alliecat

Hi, I am sad to say that I went in for my 1st fill about one month ago and my doctor wasn't able to get the needle in. I can't even begin to tell you how dissappointed and upset I was. He asked me to come in 2 weeks to try again, it was probably too much scar tissue. Two weeks later, still no fill, just a very painful experience trying to get the needle in. He thought that maybe the port had healed sidways in my abdomen and the tube was getting kinked. I had to go back in for surgery again. My doc opened me up to check my port and told me afterward that it was still lying flat, but covered with a layer of scar tissue. He removed the tissue, gave me a fill and sewed me up. He said it would be fine and to come in for another fill in two weeks 2 weeks later I went in for another fill feeling somewhat confident that at least this time i would finally get a "normal" fill. Again I was being poked and prodded with a needle but the doctor wasn't able to get in. He then told me that this was happening to 2 other girls in his office and he had no idea why. The scar tissue keeps growing back over the port so thick that the needle cannot access it. I am heartbroken. Every time i go to the office, i see a stream of happy patients coming in and leaving after their fill is done. How I want to be one of those patients!!! My fills experience isn't anywhere near that! I get worried that my body is rejecting the band. I was told to massage my port area and come back in one month to try again. My doc hopes that my body will absorb some of the scar tissue. If we still can't access it, then we will possibly have to replace the port with a different one and move the position of it on my abdomen. Still, this doesn't guarantee that the scar tissue won't grow back again. I really would like to avoid this. Has this happened to anyone else out there?? Any advice on how to get rid of this darn scar tissue? Anyone know more about massaging techniques with reducing scar tissue? Or anything I can take orally (homeopathic or nutritional to help with scar tissue?) I tend to be an optimist and never imagined having any trouble with my LAP-BAND®®. I can't tell you how defeating this whole experience has been for me. I try to work through my feelings and remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for, but there are times that i feel so despondent about it and the tears start flowing.:bored: Any advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thanks, Allie

Eileen, So sorry to hear that you have been having difficulty with fills as well. Hope that your appointment on Monday goes much easier for you. I know that it is an awful feeling to have them digging around for the port. Haven't gotten any response on this thread, but did a bit of research myself about massage and scar tissue. Yes, you can break up scar tissue through massage. I have been working on my port area any chance i think of it. (translation = alot of the time :seeya: I read to massage the area to the point between discomfort and unbearable pain. not too much, not too little. i have found that this massage does make me tender in the port area, but not too bad and it has been getting easier. i use back and forth (cross hatch) technique with both my fingers and sometimes my knuckles. my hope is to absorb some of this scar tissue so that my port will be accessible. i'll find out in three weeks if it has been effective. i'm keeping my fingers crossed!!! my doc also told me that my port moved around alot. don't know about you but i was thinking that perhaps my port is moving due to the intense amount of pressure exerted on it while he's looking for a fill. (geez!) when he opened me up to look at my port, he said everything looked great except for the scar tissue. perhaps that would be alot more reassuring if the band was working properly! as it stands, scar tissue is enough of an issue for me... hope any of this info helped. please keep me informed with how things go for you. even though we are across a vast ocean, perhaps we can be of some comfort to eachother by learning about and sharing our experiences. on a side note, my grandfather was born in ireland and we still have family there. i've always wanted to visit your beautiful country and hope to make it there soon! warmest regards, Allie

I am so glad i found this thread. Phoebe, I, too, have been struggling so much, and beating myself up over it as well. I was banded on July 15th and the first two weeks, healing part aside, it was easy because i wasn't hungry AT ALL!! These final two weeks before my fill, my hunger has come back with a vengeance. I have really struggled not to overeat. I was so excited to get my band, I truly thought i wouldn't have problems following the guidelines (yes, i may have been in a bit of denial about my relationship with food ). What I've discovered is that addiction to food is one tough battle to fight. I have been overeating, albeit nothing like before surgery, but overeating nonetheless. I've beenfeeling ashamed and awful about it. I was a picture perfect patient the first two weeks and now I feel like all my hard work has gone out the door. My weight loss has stopped and I feel defeated. I have also been so worried I may have stretched out my pouch and now, even with my upcoming fill in five days, my band may not work. Am I being irrational??? I hope so. My doctors office hasn't been very supportive and I don't really have a strict diet to follow, which i think has been my downfall. Not that I want anyone else struggling like this, but it is comforting to know i'm not alone. For the last two weeks, I've kindof shut down and not reached out for help. I realize now that having support is a key factor in success and I need to reach out more. Thanks for listening

Hmm, happy shakes? Sounds like fun!! Cambodia is already on my travel list and now I have one more good reason to go there :wink2: I like vanilla unjury alot, haven't tried other flavors yet. I noticed that somebody mentioned that it is hard to mix. I encountered that as well when hand mixing, yuck!! When I busted out my mixing wand (hand blender stick thingys) it whipped it up to a creamy frothy shake in 10 seconds. I even like it with just Water. I mix it in a quart mason jar so that it doesn't spill everywhere. Mmm good...

Thanks! I am glad to hear that your surgery went well. I am positive that mine will go smoothly too! It's the beginning to a whole new life!!!!

Sean, Thanks for the info. Glad to hear that your surgery went well and you're doing good! Just curious, how long did the procedure take from arrival to end?

My date is July 15th!!!!!

Hi everyone, I, too, am getting banded by Dr. Salimitari in, deep breath, TWO DAYS!!! Yes, I am a bit excited but nervous also. Can anyone who has used Top Surgeons and Dr. Sal tell me if they gave you prescriptions to be filled after surgery? I am self pay and was wondering if they would just give me the meds I need or if I actually have to go to a pharmacy. Also, did they give you anit-nausea meds? Pain meds make me sick:wink2: and I want to cover my bases. I can't wait to be a fellow bandster!

Hello all, I have my surgery on July 15th and I am a mixture of nerves and excitment (most of the time the excitment wins!) I know that my doctor will be able to answer some of this, but I am trying to plan ahead and have everything at my house. I am just wondering what people enjoyed most, what saved you during that liquid post-op time?!! Also, how soon do you start the Protein drinks, immediately or a few days out? I have a history of getting nausea from pain medication and am nervous that might happen after my surgery. Was that an issue for anyone else? Any other tips regarding surgery recovery are much appreciated. I am so excited to start my new life! Thanks.