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!

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!

Hi, Well I'm at work this morning and feeling pretty good, but I do have to say that there were a few times this past weekend that weren't very good. Maybe because I overdid some things, but it is a very strange feeling to get use to. I hope everyone else that has been banded already is healing nicely!

Hi All, I thought I would start a thread for all of us who were banded yesterday on the 4th. So here goes: My day started out with a 1hour drive to the hospital. My surgery was scheduled for 9am. I spent a lot of time with the anesthesiologist, as I'v had really bad reactions in the past. I was in recovery by I think 10am. I was admitted to a room so they could monitor my nausea. My "lunch" they wanted me to drink didn't happen, so they had to keep me until dinner, just to be sure I didn't have any issues. Which by then I was feeling pretty good. I was home by 8:15pm. This morning I'm feeling good. I just have to keep reminding myself not to over do it. Can't wait to hear everyones stories!! :biggrin:

Yes Trisha, we are on our way!! Hopefully I'll check in later on. Thanks for the binder tip; I'm going to ask about it when I get there.