Not so good news post 4 years

[VALKAY 0]

I HAVE RUN INTO THE END OF THE ROAD. I AM POST SURGERY 4 YEARS THIS MONTH. I DID NOT HAVE INSURANCE FOR THE SURGERY. I BORROWED AND RECEIVED LOANS TO GET THE LAPBAND SURGERY DONE.

I STARTED TO HAVE COMPLICATIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SURGERY. 4 YEARS LATER, I HAVE SPENT OVER 6000.00 MORE THAN THE INITIAL 16000.00 SURGERY ONLY TO FIND OUT, IT MAY HAVE BEEN TOO SMALL OF A BAND PLACED ON MY STOMACH. I AM REDUCED TO DRINKING liquid diet ONLY OR I THROW UP. MY liquid DIET CONSIST OF ALOT OF shakes, ICE CREAM AND JUICES. I HAVE NO FILL AND GAINED BACK MOST ALL OF THE WEIGHT I LOST. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY A DOCTOR THAT THEY NEED TO DO A SCOPE WHICH WOULD COST ME ANOTHER 1700.00 WHICH I DON'T HAVE. HE HAS SUGGESTED THAT HE REMOVE THE BAND AND DO A GASTRIC SLEEVE WHICH IS ALSO COSTLY. I AM STILL PAYING FOR THE LAPBAND SURGERY ON THE LOANS. I FEEL TOTALLY AT THE END OF MY ROPE. I WAS ALWAYS VERY ACTIVE PRIOR TO SURGERY. I CAN BARELY MOVE NOW WITHOUT PAIN. I AM OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS. I PAID FOR SURGERY WITH CASH LOANS. IF YOU HAVE COMPLICATIONS AND NO HEALTH INSURANCE (WHICH I HAVE BEEN NOW TURNED DOWN DUE TO THE LAPBAND SURGERY COMPLICATIONS), YOU BETTER HAVE A LARGE CASH RESERVE TO PAY FOR FURTHER PROBLEMS OR YOU WILL BE SUFFERING LIKE I HAVE BEEN FOR 4 YEARS.:smile:

[RiceChex 0]

sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. Have you asked your Dr. why they placed the smaller band? This almost sounds as if it is malpractice. He/she should know what size band is required. I have the small band, for I only needed to loose 60lbs at the most. It really was more like 40lb. I had the band because of an injury I am unable to excercise. Good luck

[LollyMoe 1]

I am so sorry to hear of your problems. I think you should talk with the surgeon that placed your band and ASK why he used such a small band in the first place. If you have been having problems from Day 1, he should have done something about it before now and it should have been done for free! Casually mention a malpratice action and see what kind of reaction you get. I do hope you get all of this worked out soon. I wouldn't do the sleeve as it is in the early stages and there are no long term studies on it.

[Tranquility 0]

I HAVE RUN INTO THE END OF THE ROAD. I AM POST SURGERY 4 YEARS THIS MONTH. I DID NOT HAVE INSURANCE FOR THE SURGERY. I BORROWED AND RECEIVED LOANS TO GET THE LAP-BAND® SURGERY DONE.

I STARTED TO HAVE COMPLICATIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SURGERY. 4 YEARS LATER, I HAVE SPENT OVER 6000.00 MORE THAN THE INITIAL 16000.00 SURGERY ONLY TO FIND OUT, IT MAY HAVE BEEN TOO SMALL OF A BAND PLACED ON MY STOMACH. I AM REDUCED TO DRINKING liquid diet ONLY OR I THROW UP. MY liquid diet CONSIST OF ALOT OF shakes, ICE CREAM AND JUICES. I HAVE NO FILL AND GAINED BACK MOST ALL OF THE WEIGHT I LOST. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY A DOCTOR THAT THEY NEED TO DO A SCOPE WHICH WOULD COST ME ANOTHER 1700.00 WHICH I DON'T HAVE. HE HAS SUGGESTED THAT HE REMOVE THE BAND AND DO A GASTRIC SLEEVE WHICH IS ALSO COSTLY. I AM STILL PAYING FOR THE LAP-BAND® SURGERY ON THE LOANS. I FEEL TOTALLY AT THE END OF MY ROPE. I WAS ALWAYS VERY ACTIVE PRIOR TO SURGERY. I CAN BARELY MOVE NOW WITHOUT PAIN. I AM OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS. I PAID FOR SURGERY WITH CASH LOANS. IF YOU HAVE COMPLICATIONS AND NO HEALTH INSURANCE (WHICH I HAVE BEEN NOW TURNED DOWN DUE TO THE LAP-BAND® SURGERY COMPLICATIONS), YOU BETTER HAVE A LARGE CASH RESERVE TO PAY FOR FURTHER PROBLEMS OR YOU WILL BE SUFFERING LIKE I HAVE BEEN FOR 4 YEARS.:thumbup:

Suffering for four years is no way to live and I feel for you. A few times in my life, I've held off in making an imprtant decision of taking action about something because I can't stand to make a wrong decision. What I've learned from my experiences is that it is sometimes hard to see the forest for the trees when the issue is too close to me. For example, I once stayed at a job where I was misearble, MSERABLE,wanting to die miserable, for three years. After I finally quit, I thought -What the H***was I thinking???

In your situation, I can help you see out of the darkness -take out the band no matter what it costs.

don't get the sleeve until you recover

[thingirltrapped 0]

Hello,

I am sorry sorry to hear of your complications and I can only imagine the frustration you must be feeling. It does sound like possibly the doctor is at fault and it may be a malpractice issue. Possibly another opinion from a different bariatric surgeon--that's what I'd do for sure. Or maybe meet with a lawyer, some have free consultations, to see if your doctor is at fault. Maybe you can recoop some of your money or get it fixed for free, the way it should've been in the first place. I'm praying for you that you get this figured out and back on a healthy track. Best of luck!:thumbup:

[KimmyQ 0]

Rice Chex, I too had injuries causing me to have 3 surgeries that also caused me to not be able to exercise & gained 50 lbs. I needed to lose about 40-50 lbs. I started at 207lbs. They put a large 14cc band though which seems weird to me if you got a small one. It sounds like you started around the same weight as me? I wonder if I got too large of a band then because I haven't lost as much as I probably should have. Thanks, Kim

[JoJo1 0]

I am only three weeks post op, however, I felt the need to respond here. Before my surgery, I talked to someone who thought she had a too large band installed. I thought this was something that was the choice of the patient. When I arrived at the hospital, I specifically asked about this. He said the size is determined after they are inside of you based on the amount of fat in the area. I received the small band also. I have researched every aspect of this surgery and I think you have reached a point of malnurishment. You need to stop the Ice Cream and get some Protein Drinks. You can find them at Bariactric web sites. They may take a little time but once you get your nutrition up to par, you will feel much better. Best of luck D.

[VALKAY 0]

Thanks for reading my blog. I have been told by a lawyer in houston who confirmed with many doctors, that the small band is not a malpractice suit. Every doctor makes the decision during surgery to install the large or small band depending upon the amount of stomach fat. I do remember him telling me that I would need a small port due to the fact that I did not have alot of stomach fat. My original weight was 319lb. I was down to 248lb and now I am back to 297. I did get alot of great feedback from this web site which I had only tried once before. Hopefully, I will be able to find a doctor in Houston that I can work with. My original doctor is still in practice and I see his ads on tv all the time. I started to see Dr. St. Laurent after having alot of these issues. He has helped me but it cost 250.00 everytime I walk into the office which I no longer have the money. I have not seen him for 6 months and now feel so embarrassed that I have gained 40lbs since I've been there. I am presently looking for a new doctor that is less expensive for appointments and hopefully fills.

[LisaMc 1]

Thanks for reading my blog. I have been told by a lawyer in houston who confirmed with many doctors, that the small band is not a malpractice suit. Every doctor makes the decision during surgery to install the large or small band depending upon the amount of stomach fat. I do remember him telling me that I would need a small port due to the fact that I did not have alot of stomach fat. My original weight was 319lb. I was down to 248lb and now I am back to 297. I did get alot of great feedback from this web site which I had only tried once before. Hopefully, I will be able to find a doctor in Houston that I can work with. My original doctor is still in practice and I see his ads on tv all the time. I started to see Dr. St. Laurent after having alot of these issues. He has helped me but it cost 250.00 everytime I walk into the office which I no longer have the money. I have not seen him for 6 months and now feel so embarrassed that I have gained 40lbs since I've been there. I am presently looking for a new doctor that is less expensive for appointments and hopefully fills.

Your surgeon wouldn't be Spivak by any chance would he? If so, I have heard your same story before. I'm sorry you are going through this.

[Vicki J 0]

One of the things that ALL bariactric patients NEED to realize is that no matter what surgery they have it may cause them to be denied insurance. This should be a HUGE consideration prior to surgery. It's sad but it is true.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems. I agree with JoJo1, you NEED to get Protein into yourself. There are so many ways to do that, even on a liquid diet. This is an urgent thing. You will feel much better if you do.

Good luck!

[VALKAY 0]

Starts with the same letter but have been warned about posting his name on here. I've read alot of his patients are very satisfied. I don't understand how they were treated so much better than me. I saw him for a 5 min appt. Week before surgery and then never saw him until 3 days later during the first set of complications. By the way, he came to the emergency rm and stated i think you are just a nervous person that's why you are throwing up blood. The tech in the er that did the swallow said, let me guess, your dr is ________. I said how did you know? I see this alot. He also looked at the band and Fluid i drank before the dr got there and said do you have a fill which i told him no, i am only 3 days out of surgery. He said off the record, somethings wrong... There is no space for any fluid to pass. He said quietly, i think you better get another dr objective look at this . I continued to call dr. Office for 2 wks with fevers and a weight loss of 26 lbs in 3 wks. They told me to come to the office. When i arrived there was 30 people there waiting to get fills. I felt like a cow in line to get milked, which he promptly milked me. Telling me that i have a nervous stomach. I never had any nervous problems nor did i ever have stomach issues before this. When i finally got a 2nd op which was 2 months later, i was told the only way i could get my records to my new doctor was to appear at the office and hand them cash to pay for the records. What an operation. I have no respect for this doctor or his paid bunch of office staff that walk around telling everyone how he did such a good job on them. The new dr confirmed that the band is not swollen tissue problems or a nervous stomach. Its just too small for me. I now have reflux problems due to all the throwing up. My new dr is a gem but due to economy, i can't pay his fees. He has bills too and now i am in search for a dr that has reasonable rates for office visits so that i can continue to be checked. My old dr chg'd 250.00 everytime i came into the office. Does anyone recommend a doctor close to the houston or spring area of texas that has office visits that cost less than 150?

Edited October 14, 2009 by VALKAY

[lkarelee 0]

Not sure about Houston Area - but I use Dr. Stephanie in Bryan - you can search her on this site - lots of very satisfied patients. She just does fills - no surgery. She has a band herself. Excellent Dr.