pennreporter

I posted her under this topic awhile back as not having had any problems. Since then had a little bump in the road, but not sure if it's the band or the surgeon... I think I may have been overfilled and not sure if this is the surgeon not being as accurate as possible on how much he takes out before adding more. I ended up in ER after throwing up for five days. Initially had all fill removed (or so we thought). Was scheduled for revision becuase they thought the band had slipped. Surgeon had a scheduling conflict so surgery was postponed but I've been dealing with PA lately. We decided to go ahead and refill partially. As it turns out I still had over a cc still left in the band, which if you include the 8 ccs they took out in the emergency room and then 1 cc I had taken out the month before, would bring me up to at least 10. so I'm really wondering if the throwing up was just because I was overfilled. So I've had 4ccs in for about 3 weeks with no problems (no restriction either thank you very much...agghh...I've gained 10 lbs ...but it's been a great summer...lots of pina coladas...so I've had my summer sojourn...lol) I go Monday for another fill. I'm sure they won't do more than maybe 2. But the PA seems to be better at getting more out of the band than my surgeon was. So we'll see how it goes. I personally think it will all be okay but if it's not, it probably won't rear its ugly head until there's some real restriction on the band. But I'm am so not discouraged. What being unfilled has done has made me get up off my lazy butt and join the gym and also to get out more often to the pool in my housing development and swim as much as I can. So even with my weight gain, I'm not discouraged. I know that as soon as I start getting restriction the bread will be back out of my diet. sorry to ramble...but I don't fault the band. My surgeon is very very inexperienced when it comes to the band, like under 20 total. My daughter had the Lap-Band, no problems, but her surgeon had done over 4k and had told her that the biggest issue with the bands is port placement and stitch placement for the flap that holds it in place. So worse case scenario, I've been approved in case I need it for the revision. Good luck all. Trisha pennreporter

My daughter has a friend that she kept losing her fill. So they were filling her with something else that was thicker than saline. So this might be what you're speaking of but I don't know what it is. As it turns out, she actually had a leak and is having to have hers redone. trisha pennreporter

Update on revision. Temporarily postponed. After discussion with PA and surgeon and what they were planning on doing, (and also surgeon was having to postpone due to death in the family), we've decided to refill and slowly bring it back up, assuming no problems. All he was going to do was either put in another stitch or undo the flap of stomach that the pull over the band to hold it in place...undo that and possibly change the location of the flap. They believe everything is still in tact. So PA put in 4ccs today and I will see how it goes and if all goes well, in a month I will go back and have them do an X-ray and if band looks llike it's where it should be, they will slowly over the next few months bring it back up to restriction level. But I have a strong feeling that I may have just been overfilled. and then with the throwing up, forced the band into a position it didn't need to be. I had the option to go with the other surgeon, but I think I want to try this first and use revision as my last option. But I am going to stick with only the PA doing the fills, so that at least there's consistency with who is doing them. I don't think the surgeon does as many and the PA says that he usually is able to pull more out than the surgeons. Because if I count all the ccs that were in there, I thought I should have only had 7 inserted...well somehow or another I ended up with 10cc, unless my body is mysteriously producing fill all on its own..:) Right now feeling okay. Staying on a soft food diet for a few days to get it a rest after getting the fill. Neither one lectured me on the 8 lb weight gain. I've read some users on here that just by removing the fill and letting everything rest and get back to it's proper location that it can fix the issue and PA even said they're had some patients that that has done the job. So we'll see. I'm just glad to have at least part of my buddy back :) I know it's probably all mental but just knowing that there's fill in there, my food grazing/craving cycle is non-existent right now. So onward I go...whoo-hoo :) trisha pennreporter:thumbup::confused::thumbup::thumbup:

Michelle, good luck to you!! I've already been through it once...lol. Already approved for the revision and hoping this week flies by so I can get this next part of the journey started again. You will do good and if you're like most folks the only regret you'll have is why you didn't do it sooner!! Trisha (pennreporter)

Michelle, you're about where I was when I started my whole procedure. I was 137 and then had to lose 10 lbs to even get approved...so I think I was like 127 on day of surgery. I sooo miss having the restriction. Can't wait to do it all over again. I never thought I'd say I'm so sick of eating...lol. What you'll be amazed at, once you start getting fills, and even before then, is the loss of appetite. I just never got hungry before. Also, the slip, it's hard to say what causes it...it could be a combination of everything, including a surgeon who had only done less than 10 bands before me and I was his first Realize band. But whatever it is, I'm hoping this is the one and only slip. Good luck on your journey

michelle, it is one of the risks for banding, but my daughter is 2 years out and no problems with hers at all. So I'm not disheartened, just a little bump in the road. I didn't make my goal of being at goal at one year but I'll take gold at a year and a half. Works for me!! good luck and you'll soon be on the loser's bench!!

I've so been doing my exercises backwards...been doing cardio and then weights...which the reverse does make sense. Thanks Trisha

Katy, sorry this post is a while after your surgery but just so know, in case you didn't do much research on Dr. Spivak, he's one of the top top guys in the U.S. My daughter opted for him and she lives in NYC. Fabulous doctor. You are in good hands!! Trisha

Your preop diet really depends on your surgeon for what kind of diet and how long. I think it also depends on the experience of your surgeon. My daughter who went to Dr. Spivak in Houston (one of the top surgeons in the country) doesn't do any preop diet, just the day before. And after it was just liquids for first few days and then right to soft foods (jello, pudding, yogurt) and progressed quickly to food as tolerated. His belief is why would he put you on a diet that isn't realistic since we've all done so well at dieting to begin with and afterwards he wants his patient to start living with the band as soon as possible. I had to do two weeks of liquids before and after...but I did have an occasional salad and thicker Soups during the preop and I didn't beat myself up over it. For how long you need to take off afterwards, I had mine on Monday (had to stay overnight because of sleep apnea/cpap machine) and went to work the following Monday. I could have went back sooner but I had written myself off the books for that much. My daughter had hers done in Houston on Tuesday, flew back to NYC on Friday and worked on Saturday and she's a hair colorist and was on her feet all day. So it depends on what type of job and also knowing yourself and how you deal with recovery. They will give you some good drugs but seriously I only used those for the first day and a half. I would highly recommend get an elastic binder which is just a wide stretchy elastic that you can wrap around your mid section. If you're a side sleeper it helps keep your belly from flopping over. For most people what it feels like post op is that you've done a gazillion situps and you should have only done 2..lol. It's not really pain-pain but soreness. If you're lucky enough not to have gas pain the first day postop then that's a big hurdle. My surgeon sucks back out the expansion gas. So I had none of that. I would also ask for a script for anti-nausea. Because I stayed overnight I was able to get some right away, which helped a lot. But barring any complications, you will be surprised at how easy it is and boy what a difference it will make in your life. You will lose pretty good the first few weeks after surgery because you won't feel like eating anyway...but then once swelling goes down eventually you will be able to eat anything because you have no fill. So you just have to watch your eating. I'm going back in for a revision. My band has slipped, so I know to ask for my antinausea script this time, since I won't be staying overnight. I still have my binder from last time. So good luck all!! You're on your way. The pre-op diet seems like it will go on forever but truly when you get to the last 3 or four days you'll be running on adrenalin...before you know you'll be getting the Michael Jackson happy juice..:thumbup: Trisha

Did your surgeon give you a script for reflux? Sometimes even something as simple as allergies and drainage can affect the band because it's thicker than saliva. If you're weak, just keep your fluids up. There's a liquid clear Protein called Isopure that you might try as the weakness maybe not enough protein in your system. The Isopure is 40 grams of protein and fruity flavored. I have a slipped band but I still will not give you any negative feedback...the vomiting isn't the best thing for the band but sometimes unavoidable. I will definitely be more intuned to my band with my revision. I just thought vomiting was part of the game but if it happens a lot that's not normal. But yours sounds like nothing to worry about. Just keep liquids and protein up. Good luck!! Trisha

Isopure is another option. It's a clear type of liquid, 40 grams of Protein, low on calories, no carbs....it's not the cheapest thing but GNC the first week of the month always have a sale. It's a large bottle and will take you a while to get it down and you'll have to try out the different flavors to find one you like but I couldn't do the soy based creamy type of Protein drinks. they gave me gas. So I did the Isopure and the EAS Edge that you can buy at Wal-mart, which one of each gave me 57 grams of protein and throw in a greek yogurt when you can do yogurt and you got it. Good luck all. I'm headed back for a revision so I will be right there with you guys again.... :thumbup: trisha

thanks all!! Can't wait to get this on the move again. I so miss my buddy. although not having the band filled and being ms. piggy has forced me into the gym...so there is a positive outcome to all this. Now my incisions from the first procedure, except for the port incision, had finally faded. So guess I get a new set of incisions...but at almost 60 years old, it's not like I'm wearing a bikini anyway...lol. I will find out more on Tuesday at pre op consult as to how long before they can start the fill process...if I had my way, they'd leave some in at surgery..but that's not going to happen...although some surgeons do leave fill in at surgery time, but my guy is sooo conservative. So I will be a the gym a lot over the next month..lol...but with free tanning booths, I'll be oh, so tan..:thumbup: trisha

Revision surgery is July 9. Can't wait to get this over with. I miss having the restriction and my buddy (the band) reminding me to stop eating. Trisha

Well, my revision surgery is just one more week away. Yeah!!! I've been Ms. Little Piggy the past three weeks...lots of social stuff going on. Finally had to break down and join the gym today and get over the food pig-out. Can't believe I'd ever say that I'm sick of eating but I am. Can't wait to get my band functional again. I'm assuming it will be at least four weeks before they will start filling again. But I really felt so much better with the smaller food amounts. So I've had my summer fun :thumbup: Trisha

Lucy, I would either have them fax the approval to you or if you can see it online, print it out and then ask to speak to an office manager at your doctor's office and find out what the issue is. I believe in being very proactive in following up on stuff like that otherwise sometimes things can sit around for a while. There's absolutely no reason it should take that long. Then try the I'll take my business elsewhere routine and see how that goes over..but just out of curiosity how comfortable do you feel with your surgeon and how quickly do they do their fills? I would also ask what their procedure is for fills. Because if this is even a problem for scheduling the surgery I would want to know how long it takes to get appts for fills. I have Geisinger Ins here in PA and I knew the day after submittal it was approved and then was told to wait a week to hear from surgeon. I gave em two days. So stay on em and talk to the office manager or billing manager, whoever will answer questions. Good luck trisha p.s. unfortunately my band has slipped so I have to sort of go through the whole procedure again. Except the revision surgery is included as part of the original surgery...it should, they charged enough :thumbup:

Unfortunately, schmoozjack, the deal with the band is that you still have to diet. I hate to be Debbie Downer but if you've not no weight at all, it sounds like food choices have not been great. Where I had my band done they will not do the band for everyone, because not everyone is a successful dieter. I have a program on my iphone called lose-it. I still journal and log food. I had lost 75 lbs until my band slipped and had to have all fill removed. I'm now on my devices and I have to say it's not easy because I have no restriction and can eat anything and everything. I forget how easy it is to get back to my old routine. I can't wait until my revision surgery so I can get back on plan again. But seriously (even with my transgressions right now for the past two weeks), keep a journal, count calories and if you are keeping calories at a losing level and you're not losing, you might want to meet with your nutrionist. Trisht

Well, my revision surgery is July 9...I think I posted wrong date. When they did the fluoro before removing fill and then after...band was all the way down towards the bottom of my stomach. After fill was removed, they did the fluoro again, and the band had popped almost back up to where it is supposed to be. They consider just giving it all a break and then readding fill, but they're opted to go back in and restitch it. They seem to think that's why it's slipped because the stitches came out. My daughter's doctor (one of top in the country) said the biggest issue with banding is the port placement and the stitch placement. Suzanne I can tell you that I was throwing up a LOT the past two months, eating unhealthy because so little would go down...of course, ice cream always went down. But the last week NOTHING would go down, not even ice chips and I was throwing up blood. So I'm looking forward to the revision and hopefully having the band work properly. But I know it takes a couple of months to get my fill back up to where it needs to be...so that part is a little discouraging. Guess I'm gonna have to do what I hate to do ...EXERCISE...lol But I would really address the issues with your doctor...it doesn't sound everything is working just right. Trisha

I didn't have the reflux until the last week when everything was getting blocked. But surgeon did tell me that to really try to be cognizant of abnormal changes in kinds of foods that I can't eat. The last few months, it would change on a daily basis...like one day I could eat cream of wheat and the next day I couldn't. He said there will always be certain foods for certain folks that don't agree with them, but it shouldn't change expecially for slider foods drastically. Once the fill was removed, my band popped back up into its proper position. So they're hoping it's just the stitches that have come loose and that the band is all okay. good luck!! Trisha

Hoping, I just found out my band has slipped...nauseated is not necessarily the sign of a slipped band. I think mine actually slipped a few months ago because I had .5 cc taken out and it was fine for a few weeks and then gradually kept getting tighter and tighter to where Soup wouldn't even go down. The last five days (last week) ice chips wouldn't go down, saliva wouldn't and the throwing up was retching up blood because clearly no food/liquid was being taken in. They did an x-ray at ER, then a fluoro before fill was taken out and one after fluoro was taken out. They could proceed with just trying to fill it again, because after fill was taken out the band popped back up to where it was supposed to be. So they think the stitches holding it have come loose. But my surgeons are relatively inexperienced with banding so they really don't know. So I go back in for a revision and they will check it out and make sure that everything else is okay while they're in there. But if you're not throwing up and not being blocked, I would say probably not slipped but a fluoroscopy and/or an x-ray would be the definitive way to tell. good luck trisha

Congratulations Sweetbean!!! The facility/hospital where I had mine done will not do bands on folks who need to lose over 100 lbs. It's people like you that should make them eat their words. But, then, again, they're not big proponents yet of the band for anyone. Again, way to go...just imagine what it will be like this time next year!!! Trisha pennreporter

I had my band unfilled yesterday as they found out it had slipped. The throwing up will take it's toll on your band. I really think I had been slipped for quite some time. I would have some fill taken out and it would be fine for a while and then just gradually keep getting tighter over the next few weeks, have more removed and the same thing. They did a fluoro and the band was almost towards the bottom of the stomach and the pouch was very large. Then removed all the fill and did another fluoro and everything was back to where it's supposed to be, maybe just at not the right angle. So they want to go back in and reposition it and restitch it. So quick outpatient surgery. But when it finally reached its worst point the throwing up was out of control, ice chips wouldn't even go down, to the point of throwing up nothing but blood the last eight hours. This started last Sunday and Thursday morning finally went to ER. In my mind I kept thinking it would pass. So my recommendation is to avoid as much as possible the throwing up. Clearly if you're having it fairly frequent then the band is too tight. So I will have a month to up my exercise and at least try to eat healthy. When the band is too tight, you really have very few food choices and not always the healthiest. Ice cream always went down well...lol Not disheartened at all. I just know I'm going to be more aware of my body and the restriction tightness. Trisha

What a year it has been!! Mine was June 1. Unfortunately, I have to go back in for a revision. Seems as my band has slipped but I'm not disheartened. I'm unfilled now. So I will have a month probably before the revision and I'm anxious to see how I will do. Although the past week I've been so sick and so much throwing up that it will take probably four or five days for my system just to feel normal. I think the band had been slipping for about four or five weeks. I had a half cc removed because it was still too tight. It was fine at first and then just kept gradually getting tighter but as long as I stayed with "safe" slider foods I was okay. Then last Sunday all hell broke loose and vomited even ice chips. But still in my mind I kept thinking okay give it a few days it will calm down until early Thursday morning I was throwing up tons of blood, which I don't know much about medical but I knew that was not good and went to emergency room. So all is good now. Once the fill was removed, it was very strange that the band popped right back up to where it is supposed to be...had fluoro before and after. So they just need to go in and put in another stitch to hold it in place. Not placing blame on anyone or thing...just know I need to be more in tune with my body and if I'm throwing up even on small stuff, I need to lower the fill. But on the bright side, I'm 10 lbs from goal. I've met other goals...wanted to be in a size 10, any size 10, not just the stretchy ones, lower meds, and get caps on all my teeth...so life is good. I'm still not at a "healthy" bmi which will be another ten pounds. So this next month while waiting for revision, will be a challenge to up my exercise and really eat healthy. I don't think I've really eaten that healthy in a while because when the band is too tight, you're very limited on choices. The big lesson I've learned though is that, as we all know now, it takes really not very much food to sustain ourselves. My daughter who is also banded is reading a new book called Women Food and God (not a religious book) which she's all excited about, which delves into knowing our bodies and why we eat food when we're not hungry. Because at some point we all have to go into maintenance and the bands have to be loosened up. So I will let you guys know if I recommend the book after this weekend. She really feels like it's helping her because at some point it has to be not about the band anymore. the band helps get it off but then it really comes down to us and our choices to maintain that weight loss without really dieting the rest of our lives. Okay, I've rambled on enough....Happy Bandiversary to all!!! trisha pennreporter

Hey, Poconomum, we're almost neighbors. I'm in Tobyhanna. But on the subject of ccs, I've been on the cc rollercoaster for about 3 months now. I had mine done at a facility that does very very few bands and are truly not believers yet. So I attribute some of my rollercoasting to their inexperience. I went in and was taken up to 7cc (or so I thought)....struggled with it for about six weeks and then he takes me down to 6cc (again so we thought), too loose, back up to 7.5...still not enough restriction, back up to 8cc, then again the problems of being too restricted...so back to 7.75, another couple of weeks of horrible restriction. This time have the PA do it instead..he pulls out 8.5 ccs aggghhh. So he takes out .5. So who knows how much I really have in there. The PA doesn't go by what number is supposedly in there. He goes by how much he pulls out and then puts back in .5 less because evidently for them, it's hard to be exact. Again, I attribute a lot of this to their inexperience and the HORSE NEEDLE they have to use. :ohmy: Now, I know I'm probably still very swollen and irritated from the last four days of hell (ice chips wouldn't even stay down), but if this restriction lasts I'll be a happy camper. Half a sausage patty and half an egg and I was done and didn't have to run to the bathroom and throw up. Could even drink my coffee afterwards...whoo-hoo. Sorry Poconomum you haven't lost. Where did you have yours done? I had mine at Geisinger Danville and really have counted calories more than ever. I have an app on my iphone (free) called Lose It that I use almost daily..not so much the past few weeks because nothing was staying down except ice cream.. I'm at 80 lbs from the beginning of the program, not from surgery, probably 57 from surgery in June 2009. My goal was to reach goal by my birthday this year. So pretty close. God forbid should I exercise...lol Do you have any support groups you go to? I don't go to any but I have a band-buddy that we had ours done within days at Geisinger and we keep in touch weekly. Of course, she exercises like a fiend and has done remarkably well considering all of her health conditions. I've considered going to the group in Stroudsburg. Good luck to all Trisha