jennalee

Hello All! I have been banded for three years. I have gone from 279 to 165, where I am currently. I love having my band! In the past, I have had bad reflux, PB-ing, the works. I got loosened about two months ago to relieve some of those symptoms, and I have been feeling good. Saturday night I developed a tightness right in the middle of my chest, not while eating, and when asked what was wrong my instinct was to say "my band hurts". I called my surgeon, got the PA, who told me to go see my general doc. I did that, had an EKG, Stress Test, Chest X Ray, Sonogram of Heart and Abdomen, Blood Work, etc. Very cautious! Everything was A-ok, he said, as i figured, to go see my surgeon. Surgeon completely unfilled me. Said that might relieve the pressure. Prescribed a Barium Swallow (Video Esophogram). I am going for that tomorrow. I am writing this post because I cannot sleep or go five minutes without getting teared up that I have a slip and might need another surgery. I am devastated. I can't take time off from work, dont want to have another surgery, etc. I know I will have my medical diagnosis in a few days, but until then, I wanted some opinions from all of you. What do you think is happening to me? I have a knot in the upper left side of my chest, right under my left breast. It has not gone away since Saturday. It gets "tighter" and more noticable (the tightness) after eating. I am keeping liquids and solids down fine. It has been three days since my unfill with no improvement. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I will definitely post back when I get my results tomorrow. P ray I don't need another surgery!! Jennalee

Well, my surgeon called me back. Although my pain has subsided (took 7 days to go away), he says he is not happy with the esophogram results. He said there looks to be a hesitation when liquid/food moves from the esophagaus to the stomach. He didn't say how this accounted for the pain. He did say that it could've been from swelling, or it could be a slip. He said let the swelling go down for two weeks, take it easy, come into the office and we'll talk. He is leaning towards going ahead and replacing/repositiong the band before it slips more severly (if a slip at all) and becomes an emergency situation. I will meet with him the week after next and most likely schedule a procedure, based on his tone when discussing my options. I still don't know if the pain was gas or related to slippage. So how do i feel...i am glad the pain went away and I didnt have to wait for surgery to relieve it. I'm scared and disssapoitned in myself for potentially needing a new procedure as I don't follow the rules well enough. But I am glad its not an emergency sitaution and I can wait until summer break (teacher) to be laid up. I will update! Thanks for listening! Jen

Update 1 - Had my Video Esophogram (Barium Swallow, Flouroscopy) So the doctor on duty at the radiology center wasn't able to tell if my band had slipped or not. The barium wasnt tasteful but wasnt unbearable either. I am now waiting for my surgeon to see the test results and call me. One glimpse of hope was that during the X Ray (the still one), there were big black spots near where I'm having pain. I asked the tech what they were since the rest of my chest was crystal clear, and she said air pockets. Maybe it is gas/air pressure after all. Say a prayer!! Keep you updated Jen

I have been banded for two years, and have lost 112 pounds. I have struggled consistently to find the right fill level. I have been too tight and too loose the entire journey. I spent about 7 months at 1.9, which ended up being way too tight. I was PB-ing frequently, had reflux, and it got so bad that I was throwing up black cofee grind like material in the middle of the night (dried blood from esophagus irritation). I got an unfill six weeks ago, to 1.5, my previous fill level. I gained five pounds over the six weeks because I was too loose and my eating habits werent healthy by any means - although I did make daily efforts and goals to improve said habits. So, I got a fill yesterday to 1.7 , halfway between the loose and the tight, and I now this feels too tight! I wasn't able to get much down after the fill and now I've woken up this morning and feel tight - hard to explain but I just do. Also, I woke up coughing last night - a sign of reflux. So, do you have any similar experiences or suggestions? My brain tells me I should stick to the 1.5 and work on eating healthier since I have more capacity. My eagerness to reach my goal tells me to make it work with a tight band. Your input is greatly appreciated!!!!!!

Thank you so much for your input salsa! I saw your tummy tuck countdown. Can you give me some info on that? Is your insurance covering it, etc? I am in the market for one, but in the very early stages of research :confused_smile: