jay150

Just had my surgery on 1/24 - same situation. Hiatal hernia repair and bypass. Good luck!

Thanks!

Hello, I am very upset and anxious and I was hoping someone would be able to provide me with some personal experience and information. I had an Upper GI Series done back in September and found out my esophagus was dilated. At that point, all my Fluid was removed from the band and I was told to have another Upper GI Series done in 3 months and we would take it from there. I am scheduled for that Upper GI Series very soon and I am hoping that the problem has corrected itself. First and foremost, I do not want my esophagus to be damaged. Secondly, I do not want to have to have my band removed. I have already gained quite a bit of weight back over these past few months and was really hoping to be able to start getting fills again. Has anyone come across this problem that can let me know what their outcome was? Thanks!

Nana --- Thank you sincerely for all the tips, prayers and for offering your ear...i may take you up on it

Nana, Thanks for writing back. I hope you know that my response to your initial post was not meant to come across as an attack. I do believe you came from a place to help me and I did take in all of what you said and see the points you have made. My financial situation is very tough right now and I would love to take your advice to seek counseling and see my surgeon ASAP to find out where I am at with my band --- it is just not possible. Once I get on my feet financially, I plan to do all of this necessary follow up. I can completely understand where you are coming from in terms of people not taking responsibility and blaming the band for their problems thus causing newcomers to be turned off to the band....I just don't want my initial post to be misconstrued because I don't feel that I expressed that in any way. Any misfortune I have had with my band comes from my end, not the actual band and this is entirely because I have not been able to be as diligent in keeping up with my band as I would have liked to have been for economical reasons. Thank you again and I wish you the best as well. Jay

Thank you all for your input

Nana Initially Wrote: "OK, you many not like what I have to say, It's called hard love, but here goes. I've seen this happen over and over and over again, from many lap banders, it's called "lap band abuse" and I've seen many on OH do this to their bands and bodies over the 8 years I've had a band, and have horrible complications and then come band and "innocently" bash the band and say their bands liked to "killed them" and had to have their bands removed in an "urgent situation", and then say how dangerous the lap band is and tell EVERYONE especially newbies that they too will suffer the same fate of a "horrible complication". But one thing I really appreciate in your post is that you are owning your problems, and reaching out for help. But sadly, your situation does not look good for a long healthy band life, here is your problem, you went passed the green zone, and staying in the red zone (too tight) for too long and I am sure you did not care because you were happy with your great weight loss. You lost your weight the wrong way, and when you lose the wrong way with the band you will pay for it. The lap band has a VERY HIGH complication rate for this very reason, (lap band abuse) this is why many surgeons are moving away from the lap band because so many people abuse, get too tight and never follow up until their bands has slipped so bad it must be removed. And of course many patients are not going to be honest with the surgeon about being too tight and using the band as a bulimic tool, many surgeons are just seeing all these horrible long term complications of problems with the esophagus and other issues and are moving away from the band to the Sleeve for this VERY REASON. This is one reason the manufacturer wants to sell it, people in the US abuse it too much, they can't be trusted with being HONEST of how tight their bands are, surgeons have NO CLUE of how tight your band is, they rely on the patient to be honest of how tight their bands are, you are suppose to let the surgeon know anytime you have frequent vomiting and can't keep solids down. Has your band slipped? We don't know, we are not qualified to answer this question, but based on living with the band 8 years and seen others go through the same thing, it SOUNDS like your band has slipped, either pouch dilation. You can actually live with an untreated band slip for a few years, but eventually the band will slip so band and cause horrible reflux and vomiting daily so bad and it cause maladaptive eating problems meaning you will eventually not be able to keep any food or keep liquids down. The reason you are a bit concerned now that you still have "some restriction" even though you've had a few unfills, reason is your band has probably started to slip from being too tight and vomiting daily and when the band starts to slip it gets tighter and tighter, and you have to constantly get unfills until you get all the saline removed. As you can see you can't depend on the band to do all the work, and keep it too tight to stop you from eating, you lost your weight wrong and sadly it will not stay off unless you conjure up some willpower and start using your band as a tool instead of a crutch and eat healthy and exercise. It may be too late to save your band, only your surgeon can tell you what your future with your band will be, but you really need to get in and see your surgeon ASAP where they can check the position of the band and pouch size, and sometimes Upper Gi's don't tell the whole story, sometimes you need a EGD (endoscopy) to access the damage to your esophagus or pouch. If you are not having many problems now since you've gotten some saline removed, does not mean your band is Ok, Also, If you don't have money or insurance now, the best thing you can do is stop the vomiting, watch your portions before you end up having to have emergency band removal, yes it can eventually get that bad. The only concern now is having tight restriction even though you've removed saline, some people have to continue removing saline until the band is totally empty and still have issues and when there is no where to go the band must be removed if you have horrible reflux and un-wanted vomiting on an empty band, and then you can aspirate food into your lungs, I hate to scare you but want to prepare you for what I've seen so many go through with their bands. Also while you are not having many problems for NOW, it would be a good to start looking for a new job that will offer you some insurance because sooner or later you will probably develop reflux to the point you will not be able to sleep and band damage causes regurgitation of vomiting in your sleep, it can get ugly. I am sending you a cyber hug and giving you tough love and sending you warm vibes, and I really hope your band will be ok, and you learn from this, sometimes you need outside help like counseling and seek a therapist to help cope with your eating and why you eat, you can't use the band as a coping mechanism, that's not its job, although the band is the SAFEST of all the weight loss surgeries, it can get very dangerous and do harm if we don't use it wisely and responsibility. Good luck" ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hi Nana, Thank you for your thoughts and advice. While I feel that much of what you wrote made excellent points, there were a few things however that I felt were a bit presumptuous. I definitely can take constructive criticism (even though sometimes we don't want to hear it), but I do feel there were some things that were a bit off. I included what you originally wrote in blue because that is what I am responding to, not the edited version that is posted now. You basically start off by saying...I've seen this happen over and over and over again, from many lap banders, it's called "lap band abuse" and I've seen many on OH do this to their bands and bodies over the 8 years I've had a band, and have horrible complications and then come band and "innocently" bash the band and say their bands liked to "killed them" and had to have their bands removed in an "urgent situation", and then say how dangerous the lap band is and tell EVERYONE especially newbies that they too will suffer the same fate of a "horrible complication." Just for the record...not once in my post did I bash the lap band. As a matter of fact, I don't regret having the lap band and I definitely take ownership for the issues I am having with the band. Yes, there have been points where it can be considered that I have abused my band. Not because I wanted to or even felt that this would help with weight loss. To be clear, I feel that during the times I was regurgitating food was also the time when I gained weight. This was counterproductive for my weight loss goals. The reason I did not get unfills/fills and tweak more often was because I could not afford to do so. My goal has always been to find a healthy productive way the band will work for me without throwing up. You stated...You lost your weight the wrong way, and when you lose the wrong way with the band you will pay for it. I can't help but feel slightly offended by this statement. The first few sentences of my post stated that I did very well initially, lost 75 pounds in the first 8 months and maintained that weight loss for well over a year. Then my post goes on to state that eventually I began having problems. I worked extremely hard to lose that weight and for you to discredit me of that achievement is completely unfair. I have had the band for 30 months and began having problems in the last ten months or so. You also stated...But sadly, your situation does not look good for a long healthy band life, here is your problem, you went passed the green zone, and staying in the red zone (too tight) for too long and I am sure you did not care because you were happy with your great weight loss. - and - And of course many patients are not going to be honest with the surgeon about being too tight and using the band as a bulimic tool - and - As you can see you can't depend on the band to do all the work, and keep it too tight to stop you from eating, you lost your weight wrong and sadly it will not stay off unless you conjure up some willpower and start using your band as a tool instead of a crutch and eat healthy and exercise. Again, I can't help but feel that you are making assessments of me that are simply untrue. I absolutely do care and that is why I have been back for an unfill and have been trying over the past ten months to find a middle ground. I would have loved to been able to tweak my fills more often, but because I cannot afford the charges, I was left in an undesirable predicament. If I took out too much, I was able to eat pretty much anything...too little and I couldn't eat at all. Yes, willpower plays a big part in this...I agree. And, I probably used my statement referring to having no willpower loosely. To clarify, when I first had my lapband, I had very good willpower. I measured all of my food and made the right choices. After I began having issues and could not readily afford to keep meeting with my doctor, I did go for "junkier" types of food because these were the things I was able to hold down and quite frankly, I was hungry. Of course, this type of eating puts you back into bad habits. I attribute this to my weight gain of 18 pounds. I was not using the lap band as a bulimic tool or crutch. I was trying to find a happy medium and unfortunately without insurance, this was a difficult task. In my opinion, the lapband should provide a healthy level of restriction so that it can be used as a tool and that was merely what I am searching for. I never said I had tight restriction now. I am at a point where I am able to eat a modest, healthy meal and feel satisfied. Now that I have had some Fluid taken back out and am able to eat healthier foods, those are the things that I have been going for. But, let's get real honest....if we all had amazing willpower to begin with, we probably would have never needed a lap band. You go on to say...Also while you are not having many problems for NOW, it would be a good to start looking for a new job that will offer you some insurance because sooner or later you will probably develop reflux to the point you will not be able to sleep and band damage causes regurgitation of vomiting in your sleep, it can get ugly. I am sending you a cyber hug and giving you tough love and sending you warm vibes, and I really hope your band will be ok, and you learn from this, sometimes you need outside help like counseling and seek a therapist to help cope with your eating and why you eat, you can't use the band as a coping mechanism, that's not its job, although the band is the SAFEST of all the weight loss surgeries, it can get very dangerous and do harm if we don't use it wisely and responsibility. Considering you do not know anything about my home situation, to suggest I look for a new job comes across a bit condescending. I currently have to stay home to take care of a disabled husband and small child. If I worked a full time job and had to hire someone to do this, it would cost me more than I would make. So I work part time when family is able to help me with my husband and child --- being i need such a flexible schedule - the part time jobs I am able to work do not offer benefits. I would love to get counseling to work through these lifelong eating issues, but therapy costs money. I do thank you for being informative and I really do appreciate a lot of the points you made. And although I feel your response to my post came from a good place and was well intentioned, I do feel you were a bit quick to make some harsh accusations about me personally without enough background. I just wish you would have asked me for a little more information before you rushed to judgment. I know that you have edited your initial post and your second one may not seem as harsh, but it is hard for me to "unsee" what I already have read. Jay

Hazelsbliss, Thanks for bringing up that point. I never put a distinction between the two, but I can fully see what you mean. I am curious as well....is regurgitating less dangerous than vomiting?

Hi, I was banded back in February of 2011. Initially, I did really well in terms of fills. I lost 75 pounds within the 8 months and maintained it for over a year. However, eventually, I got to a point where I wasn't able to eat anything and would literally vomit everything I ate. The food wasn't even getting stuck....it would just come right back up. I don't even feel that it went past the band. I had an unfill and things seemed better, but then I gained a few pounds...well not a few, about 18. I was able to eat pretty much anything so I went back for a fill and then the same process started happening again. I must have gone through this fill-unfill process a bunch of times. There would be periods of time where I would throw up a few times every day. I could not seem to find that middle ground. Either I was able to eat WAY TOO MUCH or I couldn't get anything down. Admittedly, I still have zero willpower, hence the lapband. I guess thats explains why I always keep the band tight because I am so afraid to gain back all of the weigh that I've lost. I also don't have insurance anymore so it is very difficult for me to pay out of pocket and therefore I would live with the vomitting for much longer than I should because I couldn't afford to get an unfill again. I really began to worry about whether my band had slipped and whether something was wrong. Recently, we were away for a week and I basically did not eat the entire week. That was it for me! When I got home, I went to get an unfill. Since that time, I have been able to eat and I feel so much better. I am not even craving the sweets or junk I'd normally go for, you know....the easiest stuff to get down. Surprisingly, I still feel some restriction but have not been vomiting. I am hoping that I have finally found my "green zone". I have lost 10 of the 18 pounds I gained. I am hoping to drop the other 8 plus a few more. I guess I would like to know if any other bandsters have experienced excessive vomiting and have had a fear of their band slipping or pouch stretching. I am thinking my band and pouch are ok considering that I am able to eat and hold down food but still feel some restriction. I am a very nervous person and just want to put my mind at ease. I have contemplated having a sonogram done but cannot afford to do so. I would appreciate any tips and advice. I know I've had my band for well over two years now, but I'm still learning as I go along. Thanks!

I was banded in February of 2011 and seem to be settling in at the weight I'm at. I was considering a tummy tuck because I hav a lot of excess skin and fat in the stomach area that definitely could not be helped by working out. Has anyone had this procedure? Would love to hear some thoughts on this?

Thanks everyone. I just started taking biotin so I hope I notice a difference. I was banded in February of this year.

I have also done a Keratin treatment back in June, but it was not my first one and never made my hair this way previously.

Hi....I noticed that my hair is unbelievably thin. Has anyone experienced this, and if so, did your hair get back to normal? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

thanks!!! i will definitley give them a call

I just recently went for a fill last Wednesday....It is Monday and I am still eating the same amounts and am just as hungry as prior to the fill. I am also finding myself hungry in between meals. My NP was not aggressive with my fill this time, putting in 0.4 cc because I previously needed an unfill. Should I call and ask to have a bit more put in? I dont want a month to pass with no change considering that would kind of defeat the purpose of having a fill at all. I would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

Thank you both --- that puts my mind at ease a bit. I was becoming concerned that I stretched my pouch.

How do you know if you stretched your pouch and what happens if you do? Is this something that can be corrected with a fill? Lately, I seem to be eating much more with hardly any restriction and I am hoping I have not stretched anything. Thanks!

Best decision I ever made! My only regret is that I didn't have the surgery sooner. Good luck!!!

hi darlene....i was not charged for fills for the first 90 days after surgery...i now pay $30 for a fill. my surgeon did my first fill, but now they are done by the nurse practitioner. hope that helps!

it definitely is weird...lol. i guess i naturally assumed that i would be less hungry with each fill.....well, hopefull i will feel some kind of restriction soon. good luck to you!

Is it normal that after a fill, I feel just as hungry, if not hungrier than before I got the fill? I am trying to keep myself disciplined, but must admit that I am finding myself very hungry lately and not head hunger, actually hungry. I just had a fill recently and this also happened to me previously. Just wondering if anyone has felt this way. I am hoping to feel some restriction soon. Thanks!

Me too! I am a little over 4 months post op and sometimes when I feel I have had too much to eat, I get a pain in my right side. It usually passes after a few hours.

Thanks everyone....I actually just had surgery about 4 and half months ago so I am still kind of getting used to the idea and still dont feel ready to share with everyone, but yes, it is probably time to move on

Thanks so much bigtom...Congrats & Good luck to you too on your journey

for me, usually it happens right away. what does pb mean???