dishdiva

Hi everyone: It's been awhile since I've posted...but I'm all caught up on everyone's progress, setbacks, frustrations and NSV's! A refresher: I had my band re-positioned earlier this year after a slip. My first fill was in June and I immediately had very bad reflux. I had reflux after my initial surgery, but it went away eventually. After that fill in June, the Dr. took out my fill to see if I had improvement. I didn't, even with Nexium and Rx Prevacid, so I went to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy. He didn't see anything unusual -- except that my "pouch" isn't emptying well and that's probably what's causing the reflux. What scares me is the drawing he gave me -- showing my pouch kind of off to the side rather than above the stomach -- is similar to the drawing I got when I had my first slip. :cry Things have gotten more difficult in the past week -- the reflux is mostly at night, but now during the day, I'm feeling like I'm in permanent PB mode...like something is stuck. Isn't that strange for someone without any fill at all?? Not keeping much down the past 24 hours. I induced vomiting yesterday because after I ate I was so damn miserable and it's the only thing that brought any relief. PLEASE DON'T SHOOT! I know I need to call my band Dr. -- and I will this morning -- but I'm just so scared I'll need a THIRD surgery. And this one will be to remove the band. When I've been "tight" like this the past few months, it's typically only lasted a few days. (Which may explain my procrastinating calling the Dr.) I hope that's the case this time. Any coping ideas? Think I'll go liquid today, see if that helps. I've been doing Maalox liquid...sometimes Gaviscon. Advice, suggestion, prayers and thoughts appreciated, as always. Calling the Dr. now and will let you know. Elizabeth 08-28-03

Thank you Paula... you guys are right, as usual...sticking to liquids helps FOR SURE. Dr. reviewed my endoscopy report, etc. and we decided to do a barium swallow one more time to get more information.. re: pouch size and band placement. He'll compare it with the one I had done shortly after my March re-positioning surgery. I'll get an appointment hopefully the week after Thanksgiving...and will update everyone as soon as I know something. Reflux is better... not gone, but better. He advised nothing solid after 5 p.m. -- and avoid fatty and spicy foods. Knew about the spicy, but give up my favorite fatty foods??? Okay, okay! And remembing to not lay down after eating! Thanks so much everyone!! Elizabeth

You guys are the best! After being miserable for a few days, it was such a relief to suddenly remember I could come here for some band love! I did call the Dr. and have an appointment for tomorrow. Have my report from the endoscopy and went and picked up my films from two barium swallows after my re-banding in March. So I'm armed! And, things did improve later today. Don't know what it is -- all of the sudden I'll start feeling better....kept a little bit of food down... so yay me! Updates to follow. Elizabeth

Hi Wendy -- I was banded by Dr. McKernan in Woodstock in 2003, but recently switched to Dr. Macik for fills, etc. I really like him a lot. Congrats on your weight loss. Elizabeth

God love ya', DeLarla! I admire your tenacity and ability to take the health care system on! If there were more medical consumers like yourself, I guarantee you, things would be different. Now I'm spooked. I had an endo Friday and specifically asked the Dr. -- not a band surgeon -- to look for erosion. He did tell me in our original consult that he was familiar with the band. He said it didn't erode...and now I'm wondering?! I'm going to have the gastroenterologist send his report and any images to my band doctor...and take it from there. My gut, based on what I've been told, is that I've had another slip. Or, it could be I'm just one of those few band patients who acquires reflux so severe as a result of the band that the band has to be removed. That would be a drag...so here's hoping for the best...for both of us!

Hey everyone... I had an endoscopy today because of my continued problems with acid reflux. Good news: no erosion. Weird news: my pouch isn't emptying properly. I hadn't eaten in 12 hours before the endo this morning, so food should not be hanging around. Ewwww. The gastro doctor couldn't tell if it was due to a slip, but the diagram he drew looked a lot like the diagram Dr. Ponce drew when he diagnosed my slip in 2004. The pouch, instead of being in line with the stomach (vertically) is off to the side. When I had the slip before (band was re-positioned in March of this year), some food was staying in the pouch until he unfilled me, then it moved on through. But I'm unfilled now, so it should be moving, yes? And you'd think since the food is staying in the pouch I'd have some fullness. No! Anyone ever experience this? Thoughts? Elizabeth 8-28-03

No update... I will get the gastroenterologists' report to my band doctor and take it from there.

What does BIDMC stand for...I'm not in the Boston area but have friends who may be interested. Web address?

There is a list of fill Dr.'s in the SE posted on the mexican bandsters group at yahoo. I seem to recall one near the coast of AL. I wasn't banded in Mexico, but I understand it's helpful to find a fill doc if you have the report from your surgeon and any test results they do while you're in their care. Good luck to you.

I was just thinking about this tonight. I have an endoscopy Oct. 7 and the results may dictate my banded future. Either I'll be ready for fills again or I have complications (i.e. erosion) requiring band removal. What I always liked about the band is the reversability factor. And here I am facing that possibility (hopefully not -- prayers, please!) Considering my relatively minor complications with the band, I worry about what those complications would be with the bypass. Pre-band, I didn't think I'd be in the one or two percent or whatever percentile the risk factors were for complications... and here I am! One thing I don't think anyone's mentioned: many of us lost weight to the extent that we're no longer morbidly obese so we wouldn't qualify for RNY -- from the doctor's standpoint or the insurance companies. Elizabeth 8-28-03 unfilled and holding!

You have to have a slipped band fixed eventually -- for reasons I'm not sure of -- but that's what Dr. Ponce told me when my band slipped. I went for nine months before having it re-positioned and gained 20 pounds.

sometimes there are no symptoms; sometimes reflux is a symptom. i had a slip. it sounds too me like you're just too tight...some people only need tiny, tiny adjustments each time...

Are there any known insurance companies that have historically been more band-friendly than others?

I'd boxed up a bunch of mine a year ago after initially losing weight. They'd been in my closet gathering dust... then Saturday, we hauled them down to my car along with some of my son's outgrown clothes and I delivered them to an evacuees shelter in downtown Atlanta. Sometimes, procrastination pays! I'm going to clean my closet again.

Hey everyone: My reflux story is getting old...but, Alex, I totally know what you mean by managing the acid and not the reflux. That's exactly what happened to me once I was on Nexium. I've had an unfill...improvement in reflux, but still have it. Went to a GI Doctor today who said I probably had reflux all along but just didn't show symptoms until after the band. I have to go for endoscopy in October. We're going to try prescription Prilosec now. Stupid insurance company only approves 60 days of Nexium. THEN they expect you to do over-the-counter for 30 days before they'll approve more Nexium. How insane is that? Like I didn't try OTC stuff first!!!!

But we have our newbie member, muffine birdie, who is 2001...! I'm two years also... isn't that when LBT started? 8-03?

There are lots of reflux threads here... you might want to do a search and read some. To answer your question -- yes, there are some people that develop reflux after the band. Some people who had it before the band have improvement in reflux symptoms after band surgery. And some people don't have reflux issues. Inamed notes in their patient handbook that some people have developed reflux. I also went to a Dr. where they didn't think it was band-related because none of their patients had experienced it. Some people who do get it post-band only have it briefly...hope you're in that category. Elizabeth 08-28-03

I know the liquid is much easier...but I don't have any fill right now...and it hadn't been a problem before. But... if I'd thrown up the liquid tylenol -- hypothetically -- would it be okay do you think to take another dose? elizabeth

Hi all -- I took some tylenol for a headache tonight and then a minute later had a PB with a little vomiting. (The Water with the Tylenol created the problem here!) So is the Tylenol gone? I'm just afraid to take more because I still have the headache. Elizabeth 8-28-03 Happy Bandiversary Month to 8/03 Alumni!

...and you won't be able to get a Vicodin pill down... they'll give you something liquid

I was banded 8/03 and lost close to 60 pounds. But, I had slippage 5/04 and my band was unfilled. I gained 20 pounds...then had revision surgery last March. Lost about 10 pounds and had to have another unfill because of acid reflux and other complications. I need to go to my regular doctor to make sure everything is okay before I go back for another fill. The good news is I am NOT typical of most bandsters -- whose experience is far better than mine. But I'm still hopeful. I love Savannah...St. Simons...haven't really been to other parts of S. Georgia. Good luck with your surgery on the 29th. Who's doing it?

what's an employer rider?

Buffy -- I didn't have Dr. Rumbaut, but considered him. (I did it here in U.S.) I've heard nothing but great things about him. Good luck!

Hey Divalicious -- I'm in Atlanta area... there are some Albany bandsters I know of. Did you check the Georgia section of this site. dishdiva 08-28-03 -45

So, La Madam, what is an endoscopy? Isn't that where they put the tube witha camera down your throat. I think that's what they want me to have. On the slippage, reflux question -- my experience is very similar to leatha g's. After my band was re-positioned and I got my first fill in June, the reflux kicked in in a big way. (The bad reflux was an indicator of my slippage, according to the doctor.) Finally went and had an unfill. The reflux improved but I still have crazy burping/gas issues. Reading some of my radiologists reports from previous Upper GI's, it does show a hiatial hernia. Whether it was there before my original surgery in 2003, who knows? So, will I always have complications from fills because of that hiatial hernia? I do NOT want another surgery.