Do they HAVE to remove all the saline when you get preggo?

[aprildurham23 0]

DH and I are REALLY trying to get preggo. I was banded in Dec 08 and have lost about 30lbs. (I'm at 195 now.)

Pre-op I was 224.

Surgery day I was 208.

I've gone from 208 to 195 in the past month due to diet and exercise.

The doctor was NOT aggressive with my fills, and FINALLY I am at that "sweet spot." Well, almost. I think another fill will do it. But anyway, the LAST thing I need is for him to take ANYTHING out!!! I will refuse to tell him I'm even preggo if he wants to take some out. I think I am at 6 cc's in my 10cc band. If he takes any out, I will certainly gain weight during my pregnancy and that is last thing I need. Right now I am getting plenty of calories and taking prenatals plus Calcium+D supplements. AND metformin as well.

Waiting to get pregnant isn't an option at this point as we are ready to start TTC.

So is this possible?

Also, at EVERY fill the doctor removes ALL the saline to make sure I don't have a leak, then puts it ALL back in. The removing of the saline is VERY painful. Like pinching, hurting...OW. I think my stiches are happy where they are!

anywhoo, any advice would be great.

[Cherry_Blue 0]

I think it depends on the obgyn and your doctor. My band doctor and Obgyn did not want to take any out. It was their belief that not gaining weight during pregnancy would be more beneficial to me and the baby. He monitored my babies growth strictly and insisted I see a dietician every week with a detailed food diary.

All went well until I was 21 weeks and could not hold anything down, so I had a partial unfil at my request and it helped alot.

I gained in total 15 kilos (not sure of lbs, sorry) and I gave birth just over 2 weeks ago and I have been refilled and have lost half of that weight.

I do have a friend whos doctor insisted she get totally emptied when pregnant. Her doctor said it was for safety reasons, incase they had to put a tube down her throat.

So I guess its up to the individual. But I would recomend that if your band does get tighter and you can't hold anything down, get some taken out.........good luck

[comtemplating 0]

Well- I think like most things with the band it really depends on her dr's philosophy. With that being said- I came across an interesting article today- I googled "pregnancy after lapband surgery " and received the following article. This is only the title but you should be able to locate it- sorry, not really computer savy and don't know how to post a link!!!!!

Pregnancy after Lap-Band® Surgery: Management

of the Band to Achieve Healthy Weight Outcomes

John B. Dixon, MBBS, Dip RACOG, FRACGP; Maureen E. Dixon, BSc,

Dip Ed; Paul E. O’Brien, MD, FRACS

Monash University Department of Surgery, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

[Lauren_Dew 53]

My doctor is fully supportive of keeping my fill during pregnancy EXCEPT, if i am having bad morning sickness and am vomiting, he will want to take liquid out. He says that vomiting is really risky and can cause slippages and since i won't be able to have floro (no xrays while pregnant) he won't be able to check to see if the band is ok.

If i do have some taken out due to morning sickness, then i can always have it filled back up one the morning sickness passes (2nd trimester or so).

But i am with you on wanting to have my fill to help me control pregnancy weight gain!

[Motherof3 0]

I have a long story which I will try not to bore you with. 1.5yrs ago I was pregnant; I decided to get an unfill, since I had not gained any weight at 3mths, plus that is what the Dr. recommended. The Dr. doing the fill, (not the surgeon) said he had unfilled me completely. At 6 mths I noticed restriction, I thought it was the baby growing and pressing on my stomach. The last trimester it went from bad to worse. I lost wt during my pregnancy, but my OB was not worried since he said the baby is growing fine and I was overwt to begin with. On the 8-9th month I could not eat, much less drink. I was in bed weak and thirsty. Most of the time, everything that went down came right back up. I went to ER--etc. I had low potasium that could at the end stop my heart, due to dehydration. IV was given to me, but due to lack of knowledge on the band, the ER physician did not do much else. I finally had my full term healthy baby boy at 7lbs. 7 days after my delivery I went to see the fill Dr. and was told that I had 2cc's left in there, that had caused all of my issues, if I would of come in before, it would had avoided my complications. **I was never unfilled at 3 mths as I was told.

I waited 3-4mths after that to recover, the wt started to creep up, so I was told I got get another fill, since the band looked ok, the anatomy of it had changed but it was not an issue said the Fill MD. I got .8cc's, then a couple mths later I got another fill which took me to 1.2cc's. My NIGHTMAREs returned! I had night cough/regurgitating at night/heartburn, etc. I say my Dr. today, my band has slipped and I will most likely loose the band.

The case would have been different if I would have seen my lap band surgeon on time. I was just too scared to pass the US border into TJ,MX at 7-9mths pregnant, while feeling so weak. I also did not want any x-rays or any barium while pregnant. I chose to suffer, rather then harm my baby.

I hope this helps. If you decide to keep a fill, as soon as you feel any restriction, see your md for an unfill, it is not fun to go thru everything I have gone thru.

[AliWick 0]

I am 14 weeks pregnant and had my band put in last summer. I chose to have all my saline removed to make sure I wasn't depriving my baby of any nutrients. My surgeon and GP both said they would do whatever it takes to get the weigh off again after the baby, but that this was a good choice. I also figured, I wouldn't learn how to eat around the band while pregnant and loose the effectiveness of the band all together. At least I can have it re-filled after the baby.

[HeatherO 7]

I felt the same way in the beginning and insisted on keeping some Fluid. I ended up having three emergency unfills until I was emptied around 6-7 months preggers. After I was emptied at the end of pregnancy, I again felt the need for an emergency unfill but my band was empty. Nothing I could do but bear it. The last day in the hospital after I had the baby I had a bad vomiting episode after taking a darvocet.

My band slipped while it was empty and I was in the hospital. I had emergency surgery to replace it last Friday.

I realize now that I was foolish to worry about keeping Fluid in. I was so worried about not gaining too much . . . didn't realize I was going to lose my band over it. Now I agree with the doctors, empty it out right away and realize that even empty you are still not 100% safe. You can still lose your band with one bad vomiting episode.

[ckelly37 1]

When i found out i was preggers i decided it was best for me to have all my Fluid removed...ill be 9 weeks tomorrow have no fluid in my band and still dont eat a lot (not that i feel restriction) im just not hungry to eat like i used 2..i think when u get pregnant and ur hormones change its a good idea to remove all ur saline have ur baby and start over again when the baby is born it wont do any harm (the weight we are gaining is baby weight)...good luck to everyone

[olgi330 0]

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and had not had any saline taken out yet. Baby is growing great, very active little girl in there, I and I am able to take my calories and Vitamins. I just have to eat the usual smaller meals more frequently due to the normal increase in hunger that comes with pregnancy. As baby gets bigger I will deflate the band a bit since the organs will be moved around by the really big uterus.

DH and I are REALLY trying to get preggo. I was banded in Dec 08 and have lost about 30lbs. (I'm at 195 now.)

Pre-op I was 224.

Surgery day I was 208.

I've gone from 208 to 195 in the past month due to diet and exercise.

The doctor was NOT aggressive with my fills, and FINALLY I am at that "sweet spot." Well, almost. I think another fill will do it. But anyway, the LAST thing I need is for him to take ANYTHING out!!! I will refuse to tell him I'm even preggo if he wants to take some out. I think I am at 6 cc's in my 10cc band. If he takes any out, I will certainly gain weight during my pregnancy and that is last thing I need. Right now I am getting plenty of calories and taking prenatals plus Calcium+D supplements. AND metformin as well.

Waiting to get pregnant isn't an option at this point as we are ready to start TTC.

So is this possible?

Also, at EVERY fill the doctor removes ALL the saline to make sure I don't have a leak, then puts it ALL back in. The removing of the saline is VERY painful. Like pinching, hurting...OW. I think my stiches are happy where they are!

anywhoo, any advice would be great.

[KikiVal315 4]

as soon as i found out i was pg, i had some taken out. i have a 4cc band. back in march i was at 3.6cc and they took everything out to 1.5cc, so that's what i have in now. i gained about 60ish pounds (too chicken to weigh now!) and yes, gaining this much weight was my fault. you should really think about taking some Fluid out. don't hurt your baby or yourself and worry about gaining some weight back. just think about it...don't keep your band too full/tight.

[Pnw_Red 2]

My doc (OB doc AND surgeon) were happy to let me keep my fill until I needed an unfill if I had severe morning sickness or was losing weight. I figured I wouldn't need one for a while since I was running fairly loose.

Well, at 8 weeks, I ended up in the hospital with a gall bladder attack including severe vomitting for about 24 hours. I got an unfill. The doc who unfilled me didn't want to draw really hard on the band so there may be a little left in there yet.

My doc now wants me to remain unfilled in case I have another gall bladder attack. If I can make it another month or so without, she would let me get some Fluid put back in.

That said, I haven't gained any weight the last three weeks and my general pregnancy food aversions are working to help keep things under control. Unless I start gaining crazy amounts of weight, I may just leave it unfilled.

I know it's hard to fathom actually gaining weight right now. I don't know how much weight you still want to lose, but I think you can just keep losing until you get pregnant and then try to maintain. My doc is fine with me maintaining my weight (I'm still 60 pounds over my goal weight) but she is NOT ok with me continuing to lose.

Hopefully you can find a happy medium. Just be sure to take care of yourself, even if it means gaining a few baby pounds. Your band is still there and will be ready and willing to go after babe is born!

[Dani-X 0]

Hormonal changes in my body seem to cause fluctuations in my band... so when I found out I was pregnant, I ended up needing a slight unfill as I suddenly became tight. I ended up having a second unfill but still have some pretty good restriction when I need it so I'm at a good place.

Yes, you can have all of the saline taken out but you only need another 300 calories/day for the baby in the second and third trimesters so if you can manage without a complete unfill, I would go for it.

The hardest thing for me has been the body change. I was at my goal weight for nearly a year and a half and then to see me get fat again was devastating. I wasn't ready for it... and no, nobody else would ever call me fat but it's just how I feel. I'm not 155 lbs anymore :bored:

Anyway, keeping your fill (if you can) will just make it that much easier to take the weight off post-baby. Our bands are all so different so I don't really think there is a universally correct answer. Just do what feels right for you. Your band will be there to help you get back on track post-baby.

[echokitty32 6]

I found the article..here it is:

John B Dixon1, Maureen E Dixon and Paul E O'Brien

(1) Monash University Department of Surgery, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Published online: 01 February 2001

Background: Severely obese women have higher obstetric risks and poorer neonatal outcomes. Weight loss reduces obstetric risk. The introduction of a laparoscopically-placed adjustable gastric band, a safe and effective method of weight loss, has given us the ability and responsibility to adjust the band in relation to pregnancy. Objective: Our aim was to devise a safe management plan to achieve healthy maternal weight gain (Institute of Medicine 1990) during pregnancy. Methods: In a cohort group of 650 patients to have a Lap-Band® placement for severe obesity, we have reviewed the management of the band and pregnancy outcomes of all women (n=20) to complete a pregnancy (n=22) with a band in-situ. Results: All 22 pregnancies were singleton, with no primary caesarean sections (3 for recurring indications). The mean maternal weight gain was 8.3 kg compared with 15.2 kg for the 15 previous pregnancies of women in this group (p<0.05). There was no difference in birth weights. Obstetric complications were minimal, and there were no premature or low birth weight infants. 11 of 15 subjects with active management of the band achieved a maternal weight gain within the advised range compared with only 2 of 7 prior to this. Conclusion:The ability to adjust gastric restriction allows optimal control of maternal weight change in pregnancy and should help avoid the risks of excessive weight change.

( I also found an online conversion calculator that sowes the 8.3 kg meantioned in the article equals about 18 pounds. )