Julie*

mnieves: It sounds like you are having gall bladder attacks. The telltale sign for me was sharp pain in my back up between my shoulder blades. I also felt like a vice grip was wrapped around my whole stomach and pressing on my rib cage. Turns out my gall bladder was infected and I had stones the size of golf balls- my surgeon said it was 8 times its normal size when they removed it. The good news is that my band is just fine. It didn't affect it at all. I would get yourself to the doc and insist on an abdominal u/s as well as bloodwork to see if it's your gall bladder. good luck. Julie

I had a blueberry get stuck 2.5 years ago and was admitted into the hospital to have it removed by endoscopy. They admitted me due to a high fever and dehydration. I also had a complete unfill at the time. 6 months later I decided to try a fill again and had a very small amount put in the band- 3 days later I was back in the hospital b/c my band was so tight that I got another fever and couldn't swallow saliva. The band was unfilled again and now 2 years later I haven't even had another fill. My surgeon said that for some reason my body reacts badly to fills. Lucky me. So, the band has not helped me the way I expected. I actually have an appt with my surgeon next week. I had my gall bladder out in October (same surgeon) and then an upper endoscopy. Now I have a hiatal hernia and am having some reflux issues. The bad news is that I blame everything on the band. The good news is that I am FINALLY realizing that getting the weight off is more important than the food. Good luck.

HI~ I just wanted to let you know that I had similar symptoms last week and assumed that my band was the problem. Turns out my gall bladder was bad and I had surgery 2 days ago to have it removed. I could also eat and drink- it just really hurt around my port area and my back. Make sure you get it checked out. My gall bladder was inflamed and full of stones- potentially dangerous and I had no idea. I always assume every little ache and pain has to do with my band!

I have been banded since Feb 2006 and started having these same problems that you described a few months ago. I blamed my band as I always do when something doesn't feel right on me and kept ignoring it. Well, last Wed night I was in severe pain around my upper abdomen and around my back and it would not go away. I paged my band doctor and went in for a barium swallow in the morning. That showed the band was fine. Then I had an office visit with my surgeon who realized right away that it was my gall bladder. He sent me back to the hospital and an u/s revealed that my gall bladder was full of stones and very inflamed. I had gall bladder surgery yesterday (performed by my banding doctor who is also a general surgeon) and I already feel much better. I am very sore from the surgery but the pain, gas etc is already gone. So, make sure your gall bladder gets checked too- I had no clue that something was so wrong with mine and I had lived with it for months. Julie

Hi~ My name is Julie and I was banded by Dr. Forgione back on 2/21/2006. I have lost 50 pounds from my highest weight and have about 60 to go. My situation has been a bit unusual- I haven't had any fill in my band for about 2 years. My body just doesn't seem to tolerate them at all for some reason. So, to make a long story short I have an unfilled band and am trying to lose weight with WW. I still do have a bit of restriction but it doesn't slow down how much I can eat, just how fast I can eat. Anyway, I have been feeling recently like I need to get involved more in the local lap band community. Can someone send me a PM and let me know where/when the support meetings are? I haven't heard from Dr. Forgione's office in over a year and haven't made any appts b/c there doesn't seem to be a reason to since I can't have fills. Thanks! Julie

Hi~ I haven't posted on these boards for months but thought I would check in. I was also Dr. Forgione's first patient (I was banded about an hour after Michelle (iluveeyore). My experience with the band has been love/hate. I have lost 50 pounds and have done that without many fills. I have not had a fill at all now for almost a year and actually still have restriction most days. My band is perfectly in place but my body does not like fills- even the small ones make it unbearable and I PB etc. I have been hospitalized at FAHC twice because of it so now I stay unfilled and lose weight very slowly. So, the band didn't turn out the way I expected but I can't imagine I would've lost this 50 pounds w/o it! My only problem with my band now is that it's finicky. I would really like to eat a meal w/o worrying about how many bites I will be able to have. I'm not talking about overeating- sometimes I just want to eat my healthy meal w/o any problems. Good luck to all of you.

Thanks for the responses! Mary: Yes, I have some restriction without a fill but have to be careful b/c I can eat more than a bandster should if I'm not careful. What I find when I had fills (even just .2cc at one point) is that I can't eat at all in the morning, can barely tolerate lunch, and then PB or can barely eat dinner unless it's very specific mushy foods. I have decided that it is not a way I want to live and I wasn't really losing weight anyway b/c I was overeating on liquids. I feel better already eating smaller portions of REAL food. mbanja: Thanks for your input too. I have been banded for 1.5 years so I am all healed up. My surgeon just believes that I don't tolerate the fills based on my experiences this past year. I have been eating real food and chewing well and things are going down fine. It's such a relief to me. Julie

I just posted on your other thread.

Yes, I have had this same problem and it's not been slippage. You need to stop eating any foods at all right now and focus on sipping small amounts of Water or any other clear liquid. I don't know if you are able to but you should also start taking children's liquid ibuprofen around the clock. If you have severe edema (swelling around the band) like I have had 3 times now then you need to just let your body heal. I'm not saying you shouldn't see a doctor but if you don't have access to medical care for a couple of days then these are steps to take to begin healing. The last time this happened to me I stuck to Clear liquids for 8 days by doctor's order and then slowly introduced foods. Good luck to you.

Good Morning, I have been banded since February 2006 with moderate success but many small complications. Basically, my surgeon now believes that I cannot tolerate any fill at all. I have a 4cc band and have never had any fill above 1.5cc- that only lasted a week and ended up with me being hospitalized for dehydration. I had .5cc for the past few months and have nothing but problems eating. I have never found the "sweet spot" and basically struggle to get anything down that is not mushy. So, today I had the band emptied and am hoping to just continue on w/o any fill. So, is there anyone else out there who has been successful with no fill? My surgeon said that recent studies are showing that 20% of bandsters have enough restriction with just the band. I don't have any sources- this is just what he told me. Thanks for any insight that any of you may have. I feel like I have been on a fill/unfill roller coaster and I'm looking forward to eating REAL food in smaller portions instead of trying to force the mushie of the day down. Julie

I started PB'ing too much and ended up in the hospital earlier this week. Thank God I haven't slipped but my stomach was swollen so much that it sealed off my band. I was in overnight and now am on clear liquids for a week etc. I know now the danger that I put myself in. Please be careful.