Ice456

Hey everyone, Long story short - I have had severe complications with my lap band (very rare infectious disease) and I need a doctor located in or near Waco, TX. to remove my band. I can't go back to my current doctor because he "doesn't want to" remove the band. Any recommendations? I have BlueCross Federal insurance. Thanks everyone!

My Dr treated me as if I am a hypochondriac, ignoring my symptoms for long enough that an abcess formed, I have a wound in my stomach now that has to be packed with gauze 2x daily. I believe my weight loss is due to the fact that I have been unable to eat for large periods of time (eating one can of Soup a week, for example). I have had 2 surgeries since the band was put in (one to lance the abcess, one to remove my port), neither of which has seemed to really help me in the long run. I have been told by other doctors now that I need to have the whole device removed, but the surgeon has said he is almost 100% sure that it shouldn't be removed (and as he was sure that I didn't need the port removed, as he was sure that there was nothing wrong with me before, I'm skeptical). I have doctors who are experts in the disease I now have that say that the band has to come out and I have to be on antibiotics for 6 more months. :biggrin: I have no energy, cannot lift anything, cannot do much of anything but sit or lay down. A trip to the doctor or a quick run into Walmart wears me out now. With this has gone my self esteem and has come a depression... and also I had to take incompletes in my classes and miss work, so I am definitely "over" this surgery and the band definitely has to be removed. Thanks for the congrats... I think this whole experience will make me think twice about eating too much, because I'll have this to think about when I consider eating something bad...

Hey everyone, It's just over 2 months after I was banded and I am so frustrated. My doctor wouldn't listen to me and treated me like a hypochondriac when I was in pain As a result, I abcessed and had infection in my stomach. I have a 2-inch deep hole where my big incision is that I have to pack with gauze 2 times a day, every day. It hurts really bad when I do it. I have no appetite at all, which means I'm losing weight, but in a very unhealthy way because everything makes me feel nauseated. The antibiotics I'm on have side-effects of throwing up and nausea... both of which I don't need. Next week is finals week... I have to ask several professors for an incomplete due to my health. The infection has sucked all of my strength and energy out. I just can't do it anymore. What's worse is that I'm mad at everyone out there with any energy. I hate being the person who's always half-dead. I can't even really do dishes or something now without feeling like I'm going to fall over. Sigh.

Thanks everyone for your replies... I was taking Vitamins but I can't figure out where exactly I put them.. I got the surgeon to prescribe some anti-nausea pills.... hope it works. I am having surgery next Friday... he said that it will be a much bigger wound to pack, which im not looking forward to. 2 of my professors so far are willing to give me incompletes.. so thats good. i dont know about the other 2 though

Ugh, so what I have been going through since my surgery... I was out from college/work for the week right after the surgery, back in school the next week, then my lower abdomen started killing me... I went to my surgeon and my PCP... my PCP found the bladder infection, we killed it with antibiotics, meanwhile I went back to class... about 2 days after my infection was gone, and I was feeling somewhat human again, I started getting these stabbing, shooting, killer pains in my back and side. Long story short, I told my surgeon and PCP over and over that something was wrong, but my surgeon sent me away and my PCP couldn't find anything and diagnosed me with "anxiety," telling me I needed to stop focusing on the pain (which, by the way, felt like someone had a knife and was twisting it into my back!). I finally started to give up on them finding anything, but I had noticed a swelling in my abdomen. I showed my surgeon, who told me that it had always been there and if I regularly felt my stomach, I would have noticed it. I had just gotten my first fill, and he removed it just in case it was the pressure from the fill. I have hardly been eating anything in this time, by the way... I am losing about 7 lbs a week now. I really felt something was wrong and called a few times to say that the area was hot and red and painful... blah blah... it turned out that I had a freakin' abcess that had to be cut open this past Friday and drained. I have a 2 inch deep crater in my stomach that has to be packed full of gauze every day twice a day. So, that's been my life. My schoolwork is really suffering and my paychecks have been really low, if not absent. Anyone else experienecd something like this????

they told me to wait 48 hrs before showering... call your dr or the hospital to confirm though. i dont know what you have as far as your wounds go.. they put glue in mine. :teeth_smile: i was just careful about washing the wounds as far as not to rub them, just the area around them.

Hey guys, My dietician said that rice = caution and I don't see tortillas anywhere on my lists. I was wondering if and when these should be re-introduced and by how much? What does rice do to you that it = caution? I know it swells but is it a big problem? Thanks! :thumbdown:

I tried rice in a Pakistani dish and it was fine. It was basmati rice though and no starch or anything washed off of it when rinsed so that might have something to do with it. I made sure to chew it really well and I ate it with vegetables and chicken... it was good. :-) I'm going to have to cut way back on the starches I've been consuming... I was so sick a couple of weeks ago that I couldn't eat anything and now that I have an appetite back, it's like I want to eat everything... but I'm going in for my first fill on Tuesday so I expect that may change... :crying:

4 small one large

Hey everyone, I am not sure if this is band-related, but I thought this would be a good place to ask. I had the lap band put in on February 15th, 2008. I recovered for about 2 weeks (doing nothing but breathing pretty much) and felt fairly decent. All of a sudden, I didn't feel so good anymore. I went back to my surgeon with horrible pain in my lower right abdomen (around the appendix area) and he said it probably isn't surgery-related. I went to the E.R. on Wednesday and had a CAT scan and numerous other tests... I was discharged saying nothing is wrong with me but I keep having fevers of about 101 degrees and pain in my abdomen... sometimes on the left, mostly on the right side. Has anyone else had similar problems? It's so bad that I haven't been able to go to work or class hardly at all, and I have no appetite. Thanks. - Ice ~

Hey everyone, I'm new to this as I have only had the band for not quite a month yet. I am going in for my first fill on the 25th :cool2: I'm not sure what to expect... I've been sick lately so I have eaten hardly anything anyway, but... What should I expect? How do you feel afterwards? What special things should I do and what should I avoid doing? Is there any exercise I should avoid (not that I've done any yet)? Thanks! :huh2:

Oh and I've lost 9 lbs in the last 2 weeks!

I went to the Dr yesterday. If the hospital even tested my urine specimen, I'd be surprised. She said I have a UTI and prescribed antibiotics. I am now amazed at how much they can tell about you from your pee! She could tell I hadn't been eating hardly anything lately and will be able to tell me by Friday which virus this is so they can make sure I have the best antibiotic to kill it. I tell ya, technology is amazing. :huh2:

i dont think its kidney stones because from what ive read, theres sharp sudden pain then release... this is a round the clock kind of pain... and i had my gallbladder removed years ago :tongue:

Okay, this is a weird one I think... Ever since I had the lap-band surgery on Feb 15th, I don't feel the urge to pee anymore... it's something I do now if I remember to. I don't have any incontinent issues or anything... it's just weird. Has anyone else experienced this?

I try to remember to go a few times a day. I haven't had any incidences or anything... I know it's not healthy for my bladder to hold it all day or anything though... and when I'm in pain, I forget to remind myself to go. My only guess is that there was nerve damage somewhere... *sigh*

Yikes... that's not very comforting! They felt my lymph nodes and said that my white cells must be up because they are swollen... they checked to see if i was pregnant(no matter how many times i said i wasnt), did a pelvic exam (ow), took 2 blood samples, swabbed me for strep, did a CAT scan and took xrays and said i was normal all the way around.. *shrugs* they do miss things... i just kind of hate to go back to the ER and have them keep sticking me and finding nothing, yknow?

I know! It is almost funny... It doesn't hurt when I pee... it's normal in color... and I don't feel the urge at all when I think about peeing. It's really weird... it's something that's off, but not of like a huge concern.

Oh and I forgot to mention that it doesnt seem to be related to the port being sewn to my abdominal muscle... it doesn't seem to be in that area.

I've talked to my Dr... he said he's never heard of that happening before and that it should pass but it's been 2 more weeks already.

I can't even begin to imagine the stress this is putting you through... I have a degree in Spanish but it would make me very scared to go international for the surgery... for that, you and others are very brave and determined. I commend you on that. I'm going to say it is very normal to be as scared as you are, especially since nobody will be going with you. Have you researched the facility? Have you spoken with the doctor who performs the surgeries there? If you do research on the site before you go, that willl help a lot... Is there nobody else who could go with you? Even if it's a more distant relative (cousin, etc) that could help put you at ease. I hope this helped some!