NH-Pam

I had my band removed on Oct 20th. That night was the first night in months that I had absolutely no night time symptoms ie, reflux, choking, etc. It is amazing to finally get a good nights sleep. The surgery was very quick and I was feeling myself in just a couple days. My insurance covered the surgery 100%, I think having the diagnosis of Aspiration Pneumonia was a plus. The band had to come out!

Wanted to bring this issue back to life and see if anyone else out there is having or had the same problem. My reflux started when my band slipped back in Oct of 2010. Had surgery to reset the band in place. The reflux subsided for approximately 2 months and then gradually became worse as my fill was being added. This past July I was completely "unfilled" and in August I was diagnosed with Aspiration pneumonia all due to reflux caused by the band. All along taking Nexium 2x per day. Needless to say the pneumonia has struck again so the band is being removed tomorrow. I have mixed emotions, but am so looking forward to finally getting a good nights sleep. I just hope that everyone realizes that the choking/vomiting in the night can cause you to aspirate which can kill you, this is not something to take lightly.

I had the same symptoms. A barium swallow showed a slip; I had surgery on the 18th to repair. Was back to work on the following Monday. Went for my post op yesterday and had 4ccs of fill put in my empty band. It was a long night last night, lots of gurgling and hicups. I guess I have to get used to the band all over again. At least I have no more reflux. The waking up in the night choking was getting really old. I would call your Dr. and ask for an x-ray to see if the band has slipped.

Hi, I've been dealing with the same issue for several months. Was going to the Dr. every 6 weeks and having fill removed, thinking that I was just too tight. Finally had a barium swallow a couple of weeks ago and it showed that the band had slipped. All my fill was removed and I'm now scheduled to have the band repositioned on Nov. 18th. Even without any fill I'm still having nighttime symptoms, I find it funny though that I do get the most relief while laying on my left side??

Trisha, Wow I can't believe that. I believe that we were banded around the same time. I'll be heading into surgery for a revision from a slip on Nov. 18th. You bet I'll be questioning the spleen before I go in. I'm about 20pounds from my goal and told my husband that I'll have the revision this time but if it slips again, I'll just have it removed. I think we've made enough changes in our lifestyle so the weight wont come back on. (I hope) Im praying that the revision works! Let us know how the second opinion goes. Pam

I have been a member of Weight Watchers for about 4 years now, and I'll continue going to the weekly meetings probably the rest of my life. I need that weekly weigh in, and the 30 minute support. My surgeon has a monthly support group meeting but its 1 hour and 1/2 away, and to be honest I didn't get a lot out of it. I found at the support group it was mostly people complaining of fill issues, etc. I found that they didn't deal with the support for the reason why we needed banding to begin with; our love/hate relationship with food. WW isn't a diet, it teaches you to change to a healthy lifestyle, which I think goes hand and hand with the band. This is just my opinion, and what seems to work for me. Enjoy your day!

This is such an interesting thread. My problem is that I was never heavy growing up (not until post children) so even at my biggest (279) I didn't see myself as obese. The scale is reading in the 190's right now, but when I look in the mirror I don't think I look any different. Not that I saw myself as skinny ever, I guess I just didn't see how large I really was?? I hope that makes sense..... Anyway, this has been a very interesting journey and I am looking forward to being a "normal" size someday :thumbup:

Trish, When I go in for my fills I schedule my next appointment before I leave the office. The first three fill appointments were 4 weeks apart. After my last fill we booked out 6 weeks; I'm scheduled for my 5th fill next Friday. It wasn't until my last fill (#4) that I really started to see consistant weight loss. I think I have a little over 8cc's in a 10cc band. Hang in there, and remember getting to the proper fill level is important. We didn't have these bands put in for them to just sit there..... make it work for you! Enjoy your day! Pam

Wow Thanks for the information. Heading on vacation next week, I'll be bringing some of these recipes with me!

I'm still amazed at how different everyone is. I had my first fill on 7/8. At that time I found out that I had 5.8cc in my band from surgery, the PA added another 1.2 for a total of 7cc. I had great restriction for the first week, but now I'm back to being able to eat just about anything if I take my time. My 2nd fill is scheduled for 8/7, and I hope it lasts longer than a week this time.

Thats great that you are no longer in pain. I would just mention the whole thing to your Dr. when you see him. I wasn't sure what starting weight to use when I created my ticker. As of last Tues. at Weight Watchers I was down 61lbs, my ticker starting weight is from when I started the program for the band back in November. Unfortunately my insurance wouldn't approve me for the band unless I had a BMI of over 40, and would only use the weight from the surgeon's office which was taken the end of April. I actually had to gain 10lbs back before my weight check in April! It was crazy to think that I was trying to get approved for a weight loss surgery and had to gain weight?? Glad that's over.

Not sure what is causing the pains. It could be a combination of overdoing it on the activity and not great food choices. You may want to call your Doc. just to be sure. When I get that "stuck" pain is does go away quickly if I get up and walk around. How are things for you today?

Scrambled eggs seems to be the mushie of choice! Oh and mashed potatoes where good too.

Congratulations Catherine! Right now I'm dreaming of onederland ~ 16lbs to go. Your success and others on this sight keep the rest of us going. Thanks for sharing.

Laurie, I haven't had it that bad, but yesterday I ate a whole spoonful of cereal at once. Wow did it make my eyes water. I was at work and of course someone walk into my office as I was up pacing around trying to make the pain go away. I just told her that I had swallowed the wrong way..... It's so easy to forget you even have the band, which makes you fall into the habits of pre-banding, ie. too large of bites, not enough chewing, etc. I guess this is all part of the learning curve. Good Luck!