Help,again.....

[desertmom 297]

Hi

I havent been on the forums much lately.Life has gotten quite busy and well,having lost this much I am feeling so energized that I cant sit stil for long.....

After having my last fill I have experienced the strangest thing.I only needed a little top up as I could eat a little to much but still had some restriction.....

Big trouble is after this fill I have the worse reflux ever.Night reflux for the first time,abdominal pain,back pain BUT I can eat ALMOST ANYTHING I WANT......The physician actually upped my Nexium to 40mg twice a day.....O,I actually had a temprature of 39 degrees for a few days after the fill but then I also had that for the first week after the operation.....

What on earth can be going on?I know that I should go back to the dr but I feel so despondent that I just dont want to even think about it.....they are truly not really interested in this problem....

I am increasingly paranoid about erosion.....I might be crazy or just plain eating way to much and should cut back but I dont Bp at all.Nothing gets stuck at all anymore and the band is now filled almost to its capacity....

My port is very painful at times but I sort of feel that it goes with the pain I get under my ribs where I presume the band is.....

Anyhow,I dont know what to do....I had to fight to get a barium done after the operation (that showed the band was proximally displaced but the dr felt it was still ok to leave it as it is.....)

How do they do endoscopy and is that the test that I must demand from the dr? (If I dont demand something he will just say what he always does that the band goes with sacrifice and my weightloss is proof that the band is working....meantime we can really thank the good dr Atkins for my weightloss.....)

Ok,this is a long waffle but sometimes advise from people that live with the band really helps to put things in perspective and I really need to know how long I can ignore these problems before they might get serious.......

Thanks for answering me.....again.....

[HeatherGurl 0]

Where were you banded? It seems so strange to me how some Dr.'s are not helpful at all??? I don't know as much as some here, but still in pain after surgery in April??? Is this right Fellow Bandsters???

[Alexandra 55]

I really need to know how long I can ignore these problems before they might get serious.......

Desertmom, no one will tell you it's OK to ignore symptoms for any length of time. Symptoms may already be an indication that something serious is wrong. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! An unfill may be all that's needed to resolve your reflux, but resolve it you must because it can damage your esophagus. You really don't want to go there if you can avoid it!

Don't worry about getting an unfill. It really doesn't mean you will never have restriction again, never again be able to control your intake. It just means that you're taking good care of yourself, because right now your system is inflamed and you need to let it heal.

Many people have reported that after an unfill it takes less re-fill to make them reach a good restriction level, so don't stall on that account. PLEASE take care of yourself, because band loss is what you want to avoid. If you have a situation that is unhealthy, that may be the next step. So go find out what's going on, and get it fixed!

Oh, and an endoscopy may not be required just yet. I'd suggest an unfill first and see what that does to your symptoms. If it doesn't help, then demand that endoscopy.

[desertmom 297]

hi

I live in the Dubai and I was banded by a visiting surgeon from Belgium.The follow-up is done by a sweet local surgeon that doesnt believe that anything can go wrong with the band and that well,anything can be fixed with more medication.....he actually thinks that I am a very good band success example.....and as far as weightloss goes I diet my butt off to get thin.

Look,I suppose the real picture is this.I have had problems from the beginning.Bad reflux,esophageal spasms,heartburn.Never night reflux though,this is the first time.Always good restriction after a fill for about 4 weeks then needed a little more....The surgeon did say that he would suggest I lose as much weight as fast as possible because we would have to remove the band as soon as I have lost my weight.(I will never consider different WLS because if this could go so bad for me Im not very positive about WLS anymore....)Constant reflux that cannot be resolved with meds is terrible for the eusophagus in the long term and one cannot live like this for too long....

So to get to what you say Alex,I suppose I know the reasonable thing to do is an unfill.I just needed to hear it again.I dont know why I have this thing about not being unfilled......

The reflux I have lived with for longer than 6 months now and can continue to do so,the pain is what really bothers me at the moment......I have to actually take painkillers twice a day or I just dont function normally.....so,seeing that it is weekend here tomorrow,I will go for the unfill on Saturday...and pray that all goes back to normal.....When he did the fill the dr actually said I was going to be back for an unfill because the fill kept pushing back into the syringe...he didnt believe I needed the fill....so...I should stop being so stubborn and do the unfill....I hate the idea though....

Thanks for advice....

[the best me 6]

Stop being stubborn and do the unfill.

[mousecrazy 2]

Go get an unfill, quit being stubborn, listen to your doctor, and let well enough alone. Get to a level where you are healthy, and are slowly losing weight. Like I've heard over and over on these boards: 1. Everyone is different 2. Be patient 3. Listen to your doctor 4. Good health is the priority.

Follow your bandster rules, and hope you feel better soon! Cindy

[the best me 6]

This is as much for me as it is for you...so I'm dosing out tough love for the both of us, okay?

Reality Check #1 Successful bandsters diet. All of them. It takes different names and has it's own mentality in each of us, but we are all dieting. You are doing Adkins, someone else is counting calories, others count nothing and eat less, whatever the name, whatever the mindset it takes on, we all diet. The band makes it possible to follow the diet. What are the chances of you being able to do Adkins this long with this much success and not gain it back without the band? Really. Your band makes YOU a success. Without it you are floundering along with the rest of the obese in the world with no hope. Take care of your band and quit being so fatalistic about your erosion. Your weight loss has been great, but you have done it with the idea that you need to hurry before you lose your band to erosion...I do the same thing!!!!!!...but I see you pushing the envelope TOO MUCH by living with reflux and settling for less of a happy banded life just to lose the weight. You clearly aren't thinking long-term and I fear it's a mistake. I understand why, I know you are going to South Africa at Christmastime and will see a band doc there and I hope you will. You should get all these pain and reflux problems solved so you can be a long-term bandster and not a desperate one. IMHO.

Reality Check #2 Let's list your problem symptoms: night-time reflux, Nexium 40mg twice a day, port pain, fever after fills, back pain, pain at band site, band filled to near-capacity, band is known to be proximally displaced...isn't that a slip?!!! hellooo!!!, esophogeal spasms, heartburn, needing twice a day painkillers just for normal functioning, and you can eat anything/no restriction.

Something is wrong with your band.

Get a new band surgeon and have your slip repaired. I just don't think this is the way banded life is supposed to be, so it's no wonder you are concerned about erosion and aren't thinking like a long-term bandser. I think you are exactly right. One day the other shoe will drop and you will need to have your band removed and it's a good thing you won't be surprised. Problem is, it's avoidable. All you need is a better band surgeon. Or a surgoen that isn't in Belguim, which would be fine if you were there, too and your surgeon could follow you. It's a simple answer complicated by where you are on this spinning sphere, but it can be done. My band surgeon isn't across town, either.

I haven't said anything new, you know all this. If you do nothing else, though, get an unfill and get rid of the nighttime reflux and keep taking the Nexium. ((((hugs)))) desertmom. Let us know how it goes.

And one more thing: even if "proximally displaced" isn't "slipped", it's still probably the root of your problems. Just a thought.