jahair

I had my LAP-BAND® placed in August 2006 and after 9 months had only managed to lose 25-30 lb. The other issue besides being a slow loser was severe restriction with only the most minimal amount of fill. The first fill was 1 cc and I had to come back and have half removed. Over the next few months I moved back up to 1 cc. with an ambulance ride to the ER for being stuck. They basically stared at me and kept insisting that I must have food poisoning since my vitals were going haywire and I couldn't stop vomiting; and boy were they amazed when the food moved down into the stomach, the pain stopped and my vitals stabilized like magic. Nevertheless I persevered and when I went for the next fill I wanted 1.5 cc but they urged me to go to 2 cc. The result, severe tightness and even with tiny amounts and extreme chewing, I found most Protein unless "blenderized" resulting in stuck episodes, the last one resulting in another emergency room visit. This time I went to the "home" hospital of Dr. Spivak, thinking they would be more knowledgeable about LAP-BAND® issues and more supportive/useful. Alas, they were just as uniformed and stared at me until the food passed into the stomach on its own and the pain magically stopped. At the doctor's office the next day they removed all the fill and told me to come back when I had lost another 10 lb on my own . I haven't gone back. I still have trouble with meat protein and get stuck about once every 1-2 weeks but throwing up seems to take care of the issue. Needless to say the weight has returned and brought its friends. I could blame the recession and job loss as well as stress from an intense family issue and an unwanted but economically essential home move as factors for increased appetite but I know I could have made better choices. Question: Has anyone had this problem and what did you do? I'm pretty certain the port has flipped and there is no money for band removal surgery. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Pelo, things are getting better and better. Jo Ann

Dr.C thanks for posting the picture, but I realized I've never seen a picture of the band properly placed and so I'm guessing where the slipped area is. Could you possibly post a "normal" and a "slipped" side by side? Thanks, Jo Ann

Hi everyone, I've been absent for a while. I've been overwhelmed with my travel schedule, school out for the summer, etc. But I thought I'd share a story that happened about two weeks ago with you. Since my last fill, I had good restriction for a while and the scale numbers were beginning to get moving. Then I noticed that more meals were resulting in PBs, especially when chicken was involved. I had read somewhere on LBT about bending forward at the waist whenever something was stuck instead of trying to vomit it up. It often dislodged the stuck piece of food. Either a complete bend over in the rest room, or my new trick was to pretend there was something on the floor and I could bend over my knee. So far so good. Then lunch with my daughter - salad with grilled chicken just like shoe leather. The evil genie told me to eat it, so I tried. After just a few bites, I was leaning over my shoes with no luck, visiting the bathroom for a full bend -- a little bit of relief, but not much. This one is good and stuck. Finally, as the afternoon wore on, the pain and vomiting were out of control and I asked my husband to call the ambulance. When I got to the ER and told my story, they all nodded wisely and said, "food poisoning" because it began at a restaurant at lunchtime - and I kept saying "blockage." Dr. Spivak returned my page and told me my options for getting an unfill; wait until morning and come to the office or get myself admitted to Park Plaza and get an immediate unfill. Meanwhile, the ER staff is standing around watching me thrash in pain. The pain really peaked in intensity for a moment, and then I felt the blockage pass. When I tell them it passed, they all nodded wisely and said, "Ah, blockage." After all the vitals stabilized, I was released. The next morning I got a total unfill and returned after the weekend for a part fill. I'm told to wait 2 weeks and return. The unfill felt great, but also released my appetite (not so great!) Next week I'll finish the refill and we'll go from there. And the beat goes on......

I haven't made it there yet myself, but I picked up a flyer last time I was in the office and there's lot's going on. It looks stellar to me. If you want better info, look for the thread with Dr. Spivak's patients. Jo Ann

I use the unflavored in my banana yogurt smoothies. No problem! Jo Ann

Any Tylenol product is fine for you. The docs just ask us to avoid aspirin and Ibuprofen (Advil) because they can cause irritation of the pouch. And I've found that swallowing capsules is no big deal; just turn them lengthwise and let 'er slide down with a gulp of Water. Good luck, Jo Ann

Hey Funny Bone, Missed your post and the opportunity to wish you well before your surgery. Hopefully things went well and it was just a breeze. There are several of us here in Sugar Land, I think. Maybe when you are more mobile, we can meet for soup! :confused: Jo Ann

Best of luck, Jo Ann

Anon, I don't have an answer to your question about whether your restriction will increase, but I suspect not. We see all the time on the board that restrictions can kick in some time after fills. Your Doc's has the best answer about that. I would question your statement that you only had a small first fill of 2.75 cc. That seems very aggressive to me. Anyway, you might give the band a rest today with a liquid/very mushie diet and see how tomorrow or the next day goes. Unfills are very quick if needed. It's surprising how just a tiny amount of unfill can make all the difference. Good luck, Jo Ann