BamaGirl36303

im waiting foe the doctors.office to.find out but as of right now.i havent heard anything. how long did you have your band? do you have an infection?

After 5 months and 3 surgeries, my 4th surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. This time the band is coming out. It is a bittersweet moment. I really really really wanted this to work, but it didn't. The nurse is checking with my insurance company to see if I would be able to get the gastric sleeve, but after so many problems with the band I'm afraid of more complications for something that isn't reversible. Even if i can have the sleeve, it will be at least a month before I could have surgery #5 for the procedure. <sigh>

I had surgery on February 2nd to get the lap band. I got an infection and had surgery on March 9th to have my port removed. Third surgery was on June 17th to get my port back. Today I have the same signs as the first infection, so I really think my lap band will have to be completely removed. I will be seeing the doctor today at 3:15 for him to see for himself. My question is if anyone has had to have multiple surgeries with the same complication that revised from lap band to sleeve. I'm scared that if I get the sleeve that I will continue to get infections. I know there is no plastics involved as with the band (the band itself has never been a problem, just the port) I'm trying to decide if I should just have the band removed and stay fat or if I should get the sleeve done and pray no problems arise. Any thoughts out there?? Thanks, Bama

Great...my wonderful loving husband hacked my account....thanks honey!!

Keep your eye on it! If it turns puss like, go to the doc. I hope it doesn't though!!! Keep me posted on how you are doing!

Just remember you can always talk or lean on your ever loving husband.

Curlyq, i'm hoping I won't have to use it much longer. It hasn't been as bad for me this time since I've made the gauze so small the tape is sticking to the scar which has no feeling....LOL I get to see the doc again next tuesday and I'm hoping he says everything looks good and maybe can do something to stop this leaking (which has been going on for almost 3 weeks now). The hole is definitely getting smaller!

Hi Tammy.....sorry to hear you are having problems with your port. Is the liquid that is oozing clear or more puss like? Mine is clear. It started out a reddish clear and is now a bright yellow clear. I have to change the dressing all the time. As long as it stays clear I'm happy. Next week will be 1 month since my 3rd surgery, and I can definitely tell the difference. The first time I was in so much pain....I thought my back was going to break it hurt so bad. And every joint....OH GEEZE. Now my only pain is when I try to lay on my side....i can feel the port. I go see the doc again next Tuesday and I can't wait for him to tell me everything looks great. He has never been able to say that to me!!!! LOL Keep me updated on how you are doing. Hope everything clears up for you!!!

The first infection was a surgical infection (staph). I don't have all the same symptoms but the part of my incision that isn't healing looks similar to the first infection. I don't have pain, or redness, or heat so I'm not sure if there is an infection or not. What I have is a small hole that has turned gooey white. The doctor said I have a seroma that is leaking like crazy. It has been leaking for over a week with only 1 day of relief. I think the seroma is the reason why I can't heal properly. I have been smoke free since October of 2008, so that isn't the problem. The doctor said something about having a weird form of mrsa (non contagious kinda) on my skin that prevents me from healing. He doesn't want to give me antibiotics because of the possibility of good bacteria being killed and leaving the bad bacteria. He has not done any blood work. I would think with my history he would want to see me more than he does. I had a consultation with him 1 week after the last surgery, and the seroma was leaking when I went in. He said he wanted to see me in a week, but then changed it to 2 weeks (probably because he doesn't get paid for seeing me since I've maxed out my major medical), BUT when they went to schedule me for 2 weeks out they said the doc was going to be on vacation and put me for 3 weeks out. <sigh> nothing ever goes my way!!!! I should have changed my appointment for 1 week just to calm my fears of an infection!

I feel so frustrated. If I had known that choosing to have lap band surgery was going to make my life this difficult, I would have decided against it. I'm 38 years old and have never ever had health problems. Both my parents have diabetes, as do most of my extended family on both sides. I am an excellent candidate for having diabetes, but I don't. I have never ever had a surgery in my life, until February 2nd 2012. I was so excited to finally be going to have my lap band surgery. I was mentally prepared for this. I had done everything the doctor asked of me, and had dropped 15 lbs before my surgery by doing a low carb diet, and liquid diet 10 days before surgery. I had my surgery and everything was fine. One month later I found out I had a port infection. 2nd surgery was 2 days later. Now I've had my 3rd surgery (in 4 months). I've had complication after complication after complication and I just feel mentally exhausted. No one around me understands the pains I've been going through. I have no one to talk to (which is my fault since I didn't want my whole family to know I had this surgery). I have my band in now, but my incision isn't healing like it should. I don't know what to do! My doctor said to wait and see if it heals on its own, in the mean time I keep having this fear that an infection will set in. If I find out I have another infection I think I'm going to lose it. I can't bend over, I can't lay on my side, and i'm eating everything. Any advise or encouragement would be greatly appreciated!

My band holds 11cc. I have 5cc in it now. I got my fill during surgery (it was my 3rd surgery for lapband) so I've never had to go in to the office for a fill. I can tell you that 5cc does nothing for me. I can eat anything, and I do! I feel full for maybe 30 mins. I need to call the office to find out when I can get another fill. My last surgery was on June 19th so I haven't had a fill for very long. I haven't completely healed from the surgery and I don't think the office will fill me without being healed. It is so frustrating what all I've been through and have only lost 22 lbs since January. If I were you, I would call to see if you could get in earlier for another fill if that is what you feel like you need to do. Doesn't hurt to ask! Worst thing they can say is you will have to wait till July 26th!

I'm so glad I was another lucky one that didn't have the gas pains. My biggest pain was shoulder pain, and I don't have that anymore either. Congrats on getting banded. Hope you have a speedy recovery!!!!

Lets see.....I had to go to my Gynocologist which gave me my letter of medical clearance (I don't have a primary care physician, and since I have PCOS he suggested the surgery and helped me out with what I needed for the surgery) and also gave me 3 years of weight history. I had to attend a support group meeting. I also had to have a sleep study done (which I had already done at the beginning of last year to I didnt have to do it again, I just got my records from them), I had to meet a physical therapist & a psychologist. That was it. I was approved for my surgery on December 30th. Surgery was scheduled for February 2nd. From January 4th till the 23rd I was on a low low LOW carb diet then for 10 days before the surgery I was on a liquid diet that consisted of 3 protein shakes a day. I was able to drink water, crystal lite, powerade zero and any other low or no cal clear drink. After my surgery I did liquid for a few more days then started eating. I've had problems, lots of them, so my experience isn't the same.

Sean, It took 2 1/2 months for me to heal enough to get my port back. From March 9th till June 19th. It healed pretty good, except for the huge crater in my stomach. looked like someone could skateboard in it it was so funny looking. My doc actually removed alot of the scar when he put my port back in, so even though there is still a crater, it isn't as purple as it was. I was given kerlix gauze to soak in sodium chloride. I would cut off about 6 inches of kerlix gauze and soak it in the sodium chloride, stuff it in the hole (which was about 3 inches deep) with cotton tipped applicators, and cover it with 4x4 gauze and taped on with 2 inch paper tape. The tape would tear my skin up. I would get sores from it. I had to change it 2x a day, so in the morning I would set it up and at night when I had to change it again, when I pulled the tape off, the scabs from the sores would come off too. It was HORRIBLE!!!! I kept using more and more gauze making the area bigger to give the old areas time to heal. By the time they healed I had sores from the bigger area. It healed from the inside out, so the longer I packed it, the less I had to use. It was pretty weird watching the hole shrink. I would take pics of it to show crazy people I worked with. Some of the like gross stuff!!!! I'm glad I don't have to deal with that anymore. Until I got the seroma. I had to keep gauze on it to soak up the liquid that was coming out. I finally got the seroma stopped so I don't have to cover it anymore. Now my area is slightly red and sore (but not hot). Not like when I had the infection, but sore. I'm not sure if it is just from the surgery, since it was only 2 weeks ago, or if I have another infection. Hope that helps. If you have any other questions, I'll be glad to answer them. Hope you start to feel better and recover quickly!!!!