lellow

No I had a leak in the original band. Not sure how big this band is but I am positive the port is a lower profile one than I had previously plus they moved the port from my right side to my left side. I see my dr in a few weeks and will ask some questions then. But I'm 7 days post op and still not really experiencing any hunger to speak off.

Are you not even holding down fluids?? If you aren't holding down your own saliva call you dr NOW and ask which emergency dept you can go to. Dehydration happens VERY quickly and waiting a week is not an option. If you can hold down your saliva but not fluids, get yourself some pineapple juice and sip sip sip. It helps with the inflammation around the stoma. Avoid anything more substantial than liquids for 24 hours AT LEAST then move to mushies if you can. Avoid solids for at least 3 days.

Nope. I'd say you're a relatively fast loser.

Your port flipped (a relatively easy complication to correct) and he wants you to revise to a sleeve?? WTF??? If he won't give you his options to repair the flip, I agree, get a second opinion.

I'm 6 days post band replacement and I am feeling nauseous too. I think it's the gas. I couldn't really walk because of the associated pain but heat packing has helped, that and peppermint tea. I had a barium swallow 24 hours after surgery and my band is perfectly placed. If the Protein drinks are making you ill, try a different liquid instead. I had watermelon juice yesterday and that helped with the nausea too. Don't drink the Protein Drinks if they make you feel ill. I also know that as the gassiness dissipates so will the nausea, so hang in there, it won't be like this forever.

Lapbandster, I had a persistent leak that could't be resolved with a port replacement (i.e. the leak was likely in the band itself), so they had to replace the whole kit and kaboodle.

Full band replacement is definitely worse than the initial band placement. Today is 6 days post surgery and I'm only just feeling vaguely human today. The pain has been such that even walking has been out of the question. I'm glad you're doing great. I hope your issues with your band are all sorted now!

So here I am, 4 days after full band replacement surgery. Feeling weird because I've done this before so I don't really relate to those who have just gotten their bands for the first time, but at the same time, knowing that what I'm going through isn't much different. S why did I get a band replacement? Well my band has been leaking for 15 months now, maybe longer. I was first banded in 2008 and had great success with the band, losing all my excess weight and more. In fact the band was so successful for me that I eventually had to make a conscious decision not to lose anymore. I finally settled on a 'happy' weight of 128lbs and maintained for 3 years before one day feeling almost like something 'popped' in my belly. I was able to eat more for a while before hand but after that day, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat. I felt no restriction. So I took myself off to see my surgeon. March 2012, I got port replacement surgery. The tubing had an obvious leak in it. All done. Leak sorted. Right? Wrong. I still couldn't keep any restriction and soon they realised that, yes, I was still losing fluid from my band. This time, in Aug 2012, when I went in for a port replacement though, they didn't find any leak, so they didn't change anything, just sewed me back up. Fast forward to early 2013. I have given up on my band working. I've gained 37lbs and with diet and exercise, I lose 15lbs of that, but it's annoying me, niggling me, that the band isn't working, so I make an appt to see my dr again. I've lost fluid from my band. Again. So after all that, 4 days ago, I finally got a full band replacement. I tossed up the idea of revising to a sleeve but decided to stick with the band because when it works, it works a charm for me. Right now I'm really sore and sorry for myself. I remember feeling better far more quickly after my initial band op. They also moved my port from my right hand side to the my left hand side so I'm sore in both places now. I've got some localised swelling but I'm hoping that it's subsiding. In the meantime, I'm having liquids, and have lost 2lbs already in 4 days, though I know enough not to really count those lbs in the long run! I have a fill in 3 weeks so I'm hoping that I've now rejoined the band life for real.

Girl, YOU are an inspiration. YOU are a success. You are beautiful and amazing and have the biggest heart ever. I hope people read this post as they're starting out and realise that we all started out unsure about what the future held for us, but with hard work and a bit of luck, those size 6 jeans are possible for them too! xxx

Both my port replacement surgeries hurt. It wasn't 'simple' at all. I was swollen for a week. After my first one I went back to see my dr on the third day as I looked about 5 months pregnant with the swelling. He gave me pain meds and said it would subside in time. It did, but it took a lot of rest and not straining myself for it to eventually ease up. I say call your dr and explain that you're in quite a lot of discomfort and need something for the pain.

Yep I was told I didn't need to do one as my BMI was 35 at the time of my op. But I did a modified one anyway (with the agreement from my dr). I was concerned about having a fatty liver so I was being cautious. But if your dr isn't concerned, I'd say not to worry about it.

I had a lot of fills too. Took me a long time to get to my green zone. I thought I'd never get there but I did. Did they fill you all the way to the top and you still didn't get any restriction? I have to admit, I actually lost most of my weight before getting to that green zone. I worked pretty hard to lose actually because I couldn't count on having good restriction. But then when restriction did kick in, it made it really easy to lose. I don't know that you've given enough information for anyone here to understand why they should avoid a band. I had really good results with it, actually, so I'm one of those who would recommend the band to those who are committed to working with it. Then again, I did do my research so I guess I knew what I was going into. If you're experiencing pain in your port I'd suggest not to wait but to go back to see what it might be. It may be nothing but you never know.

I spoke to someone today and it reminded me of this thread, and it was about 'delivery' of a message. I told them that the way that you choose to deliver a msg can influence someone or alienate someone. It doesn't change the quality of the information contained in it but it may be the deciding factor on whether people take in the information or not. As someone who's job it is to influence people, I think that's sad when information gets ignored because of the delivery. I think you've posted some very interesting threads in the last few days, MsMaui but I do think this particular thread was derailed because it alienated rather than influenced, irregardless of the information contained within it. And that's not just true of this post but a lot of posts, and a lot of instances in every day life too. If it was intentional (and in my case, it sometimes is) then the backlash would have to be expected. If it wasn't intentional, then take it as that's what the whole kerfuffle was about, really. But I do have to thank you for the information you have posted. Because I do think making risks known assists people to make an informed decision.

Oh how I struggle with this too. I started at 215lbs and when I got to my goal of 154lbs people were telling me to stop losing, that I was thin enough. In my mind though, my BMI was 27 so I was still overweight, and convinced myself that everyone was telling me to stop because they were so used to see me 'fat' that anything less would seem like I was too thin. So I kept going. And going. I would look in the mirror and despite my BMI going down from 27 to 25, then to 23 then to 21, I still saw myself as needing to lose. Now I look back at pics of me at a BMI of 21 and I am amazed that I couldn't see how stick thin my arms were, or the ribs that were showing in my cleavage. Yet, hypocrite that I am, I also don't like being back at 150lbs, and feel HUGE, even though at a size 8 and a BMI of 26, LOGICALLY I know I am not huge. I guess what I'm trying to say is that our minds play awful tricks on us, they really do. I have this idea that I will be happy again at my stable weight of 135lbs, but to be honest I'll probably get there and won't be. So there you go. There is no easy answer. My only realistic advice would be to choose a dress size and see how you feel when you get there. Eventually hopefully you will find a size you're happy to live with, and that will be your 'ideal'. That's pretty much as close as I'll probably get to being happy with my weight.

Wanted to add though that it does bother me when all possible risks are NOT explained to me. I asked my surgeon what seemed like 1000 questions about what might go wrong, PLUS I did a tonne of research. It was why it took me 18 months to decide to get the lapband in the first place - for a long time, the risk profile of the band wasn't worth what I wanted to achieve. But then one day, it did become worth the risk. So I had the surgery. Again, now with the replacement, I've done the same thing. I've weighed it all up over and over, and decided that the risk is worth it. Of course, if the risks eventuate, that would suck, but I go into it with my eyes open. And I think that's part of the problem - many people go into this without their eyes open. But that's not going to change. It's as valid a choice to choose to know nothing as it is to know everything you can find out. You can't make people behave the way you do, so all you can do invest in your own choices, and own them.

I think there are issues with the band, and then there are issues with those who are 'selling' the band and those are two separate things. Like anything that starts gaining popularity, you will then see the extremes of human behaviour. In that I mean you will have the over-cautious providers who will make you do a 4 week liquid diet before and after, and then you will have the ones who will swear blind that lapband surgery is a walk in the park. That's an issue of the differences in medical providers. That doesn't just apply to the lapband, but all medical providers. In the end, if you choose to listen solely to your provider and don't educate yourself, and it's not what they said it was, well, that's kinda between you and them to resolve. Band issues are another thing altogether, and I don't and won't pretend they don't exist. But again, with anything (including walking down the street) there are risks. I go into surgery next week knowing my risks and choosing to do it anyway. That's pretty much any of us can do - decide whether you can live with the level of risk to achieve your goals. And for anyone who is banded, that's exactly what they did.

I've since been reading too about those with slips having issues with replacement bands - that they're at a higher risk of slips in the future too. I think if my complication had been a slip I would have been less inclined to get a band replacement as well. I so hear you though on the whole 'just remove it and do it yourself' thing. I gained weight when I sprung my leak but since managed to arrest the weight gain, and even take some off. So everyone I know can't understand why I would get another band. But I know why. It's because I seriously have to be obsessive with food to maintain. And if I can't exercise (like in the last 3 months due to broken bones) I struggle not to gain, because I'm hungry but can't exercise to burn anything off. So I say do whatever works for you. I have chosen band replacement for a variety of my own reasons but if I were to have complications in the future, I'd weigh up all my options again and decide which way to go at that point, depending on all the information I have in front of me. Good luck with the surgery. I hope the 6 weeks will go quickly for you.