My Band Is Out - 6 Weeks After Getting It

[BearSpiritGuide 0]

I have been suffering for six weeks: having some good days but mostly bad days. Good days = able to eat and drink small amounts of food. Bad days = nothing goes down at all.

We had been working with my surgeon from the very beginning to figure it out and frankly I was starting to get the feeling from my Dr. that he was a little pissed off at me for not trying harder. The tension was getting so bad between him and my wife that he stated that he could not communicate with her anymore and would only speak to me - she was very forceful in pushing for a solution from the Dr.

About the 4th week into the ordeal my stomach shut down all together and I spent 6 days in the hospital - Upper GI showed a partially slipped band and an upper pouch 5 times bigger than it should be with fluids and gas - nothing was passing the band. With drugs and and going back onto a liquid diet I was able to start taking food again. My Dr. again asked what I was doing differently to cause this.

A week and a half after getting out of the hospital, I was no longer able to take anything down. I was sent to the ER by my Dr. and an another Upper GI - my 6th in 6 weeks - showed a very slipped band, it had slipped down. My Dr. suggest exploratory surgery to fix the slippage and get the band re-seated. My wife and I had already decided that if I had to have surgery again the band was coming out.

After going back and forth with my Dr about keeping the band he finally conceded that we were not going to keep it.

On the surgery table: As soon as he looked inside of me to see what was going on he was quoted as saying, "Holy Crap"

My body was allergic to the plastic from the band and it had tried to encapsulate the entire band, line and port in scar tissue and fat. You should see the pictures, he gave us a snap shot in HD of my insides. He knew that the band HAD to come out then - and my wife said that when he came out to the waiting room to tell her what had gone on his attitude had been drastically changed.

So my band is out, but I had lost 55 pounds in the 6 week starvation diet and that combined with the 30 pound loss in the pre-op diet makes me at a total loss of 85 pounds.

My attitude about food and taking care of my body is so very different now that I have no doubt I will continue to lose and keep it off - besides my wife said she would kick my ass if I gain any back.

Moral of the story is - don't wait too long if you having issues, keep pushing your Dr for answers.

-BSG

[RestlessMonkey 7]

WOW! Thanks for sharing! Now we know yes the body CAN reject the band, rare though it is (lucky you, huh?)

Glad it's out; glad you didn't wait longer! Hope now that everything is much easier for you! Take care and heal well

[GoneFishin 0]

Have you considered an alternative type of surgery?

[Sarah.R 2]

Wow, I knew people could have reactions to the silicone but that's amazing that you've had to go thru that, I mean it's great that you lost some weight but the way that it happened was horrible. Hope you feel better.

[ALuv82 0]

I'm glad to hear you got your band out. While I'm very happy so far with my band, it has not been all smooth sailing. I too had a lot of trouble getting food and Water down and had to go in early for an unfill. What you went through sounds so much worse. Obviously the band is not 100% and it didn't work for you. Your Dr. should have listened to you. While I am not an MD, I am a Dr. (veterinarian) and it makes me ashamed to hear of patients being treated that way. Even if he didn't know what was going on and there was a chance that perhaps you were doing something wrong (which you obviously weren't) he should not have taken an chances. Hopefully he learned his lesson. Take care and good luck on your journey to keep off the weight you lost and hopefully lose the rest.

[heartfire 4]

Wow! What an ordeal! I'm so very sorry you had to go through all of that!

I hope that everything heals well and you can get on with your life. I'm sure a lot got "interrupted" with all of this. Must have been horrible for you.

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Best wishes to you and I hope you do well!

[Jaffa 5]

I'm sorry, but I think you are being fed a total line of bullshit.

So the doctor gets in there and "WOW, your problem isn't anything I did wrong, that you could sue me for, instead it is a mystery rejection."

I have heard this before, even on this board, and it is in my opinion a total line of crap. This is just a clever way of getting you to think it is nothing wrong with what he did, and therefore nothingn to sue over.

Always follow the money trail, or the yellow brick road, both will take you to the truth.

[Teeparty 0]

I am so sorry you had to go through all of that pain and agony, BSG. I am grateful that you decided to share your story. It is an important reminder to pay attention to our bodies and "gut".

I am glad that you are in a good place now. Your wife sounds like good people.

[Libbyjane1976 1]

Wow sorry you went through such a horrible ordeal. Good luck with the rest of your WL journey!

[Cleo's Mom 257]

BSG: I am so sorry you had to go through this ordeal but am glad you will now be on your way to recovery. The part of the story that I can identify with is the doctor's attitude. Though I didn't have anywhere near the degree of problems you had, my former doctor overfilled me and then blamed me when I immediately had pain, reflux and heartburn for how and what I was eating. However, when he saw the results of my upper GI, he saw the trouble I was in and called me in immediately for an unfill. His attitude was completely different then. Very concerned, etc.. Having a good relationship with your doctor, having him listen to you and having confidence in him is so important. My doctor's lack of experience (I was only his 23rd band) showed when I had problems. I promptly got a second opinion and switched doctors. Should you ever decide to do another surgery - don't go back to this doctor. He obviously doesn't listen. Also, if you think there was medical malpractice, get a good attorney and your healthy insurance should be on your side, too, as they have had to pay for all of this. Good luck and I hope you get better. Take care.

[BearSpiritGuide 0]

Thanks everyone.

No more surgeries for me - I did not handle coming out of surgery well, it was a major struggle for me. So I will be avoiding surgery at all costs.

My plan is to join Weight Watchers and exercise to lose more and keep it off.

Odd thing about this, the last upper GI showed that the scar tissue that formed around the band left a ring of scar tissue in the same place as the band, so I have like a natural lap band in place. Definitely not as constricting as a band but I am sure it will help in reducing my intake.

-BSG

[Nanook 2]

Sorry you had such a traumatic experience with the band but good that you have a wife who will advocate for you!

Although I did not go through such a trauma before my band was removed I do remember that feeling of restriction afterward but for me it didn't last. Having gone through what you've gone through I don't think I would have thought about doing anything else to your insides!

You know the bad side of all of this but on a positive note you did lose the majority of the weight you wanted to lose and I wish you luck and good health with your future, Nancy.

[sandi1011 0]

wow what a story, so glad you are ok.

keep us updated on your weight loss.

good luck

[HeatherO 7]

I am so sorry you had to go through this and even more sorry that your doctor did not pay closer attention to your issues.

I wish you a speedy recovery and much success with weight loss down the road.

[Biglilmama75 0]

Speedy recovery to you and thank you for sharing your story!