mwillis

I told you a few weeks ago that I had a severe episode of chest pains and went to the hospital. I truly thought that I was having a heart attack. After an agonizing night in the ER, X-rays showed that my band was to low. I said I would share the doctor's name if I found out that it was put in the wrong place and had not slipped. Well, I had my original surgery with Dr. Wood at the Cori Center in Warren, MI. According to the original X-ray he placed the band in the wrong place and now I have to have it repaired. I am going to Dr. Behsania in Port Huron on Monday and am scheduled for a surgery again on Friday, July 7th with him in Port Huron. I pray that he can replace the band but there is no guarentee. He said that it is a high risk surgery. I have had to wait for a few weeks because he was going to be gone and he didn't want to leave after he did my surgery. I had to wait four days before I could get in to see Dr. Wood but I wanted to give him a chance to help me. I called the office the day I was released from the hospital and tried to get some direction on what I could eat until my appointment and I couldn't get anyone to even talk to me. The office manager wouldn't come to the phone and said I should do what they told me in my discharge instructions which was to contact my doctor for direction as to diet. I called back twice and finally the dietician talked to me. I don't think she knew what was going on. When I got there I had to wait in the lobby for over an hour and another hour in the treatment room. I asked to speak to his P.A. but she wouldn't come in to talk to me. Dr Behsania wanted me to give Dr. Wood a chance to help me but all he said was that it didn't look to bad and I should stay on liquids for 2 or 3 weeks and get back with him. I didn't argue but I knew I wouldn't be back. Dr. Behsania is a lifesaver. I was so afraid that I would not be able to get him to help me. Let me say that I live 25 minutes from Port Huron and almost 2 hours from Cori in Warren. My stupid Blue Cross told me that P.H. was not an approved bariatric center and they wouldn't approve the surgery there. I have since found out that is just not true. I knew that the Port Huron doctors had done over 1000 lapbands. I asked at Cori and was told that Dr. Wood had done over 3000. Well, he has done over 3000 bariatric surgeries but not Lapbands. I feel terrible because I really liked him but I am really mad that they lied to me about the number of surgeries he has done. Needless to say, I really don't look forward to doing this all over again. But there isn't a question in my mind that I still want it. I only hope that Dr. B can replace it and do it laproscopically and not an open procedure. I hope this makes sense. It has been a truly frusterating experience.

Thanks. My son-in-law is a patent attorney in Ohio for a large firm and I was talking to one of the guys he works with this weekend. I was telling him about you and he did tell me to stick with it. So, we wait. You have been a great help! Mary

Hi Melanie. I had a breast reduction about 6 years ago before my lapband. My doctor also said that I may lose sensation but my therory was that I didn't have much anyway due to all of the excess tissue. My breast at that point were a major irritation to me. The only regret that I have is that I didn't do it 20 years earlier. Even way back when I wore a size 7 jeans I wore a 38DD bra. The doctor that did my daughters when she was 14 did a FNG and she still has sensation. She should consider another one, which he said could happen because she had it done at such a young age and was still growing. Good luck, you'll be glad you did it.

Thank you Nancy! I had my surgery on Friday, 7/7/06. So far, so good. And yes, you are right. I talked to a lawyer just today that told me that had I been in a car accident and not able to eat solids since 3/30, that it would be a substantial case. He said the problem is that it is difficult and costly to prove medical malpractice. I guess what upsets me most is that the office staff blatantly lied about the number of lapband surgeries that he had done. Although he had done well over 3000 bariatric surgeries, only a handful were lapbands. He is a well respected surgeon and to be quite honest, I really liked him. I just was not treated well after he found out there was an error in the placement of the band. Fortunately for me, I have a doctor that was williing to correct it that has had extensive background in this procedure and he has been wonderful. The staff is so kind and caring that I feel very grateful that he agreed to make the repair. As for any kind of compensation for the first one, well, that remains to be seen. One of the people on this site said she will help me fiind someone that will take the case and I guess I go from there. The bottom line is that you can never do to much research!

Josettte, My mother also died of ovarian cancer in 1991. She was 65 but she had it from the time she was 59. I was looking in the Michigan area but it doesn't appear that many people are in that section.

Thanks Josette, I never thought to post on the Michigan page but I will do that. I can't say enough about The Lapband Center and the staff at Port Huron Hospital. I had my surgery on Friday and they were wonderful. I came home on Sat. I was running a fever on Sunday and called the pager. Dr Bout called me back within minutes. The staff followed up first thing this morning. Dr. Behsania made me feel comfortable right from the start. Good Luck!

To be honest, I didn't check with my insurance company. They approved it in the first place so my new doctor said it would be covered. If they approved it the first time they should help with anything associated with it. If they don't I guess I will just make payments. They compared my original x-rays to the ones from a month ago. The band didn't move, he just placed it wrong. If it's in the wrong place there is no way to live with it like that. I had an awful time with solids. I felt like I was having a heart attack or being stabbed in the chest. There is a lawyer either on this forum or on www.obestityhelp.com that will help with insurance issues. I think his name is Gary Varga or something like that. There is also a web site from the Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org that might be of help to you. Good luck.

I live in Croswell. I had my revision yesterday. I am home now and so far so good. I have a little shoulder pain but other than that I am fine. The first doctor did put it in the wrong place. Maybe I will see you at the support group.

Thank you, Roberta! I am getting pretty nervous, which I was not the first time. I'm still not sure about the suing thing but I do intend to file a complaint against Blue Cross for telling me that Port Huron is not an approved biaratric center. I guess it all depends on the outcome. Mary

When did Dr. B do your surgery? Are you from Port Huron area?

Thanks, I am in Michigan. I would really appreciate it. I didn't die so most aren't interested. I had one guy told me that if I had permanent injury to call them back. It perplexes me, it you get in a car accident and have a headache eveyone wants to talk to you, but that fact that I haven't been able to eat and have been in incredible pain doesn't seem to matter. What's worse is the doctor sent me on my way and I think he hoped I wouldn't come back.

Where is he located? I talked to an attorney that we have used in the past and he let me give him all of the details then advised me that he is friends with the Doctor. I was pretty ticked that he let me go on. I haven't had any luck in talking to anyone else. Thanks.

Unless it is because he may have to do an open procedure. There is always the threat that the stomach could be punctured I guess. I should know more on Monday. I don't think that there is enough there for med malpractice. So far there is no permanent injury. I guess it's no big deal that I haven't been able to eat since 3/30 and I throw up daily. Not to mention the chest pain. Anyway, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all of your comments. Mary

Well, I went to Dr. #1 today. He said the band is fine and put me back on mushies for the next two weeks. I have the films and report from immediately after my surgery and I dropped them off at Dr. #2. Well see what he says on Monday.

I have had problems from day one. I thought it was normal and maybe I ate to fast or to much. It took me forever to eat. I was starving from the time I came home from the hospital and extremelyl weak. Doctor #2 thinks it was to low from day one. All I know is I am NOT lookng forward to the liquid stage again!

:help: :help: :help: :help: I had an awful experience on Monday. I thought that I was having a heart attack. I had such terrible chest pain that I went to the emergency room. They kept me over night. I had several test. They finally did an upper GI and found that my band is in the wrong place. The hospital I went to has a lapband center. One of the doctors that runs the center said that the band is in the wrong place and that is what is causing the severe pain. He doesn't think that it has slipped but put in wrong. The doctor that did my band is about two hours away. The reason I went there is because Blue Cross said that my local hospital is not an approved bariatric center and they would not approve my surgery there. I have since found out that is simply NOT TRUE. Now I want to have it repaired locally. I simply do not want to have my doctor so far away. I have an appointment with the local doctor to beg him to repair this for me. My primary care doc has already plead my case for me. I am back on liquids until I get this resolve. My band is sitting very low on my stomach and the food has no were to go. It has been horrible. Plus I am getting grief from everyone for not having it removed. I really just want it repaired. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? I have only had my band since March 30, 2006.

I am not sure why the wait. At first the er dr wanted to send me by ambulance to the other hospital. Dr #2 came down after my primary called him and said it wasn't an emergency, I just can't eat solids until it's resolved. Dr #1 obviously didn't think it was urgent because I won't see him until tomorrow (Friday), which surprised dr #2. I just hope they can replace the stupid thing.

They were treating me as a heart patient. I was wearing a nitro paste and had nitro under my tongue.....instant headache. Eventually the food passed through and I had some relief. It took almost 8 hours. I still don't understand because I eat so slow and chew it to death. They put something in my IV that helped alot. I had neck and pain in my left shoulder which are apparently symptoms of a heart attack. Scared the hell out of me! I hope I never have a repeat.

My band is too low on my stomach. Instead of being in the upper portion of my stomach my pouch is over 1/2 of my stomach size. Again, I really need to wait and see if it slipped or was put in incorrectly. And I pray it can be fixed!!!

I went to the second doctor today. Hopefully he will be trying to fix it next week. Once I have all of my facts I will be glad to share with everyone. I would hate to say anything bad about my first doctor if he did nothing wrong. I really like him and I feel bad about switching especially if it isn't his fault. Although my second doctor has done over 1300 bands and has never seen one slip in only 9 weeks. And he is only 30 minutes from my house. I blame Blue Cross mostly because if they had given me the right info in the first place I would have had it done locally!

I have a question. I was banded on 3/30/06. I was so hungry and so weak on the liquid diet that my doctor advance me to full liquids 5 days post op. I can advance again on day 12 to mushies. My question is, what happens if you advance the diet to fast? Will it cause damage to the band or the stomach? I asked at the doctors offce but I didn't really get a straight answer. I realize that I am following the doctors orders but I just wondered what happens.

Thank you! I have followed the doctors recommendations but I was curious as to why he could advance my diet so easily. I have seen so many different opinions to move it forward it is just amazing.

I am 6 days post-op and I am so tired I can barely walk. I called dr and they advanced me to full liquids but it hasn't helped. I am trying to drink lots of liquids but I am sooooo tired. I tried to work this morning and I had to reschedule my clients. Any ideas would be appreciated. I almost passed out in the shower. Thanks to all who reply.:notagree

We were banded on the same day. I have not had any pain but it did feel like someone punched me in the stomach on the first day post op. They were insistant that I needed the PCA but I never used the meds. I get sick with most narcotics. I have been sleeping on my right side with a pillow under my stomach so I am not laying completely on my stomach. I also tried a pillow under my back and that helped too. My biggest problem is that I was sooooo weak that I could hardly stand up. I emailed the dietician last night and told her what was happening. She let me advance to full liquids this afternoon and I felt better in a mattter of hours. I might even try to work tomorrow for a few hours. How much have you lost? I have lost 17lbs which is way more than I ever hoped for in 5 days. I am sure that some is muscle but I'll get it back. I have to figure out how to get my ticker going too. Good luck.

I am being banded 3/30/06 and I keep reading about erosion and the band slipping. I was first approved for RNY (which I never really wanted but they sent the pre-approval by mistake). I am beginning to question my decision. This just has to work. I figure if I work really hard I might be able to get the weight off before I have any problems. How often do problems occur?