2 stories of complications with the band

shellyj · September 23, 2003

this is something i copied from another message board these both happened in the last month. please keep these folks in your prayers and thoughts. i am not trying to be negative by posting these, just want everyone to know the possabilities...

I would have never thought I'd be included in those complication stats we all read about, but I was. Even though complication rates for this surgery are very low, complications are very possible as my experience demonstrates. I was banded 8/25 and all went well until my barium swallow test the next day. When the liquid wouldn't move, the radiologist suggested that my band may be too tight, but my surgeon decided to wait. Hours after my test, I became extremely nauseous and began spitting up the liquid from the swallow test. The next day this continued and my surgeon decided to open me back up that night. When he went in, he found that the top part of my stomach had come up through the band and flipped over the bottom part. Also, what really alarmed him was that the bottom part of my stomach tissue was the normal pink color, and the top part was a dark purple. He decided that my stomach was too traumatized to attempt rebanding, which I fully agree with at this point (when I was told my band was removed I was very upset and emotional; not nearly as rational and logical as I am now!) My stomach is healing fine, and after much thought and discussion with my surgeon, I've decided to attempt rebanding at the end of October (before scar tissue forms). This time my surgeon will add a double row of stitches to keep my stomach and the band from slipping. Before my first surgery I was fairly calm since I figured everything would go according to plan. But now, I'm pretty nervous and I'm hoping and praying that everything goes well this time around. Please wish me luck!

heres the second one

I am not writing to discourage anyone but to share my own experience. I am now 6 days post op and am going in tomorrow to have the band removed. It failed! The band is to tight for me and a post op blockage occured that has not cleared. I have had the most niserable week in my life. At the end of this I would have invested eight monts of time, thousands of dollars and god knows how much anxiety and have only scars, and black and blue arms to show for it. There are real people behind those statistics. I am not looking for any sympathy here. Just want to remind all that we get caught up in the potential positives and forget that there are risks. My main caution here is for large men. The band only comes in one size in the USA. Women seem to do well with it. Men...well I am now a statistic. Make sure you have a discusion with your doctor about this posibility. Make sure you have an exit strategy. Make sure you understand that if blockage does occure you will be in for one long nightmare and potentially either have it cleared up or have the band removed. Stay the course and follow your dream. Just be aware.

again i copied these from another mesage board. if anyone is interested in sending well wishes and support i'll tell you where to get their email. it is publically listed but i didnt want to take the liberty to give it out here.

FDATrialGuineaPig · September 23, 2003

Unfortunately this a very real possibility. A friend of mine is having his band installed soon and his doctor was VERY straightforward with him about this complication. The doctor said it's because occasionally someone has a stomach that is just too thick and the band has only been approved at one size in the US. My friend, obviously is praying that he isn't one of those people! However he's come to terms with the possibility and is still going through with the surgery in spite of it. Inamed needs to get on the ball and get different size bands approved!

shellyj · September 23, 2003

i cant believe they dont offer a larger size! obviously 'one size fits all' is not a reality! my heart broke when i read both of those.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts

that is a link to the obesity help message board where these were listed.

quakergirl · September 24, 2003

I feel bad for those people. I know I would have been crushed if the band had failed for me like that.

BUT...when you compare these worst case scenarios to the worst case scenarios with the RNY, I think the band is still the better choice. I've heard stories of RNY patients spending weeks in the ICU, or having such horrible hemorrhaging that the blood came out of both ends of their digestive tract. The band may cause pain and unpleasantness, but at least you probably won't die from it.

Alexandra · September 24, 2003

Thanks for posting these, Michelle. It is good to know what the worst-case scenarios are. I'm thrilled to see that the people to whom these unpleasant events happened are posting the stories themselves, though! With RNY negative turnouts you often see the "angels" posting the bad news, because the patients are still in the hospital.

To put the risks in perspective, though, I'm mindful of the horror stories of difficult childbirth I've heard. The risks involved in that are enormous, every time, and of course it's higher risk for some than for others. But we still do it!

As band technology improves, the number of patients for whom surgery is not advisable will be smaller and smaller. For now, it makes sense that a single size of band will not necessarily fit all. But the dreaded negative outcome of banding surgery seems to be...no band. Well, I can live with that!

shellyj · September 24, 2003

i found a third story different scenario.

Thanks for all the replys! I have had problems with the band from the beginning! 2 days after the Surgery I was admitted back into the hospital! I could not even keep my own saliva down. After a week in the hospital I had lost 25 pounds and of course I could not even have a drink of water! All I had was an IV. When they took a picture of the band it was not quite placed where it is normally on most patients but they felt that it could work! For the first 2 months I was on mostly liquids and soft foods. All together I have lost 45 pounds! I have never been able to keep down chicken no matter how many chews I chew. I have vomited almost everyday since I went to solid foods, 3 months after surgery. I don't think I have lost alot of weight because I will eat ice cream many times after I vomit to soothe my throat. At first I thought it was me, maybe I was eating too much or not chewing enough. Then my best friend had the band done it April and she is DOING GREAT!! We can sit down and she will eat more than me, same kind of food, and her band is tighten and mind is completely empty and I will still vomit. So I realized that the band is just not working for me! This had caused me to have bloody ulcers and I am on a double dose of previcid. The Drs have decided that my band needs to come out. I was hoping they just revise it but the Dr says there is no guarantee he could do that! Thats why I have decided on the RNY. I refuse to go back to my old weight. For all you bandsters to be: my Dr says that my case does not happen very often! Like I said before, my bestfriend is doing great and she hasnt vomited once! Best of luck to everyone!!!!!!