raazzberry

Just wanted to update on my erosion stats: My band did not erode but it was removed So my stats are as follows Banded 7/13/05 Removed 5/31/06 Dr. Jawad, Ocala, Fl. My band was removed due to medical complications, my body rejected the band!!

:cry Just thought I would let you all know what happened when I went to see the surgeon today. As some you of know I have been having problems with my lap band for over the past 5 months or so. It was not a very good day for me, and I really wasn’t anticipating what he had said to me. Basically, the cliff note version of what happened was my band is going to have to come out. My body doesn’t seem to want it inside of me. It’s pretty much rejecting it. I probably will never be able to have proper restriction with the band. And now due to the reflux that I have been having from the band it most likely will get worse (the reflux) with the band inside of me and it will have to come out anyway. So my two options are at this point is to have the band removed completely and I guess stay fat the rest of my life and unhealthy or have the band removed and have a revision to RNY. So I have a lot to think about. We did go ahead and put a little bit of a fill in the band to try and give it that once last shot, but nobody thinks it will work. The amount that they put in will still not give me restriction but it will help some. If this fill does manage to stay in they will try and put a little more in next month and see what happens with that one. If this one has to be removed (unfilled) or the next one has to be unfilled then the band needs to come out. So basically that’s it in a nutshell, very sad and depressing. I have a lot to think about in the next coming weeks and to make a final decision. If any of you have any input I would love to hear it. Well just wanted to let you all know!! I hope your having a better day than me!! Take care and talk to you all soon!! Jo Ann

Just curious Klynn, you only had 35lbs to lose and you were banded?

Rachele, Thanks a bunch for clearing that up for me!! I didnt think you were trying to sell me your surgery at all, just trying to make me aware that I have other options and I have been looking at the differences between both. I appreciate your advice!!! Thanks!!

Hi Paula, Yes I have already posted my stats on that board awhile back. I am really curious how all of that will turn out. Thank you so much for your support, it's really appreciated!! Jo Ann

Thanks Teresa and Amanda for your responses and kind words. Teresa, I really haven't given much thought to the DS, someone had brought it up, it entered my mind and it left just as quickly!! LOL!! I don't think that I could consider a surgery that many doctors are not willing to do anymore, I totally agree with you on that. God willing,If it is supposed to be I would go with the RNY over anything else. So I'll just have to see what happens. I am leaving in Gods hands right now. I will make the phone call on Monday morning to see if my insurance will pay for the revision to the RNY and if it's supposed to be then it will happen. If not then I guess I will have to go at it alone and see what happens. Thanks again for the advice!! It is much appreciated! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, I can use all the help I can get right now!!

Thank you all for your kind words and support. At this point in time I think that I am going to do the RNY. My over all health and living a longer life is more important to me at this point and I know that I would never be able to go at this on my own. So I will be making that call monday morning to the surgeons office and see about getting the ball rolling and seeing if the insurance company will pay for a revision. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! I'll keep you all posted!! Jo Ann

Thank you all for all of your kind words and keeping me in your prayers. Like I said before it is so needed to hear these kind words. They truely mean a lot to me. Thank you all!! Lena, I am so sorry to hear about your band!! It is such a horrible position to be in. Especially for after having it for so long and then having to have to part with it. My heart goes out to you and you'll be in my thoughts and prayers. You too keep writing and let us know how your doing. As I sit here right now I have been up most of the night choking on acid and having major pain so in a little while I will be driving up to my surgeons office to have them remove the little bit of saline that they put in me yesterday for that "last try". It kinda made it final through the night that my band is going to have to come out. Where I go from there, I'm not sure. RNY scares me, but if I could keep my weight off without surgical intervention I would of done so a long time ago. I just don't know what to do and I feel so lost and helpless. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I can make the right decision for myself. I really truely thought that the lap band would of been the answer for me, it's not. Thank you all again!! I'll keep you all updated!! Jo Ann

Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. They are much needed and appreciated at this time!! It's nice to know that there are people out there who know what your going through and to care. It brings a little happiness into my day when it is so very much needed. Thank you!!

Thanks so much Sue for your response. You bring up a good point and I have thought a little bit about that. I don't think that I can go at it alone. If I could of gone at it alone in the first place I wouldn't be fat to begin with right?? LOL!! It's like a never ending vicious cycle!! I wouldn't have to go through 3 surgeries. He said he would take the band out and do the revision at the same time. I don't know too much about the DS, but it's something to look into. But I am taking your advice to heart. I'm at a crossroads and I have a lot of thinking and decision making to do. With the help of God and my friends and family and with help from people on here like you I hope I can make the right decision. Jo Ann

Hello!! Just wanted to let you all know the results of my Upper GI today. Well thank God there is no slip, I have developed some major acid reflux, there are no leaks whatsoever, but I’ve come to find out that my band is not where it’s supposed to be. It was placed way too high up according to the doctor who did the test today. She (the doc. Who did the testing) seems to think the problems that I am going through with all the band is definitely caused from the band being placed too high up. It’s nowhere near the place by the stomach where it is supposed to be. So I will be talking to the doctor about this to see if he could fix this problem for me. She said I will continue to have these problems if the band is not properly placed. So I’ll have to wait to see what happens. She said I stopped losing weight because it’s like I don’t even have a band. Which I agree with her because the only way I do know that I have a band is when they fill me and I get nothing but pain and then I have to be unfilled to stop the pain. So at least at this point I have a definite answer as to what’s going on inside of my body, I’m relieved, but I’m really upset with the doctor at this point. So we’ll see what happens!! Thanks again for all of your support, Jo Ann

Thank you la madam and newsho for your kind words!! I will definitley let you all know how things go next thursday!!

Thank you everyone for your responses!! Trust me, it may have taken me over 4 months for them to finally start believing me, and I'm not going away until it's made right, whatever the outcome mayb be. Everyone knows their own bodies and knows when something is wrong. And nothing has been right since a month or so out. I demanded to have an appointment with the surgeon, not the nurse practioner and I will be seen next thursday to go over the results of the test I had yesterday and hopefully will leave there with some satisfying answers. I will keep you all posted as to whats going on!! Thanks so much for the support!! Jo Ann

Hi folks!!! I don't post very often but I feel lost, desperate and hopless at this point so I'm hoping that someone out there can help me. Ok, here's the cliffnote version of my story: I was banded in July of 05'. Everything went well with surgery and I thought I was on my way to becoming the "new" me until my second fill. The first fill went fine (I have the VG band). I had 1.5cc put into my band the day of surgery and the first fill I was brought up to 3cc's. That went fine for about 2 weeks and then no more restriction. I went back a few weeks later to get another fill, that night I was in terrible pain. Pain in my left shoulder, underneath my rib cage and in my back. The doctor called me in a script for pain meds to get me through the night and saw me at 6:00 am the next day. He completley unfilled me. I waited another week and went back for another fill. She brought me back up to 3cc's everything seemed to go fine started my 2 hour journey back home got half way there and I had to turn around and go back. The pain came back again and once again I was completley unfilled. Waited about 3 weeks this time went back she put a little back in, 2 days later had to go back and get unfilled again.This time I waited 2 months, went for a fill last friday. Everything seemed to go fine once again until the next morning. Anything I tried to eat came back up, and the pain started to come back. I tried to deal with the pain since it wasn't as bad as the last few times but by wed. I started vommiting again and this time I had really bad heartburn. So went back to the office and once again I am completley unfilled. I am so at a loss here and I just do not know what to do. The doctor seems to think that it's my diaphragm that's causing referred pain throughout my body when I get the band filled. I just feel hopless and desperate at this point and I don't go back to see my doctor until the 10th of March. Is there anyone else out there going throught this or has gone through this or something similar to this and what did you do about it? Anyone else have any suggestions or ideas as to what I can do?? Thank you all for taking the time out to read my long post. Jo Ann

I guess I should of given more details in my post but my doctor is not into fill me up totally and then take it out. He has put in as little as .2cc's and the pain has happened.(It happens with ANY amount of fluid in the band. Whether it be .1cc's or 3'ccs.) It doesn't always happen right away. It can happen in as little as right away or 24hours later, it just depends. And I don't go home right away, I do stay around the doctors office usually around 4 hours.But I can't stay there for 24 hours. In my original post I didn't go into every single detail and I guess I should of that's my fault, I only gave an example of a few times. It is diaphraghmatic pain, that was already determined, we just don't know exactly what is cause of the diaphragm pain is. After my test yesterday we found out that my band was placed too high, but that was due to a fat pocket, so at this point it's still either the fat pocket, or I developed a hernia, which is just another guess at this point until I get the final results of the test. So hopefully I won't be in the dark much longer. And if this test doesn't give a definite answer then I will be going for more tests. Thank you so much for your response!! I really do appreciate the feedback, and I do apologize for not making my original post a lot clearer. Thanks again, Jo Ann

I hope so too Alex!! I go next thursday to see what we can do to resolve this problem and part of me is NOT looking forward to it. It was hard enough to convince them that something was wrong now I have to go to him and tell him you screwed up!! LOL!! It will be interesting to say the least!! Wish me luck!!! Jo Ann

Hi everyone!! I just wanted to update you all on what's been going on with me. I have been experiencing pretty bad acid reflux over the past week now and finally I have gotten my doctors office to listen to me that something is just not right!! So tomorrow I am going for an upper GI to see if my band has slipped :eek: !! Hopefully that's not the case!! If everything goes well with the GI and it shows no slippage, then they are sending me for and endoscopy! And then I guess we'll take it from there. So wish me luck everyone!! Thanks again for all of your earlier responses!!! I will keep you updated with whatever I find out!! Jo Ann

Thanks!! I really appreciate it!! I will definitley keep you all posted!!! Jo Ann

No, no news yet. I don't go back up there until the 10th and they said they would discuss different tests with me on that date. I'm sure glad that they don't seem too concerned about it. (that was sarcastic by the way!! LOL!!) It's only my health and future we're talking about!! Oh well what can ya do!! I will definitley let ya know anything that happens!! Thanks again for the support!!! Jo Ann

Thanks you guys for replying!! The doctor and I have talked about creeping up and we have been trying that. The last fill that I had they only put in .5cc. So I guess this next time around we'll go a little less and see what happens. I'm kinda scared to put anything in there at this point. He also did mention that he will probably send me for some tests to see if there isn't something else going on in there, which I pray to God there's not. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! Thanks Photonut for the info on the blog!! I am definitley going to check it out!! Thanks again for the advice and the support!!

Thank you leatha for your reply! I agree with you on this and when I had to get unfilled the last time my mother was with me and brought it up to the nurse practioner. I will definitley ask my surgeon when I see him on the 10th!! Thanks for your best wishes too!! Jo Ann

Date Banded: 7/13/05 Country: USA (Ocala, Fl) Doctor: Jawad Eroded: NO, but my body rejects the fills, still trying to work out this problem. Unfilled completely for the 3rd time now. Date Removed: Still in there thank god!!

Just thought I would start a new thread in hopes to get people to start chatting!! So I was wondering how everyone was doing with their food, exercise, weight loss /gain, whatever else you want to share?? As for me, I'm down 46lbs as of Oct.7. I'm doing pretty good with my exercising, I walk just about every day, my food is pretty good, but I was told I wasn't getting enough calories so I have to work on eating some more. Isn't that funny! Here I have an operation to control my portions of food and I have to eat more. LOL!! Other than that I'm doing really good. So lets hear from you people!!!

HI Roger!! Just wanted to tell you your in great hands with Dr. J!! He's my surgeon also!! My husband is scheduled to get banded on the 28th of november. I was banded on 7/13/05 and I've lost a total of 51lbs so far. If you need to talk to anyone or have any questions about surgery and what Dr. J expects feel free to e mail me at raazzberry@cfl.rr.com Good luck with everything and keep us posted on your progress!! Jo Ann

Thanks, I'm trying my best!! I have good days and bad days. But thank God for the band and my new lease on life!!