muscleband

Hi! Did you find a fill doctor in SC close to you? I'm going to be spending the winter there and might need to see somebody. I was banded in Italy, and have trouble finding doctors who wil do fills here in the states. Thanks.

HI! Have you found a fill doctor in Boston yet? The only one who would take me charged $195 for a fill with his P.A., which came with a compulsory "office visit" (consisting of a greeting, a weigh-in, the fill, and a drink of water) that cost another $250!! And it didn't do the job, either. Needless to say, I won't be going back there! Hope you've had better luck!! Just call me "Cheated at Tufts."

Good luck -- and keep us posted!

Please tell who did your surgery and will he do follow-up care. I will go anywhere to make my band work, as I am getting no help here!

Your problem isn't weird -- it isn't even a problem! Generally speaking, a band that's working right gives you trouble with food that's hot (and some people have trouble with cold food, too). It's a small price to pay for being healthier and more attractive! I had the same symptoms with my original band. I lost 140lbs and kept it off ten years with that band. I never could eat hot meat or hot pizza or warm bread, but I got used to having them room temperature. I felt comfortable stopping with a small amount of food. How I wish I had that band back!! If you have that good a band, and the right fill, the benefits will soon make you see that room temperature food is a smalll price to pay. If you need to eat warm food (at a business lunch, for example), have a couple of sips of warm liquid first; try ordering things with gravy (the warm food doesn't stick as much); or eat a few bites of the salad or veg first while the Protein cools. Good luck!!

I had adhesions from my original band, which had become entrapped due to a car accident. My new band is around my stomach muscles (hence my handle "muscleband") and I'm having nothing but trouble (difficulty swallowing, nausea, referred pain in my shoulder/neck)and don't know if that's the reason why. If it is, I sure would NOT recommend going this route. Hope you have better luck than I've had....

Sorry you are having problems. Can you swallow small sips of warm liquids? For some people, the difficulty swallowing goes away after a few sips of something warm (even warm water). (This worked for me, although it left me with no restriction, so I've got a useless band.) Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

You can call your surgeon? I need a fill doctor that will communicate. I'm miserable and only get to talk to the PA, a lifetime skinny who listens with half an ear and blames everything on overeating -- even though I have pain with my first sip of water. Can you please recommend your doctor? I'm retired, and will move if necessary to get help! Thanks.

Dear Teachntots, Thanks for your reply. I'm glad they found the source of your problem, and I hope everything works right when they re-buckle your band. Please keep me posted -- I care. Supporting each other makes the band twice as effective (as I know from my previous band). My LapBand was put in eight years ago, after a previous band had become entrapped due to a car wreck, and had been removed. I had so much trouble then that they deflated it, thinking that my stomach needed a break. It has been "resting" for seven years. Recently, I had it filled, a little at a time. Until .5 cc ago, there was no reaction -- and suddenly, this nausea and choking, even with swallowing just a sip of Water or my own saliva. After I defuse the symptoms (by sipping hot liquid), there is no restriction at all. Your response tells me there are other people out there with similar problems, and maybe someone can solve mine. I don't know what unbuckling is; sounds like it might be a good thing to do to mine, but mine doesn't have a buckle as far as I know. They just deflated it, and now reinflated it. They can't seem to find anything wrong -- everything looked okay when they did the upper GI before reinflating. They did say I have an "irregular" esophagus, but didn't seem to know why or think that it mattered. There has been no vomiting in my case, but there is acid reflux. Part of my problem is that the wonderful doctor who saved my life, and put in my new band, is in Italy. I don't think the doctor here cares about anything but the fees, and I need to find somebody who will look for a cause, instead of (you guessed it) blaming me and telling me that I'm overeating, when this happens before I eat at all. If we're allowed to say, can you tell me who was so diligent in finding out what causes your symptoms? Thanks -- and again, best of luck!!!

Wish I could help, but my experience has been similar. I never felt anything like restriction/fullness/satisfaction. I went from feeling nothing to a horrible choking sensation on the first bite (or even first sip of water). If I sip something warm to ease the nausea and choking, I'm back to no restriction.. My "sturgeon" is no help -- he has us see a PA who doesn't "believe" in this problem. Have you had any good advice or help? I don't know how to follow threads or reply to the peiple who answer me -- and I sure need some help! Thanks!

Hi, I wish I still lived in Dallas! I miss Texas, plus I'd love to go to that conference. Would you please ask a question for me? My band was filled slowly; .5 cc at a time. Only .5cc ago, I had no feeling at all: no restriction, no discomfort, nothing. Now, I can't take a bite without a choking sensation and nausea. Some days, even a sip of Water or swallowing my own saliva triggers this. I 'm miserable, and nobody (least of all the doctor) has any help to offer. ( Except, of course, that he'd be happy to remove the band and do a bypass charging for both, of course). Somebody online said this is called first bite syndrome. The solution of sipping warm liquid helps -- but then there's no restriction at all. There seem to be other people out here with the problem, but no good answers. I've sen people blame a too-tight band, or blame themselves for panic and vomit -- but that's just not it! What I would like to know is this: Is this what restriction with this band feels llike? Or are there people who just feel full (not stuffed) and put their fork down? That's what I was expecting. It's what I had before (with a type of band no longer used), when I was successful at losing all the way to goal and keeping it off ten years. I want this band to work, and I'm tired of feeling miserable. Is there something I can do??? Any advice for those of us who can't seem to find proper restriction??? Thanks! (nd I hope you're having better luck than I am!)

Of course it's a personal decision, but my band is making me miserable, and I would advise you to check all the strugglers and unhappy people out here before you take on the time, pain and expense. I had a band that worked for ten years, but my doc says "all bands fail eventually" -- they slip, become entrapped, pouches stretch, etc. If I had it to do over... I'd get my first band -- but they don't use that kind anymore, and this one goes from no restriction to misery and nausea with no middle ground. If I can't get help (and I'm cxertainly not getting it from my doctor!), I'm through with this -- and too old for a bypass now.