest weight, but I am not gaining either. Hugs, Babs in TX 334/180 at my lowest/190's

Hi, I would recommend you keep your band, but leave it empty for a while. You can always refill it, but you will have to cough up some serious cash to replace it. You shouldnt be throwing up and you will find even with an empty band, you will have some restriction. Work on the food modification instead of relying on the band for a while. I feel your pain. I was banded in June 03 and for the first year and a half things were great and I lost the majority of the weight I needed to lose 92% EWL. Then the problems started, but they were most noticeable after my plastic surgery in 05 when my plastic surgeon accidentally emptied my band. It has not been right since then and I gained significant weight back. My band was emptied in Aug 2006 due to pouch dilation and I was told I would need a new band because it had slipped and the pouch and esophagus were not responding to the unfill. I had a second opinion with another surgeon and I had an endoscopy. According the the surgeon, my endoscopy does not show anything but a red patch at the back of my throat and some stomach crimping, but nothing that indicates any long term problems with my band. I had a followup fluoroscopy two days ago by the Head of Radiology who has lots of experience looking at bands. He claims that although my pouch is still slightly enlarged, the band is healthy and in a normal position. He doesnt think that more fill will help me and although the situation is not perfect, it is still better than not being banded at all since my band is offering some restriction.. I am at 2.00 CC and have some restriction, but I am still fighting the hunger demons to keep them at bay. So far since August, I have lost 17 pounds of the weight I have gained and I am whittling it off day by day. Nothing like trying to relose weight you already lost!!! So give your stomach a break, get an unfill and stay on the scale everyday to make sure that you dont ever let it get out of hand like I did. If I kept weighing myself and working on the behavior and food modification, I might not have to struggle to lose all that I have gained. Babs in TX 334/180/190 ish

Hi Jill, I was on liquids for all of August 06. I had a puch dilatation and esophagus dilation as well. The first 5 days were brutal, but I went and got an appetite suppressant from my PCP. Took exactly 5 pills and they made me real jittery so I stopped and made it through 3 weeks before I went on to mushies. I know it is really really hard, but if it means the difference between keeping your band and not having it, welll..... All of us here will give you cyberhugs and support to get through this so hang in there with us!!! Babs in TX 334/190 ish

Hi Alex, You seem to be doing great. ! I am so grateful for insurance. Mine will be running out at the end of November (hubby presently unemployed due to layoff at Motorola) so I am grateful that my band is fine. If I had to pay for all the tests I had done over the last few months , it would have cost a fortune. And if I had to be rebanded, it would have been really bad since although insurance would pay for the unbanding it is not clear if they will pay for the rebanding. The next problem will be interim insurance and if my hubby gets new insurance, who knows what they will cover???? Good thing I do have some money ( I own my company) and if I had to, I could afford a new band or removal. Wouldnt want to, but could. Thanks for the support!!! Babs in TX

Hi Chris, Although there is validity in this statement, I almost wet my pants laughing this morning. I got a visual of a lapband surgeon doing a dental exam and turning down patients cause they didnt have teeth! Dentures work for some..... Babs in TX

Hi Lucky, I loved your post. I agree with almost everything you said except the part about Huber (non coring) needles vs regular ones for an unfill. Although there is a small possibility that damage could be done with a regular needle or a chemo needle, a nurse from the oncology department or a radiologist could very very easily do an unfill if it were medically necessary. When I had plastic surgery, I actually had my lapband surgeon's office offer to give my plastic surgeon a Huber needle to do a partial unfill pre op. The hospital where i had my plastic surgery had them readily available anyway, but the reality is one day before I had my PS, I specifically went to my PS who tried to do an unfill with the Huber and couldnt and we just agreed when he was in my abdomen that he would do it then. He did it with a regular needle and actually had less trouble although ironically he removed all my saline. Getting a complete unfill is relatively easy and most any oncology nurse or radiologist can do it. Getting a fill is harder since all the saline must be removed and the new amount put in minus air bubbles and .10 or .25 CC in accuracy is a much more difficult task because we are talking spit drops here as far as quantity. The big issue and the one we need to be aware of is being able to be our own advocates and knowing what to ask for in addition to having an action plan if something serious occurs with our bands. Going on vacation in a foreign country could be a problem, but if you are local, then contact every hospital in the area and find out if they have the resources to help you if there is an emergency with your band. Since almost all band related complications are not life threatening, we probably won't ever get joy from the ER since their job is to stabilize and then wait for a specialist to handle the situation. Babs in TX

Hi Ms. P, I know that I will get my ass grilled for this and that you are upset but..... After going through something similar with a lapband surgeon here in TX who refused to treat me although he accepted me as a patient and then abandoned me after telling me I had a concentric slip, partial prolapse and pouch dilation... just because he didnt like something I said... From a legal standpoint, you don't have a leg to stand on. Ethically, the Dr. is an ass#$%$ and a dredge of society. But legally you would have to prove that as a result of his failure to unfill your band that you have had some kind of permanent damage to prove patient abandonment. The way ER assessment works as I mentioned in my earlier post, If you are not bleeding, if your temp is normal, if you are not showing dehydration, then they don;t have to admit you and they don't have to treat you regardless of what resources are available to them and how much they know about your medical condition. I feel your pain. I had to contact 5 other surgeons before I found one who would even talk to me about my band. They surgeon who finally took me as a patient did so because I was forthright about my situation and what happened with the previous surgeon. Now if you want to make waves, you have every right to. In my case, I couldnt since the doc I went to is buddies with my original band surgeon and 3 others that operate out of the same facility. I was afraid to make any problems for fear that no one would treat me in the future. Whatever you decide to do, try to take your anger out of the equation. Hard to do ( I am a hot headed broad myself! LOL) but do it for you. Babs in TX 334/190 ish