2nd fill HELL!

Josette · November 8, 2006

I had an appt for my 2nd fill in Port Huron yesterday at 3:30. I had my fill at 3:30ish and drank Water and was doing fine. We went across the bridge to canada and were shopping in Sarnia Ontario when I decided to get a propel. One drink and the water wouldn't pass through so I had to go out to the parkinglot and throw it up. I waited a little bit..took another drink. Instant tight feeling in the chest and threw it up. At that point I'm spitting up my salvia so we decide to go back to the U.S. so after we cross the bridge I take another drink...throw up. So I call the after hours line because it's after 6pm by this time and they say "Dr. Boutt (my doctor) isn't on call tonight, Dr. Bhesania is so we'll have him contact you shortly" so 5 minutes later he calls me and I explain what's happening and that I'm from Lansing (2 hours away) but I'm still in Port Huron and he says "call the lapband center tomorrow morning and we'll get you in" and I said "but I'm still in port huron right now" and he says "but I'm not near the hospital. Call tomorrow and we'll get you in" and I said "you want me to drive back to Lansing tonight like this and drive all the way back tomorrow to get unfilled?" and he says "yes. I'm not near the hospital" So I said ok and hung up. I then drove directly to the hospital where the lapband center is and went to the ER and said "someone has GOT to unfill this right NOW because I'm in misery and I'm not driving back to Lansing like this and getting up tomorrow and missing work to drive all the way back here to get this out." So they called Dr. Bhesania and told him I was in the ER and asked him to come in (I'm hearing the conversation while I'm in my hospital room)and the ER doctor says "I don't know how to do that. I've never even seen it done. Ok.. Hold on" So the ER doctor comes over and asks to look at my stomach. So I show him and he pokes around for a minute and then goes back to the phone and says "I'm sorry but you have to come in. I don't know how to do it and I'm not going to try. No. You need to come in here" So he gets off the phone and you hear him talking to another doctor saying "He's a specialty doctor that's been trained to do that, I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't feel comfortable stabbing a long needle into that ladies stomach when I've had no training. Last thing I need is to get fired" and the other doctor says to him "no kidding...but I did hear they're hiring at the grocery store down the street" So an hour later Dr. Bhesania strolls in all cocky and asks 2 ER doctors to come in so he can show them how it's done. He emptied all the Fluid out of my band and I had immediate relief. Now I have to call back today to get in there in the next week to get refilled with a little less fluid. I was SO stressed out. I have an appt next Tuesday with my doctor to have 1.5cc's put back into my band. I didn't get back home until midnight.

barbara465 · November 8, 2006

Oh how dreadful. These fills are so fickled. I don't react until 6-10 days after a fill. I've also found that I can't tolerate a big fill, even though the barium flows right through. Time of day, weather, what you've had to drink/eat that day, etc. are all factors.

Glad you got relief. Continue on liquids today to keep the swelling down. Good luck on your next attempt.

juliegeraci · November 8, 2006

Good for you! I'm glad you stuck it to that Doctor and did the right thing. He should have known better!

Jachut · November 8, 2006

It really needs to be a procedure that's taught in general these days, you shouldnt need to have to call a surgeon in just to unfill a band, but I guess in the overall scheme of things not that many people have lap bands.

Glad you got it sorted.