Elizabethdb

July 14, 2008 I had my life changing surgery and had the lapband placed on my stomach. Little did I know then it would be a bad life changing surgery. Please keep reading.. After my band, I did great. Those first 2 years I was losing the weight and feeling great. I was getting my life back. Then it happened. 2011, I noticed I was getting sick about everytime I would eat. I would have these "spells" like I was getting stuck, I would get very hot, sweaty, shaking, dry heave, and my legs would give out on me and I would get the tunnel vision. There were times I couldnt hold my head up during these spells. I would mention it to the lapband clinic and they would just blow it off saying it is just me. So I to started blowing it off, if they are not concerned why should I be. The spells continued. I tried to eat soft foods to see if that would help. Nope, still had the spells. It was to the point I could only eat a couple spoons of applesauce at a time. I MAYBE got a cup of applesauce down in a days time. One day, I tried something else to eat and ended up going into a spell to the point I actually started vomiting and vomited blood. The next day in my college class I noticed I couldnt breathe all that great and was having a lot of chest pain. I went to the Emergency Room and heart was ruled out (thank goodness). They did a chest xray and they could actually see the band in the xray. They said it looked a little offset and sideways so my surgeon came in and deflated my band. I then went into one of my spells while the doctor was there and that is when he realized something was wrong. He admitted me right then. I had an upper GI and it was negative so my doc was ready to send me home with the flu. I then told him I was to the point I couldnt even handle liquids. So that day I had an EGD. That is when they found it. My band had ate right through my stomach. Half the band was in the middle of my stomach. It was then they realized how sick I actually was. He said the spells I was having was due to bacteria entering my bloodstream. I then had emergency surgery to removed the band and my stomach and abdomin was FULL of infection. 10 days later, I was ok'd to go home. I thought by then this was all behind me and now it was time to heal. I was wrong. The incision used to removed my band, which is also where my port was, busted open. At some times the hole was so large, you could stick your hand it in. For some reason they could not get this to heal and no I am not diabetic. After a year, yes a full year, of wound care, 2 wound vacs, and 6 surgeries, that incision is finally closed. The hole went clear down to the stomach muscle. They are saying that when the band and port was removed, the port causes a cavity making it hard for that area to heal once removed..
Am I telling you this to scare you out of having the band? NO. Do I miss my band? Yes, I have actually gained most of the weight back that I had lost with the band. I am sharing my story to make people aware of the dangers of the band. Had I known about all this, I probably would not have had the band. PLEASE do your research when considering the band. The complications are usually a little harder to find then the good stuff. LAP BAND claims this is rare to happen, but one of the surgeon I went to says that this is actually common. Not to the extent that I went through, but lapband erosion is more common then what people think and then when you have it removed, the hole the port causes is hard to heal. PLEASE if you have the band and you feel something is not right INSIST on finding out what is wrong. YOU know your body and know when something is wrong. Dont let anyone blow you off saying it is just you or its just in your head. Had they listened to me when I first started telling them about my spells, I may not have been as sick as I was. But by the time they realized something was wrong, I already had bacteria in the blood called sepsis. To this day, I still have trouble with my stomach and actually have to keep Zofran (stronger than phenegren) on hand at all times. Do you research. If your clinic wont listen to you when you feel something is wrong, find someone that will listen to you cause you are the only one that knows your body and when something is wrong.
Please feel free to ask my any questions