Garveydanielle

I was banded in 2006 (private pay) and thought I did fairly well going from 220lb to 150lb in the first year or so. Over the next 10 years, I had my third child and managed to maintain about a 55lb loss. I was and remain dedicated to work outs 4-5 days a week. However, I never felt like I ever found that "sweet spot" with my fills. I had to make a 14 hour round trip for fills and the surgeon I had was the least compassionate, most fat phobic person I've ever encountered. How he got into that line of work I'll never know. Unfortunately, he was the only option in near my home town at the time when Lap-band was fairly new in Canada. I spent most of the time either feeling hungry or nauseated/stuffed and if I'm honest with myself, I think a threw up at least once almost every day of that 10 years (surgically induced bulimia?) Last year things got bad with my band. It became way too tight (even when completely unfilled) and I experienced terrible reflux at night and could barely tolerate fluids. It had to be removed. Luckily another surgeon closer to my home had started to do band surgery and was willing to remove it. He said with the earlier versions of the Lap-band, they often become inflexible and too tight after a long period of time. With this surgeon, my only option was to replace it with another gastric band (Mid-band is his device of choice). I could not convert to a sleeve or bypass as this is not offered as a private pay option in the province where I reside. There is a 5-7 year waitlist for government-funded weight loss surgeries. He said he wanted to see how I did with it out and that he "had faith in" my ability to keep the weight off. Well, I think we all know what the research says about gastric band removals. Despite my best efforts to watch what I ate and maintain my exercise routine, I regained almost all of the weight. Even though I eat a healthy diet (way healthier than what I could tolerate with the band), in less than a year I found myself 10lbs shy of my highest weight. My blood sugar and blood pressure are creeping up and I'm noticing more PCOS symptoms again. So, I started researching self-pay options for gastric sleeve surgery out of province. The surgeon I consulted with feels that the MGB is the best option for me. I'm not thrilled about paying for this again along with airfare and hotel. And not only do I get the pleasure of paying for WLS twice, it's extra because revision surgery requires more OR time. But I think my health is worth it. I'm booked for September 28th and have started my 2-week pre-op liquid diet (blech!) Part of me is scared that the surgery won't work. I feel like I have the slowest metabolism in the world. This, combined with my meds that promote weight gain and my PCOS, makes it feel like the odds are against me. However, my surgeon reassures me I'll do well. I've found reading about others' successful revisions also very encouraging. Thanks for reading my story.

Esophageal dilation is a condition not to be ignored, as it can lead to more significant problems later in life. I've just been through a similar dialogue with my two surgeons and PCP.
From what I was advised, the solution to resolve the esophagus issues is dependent on the degree of dilation. It can be caused by your band being too tight, or from overeating on a regular basis. I have a very minor dilation which the surgeon says is not commonly found, and will need to be monitored closely to be certain that it does not become worse.
Do your best to stay calm, and find out what your options are to resolve this issue. You may discover that the options are not as bad as your anxiety driven thinking is making them out to be.
Best wishes for a good resolution of your issue...

A little history first...i got my band in May 2008....within 2 years, I went from 331 to 155! But then started to have problems and found out i had a hernia and some scar tissue, so had to get unfilled and have surgery and start all over again..in the process went back up to 245 :-( I'm currently down to 214 and started having some issues again with a lot of things coming back up. After a doctor, who after i asked him if he did routine 5 year blood work and tests, told me that unless there was a big problem, he didn't do those tests because he didn't want to find something!!! Needless to say, i am now in the process of transferring to another doctor! In order to do this, he required blood work and an upper GI....so got this email from the doctor today and a phone call to up my appointment to Friday which wasn't scheduled until mid September! Here is the email:
Your upper GI X-ray shows that, since the last study, your esophagus has enlarged significantly. This condition is called esophageal dilation or "megaesophagus", and indicates that the band has been too tight for too long. The problem with this is that the esophagus can lose some of its ability to squeeze food forward if it is stretched out for too long. Occasionally, the band can be deflated some to allow the esophagus to recover. In other situations, deflating the band is ineffective at resolving the problem, and the band has to be removed. We can discuss these issues more thoroughly at your upcoming visit with me.
So now i am freaking...scared to death of gaining back what i've lost!!! scared that he'll want to remove it and my insurance won't cover a conversion to something else (which i don't want to do either) but i also don't want to gain any more weight! HELP!!!!!

2005 I was banded. I loved my band. I was able to have two healthy children in 2007 and 2009. I got serious about my health and weight in 2010. I hit my goal weight early February 2011. February 12, 2011 my band "slipped" when I tried to eat and I instantly threw up. I knew instantly something was very wrong with my band as the pain was so severe I couldn't walk. I was writhing in pain. 10 out of 10 pain... I had never experienced pain like that before. Ambulance took me to the ER. Dr's ordered a plain X-ray as well as a CT scan. Same radiologist read both scans and reported that there were NO abnormalities. In the X-ray my band was at the base of my stomach.... my stomach was up in my chest, and the band was at 130 degrees NOT the typical 45 degree mark. My stomach had actually prolapsed up through the band and the band was cutting of the blood to my stomach. They tried to send me home. I refused. They transferred me to another hospital hours later, where the doctors also relied on that report of "no abnormalities". But unfortunately my scans weren't sent with me when I was transferred. The next hospital didn't do there own scan for over 24 hours. I had 2 endoscopies while I was there. The first one showed my stomach full of blood and that my tissue looked purple. Second one my tissue was black. I was there for about 37 hours when my vitals all changed. Blood started coming out from my nose and mouth. They rushed me into surgery. I had to have 4 blood transfusions and I almost died. My stomach was black when they opened me up. Dead. 98% of it. 22 staples from my belly button to my sternum. They were barely able to piece me together with a roux en y bypass. I have EXTREME dumping. EARLY AND LATE. I am constantly in the hospital with my blood sugar in the 30's and 40's after I eat. I have reactive hypoglycemia and it's only getting worse. I used to have it fairly under control with my diet.... but it's been getting harder and harder to do. My entire life has changed. I'm scared of food now. I struggle to keep my weight UP now! It's such an emotional roller coaster. I'm very thin now... I typically weigh in at only 115.... and I've been as low as 105. If I had to do it all over.... I would never have been banded. My kids suffer because mommy is too sick. I'm scared to drive because my blood sugar tanks so quickly that I have no warning signs. I'm at risk of seizures and comas when it gets that low. I can't keep a job, since I'm not reliable. I get sick constantly. I'm desperately trying to find a way to afford a service dog that can help scent when my blood sugar is tanking so I can eat sugar and prevent the awful episodes.... but they are extremely expensive and insurance doesn't cover it. I get dizzy, sweaty, my heart pounds, I can't talk or walk, I can't form complete sentences, my tongue, hands and feet go numb, my body basically starts to shut down. I can't eat too much sugar or simple carbs, as they set off these episodes. But if an episode occurs, I have to eat a lot of sugar for my body to get back to normal.... BUT not too much.... or it will send me into another episode. I was only 29 when my band slipped. I just want people to know what can happen. That they know the TRUTH of it all.... and that hopefully the doctors treating us can take it seriously. If they had diagnosed me right away, any surgeon could have removed my band instantly and my stomach wouldn't have died. PLEASE educate yourself before making your choice about weight loss surgery AND make sure you are educated if YOU ARE banded. Most doctors know very little about lap bands... so if you experience a slip, you need to be your own advocate and demand an x-ray, ct scan AND a barium swallow study in real time. THEN you should ask to see the scans yourself and have them explain what they see. Chances are that you will know more about lap bands than the doctors :-( I wish I had educated myself more about the risks, and I wish I had learned that my obesity was much more of an emotional issue for me, rather than a physical issue. If I had only figured out my emotional addiction with food and stuck to diet and exercise...........x-ray.pdf

Those are slip symptoms and or a prolapse?

Give your recent fill sometime, it may take a few days to a couple weeks to really feel that restriction. Sometimes it would take me 2 weeks to get the feeling of good restriction.

Give your recent fill sometime, it may take a few days to a couple weeks to really feel that restriction. Sometimes it would take me 2 weeks to get the feeling of good restriction.

Give your recent fill sometime, it may take a few days to a couple weeks to really feel that restriction. Sometimes it would take me 2 weeks to get the feeling of good restriction.

Garvey, to answer your question about getting complications from bariatric surgery covered in 2014. My husband and I own a small business and we buy individual health insurance policies for ourselves. To be compliant with Obamacare, our individual policy can no longer fail to cover pre-existing conditions starting next month (Jan 14). Before getting sleeved last month, I wanted to research the Obama-compliant policy I would be getting January 2014 and make sure that it couldn't/wouldn't disallow taking care of me if my ailment was a result of voluntary/elective/bariatric/cosmetic surgery. I persisted until I found the fine print and what my 2014 policies reads is something like "bariatric weight loss surgery of any kind is not covered, but revisions to and care of complications from such surgeries are covered to the extent necessary to remove the patient from peril." (or something jargon-y and long like that). I knew that 2014 policies couldn't "not" take care of you because of a pre-existing condition and--though jargon-y-- I was satisfied by the language that I read that they would now bail you out if you had a problem after self-pay bariatric surgery. SORRY SO LONG -- I was trying to be detailed and I probably just confused you more, lol ! (An analagous situation that I read in my new policy was that if you had breast implants that ruptured, they would not help you out for cosmetic reasons... but if the rupture was causing an ailment they would care for you/remove/revise just enough to get you out of peril [which I took to mean they would take the old ones out surgically, but not cover to add new ones in the vacant spot ].)

RHW94123....what is the name of that additional insurance that will cover the revision? I need a revision from band to RNY and of course my state Ohio is not on the list of covering weight loss surgery and my employer has an exclusion.

Woohoo I'm approved and have a surgery date of Sept 10th. So happy!!!!

Just from personal experience it sometimes takes a few days or even a couple weeks for you to really feel if your recent fill is too much or just right. Based on what you are experiencing I wouldn't say your band has slipped but that you are too tight and need to have some of your last fill taken out. I have experienced a slipped band (several times) and have not had any of the issues you have mentioned. Good Luck at the doctor.

Insurance provides coverage for Abdominoplasty/Panniculectomy when it is medically indicated to correct or relieve:
• a panniculus that hangs below the level of the pubis; AND
• the panniculus causes uncontrolled intertriginous dermatitis, skin ulceration, or necrosis that persists despite a documented 6 (six) month trial of conservative treatment under the direction of a qualified physician; AND
• The patient has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 30. To calculate BMI, refer to: www.intmed.mcw.edu/clincalc/body.html. If the weight loss is the result of bariatric surgery, abdominoplasty or panniculectomy should not be performed until at least 18 months after the bariatric surgery.
Limitations
• Abdominoplasty or Panniculectomy for the purpose of minimizing the risk of hernia formation or recurrence is considered experimental and investigational and therefore, not a covered benefit.
• The procedure is limited to one procedure per member per lifetime. Required Medical Record Documentation
•Medical record documentation of the indications for surgery including, but not limited to, weight, weight stability, conservative treatment of skin conditions, etc.
•Physician oversight must be performed by a physician other than the physician performing the surgical procedure, such as the member’s treating physician.

Just from personal experience it sometimes takes a few days or even a couple weeks for you to really feel if your recent fill is too much or just right. Based on what you are experiencing I wouldn't say your band has slipped but that you are too tight and need to have some of your last fill taken out. I have experienced a slipped band (several times) and have not had any of the issues you have mentioned. Good Luck at the doctor.

Take a deep breath, it will be ok, over the 8 years I've had a lap band, each fill was different and I never experienced the same side effects.
If you've only been experiencing these side effects since your last fill, it's probably not band slippage, you are probably just way too tight, which can cause misery.
As I've mentioned before sometimes it takes about 2-3 weeks before a fill will settle in, and now you are feeling it now and it is too tight.
You are doing the right thing about seeing your surgeon today, you probably won't need but a little bit out like maybe .2cc, but let your know you only want a little out, sometimes the surgeon will take too much out and it may take a long time to get where you want to be.
Typically band slippage happens over time and not immediately and usually happens when you've been too tight for long periods of time and eat too much and purge your food daily, but this is not case in you situation.
Good luck

How about you pick yourself up and dust yourself off. You can start over today. The one thing about this journey is with our Lapband we can start over with a fill and going back to basics. Are you will to hit the reset button? Being angry and upset will not get you to your goal. Let me know what I can do to help get you going!

There is a reason why they call this a journey. So you've hit a few setbacks . . . At least you're being realistic with where you've been and where you're at.
You've done it once, you can do it again!!!

I was banded about 3 1/2yrs ago and I weighed 278.... It took a while but 1 1/2 yrs later I was down to 197. Had a lot of change the last year and half. I was sick last winter and gained some back to 225. I exercised last summer and got down to 215. Sick again through this past Winter and didnt watch what I ate and didnt exercise bc I didnt feel well. Now weigh 265 and I am beyond upset with my self that I cannot deal with y everyday life. My failure has made me bitter and angry everyday. I worked so hard for something and it was gone before my eyes. Now I need to restart my mind. I miss the good feeling of execise but I dont do it as much as I should.