Allergic to band?

2008er · August 9, 2007

Good morning all!

I haven't seen this addressed here (please redirect me if already discussed...):

I am allergic to re-absorbable sutures. Twice I've had them and they caused major complications.

Any idea if this may lead to complications w/the band? I am not yet banded (still pursuing it through the forest of process obstacles!), and I wonder if this is a show-stopper for me and I need to pursue some alternative.

I don't know what those sutures are made of, nor the band itself. I'm sure the surgeon can use regular sutures for my insides and the lap ports for the surgery itself, but not sure about rejecting the band.

Any help/advice/direction appreciated. Thans mucho!

~kat :help:

WASaBubbleButt · August 10, 2007

What were your symptoms before with these kinds of sutures?

2008er · August 10, 2007

My first experience was when I had my tonsils out at age 22. The suture site swelled up and nearly blocked my airway, the incisions split and it bled into my throat. Took me an extra month of major pain to heal...iced tea and a little cottage cheese every now and then, plus nasty liquid painkiller that burned. Ugh.

The second time (when we didn't realize the tonsil complications were from the sutures) was for my...catch this and cringe!...episiotomy!!!! After my first kid, they stitched me up. Similar complications - swelling, tenderness, split incision. Couldn't sit, could hardly walk, cried constantly. Went back to the Dr a week later in agony, asking for help or even pain meds (I didn't realize that episiotomys weren't supposed to be that awful). My OBGYN was a jerk and said "hey, childbirth hurts". I went for a seond opinion and ended up in the OR that same day for a revision under general anesthesia. He's the one who let me know it was an allergic reaction and to make absolutely sure I specified any time I was going in for surgery, because there might be even bigger complications if the sutures were inside me. Ugh. What a thought!!!

So, that's why I'm so concerned. If I had that serious a reaction with just a few little stiches, what could the whole band do to me if I'm allergic?

~kat:confused:

ssankofa73 · August 10, 2007

The band is made of silicone.

WASaBubbleButt · August 11, 2007

The band is made of silicone.

The band isn't the problem, the sutures are the problem.

ernurse12 · August 12, 2007

I don't believe the sutures are re-absorbable, they are permanent.

Telecia · August 17, 2007

So, that's why I'm so concerned. If I had that serious a reaction with just a few little stiches, what could the whole band do to me if I'm allergic?

~kat:confused:

Its something you need to discuss with your Dr. Big time. Their may be other suture options that he can take that would work better in your situation.

ShannonRT · August 18, 2007

The sutures on the stomach that prevent the band from slipping are permanent. However the subcutaneous ones in each incision are not. Even if they close the skin with staples or Dermabond, there are still absorbable sutures under the skin.

Amelia40 · August 18, 2007

I just had a fill under fluro and asked my surgeon to make sure that everything was okay with the band since I am relocating and will have to see another Dr once I am in FL. What I noticed under FLuro is that he used staples to keep the band in place.