NH-Pam

Congrats! I too just got my date. April 19th for me! Not looking forward to the pre-op either. Two weeks of liquids only.

Hi All,

Would love to join this group! I went through the CMC program and was banded back in 2009, the band slipped had revision surgery in 2010, it slipped again then had it removed completely in 2011. Needless to say all the success I had in that first year is gone and I'm back to square one. I'm now attending the Dartmouth program and hope to have sleeve surgery with Dr. Wood at the Elliot in March or April.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone and talking about the sleeve process.

Wow, its been a long time since I've logged into this site.

I had Lap Band surgery in June of 2009, Lost close to 100lbs and was 15 pounds from goal. The band slipped so I had a revision done, and after that the band was never the same. I couldn't sleep at night the gerd was so painfull. My band was removed in 2011 and I instantly felt better. I've since gained almost all the weight back over the past 4 years and am now completely miserable! I signed up yesterday for an informational meeting at a new center closer to my home and hope that the process doesn't take too long as know that I've finally made up my mind that I want the bypass surgery I want it done as soon as possible!

I so wish that I had gone with the bypass surgery to begin with!!

Just wanted to get some information from anyones that had the band removed -- my husband is on his second band and it's not working, but even worse he's starting to wake up in the middle of the night choking. It's very scarey to see him go through this and I think we might be at the point in wanting to have this damn band removed. What kind of issues are there in having the band removed? It is a struggle with insurance, etc? Any info you can provide would be helpful.

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

Hi there! I had my fourth fill on October 2nd. Since then I've lost another 8lbs, so I think I'm at the "sweet spot" just prior to my last fill I was up and down with the same 3 pounds for almost three weeks it was getting really old. I'm scheduled for another fill on Nov 20th, not sure if I'll take it or not.

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!

Isn't it amazing how we let the scale dictate our mood?

Trisha and All - Yes I couldn't believe it when the Dr. told me I already had 5+cc's in, because right after the surgery I asked her how much she put in the band during placement and she said around 4. I'm starting back on soft foods today. I did have a big loss on the scale this morning, but I think a lot of it was Fluid from my sins of this past weekend (too much sodium)

The program I belong to has a monthly pre-op and post-op meetings. I attended my first post-op the end of June. While there I spoke with some people that have had their bands 2+ years. They all said that back then the surgeon placed the bands without Fluid, and it took them up to 9 months before getting full restriction. I think that based on that data that is why my surgeon is as agressive as she is. She wants us to start seeing results quickly.

I hope it works! Have a nice day everyone ~ The sun if finally shinning up here; its been a very rainy summer so far.

NYGuy, Laurie - I had my first fill today! I was surprised at how smoothly it went. I was really shocked to learn that I already had 5.8cc's in the band from surgery and she added another 1.2 so I'm up to 7cc in a 10cc band! I hope this gives me some good restriction as I know my portions we're getting bigger. They want me on Clear Liquids for 2 days then regulart liquids for 1 and then back on regular food. I still amazes me how every surgeon is different.

Laurie,

I could have written your post! We went away this past weekend and I felt so out of control. I know that my choices where better than pre-band and my portions where smaller, but I know that I'm not even close to what my portions should be. I'll be seeing my surgeon on Wed for my first fill and I can't wait too! It is nice to hear that others are dealing with the same struggles I'm having. Good Luck!

Pam

Laurie, I too was banded on June 4th and will be getting my first fill on July 8th. The only differnece is that my band was put in with fill in it - around 3cc's. I've just started eating soft foods and can feel the restriction after about 1 cup. I could eat pretty frequently if I let myself, but I think thats because I'm not allowing enough time after eating and before drinking.

Good Luck to you and remember to try and stick with healthy choices, lots of Protein.

That's great, congratulations!

Enjoy your next few days off Trisha! I don't have any follow up until next week. I see the dietician on the 15th and the surgeon on the 19th. It amazes me how everyones program is a little different.

Have a nice day!