Fills/Leaks

[Bawilliams1 1]

I was wondering if there is anyone out there who had a leak that was repaired by getting a fill with Omnipague? I don't know for sure that I had a leak, but I was supposed to have 3.4 cc's in my band and the doctor was only able to pull out 1.2 cc's! That has never happened to me before! So, he gave me a fill with the omnipague stuff that has dye in it so they can look on the flouro to see if and where it is leaking. He also calls it "Fix-A-Flat" because it is a thicker liquid than the saline and he said it seals off tiny leaks sometimes. Anyway, the filled me with that and could not find a leak anywhere on the flouro. I sat around and drank Water and coffee for an hour then they checked again and still no leak. I don't have enough restriction to be what I consider "tight", but I don't feel like I have lost what restriction I did have following that fill which makes me feel like the fill isn't leaking out. That is my main concern because I am self pay and I don't have the money to have surgery to fix it! I was just wondering if anyone else out there has been through a similar situation where they had a leak that was fixed with the omnipague stuff. Also, if that is the case, do you have to keep getting filled with the omnipague from now on? I would think you would have to keep getting the thicker liquid instead of the saline. Maybe I didn't really have a leak and it was just a freak thing, but how do you just lose 2.2 cc's?

[Kat817 19]

I don't have the omnipaque---but have heard of it, I think they spelled it defferntly maybe omnipack----try several different spellings with the search tab, you should pull up some info that way---because I HAVE heard it referred to!!!

Sure is good to know it is out there if we need it!!!

Good Luck!

Kat

[smatyas 0]

Kat- Omnipaque is a contrast agent used to find leaks in ports/bands as well as many other uses.

BA- I have never heard that onmipaque could fix a leak. It is thinker than normal saline but if it is introduced to a band that already has saline in it, it would dilute. Did your Dr. do a high pressure test? (fill the band to near max capacity and let it stay there for about a minute) they could possibly see the radio-opaque Fluid leaking out at that point.

Unless it is a large leak, it may not be detectible right away.

[Bawilliams1 1]

SMATYAS - My doctor filled my 4.0 cc band up to 3.2 cc's and checked the flouro then he checked the flouro again an hour later. He couldn't see a leak. I guess we will see how much he is able to draw out when I go in for my next fill. I am praying that he gets out 3.2 cc's!

[smatyas 0]

Sounds like he did what he should of. I hope you don't have a leak as well. Let us know what you find out.

[barbara465 2]

I have omnipacque in my band now. I went for a fill when I was at 2.3, only to find that there was 1.7 in band. They filled me to 2.0 with regular saline and made me an appointment with doctor 1 week later. He pulled only 1.4 out and refilled me to 2.0 with omnipack. I was told it was thicker and sometimes the band does better with it. I had to have .3 taken out a week later because I was too restricted.

I go on Monday to get the .3 back. At that time they will check to make sure I still have 1.7. Hopefully I do, but I can eat anything right now. All of my fills and unfills have been using fluro. I was not told that the omnipacque detected leaks. Not sure that is true, but they can see on the fluro if the barium goes down OK.

I've known several that have switched to the thicker saline because for whatever reason their band didn't hold the saline.

[Bawilliams1 1]

Barbara - Thanks for your post! That makes me feel a little better!

[piercedqt78 658]

try searching omniplaque, I got 9 hits with this and they were leak related. ~Mandy

[piercedqt78 658]

here is my search result

omniplaque:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/search.php?searchid=607357

Omnipaque

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/search.php?searchid=607364

[sshelby 0]

brandy , i noticed that you had your 1st banding with dr kuri and then had to be rebanded . i am scheduled for banding jan 23 with dr kuri . 6 days away , getting a little nervous .

[Bawilliams1 1]

I think Dr. Kuri is a great doctor and having my band implanted by him, I am sure, had nothing to do with my band slipping. My band slipped because I was very careless and I PB'd almost every time I ate! The only thing that disappointed me about Dr. Kuri is that he first said that he would try to fix the band for me, but when he found out that I was at the goal weight that I wrote on my pre-surgery paperwork he told me that I should have learned better eating habits by now and that he didn't want to mess with the band unless it started making me throw up and have problems. The band was not causing any problems for me other than I could eat as if I had no band because my pouch was huge! He said if the band started causing problems for me that I should give him a call and he would just remove it. I ended up getting rebanded in Dallas, TX. I was just so disappointed in him because he knows that the band is meant to be in for life and that people who get the band get it because they are unable to stick with the eating habits that naturally thin people have. I know there are fat people who eat like a bird and eat like most "normal" people. I guess by normal I mean thin. I think you understand what I mean though. If I could do it on my own, I wouldn't have gotten banded to begin with. I guess what I am trying to say is my disappointment with Dr. Kuri is the attitude he took about the need to fix my band. If he didn't want to do it that was one thing, but he should have known better ( and I think he does) than to tell me that I should have learned how to eat properly and I should just be able to maintain my weight on my own. You might not agree with my opinion about that whole situation, but don't doubt Dr. Kuri's abilities as far as actually doing the surgery. I hope you have found or plan on finding a good fill doctor in your state. I saw one of Dr. Kuri's surgeons on his "team" to get a fill after my band had slipped just slightly and he told me that it was fine! I was in TJ to get an arm lift and I was having trouble drinking so I scheduled an unfill with Dr. Kuri while I was there. He just unfilled me a little bit and told me it was fine. It wasn't fine. I know the doctor's name, but I just can't think. It wasn't the lady. It was the other man. However, despite my negative comments, I do think that Dr. Kuri is competent and as long as you follow the band rules you should do just fine! Do not PB or throw up! If that is a problem, get a slight unfill! I will be happy to tell you anything you want to know if you have more questions.

[sshelby 0]

thanks brandy for the reassurance in dr kuri . i am sorry to hear about your misfortune thou . hope all is well now . thanks again

[juliegeraci 7]

My doctor just used that on me and it is working. I had 2.5ccs out when he had put 3ccs in. So it was a very slow leak. He said the solution always works. Best of luck to you.