chicamam1

My band First slipped this year and i got total unfill for a month. then we tried refilling and two months later I slipped again and had to do complete unfill. My band has not been removed or surgically fixed. Im self pay so unless leaving in the unfilled band is causing complications it will just stay there. I can eat normally now tho. So yes, I am just living with a slipped band currently. They have told me to never get it filled again as the same thing will concurrently happen. Im pretty much at goal, and may consider a sleeve when I can come up with the money for revision.

So i was banded 9.15.08 all was well and I did get to goal in 10 months. which is so wonderful. In Aug out of nowhere couldnt eat or drink, Went to ER and had slip where stomach came up through the band. I got complete unfill and waited a month and then started the fill process. Finally got back to where I was and out of nowhere same thing happened, reflux pain, cannot drink or eat. Went to Er, got complete unfill and they say my band is sitting too horizontal so it slipped again or never really fixed itself the first time. My options as self pay are ( from surgeon) if removal of Fluid thereafter, there are no complications can leave the band in deflated since I cant cough up the money to remove it. Or if i have major complications I will get band removed as an emergency surgery which could cost me an arm and a leg I dont have. So for now the band will remain unfilled forever, and Im hoping I can get money someday to go to Mexico and get a revision and removal for less than half of the cost here. After a year, my band is rendered useless. Thank Goodness I was at goal when all this started to happen and im so scared of gaining the weight back but I got to be strong and know I can maintain right?

well i do hope all goes well. Hopefully your port being angled and shifting ( which means it has moved from the original place it was sewn which means stitchings came loose) doesnt cause any problems with fills in the future for you as that would be a major PITA for you for sure. but Im sure all will be well. Good luck with your future fills.

my only concern regarding this is what is going to change waiting a month? Are they thinking the port is going to magically be put back into place. If they had such trouble they should be looking at options for a port revision IMO to avoid any delay for you for fills in the future. I only say this as my port as flipped and thank goodness its so close to the surface it can be fiddled with to get in the correct position. I just dont see the logic of the surgeon there. I am sorry you have gone through this I would be disappointed as well. :drool: I hope next month the same problem doesn't occur.

First of all hang in there you will be ok I promise. Its hard at first when you are trying to get the proper restriction and still are eating more than the 4 oz they ask us to eat. Second you only have 45 to lose. I can tell you from personal experience, when I only had that amount left to lose the weight was Stubborn!!!! A glass of wine now and then wont kill you. Its like 200 cals and neither will a dessert. IN FACT its good to treat yourself once in awhile so you dont binge. Everything in moderation is key. THe things I would look at right now is how big are your portions? are you weighing, measuring? What is the exercise intake? with only 45 to lose you may have to exercise and kick that up more to start weight loss. I do understand your frustrated but I would suggest calling your doc and reviewing a plan of action so you can start seeing some results! I wish you the best of luck

we are a non profit health insurance company

Not all insurances are greedy, I just wanted to point this out as I know we are all considered evil. Right now the company I work for only makes 3 cents to the dollar and that money goes back into the reserve to pay for claims. Cost of health care is more than insurance companies driving premiums up. Some may be greedy but not all. Its a big picture. Pre existing waiting periods, yes I agree need to be fixed the problem to fix is if an insurance company now has to cover the conditions of all these really sick high cost claims, they will end up not having enough to put in reserves, even with the extra premiums that would be paid. Gotta figure out how to solve that problem it is important, without us the taxpayers footing that whole bill. The cost of medical care is outlandish, including here are the big drivers Our company saw 28 million more dollars being paid out in prescription medicine. Doctors and hospitals jumping to high cost medical treatments first when a less expensive test or procedure could of solved the problem. which is why we are now back to prior authorization to try and reduce those costs to try and keep premiums lower for our customers. We are trying! There may be some insurance companies who rake in and dont run their business ethical but that isnt true for most. 3 cents on the dollar that is it. and that is going into reserves to pay your claims.

i got diagnosed with slipped band friday that my stomach was coming through teh band. when all unfilled, they told me to wait to see if it goes back into place. Im still having reflux but its not coming up in my throat i can feel it trying to and a slight burn in m lower stomach along with some minor cramping, I havent gotten a clear answer if i am to wait through these symptoms or if it will be fixed.

My last period was a month long. Now a week and half break and bad cramps have shown up again

To say its mostly the peoples faults who had complications I will nicely disagree. I just found out band slipped almost a year out and I feel I was a good patient most the time a complication will arise out of nowhere I agree woth someone who said tired of pbing stuck being nauseated. Right now I feel the band takes center stage in my life it did a wonderful thing for me and I hope if oi go through fil process again and don't have it removed it will come with less complications

Wow we are in the same boat. I too worry about being fat again. I guess what is done is done. For the person who asked why. I dunno. But my stomach entered up through the band. I'm not real hungry yet but imsure I will be soon.

So, in the beginning of my journey I loved my band. I lost most of my weight yes, Im grateful for the band. However lately I hate it. ( im bearing my true feelings right now) I wish I could revise my surgery to sleeve but cant. Im self pay. I have had problems in the past with my band being overfilled before not being able to swallow my own spit and lived through it ok. But at some point its becoming really nagging. This week really put the topper on the cake. Yes my band slipped. Went to Er because of severe reflux and got the bad news. Surgeon came in and wanted to do another upper gi ( i got diagnosed by cat scan) and said if it wasnt little, she would take me straight back into surgery to remove it. Thankfully it wasnt that bad, and she completely unfilled me and we will wait two weeks to SEE if it will settle back in place. if so great, ill get an endoscopy to check for ulcers and can start the fill process. if not then well, my band will be taken out. My Love Hate relationship. Funny I dont want to lose it, i just wish all the complications would go bye bye. I miss so much work because of it. Anyway really, I just needed to vent. Im scared to get my hospital bill because im self pay and its not covered my insurance and they admitted me overnight for observation. All this right after we get our bankruptcy discharged. Maybe one day ill love my band again Its done wonders for me. but for now. I hate it.

20 pounds in lil over a month is 5 pounds a week. First of all your losing at a very fast pace. This is rapid weight loss actually. U are being too hard on yourself. Its up to you to do 7 days of liquids but really that isnt how the pouch is designed to work. Its designed to work with solid foods being held so you stay full longer. BUT this is really up to you. I think seriously tho you need to understand the surgery makes it clear you would only lose 1-2 pounds a week as normal. and you are twice or more than twice above that! First six weeks really are for healing too. so now your journey begins to finding restriction and My best advice to you, is to realize how much ur losing really is a great success so far.

lst poster is right. u need to make more calls. are the surgery centers ur calling that are contracting asc?(ambulatory surgery centers) whate about an outpatient surgery in clinic? these types of surgery centers require less payment and do not have the high expectations of costs like a hospital facility charge which is really high. you are also a blue company which means u have access to any doctor or facility that is contracted with a local blue in another state. have u considered that?

my doc indicated to me band will stay in for as long as it will, and no unfill at goal weight. he indicated to maintain my weight and not continue to lose I can eat Pasta and breads with my meals to maintain going forward. Your right tho if you remove it all the hunger returns and u up your cals most likely will gain the weight back. but im sure there are people out there who had it removed and didnt gain weight. I plan to keep mine forever :thumbup:

Im gonna play devils advocate here.

Yes you should follow your doctors orders. It is possible it could of caused a complication but the truth is the opinions throughout the medical community on post op care is so completely different and across the board. I was on diced solids at 10 days due to allergic reaction 9 did get docs approval however) and they felt as if no complications would arise and they havent. Im not saying its a free pass for everyone then, but i would follow your docs orders as close as u can. Being banded 8 months I have come to realize my doc isnt God and while they have my best interest at heart, I know my body and ultimatly make the decisions and choices. do i think you hurt anything? NO now if you ate two double cheeseburgers I might be worried

im almost 5'3 have lost 111 pounds in lil over 7 months. I never heard that shorter people lose slower. certainly not true for me. gl with ur journey :smile:

I think you probably need a fill. Most of us are emotional eaters and I can tell you for me, without proper restriction all i want to do is snack all day! I try to make good choices I dont eat sugar and alot of bad carbs. I can tell you good restriction helps with the emotional eating however its always good to face that head on mentally to, that way we can learn to beat it. I would talk with your doctor. The fact you could eat a whole pizza indicates to me ur restriction is very low. Someone well restricted would only be able to have a small slice maybe. We had to get this wls for a reason because we couldnt do it on our own, so dont beat yourself up too bad. we all have done this!!!! we are all not perfect and all you can is pick urself up off the ground and start fresh tomorrow. Gl with your journey

boy oh boy do i know how you feel!!! i too had two unfills my last two fills. my band just cannot tolerate 6.5 period. i went into my last fill with 6. and i had to go to er and they took out 1cc. now im at 5.5!! grrrrr I feel snacky and like i could eat the world! Thankfully i too am not gaining weight. i did at first like three pounds but im back to where i was. Its so frustrating isnt it!!! The doc advised me the smallest amount makes the hugest diff one way or another at this rate because all the fat is gone around my stomach. which is why.5 makes a big diff. anyway i go for a flouro fill friday and i cannot wait! i have 24 pounds to goal and getting there is taking forever it feels like. yes I have lost fast so grateful for that but the last three months have been frustrating for me. I wish u luck with ur fill and hope u get the restriction you need.

i recently went through this as well. If your unable to keep anything down first call doc which youve done. how long as it been since youve called? if they dont get back to you, When i called my doc they indicated it is a medical emergency has it can cause damage to the band and us not being able to eat or drink. I had to go to er to get an emergency unfill. These are your options. if your able to keep stuff down id wait til doc calls u. If you cannot get anything down and are throwing it back up, then id go to ER. good luck!!

A couple things you can try to jumpstart the process. You already upped your cals to 1200. Have you tried only upping them a few days then going back down? Are you excercising currently? and if so how often? I would track my caloric intake and carbs and fat for a week and see what the results look like. I would also find out how much avg cals my body burns in a day so you can get a good idea caloric intake vs what is being burned. While muscle may make u gain weight in the beginning. weight lifting will build muscle which will ultimatly burn more fat and for longer periods than cardio so definatly need a good balance there. Are you eating the same type of food everyday? if so try some variety. GL !!!

here is my Breakfast and lunch so far same thing lol

4 oz of mixture of tofu noodles ( only 3 g of carb wohoo) 20 cals. 1 oz peice of diced chicken, 1 wedge of baby bel cheese mixed in with 1 tbsp of ff sourcream and melted to make a fettucini alfredo dish ( but low fat and low carb) with some parm sprinkled on top. oh yes and spinach includes. all measured out in1/2 cup dish to make 4 oz total super yum!!!!

for dinner probably tuna salad. gonna be on the go alot tonight.

I eat 3-4 oz at each meal along with one snack a day. 4 oz is half cup. I feel Im at pretty good restriction and everytime i try to go to 6.5 in my 10 cc band, i get shut up and have to get unfill. so right now im at about 5.75 and 3-4 oz is cutting it for me. I feel im at a sweet spot since i dont get stuck on anything but the amount of my meals are very small. im gonna stay here for awhile .

I don't look at carbs that way. I'm a beleiver in HEALTHY carbs vs. empty carbs. I tend to look more at the glycemic index. Even my surgeon recommended this. I still eat carbs but have substituted and am FIRM or eating brown rice instead of white, sweet potatoes instead of white, 100% whole wheat bread and Pasta instead of white, whole grain cereals, etc. Your body burns them differently and processes it differently. These are your main sources of B Vitamins, and this group of Vitamins is vital to good health and a balanced diet.

Got to:

www.glycemicindex.com

or do some research on it. I think you'll be surprised at what you find......

i do eat complex carbs dont get me wrong. such as Beans, whole wheat Pasta once in awhile etc etc. however in frozen dinners specifically. how do u you know its good or bad carbs. most are made with white noodles and I just dont know where they come from so more than likely they are empty of course only specifically talking about frozen dinner carbs.

Hello, I am new to this site. I have had the band coming up on 3 years. I am happy with the weight I have lost. But I am unhappy that I have not lost weight in over a year. I have even gained. My starting weight was 250. Got down to 195 and now I am back to 219. I am not gonna let myself get back to my high weight. It is a struggle for me though.

I need a kick in the but. What can I do to get back on the band wagon.

Hi and welcome

Im sorry you have been gaining that must be tough. and im glad to see ur persistent to not gain it all back :thumbdown: Have you gotten in touch with doc lately gotten a fill recently?