bunkie68

Jax, where were the pulling feelings and twinges you mention? Jenn, how long had it been since your last fill? I'm wondering after reading your post if my band is too tight. It seems counterintuitive, but if it happened to you, I guess it could happen to me. Jax, how are you doing now? Since I am hoping to have my band removed, I'd be interested to know how you dealt with the drain at work. I may find myself in that position at some point!

I haven't had anything done to my band recently, but I've noticed this as well. It's not constant, but I do notice it from time to time. Feels like heartburn, only lower down than where you'd think heartburn would be. I'm thinking of going to get my band unfilled to see if there's anything left in it.

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I don't have any words of wisdom, just hugs. If you don't mind me asking, why did you get your band removed? Definitely ask your surgeon on Monday if this is normal and if it should get better. I hope things ease up soon.

*sigh* I got a call from Dr. Kim's office. My insurance has an exclusion for weight loss surgery, and anyway, Dr. Kim doesn't do straight removals - he only does removals and revisions to other procedures. So, my options now are to go back to the doctor who did my band (which, based on things I've learned since I had my band, I'm not sure I want to do), go to the ER, or wait until we move and see if whatever insurance my husband gets at his new job covers anything like this. None of these are particularly appealing options. I wonder if my insurance will cover removal if it's medically necessary? I'm going to look for a surgeon in the area who will do a straight removal, and try to get in to see him, and go from there. I want to be done with this.

I started with the neverending cycle after the birth of my second son (and I suspect that for me, it was much more a function of age - I'm many years post-op from the band). It lasted something like 41 days straight and was ridiculously heavy. Even BC didn't help get things back on track, so I had the Novasure procedure done (endometrial ablation). Best thing ever. Since then I've only had a few days of spotting now and then around that time of the month. It's only an option if you're done having kids, but I was, and it was an excellent choice for me.

Jes, I hope your surgery can be sooner rather than later. I'm sorry the surgeon was a jackwagon to you. The biggest reason I'm not considering going back to my surgeon to discuss my issues now is because his website strongly suggests that he's of the mindset that the band is intended to be permanent and any discussion of removal will be strongly discouraged. (Not in so many words, but when the response to the question is, "Can the band be removed?" is "It's a permanent device and not meant to be removed", with no elaboration at all, that says to me that he really isn't interested in taking a band out.) I'm glad you're getting some relief with the Protein shakes and broth. Hang in there, and keep us updated on how you're doing.

I've been sticking to protein shakes and smoothies, and I feel better. (I figured it made sense to eat things that were lighter and smaller. Less physical strain on the area if I'm not eating much. Seems to be helping.) What pain there is seems to again be concentrated more in my side/port area and not so much in my upper abdomen. Even if this turns out to just be a pulled muscle or something else minor, the scare it's given me has made up my mind. I want the band out. I don't want to constantly have the worry in the back of my mind that something will go horribly wrong. The band seemed like a good idea at the time. It helped me get enough weight off to give me a confidence boost when I desperately needed one. Now it's not doing anything for me other than causing me concern. The time has come to be done. I just hope it works out that I can do that without it being a huge financial burden.

Michelle, what led your doc to think your band might have eroded? Did you have it removed?

Kimberly, how are you doing?

Also, my pain is on my left side, and I've never had problems with constipation since being banded, not even when I was pregnant with my younger son. If it turns out to be constipation, I will be very surprised.

Marsela, thanks for your thoughts. I'm just tired of worrying about every little twinge in my midsection and whether it's something going wrong with the device in my innards. I'm done, I don't want another band, I don't want another procedure. Back to working to keep myself healthy the old fashioned way, and I'm okay with that. :-) Heidi, I'm glad your recovery is going well. Was there a hospital stay with the removal? I called the doctor I'd like to see. He's running two weeks out with appointments right now. The woman I talked to was very nice. She took my insurance info to see what kinds of benefits I might have for removal, and said they should be back in touch with me with the insurance response on Thursday or Friday. I hate waiting. She also suggested that I might want to contact the facility where he does a lot of his surgeries and go in to make sure my band is completely unfilled. I may do that, just to have a chance to have someone take a look at things a bit sooner than two weeks. And if the pain gets worse, I get to where I can't keep anything down (not a problem at this point), or I start running unexplained fever, I'll take myself to the ER. I'm going to stick pretty much to Protein shakes for now, one, because maybe doing so will help the pain, and two, because perhaps that would help me get ready if/when the band needs to come out.

MaryJo, how are you doing? What ended up happening?

Heidi, my doctor overfilled my band, to the point that I was having severe upper abdominal/chest pain (I didn't know if I was having a heart attack or what, I just knew that only a few minutes after I left his office, the pain was excruciating). There was a kink in the tubing connecting my port to my band, and he'd kept putting Fluid in thinking he was able to pull some back out, but that wasn't the case. I couldn't swallow anything at all and certainly couldn't function with that kind of pain. Hence the need for surgery for the unfill. If you don't mind me asking, why did you have your band removed? I'm glad your recovery went well. :-) If I am correct and the band needs to go, I'm not doing anything else in terms of weight loss surgery. I've made my peace with never being thin. I just want to exercise and eat right so that I can be healthy and strong for my boys, and thankfully I am healthy right now. I don't want to try any other surgical options. I'll swing my kettlebell and take more walks and jump on the trampoline with my kids, and eat more veggies and less junk, and call it good.

Stephen, how is your wife doing? I hope she recovered and is now doing OK.

RGB, thank you for sharing your story. I'm having issues that make me think my band may need to come out, and your story is an encouragement to me. I'll share my own story in another thread.

Thank you for your encouragement! I called. I have an appointment for Nov. 11 at 2:00 (which works well, as my office is closed that day, so I won't have to worry about taking time off work!). Right now, I'm not nervous much. Ask me again the night of Nov. 10 and my answer might be different.

I had my first son in 2002, pre-band, at age 34. Even though I was heavy, the pregnancy was pretty uneventful - the only problem I had was that my blood pressure jumped up in the last 3 1/2 weeks, and my doctor didn't let me go past my due date. I got the band in 2003, had revision surgery after an overfill in 2004, and proceeded to neglect my band until, well, now. So I gained back all the weight I'd lost before my second pregnancy. My second son was a surprise in 2009, when I was 40 (I turned 41 just a couple of months after he was born). I'm the example of how things can go right, regardless of weight and age. With my first son, I got pregnant with the help of Clomid and IUI. With my second, I figured I was so hormonally screwed up that it wasn't going to happen, and when you threw in my age, I figured it was pretty much a lost cause without more medical intervention. So we weren't trying - weren't preventing, but weren't trying. The Friday before I found out on a Monday that I was pregnant, I had a margarita with my dinner - that's how much I never expected to be pregnant. :wink2: At 40 years old and 270 pounds, give or take, my pregnancy was absolutely uneventful. My blood sugar was fine, my blood pressure was fine, no problems at all. And unlike with my first son, where I never went into labor on my own, I'd started having contractions the day I went in for my scheduled c-section with my second (scheduled because of the failed induction with my first). I'm not sure if my experience helps much, and I know there's an increased risk of a whole host of problems with "advanced maternal age". But with the band and with a good bit of extra weight, it can still turn out just fine. Good luck! (And now I'm finding the motivation to go back to my surgeon after being a lap-band slacker for lo, these many years and get myself back on track - I have two boys who need their mama! :biggrin: )

I didn't answer the poll, because I wasn't at any of those sizes when I was dating. When I met my first husband, I was probably a size 22/24. We split after I'd gotten banded, and by that time, although I'd lost about 67 pounds, I hadn't gone down a lot in sizes - I was still just over 200, and probably a size 20. I didn't anguish it at all. I got remarried in 2008, and my husband now loves me just like I am (although he's encouraging me to exercise to stay healthy, he's not pushing me to "get skinny").

I don't have any advice, just hugs. It's been a while since you posted - how are you doing now?

I'm so glad to find this forum! I have failed my band, and myself. I was so embarrassed by my lapses that I actually thought of creating another username. I'm glad there's a place where I can talk to people who've been where I am and can relate. I was banded in August 2003 by Dr. Richard Carter in Arlington. Everything went well, I lost weight, things looked good. I'd lost about 67 pounds when, in March 2004, my band was overfilled, and due to a kink in the line connecting my port to my band, Dr. Carter wasn't able to draw any of the Fluid back out. This resulted in mind-numbing pain and the need for immediate surgery to unfill my band completely. I had a fill after that in August 2004, if I recall correctly, but the weight loss slowed dramatically. I was scared, too, of the possibility of another overfill. Then my now-ex-husband and I divorced, and I found myself a single mom. Taking care of the band became a pretty low priority on my list, as what funds I had were now needed for other things. Fast-forward to now. I haven't seen my doctor in over six years. :wink2: I've gained my weight back (although I haven't gone much over what my pre-surgery weight was - I hover right around 270, and I was 272 pre-surgery). I've remarried, and have a second son, so I've got two boys who need their mama. I'm embarrassed to have gone this long without taking care of myself. I'm scared to go back to Dr. Carter - scared that he'll lecture me for taking such poor care of my band (although I admit, I probably deserve a good scolding), scared that after all this time the weight will never come off like it did initially, scared that I'll find out something has gone wrong and I've done some lasting harm to myself or that the band will have to come out. But I have this tool that can help me. I'm not getting any younger, and I'm feeling some aches and pains that I know could be minimized if I could just get the weight off (and if a few pounds came off pretty quickly, exercising would become a lot easier, too). My boys need their mama, and my husband needs his wife. I feel the need to get myself in order, take care of myself so I can be the best mom and wife I can, and so I'll feel better going through each day rather than having to bear aches and pains that I just can't seem to get rid of. I need encouragement right now to just pick up the phone and make that call to Dr. Carter's office. I've changed jobs and insurance plans, and I'm scared that my new insurance won't cover it. I don't have extra money lying around for out of pocket expenses. But I've got to do something. I can't keep on like this, not doing anything to improve my health. I'm 5'1", and 270 pounds is way too much for me to weigh. I don't expect that I'll ever get down to single-digit clothing sizes, and I really don't care about that. I really don't care what the number on the scale says, either - I don't have it in mind that I'll end up weighing 102 pounds or anything like that, I don't think I'm built that way. I weighed 146 when I was 15, I was athletically built, and I'm fine with that. If I get down to 160 or 170, I'll be thrilled as long as I'm healthy at that weight. It's time for me to get back on track. Past time.

I've been reading and have seen that several of you had erosion issues. Were there any symptoms? How did you figure it out? Was it just something caught at a regular check-up? I'm feeling a bit worried right now - I started feeling real light-headed and cold sweat-ish tonight and, worrywart that I am, one of the thoughts that crossed my mind was, what if something's gone haywire and I'm bleeding internally? :phanvan So if there were erosion, would I notice anything outside of a check-up? Thanks for any help.

Thanks, Penni! I'm fairly sure I'm just being a worrywart and this feeling has nothing to do with the band, but then, I'm a worrywart. :Banane56: I'll search and see what I find, and if I continue to be concerned, I'll go see my doc.

Or something. I've been a horrible lap-band patient - I haven't been to see my surgeon in over a year. Between filing bankruptcy, fighting off anxiety attacks, and having my soon-to-be-ex-husband move out, it seemed like taking care of myself was pretty low on my list of priorities. I feel sure I need a fill. I'm maintaining well enough, but I can eat a lot and I'm certainly not losing. I'm scared to go back, though - I don't want a lecture from my surgeon, I'm worried that maybe I've done something else to myself like stretch the pouch out, and I don't know if my current insurance (different from what I had when I had the surgery) will cover fills. And I don't have the money to pay for even one out of pocket, not right now. Is all hope lost? Have I just screwed up my best chance at getting more weight off? I know I'll never be stick-skinny, but I know the band could help me get off more than this - if I haven't messed it up. Help?!

Laura, my surgeon was Dr. Richard Carter in Arlington. He's wonderful, and I'd recommend him to anyone considering the band. Good luck!

Thanks, y'all. I don't have any other problem symptoms - I've had food come back a couple of times, but only because I didn't chew or ate that one bite too many. And there are times, especially early in the morning, where I can't eat much at all, so I know the band is still there, and if I have restriction, then logically I can't have done anything too bad to it. I just hate feeling like I've crapped up yet another attempt to lose weight, and this is the one that's supposed to work for me. Blech. What should I ask my insurance re: covering fills? I guess a good starting point would be for me to check whether our policy even covers weight loss surgery. If it doesn't, odds are good it won't cover fills (unless my doc knows of some way to code it so it will be covered). Y'all are right, though - I can't put it off indefinitely, and I'll never get back to losing properly unless I go get help from my doc. Deep breath - just pick up the phone...!