New In Dallas - QUESTION

December 1, 2004

Hi Everyone.

I am new to the forum and new to this whole band thing.

STATS:

Banded - October 22, 2004

Pre-op Weight - 166

Weight today - 160 (Dec 1)

Goal - 125

Height - 5'4"

Age - 39

Surgeon - Dr. Rodriguez, Monterrey, MX

I was wondering if there are any low BMI bandsters like me. My BMI was 28 before I had surgery. I was just looking for someone similar.

Also, I am not feeling the restriction like I hear everyone talk about, so I am having a fill on Friday. Just looking for advice to make sure I am doing the right thing.

Also, it is terrifying me to read about everyone's problems. How do you know if your band has eroded? What makes this happen.

Please help me out.

Laura

leatha_g · December 1, 2004

The main symptom of Erosion would be NO restriction after several fills. In other words - if you go get a fill this week and you don't feel restriction right away. This does not mean you have erosion. You are a new bandster and most of the time new bandsters take anywhere from 2-4 fills to finally feel restriction. However, IF you do finally get restriction and you go along for awhile with restriction, then you begin to feel you need another fill and you go get another and feel nothing, so you go get another and feel nothing, and another and feel nothing, so on... then would be a good time to be checked for erosion. If the band has migrated inside the stomach wall, no matter how much they tighten it, there will be no restriction because it is no longer outside the stomach. Just remember, this is the worst of all complications with the band and according to Inamed, there is still only 1% chance that this could happen.

To me, it's still worth having the band, because even with that complication, it is SO much less devestating to your body and is still removable. Gastric bypass is pretty much a 'forever' thing.