Linda Harrison

I stayed 3 nights cuz I was severely eroded...had a 3 inch hole and the dr. said I was contaminated. REALLLLLLLLLY????? My daughter had to have hers removed this past Monday. She stayed 2 nights. Hers was eroded also and the hole was about the size of his finger tip. I'm glad we caught hers before it got as bad as mine did. She is still recovering. Having it removed was worse than having it put in (for both of us). Good luck to those who have yet to have it removed. I was asked by a lady at the hospital if I was going to have it put back in and my reply was not only "NO" but "HELL NO". Like I really want to go through all of that again. And would I recommend it to anyone...NO again. Sorry to those of you who disagree with me but those are my feelings about the band.

I had mine removed Jan 24th due to erosion. Most of the time I never even knew I had the band. I could eat just about anything..except bread and chicken, and I got to where bread wasn't a problem. I guess that's cuz the band was eroding at that time. Anyway, I don't regret having it taken out. I don't miss it one bit and I won't have it done again. Like DeLarla said, don't condemn those of us who have had it removed and would remove it even without the erosion. My daughter has the band too and she has lost a whopping 20 lbs. in 2 years. Don't say it's not cuz she hasn't had fills. She has. She is at 7cc and the dr. says she's tight but....she can eat just as much as ever. The band has not worked for her. PERIOD! No, it isn't eroding nor has it slipped (that we know of at this pt.) but we are having it removed during Spring Break next month. Yes, you might say we are one of those that are saying "let's take it out before it happens" people. I DO NOT WANT her to go through the erosion ordeal. Mine was bad. It wasn't detected early because I had no symptoms other than a port infection. The port was removed with the anticipation of having it put in again in a few months then after 2 abscesses it was determined my band had eroded BAD. My daughter is 17 and I don't want that to happen to her. She has been really sick for the past 2 days. Her back is in a lot of pain and she throws up foam. Not food...just foam. No, it isn't a PB...it's vomiting foam..I guess from the pain being so severe in her back. After conversing with 2 band doctors they think maybe her band has slipped. What if it has? What if it hasn't? I'm self pay and I can't afford to run to the dr. every time I "THINK" something is wrong with the band. So...to hell with it....It's coming out BEFORE something does happen. Some of you may think I'm nuts...and that's okay. I'm doing what is best for us. She never has been happy with it (her wt. loss sucks) and now I can't worry about it all the time. I'll go nuts. Yes, another surgery is dangerous, but not as dangerous as if it erodes and then she has more to deal with than just removing the band. Then she'll have to deal with a hole in her stomach that has to be stitched up and never the same. The band is great for some people but once you've had problems like DeLarla and myself and a few others on here...you are leary of it...until it happens to you, you just don't understand the frustration and worry of it all.

I had mine removed on Jan. 24th and stayed in the hospital 3 nights. The dr. originally said I would be there 2 nights, but he kept me an extra night because I had such a bad abscess and hole where the band had eroded was pretty significant. The operation took 5 hours so I guess he wanted to make sure all was good. He did a great job.

Susan, I'm not upset by what you said. I think I know what you meant by it, and I really don't think you meant it to be spiteful. I think it would be best to stop apologizing for what you did say. Let it go! Your apologies have been posted and if some can't accept it then they just can't. Go on with other thoughts and posts and let bye gones be bye gones. IMO :puke: Good Luck with your band but...keep a watchful eye on it. Make demands to assure it is okay. As I said...I had NO symptoms at all that I was eroded..other than a port infection and abscess there was nothing. I do blame my dr. for not doing a barium swallow or UGI at the time he removed the port and abscess to detect for erosion. That would have saved a lot of worries and concerns for me and possibly a much smaller hole at that time. It ate at my stomach for 4 months after that. Shame Shame! Being ignorant isn't such a good thing so make yourself more knowledgeable and keep up with your band.

Nope! I told him before the surgery that I wanted a barium swallow afterward to assure there were no leaks. He said he would ck everything out. Afterward, before I left I said it again and he said he checked everything and it was okay. Well, being somewhat ignorant of such things I assumed he checked out everything... UNTIL I got home and got to worrying and thinking and reading about this. The more I read and thought the more worried I became. Sooooo....these tests are being done here. UGI Monday...BS under fluoro Tuesday (or vice versa). I'll be glad when they're done so I can have some peace of mind. ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, Yanno

I understand your frustrations grrly. I went to MX because I was self-pay, did my research, talked to patients of my dr. and decided it was the right thing to do. I in no way blame my dr. for my erosion. It was my own negligence I believe that caused my band to erode. Or...maybe I'm just one of the lucky 1% no matter how well I had followed the rules. I'll never know. I still believe my dr. is a good surgeon. I just wish I hadn't had it done now that I've had this happen. I went to a dr. over here after my surgery to try to get some tests and his comments/questions were "Why do you people go to MX to get things done and then come back to us to fix what they messed up and did wrong? I can not touch you after another surgeon has touched you. Did they charge you in MX to take out your band? How much?" When I told him yes and how much, he just shook his head and didn't want anything else to do with me. I asked him if he couldn't order some kind of test to at least give me some peace of mind that the hole in my stomach was sutured well and there were no leaks. He said he would order an endoscopy which is something diff. from the band. I came home feeling like I was the biggest sinner in the world. After speaking with my mom and reading up on endoscopy (can cause perforations of the stomach) I decided to go to my GP and ask for tests. He was much more understanding and polite than the surgeon I went to (who was an ass- O). I went in for a CT scan of the abdomen yesterday and go in for UGI and barium swallow tomorrow and Tues. We shall see what the results say. I know...EVERYTHING IS GREAT! xx(fingers crossed)

Yeah...I wanna know all those things too. Since my erosion and the hole in my stomach was pretty severe, I wanna know ALL those things too. I'm having tests done here in the US. I went for a CT scan yesterday. Going in Mon. and Tues. for an UGI and a barium swallow under flouroscopy. Will these answer all the questions I have? NO! But hopefully they will all show that everything is okay for now ...no leaks in my stomach to cause another abscess in my abdomen (or worse). If the tests show things aren't good then I'll have to have them fixed. I'm praying it's all good in there cuz I really don't wanna go thru another operation. The last one to remove the band and abscess was 5 hrs. Of course I didn't know it cuz I was "out" but it was complicated for the dr. and that's not good for me. Also, my right foot and part of my lower leg has been kind of numb since about 3 days after the surgery. They said it will go away..we'll see. I have asked about my stomach's future and what I was told is there will be scar tissue forevere but the stomach should go back to being just like it was before the hole was sutured. Like when you get a cut on your hand...it gets sewn up and there is a scar, but you don't really notice it's there. The stitches the dr. used will not dissolve. They are there forever. I don't know if that's cuz it was done in Mexico, or if it would be the same here in the US had it been sewn up here. All kinds of fears go thru my head..will the stitches frey? Will they come undone? Was it sewn good or do I have leakage? God has been with me through all of this so far and I keep praying. Hopefully, He will keep listening and seeing me thru this. I know one thing...I will never do anything else to my body unless I absolutely have to. Nite all

For those of you that have exp. band erosion I wish you would email me so we can converse more easily. Or if you have yahoo that would be great too. I'm still sitting here with drains and a hardness around the port incision that is open cuz pus gushed out of it like I had never seen before. The hardness I was told after the port removed was umm what was it..scar tissue around the cut allowing it to heal. Well, it turned out that it ended up being the beginning of another absess. I don't know about you guys that have had your bands erode, but my exp. has been a nitemare so far. Knowing I had a 3 inch hole in my stomach that was leaking food particles and bacteria into my abdomen thus causing the abscesses to form for the past 4 months makes me very scared. Is it going to be over after I heal? Am I healing? Was the opening sutured closed completely or is it still leaking inside my abdomen? All kinds of frightful thoughts are going thru my head and my dr. wanted me to go back to work yesterday. NOT! I don't need that stress added to the stress I already have. I was banded in Mexico so finding a dr. here to look after me NOW could be tricky. I'm thinking I may just go into the ER and tell them what I've had done and tell them about the hardness around the former port incision, and that I fear the abscess is still in there forming and that I fear my stomach could still be leaking through the hole that was there. The dr. said I should be able to remove the drain Sun. or Mon. but when he called yesterday I told him how much it was still draining and he said to leave it there and he will call me again Wed. At least he is looking after me from afar as best he can. Am I a worry wart? I don't think so. Not normally. But, this isn't normal crap. So...YEAH, I'm worried! I'm worried as hell. I want some proff that the hole was sutured closed VERY WELL! I want some proof that the abscess is NOT there nor is it growing again. I NEED these things! It's not that I want them. I NEED THEM for some peace of mind. Anyway, if any of you have exp. band erosion and would like to talk with me more...I would appreciate it. My email is topsyturvy57@hotmail.com and my yahoo is o_lilangel_o. Those are halos on the sides! :xena_banana: But don't let 'em fool ya!

Sorry to hear about your band erosion, Ciera. For those of you that haven't experienced it, don't say "if it happens, it happens" cuz I said that and believe me...when it does, if it's not caught quickly it can be very dangerous. I had a port infection/abscess and had both removed. 2 mos. later the abscess was back..had it removed....2 mos. later it's back again and they find that the band is 70% eroded into my stomach..leaving me with a 3 inch hole in my stomach. It's not any fun. I wish I had never gotten the band to tell you the truth. Oh well....tell Ciera I wish her luck with her recovery.

70% of my band had completely eroded into my stomach past the lining leaving me with a 3 inch hole. Did I have restriction? Everyone once in a while I would feel a little but not often. I could sit and eat a hamburger or pretty much anything else I wanted to eat. When you get a port infection...it could mean erosion. I had a port infection/abscess and had them both removed only to have the abscess come back 2 more times before they checked for erosion. I'm a little upset. Perhaps if I had been given a barium swallow the first time the hole wouldn't have gotten so bad. I'm still sitting here with drains coming out of my stomach and hardness around where the port used to be. The hardness was always an indication that an abscess was forming before. I pray to God that's not what it is now. I haven't healed from the last abscess removal/hole closure. My right foot and part of my right leg are kinda numb from the surgery. I don't think I could undergo another one safely right now. This last one (supposed 1.5-2hrs surgery) took 5 hours. I don't claim to be wise. If so, maybe I wouldn't have gotten the band at all, or maybe I would have been more careful of it, or maybe I would have had more barium swallows to ck for such things. Thing is...it happened kinda quickly...it was fine and then 4 mos. later it had torn a huge hole in my stomach wall. food particles and bacteria were escaping my stomach into my abdomen and causing the abscesses to grow. The last one, according to the dr. had packed my abdomen tight. He had a hard time making repairs and getting the abscess out. Because of it being so complicated and taking so long, I hope it was all done well. Niters

Hi! Has anyone ever had a problem with their port (and it not be anything serious)? Mine has been really sore, irritated, and swollen for the past 3 days. It usually can't be felt too well, but now, it feels like it's really close to the skin cuz I can feel it pretty darn good. It isn't red or anything, but I've been worried cuz it's never really bothered my like this before, and I've had it for 1.5 years so far. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you

LOL! All of the above a too much of the time. I'm trying really hard to watch the carbs right now. Not too much of a problem most of the time cuz breads don't go down well at all BUT..CHIPS?? CHEETOS? Never a problem! They go down so gooooooooood! Shame Shame!

Lately, I could give my band a lot of bad names...none of them sweet and loving LOL! It's been hurting like hell, and very sore. It's also swollen in that area, but no redness. Fickle? Bandit? Crazy? I just don't know. A while back, I probably would have named it something like Lovey, Sweety, Lifesaver, Hope, Angel, or a slew of other names but not here lately. Anyone have any ideas? And, and ideas on why it may be like this? Thanks

Hi! I was banded in Mexico and would very much like to find a doctor near Indianapolis who will do my adjustments. If anyone can help me out here I would appreciate it. Thanks Linda

Donali, Sorry to hear about your having to have the band removed due to erosion. You've done very well with your loss. Will you have it put in again later on or are you not sure yet? Do you have any idea what caused it to happen? Once again, I'm sorry it has happened and hope you are dealing with it okay. Best of Luck

I had my first fill last Saturday and while talking to the doctor he said Diet sodas are okay. I said REALLY??????? He said they are okay but the best way to do it is to put ice in a glass and then pour the diet soda in over the ice. The ice takes out a lot of the carbonation, so he said. I haven't done it yet but I might since he said it's okay.

My daughter and I had our first fill FINALLY..this past Saturday. We have the Swedish band and I got 2.8cc and she got 4cc. The doctor started out with 4 and went up or down as needed. Heather was good at 4 he said but me..NO WAY....I was totally closed at 4. The barium and Water wouldn't go down at all at 4...then not at 3.8 or 3.5 or 3 dadada...so I ended up with 2.8. It was cool watching it all under fluoroscopy. That was the first time I got to see my band and both pouches. He showed me the band, the tubing, the 2 pouches and all. The port just looked like a round, dark circle and you could see the needle going into it. I know I've had a fill...I watched it all in action and even at 3 it was too tight. Only problem is I don't really notice a whole lot of difference in how my food goes down. Sometimes it still gets stuck cuz I don't chew well enough but no more than before the fill. He did say he didn't want to get either of us too tight on the first fill and since we are going on a trip he felt safe with us at the amounts he gave us. He didn't want us 1,500 miles away and get to PBing or unable to swallow. I've heard some say they dont notice a diff. for 2-3 weeks after a fill and others say they notice right away. I guess it's a "wait and see" game. I'm eating less than I used to before the band, but feel that I can sometimes eat more than I should even now with the fill. I think we are both going to need another adjustment in a month but time will tell. For now, we are heading off to Tennessee to see my daughter and granddaughter and enjoy being able to eat without any problems. P.S. By the way, my daughter says she has been hurting in her side since the adjustment. The pain isn't in the port area...more to the left of it; more toward her left side. Anyone have this problem after a fill?????

Hey fred...yes, I have that same pain sometimes but it's usually if I don't chew my food well enough. It is also a sign that I am full and need to stop eating. Soon after I have eaten enough I sometimes get the hiccups (often actually). Just remember to chew your food well. It's a good sign in a way...you know you have restriction:) Linda

WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pics showed up finally... OMG!!! You can definitely see the difference. Those ladies may love you for the person you are but holy cow.....ANYBODY can see the difference in your size. You look terrific What an inspiration you are linda

Yanno Mary...not everyone judges people by their size. Maybe they never saw you as being fat. Maybe, just maybe they saw you for who YOU are as a person and that is why they never noticed your size before or your weight loss. It's nice to know that there are some people out there that are that way. It's also nice to know, for you at least, that you are a nice enough person for people to enjoy your company and not notice your weight. That is a wondeful compliment. I can't see your pics for some reason :/ but I am sure that with 100 lbs. gone you look absolutely teffific. That's all I want to lose so if I can do that...I'll be soooooooooooooooooo happy Congratulations on such a wonderful loss Linda

Congratulations!! I haven't had a ciggy since the day of my surgery, February 20th...42 days (6 weeks) wooohoooo!!! I don't miss them one bit and I was easily a pack a day smoker during the week and a 2 packer on weekends sitting at the puter playing games for hours. I quit about 17 years ago and gained 70 lbs in one year...since then I packed on another 50 trying to get rid of that 70...what a triangle..up down, up down, lose, gain, lose, gain...over and over and over again....until I was at my top weight...I was scared to quit again thinking I would do the same thing and I knew I couldn't afford to gain that much weight that fast again...but... When I got the band I thought "I'm just gonna do it all at the same time" and so far I've been doing fine.... Keep it up!!! I drive better cuz I'm not digging in my purse looking for a smoke or a lighter. I smell better cuz I don't have that smoke clinging to my skin, hair, and clothes. The house smells better and the walls aren't turning orange And just think of all the money I'm saving...right at $1500-$2000 a year. Hmmmm I think I'll start put that ciggy money in a piggy bank now and start planning on a nice trip for summer 2005

LMAO...You guys are just too damn funny. SEX doesn't sound like a bad plan at all...as a matter of fact it sounds like one hell of a good plan...only problem for me is....there's no man around here to acommodate me in that wonderful exercise so I guess I'll just have to find some other way to occupy my time LOL.... Linda

I was told not to consume alcohol with the band. I don't remember if my doctor told me or if I read it somewhere but whatever or wherever it was, it said that it could cause erosion of the band. Does anyone know if that's true or not????? Linda

WOW Felicia just 2 1/2 weeks out and you've already had a fill!! I was banded 2/20/04 and my doctor won't do a fill for at least 6 weeks. Congrats on your loss so far...keep it up!! Linda

Ooops it wasn't C-fill...it was C-Diff (Clostridium difficile) sorry about that :/ and let me tell ya it was AWFUL. I had never been so sick in my life. Sometimes I wish i didnt have a pc cuz since I have been out of the hospital I've been reading up on it and from what I've read, it isn't a good thing to have. I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy...welllllllllllllllll I might LOL I'm doing much better now, thanks everyone. Happy Losing Linda