I lost my band and part of my stomach

[Ruthi 60]

Hi Everyone,

I recently lost my band on March (Friday the 13th) due to a sudden onset of pain that was unrelieved by anything I tried even morphine in the ER. It all started on that wonderful Friday, I had some oral surgery the day before and was eating a liquid to soft diet all morning with NO problems. After lunch my jaw was hurting from post op pain and I took a Vicodin and my antibiotic from the oral surgeon and the whole thing started. The pills although broken up got stuck and I started with the horrible pain. It got worse by the minute and within 3 hrs was headed to the emergency room. The first ER sent me home to take laxatives, he couldnt find anything on a CT scan or in the labs. He medicated me with morphine and dilaudid and sent me home on liquid vicodin which I couldnt take. About 1 AM I woke up in more of the same pain and went to a different ER and had an emergency gastrectomy for a necrotic small pouch about 10 hrs later. The surgeon said that the small pouch has become so inflamed (for unknown reasons) that the circulation was cut off from the band and part of it was already becoming necrotic and had to be removed.

This is such a weird type of complication but I do remember for a couple of weeks before this happened, I remember feeling tighter off and on and having less and less of an appetite. At the time I thought it was a great thing, my lap band was working... I should have said something to my lap band doctor then.

I now have an elongated esophagus (the small pouch is now esophagus) and somewhat smaller stomach) My surgeon said it was sort of a modified sleeve. I have continued to lose weight as before but just slightly faster. I entered onederland this morning (my happy dance is still going on).

I was devistated at losing my band, if I could, I would do it again but that wont be happening. I am a self pay and felt I may have just wasted 18 K. My new surgeon isnt sure if the modified sleeve is causing the weight loss that I had recently or if its just part of the heeling process. He said he recommended the full gastric sleeve if I start gaining. If I can afford it I will.

This is not a story to scare anyone from getting the band, I just wanted everyone to understand that complications can happen to ANYONE. It sometimes isnt anyone's fault, they just happen. Everyone's body is different. I wish you all the best of luck with your band or future bands. I feel blessed to have had mine for even 6 months.

Ruthi

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Ruth - how many fills did you have and how many cc's in your band? So, if I read your post correctly - the inflammation of your pouch caused the band to get so tight that it cut off circulation to your pouch and parts of it started to die? That's horrible. I am glad you are doing better now. Does your original surgeon know about all of this? I'm sure by now he/she does. I think you are much better off with the anatomy that you have now. After only my second fill (total of 3cc's) I began having trouble with reflux and pain. My surgeon was blaming me for what and how I was eating until he got the results of the upper GI and called me in that day to get a slight unfill (of 1cc). My pouch and esophagus were swollen. I am not fooling around with the band. That is why I am going for a second opinion this week armed with all my test results. This doctor is more experienced and I want a new set of eyes looking at everything. When we read of all the complications - some very serious, like yours- that can happen with the band, we must be diligent about keeping an eye on all symptoms and problems and report them immediately to our surgeons. Good luck.

[Ruthi 60]

I had a total of 7.8 cc's in a realize band. My band surgeon does know about the complication and actually trained with the surgeon that did the repair surgery. No one blamed me for doing anything wrong and both surgeons were extremely supportive. I was lucky I only spent a week in the hospital although 5 days of that was in intensive care. Even with surgery as with many other things, attitude is everything. Good luck to you also