May be losing my band....kinked tube maybe?

[leatha_g 4]

((((Bright)))) - we love you gf, and you are not a freak. Many of us suffer from depressive episodes and we just stand together and bolster one another and keep doing the next best thing. This too will pass.. and whatever comes to pass, you are still and will always be beautiful on the inside and the outside.

Go for the xrays which can just as well lay your fears to rest as anything else. Cross whatever bridge may come when it comes and know that you've got lots of folks who care and support you in whatever that may be. God bless..

[Bright 9]

thanks so much Leatha xx

[NewSho 20]

{ That's odd that you had a surgeon in the UK who is RnY-over-Band. To my knowledge the USA is the only 'developed' country where RnY procedures

outnumber Gastric Banding and LapBanding. So he's really a rarity.:phanvan }

Anyway:

I had a leak of my tubing.

The band itself was in place - no slippage or erosion visible.

But without tubing working - the band doesn't continue to work as it should and you can't assume you're going to be able to maintain or even kept the weight off.

So don't take a chance, get a flouro and get a repair, if it's possible. If your band is in good condition, then you're in a great position to just get something small fixed.

When I had my tubing replaced (and a switch to a lower profile port) the procedure was nothing like the original surgery. I think it took 25 minutes max. 90 Minutes after I was out of the OR, I was in a nearby store pushing a shopping cart. I just wore my surgical binder after the repair, and I felt like I could resume activity rather quickly.

It's worth it. My band was nothing without tubing - so it's like having a car without someplace to put the gas in the tank. It just sits there. So why not get it fixed?

Just another thought. Good luck to you!

[Bright 9]

Thanks New Sho - yeah I guess he is a rarity - and thanks for your tubing reassurance : )

[rachele 0]

Mine ended up being scar tissue blocking (squeezing) off the tubing. For sure get it checked out, that Dr. visit would have made me very uncomfortable. I can't believe he ask you if you think it works when you are sitting there 90something pounds lighter. DOH!

What a moron. These doctors just don't think about the complex they can very easily give their patients.

I wish you luck, don't think all is lost. It just wasn't a good visit. Move on and get it checked out. They might not have been in a good spot, You might have been stressed or anything. Sometimes my band held its fill for no reason, and that was way before the scar tissue came.

I was revised to the DS because I wanted to be, not on a recommendation, my doc said he could scrape it out, but I choose a different route. So, nothing's wrong until it is diagnosed. K?

[Bright 9]

thanks so much Rachele - that's really interesting - I do have a few lumps & bumps around my port that definitely weren't there last year - I was wondering if scar tissue figured...

ps would you mind pm'ing me about your experience re the DS? Sort of thinking about doing it....

thanks xx

[Bright 9]

Hi everyone - here is an update on my band "issue" (!)

I went for the barium swallow/fluoroscopy today - the radiographer and doctor were fascinted as they hadn't seen a band before! I brought a few pictures to show them what they were photographing and it kind of helped. They will send the films to my doctor and he will interpret/analyse them to see what he can figure out what maybe causing my problem.

I watched the barium flow down to my stomach on the screen - while you could see the band (I don't know if it was in the right place or not), the barium didn't pool, and stop at the band - it just flowed straight through - is this ok? I have either 6cc in a 9cc band or it's all leaked away and I have no restriction? While eating, I still have some restriction - same as I have had for the past year and a half - I could eat a donut, but not two - chicken is very filling but Cookies go down smoothly (helpfully!)....

if anyone had any comments I'd be grateful - guess I just have to wait for the surgeon to get back to me - aaarrrggghhh!!!!

thanks

[Alexandra 55]

Hi Bright! Nice to hear from you. :scalesno:

The good news is that your test showed barium flowing through the band, rather than pooling in a distended pouch or otherwise going where it's not supposed to go. Sounds like you don't have much restriction, but that's better than too much! Good luck with your surgeon, and I hope he gets back to you soon.

Frustrating, I know, but you're healthy!! :hug:

[Vera 7]

Hi Bright

I’m just reading this for the first time and wished I’d seen this thread earlier.

I’m glad you got the flouro done.

From what you said

I watched the barium flow down to my stomach on the screen - while you could see the band (I don't know if it was in the right place or not), the barium didn't pool, and stop at the band - it just flowed straight through - is this ok?

There is no restriction, the barium just flowed through.

Could you see the port and tubing? you said you saw the actual band, It should be close to the top of the stomach and band is probably fine! If you could see the tubing did you follow it from the port to the band to see any bends or kinks?

I wish you could have had an omniplaque fill/leak check while you were there. Doing this type of fill you can follow omniplaque solution up the tubing under x-ray and see were the leak is.

When that so called doctor gave you the fill last month you said he tried to remove the fill after putting some in, did anything come out? Did the plunger spring back? Did any pinkish/yellow Fluid come back?

Lots of little details are coming back to me, don't be scared just tring to analyze.

Lots of HUGs

[babsintx3 0]

Hi Bright,

I also wished I saw this post sooner.

First off, the doc you went to see is full of crap. YOu DO NOT have a banding emergency. He doesnt even sound like he knows how to give a fill properly and doesnt understand the dynamics or infrastructure of the band.. The first fill (since you only had one a year and a half ago) may have just dissapeared by osmosis. We are talking spit drops here when you talk less than a CC. First fills usually dont do much anyway and most bandsters need more than one to get to a sweet spot. It seemed like at some point you had restriction even with the little amount you received, but as you lost some weight you started to also lose restriction (which is normal) and now you are back on the bandwagon again.

When I had PS last year, my PS surgeon accidently removed all my fill. He was supposed to take out a little pre op so I could eat more post op, but took it all by accident. I had nothing in the band, but I did not know it til I went to my lapband surgeon for a refill. He was able to pull out some blue crystalline colored micro specks of saline, but the fill was no longer there. The blue coloring means that my PS surgeon was testing to see how much he had taken out. I went to my regular surgeon who didnt seem too concerned that I had nothing in my band. I thought I had a leak since no one could tell me where the fill had gone and I personally did not know how to check for a leak if there indeed was one. I was scared my band was not working and I had a leak and would require another surgery. Not the case. My band is fine. There are two ways to test this:

Wait a couple of weeks and see if you have restriction. Dwindling restriction COULD be an indicator of a leak or kink and you will only know if the fill worked if you feel more restricted. But then again, who knows if you even have any saline in the band?? For all anyone knows, this guy could have totally missed the mark and you have nothing in your band.

If the barium is free flowing and not slowly dripping into the lower pouch, you have no restriction. If the pouch size is normal and this is happening, you need more saline. If there is a leak or kink, you will not see that at the band, it would be seen at the tubing or port. The only way to test the tubing would be to do what Vera suggested and that is adding some kind of ominiplaque solution into the port and up the tubing so they can see on x-ray where the leak is.. if indeed there is one.

I guess I am not buying this bypass docs opinion. You need to see a lapband specialist who does not do bypasses and only bands.

I am here with you in spirit!! FYI: I have been on a liquid diet for 15 days due to pouch dilation, which hopefully will resolve itself without the need for surgery!!!

Babs in TX

334/180 ish

-150 ish

[shellyj. 0]

bright! hiya doll!

i actually thought it sounded like you DEFINTALLY have SOME restriction! you said:

I could eat a donut, but not two - chicken is very filling but Cookies go down smoothly (helpfully!)...

well that IS restriction. maybe your not tight enough but you definitally sound CLOSE! i wonder how you would be if the dr had given you .5 to 1 cc more?

can your local dr request info to learn how to give a fill/unfill? then he could try doing the omniplaque locally or even just a fill.

michelle

[Bright 9]

Thanks so much for replying to this so quickly guys - so great to get the info - I wish I posted last night, and went to the hospital with more questions - the Irish docs were so helpful but it was all new to them.

Alex - thanks for your usual warm wishes :clap2: - you're right (as usual) - I'm healthy! I had all my blood work done recently and was thrilled to have a cholesterol (sp?) level of 4.6, normal liver, normal blood sugar etc which gave me a great boost after being morbidly obese for ten years, it's great to have a clean bill of health after the few weeks of being concerned about my band.

Vera - I did read all your "kinky" posts when you were having tubing issues - and when I was with the surgeon getting the fill, I remembered even then your problem - my doc had only seen one kinked tube before and admitted it may be the problem. When he tried to aspirate the Fluid in the band he got absolutly nothing back - he tried a few times to no avail. He then inserted 1cc and wasn't able to get that back out either (immediately) - he didn't mention if the plunger sprung back and there was no yellow/other fluid. :scalesno: :) He will tell me more I guess when he gets the films from the flouroscopy today and go on to the next step which I guess is injecting the tubing with a colour dye (thanks for the reference to it, I'll mention it to him!) thanks for all your comments - knowledge is power and I am finding I mostly go around here explaining TO the doctors rather than the other way around - thanks so much Vera - hugs back xx xx

Babs - so great to hear from you ! I'm glad you're over the PS - hope it wasn't too dreadful a time - and I'm sorry to hear you are having the pouch dilation issues - now I'M worried I have that (could I be more self-absorbed...?) - I hope it's resolved soon and you don't need any surgery.

I had this fill problem a few weeks ago now, and I know my restriction is the same as it has been for the past 18 months or so. I rarely have a problem with eating something - sometimes I get hiccups or if I have eaten too much I feel discomfort an hour or so later - so I guess this means the band alone is providing the bare necessity of restriction.

Re the surgeon and the "banding emergency" - he is belgian and I know you lived in the Netherlands for a while - the europeans do NOT bullsh*t you! And I'm ok with that - he says the band guarantees you lose 50% of your excess weight only (that's exactly what it has done for me) - the duodenal switch guarantees you will lose 80% of your EW - he says he sees so many of his banded patients struggle with the band - when I first went in asking for a fill, he was SORRY for me - "you bandsters, it's so hard being unable to eat when you have a tight fill" and he's right - it is hard. I feel I lost a lot of my weight through being motivated rather than physically unable to eat - I know you lost a LOT of weight - and are at goal - lots of people are and then again lots of people aren't. He asked me "has the band worked for you?" - honestly? I thought i would have lost way more weight - maybe that was unrealistic given my lack of committment to exercise ? Like I said before *I* am committed to the band - I don't need his approval just his skills in doing what I need him to do - just as I don't need my car mechanic to like my choice of car - I just need him to fix the damn thing! I just laugh at the surgeon and tell him I made my choice thanks! :heh:

by the way, surgeons get really mad when you compare them to car mechanics. Just a tip.

[Bright 9]

Hi Michelle

just saw your reply - thanks hon xx

yeah, if you read my epic novel above you'll see I don't think I have a slip or erosion as I have a consistant level of restriction - the only time I get some real restriction is at that time of the month....

I don't know about another doc giving a fill - my gp is DYING to have a go but I keep telling her "no!" - would they have to get permission from Inamed or what? does anyone know? It would save me a lot of money!!!

Hope you're still in honeymoon bliss stage Michelle xx

[Alexandra 55]

by the way, surgeons get really mad when you compare them to car mechanics. Just a tip.

:pound: :pound:

[Vera 7]

Why I mention the plunger springing back when trying to pull (aspirate) the saline back out, it would drive my doctor here in Calif. nuts. He didn’t band me and had never seen this before. He knew he was in the port and was scared to give me too much saline or over fill me. I in turn would have restriction for a few days, and then over time it was gone. Finally after coning to my senses we decided to go for the flouro leak check. That’s when we saw the kink but didn’t see the leak. It wasn’t till I was in Mexico that Dr. Sanchez decided to go in and in the fold of that kink was a tiny hole, thus explains some restriction, very slow leak. And the saline would go in pass the kink then couldn’t come back out

Then the rest of the story…repair with the sleeve on the tubing which didn’t work (should have replaced the entire tubing). He rebanded me because he didn’t want to see me again and even though I love Dr. Sanchez I didn’t want to go back to Mexico again (unless it’s for PS).

Waiting for your results…