Jax

Hi there I need to find details of a fill doctor in Johannesburg. Can anyone help please? Many thanks

Hi there I had my first band a year ago last November. A slip was diagnosed almost a year to the day later and the local doc took me in straight away and replaced my band. The old band was a VG and placed around my stomach. Apparently the new one (the 10cm/4cc size) has been placed around my oesophogus. In fact, I have even been able feel the difference when I'm eating. Yesterday, after a couple of hours in front of my pc, I stood up and stretched. At the peak of the stretch something popped in my chest and I've had a feeling of discomfort there ever since. It's worse if I put my chin on my chest when the sensation becomes stronger and spreads around towards my back. I had such a battle with the doctors here last year when I was having fills in the old band, and then the slippage. It's making me reluctant to go back and ask them what they think might be wrong. I'll be absolutely devastated if this band has slipped too. There's no change in restriction for things but I do feel different - almost like I'm about to burp. I started writing this to ask for advice, but I know what I must do. I'll leave the post up though - incase anyone has any advice. I'm going to email the doctor now.

Just a quick comment on waiting to repair a slipped band... I don't exactly know when mine slipped but things changed for me in Sept/October and I eventually went for an xray when I was in pain at the end of November. My surgeon said it was vital that I get it replaced straight away as food sitting in the pouch begins to rot and - well I can't remember his exact words but we all know that rotting food isn't intended for humans! I paid for my first band, I followed the rules without exception and it still slipped after a year. I didn't pay for the replacement (odd, but I'm not complaining!) I hope this one stays put. xx

It's almost certainly post-op swelling. I've felt/looked like like a barrell for the last week since I came out of hospital. In fact I had to keep my pyjamas on for two days because all my trousers were too tight. I wouldn't worry about it, it's just your body doing what it needs to recover.

Replaced - with another band because the first one had slipped. In Italy - moved here from the UK a little while ago so nothing to do with the military base. Was self-pay for the original surgery and have received good aftercare here in Italy. Obviously the language barrier is the MOST difficult thing. I speak Italian on the street, in the shops and bars etc. but talking about medical things to doctors and surgeons who are not particularly chatty in the first place is a killer. Especially if you think something is wrong. Which of course I ALWAYS do!

I've had my band replaced here in Italy and have some difficulty with the language when talking to doctors and nurses. I was discharged from hospital on Wednesday evening. The doctor gave me an envelope and said ring the number on here to make a follow-up appointment for 2weeks time. Anyway, I've been feeling a bit rough with post-op gas pains so it's only today that I've taken the letter out of my bag. It doesn't just contain the number for the follow up appointment but is also a presecription that I should take to the chemist for Clexane 4000 UI. I imagine this is to help avoid DVT (as they didn't give me anything to bring home with me). My husband has just taken it to the pharmacy so I'll start straight away - but I'd like to know how much of a problem it might be that I've missed a day and a half. Obviously, most of you will say to contact a medical professional and I'm doing all I can on that score but if there's a nurse or similar out there, perhaps you can help?

I know! It's crazy isn't it? The banding op is the least of my worries! Deep breathing seems to help now the pain has calmed down a little. I found a website that said to practise deep breathing (that moves the diaphragm) followed by the best cough you can muster. It helps to relax the complaining diaphragm and release the offending gas). Also I'm now able to find a position that eases the pain when I get an attack. This has helped for the last two days.

You have my EVERY sympathy. I've been crippled with this since Thursday. Yesterday was the worst day - it made me cry twice (and I've never cried over pain before). I collected advice and tried the following... Peppermint tea Wind-eze/Gasx Massage Heat Pad Nurofen gel Stretching I can't say that any of these was better than another - but all of them seem to have worked for other people. Today the pain has lessened and been tolerable for me and I just hope it stays that way. I wish you better very soon. xx

I was banded in Europe with a BMI of 35. I had a hiatal hernia and other minor related issues. One surgeon I went to turned me down and offered the BIB balloon but I knew that would be no better than the last extreme diet I had been on as the balloon must come out after 6 months. The problem there was that he had mis-weighed me and was looking at a number 10kilos less than reality. Anyway, that's in the past and I contacted many surgeons who accepted me for banding. I wouldn't encourage everyone with a weight problem to have this operation; it's surgery afterall and it's not a magic wand treatment. It should only be considered as a last resort - where, without it, the alternative is sickness and a general downward spiral for the years ahead. Your situation sounds simialr to mine in that you are at that last resort stage but I just wanted to balance the scales for anyone who maybe thinking of banding purely for aesthetic reasons. Best wishes and good luck.

It's a really difficult question to answer because the symptoms seem to be the same for people who need an unfill to those who need to just be more careful. If you are throwing up every day I would say that's not a good thing and you should have a little fluid removed, even the tiniest amount can make all the difference. But of course, it's just my opinion. Hope you're feeling better soon.

I just noticed that you've both done really well with your weight loss! It's almost the same weight loss as me but you've both done it in much less time - complimenti !! Jenna - our stats are similar. I started at 210 and am currently at about 154.

Thanks both. I checked with the pharmacist who said not to worry. Also had some advice from an English speaking nurse so I'm feeling all info'd up at last. Turns out that the injections are one a day so I'd only missed one. I appreciate your responses. Thank you very much.

I'm back from hospital having had my slipped band removed and replaced with another. I was supposed to have the op on Wednesday but when I arrived for pre-op tests on Tuesday they'd had a cancellation so I was done a day early. (Less time to worry). This op has been completely different to last time - for a start the shoulder pains from the gas. I was lucky last time and didn't get even a twinge. However, I've been in agony all night and haven't had a wink of sleep. My chest and ribs are all hurting and I can't breathe properly. Oh, woe is me! If anyone has any good tips to get rid of the pain I'll be really grateful to hear them.

Excellent outcome Jonathan. I'm sitting here with all the post-op pain and worry that I thought I'd put behind me a year ago. Enjoy your great news. I wanted to wait and see if an unfill would work for me but the surgeon insisted on an immediate replacement. He said it had slipped too far and who am I to argue?? I'm really pleased for you. Jax

Thanks everyone for the usual great advice. Just about to have a cup of peppermint tea. I'm trying the deep breathing as it seems to help but my lungs don't seem to have any capacity. Ouch. I wish the passing bit would hurry up!

I've just read the post from Jonathan about his slipped band and thought I'd let you all know about mine... I had an awful stomach ache a week ago so (after making many pestering phone calls to the doctor) I went to the hospital last Wednesday and had xrays done with barium. I can't actually make head nor tail of the pics myself but two surgeons looked at them and the radiographer and they've all reported a slipped band. I could see that the band had changed orientation since my last xrays in Feb 05. It used to sit diagonally but in the new xrays it's clearly horizontal. The doctor tried to show me that half of my stomach is above and the other half below but I couldn't really make it out. Obviously I'm gutted. My op was one year and one day ago and I've really just sailed through and lost all my weight without any difficulties. Serves me right - I should've known it wouldn't be that easy! Anyhoo - I've been booked in to the hospital tomorrow to get the slipped band removed and they will replace it with another. The surgeon said he won't use the Vanguard (or VG) band that I currently have because they don't use it at his hospital but it will be the other 11cm Inamed one. I'm not going back to my original surgeon as he was and has continued to be less than helpful in the last year. Talk about Groundhog Day! Here I am again, one year on, preparing myself for this surgery. All the saline has been removed from the slipped band and I've been put back on the fluids only diet until the op and then of course it'll be the same for 4 weeks after so I'll be back on the soup and yoghurts again. Yeuch. I asked what had caused it but I didn't get much of an answer. One Doctor said he couldn't explain (he only speaks Italian and mine's not really up to complex conversations like this!) and the other said it's very common problem with gastric bands. (Didn't I read that the chance of slippage these days is less than 1%??). I'd love to know more but I'll use some other resources to find out, it's too difficult to discuss it with them. In response to some of the comments under poor Jonathan's recent post - I followed the banding rules to the letter. I lost around a pound a week - which felt excrutiatingly slow at the time but I was very careful not to be aggressive with my band. No fizzy drinks, no over eating, no over fill. The worst symptons I ever got was the occasional PB from eating too quickly or not chewing my food properly. I knew from the outset that I may not be lucky and I also knew that if something went wrong I would torture myself if I hadn't followed the rules. So I did... every last one of them. But it slipped anyway. Keep your fingers crossed for me for this new op please! It's the scary night before again. xx

Not one of mine... but I had to post. My friend used to tell her kids that if the ice-cream van was playing a tune it was to tell everyone he'd run out of ice-cream! How wicked is that?

6 weeks after my band was fitted I had my first fill of 1cc - insignificant in my 10cc VG band. So I went back yesterday for another. This time I got 3cc's to make a total of 4. I've definitely got restriction - but of course it's early days.

Hi Brighteyes. I sympathise because I remember these feelings only too well. I just wanted to say congratulations on sticking to your Doctor's orders. I read so many stories on the web from Bandsters that say they've started on solids after a few days. It's crazy to waste this chance the band has given us - for me the band and surgery were and are the last resort. I for one won't be jeopardising it's success in the first few weeks of the journey. I managed to stick religiously to 4 weeks of a liquid diet - not because I have great willpower (It's blatantly clear I don't have that!) but because I so want this to work. Having said that, my Doc also said "anything that'll go through a straw" so I made my own soups (using a liquidiser and then straining through a seive). It made me feel so much better that I was getting the goodness of chicken and vegetables, etc. even though the soup wasn't thick and filling. My suggestion to you is, rather than give in to temptation.. call your surgeon, explain your predicament and ask for some suggestions from him. Anyway, once again, congratulations for doing it properly so far and rest assured that this phase will be over soon. xxxx

Hi there, I'm going for my first fill tomorrow but with a doctor other than the one that fitted my Lapband. How many cc's of solution is normal for the first fill? I don't want to be over filled (ever, but especially with the first fill) but I have to pay 150 euros for each fill so I don't want to be significantly underfilled each time either. A bit of a quandry but will be easier if I know the amount that is "usual". Lapband Germany 22/11/04

That's reassuring, thanks. I'm not feeling any restirction this morning, hopefully this fill will be a late starter like yours!

Thanks to all who responded. Had the fill this morning. Doc put in 1cc and to be honest I don't feel any different. I'm definately with nightingale though and want to do this properly even if it is slowly. I'll wait a couple of weeks to see if anything has changed before I go and demand my €150 worth of saline!!! Tracey... What a great price! But Lyon's a real pain for me to get to. I live in Italy and would have to go via London so the same problems there as getting to and from Frankfurt.

Hi Babs As someone at the very beginning of the weight loss journey I read your post with interest. The thing that I've been thinking about is this... if only I could "harness" how I feel right now so when I'm a year or two further ahead I could re-visit it to remind myself how far I have come. You see I know that I'll be the same as you! It'll never be too soon for me and I'll always want it to go faster! So, this is the nearest I can get to reminding you how you felt before wls... be patient, you've already done a great job AND you're still losing a pound a week. How many other diets did you do for 16 months - and on how many of them were you still losing steadily after 16 months? Don't worry, I know the answer! The other thing... during my research where I've been reading up on the post-op problems it seems that over-filling the band is the cause of most issues. I'm making a point of remembering this because I fear my impatience will cause me to visit the "fill clinic" once too often. On other words... note to self: If you are losing weight, you don't need a fill. Don't know if this helps but I hope so! Jax SAGB or LAPband Germany 22/11/04

Babs Thanks for your response. (Well done btw, your weight loss is fab!). It's good to read that you have no regrets and that your band is working for (with) you. As I scour the web for more and more banding info. I seem to find mostly negative posts from those who are long term banded. I was hoping the reason for that is the fact that afetr a while people only go to the support sites when things go wrong. I'm sure everyone starts out with the best of intentions - but in a strange way it's better for them to "disappear" into normality. It means this wls really works! I guess my resolution (if things go perfectly) will be to post at least once a year for the benefit of those in the research stage. ps: which band do you have? I'm trying to dcide between SAGB and Inamed LAPband

Hi everyone Are there any long-term bandsters out there for me to chat to? I appreciate that this particular WLS is relatively new but I'd really like to know what to expect 1,2 and 3+ years on. I know there are people out there but they don't seem to post on these forums. Hopefully it's because they've become "normal" and don't need the support anymore. But even so, I want to be sure that I'm not jumping on the newest "get thin quick" scheme. Will my band be a long term solution to my weight problem or am I going to be back in the same boat a year or two from now??? All opinions and 2nd generation gossip wioll be gladly received! Jax Pre-op Either LAPband or SAGB Germany 22/11/04