Rubyjade

I am so happy to hear your surgery went well. I need to have a port relocation surgery due to a flipped port and am pretty nervous about it. Thanks for posting - I feel much better about it now and just want it over and done with. Am waiting on my appointment but should be in the next week or two.

Gabi, When you say with the third spoon you feel like you need to drink or it wont pass through - that is EXACTLY how it should feel. The purpose of the band is so that it doesnt pass through. Eat slowly and once you do feel that pressure like it is stuck, stop straight away. The band is doing what it is meant to do. This is the feeling of fullness you get with the band. It's meant to be like this. As long as you take small bites and chew it alot and eat slow, this is how its meant to be. I would suggest you find another doctor to talk to about this or really really sit there and ask your surgeon all of these questions. This is basic stuff they should have told you. I am sorry it has been so hard for you Sounds like you have not had a lot of support. It is really hard to not eat sugary stuff I know!!! At least your quantities are a lot smaller so the band is a great tool in helping to aid portion control. In a perfect world, we would all be able to resist junk food. If only it were that easy!! Hope this helps, Gabi. You need to sit down and have a long chat with your doctor and get all the information you can. Look after yourself and I am happy to have been able to help you. Suzie

Go and get it checked out for sure. I was experiencing the same pulling pain recently and a nagging minor pain when i sat down. Nothing excruciating, but I was aware of a dull pain. I went to get a fill under xray last week and surprise, surprise, my port has flipped totally the wrong way. The reason they needed to do it under xray for starters was because they couldn't find it while doing it blind - now we know why. Also, it was very painful when they were poking around there. I now have to have surgery to correct it. Minor surgery, but a nuisance all the same. They are not sure why it decided to do this almost 3 years out from surgery. Anyway, I am not saying this is what is happening to everyone who has pain in the port area. I am not a doctor so I cannot give medical advice. I can however, give you my experience and recommend you get anything checked out that bothers you for your own peace of mind. Good luck with it all!! :biggrin1:

Hey Gabi!!! First of all, congratulations on your remarkable weight loss!! YOu should be very proud of yourself, you are doing awesome. Secondly, you HAVE to get out of the habit of drinking to try and eat more. You MUST stop doing this, or you will run the risk of a band slippage or Esophagal Dilation/pouch dilation which is what I have. I have been banded almost 3 years and have been drinking with my meals to try and eat more food for at least 2 of those years. My esophagus problems were caused partially by this and partially by a too tight band. Thankfully I don't have any slippage problems but I put that down to pure luck. I have cheated alot with my band, and I am now paying the consequences. Please try to change what you are doing so you don't end up with the same problems I am having. I will never cheat again - this has been a wake up call. Hope this advice helps. If you are worried, you should see your doctor. Good luck with your journey

Ooooooooh can I be added to the club, please?!! I have lost 132!!! Thank you!!! :biggrin1:

I have never heard of it having to be replaced either. Both the surgeon in Australia who installed it, and my surgeon now here in Seattle have both said it is in for life. Basically, because the surgery hasn't been around for 50 years, no one knows the life expectancy of the band. It's too early in this procedure's life to know exactly now durable it is. That is what I have heard numerous times from numerous doctors. I have been banded for 3 years almost and though I am going through some complications right now, my surgeon said my band looks exactly as it should in exactly the place it should be. I hope this will be the case 10 years from now also

Wow, where do I start?? I have been overweight my entire life and have been discriminated against my entire life. The way I am treated definately depends on my weight at the time. I can't even begin to tell you how I was treated when I weighed 360 lbs, my all time high. It is still painful now to think of some of the things I went through. Now I guess I am socially acceptable and shock, horror!:omg: !! even considered somewhat attractive because I hover around a size 16/18 and am not a 'freak' anymore. As much as I enjoy being treated like a 'normal' person now, there is a definate bitterness and resentment for it which I know I will carry for the rest of my life. One of the things which means the most to me in my heart is that my husband married me before I had my surgery. It truly is the last prejudice accepted in today's society.

I went to the doctor today for a fill. I had to go under xray because he had ALOT of trouble previously trying to find my port and it was extremely painful. Sure enough, after taking a good look under xray - it was plain as day that my port has done a 180 flip and is now facing towards my back rather than the front. So I know that it is easily fixed - minor surgery and very quickly. My issue is cost. Because I had my lap band fitted in Australia, and now live in the US, it is not covered under my insurance. I am totally self pay for any issues relating to my lap band and now I am worried about how much this will cost me. Does anyone else have any similar experiences with this surgery? Either financially or otherwise? He said he can do it under conscious sedation in his rooms and the procedure should take about an hour or so and will be very simple. I would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!!!:nervous

awwwwwwwww thank you, Flabuless I am actually relieved now I know that it is easily fixed and I am that little bit closer to recovering. I still have dilation in my esophagus but once my port is flipped back in the right position and they totally empty my band, that will sort itself out also. They also discovered yesterday that my band was far from empty - due to it being partially flipped probably when they tried to empty it originally. Thanks for your kind words, I will keep you posted on my progress Suzie

Yes yes yes!! I have this also. It is caused by the fact that when I had my band fitted, it altered the angle of my stomach slightly. When I get full or drink anything carbonated, my stomach touches a nerve in my diaphragm giving me a dreaded sharp stitch-like pain in the tip of my left shoulder. Sorry to say it is still with me and has been since I had my op almost 3 years ago. It ain't no picnic but hey, it tells me to stop stuffing my face. I get it when I chew gum too much as well. I hope that solves part of the mystery for you!!!

My port clicks also. It didn't hurt and even though it was kind of annoying, it wasn't a huge deal. I thought every thing was ok. I just got back from the doctor an hour ago where I went to get filled. My port has flipped. It is now facing the wrong way. They don't really know what causes this and why it would happen when I am so far out. So though it isn't great news, it has answered a few issues I was having. I am waiting on an appointment time for them to reposition it. Apparently minor surgery which only takes an hour or so and is very simple. I am by no means saying the clicking is indicative of a problem with the port. I am not a doctor and such statements would be careless. In my case it seemed to be indicative of a problem because only recently it has started doing this. My point is that if it bothers you and feels odd, then get it checked out for peace of mind if nothing else.

Hey Bobby Congrats on making the decision to have your surgery. I am almost 3 years post op. I had lost 150 pounds in that time and due to recent complications, gained 20 of those back. Today I get my band re-tightened so hopefully should see an end to the problems I was having and continue my journey to a healthy weight. I do not regret being banded for one single minute. Having said that, it is not always smooth sailing. You have to be careful and be aware of what you are doing all the time. My complications arose from me pushing it and pushing it and thinking nothing bad was going to happen to me. I didn't change my old habits and I paid th price. Thankfully, my complications were able to be fixed without further surgery but it certainly has been a wake up call. I now take it very seriously and realize I can't mess with it. The hardest thing by far post op was dealing with the mental issues. I didn't realize how much my life revolved around food. The day after my surgery, I felt like I had lost my best friend. I am still working on the head issues and it is getting better but it is still an issue. I still try to eat everything I see at times and still think about food all the time. Having the physical restriction does not change the way I think. I would recommend seeing a therapist to deal with this side of things. I wish you the best of luck with your journey, Bobby. My lap band has changed my life for the better. I hope it does the same for you. Suzie

I totally agree with you, Babs. I was too scared to take the bypass route and chose lap band because of it's reversability. I too am now a size 16/18 down from a 32 and considered a success but I have to work at it EVERY SINGLE DAY!! I have had my share of complications too. Anyone who tells me I took the easy way out does not even know the half of it. Congrats on your weight loss. :eek:

Thanks everyone for your responses, I feel welcome already!!!! Yes, unfortunately even with the band you still have to work at it. I am feeling much better about losing that 20 pounds I have gained since my ED diagnosis. Thanks everyone for your positive outlook for me. Will keep you posted on losing that 20!!!!

Hi All!!! Just been surfing your forum and it truly looks like a place I need. I am 2 1/2 years post op. I had lost 150 pounds but then experienced some problems because I had become lazy and cheated a little and didn't go for regular check ups. This was my biggest mistake. So I then experienced a lot of reflux and major problems with keeping food down. After a series of tests, I was diagnosed with Esophagal Dilation. Not really really serious, but serious enough for me to change my ways. My band was emtpied totally and has been that way for 4 months. Unfortunately, I have gained almost 20 pounds in that time. It goes to show that old habits die hard in my case. The good news is, I am all healed now and am going in for a fill tomorrow and will continue my journey again. I hope to get to know people on here and to be able to gain knowledge and support and give the same in return. Thanks for having me!!! :-)