ellendeette

Very good news! Thank you for letting us know what is going on with you. It sounds like you are doing well. Thank goodness for new slip!

Thanks for the update. You are right where you should be. Its difficult to be in the hospital but keeping hydrated is very important. Good to hear that you are doing so much better. Take care!

I have been there and not too long ago. I stayed up one night the end of January. Throwing up at least once or twice an hour. It was a terrible dark red and looked like coffee grounds. I had no control over the vomiting. I called the 24-hour Blue Cross nurse and she reviewed my symptoms and decided I need to go to the ER rather than wait until my bariatric surgeon's office opened. We went to the ER at 4 a.m. I had not sleeped one bit that night. They have me an IV right away for dehydration. I had a CAT-scan and blood tests. Found out that the dark red Fluid (sorry so gross) was dried blood and the coffee grounds were gastric juices. My band was way too tight. No slip though. My bariatric surgeon removed fluid from my band and was able to go home. A couple of weeks later, more tightness. Had acid reflux at night. Couldn't lay flat to sleep. Had more fluid taken out. Found out that 40% of band eventually stop working. They don't know why. I have not heard that before and it was a bit shocking to me. My bariatric surgeon told me this. She suggested a revision from band to sleeve. My mind is still going over this and over this. I am still undecided about the band. Not convinced. At the same time, I have a band that does not work. Its too tight or too loose. I long for the days of the "sweet spot." I had my band put in me in 2008. It slipped several months later and I had another one put in 2009. What will 2012 bring? Removal of my band. Several people think I should think about gastric bypass. It all makes my head spin. Back to you in ER. Like someone said, hang in. If they haven't given you an IV, ask for one. Soon they will take x-ray or CAT-Scan and will figure out if its a slip or too tight of a band. Please post again. I care and so do others that could be just like you waiting in ER to find out what in the hell is going on. Good luck!

Yes, I had a slip in the summer of 2008. I was on vacation in Kauai and the kayak I was in tipped over. When our guide and my husband pushed me back into the kayak, I thought I cracked a rib. We finished are kayak trip and when we got back to the hotel room, my breathing was different. I didn't feel like eating at all but I thought it might have been because of my ribs cracked. It really scared me. In hindsight, I should have gone to the ER right away instead of waiting.I really thought I was okay. The next morning, I went to the ER on Kauai. They put me on an IV for fluids and took an x-ray and CAT-scan. The doctor came out puzzled and asked what was in me (so to speak). It was my band that twisted not my ribs! The ER doctor and three other doctors tried to get Fluid out of my band (even with a telephone conference with my bariatric surgeon in California). I could not swallow Water and even my saliva was having trouble going down. I stayed on the IV all day. The next morning, we fly home and went directly to the hospital along with my tests that were taken in Kauai. Turned out that my band twisted and so they couldn't get to the port to withdraw fluid. I had to have surgery to have it removed. My stomach was too swollen because of the band twisting, so they couldn't put another band on. After a few months, I was gaining weight at a rapid rate without the band. I then requested a new band from my insurance company. They accepted my request and I had a new band put in November 2009. Yes, I know how it feels when a band slips (mine twisted). If you have any doubt that you cannot drink fluid (even water) without it coming up, it could very well be a slip. Only a doctor can determine that. Do you think yours slipped? You can get dehydrated from no water being able to go down properly and obviously you can't eat so its something you cannot put off to determine if it has slipped.

I can relate to these posts. When I had my first band placed, a day or two out of the hospital and I was at home, I discovered itchy little bumps filled with Fluid. Wouldn't you know it was a Saturday. I thought I would go insane with the itching. I also took Benydryl. Nothing I took made a difference. It was on a Sunday when it was really getting bad so I called my dermatologist, internist, and bariatric surgeon. Do not take a hot or overly warm shower. It made it worse! I would put the shower on my chest but it just pounded with pain. I was bent on going to the ER with it but my dermatologist told me to come in the following morning. I seemed to make it barely through the night without going to the ER. She treated me for the rash. I think she put my anti-biotics and a rash cream. To this day, I do not know what caused it. My doctors came up with all kinds of reasons. In my heart of hearts, I really thought I was allergic to the band! It was a foreign object and plastic that maybe my body was rejecting. I was thinking some pretty strange things. After the rash left, my internist said it could have been from being put under (the drugs they used) or the pain medication in the hospital. I took no pain medication after my surgery so that could not have been it. I have had four prior surgeries on my knees and I never had a reaction like that before. It really freaked me out. My dermatologist is the one who treated me. I went around and around on the phone with my internist. They thought maybe I caught something in the hospital. It finally went away but I will never forget that itching. I was so miserable! I would suggest if its driving absolutely mad, to go to the ER otherwise hang in there until your doctor can look at it. Good luck! Please post again to tell us how you are doing.

I just read through this thread. We should put a warning for new banders. I hope they don't get the idea that we do this all the time. I surely don't. Too bad we aren't talking about having sex in the bathroom rather than getting food dislodged so we can eat, talk, drink, etc., again. But that would be a different website. I had my first band placed in May 2008, it slipped and I had another band placed in November 2009. It will be four years in May that I have been dealing with the band. I really do think most of the time its me as some one mentioned above. I don't eat small enough amounts, choosing a food that I know will cause me problems, eat too fast, talk at the same time, etc. Sometimes I must tell you that it can be the food. Sometimes I eat the same food over and over again. No problems. Then one day, I get stuck despite the fact that I am eating slow, small amounts, etc. I hope to God that someday all these things will be resolved. Hopefully, there will be a cure for obesity that doesn't require surgery or these day to day struggles we have. Despite it all, its the BEST way I have ever taken weight off and maintained it. People who have gastric bypass and sleeve have been known to have this problem too. My surgeon has suggested my having the sleeve because she thinks I need a revision to lose more weight. Many people who converted from band to sleeve, say they don't get food stuck like they did with the band. I want to tell you the MOST embarrassing moment I had with this (since we are all revealing our deep dark secrets) was having lunch with my dear friend and co-worker and I cough and the food came up! Thank goodness I had my napkins ready and was fast. We both laughed but I thought I would die and I wanted to climb under the table. No one else know but my friend. I was having Soup and I think when we were talking so much I wasn't paying attention to how fast I was eating. Another time, I was riding with another co-worker to work. I had a Protein shake at home but drank it not as slow as I would like. On the way to work there are all kinds of curves (its a canyon), lo and behold up comes my shake. Luckily, my friend had a small towel in the car and that really helped! I was embarrassed. She said it could have happened to her. She doesn't have the band but she said sometimes people do get sick. I always admired these two co-workers after that. I was really grossed out but they helped me handle it gracefully.

I was going to add that I wasn't big on sugar-free anything. To soften the blow on the sugar-free pudding, I would add low-fat whipped creme. You can put a little on your pudding or Jello. I rarely like jello because of that two week before and two week after surgery. After the two weeks after surgery, I really did not like eating anything sugar-free. I would rather have nothing than having it or would rather just have a smaller amount of the real food (not sugar-free). I don't think the sugar-free part of foods is good for you. I also made my own soups/broth. It seemed more flavorful. You can freeze it so you always have some around. Creamy Soups had more flavor too. Popsicles were good too. I bought the ones with low sugar. I can't eat those anymore either because I ate them for two weeks before and after surgery. I think I as burned out on all those things. Yogurt really helps too when you get the mushy stage.

My husband and I eat out alot so this is an interesting topic for me. I really appreciate what everyone has suggested. I do many of those things too. It does really help if you know the menu ahead of time. I even go online before I go to a restaurant I have not been to before to plan my meal ahead of time. We go to many of the same restaurants over and over again so I kind of know what I am going to order because it works for me. There is a restaurant chain that my husband goes to that seems to have only burgers. Burger meat has to be cooked just the right way and good meat for it to work. You can take off the bun and wrap lettuce around it. I do that at In and Out burger. I ask for it without the bun and then they wrap the burger meat, tomato, onion and special sauce around the lettuce. That way, you hold the burger with the wrapped lettuce. They have a special name for it but I can't think of it right now. Another alternative at this burger place my husband likes is to order chili. Chili seems to be a mushy food for me. Also, this place has burgers that are way too big for me (half pounders). I went to the Outback today. I love their salads and Soups. Sometimes just a small dinner salad or a cup of Soup (not a bowl) works. Its a good day if I can have both. Lately, I like their grilled scallop dinner. It comes with grilled scallops, grilled veggies, grilled pineapple, and rice. I always seem to take a box home and have it for another meal or my husband will eat it for lunch the next day. It helps to have tarter sauce for the scallops. It seems to help slide it down. I just have a little rice.It has to be the right texture of rice too. It can be tricky so I eat just a little. When I eate the grilled pineapple (or steak for that matter), I slice it very thin with a sharp knife. I have ordered prime rib there. Its usually very tender and again, I slice it very thin and very small pieces. I find when I go out to eat in a group or with friends, that I talk too much while I eat and don't notice as much about the sizes of food I am eating or eating slow enough (even if I concentrate on it) so I end up just drinking most of the meal with my friends and then plan to eat before I go out or after I get home. No one seems to mind if I just tell them I am not that hungry. Sometimes I will eat at home before and then have dessert with my friends. I sometimes will have mousse or some mushy type of dessert. I have a friend at work that I split meals with. We will even split the salad. We ask the server to split it and to put it on two plates. My husband is a big eater and he isn't big on sharing his food.

I believe the stomach produces the mucus and slime. Its like it is reacting to having something stuck in the stoma and its natural way to slime it to get rid of it. Coughing does help me sometimes too. I liked chicken salad, egg salad and tuna salad. Like everyone says without bread. Sometimes I can scoop it on very crisp crackers or sometimes when my band isn't that tight, I can put it on a very thin piece of toasted bread (emphasis on the toast). It also helps if these salads are chopped finely and not chunky. One time, I had a huge stuck with the eggs. Eggs sometimes do not go down well no matter how much I chew, chew, chew, etc.. My band seems to be the tightest in the morning. I have friends with bands that rarely (or never) had things get stuck. They are pros for taking very small bites and chewing alot. One thing I have not heard enough about is that my band gets tighter when I get anxious or going through something very emotional. It doesn't matter if its something happy or sad (unfortunately). I actually have to pass on food and just drink liquids or Water during these times. I have use relaxtion methods to try to relax my stomach and it does seem to help sometimes. I have heard that you can use these tablets that have an acid type of effect on the food that gets stuck. For the life of me, I cannot recall the name of them. People have told me that using pineapple juice without sugar helps dissolve certain stuck foods. I can't seem to find any pineapple juice without sugar added. Although, I just thought about it. Maybe you could use the chunks or slices of pineapple in the can that doesn't have sugar. This breaks the rule of drinking anything after something gets stuck. Water on top of food being stuck just makes it worse. There are people out there that told me they will drink and drink water over food that is stuck and it will help them get it up quicker by throwing it up. When you do throw up (either being sick or being stuck), your band will swell. You can't just eat normally again. Its best to go to a liquid diet until it calms down. People swear by these methods. The tablets never have worked on me. I eventually threw mine out because they were useless to me and expired. They were really cheap at Trader Joes. Maybe someone out there will now the name of these tablets.

I thought the same thing when I heard that they "sewed it in better" (something like that). When I told someone else that had the lap band too, they said maybe they didn't do it that way when I had my first band in 2008. I know what you mean. It didn't set well with me. I live in Los Angeles and sometimes getting fills, unfills, etc., is a hardship because I have to take time off work, waiting time to see the doctor when I get into the office, expense, etc. It may be good to think about having the sleeve. BMI is the big question when getting approved for insurance for any of the procedures. Its all about getting approved by the insurance company you have. I am positive that the sleeve procedure costs more than the lapband. I have heard this over and over again. The surgery lasts longer than putting in a band.

I have heard very good things about Costco's premiere nutrition but haven't tried it. Its good to experiment first before buying a large quantity and then finding out you don't like it. My favorite is Trader Joe's Protein drink. It comes in two flavors, vanilla and chocolate. I ALWAYS use a blender to blend them. I add a little milk, fruit, etc. I take bits of banana to put into the vanilla with a little real vanilla extract. I use frozen raspberries, blueberries, etc., to go into the vanilla. I used to use a coffee type Protein Drink but its difficult to find. I loved it in the morning because it came in a glass bottle and I would put it in the 'fridge and would drink it in the morning like an iced coffee drink. Sometimes I would pour it over ice. I used to buy a case of it at a time. The support group I belong to sometimes has protein sampling nights. People bring in their favorite Protein drinks. Its really good because you get to sample protein drinks. Everyone seems to have their favorites.

I had one slip in 2008 and I had to take it out. It was out several months before I realized I was gaining too much weight and was out of control. I had a new band put in (2009) and I am so glad I did. It is scary to have a slip but I have heard many people have their band readjusted. I do think the readjustments need surgery too (not sure about this because that was not my experience). My surgeon told me with the second band they sewed it more securely than my first one. Now I have been advised by my doctor that I may need a revision from band to sleeve. I am seriously considering it because my loss of weight from the band is not what it should be (although I have lost 9 pounds in the last two weeks). I am going to give my band a good try again before I go to the sleeve. They would take out my band and do the sleeve surgery in one surgery (I have been told). Good luck to you!

I had a slip of my band several years ago and nothing would go down. Not even my saliva. It would accumulate and then come up (sorry probably too much information. I agree with your husband. You need to see a doctor sooner rather than later. It may not have anything to do with your band. It could also be that your band is too tight. I have recently experienced gastric reflux and throwing up so bad that I stayed up all night throwing up that I met my bariatric doctor at the ER. She took out 3 cc's. Two weeks later, my gastric reflux started up again and I bought a wedge pillow to prop me up. I was getting very little sleep because the reflux seemed to start RIGHT when I fell asleep. I was miserable. Went to see my doctor again at the office and he took .5 cc's out of my band. A world of difference. I feel so much better. No reflux and I slept well last night. If you do go to the ER, you can tell them that you have a lapband. When I was in the ER last time, they did a CAT-scan to see how my band looked. The 9th for your doctor's appointment seems far away. If you don't go to the ER, see if you can get in to see your doctor sooner. I would stay away from solid Proteins and stick with a liquid diet of Protein shakes to make your band settle down. Trying to eat those solids (chicken, eggs, etc.) are tough under the best of circumstances with a band but when you are getting in trouble, its best to go for the liquids. Even Soup broth with nothing in it helps me. Good luck to you. Please post again.