My Upper GI Results

[babsintx3 0]

Hi Lisa,

Better than NJ , you need to come visit me in Texas. We have lots of banding docs who will see your here. FLights from Vegas about 175 round trip. You can stay with me, party and figure out a way to get you a port and a fill.

OK?

Babs in TX

[MeganA 35]

Well, isn't this interesting. I'm very glad to hear that your band looks fine. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to see barium move in the wrong direction if you did have something wrong. I have had my eight fills under floro and I make them let me watch the video. I won't even take a drink of the barium until they move the tv screen so I can see. Of all the people who need to see what's goin' on it should be me, for pete's sake.

So...good for you for being so tenacious about getting this appt. Now you should relax (I know, I know...you really aren't a "relax" kind of gal!) but take a couple of deep breaths and find some peace that your band is ok. I think it's going to make you succeed inspite of yourself!

My band has felt like an ulcer at times- like when I eat it feels like the food is scratching it's way through the stoma. When this happens, I take a couple of meals off of regular food and eat mushies and I'm fine again.

Let me tell you a little story about carbonation. One night I went to the movie and had popcorn and diet coke. I hardly ever drink it but couldn't resist. That night, I awoke with the worse stomach ache of my entire life. It felt like something was pressing up on my band so hard I could barely sit up. When I did, I burped so loud I scared my dogs. After that, my band was sore for THREE days. Yes, THREE!

What I'm trying to say is that with a little change in your diet, I bet most of the pain you're feeling in your tummy would go away. But then what would you have to worry about? :-) Just kidding, of course.

Megan

[Mrs Sabre 1]

I burped so loud I scared my dogs. Megan

Now that's a burp!

[Guest ASPHALT ANGEL]

Lisa, I am sure I missed this somewhere but is the reason you can't find a dr. in Vegas is because you were banded in Mexico? Just wondering.

And damn it put down that diet pop. It has Carbination in it!!!! BAD FOR THE BAND!!! Drink arizona green tea with honey or something with no carbination. Ok Ok I will shut up and get of you A$$. lol

[donali 57]

Okay, so you did a barium swallow... WTF?!?!?

How on earth can you (they) determine whether or not you have a LEAK from a barium swallow?!?! I have never heard of this method to detect "leaks".

As far as erosion goes, unless the band has compromised the stomach wall in at least one place ENOUGH for the barium to flow around it, you're never going to detect erosion that way.

If all I had had in June of 2004 was a barium swallow, I would have been told everything is okey-dokey - it would have showed good restriction, and the barium would have been flowing through the center of the band just like it was supposed to - and I was at 40% erosion.

Sorry to not be jumping up and down with joy about your results - it's not that I'm not happy for you, it's just that I don't think your barium proved anything except that:

1. You're banded

2. Your band is in the right position

To test for leaks you would have to do some fill tests - if it were a slow leak it might take a long time for the fill level to change significantly. They would need to use some sort of contrast Fluid to fill your band and then watch under fluoro to see if it leaked out somewhere.

As far as I'm concerned, you know very little more than you did before you had the barium swallow...

OH - and I just remembered that you don't even have a port to DO fill tests, so again, I have to ask what was the point of the barium swallow... Even if you DID have a leak, there's nothing they can do about it without a port.

When (and if) you ever DO have a port installed, I would insist that they replace the whole tubing at the same time, just to be safe. The tubing can't be that expensive...

xxoo