Trace Curry

It's hard to say Becky it's the old "Which came first the chicken or the egg" question. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

An upper GI may identify it but a few patients I just took back because I had no other explanation and sure enough they had one. You CANNOT tell on a scope, if anyone tells you they can they are misinformed (gastroenterologists do this all the time). Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Becky, We're starting to learn more about patients with symptoms like yours. It appears that the presence of a hiatal hernia (which is often very difficult to diagnose once you're banded) can cause problems exactly like this. I've taken a few patents back to surgery and repaired their hiatal hernias and voila, all is well. Good luck, Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Cheryl, Sorry I just now saw your post... Sometimes we put patients on a Medifast diet during this time but basically it doesn't matter as long as you keep the portion sizes and calories low. Probably the best thing would be to keep the carbs low. If you still need advice feel free to email my dietitian erin@thebanddoctor.com Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Makes no sense to me whatsoever...

Angie, If you were a year or more out I would probably scope you (I recommend a scope around that time anyway to evaluate the status of the pouch and esophagus). If you are only a few months out I would probably just do a fill. If you have pouch dilation on scope, I usually treat that by a complete unfill and strict portion control for 4-6 weeks. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Actually there was a very good study just recently published by Dr. Paul O'Brien which showed an excess body weight of 87% in patients pretty close to your preop BMI of 38 (the study was for BMI 30-35). The results of weight loss for band patients with a BMI above 50 don't mean anything for you. My wife is a low-BMI bandster and she has already lost 64% of her excess body weight in only 2 months! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Suzy, We do aftercare for lots of TN patients, in fact I did 2 this morning from Nashville. Might be able to hook you up with a carpool even. We do fills the first Saturday of each month for our out-of-towners. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Sorry...you're right I've been very busy! Your first fill is typically about 4 weeks after your surgery. You can have them every 2 weeks after that. We don't stretch it out for ever and ever don't worry! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

You need to stick to liquids only and get an upper GI ASAP. I would be worried about a slip if your band is truly empty. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Shayshay, Scar tissue is not a problem for an experienced laparoscopic surgeon, don't worry! You do have to have a general anesthetic though. Dr. C

Laura, I don't think there is going to be any difference in complication rate between the J&J and Inamed bands. They are both good bands, and the weight loss will be equivalent. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Laura, You can email tracy@thebanddoctor.com or call 877.442.BAND and they can give you the details. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Bandsters, I have a lot of folks who fly in for band adjustments. We also do fills on the first Saturday of each month. I am wondering if there are enough people interested we could make it sort of a group thing and we could arrange transportation to and from the airport so people wouldn't have to take cabs. If this seems like something you all would be interested in, just reply here! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

$1075 is definitely a lot for a fill. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Ok...now I get it. Wasn't sure if she meant all over the place here or all over the place in Cincinnati. I guess both are true! No offense meant to any blonds by the way... Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

I agree, overfilled! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

It's not about how aggressive or whether or not fluoro is used, it's about how tight the fill is long-term. Patients who have symptoms of being too tight for a long time have a higher rate of slippage and erosion. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

I've done 425 bands and have never had any erosion or leak, so I certainly wouldn't say it happens to everyone! The most common complication is actually slippage, which occurs in probably 2-5% of cases. Erosion is about 0.5%. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Actually I would say that the most common cause of erosion would be a band that is too tight for a long time. There has been some speculation about number of sutures but no research to support it. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Angie, You are probably just a little too tight. A few drops out should do the trick. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Our protocol with this type of problem is a significant unfil with rest of your pouch for a couple of weeks then slowly refilling. This usually cures the problem. If not, then we do a scope or an upper GI. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Sorry another blond moment... I would say a week for a floor nurse, even then though you won't be able to lift a lot. Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

It is very normal not to have restriction at this point. It takes 3-5 fills to get there - just be patient and follow the diet no more cheating! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Teresa, Whether your a nurse or not, most of my patients go home the same day! Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!