Bandarella

Reasons not to get a Lapband: 1) what are the chances you will go 5-10 years without getting a severe stomach virus, vomiting and risk slipping your band? It's a completely unrealistic expectation. 2) like you said, you're tired of being a pincushion. 3) with the late complication/removal rate in the 50% range, why risk it. 4) early complications with sleeve are 1.5 %, band is .5% + 3% risk it will be placed improperly... 5) with sleeve, you heal and live normally...you already know what life with a band is like! Best of luck!!

You answered your own question...avocado is fruit, not veggie. It's 77% fat! which isn't going to help you with preop weight loss or liver shrinkage. Most preop diets are high protein, low carb/low fat. The objective is to lessen the fattiness of the liver and reduce glycogen on the surface of the liver, so it's less slippery and easier to hold out of the way during surgery. The low carb diet reduces the glycogen reserves in our bodies and takes a lot of water with it, which is why the perceived weight loss is so much...I lost a pound a day on my 14 day preop diet. It consisted of 3 meal replacement shakes per day + dinner of lean protein (3-6 oz) and all the low fat/low glycemic veggies I wanted. Peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, green beans, RAW carrots (not cooked) were ok. Don't eat the avocado...save it for a treat post op.

If you have PCOS, you would have excess facial hair.

A "one-time" esophageal spasm can be overlooked. If it happens again, consult with your surgeon. Esophageal spasms are a sign of potential complications and should not be ignored. Best of luck to you on your WL journey!

@@jennyinky tattoo artist??

@@gowalking your profile does say Lapband. Maybe she's on a mobile app???

As TMF said, give your fill a chance to take effect. There's a reason they make you wait 3-4 weeks between fills and there's a good reason they only fill in small increments. Once you feel restriction, the margin for error is very small. Even as little as .1cc can put you in the red zone and potentially harm your stomach and or esophagus. I'm sure when you went to your pre-op appointments they laid out the protocol for you. Overfilling and aggressive fills are very dangerous.

If your having pain, you need to ask your doctor for advice...pain after the immediate post op period isn't normal and needs to be looked in to.

The only info I have on her is second hand. My friend had her and had Lapband, lapband+plication, sleeve and now total gastrectomy with RNY due to the damage from the cumulative damage from all these surgeries. She has a picc line and tube feeding is being considered as her esophagus was damaged from the three previous surgeries. It's seems that Dr K didn't consider that her pt wasn't a candidate for high pressure wls and kept operating on her despite the complications she was having.

@bandedCary. The injections are approved to treat female infertility. All other forms are illegal as stated by the FDA in the link I provided.

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm281333.htm HGC is illegal in the US. It requires a 500 calorie diet that is devoid of fat and carbs. Save yourself the $$$$ and risk and just do the diet.

The preop diet was the easiest part. I had 3 meal replacement shakes made with nf milk and dinner of lean meat 3-6 oz + all the low glycemic veggies I wanted at dinner and throughout the day. I lost a pound per day over the two weeks. The purpose of the preop low carb diet is to reduce glycogen on the surface of the liver. Glycogen is slippery and it makes the liver difficult to hold up and out of the way during surgery.

I got Lapband because my insurance only covered that or RNY. I also planned to have left knee replacement. Unfortunately that never happened since my band was placed too high and caused me to lose over a year in Dx the problem and get it removed. My BMI was down to 35, was. 49 preop and is now 41 due to regain. Honestly, with all the long term complications of gastric banding and the expected EWL of. 40-60 % I would opt for gastric sleeve surgery. Better results, less long term complications and follow up care. Best of luck and congrats on losing 156 lb on your own!!

@@lauriearnold For the first year or so, things seemed fine. My first sign that things were not ok was chest pain that radiated to my neck, arm, back and jaw. It would happen only at night, waking me and last 30-60 sec and was relieved when I'd drink a little Water or change position. Turns out, it was esophageal spasms. Strangely, when my Fluid was removed, things got worse fast.

As I said, you need a NEW bariatric surgeon. If your surgeon doesn't know by now that your band is too high, I wouldn't go back. Ask your gastroenterologist for a recommendation. When I started having problems, my surgeon wasn't concerned. It was my gastroenterologist who managed my care and sent me to an esophageal specialist.

@@2muchfun No, not suing. I have two options; sue and get tied up in litigation for years or let go of it and live my life. I choose the latter. Life is too short. My surgeon is well respected and has never had a malpractice complaint, so I see this as simply a mistake. The fact that the support team at the hospital/clinic hid the fact that it was mis placed is unconscionable.

@@2muchfun I've had at least 6 bariatric surgeons tell me that a band cannot move up. If it's high, it was placed there...just want to let people know that a slip is the STOMACH slipping up through the band.

I'm several months out from Lapband removal surgery now and realizing that I've been grieving the loss of my tool. To see my history, just read some of my activity over the last few months on here. 1. Denial and Isolation: in the months leading up to my removal surgery I struggled between being ready to give up my tool because it was causing me so much pain, anxiety and fear and trying desperately to keep my tool because I was unwilling to risk regaining the weight I'd worked so hard to lose. I stayed away from surgery forums, for the most part...I couldn't read about others doing great, struggling, being overjoyed at approval without feeling like I'd just been a fool for thinking I'd ever attain a BMI under 30, my realistic goal. I was undergoing test after test trying to understand what was going on inside my body. I felt like crap at the lowest weight I'd seen in over 15 years. I felt cheated out of the chance to enjoy the smaller clothes, but I desperately wanted the doctors to tell me the band was ok, it was easy to fix whatever was wrong or that I could revise. After removal, I was overjoyed at being able to eat again, not bring up absolutely everything that went down. In the first 3 months, I gained 3 lb, no biggie. I felt good, normal again. I was in denial about regain. 2. Anger and Depression: a few months ago, the regain started in earnest. I had always suffered from depression in the fall my entire adult life. Relocation to the northwest doesn't help that. With my band I didn't worry about my fall depression, it was still there, but with my tool, the eating was under control, I was in control. I used a blue light and it helped. This last fall, I felt like my emotional world was crashing down and the pounds were piling on...25 of them. I was totally pi**ed off! I've lost my tool, I can't revise, my surgeon f'd up my band by placing it too high...I felt angry, betrayed and miserable. I was so angry I'd allowed myself to become emotionally vulnerable and feel more normal. I coped with obesity by compartmentalizing my emotions...the self loathing, blaming, excusing had been gone. I'd allowed myself to let go of that part of my psyche, set it free...now it's back. 3. Bargaining: as Fall turned to Winter and Winter to spring, I devised different plans to deal with my regain. No carbs, low carbs, DASH diet, blood type diet, no diet, etc. I'm struggling in every sense of the word, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I'm so disappointed in myself, I feel stupid for not recognizing my symptoms for what they were earlier, despite my surgeon and PA telling me everything was fine. Every morning and night when I take my meds (8 total, 2 new) I tell myself I'm going to get control, lose what I regained and follow my wls eating plan. I've done great some days, most days...eating 1200-1400 calories, getting a bit of walking in (I'm disabled, so this is limited), logging my food, etc...still I gain. I'm out of options, but I keep thinking maybe I can still revise...my husband has been so supportive, but he's scared I will try to revise. My bargaining days are over... Acceptance: I'm still struggling, but I'm becoming more resolved to find a long term solution for my problem. I've lost a lot of time on this endeavor. I've got to figure out how to make it meaningful, not a waste of time and resources. I'm going to see a naturopathic physician and I'm considering counseling too. I've got to get a handle on the situation, because in 6 months, it's going to be the dark season again...wish me luck!!

Nancy, band misplacement happens a reported 3% of the time...3/100 surgeries. Your band is creating the sensation of "strangling" because it's probably on your esophagus (since your GI doc said it was placed high) and developing scar tissue. You need two things; a new bariatric surgeon and repositioned or removed ASAP. This is a surgeon error. Bands don't migrate upwards once placed. I had this and it caused massive problems.

If you're having persistent headaches, call your doctor. Headaches can occur when blood glucose is low...maybe that is a signal that you need a little snack of protein/healthy carbs. When my am Bg was less than 70 my nutritionist suggested a snack like this in a ratio of 1gr protein to 2 gr healthy carbs...so 10 gr protein to 20 gr carb...I would eat a cheese stick and a couple of whole grain crackers at bedtime and my am Bg stabilized at 90-100.

@@KateB with PCOS, there is a connection between the condition and diabetes, so it's very relevant. Managing Bg through any means is helpful in PCOS. What I found interesting is that adjustable gastric banding was shown to be less effective in managing comorbidities than the other WLS and that gastric sleeve was significantly more effective than AGB without the risk of RH with RNY. Good post@@BeagleLover

Sorry, but gastric banding isn't compatible with achalasia, in fact it has recently been linked to causing it...if you are serious about weight loss surgery, only RNY is compatible with your condition.. I'm assuming you've had testing to confirm the diagnoses. Best of luck to you!

I had this with my band surgery. The Benadryl didn't help so much, but I used the gel on the incisions. What helped was loofa. I showered a couple of times a day, loofaing around the incisions and it helped to shed the skin containing the adhesive (dermabond).

Ppi = proton pump inhibitor, drugs like Crestor, prilosec, omeprazole to reduce acid production.

Without a biopsy, a Dx of Barrets is impossible. I have an irregular z line, but I don't have Barrets. This was determined by biopsies taken during my EGD. PPIs can manage GERD and prevent Barrets. Most VSG patients take PPIs the first 6 months while their stomach learns to make less acid and then wean off of them.