kalamazoo

I just read this in the forum rules : We do not remove member forum accounts on request. You are welcome to stop visiting the VerticalSleeveTalk community if you no longer wish to contribute or participate in discussions. If you have privacy concerns, we provide our members with the ability to change or update their display names. Members also have the ability to update or modify any information made available in their public profile. With rare exception, once messages are submitted to the forum and replied to, we do not remove them. Removing messages completely would be a disservice to our community as a whole; especially to those who offered a response to you.

I am trying to do the same but dont see an option for it either!

I'm sure you will love your band and everything will be fine! There are many wonderful stories of success and no difficulties. Sometimes our problems are related to the physicians lack of knowledge or support or some unforeseen issue. Just listen to your body and follow all the instructions given. Good luck and enjoy your band!

I first had a hiatal hernia repair 5yrs ago due to the fact insurance wouldn't pay for it if I did it in conjunction with a lap band. So, I had the hernia repair then the lap band. After the lap band, my lung collapsed after discharged home. Spent nine days in ICU. No problems for another yr and lost 80 lbs 20 lbs from goal. Began having severe reflux. nothing helped. Dr claims my band didn't slip per xray. Went back to OR for either a lap band revision or nissen/fundoplication. He was to decide based on his expertise. I woke up to find I lost the band but had fundoplication. I was devastated. He said the band severely slipped so he took it off instead of putting it back in place. I did not want to lose the band. The moron left the port in place for unk reasons. Said he couldn't get the band back on and couldnt completely wrap the stomach around like he wanted for the nissen. I have not had any more reflux and have gained all my wgt back! I am so upset with myself. I want the band back. I am trying to find a dr who will do it. If Ihave to undo the nissen I would. I am afraid of Barrets esophagus if I reflux again. I dont want bypass. If anyone knows of surgeon in Texas who will do the lapband with nissen already done please let me know. I am desperate! I loved the band until it slipped. I dont think I needed the nissen to start with just a revision of the slipped band!

Just make absolutely sure you know what the plan is. A hiatal hernia is where a portion of your stomach is protruding upwards above your diaphragm. A hernia repair involves suturing the area near the esophagus to prevent the stomach from going upwards. If your band is slipped that means the band is moved up towards the esophagus instead of being on the stomach. Either way you may need surgery,however, it sounds like maybe they can repair the hernia and put the band back in the position it needs to be in. I hear there is a new band that is wider that is less likely to slip. Have him show you the xrays and explain exactly what he intends to do. Good luck to you!

OMG! I am totally frustrated, mad, confused,etc....I had my band removed at the advice of my surgeon as I had severe reflux. I trusted him to do the best thing for my health. He removed the band, performed a fundal plication which wraps the top of the stomach around the esophagus to tighten the muscle preventing reflux (if reflux left unresolved can lead to esophageal cancer). He was going to try to put on a new band during same procedure. When I woke from surgery I felt my port in place and was excited he was able to put band back on. However, I was soon disappointed as he said he left the port in but couldnt get a band back on. I asked why he left the port and he said he would talk to me about it later and could remove it in the office at some point. I trusted him completely. Now 2 yrs later I am still paying him the $2000 he charged for band removal and I saw an xray of my abd for unrelated issue and I can see my port and the tubing! The tubing is loose inside my abdomen! I am afraid it could end up looping around an intestine or something!! I cant believe he left all that in there. And still charged me the removal fee!!! I dont know what to do! I want a new band more than anything (gained 50lbs!!!) or want all this out of my body so it wont cause future problems. Any ideas how I should proceed with this issue?

Sorry I'm just now reading your post. I would make absolutely sure that the reflux is due to a hiatal hernia and that your band is in the right position. I had my band removed for severe reflux. I did not insist on an xray prior to the removal. I had the band removed letting my surgeon be the one to make the decision based on his findings once he got into the surgery. He later told me the band had slipped badly and "needed to come off" and did a fundal plication procedure for the reflux and subsequently told me he couldn't get the band back on. I regret this so much to this day. I should have gotten a second opinion before having the surgery. Just make absolutely sure you know what you're dealing with.

I used Dr. Thomas for my lap band surgery and was very pleased with him. He took all the time I needed to learn about the procedure and what was involved. He is very easy to talk to and listens to what you have to say. His office personnel are very nice and helpful as well. He does excellent followup care as well. I had a collapsed lung after my lap band surgery and was in ICU for 9 days in another city. He called me daily to check on my progress and offered to have me admitted to a hospital near him so he could care for me if I chose to do so. I would definately recommend him! :w00t:

After having my band removed a year ago Ive gained 1/2 my weight back!! I am devastated and so depressed. I am exercising for an hour every day but I can't get my eating under control. I just want to advise everyone out there considering having their band removed to ALWAYS get a 2nd opinion! Don't let your doctor talk you into something you dont really need or want. Every situation is different and yes reflux is dangerous to the esophagus. Make absolutely sure your reflux is due to a tight band or hiatal hernia not just from a slipped band. I hate to say it but I think the docs take the high road on this as they arent usually overweight themselves and it is easy for them to encourage you to take off the band-it's an easier way out. INSIST on an upper GI or fluoro to determine if band is out of place. Yes there will be reflux visible on xray but make sure it's due to regular reflux and not from a slipped band. There should be no reason why a doc can't repair a hiatal hernia and put a band on-this is a common practice. A lot of people have hiatal hernias due to obesity and have subsequent lap bands placed without any difficulty. All I'm saying is GET A SECOND OPINION!

:smile2:

I had my band removed 8mos ago due to a slippage; I lost 70lbs and was 30lbs from goal; I have gained 10lbs since the band was removed; I am having a hard time getting motivated to exercise-which has always been my problem; I am eating healthier than ever but am eating too much- a lot of the same old problems-eating for wrong reasons. I am so depressed; I feel like such a failure for not keeping the band on-I trusted my dr that it needed to come off because of my severe reflux; I think if he had just repositioned it I wouldn't have had the reflux. I put my family in a financial bind because of the money I borrowed for the lap band. Now I dont even have it anymore!! Now I'm gaining wgt; I look in the mirror and see the old fat person I used to be. I hate feeling this way;

WEll, my surgery was done 8/13; the band had severely slipped and stomach prolapsed badly; the surgeon did partial fundal plication for the reflux and said he couldn't safely reposition the band so it was removed; the good news is the reflux is gone at least for now; i'm hungry but not as much as I thought i would be; my mind is telling me I can eat anything I want but i'm trying to eat exactly as i did when banded; i'm so scared; my husband will never support my having another wls; i am considering the gastric sleeve if i start gaining but cant do this w/o my husband's support and frankly the money; pray i will be able to keep the wgt off; I haven't gotten much positive support from anyone on any of these "support" websites for people with wls; seems once your band is off you're really "disbanded"!!! I'm terribly depressed right now thinking of my band being off.

I had band 5/05;lost 95lbs;severe reflux before banding;had hiatal hernia repair;relux returned after losing most of my excess wgt;unfilled with no help;very miserable with reflux;endoscopy done;all okay;reflux still bad;had band removed 8/13/07;large slip;did fundal plication procedure for reflux-couldn't get band back on! Very disappointed;woke up hungry!! Scared of wgt regain!!!!

my band slipped and had it removed 8/13/07; scared to death of wgt regain; immediately was hungry; had a procedure done for the reflux-couldn't get band back on; very disappointed I lost the band;

was the infection cleared with antibiotics? I had endoscopy but they didn't see anything wrong; could some kind of culture reveal the same? Im so glad you're doing great and didnt lose the band!

Well, I'm scheduled for my surgery on 8/13; pray for me! I am hoping that the problem with my severe reflux will be resolved and that the cause is a band slippage as he will be able to just reposition the band and leave it in place; the worst scenario would be total removal of the band,however, that would also mean,hopefully, a complete relief of my reflux symptoms and a wrap of the stomach around the esophagus for a "makeshift" lower esophageal sphincter which the one I have now may not be working properly. I really dont want to lose my band as I am so afraid of regaining the wgt more than anything; I am just now mentally being able to see myself as a smaller person; I look at my thighs that still have some "fluff" and see that as being overweight; I do need to lose about 10 more pounds to be at goal; I know I absolutely must exercise to maintain my wgt loss no matter what surgery will bring; thank you for everyone's encouragement and sharing your thoughts; I cant talk to anyone else as candidly about my feelings-skinny people dont understand;they tell me "just go on weight watchers",etc but as we all know if we could just go on this or that diet we wouldn't have needed a lap band to start with!That's like telling an alcoholic, just have a little glass of wine and you'll be fine or a drug addict, just smoke a little MJ and you'll be fine!!! If I start regaining the wgt I definately will consider another surgery even if it means without the blessing of my family; Thank you all for listening!

Sorry-I live in Texas; kalamazoo is my cat's name! You can still send me messages!

I dont know that my insurance will pay for my Nissen procedure if they find out it may also involve removing the lap band; when I had hiatal hernia repair, they would not pay for it if they put the band on at the same time,so I had to have 2 separate surgeries, one they paid for and one I paid for. When my lung collapsed they didn't know it was following lap band surgery or couldn't be proven it was caused by the lap band surgery so they paid for the ICU stay,etc ($80,000!!!); believe me, I was so distraught worrying about that bill getting paid for by insurance! I prayed and prayed. God is good!! I pray I will have a slipped band and it will be adjusted and I wont have to have it removed; I am willing to pay for that eventhough it will take me years. I love the band-I just dont love having to pay all of this myself; I want to keep it more than anything; I am so afraid of being hungry and getting out of control again; If the band is in the right place, I have no choice but to have it removed and the Nissen done for reflux as I can't risk my health with the damage it is doing to my esophagus. The band really doesn't have anything to do with what's going on with the valve between the stomach and esophagus-seems mine just doesn't work;

I have done lots of reading and discussing of reflux,etc with my dr and others. I think you should be able to have the hiatal hernia repaired without any difficulty with your band; in fact it probably is more likely to shift the band if you dont repair the hernia; with the hernia, your stomach is pushing up above your diaphram into your chest cavity; so, the band would stay in place and just pull the stomach into the proper position and suture the area that is enlarged in the diaphragm and/or put mesh there to hold it closed. You could then have the band filled and see how your reflux is doing; I would talk to him again and/or get second opinion with someone familiar with reflux and lap band surgery; do you live in Texas?

There are several options out there for you, both concerning your body and your parents. I hate to see you break all ties with your family but know you are hurt and need to get away and start your own life. Counseling will always be good for you to continue,as long as you find a counselor that you can confide in and trust. You can have the lap band removed if you want-should be your decision. It would cost money,however, so probably the best thing is have the saline removed for now. I bet your body looks better than in your eyes it does. But your perception is what counts. Continue your wonderful workout routines that you did before the band-you are young and your muscle mass will return like before. That pumped up muscle will fluff out that loose skin alot! If you signed any of those consent forms for surgery then you were giving your consent so I dont know that you can sue the doctor for doing the surgery against your will. If you didn't sign them, then I definately would sue him. That is totally illegal. I would request copies of your file and copies of the file from the facility where the procedure was perfomed-just to have them if you need them later. If you keep the band in, just know that one day it might be your best friend! If you start gaining weight later in life and have problems losing it, just let that band work for you-get a fill and use it! I wish you all the best and hope you can get past this and move on with your new adventure-your life!!! You deserve it!! Maybe someday you will be able to forgive your family and make peace with all of this.

Long story but here's the rundown: banded 5/05; lost 90lbs;want to lose 10more; prior to band-severe reflux;hiatal hernia repaired; another surgery 2mos later for the band; 3days later lung collapsed; in ICU 9days; all okay for a while; severe reflux while on Nexium reoccurs; unfilled band completely;little relief;endoscopy -all okay; band in place,no erosion; very miserable with the reflux-can't sleep, vomit 3 times/day;mostly eat liquids and mushies; dr says only choice remove band and do fundal plication (wrap top of stomach around esophagus to make stronger valve to prevent reflux)-not sure if he can replace band-paid cash ($16,000) for 1st band and cant afford another (insurance wont pay); says he might be able to put one on and not charge for the band. I am terrified he wont put one back on and I'll gain weight. I have been through so much to get here. I hope I've changed my eating habits but dont know how much that rides on the band as a "governor". I'm so scared!:help: What if this doesn't stop the reflux and I gain wgt back!!

There are a lot of important nerve pathways around the diaphragm/abdominal area that could have been disrupted during surgery; There are tests that can be done to determine if there is nerve damage

prior to banding my reflux was a bit worse than it is now but not significantly; the fundal plication relieved it completely; after getting the band filled sufficiently to have adequate weight loss, the reflux returned; I had a small amt of saline removed with no improvement even after increasing my nexium dosage. So, the surgeon removed all the saline he could get out; however, I still have days when I can't eat much at all; mostly I dont eat because it makes the reflux worse. I dont have a GI dr as this surgeon is a general surgeon who specializes in gastric reflux and does lap band surgeries,too. I am planning to speak with him again and suggest I get an upper GI/barium swallow to see exactly what is going on when I eat-is it the band or something else causing the reflux. I had an endoscopy that indicated I had mild inflammation from the reflux, the band was fine, and the hiatal hernia was still repaired. He thought removing the band might lessen the reflux and it would allow him to wrap the fundal plication tighter as he modified it due to my wanting to have the band placed a few months later. I really dont want to have the band removed but some days when I'm getting depressed :cry about having to live miserably with the reflux I consider it if there's a chance it would work; wish I had more assurances and wish my insurance would cover replacing the band if the reflux remains the same. I'm just really disappointed in what's going on and wanted encouragement from anyone that might have had the same type experiences. thanks everyone.

I am considering having my band removed; I'm suffering greatly from gastric reflux; had a fundal plication (stomach wrap around the esophagus) prior to the lap band because of severe reflux; I've had all the saline removed (supposedly) and still suffer; I take nexium twice daily,eat last at 4pm-not even water,elevate my bed and still have constant reflux-so severe fluids come out my nose while sleeping; I have had band 2yrs and have lost 80lbs-about 20 from goal; any advice or encouragement? my doc says removing the band "might" help.

the pain under your ribcage might be gallbladder pain-especially since it occurs after eating. A scan of your gallbladder will rule this out.