Band complications during & after pregnancy

[Wheetsin 714]

First - I'm not posting this to scare anyone, I promise! I'm curious about band complications specifically in banded mothers, and there's surprisingly little documented information out there. I'm curious to see what the trend here has been. I'm guessing this is one of the best concentrations of pregnant/formerly pregnant bandsters out there. I'm really curious to see if I'm coincidentally seeing a correlation between pregnancy and band complications, or if there's more to this that surgeons aren't yet educating us about (because they don't know about it).

While pregnant I did quite a bit of reading stories here & on other support boards about what to expect. The number trends I saw for women who, during or after pregnancy, lose and are subsequently unable to re-obtain their "sweet spot"; and women who experience slipped bands during or within about 18 months after delivery; were dismally high. (I was finally diagnosed with a slip yesterday, and with 20/20 hindsight probably started seeing symptoms of it while pregnant - which escalated about 5 months after giving birth).

If there isn't an option that covers your situation, please feel free to post specs. I'd really like to see how prevalent this is.

[TracyW2 137]

I got pregnant 4 months after being banded. I started out at 8.5ccs in an 11cc band. I did get to where I was too tight and got 4.5cc taken out when I was 15 weeks. I started getting fills once my son was 2 weeks. I have been taking the fills slow since I am nursing and want to make sure I can still get enough calories in. I am now at 7.5ccs and doing fine. I havent had any problems, but not at my sweet spot yet. I will worry more about that once I am done nursing.

[ElizLuna 0]

Interested to hear more on this. One of my main reasons for getting banded is so that I can eventually have a healthy pregnancy. My surgery is scheduled for 6/30/11....

[Sugargirl 1]

I am currently 32 weeks pregnant and my band is at 9ccs. So far no problems eating and complications. I am able to eat but limitied.. baby is healthy and I am sooo glad I did not get it unfilled... I have gained weight but, who knows how much weight I would have gained without it. After I give birth I plan to go back and see if I can get it a little bit tighter !

[Wheetsin 714]

Thanks for the responses ladies. I'm curious to see how this pans out over time.

BTW, I just caught my "do not have no band complications" up there. Yikes -- please ignore that.

[madrisere 0]

I gave birth 3 weeks ago. During my pregnancy (more-so month 5 and on) I felt pain near my port area. So much, that i often had to put an ice pack over it to try and help with pain and swelling (the baby also favored that side and often kicked my port...so the ice pack helped move him away from that spot as well). There were times when I went to lay down or sit and it felt like the port was literally TEARING away from my body.

After birth, I felt relieved...no port pain. Well, that "no pain" thing lasted 1.5 weeks...this past week and half my port area has been in SO much pain. It hurts so bad to bend over to pick up the baby...it hurts to sit...it hurts to walk. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling the pain now.. I have no idea what's going on. No idea what a slipped band feels like. I have no problems eating or vomiting...just pain in my port area.

Didn't plan to see a Dr about my lapband so soon after delivery...but I don't think I have a choice now.

[Taterbugsmom 0]

I gave birth 3 weeks ago. During my pregnancy (more-so month 5 and on) I felt pain near my port area. So much, that i often had to put an ice pack over it to try and help with pain and swelling (the baby also favored that side and often kicked my port...so the ice pack helped move him away from that spot as well). There were times when I went to lay down or sit and it felt like the port was literally TEARING away from my body.

After birth, I felt relieved...no port pain. Well, that "no pain" thing lasted 1.5 weeks...this past week and half my port area has been in SO much pain. It hurts so bad to bend over to pick up the baby...it hurts to sit...it hurts to walk. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling the pain now.. I have no idea what's going on. No idea what a slipped band feels like. I have no problems eating or vomiting...just pain in my port area.

Didn't plan to see a Dr about my lapband so soon after delivery...but I don't think I have a choice now.

I'm curious to know how your situation has been since your last post? I am 29 weeks along and have experienced the same issues with my port as you mentioned. At times it is excruciating to even cough! I have been wondering how this is going to feel while contracting & pushing during birth?

[HeatherO 7]

My band slipped while I was in the hospital after giving birth. I was given a pain pill, I took it and got horrendously sick with vomiting and my band slipped. My band was also empty at that time and I didn't think you could slip with an empty band . . . now I know that you can. It was horrible in that I was so uncomfortable, couldn't even get Water in and had to have a band replacement procedure immediately following the birth of my daughter.

In all honesty, I had problems throughout my pregnancy with the band. It would get unexpectedly tight sporadically and then I could eat anything I wanted. My band was really, highly sensitive to hormonal fluctuations which are common during pregnancy.

I am now pregnant with my second band-baby and my band is sometimes so tight I have to go on a soft/liquid diet from time-to-time even though I have had a couple of unfills. My band is fickle with pregnancy and it hasn't been easy.

[sinda 0]

I had a slip with my first pregnancy, but in retrospect I think that slip might have occurred before I got pregnant and it just wasn't bad enough to have me really notice. I threw up pretty much constantly for the first six months of that pregnancy. My baby was small, so my doctor watched me very closely. He was perfectly healthy when he was born, but 4 days post-partum I had to have a revision because the slip got bad enough that I couldn't keep anything down at all--liquids included.

That sounds pretty terrifying, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. I just got used to throwing up all the time. I ended up losing weight with that pregnancy (that's what happens when you essentially don't eat for six months), so there was no baby weight to lose.

With my second pregnancy, I had no problems at all. I never got unfilled because I asked my doctor to wait to see if it would be an issue. It never was. I ate a fairly normal healthy diet throughout the pregnancy, and didn't gain much--about 15 lbs total (which I lost within a week of my son's birth--most of that 15 pounds was baby and placenta). I wasn't feeling a ton of restriction before, so I got a fill when I finished breastfeeding and feel like I hit the sweet spot pretty easily.

Basically, the first time was tough and the second time was cake. Goes to show you that not only is every mom different, every pregnancy is different, too.

[Heather_8.1.14 65]

I am 5 weeks PP and not having trouble with my band. I think my only complaint is how my port is currently sitting. It seems like its sitting higher then it used to, but I know with all the stretching in my muscle walls it probably is just having a freak out in there, and Im hoping as I continue to lose the baby weight and get my muscles back together that it will settle back into its place.

I have noticed that after giving birth that my band seems tighter then it was. Although I am also under a tremendous amount of stress due to my personal life I am not sure which to chalk it up to. I dont plan to get a fill for awhile since I am breastfeeding and already having a bit of trouble consuming enough calories for me and to produce a decent amount of milk.

[roziecakes 20]

I'm about 7 and a half weeks pregnant, and I've had no problems so far! We'll have to see how it goes. I have had a tiny bit of port pain, but nothing to write home about. My other pregnancy symptoms are much worse than anything going on with my band right now.

[losethemess 14]

I've had nothing but problems since learning I was pregnant. I'm one year post op and 11 weeks pregnant I'm almost at 7 ccs. Lost 86 lbs before getting pregnant. I'm 5"10 was 270 got down to 186 my goal was 165. Anyway my biggest issue is with vomiting and nausea. I'm constantly nauseated. If I don't eat I'm nauseated if I do eat I feel like vomiting. I vomit at least 2-3 times daily. This morning I weighed myself I was at 178 lbs. That means I have lost 8 lbs this trimester. That wouldn't be a problem if I were able to eat three meals a day and drink enough Water. I'm even having a hard time keeping down liquids. After suffering for over two months I've decided to get a slight unfill. Hoping my doctor won't completely unfill me. Concerned baby is not getting enough to eat. Honestly I'm also concerned about not having enough resrriction and overeating. Ive already been fantasizing about what im going to eat after the unfill. At first I wasn't concerned about the weight loss, many women lose weight during their first trimester because of nausea and vomiting. I'm now concerned because I'm approaching my 2nd trimester. The nausea and vomiting have not subsided and I keep losing weight. I hope this slight unfill gives me some relief.

[losethemess 14]

I'd like to add. I think you'll have more band issues while pregnant if you have restriction before getting pregnant. I was at pretty good restriction before getting pregnant and was actually contemplating getting another fill to lose my last 20 lbs or so, so I could hit goal. Thank God I didn't get another fill.

I also now realize that as my pregnancy progresses and my tummy gets bigger my band will only get tighter. My band is sensitive. I knew at the start of the pregnancy that I may need a slight unfill I just didn't think it would be this soon.

Hoping to get in to see my Dr Tuesday or Wednesday.

[sinda 0]

losethemess, if it makes you feel any better, chances are your baby is getting plenty to eat. There are exceptions (which is why you should be monitored by an OB), but in general the baby will take whatever it needs from you. A bigger concern would be that you would be losing out on something you need. For most pregnant women, the baby's needs are met first and the mother's needs are met with what is left. That's usually not a problem because everyone is getting everything they need, but chances are if anyone is losing out, it's not the baby.

With my first pregnancy, I was still down 17 pounds immediately before my baby was born. And he was a perfectly healthy 7 lbs 7 oz. My doctor watched me carefully, and my child was fine. Losing weight can be scary when you're pregnant, but it's not necessarily indicative of a huge problem. Just discuss your concerns with your doctors, and make sure you are doing what you need to do to keep both of you healthy. If that means getting an unfill, by all means, do it (especially if you're having a problem keeping liquids down). But at this point, I wouldn't worry too much about the weight loss--most weight isn't gained until the third trimester, anyway. And gaining weight won't necessarily affect the tightness of your band, either. (Mine didn't with either pregnancy.)

When you can eat again, take care to eat the right things. The things you should be eating in pregnancy are largely the things you should be eating anyway, minus a few pregnancy-specific items. Try to eat well, and you should be fine. Don't use restriction or lack thereof as an excuse to abandon what you know are good eating habits.

What you described actually sounds a lot like what I experienced with my first pregnancy. Perhaps brought on by morning sickness (or "all-the-time sickness," as I referred to it), I had a slip which made it exceedingly difficult to keep things down. And I guess my take away message with that was: 1) my baby was fine, and 2) I had to get a revision four days after giving birth. It was rough, but we all made it. Talk with your OB and band doctor about this possibility. They won't be able to check for a slippage while you're pregnant, but having this possible explanation in the back of your minds may help decide how to proceed as you progress in your pregnancy.

[hardygostlin 0]

I was banded in September 2009 and became pregnant in April of 2010 with twins. I was down 63lbs (weighing 158lbs) at the start of my pregnancy. I had no band complications but was concerned with my babies getting enough nutrients since I didn't get an unfill. I did see my band surgeon upon finding out I was pregnant and his recommendation was to stay where I was and play it by ear. His point behind doing that was the fact of unhealthy eating and blood sugar levels while pregnant. With my pregnancy being twins and my history of miscarriage, I was watched very closely by my OB and Perio. Both doctor offices agreed with my band surgeon. I delivered 8 weeks early but at weeks before delivery I was having a hard time with heartburn (which ended after being banded) and everything being "squished". It would take me a long time to eat but I would do what I could to get it down. I breast fed which made a huge difference in my post baby weight loss. My boys were in NICU for 34 days and when I got home from the hospital and NICU stay I had lost all my pregnancy weight plus an additional 2 lbs. All in all, I delivered 2 healthy baby boys and I am still healthy too!