Slip fixes: are their any? DR. C

lapbandjen · November 17, 2006

:help: :help: This is my first posing on this site and unfortunately, it is in the complications section. I was banded three years ago. I have only had one fill and with very little effort and much patience I have lost 80 lbs. It has been a very slow process, some exercise, some diet changes, some ice-cream. I have lost a couple of pounds a month. Up until a couple of months ago I have had no problems what so ever from my band. After returning from a trip to Germany</ST1:p, I began having very bad reflux. I went to my local doctor and he prescribed Previcid.

Nothing worked and even on liquids, it got worse. I could not sleep at night and eventually I aspirated into my lungs and got pneumonia. Since the Doctor who put the band is eight hours away and my local Doctor, who knows little about the band, found me a closer Doctor who would see me and has experience with lap-bands. After an upper GI it was clear that I have a major slip. My stomach is herniated above my band at about half. The doctor unfilled my band and said we will give it a six week rest and see if it helps the band placement.

All of my symptoms have stopped and I feel great. Unfortunately, I am still worried that I may have to have surgery again. The Doctor says that if my stomach does not slip back down through the band on its own, he will use an endoscope and see if he can push the stomach back down through the band.

Anyone heard of this procedure? Does it work? Anyone know of other ways to fix a slip with out surgery? I am not eroded and I have no pain.

Any advise or information would be appreciated, I don’t want to lose my band.

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Top weight 236

Banded weight 156

<O:p></O:p>

Trace Curry · November 17, 2006

Jen,

In my experience a slip of that magnitude will rarely fix itself but it's certainly worth a try. Never heard of the endoscope thing either but again worth a try. There is no reason you should have to lose your band though, for better or worse I have sort of become a referral center for slipped bands and have fixed a number of them without any trouble.

Dr. C

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

:help: :help: This is my first posing on this site and unfortunately, it is in the complications section. I was banded three years ago. I have only had one fill and with very little effort and much patience I have lost 80 lbs. It has been a very slow process, some exercise, some diet changes, some ice-cream. I have lost a couple of pounds a month. Up until a couple of months ago I have had no problems what so ever from my band. After returning from a trip to Germany</ST1:p, I began having very bad reflux. I went to my local doctor and he prescribed Previcid.
Nothing worked and even on liquids, it got worse. I could not sleep at night and eventually I aspirated into my lungs and got pneumonia. Since the Doctor who put the band is eight hours away and my local Doctor, who knows little about the band, found me a closer Doctor who would see me and has experience with lap-bands. After an upper GI it was clear that I have a major slip. My stomach is herniated above my band at about half. The doctor unfilled my band and said we will give it a six week rest and see if it helps the band placement.

All of my symptoms have stopped and I feel great. Unfortunately, I am still worried that I may have to have surgery again. The Doctor says that if my stomach does not slip back down through the band on its own, he will use an endoscope and see if he can push the stomach back down through the band.

Anyone heard of this procedure? Does it work? Anyone know of other ways to fix a slip with out surgery? I am not eroded and I have no pain.

Any advise or information would be appreciated, I don’t want to lose my band.

ffice:office" /><O:p></O:p>

Top weight 236

Banded weight 156

<O:p></O:p>

DrHekier · November 19, 2006

I'm with Dr. C, I have never heard of the endoscope approach, but if it works, please let us know!

I agree with Dr. C that a slip doens't mean you will have to lose your band. You might get by with a laparoscopic surgical procedure that will keep your old band.

lapbandjen · November 19, 2006

I will let you know how it works out.

Parvathi · November 19, 2006

Good luck with it all, lapbandjen. I just had a new band put in a little over a week ago, due to a slip. The second surgery went much easier than the first and I was up and at em the next day.

Bawilliams1 · December 1, 2006

I wish you luck with this procedure. I had a slip that sounds exactly like what has happened to you. I ended up going to a surgeon in Dallas because my original surgeon in Mexico didn't want to mess with my band since I was pretty close to my goal weight. He told me to use better eating habits! Anyway, the new surgeon said all he could do was to take off my old band and put a whole new band on. That's what I did and I am currently in the process of getting fills trying to get back to having some restriction. I hope that you can just get it fixed instead of getting a whole new band!