Pretty sure slipped band

[marsha 0]

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<o:p> If anyone has experience with slippage like this, please continue to share. All of this informaiton in this thread has been really helpful. I noted the smoking, coffee, chocolate, mint and articicial sweetners as triggers. This week I am going to cut out these items (coffee has already been reduced to 2x's per week from daily.)</o:p>

Hi,

I havent posted in a really long time. I've had my band for 5 years. I've been a pretty good band patient in that I eat well (avoid junk food) and I've lost a majority of my weight (the last 25lbs have stuck with me). I have only pb'd once and that was about 4 months after my surgery. About 2 years into my banding I had a problem with reflux. I had all my fill removed and and upper gi and endoscopy done. Everything was ok so the doctor changed my gerd medication and I returned to normal. At that time they refilled my band to 2.2cc (the most I ever had was 2.5) and although I didn't have much restriction the doctor refused to increase my fill due to risk of return of the reflux. Since then (that was 3 years ago) I lost another 15 lbs and was doing fine until November (about 4 months ago). I noticed that I completely lost restriction at all but only sometimes. Other times my band was tight as could be and a few bites would get me to stop eating. I thought this was just my band being tempermental :-) Then in December I got some severe left shoulder pain and pain just under my left rib cage when I ate. I switched to liquids and a few days later it went away. I was fine for about a month, then the same thing happend in January. This time I called my gastroenterologist and he ordered a gallbladder ultrasound, and an endoscopy. The gallbladder came back fine, the endoscopy showed mild gastritis but the doctor said something very strange to me after the endoscopy. He said "Are you sure you have a band? Because I see no evidence of it at all". I immediately called my fill doctor here (I'm a mexican bandster) and he said get an upper gi. I had it done yesterday and the report states " there is no evidence of an upper pouch. It appears that the lapband has slipped and is located at the gastroesophageal junction". So, I'll be seeing my US fill doctor on Wed. The weirdest thing is that I have NEVER vomitted. And, I can count on 1 hand how many times I have "slimmed". I still don't have any difficulty eating...I do get that soft stop feeling once in a while. I'm hoping I don't have to get my band removed. After 5 years, we're best buddies!

[morningoasis811 1]

Hi Needto and Marsha,

Thank you for your replies. I was so baffled by all this weird abdominal pain. so good to know i'm not a lone. my GP referred me to the GI specialist because my band dr. didn't think it was related. I am so glad this forum is here.

My revision surgery on Tue 3/3 is being planned as a fix/reposition my existing band or worst case removal. I still don't know if my insurance will approve it or not. I find out on monday i guess. My surgeon says that another band or the gastric sleeve would be a viable option for me as a replacement in the future if they end up having to remove it... ugh. Now i'm worried that wouldn't be approved, as someone mentioned... I'd have to gain 100lbs back to qualify or something crazy.

Anyhow... I am trying to get used to the idea of life without the band and all my fears with that. I've made some pro's and con's list that have helped. If it does get taken out, there is less chance of more complications down the road or while i'm pregnant (would like to start trying this year). But i've grown to be friends with my band. I pleaded to my surgeon about how I've really adapted to living with it as a tool and working with it. I rely on it to keep me in line.

good luck gals, keep us posted.

[marsha 0]

Hi Morningoasis,

I'm glad you're going to get this taken care of. I forgot to mention that some of my pain was very simular to yours...I couldn't take a deep breath either.

I'll be interested to hear if your insurance will pay for this. I looked up my policy with BC/BS and it states: "No coverage for bariatric surgery including reversal, revision, repeat and staged surgery, except for the treatment of sickness or injury resulting from such bariatric surgery, or unless required by law." I'm hoping they consider abdominal pain when eating sometimes a "sickness" . If not, then I'll have to go back to Mexico and I'm not looking foward to that with all the killing going on there. Ofcourse, I could always wait until the band causes me a "sickness" :thumbup:

I am also worried about living without my band. Although I never got to goal, my band has kept me from gaining it all back. I hope that repositioning is all we'll need.

Take Care,

Marsha

[Band_Groupie 3]

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> I noted the smoking, coffee, chocolate, mint and articicial sweetners as triggers. This week I am going to cut out these items (coffee has already been reduced to 2x's per week from daily.)</o:p>

Just curious...are you saying these things caused a slippage? I know smoking & caffeine are on the 'NO' list, but I hadn't heard anything about the others causing problems for banders (I know artificial sweetners cause some problems for RnY patients). I'm a chocolate fiend and have been collecting recipes with artificial sweetners.

Hope you all come through this well. Best Wishes.

[j80111 0]

I think I had your symptoms (fluid in the mouth in the middle of the night)...I went in & had 1cc removed. New problem is that now my throat makes all these weird noises & I have a dull pain betw my shoulder blades? What was it that you took to take the swelling down? THKS!

[amywin12 0]

I think I had your symptoms (fluid in the mouth in the middle of the night)...I went in & had 1cc removed. New problem is that now my throat makes all these weird noises & I have a dull pain betw my shoulder blades? What was it that you took to take the swelling down? THKS!

I wish I had a good answer for you! But, I was not lucky enough to have an ufill fix the problem. I went in for surgery tue 3/3 and had my band removed and replaced. So I am almost a week post op. I had my old band 4 yrs. This new band is a Realize band. I am not sure if there is a difference yet. So far, so good. I haven't had any reflux, but am still on liquids.. Good luck!

[Boysaway 0]

I had almost identical symptoms in that my band appeared to be getting tighter with each unfill and even totally unfilled I struggled to get Water down in the end. Anyway to cut a long story short I had surgery fully expecting to lose my band but they found the problem was caused by adhesions from the original op and were able to snip them away and release the stomach, which had been twisting under the tension from the fibrosis. My band survived intact and I have now got to follow the original regime and give it six weeks to settle down.

Needless to say this was a huge relief and apart from gas pains I'm doing much better now. So there are other reasons for symptoms other than slippage or erosion.

Kind Regards to All

[hakunamatata_ca 0]

Just curious...are you saying these things caused a slippage? I know smoking & caffeine are on the 'NO' list, but I hadn't heard anything about the others causing problems for banders (I know artificial sweetners cause some problems for RnY patients). I'm a chocolate fiend and have been collecting recipes with artificial sweetners.

Hope you all come through this well. Best Wishes.

I am not banded but just been looking into all the options and reading a lot. This is the first I have seen about coffee and smoking. What does that mean? I do both regularly:scared2:

[Band_Groupie 3]

If you look above my post she (morningoasis) had a list of things she thought were triggers and my question was; triggers for slippage? She hasn't answered yet.

My doc told people to give up smoking (for reg. health reasons, I'm not a smoker) and most docs don't want you to drink caffeine at least initially because it's a diuretic and they want you not to get dehydrated, some also say it increases appetite. I'd never heard of any of these being related to slippage, so I hope someone can clear this up.

Edited March 10, 2009 by Band_Groupie

[amillar 0]

I too am so sorry you are having to remove the band. I have just gone through much of the same. I just returned from a four day hospital stay after having to have my band removed, but then replaced. The band had slipped quite a bit, but the worst part they didnt find out until they got in there, and that was that my stomach had fused to my liver. I let this go on for a LONG time. I didnt want any one messing with my band. I went from 286 to 126 and have no desire to return there. The dr thought it was going to be a simple surgery putting the band back in place. However, a one hour surgery, turned into over hour hours and four days in the hospital to recoop. I asked the dr what could have made it slipp and he said anything from loosing alot of weight to binge eatting. I did throw up ALOT and OFTEn the first couple of years, but didnt tell anyone. I wanted the weight loss more than life itself. And it came to almost my life. So, my advise to everyone, please follow the dr. orders on what to eat, the amounts and how often. And just as importantly communicate with you dr all and any problems you have!!!!! My best to everyone!

BTW...why Mexico to have the band removed?

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

If you look above my post she (morningoasis) had a list of things she thought were triggers and my question was; triggers for slippage? She hasn't answered yet.

My doc told people to give up smoking (for reg. health reasons, I'm not a smoker) and most docs don't want you to drink caffeine at least initially because it's a diuretic and they want you not to get dehydrated, some also say it increases appetite. I'd never heard of any of these being related to slippage, so I hope someone can clear this up.

Caffeine really isn't a diuretic. It is when you first start consuming it but not after you are used to large quantities.

Caffeine changes the lining of your stomach so that it empties faster and that defeats the whole purpose of the surgery.

Caffeine and smoking.... not sure how either one could be related to slips.

[Band_Groupie 3]

Caffeine changes the lining of your stomach so that it empties faster and that defeats the whole purpose of the surgery.

Wow! I'd never hear that! Thanks.