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When ever you have a very bad stuck episode please go on liquids for a few days, and you probably need to call your surgeons office and see what they recommend. Blood can be from a tear in the esophagus, getting food stuck (obstruction) can be a horrible experience as you have seen and can last for HOURS, or sometimes require a visit to the ER -- until all the stuck food comes up, this is why I warn newbies if they are going to try to eat chicken on a tight band it has to be moist and eaten with caution.

Hello... It all depends on how bad the slippage is, will determine what your options are. If your band has truly 'slipped' you need to get it surgically fixed, removed or replaced. The Band-aid approach is to remove all saline, go on a liquid diet for a bit and slowly refill and most people are ok with this, however, it may be difficult for you to get back into the Green zone WITHOUT reflux and other issues. But this can be managed by either taking PPi's (acid reducers) and not keeping the band too tight. If things get worse, your only options are is to fix the band, your surgeon can re-position the band if it has slipped out of place,, there are several types of band slippage, Here are some information on Band slippage, hopefully it can help you out. Good luck Lapband Slippage Lap Band Slippage - Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment A condition in which sometimes the stomach wall can slip through the band resulting in lap band slippage. This slipping will result in a bulge above the band. Sometimes this will resolve itself, others it will be more severe and have side effects such as nausea and making it harder to eat or drink. The following pictures depict a normal and a slipped band. Normal Band Slipped Band Two common types of slippage: Anterior slippage: the front of the stomach slips past the band. To try to secure the band at the time of installation, the stomach on either side of the band is stiched together trapping the band. Posterior slippage: the rear of the stomach slides up through the band. This type of slippage was more common in the early 90's in Europe because they used the perigastric technique. Since then they've moved to the method employed in the U.S. and now commonly accepted as safe, the pars flaccida method. Diagnosis of Band Slippage: How can you tell? Usually it's fairly simple to diagnose. If a patient has had no problems for a period of time and suddenly has acid reflux or if you can eat more than before with a tight band it may mean that the small pouch has been stretched by overeating and some of the stomach has pulled through the band. An x-ray with barium easily confirms the issue. As stated earlier, nausea or difficulty eating may accompany slippage. The only sure way to tell is to visit your doctor and have a ugi series also known as an upper GI series x-ray. Treatment of Band Slippage: Mild slip: Deflate the band; reinflate in one to two weeks. Moderate slip: Deflate the band, operate to reposition band. Severe slip: Deflate band and operate to remove band. Less than five percent of patients will require removal or reoperation In extreme cases the stomach above or within the band may need to be removed. Prevention of Band Slippage: Appropriate band placement by surgeon Careful progression of diet by patient. Follow your meal plan to a "T" No solid foods for 4 weeks. Wait at least 6 weeks for first adjustment. Avoid vomiting or purging Avoid over eating and stretching the stomach pouch Chew food slowly and completely

Thanks for sharing your story, it's very inspiring! I do know one of my friends really miss her chocolate fix...she says she feels sick on any small amounts, she also gets sick if she drinks orange juice (I guess from the hypoglycemia) so from that aspect, I know she is not being totally compliant with her diet. From a medical standpoint I was told the reason behind the "dumping like syndrome" and hypoglycemia was that food empties quicker and has fast emptying in the small Sleeve stomach. However with the lap band stomach, our food empties very slow which gives us a "full feeling" really quick. I think is she is lactose intolerance now, she will get foamies if she try to eat too much food at one time, it's a bit different with us bandsters, we get the slimies...LOL

Of course complications happen with the band, it can happen with ANY weight loss surgery that you get. Those are the RISKS you take when you undergo lap band surgery. Do they happen to everyone? NO, however there are precautions to take and you may need to go to Allergan's website for a complete list of contraindications and warnings to make sure you are a candidate for the lap band, everyone's body cannot tolerate a tight band around their stomach and pressure on their esophagus for years, but many people can. Many people go through pre op testing to make sure they are a candidate for the band. Also, make sure you research your surgeon, I would feel more comfortable if my surgeon had banded over 600-1000 people, and is very experienced with aftercare that the band requires, those are your FIRST defense against complications with the band, don't worry too much about everyone else issues, because they can be from not following up with aftercare, or diagnostic testing, to keeping the band too tight, etc. What you need to focus on if are you in great hands with your surgeon, and learning about how to live with your band. Good luck!

That's great you are doing so well with your Sleeve, do you have any reflux? Can you tolerate carbs and sugar without getting sick? I know we are not supposed to eat sugar, but my friends told me the further they got out with the Sleeve, they are now experiencing more reflux and food intolerance issues. It's more like hypoglycemia than real dumping syndrome.

Congrats!! Keep up the good working your band!!!

You are correct .1cc can make a difference with being at the sweet spot with no reflux to being too tight and in misery. If he took out .5cc, you may want to go back and I would start with a .2cc fill and then wait about 4 weeks to see how that works, sometimes it takes about 2-3 weeks before a fill adjustment settles in...and if you are still hungry and can eat more than you want, then go and add about .1cc at a time and ease up on your sweet spot. I use these adjustments as examples of what I would do in this situation, you can discuss with your surgeon how you want to move forward with your fill adjustments. Good luck

Night cough = too tight, if you go back now and get a small amount out, you won't risk a damaged band. taking out as much as 0.1 to .02ccs will make a big difference in being too tight and being just right.

Hi JennyBean, 4 weeks post op is about time for most who are hungry, and I am assuming you have the 10cc band like I do. I started off with .4cc in my band, and I felt nothing with my first fill, but you may be different if you had to get some priming Fluid removed, so in that case you may want to start a littler lower and let your surgeon determine how much to give you. Good luck

Congrats on your weight loss with the Sleeve, but to say that the Sleeve WILL NOT eventually stretch out, is misleading people on a surgery that they can't reverse once it's done. Regardless of which bougie size you have it WILL stretch out eventually, you are only 2 years post op, based on my friends who have Sleeves, AND many medical published cited journals to back this up.... My friends with the Sleeve can't eat as much as pre op and they are 5 + years post Sleeve, but they can eat too much for it to be effective for weight loss without serious dieting, and they have to diet if they want to lose weight at the 5 year mark, also they have dumping syndrome, something that's not openly discussed with the Sleeve. If your Sleeve is working for you great! But many are just not willing to risk removing their stomach and end up having to diet like crazy in about 3-4 years.

What you are doing is harming your band, drinking soda will probably further "stretch" out your pouch which can cause band slippage (pouch dilation)...if I were you I would go to see my surgeon ASAP and you need to let them know what is going on. Here is my level of reflux what I call that may be Ok: 1. In the green zone, eat too late and then lie down and cough up some "stuff" -- A ONE TIME EVENT --- I consider this ok, and just adjust my eating and I will chew some papaya enzymes before bed and drink some Water to push the food through that will not leave food in my upper pouch. 2. If you are TRULY in the Green zone, that REFLUX SHOULD NOT HAPPEN OFTEN if you don't eat close to bedtime. 3. If reflux awakes you from your sleep just about every night and you wake up with vomit shooting out of your nose and mouth -- this requires IMMEDIATE attention from your surgeon and with some saline reduced -- this often indicate something IS WRONG WITH YOUR BAND and a Upper Gi should be ordered to check to make sure your pouch has not stretched or band has not slipped. Good luck

This is good feeling to be over 8 years post and feel like a "newbie" again, I have not had "great restriction in over 5 years, I had to "wing it" and "diet" with my old band because I would get reflux every time I would try to fill it optimally. I only experienced the "sweet spot" with my old 4cc band briefly in my 1st and 2nd year, and then got too tight, dilated my pouch (which was very easy to do with the old 4cc bands), and plus I had a hiatal hernia that made it tough for me to stay in the green zone "without reflux" so I kept my band on the loose side, I was still successful with my old band but -- I had to constantly be on acid reducers. I got rebanded last November hiatal hernia repaired old band removed and new 10cc AP band placed at the same time. It took 3 hours for my surgeon to remove the old band, "clean up adhesion's left by the old band", repair the hiatal hernia, and place the new AP 10cc band. From lessons learned with my old band, I took my fills "a bit slow" this time around, I could have gotten aggressive a few months ago, but I wanted to make SURE that my band was totally healed before I got "tight" with my new band. Fast forward 11 months post op with my NEW band, I've finally found the SWEET SPOT . Honestly I did not know if I would find the "SPOT" again with this new AP band, it feels different than my old band, it's very easy on my body, my old 4cc band had "KICK @SS" restriction, they were much tighter out of the gate, and many lost weight very quickly -- but they are also "dangerous" to many long term, some old timers are still kicking their old 4cc bands with little to no issues, but most are not. What does my sweet spot feel like for me? Since my last fill, I have about 6.9ccs in my 10cc band and I noticed right away, I was no longer hungry, and then when I attempt to eat anything I get satisfied real quick. The weird thing is that when I had "less restriction" I would get hungry and eat for example, a chicken leg and I would slime if I ate too quickly, but with MORE restriction and at my sweet spot, I can only eat 2 bites of chicken and stop, no sliming no stuck feeling, just full to the top. I ate 4 grapes for lunch yesterday and 1 cup of chocolate soy milk with unjury powder, AND THAT WAS IT....I had to make myself eat a piece of cheese last night, COULD I EAT MORE? Yes, but my hunger is GONE ...I've finally achieve the feeling of satiety and don't have reflux or vomiting and that is a great feeling, it's like a "high" once you reach the sweet spot, I can't explain it much further. What are the benefits of my "sweet spot" --- I got on the scale this morning and I am down 8 pounds since a week in a half (without exercise) -- Now I will be getting on my treadmill daily again.. To the newbies -- my advice --- take it slow, let your body heal before you start to get aggressive with fills, I know it can be tough when you are first banded and hungry -- but the rewards are worth the wait, once you get near the green zone, only add small amounts to sneak up on your sweet spot.

I purchase a few cases of it, it's only 100 calories per little cup, and it's just SOOO good -- I get the orange flavor. I've replaced this with my past addiction to chocolate and it's seems to be a better addiction since now I am seeing the scale move consistently and I include it with my daily calorie count which is already pretty low.... I eat one every night after my small dinner before bed ... That's all I wanted to say.

Haha...you are point on...I lost over 130 pounds eating Popsicles and eating weight watchers peanut cluster ice cream, pretty regular...but I pick and choose my vices very carefully -- there is no way I would have lost weight drinking milkshakes, reese Peanut Butter cups, donuts and real ice cream daily -- heck some people drink these ice lattes and they have over 1000 calories.... For ME, I don't eat rice, potatoes, mac n cheese, pizza, fries, red meat, etc...so I guess it's a balance...I eat healthy 90 percent of the time and that 10 percent is for me and my indulgences...

This is why I keep my band at a level where it's tight enough to keep hunger at bay and loose enough for me to eat a small amounts of solid, If I drank Protein drinks and ate only broccoli, and NEVER had a treat, I would probably end up binging and eating an entire bag of chocolate...they easily slide through the band...lol..

You are like me... I am not foolish and think I can only drink Protein drinks and eat 2 oz of protein, and yogurt every day for the rest of my life..it's just not doable or realistic...so I decided to compromise and eat a treat that is fulfilling and yummy and don;'t have many calories..

Well...they are not for everyone, yep the carb content is high..but the calories are low...... I am not eating 800 calories a day...I need to up my calories and also I walk 1 hour per day....if I did not get any exercise in...I probably would not eat them...but they are yummy...and help beat that chocolate urge. -- which would be a lot more calories....I use to eat a block of dark chocolate but it open up the Pandora's box ... :wub:

Congrats on your sweet spot. You may not need a fill looks like you've hit the spot already.

Yea, sorry unfortunately that's one of the worse things about the lap band, it's very difficult for banded people to change surgeons. Surgeons DON'T WANT PROBLEMS, and sadly many with the lap band have many, some don't follow up with their surgeon for years until they have a problem and most surgeons consider taking on someone else's patient pose a liability, some surgeons don;t like "fixing" other surgeon's problems. Even if you are doing "well" and don't have any issues NOW, some surgeons still will not take on anyone that they did not band. Have you went to www.lapband.com? You can type in your zip code and hopefully you can find a surgeon there. I changed surgeons but I never had any problem, but I live in the Mid-Atlantic DC region, but my band surgeon was well respected and the first thing they asked... Who did your band, and where did you get it placed...most surgeons WILL not take on most people that get banded in Mexico. Also, remember MANY surgeons moved away from the band a few years ago, and are now doing more Sleeves, "I think the Sleeve popularity" is wearing down now since so many are gaining weight back, and 'some' surgeons are now coming back to the band with a new perspective on aftercare. Also please keep in mind if you find a surgeon that will fill you, you need to ask if "complications" will be part of that aftercare, some surgeon will fill your band, but will not offer any complication aftercare if they did not band you, so please be aware of this. Good luck

KoolNor -- you asked and you will receive!! :wub: Did your surgeon say Coke or carbonated beverages was part of your post op diet plan? There are speculations that drinking carbonated beverages WILL stretch your pouch -- which CAN cause band slippage. You don't want to damage your band before you lose all of your weight, if you paid cash for your surgery, remember it cost about the same or more to get a new band or get it removed....sometimes being "scared" straight will help you follow rules and stay on track. Remember why you did this! You can do this, follow your dietitian or surgeons post op diet plan. We are not perfect dust yourself off and start over, it's a learning process.

If your current employer (if your insurance is through your employer, it's NOT the insurance company that is denying your revision to the Sleeve, it's probably an exclusion with your employer's insurance policy. Your insurance CAN deny a revision to another type of weight loss surgery, but they MUST pay to either fix your band, replace it, or remove it. That being said....you have a complication, and your insurance MUST pay to fix your CURRENT BAND. You can appeal it, but they MUST PAY for either to remove the band, fix it or they MUST PAY TO REBAND YOU. You CANNOT live with a slip band forever, even with an empty band, your symptoms will get worse over time. So while you are only having mild reflux now, you may want to get your ducks in a row and appeal, appeal, appeal. Going on a liquid diet, and only eating small amounts will help in the short term and relieve your symptoms, but it's only a band-aid, but eventually you will need to get your band out, replaced or a revision to something else. There is an attorney call Lindstrom on Obesity Help that helps folks appeal, but you may not need an attorney, all you have to have is Upper Gi, and records of your band slippage and complications. Also, it sounds like your surgeon may not be doing things right, you may need to get a second opinion with another surgeon, something does not sound right.

Get a second opinion, I had to find a new surgeon to address my needs and find a very hidden hiatal hernia that did not show up on a regular Upper Gi. I had some of the same symptoms, and it was pouch dilation WITH a hiatal hernia, every time we would fill the band I would get reflux and I could not stay in the green zone. Dr Ku, fixed me and I have not looked back, I currently have excellent restriction with no issues and the scale is now moving in the right direction again after a few years with hardly no weight loss. In meantime, you are too tight and need some saline removed. Also if there is a pregnancy board here you may want to ask this question because on other boards, I've heard of MANY having issues after pregnancy with their bands. Allergen suggest to unfill the band during pregnancy.

Truth be told, many surgeons think many obese people are very lazy and getting the band REQUIRES a lot more UPFRONT work than the Sleeve or Bypass. Also, honestly lap band aftercare can be a pain in the @ass for many surgeons with filling the band and unfilling, so some surgeons are pushing the Bypass and Sleeve regardless of WHAT the patient wants. You will have to live with the Sleeve the rest of your life regardless of what issues may crop up, with the band -- well you will always have options to get it removed or adjusted if needed. Many surgeons LIKE the Sleeve and Bypass because first you are guaranteed Instance gratification of weight loss, but you will NOT be guaranteed to keep it off once the pouch stretches, and it will over time. The surgeons don't care if you gain weight back, they KNOW that the Sleeve and Bypass works "temporarily" and MANY gain every pound back over the years if they are not dieting and exercising like crazy and the sad part is..even if you regain weight you still MUST take required Vitamins for the rest of your life. I got family members that have had stomach stapling and the Bypass over 20 years ago.. stomach stapling is similar to the Sleeve and they are all still obese. And yea they all got skinny in the first few years, until it stops working. I got rebanded last year due to a hiatal hernia and my old surgeon tried to shove the Sleeve down my throat, but I found another very experienced band surgeon that had placed over 500 bands, and I am very happy I was rebanded, I got very good restriction again. I would never do anything but the band since it's adjustable and removable. Good luck.

You go girl!! And have fun dating!!!

Good morning Rockstars!! Breakfast: 1 cup of chocolate Soy Milk - 1 scoop of unjury Protein Power Lunch: 1 -2 oz of tuna Dinner: 1- 2 oz of crab salad, 4 grapes Drink - Water, crystal lite 1 hour on the treadmill Next,