bunkie68

I hope the procedure gives you some answers, and that it goes well.

Ha! If worrying were an Olympic event, I'd bring home the gold. :-) And if I'm not using the band as it was intended and don't plan to, then it makes sense in my mind to remove that worry. As for the pain that started this whole train of thought, it comes and goes. Sometimes it's definitely in the ovary area, sometimes higher. My doc said he couldn't really say why it moves around like it does, but nothing showed up in either the CT scan or my bloodwork that was out of the ordinary other than the cyst. Go figure.

Ha! If worrying were an Olympic event, I'd bring home the gold. :-) And if I'm not using the band as it was intended and don't plan to, then it makes sense in my mind to remove that worry. As for the pain that started this whole train of thought, it comes and goes. Sometimes it's definitely in the ovary area, sometimes higher. My doc said he couldn't really say why it moves around like it does, but nothing showed up in either the CT scan or my bloodwork that was out of the ordinary other than the cyst. Go figure.

Heidi, how are you doing?

Elcee, you're right - any type of pain or something that seems to be a health issue would be cause for concern. But removing that foreign object from my body would be one less thing to worry about, and I wouldn't be worrying that every time I exercised with my kettlebell I might twist something wrong, or that the foreign body inside me might be wearing a hole in my stomach. I won't fear that any little twinge might be something that would put me in the ER, or worry every time I run a little fever that the band is slipping or eroding and something is getting horribly infected.

Thank you. Appreciate the input.

My doc called yesterday morning with the results of the CT scan. The cause of all this pain and angst? Ovarian cysts. That wasn't even on the radar as a possibility, and I was so relieved when I heard that that I was positively giddy. They should resolve themselves, and if they don't, I can follow up with my OB/GYN. This whole experience has confirmed for me, though, that I'm ready to be done with the band. I was so worried about the possibilities, and I don't want to worry like that anymore.

Exactly! I wouldn't assume that anyone's experience is the same as mine, but if someone says, hey, I had something similar happen, and it turned out to be X, and I was able to get it fixed and heal up OK, then that will tend to ease my mind until I can get in to see the doctor.

I'm going to see my regular doctor today, to see if I can rule out some non-band-related things, I'm still trying to get in to see a bariatric surgeon, and I would never expect a diagnosis from a forum. However, I think it's human nature to ask of others who may have had similar issues if their situation compares to ours, and that's what I was doing.

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've posted my other thread about how I'm ready to be done with the band. I don't want to go back to the surgeon who put my band in, and I'm trying to find a place to do an unfill if there's any Fluid left in my band - I want to have it done with fluoro (which my surgeon never did), so that may give me some idea of what's going on with the band. In the meantime, I want to write all this down for future reference and to see if anyone has any thoughts to share. For about a week I've been having intermittent pain in my port area. At first I wondered if i'd pulled a muscle. It started out just feeling like a stitch in my side. Then it got gradually worse, and for a while it hurt rather a lot, but now there are times where it feels just fine, and other times when it hurts (although not so bad as it had done at first). I can't sleep on my side, because that hurts - I can only get comfortable on my back, and that's not my preferred sleeping position. Also, I've noticed a burning feeling in my abdomen at times, lower down than where I'd think heartburn would be (in other words, it doesn't feel like it's up in my esophagus). I don't know what that might be, but it makes me nervous. I worry that the band has eroded and stomach acid is leaking out, although if that were the case, I'd think I'd feel considerably worse than I do. I don't have any problem keeping food down, although I find if I eat more rather than less, I sometimes get that painful feeling in my left side where the port is. i'm not throwing up, not running fever. I just have an intermittent pain in my left side in the general area of my port and that burning sensation in my upper abdomen. I have contacted one surgeon regarding band removal, because this whole process is freaking me out enough that I've realized I'm ready to be done with the band. His office checked my insurance, told me it didn't cover weight loss surgery, and said that the surgeon didn't do just removals, he only did removals in conjunction with revising to a different weight loss procedure. I plan to get in to see my regular doctor this week, explain to him what I think might be going on, and see if he thinks there are any other possibilities such as some type of hernia. If I can rule some things out, then that will help. I'm also going to find someplace in the area for the unfill (or at least the check to see if there's anything to be taken out, it's been so long since I had a fill). And I'm going to continue to try to find a surgeon who will do just a removal without switching to some other procedure. In the meantime, has anyone else experienced anything like this? If so, what did it turn out to be?

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.

Can anyone recommend a surgeon in the area who will do removal by itself, without revising to another procedure? If you do, please let me know. Thanks!

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.

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

Kimberly, how are you doing?

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

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.

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?

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.