the Masqued Gall Bladder

[IM_LORI 0]

OK, here is my nightmare rendition of my gall bladder experience. Just want everyone to know NOT to blame all the problems on the band. I made that mistake for 7 months.

I had it in Tijuana Mexico last October 19th, 2007. GREAT experience. I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. Late November I had my first fill, 1.6 cc. very small. Within 1 month I was miserable. Couldn't eat, always felt so full I could hardly drink. So we assumed too tight. I went back and got it all out. Still felt too tight. By January I was getting reflux. Another month, MAJOR gastro-esophageal reflux and a complete inability to eat any sort of meat, spicy foods, fried foods, etc..... It got so severe I got esphageal erosion, major scarring of my esophagus. The scarring was so extensive, I had to have 4 endoscopies to dilate it back open enough to get food down. I lived off of liquids and ice cream for months. Numerous CT scans, ultrasounds, barium swallows, ER visits, living off pain meds. Nobody could ever figure out why by "band" was causing me so much problems. I lived off of Nexium for acid reflux and it didn't work. Finally my gastro-enterologist, late July, told me I needed to take my band out. I had lost 75 pounds at this point. I very willingly went back to my surgeon in Mexico demanding to have my band out. At this point I didn't care, my lifestyle was so compromised and miserable. I was so sick, missing work constantly, in horrendous pain, couldn't sleep lying down for months, horrible pressure in my mid-chest area that would radiate to the back. So are you getting any clues yet?

I go down my my original surgeon in Mexico, ready to have my band out that night, and as he's asking me TONS of questions, he notices one thing I say. I don't get food stuck. I don't choke on my food, I NEVER vomit, never slime, never have troubles actually eating. It's always just pain, and acid reflux coming up my esophagus. He told me he didn't think it was my band, but to look at my gall bladder. I told him numerous ultrasounds showed now stones. He says it may be acalculous cholecystitis, basically a diseased non-functioning gall bladder, but not stones. I came back to the states, had a HIDA scan, which checks gall bladder function, not for stones like an ultrasound. My gall bladder function was 8%. I had my gall bladder removed August 1st, last month, and every problem disappeared completely overnight.

The day I came home from the hospital, I could eat again, ANYTHING I wanted, and in MASSIVE quantities. I was shocked. I had lost 75 pounds not from my band, but from my gall bladder causing bile reflux up my esophagus. I had a swollen pancreas from the bile being so backed up. It was swollen, inflamed, elongated and ready to burst when they removed it. The entire time, every single ER doctor, my gastro-enterologist here in the states, and my primary care physician, kept treating me for heartburn. I kept telling them this was NOT heart burn, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't lay down, can't eat, have horrendous pain. When they finally realized they mis-diagnosed me for 6 months, they were ALL profusely apologetic. Unfortunatley my symptoms coincided exactly with when I had my band placed, and they were all so narrow minded they never looked outside of anything except it being band related. Within hours of getting the results of the HIDA scan, I had 3 physicians calling me, writing me Rx for pain killers urging me to see a surgeon immediately. I called, and got an appt for a consult 2 weeks in the future. I was shocked! I was soooooooo sick. I called their office 5 times a day for 4 days asking if they had any cancellations. The last day, I went to their office myself, crying, fever, shaking, pleading to get it out, and I actually stated if he couldn't do it that day, I"m sure I could find directions on the internet and do it myself They got me in the hospital within an hour, and removed it.

So since August 1st, life has been GREAT! Now for the first time, I am finding out how the band works. 11 months later, how ironic. I'm 25 pounds from goal, and this is HARD now! I had my first fill 2 weeks ago and definately need another one this weekend. It was a lot easier to lose when my gall bladder was bad, cuz I couldn't eat anything! hahahah The weight FLEW off.

But I feel great now, have energy again, can sleep, NO REFLUX! my esophagus has healed about 90%. THere is still a small amount of scarring and narrowing but it's managable.

I have NO confidence in the doctors here. The only thing they heard is I got my band in Mexico and they looked no further. THey assumed I went to some quack surgeon down there. The only favor my gastroenterologist did for me, was to tell me to get my band removed. That prompted me to contact my original surgeon in Mexico who found the real problem. THe funny things is, when I look back at it all, my original problem I went to my primary care doc and told him I think I have a gall bladder problem. He ordered an ultrasound and found no stones so they quit pursuing that avenue. I had complete intolerance to meats, spicy foods, geasy foods, all typical of gall bladder. Pressure in the epigastric area after eating, also very typical. Pain in the mid-chest, to right rib area, radiating into the back, classic gall bladder symptom. Everybody missed it though because it absolutely started within weeks of getting my band.

I'm happy again, life is GOOD! :embaressed_smile:

[*susan* 1,709]

Wow, you poor thing to have gone through so much for so long. I am glad your original surgeon was able to finally correctly diagnosis your issues.

I think this is a good lesson for everyone, if you are having medical issues, don't automatically assume it is the band, because it could very well be something else.

[KJDVILLE 1]

Wow, Thanks for posting your story....sounds like a very rough 6 months. Having had my surgery done in Tijuana I totally agree that

all the doctors here in the states always want to put the blame on

the surgeons in Mexico....

[incipientesquire 0]

you should seriously consider contacting an attorney in your area who handles medical malpractice to attempt to compensate for missed work, pain & suffering ... Most importantly, stay well!

[Nan Band 0]

IM Lori,

I think I am having the same problem as you. I was banded 4/23/08 and had my first fill end of May and had no problems until early August when I suddenly became tight and with reflux. I had an unfill and felt alittle better and a week later was back tight again. I then had another small unfill and did okay for a few days and again was tight again, refluxing, unable to sleep flat. I talked with my surgeon in Monterrey and was advised to get everything out of band and stay on liquids for a week and take prilosec. I'm now two weeks post unfill and I'm still miserable. I have thought about maybe the band needs to come out.:girl_hug:

Please email me NRowell@aol.com. I need more advice please.