Lap Band Removed After 4.5 years

[Chelleanne 1]

I was banded by Dr. Spivak in Houston Texas back in March of 2006. Initially I lost about 30 lbs and finally that number rose to 70 lbs after I was diagnosed with Diabetes in March of 2008. I was happy with my band for the most part. It kept me from overeating and I still got to eat most of the things I enjoyed. During the whole time I had the band I never gained a single pound back of what I lost. I started at 257 lbs and ended at 187 lbs. For 3.5 out of 4.5 years of being banded I did not maintain any saline in the band. I prefered it that way. The challenges I had though consisted of constant vomitting and really bad refux. I had to take extra Vitamin D, Iron and Folic Acid to make up for what I was losing in nutrition.

In the Fall of 2010 my food was coming up during the middle of the night while I was sleeping and I started choking. In order to go back to bed I would have to vomit. After several months of this I finally decided to go see Dr. Spivak. I did a barium swallow and the Fluid did not go through the band. It stopped on top. He said that I had pouch dialiation and slippage and that the band needed to come out. My first instinct was to cry. I was scared for many reasons but mainly of gaining the weight back, panicked in fact. I was immediately put on a liquid diet and my surgery was scheduled for 6 days after that Dr. appt. I had my band removed on 12/6/2010. After the surgery Dr. Spivak told my husband that he did not find slippage. It turns out I had scar tissue that was closing the hole of my band and keeping food from going down.

How are things now? Well, great actually. I recovered well from the surgery and my stomach returned to normal. I am having no problems eating and have been enjoying eating in moderation some of the things I was not able to eat while banded like rice. Two of my five incisions look bad from being opened twice but will heal and be ok I am sure. I was closed with steri-strips and they easily peeled off around day 10. The one concern I have is what feels like a plastic string sticking up ever so slightly through one of my incisions. I think I need to call Dr. Spivak and ask him about it.

I have joined Weight Watchers to help with the eating. I can't be rebanded or go to something else like the sleeve due to the pouch dilation. Spivak said it wouldn't work. I'm up 2.6 lbs since the surgery and hope to start following the Weight Watchers plan after Christmas. I want to enjoy this holiday.

All-in-all, while I was scared and upset at first, I am glad to have had the lapband removed.

Michelle

[outside*looking*in 0]

Michelle - You seem to have a good attitude about this. I am glad to hear that your ability to eat without reflux has returned ( I am currently having problems with burning in my stomach every time I eat but not actually coming up - I am thinking of having more or all Fluid removed). I wish you well with weight watchers. Best of luck. BTW...not for or against personally but with my recent problems and seeing a GI doc, she gave me very clear warnings about NOT doing any kind of bypass in the future due to all of the problems she see's with them. If you should ever consider the switch - perhaps talk to a GI and get their input, of course they only see bypass patients when they are having problems and not the healthy ones. Just a thought. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Bless you.