Help my sister, PLEASE!!

[ladyg 0]

Hi guys, I'm new on here, and I'd just like to tell you all first how thrilled I am with how well ur getting on. I am in the UK, and my sister has had a band in for around 7 years, and has had nothing but problems. Her port keeps moving and bands have broken, it's been hell. I'm so proud of her tho, she's just kept going, and has lost approx 13.5 stones since she first started. But she still can't eat normally, she vomits almost everything. She's been coping really well tho, and doing what she can. But she recently had a stroke(age 34!!) and isn't coping so well. Nothing's staying down, and I feel like she's fading away from me. I've been researching, and reading your posts, and I thought you were the best guys to help me help her. Do you have any tips on how to help her keep the food down? She's even throwing up Soup and liquids a lot of the time. Do you have any suggestions on how to get good energy into her without too much sugar as she's also diabetic? And has an intolerance to milk too. She just doesn't look healthy anymore, and I'm scared. Please can you help me?

[donali 57]

Ladyg -

Your sister needs an unfill IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE should be so tight that they vomit on liquids. And with as many problems as she has already had, having a slipped band due to vomiting is the last thing she needs.

Seriously - she needs a reduction in restriction NOW - I cannot stress this enough! She will probably go kicking and screaming - most people reject the idea of loss of restriction, but she needs time to heal. Vomiting creates swelling, which makes her even tighter and more likely to vomit at the next meal.

Since she has been banded for so long she probably knows this anyway, but you as her advocate need to help her.

I am so sorry about her stroke - that is truly frightening!

As far as getting some good nutrition in her, if she is vomiting on liquids you don't have much hope - she's going to end up in the ER on an IV at the rate she's going.

Until you can wear her down and get her to have an unfill, here are my suggestions:

1. Immediately switch to liquids only for a few days to a week to try and allow healing and stop the vomiting.

2. Have her do warm liquids like blended Soups - generally warmth helps relax restriction, and she has a better chance of getting warm liquid down and keeping it there.

3. Add Protein powder and liquid Vitamin to those warm Soups to help with her nutrition.

4. Continue working on her to get an unfill. She is in a dangerous place. Vomiting is NOT going to help her with her weightloss.

Sending you both the best of luck. Maybe she can log-in here herself and get support as well? This is the best group of people around.

Good luck.

[Mita 2]

I am sorry to hear that she is so sick.. What does the Dr Say??? Is her band to tight??? How did the stroke affect her if you do not mind me asking. She is way to young to have had a stroke. I am sure you will get a lot of feed back from the veteren Bandsters. Will keep you all in my prayers

[ladyg 0]

Thanks for a reply, its so good to know there are others out there. This is still fairly new in Scotland, she was originally part of the first trials. I quizzed her about needing some Fluid removed and she's adamant that its ok, as the surgeon removed some after filling as he said it was too tight with what he originally put in. I think I'll keep on at her tho as she's not managing as well as she did. She's always had major problems with vomiting and burping(PB's?) but this is worse. She had her last fill about a week after her stroke in July but it hasn't settled at all really. Would you have any ideas why she has never really been able to eat normal food like the rest of you guys? I know there are always some problem foods, but you all seem to be doing so well with most things. I recently discovered thru the net that you shouldn't drink whilst eating either, she's finding this very hard to stop as she seems to have a constant salty, metallic taste in her mouth, especially while eating. Should I make certain that she stops this? I'll try and get her on here as i think it would be very good for her to have the extra support, but its difficult for her after the stroke. Plus she's dyslexic, which doesn't help!! Thanks so much again

[ladyg 0]

The stroke affected her left side, but not her speech. She hasn't had as much time with the specialists as you all seem to have had. It was done on the NHS so perhaps that's why, but she doesn't have regular contact with the docs, and the GP's in Scotland don't seem to know an awful lot about these things as yet, hence my presence here asking for your help!!

[donali 57]

Ladyg -

I was thinking more about your sister's problems, and was wondering if the doc did a full check on her band at her last fill? It's possible that her band has already slipped, which could be causing these severe problems. Even if they checked at her last fill, based on her symptoms she needs to be checked again. I feel for you, because I know how it is to try and help someone who doesn't feel they need help, but she is definitely in crisis, and needs to have a full band check. Any self-respecting band doc would NOT allow their patient to continue vomiting - they would INSIST on a complete unfill, and would also do the checks to ensure there is no slippage already.

If she has always had these problems, she has either always been too tight, has never learned to slow down and chew well, or has some other physical problem that would have to be diagnosed by a qualified band doc or gastroenterologist.

She MUST have this taken care of - it will not get better by itself.

Oh - and a salty metallic taste would indicate blood. She may be having some sort of internal bleeding. Really sounds like an upper GI is in order.

Drinking with meals is normally only harmful to weightloss, but in this case may be contributing to her vomiting if she is so tight. Undoubtedly this is the only way she feels she can get solid nutrition down. Better for her to blend everything to a liquid at this point, though, as eating solid food that is getting hung up in the pouch due to swelling/over restriction, and then drinking on top of that is a good combo to produce vomiting.

(((hugs)))

[ladyg 0]

I think the doc did a full check but I couldn't be certain. Sorry to be such a pain, but what's an upper GI? I just want to know what I'm talking about when I sit down to talk to her.

[paula 4]

Lady -

Wow, banded for 7 years - I think she wears the crown now. How many bands has your sister had?

[ladyg 0]

sorry, ignore the one about the upper GI, i know what you mean!!

[ladyg 0]

I think it's been 3 different bands in total, she's had to have so much done its hard to keep up! She's had to have the port moved a few times too, they ended up tying it to her ribs last time to try and keep it in place!!

[paula 4]

My goodness... she is certainly dedicated to having this band.

You get a big (((hug))) from LBT for being the BEST SISTER!!!!

[Alexandra 55]

Ladyg, I think your sister's in need of MAJOR band attention. She needs to pay more attention to the other aspects of her health than whether she can lose weight. I know people say they'll hang on to their bands until the doctors pry it from their cold, dead bodies, but that's supposed to be a metaphor. SOME things are more important than weight loss.

[ladyg 0]

well, she was told she wouldn't see 40 if she didn't do something drastic about her weight, and with 3 kids at home it was a scary thought! She lots loads of weight initially, but then ended up putting it back on as it hadn't been filled enough. Then it eroded. Then the next one i think it was broke, etc, etc. So her weight's been up and down over the years. This time, all seemed to be going really well, even tho she couldn't eat much in the way of "real food". She was looking great, and the weight loss was fantastic. But since the stroke and the last fill, it's seems to have been all downhill for her. I'm sure her mental state can't be helping either, she's got so much to try and adjust to right now, it's overwhelming. I just wish she was doing so well as most of the other cases you hear of.

[Penni60 45]

When your sister eroded how long did the surgeons wait to put the next band on? I am truly concerned about your sister's health. Weight loss right now is not at the forefront. She has had a stroke and not getting proper nutrition to help with the recovery from the stroke isn't a good game plan.

Don't make me come over there and kick her butt for you. LOL!!! Please convince her that her life is at stake if she doesn't get the proper care. The salty, metallic taste is certainly a sign of blood. She could be brewing another erosion and a bleeding ulcer. She really needs to be checked out by her band surgeon and or a regular doc if the band surgeon seems disinterested. In all honesty it sounds like she needs to have the band removed and let her body heal some. At the least she needs an unfill. Then go from there.

Keep us posted

[ladyg 0]

Thank you, this has been my worry, that her body isn't getting what it needs to help her recover. I wish someone would come and kick her butt for me!! lol I'm sorry, but it's hard to remember time scales from so long ago, I was only in my late teens at the time she had it done. I think it had been eroded/broken for quite some time as she regained quite a lot of weight and could eat a pretty much normal sized portion of almost anything,. Thanks for all your concern guys