melodystar

I recently had my 4mL band replaced witha 10mL band in April 2009, because it wsa leaking, and currently have a 7mL fill. When I had the 4mL band, I had a 3.65 fill, and was happy. I wonder if it's been filled too fast, too much...Initially when it was placed, the doctor gave me a 4mL fill, and since then I have had two fills, a 2mL fill teh first time & a 1mL fill yesterday. I can drink liquids, but I think all of these fills have caused a little swelling. I am just curious what the sweet spot is for others that have a 10mL band. If it's around 7 or higher I'm going to leave it as is for teh weekend & see if it feels better.

I recently had my 4mL band replaced witha 10mL band in April 2009, because it wsa leaking, and currently have a 7mL fill. When I had the 4mL band, I had a 3.65 fill, and was happy. I wonder if it's been filled too fast, too much...Initially when it was placed, the doctor gave me a 4mL fill, and since then I have had two fills, a 2mL fill teh first time & a 1mL fill yesterday. I can drink liquids, but I think all of these fills have caused a little swelling. I am just curious what the sweet spot is for others that have a 10mL band. If it's around 7 or higher I'm going to leave it as is for teh weekend & see if it feels better.

Hello all, I'm new to this site, & I am reaching out in shear despiration. I was banded in 2005, and all was WONDERFUL until October 2008. I had lost over 120 pounds, and was in a size 8, and had cosmetic surgery, that I myself paid over 16K for. I was very happy. Well in October of 2008, I realized I could eat more & that I had no restriction & I was no longer full nor did I get hungry, but I wanted to eat. I began falling into old habbits & eating things I hadn't been able to eat in years. My doctor realized there was a leak. So last week, he replaced the port. Immediately after, he gave me a fill of 3cc, and only 2.5cc came back. I still have NO restriction, and I've gained over 35 pounds and I'm back in a size 14. I'm frustrted, upset & starting to get depressed. The doctor told me today, he doesn't know what to do next. He stated he had to call the devise representative from Allergan, the manufacture of teh LAP BAND, to see what to do next. I'm at a loss. Has anyone every had this happen before? Could the band itself be leaking? According to the Dr. & Allergan, there has never been a leaking band. There have been problems with the port, and around the port, but never with the actual band. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hi Heather, The surgery went well. I took some pain meds for the first 2 days, but they were minimal. They tried to keep me on the liquid diet for 3 weeks, but honestly that didn't work. I was confused, for they didn't have to cut the stomach, so I was confused as to why they wanted me on such a strict diet. Yes, I was careful, but oh well. THey did add another stich to hold the band in place for me, because I had the original 4mL LAP Band, and the new one is a 10mL LAP Band. SO since it was larger they wanted to make sure it was held in place well. I really wanted a fill immediately, or soon after. Before I had a leak, I had my band filled with 3.65mL, so I had a TON of restriction. My initial surgeon wont do a fill till the end of May, and the surgeon who did the replacement wouldn't fill until a week earlier. I am a little bummed, but oh well. At least I have my motivation back! :-) I am hoping that my surgeon will give me a 5mL fill, since I was used to having such a large fill from before. I bet not, but I am going to push for at least a 3mL fill. Hopefully I will get my way! That's great that you did so well with a leaky band! I think the reason I gained so much weight is becaue I was barely eating & honestly I liked it. My band had become my crutch. I hope to have a healthier outlook on food, etc with the new replacement. I wish you all the best! Mel

I'm sorry to hear you have no restriction stowsend. Have they checked to see if it's the port? I assume the injection will show. According to teh surgeons I have seen, most leaks are at the port location, not at teh baand location itself. If it's at the port, you will only have to get teh port replaced. I had that done, and it was an outpatient procedure. Out of either possibility, that would be the best, for it would be the least financial cost, recovery, and easiest fix. I pray it's that. I understand the $$$ piece of it. I was actually going to take out a loan to have it replaced if the insurance didn't cover it, because I know it works, and it has been a good tool for me. I will definately keep you in my thoughts & prayers, and I hope it will al work out for you. Keep the faith, and even though it's hard, stay positive!

I realize that 3 years is not a lot of time with the band, but according to both of the surgerons & Allergan, band leaks are not very common. Both referred to me as being unusual. I was actually the first case that my surgeon has seen with this problem, and after speaking to other surgeons, it is very unusual. I actually have the LAP Band from Allergan, and it's going to be replaced with a newer version of the LAP Band. I wanted to see if I could have it as akeepsake, I know, I'm crazy, but they stated it has to go to pathology, and then afterwards they are going to see if they can send it to the manufacturer.

So I finally got insurance approval last week, and had my pre-op with my general PCP yesterday. I have gained 48pounds in 6 months! :-( Considering I had a 3.65mL fill in a 4.0mL band, I could barely eat anything, and I was happy about that! So everything I consumed went to fat. I'm not happy about that. Anyways, good news, I have a new surgery date 04-13-09. I will have to stay overnight. The new surgeon, my previous surgeon could not perform the procedure, so yes, on top of it all I had to go to a different doctor. He's really nice though. He stated that there are one of two ways it can go. First, they can unlock the band & slip it out of the current location & slip another one in. this would be best case! Secondly if it doesnt' slip out, they would have to cut the pouch, and then suture the band into place. When I say pouch, what I mean is when they originally place the band, they take part of the stomach below the band & they attach it via stiches to the stomach above the band to hold the band into place to limit slippage. If they can't slip the new one in, they will have to cut that and then stich it up. The good news, the doctor stated he would put in a small fill too if he could slip out the previous band without cutting & re-attaching! I hope that is the case! I'm a little nervous, but very excited. I am hoping the weight will come off just as quickly as I put it on. I am more motivated now that I have a date & that we have a plan. Before, in all honesty I was very depressed. The doctors office told me I should plan to be out 4-6 weeks. I hope I don't need the time, but she suggested I take it, so we shall see. I think I may need it to readjust to eating again. It's odd though, I was not put on a diet this time, before surgery. I think I am going to do a liquid diet 5 days before, because it does have a positive affect, and that way I can be used to it for after the surgery. This morning I am having pancakes, which I love & is one of the things I can't have after surgery. I have never been able to eat bread, pancakes, etc, with the exception of maybe a bite. So I will be enjoying them today! I know what it's like having a leaking band, and my heart goes out to you. Even though it will take a while to replace & fix, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You have come a far way & this is just another hurdle in your journey. Keep a positive attitude & things will work out!! I'll write back when Im out of the hospital. Till then, have a GREAT week! :-)

Update - So my doctor did a fill today using an Iodine dye, and X-Ray. It was interesting. I have a very large leak, and the leak is in the band itself. According to my doctor this makes me a very unusual case, and it's not something that is very common, and he has consulted with other suregons and none of them have ever had a patient experience this. As he put it, "I am a very unusual case". So as of today, at least we know what the problem is. We are going to schedule a full replacement. I have to admit, I am a little nervous about having a full replacement, but excited that now they know what the problem is & how they are going to fix it! :-)

Thank you. I will let you know what happens. Honestly when he told me he didn't know what to do next & that he had to call the rep, I'm thinking, why me? I honestly am at the point that I feel like asking him if I can pay him in cash, anything to have him put in another one, one that works. I have 4ml band, and I had it filled to 3.65, so I was eatting very little, and honestly I loved it. So now that it's leaking, even eating the smallest portions is making me gain weight, because of the small quantity of food that I was taking in, when the band was working.

According to the doctor, he replaced the part of the port where the leak was, and while I was still under, he gave me a fill of 3cc, and immediately thereafter he pulled it out & only got 2.5cc back. I'm scared, frustrated & I feel completely lost. As of now, we have no idea where the leak is. The doctor doesn't even know what to do next, he states he's mystified.