fredgood

after 15 months , loss of 30 lbs, gain back of 20 lbs, esophageal spasms, vommitting half of the solid meals I eat , having all fill liquid removed from the band 3 months ago to no relief - I have decided to have the band removed. Needless to say , I am very discouraged. But I don't think that vommitting is good for my stomach and esophagus. There is no rhyme nor reason to the vommitting- it just does. I'm happy for those of you that are successful. Fred

I'm getting a second opinion from a Lap band group that uses Dr.s to do the aftercare- adjustments and all. I'm hoping he/she may have more incite than the LPN that has been following me. I will probably have another barium swallow.

My LPN did scan and told me my esophagus was in spasm and therefore not pushing the food down efficiently. Thats why food gets stuck and I vomit. apparently this happens in "older" people (I'm 57) . She said that if she had known this , I might not have gotten the band. I've had to have some fill removed and I am presently gaining back the weight I lost. Needless to say, I am a bit frustrated. To make matters worse, there is no doctor at the bariatric center, only LPNs. A general surgeon placed the band, but he knows nothing about the functioning of the band. I,m considering having it taken out to avoid vomiting every other meal.

I had all the fill taken out today. Hopefully I will stop vomiting when I eat. I just ate chicken without vomiting. If I still vomit, the band comes out. If not, I might get a lesser fill. My LPN claims that not much is known about esophageal spasm and its relationship to lapband. Unsure if the lapband caused the spasms or the spasm was there all the time. Great idea to see a gastroenterologist. I also found a lapband clinic where the docs do the fills. I may switch.

Thanks for the replies. I have a fluoroscopy scheduled in 12 days. I am very happy about the 45 lbs. It may be that I have to hang out at this weight for a year to acclimate my body to the new weight before I can effectively lose more.

Have been banded since March and last fill was 8 weeks ago. After losing 45 lbs by July, I can not seem to lose any more. Things do not seem to make any sense. For instance, for 8 days I get full with very little food, have stomach gas (burp all the time) and lose weight. Then I go through another few days where I am hungry all the time and can eat forever without getting full - like the band was not even there. Sometimes I think the band is too full and sometimes not filled at all. This seems to be the pattern for months. HELP

1. Pouch - -the upper small part of the stomach created by the lap band. 2. The stoma – the outlet between the pouch and the rest of the stomach. 3. The band physically restricts the amount of food a person can eat at one time. 4. Digestion happens in the pouch, just like it does in the stomach. 5. Solid food should not immediately go through the stoma so the pouch fills up with food. 6. Liquids go through the stoma readily and also help solid food go through the lumen. If you drink before, during or after meals, more of the solid food will go through the stoma into the stomach. 7. Fills (inflating the band) help to keep food in the pouch longer. 8. Fills (inflating) with saline do not make the pouch smaller, only the stoma between the pouch and the stomach becomes smaller. 9. The band can be surgically repositioned to adjust the size of the pouch. 10. Leptin is present in our digestive system to regulate our appetite (and in turn, our weight). Leptin affects the hypothalamus and suppresses appetite. It also helps burn fat that is stored in adipose (fatty) tissue. 11. When the pouch is full of food, just like if the stomach is full, the hormone Leptin is released. This goes to the brain and sates the appetite. 12. If the band is too tight, meals are inadequate and so people eat more often and tend to eat easier to digest food such as carbohydrate. This can result in weight gain. 13. It is very unlikely that you will ever lose all of your excess weight with a lapband.

Elcee, Even though I am a man, I can assure you I still have plenty of hormones.

Thanks for the feedback, I'd like more. Question: Solid foods can easily plug the stoma without filling the pouch. I can eat the same foods that were not a problem yesterday and get an immediate blockage today. Next thing I know I'm vomiting. It's like Russian roulette.

I had the lapband placed 7 months ago. I lost 20 lbs pre op, 30 lbs post op, but stopped losing 3 months ago. LATELY I have been gaining wt. I have been exercising for 8 months. I don't know what the lapband is suppose to do. I have the same bad habits I had before the band. I eat the wrong things and eat too often. These are my cravings and the lapband has not changed that. I lost weight because I was motivated to because I had the lapband. It was pure psychology, not any physiological effect of the lapband. I've had fills until I can hardly eat solid food. Nothing helps. I can see that the band can help those that eat too much at a meal, but not a habitual grazer like me.

I have not seen a doctor since being banded in March. The doctors in this hospital group only so the surgery and know nothing about the working of the band, diet, and could probably not even do a fill. That is not the way this group works. The nurses do everything - fills and counselling and even fluoroscopy fills. Honestly, I did know prior to surgery that the band may not help a grazer. But I decided to have it anyway. I thought it would help some. However, i can't say it is of any value to me. I could not keep weight off before and I can't do it now. It still takes a willpower that I, just like most overweight people, so not have. The band may contribute to more grazing because I can not eat as much at meals, so I get hungrier later. So maybe I am need some fill removed. However, I did no better when I was less filled.

I also had surgery yesterday. It seems so easy. I have a little soreness tonight because I worked quite hard around the house. My chainsaw wouldn't start - I kept pull the cord. I walked a mile throught the woods with my wife and dogs and did some heavy lifting. But I feet like I didn't have anything done. I haven't been hungry since I began the preop diet two weeks ago- lost 10 lbs then. I'm hoping that I don't get pain.

16 hours out of surgery. I don't feel anything. Going to exercize today. Will be back to work on Monday. I expect I may have some problems later on like most do, but so far so good.

If you reach your goal weight and feel you no longer need the help of the band, does deflation return you to normal? Does the pouch caused by the lapband disapear so the whole stomach opens to food? Or does even an open lapband restrict your diet?

I am having lapband surg in 4 days so I need an answer quick. The clinic that is doing this has no doctors on staff but is affiliated with 2 docs that do the surg. They work together. When I had my meeting with the doc, he did not seem to know much about diet,etc. He just does the surgery. The lapband clinic nurse does the fill, etc and the docs do not seem to be very involved after success of the surg. Is this parr for lapband? This is a well thought of clinic. PLEASE Answer ASAP.:confused:

I agree that most people would need to have the lapband engaged. I'm just wondering what the effect of deflating it would be, i.e. is it like not having the band at all?