MargenOhio

I have had my lapband since 2009. I am not aware of what complications I may face in the future but I listen to my body. I have not had any fills for 5 years now. I eat slow and chew. Yes, I get stuck and when I do sometimes I vomit. This happens a couple of times a month and always when I am too hungry and eat too fast. I would like to know what I should be looking for in the way of complications....how does one know when the band needs to be removed?

If you had reflux with your band inflated you may have very strong gastric acids building up and eroding the lining of your stomach which could result in an ulcer. My reflux was bad before banding and had to take Prilosec daily. Once banded I had no reflux. Essentially the band cured my reflux. You could also try other OTC meds like Prilosec or Zantac. If the gaviscon helped that would make sense to me that your pain is due to reflux and hopefully not an ulcer. If this continues I would check with your doctor.

I have had my lap band for 6+ years. Whenever I have an empty stomach I can feel some left shoulder pain. It is a referred pain from my diaphragm being irritated. I am convinced that the pigtail or the port itself is somehow causing this. Or it could be trapped gas building up too because belching (which I do a lot) does help alleviate the pain some. There were many times the pain was nearly unbearable. My doctor was useless....said he never heard of this and referred me to a pain clinic. I never went back to him again after that. I live with the pain and have gotten used to it. It does not get horribly bad anymore just a minor annoyance. Even after all the issues with this pain and other stuff like "getting stuck", port discomfort when I bend over, etc., I still would not give up my band. It has kept me from gaining weight due to eating too fast. I eat very slow....chew incessantly, and get full a lot quicker than I would without it. However, I still have to diet and exercise to lose more weight. That is something that is lifelong. I weighed 253# when I first had my band placed. I got down to 200# after the surgery and stayed there for years until I gained 20# over the last two years somehow. Now I weigh 185# since I diet and exercise some. I have no desire to get any more fills. I feel like I am restricted enough and know this when I get "stuck" which still happens often enough and sometimes at the most inconvenient times like at a restaurant. This usually happens when I am so hungry and I gulp or not chew well enough. This is my painful reminder to SLOW DOWN and CHEW. If I was any tighter I would fear getting stuck all the time.

I have this nagging referred pain above my left shoulder blade prior to eating ever since my surgery February 24, 2009. It occurs when my tummy is empty before breakfast, lunch and dinner. It gets relieved after I eat or drink to fullness. My doctor has no idea why I am having it but does it agree that it must be from some type of diaphragm irritation. It feels very much like the gas pain we all had right after surgery. But it only happens now prior to meals. It gets very bad at times and will completely interrupt my work so I have to eat to relieve it. Needless to say my weight loss has been slow due to this as well since I don't make good choices when I am eating to relieve pain. My doctor will be doing some research but I don't feel hopeful. I even tried my husbands' Neurontin 300mg when the pain is occuring. Nothing touches it but filling up my tummy. No reflux, no other pain, no nausea or vomiting. I am afraid I may have to have my band or port revised/moved. I cannot live the rest of my life with this pain every day. Any significant ideas out there that I can take back to my doc?:biggrin:

I've had my band since February 2009. I've only lost 40# with it. I still get phrenic nerve pain when I am hungery every day. I just tolerate it. It does go away but always comes back. I have learned to live with it. My doctor wanted to send me to a pain specialist. I have not been back to see him since. I am disappointed in this band and wish I would have gotten a sleeve but my insurance didnt cover it. I still have plenty of stricture but when I eat moist soft food I don't have a problem with getting stuck and throwing up. That's probably why I have stopped losing weight.

Were you just recently banded? What's happening?

Yes.my shoulder pain is nearly every day before lunch and dinner. It goes away after eating. I use gas x a lot. It helps a little. I started Lyrica today.I am very discouraged. I can't get motivated to exercise when I am in pain. I eat to relieve pain bot because I am hungry many times. The B12 hasn't really helped.

Hello...I was banded Feb. 24 and had only 1cc fill at the time of banding. My doc is very conservative and fills only 1cc at a time. Its has taken a total of 6cc to get me to restriction which is where I will stay at for now. During the time getting there I have only lost about 4# a month. I eat what I want just a whole lot less of it. I eat appetizers for my dinner. I eat a dinner salad with cottage cheese instead of a big chef like I used to. I still like my cocktails several times a week when I go out and I know thats where a lot of my extra calories come from. I need to exercise more as I am sure we are all challenged with. But all in all, its working slow but steady. I am down a full size and hopefully will be down another by September. It can be frustrating when you see others better progress but I have to celebrate my own little achievements here. So keep up the good work everyone. It has definately changed my old bad habits that eventually would of killed me. So I'm good with it.

I had a morphine pump for the first day and it really helped me sleep in the hospital. The next day they removed the pump and gave me IV push Toradol twice which is like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory med. It worked great. THen I went home with Oxycodone and took 10mg liquid. WOW...too much. I backed down next time and took only 5mg. Much better. Oxycodone 5 mg liquid is equal to one Percocet so if you have had that before you know how it works. Good luck with the banding. You will be fine. The anxiety all goes away once you get your pre-op meds. Ask for them as soon as you can.

I agree with Karen. Give yourself time to recover with liquids only for the next meal if you vomit. Luckily, I have never vomited but I sure have gotten stuck where I can't even swallow saliva for 30 minutes. Its real bad if it happens in a restaurant or in the care. I have to make sure a bathroom is nearby or have something to spit in. The exercise too, is a must. I hate it. I start and stop. I have heel and knee issues so theres always an excuse I can come up with. I try swimming a bit now but I need a kick in the pants too. I have not lost a bunch either. I have a lot of air in my stomach and I belch a lot. I use gas x tablets before I eat or I will get severe shoulder pain. It has helped.

I have always been a belcher. Pre-band I belched and had GERD. Post-band I belch even more but no GERD as the doctor repaired a hernia with my band. I have to be particularly careful as I can be quite loud. My family and friends understand I can't hold something like that back and there is little I can do to keep it silent. If I let it build up too much I am in pain. I use gas x daily sometime 4 or 5 tablets a day. I belch whether I am full or empty. Belching helps get me "unstuck" when I don't chew well enough or eat too fast. I know some people would love to be able to belch. I am learning to live with it.

I took someone's advice here and am chewing gas x tablets whenever I am getting hungry, near meal time when my shoulder starts acting up. If I catch it early enough I can slow even stop the pain before it get nearly unbearable. I chew 2-3 tablets at a time and that seems to keep it tolerable. I am taking two chewable B12 daily too but I know the gas x tabs (generic) are really doing the trick because I can immediately get relief. Thanks for all the information on the subject. Its a real "pain" that some of us have to endure this problem with our bands. I just hope its not forever.

I agree. He knows I am not crazy because I can be so specific where and when the pain occurs. He met with the lap band people last week so I think he is focusing on getting me relief. I'm thinking of asking for a prescription of Lyrica which helps with neuropathic pain. I am willing to try most anything about now. As for the B12, I will try a vitamin store, we don't have a Trader Joes. How often do you take it? You say to take it sublingually? Is it a liquid or does a tablet just melt? Any bad taste? Did it work right away? Thanks for any and all responses. Fabulous weight loss in just over a year Gwenn, hope I do as well.

I, too, am plagued with right shoulder pain. It mostly occurs when I am empty as well. I noticed since I got filled last week that the pain is breaking through after an hour or two now after meals where it used to remain at bay for 4-5 hours. It does go away temporarily when I eat even though I don't feel hungry. This has slowed my weight loss I believe. I have found nothing that relieves it but eating. I am so frustrated but glad I found this thread. I believe there could be a point where I would consider having the band loosened if this does not stop. I don't want to do that but the pain interferes with everything I do from work to play. It's getting me depressed. On top of that I have other chronic pain in my knees and left heel so I am really miserable. I will try the B12. My doc is stumped. I feel like I am in bandster hell.

I am 4 months out from band surgery and have the referred left shoulder phrenic nerve pain you describe every day before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only filling my tummy with food makes the pain temporaily go away. It's very bad if I don't get something to eat. My doc is stumped. Can you rationalize this for me?

Thanks, I appreciate the positive feed back. I will post my progress in a month.

I, too, have been struggling. I was banded February 24th 2009 and have lost only 20# mostly from the post op diet too. I have had three fills and am at 4cc in a 10cc band. I lost only 1# last month and my doc is not happy. He would not fill me this month and wants to see a several pound weight loss in the next 3 to 4 weeks before my next appointment. I am scared he won't fill me again if I don't lose the weight. I still have so many aches and pains in my knees when I exercise that I tend to avoid doing it. My intake is restricted a lot compared to pre banding but my calories must not be reduced enough. I can eat way more than a half cup of anything but only a third of what I could eat pre band. Anyway...hearing others struggle helps me feel not so alone. Right now I do feel like a bandster failure.

I cut and pasted the following from Oncol.com a cancer information site. I thought their dietician's definition of a full liquid diet was interesting that it contained eggs. What do you guys think? Ellen Sweeney Cordes, RD, Registered Dietitian at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, responds: A full liquid diet consists of foods and fluids that are liquid or liquefy at room temperature or body temperature. Foods allowed on this diet include milk, plain ice cream, strained cream Soups, fruit and vegetable juices, hot cereals, plain puddings, pasteurized eggs, and all items on the clear liquid diet (i.e. clear juices, clear soda, broth, jell-o). The full liquid diet is used most often post-operatively as a progression between the clear liquid diet and solid food. It can also be provided to patients who are severely ill or who have difficulty swallowing and/or chewing solid foods. The diet consists of many milk or dairy products but can be modified to include lactose-free products for a lactose-intolerant person. A Full Liquid diet food list is below which may give you more ideas for foods to feed your father. Foods Allowed Milk : milk, milk shkes, eggnog, instant Breakfast, yogurt meats and other Protein sources : cooked eggs, custards, egg substitutes, puddings, ice cream Breads, cereals, grains : refined cooked cereals such as farina and cream of wheat Vegetable and Fruits : Strained fruit juice or vegetable juice (no pulp), fruit nectars, pureed fruits (similar to baby food), mashed white potato diluted in cream soups Fats : Butter, cream, margarine Desserts : cornstarch puddings, custard, Gelatin, plain ice cream, sherbet, fruit ice, plain frozen yogurt, popsicles Miscellaneous : carbonated beverages, cocoa, coffee, instant breakfast, Ensure, Boost, bouillon, broth, strained vegetable Soup, strained cream soups with pureed meats, sugar, honey, syrup, hard candy.

My doc only put in 1cc for my first fill.....I am wondering if it even went into the band as I can eat as much as before which is too much. When he injected I could feel the cold fluid enter at the needle site but felt nothing else. He could have missed for all I can tell. I go back in two weeks for another fill. Luckily I can go back every two weeks until we get it right.

I gained 3# but down 14# overall since my surgery. I could readily eat anything and I think I got a little too comfortable with that until I stepped on the scale and saw the additional 3#. I called the doc and got a 1cc fill today. Its really a mindset to put that fork down and listen to your belly instead of taking 45 minutes to slowly eat everything on your plate. It just tasted so good. Live and learn. It really is a new lifestyle to get used to.

I must be in bandster hell. I gained 4#!!!! I am so disgusted with myself. I called the doctor and he wants me in Friday for my first fill. I am very anxious about this. The posts here helped somewhat.

Sounds pretty normal to me. Its really been just this week that I have really felt back to normal. Give yourself time to feel better. It will happen.

My left shoulder/back pain still comes and goes. I notice it gets really bad when I am hungery. Once I eat even just a spoonful or two of Protein it goes away for an hour or two. When it comes back again, I have to eat to relieve it. Having my stomach empy must irritate my diaphram. Wondering if anyone else has this phenomenon.

Hi Nancy, Do you know why the band slipped? Are there any preventative measures that can be taken?

That was an issue for my first week post op. Second week was much better so I am glad I had two weeks off for this. I go back to work tomorrow and feel like I am functioning fine.