ShelleyB

Hang in there! I can relate. I just had an upper GI today and found that I have a dilated esophagus too. Mine is quite severe. The only choice is removal of the band. I am scared too about gaining back the weight, but my overall health is more important. I considered revision to the sleeve, but decided against it. My prayers are with you.

Update: I had an EGD (scope) today that revealed multiple problems with the esophagus and stomach. The band is going to have to be removed. I have esophagitis, gastropathy, tortuous esophagus (which means that it is twisted and causing painful swallowing) and lastly and more importantly, a mushroom type deformity in the stomach proximal to the band. Which I believe is also called dilation or slippage. At any rate, I decided against revision to a sleeve. With all of these gastro/esophagus problems, I think it's best to just go without. Now the waiting. I'm waiting to see if my insurance covers the removal. Prayers appreciated.

I went to the health food store and found several high protein shake mixes that are also lactose free (another issue I have). So far, so good. But the extreme gas and bloating from the shakes is wearing me out. Ugh!

I sure hope it does resolve the prolapse. Another surgery won't be fun. I am trying hard to stay on liquids or at least mushy food when I can't stand it. I'm hoping that will give it a rest and a chance to go back in place, if indeed that is what is wrong. The waiting is the hardest part. Wish the you the best of luck!

I was thinking the same thing about going sooner. It's now only a week away. I've been on mostly liquids for the past 5 days. When I have had a few bites of food, it almost feels like it's getting stuck in my throat and I have a hard time swallowing. It's not so much around the band area like it used to be where I would feel restriction. This week can't go get over quick enough. I'm ready to get this resolved, as I have a cruise scheduled for Sept. 15 and I would like to be able to at least eat real food!

I've had my band since February 2009. I lost a total of 40 lbs. I was at a comfortable adjustment and started having complications last summer. I had a small unfill and felt better. Things were good until a few months ago when I started having increased episodes of food getting stuck. I was eating slowly, chewing well, etc. I went last month and had another unfill. I had 2 cc left in a 10 cc band. Still, I had increased problems with food and getting stuck. I was always having a lot of belching and increased acid reflux. I went 1 week ago and had a complete unfill...nothing in there. And STILL....the food problems are happening. I haven't changed my eating habits. I am not trying to eat things that I know the lapband doesn't like (breads, pasta, etc.). I am scheduled to have an upper GI (EGD) done August 21st. The doctor suspects that I have "mushroomed" or dilation. My doctor is on vacation right now and that's why I have to wait until Aug. 21st. I am so frustrated right now. I am considering going on all liquids for a while to see if that helps. My doctor did not suggest it, I was just thinking it couldn't hurt. I have read that some people have had luck with that and it lets the stomach/pouch go back in place. Any advice?

Amy - Wow, your success is really awesome!! You go girl! :waytogo: I have considered having another fill, as I am not 100% sure that I have found my sweet spot. I have a 10 cc band and I am at about 5 cc fill, so it seems I have room for more. However, I probably PB about twice a week and my doctor says that is usually an indicator that I am at a good spot, anymore and I will have too much PB'ing. I definitely don't want to be too tight, but not really sure I am at the "sweet spot". I find that I can eat most anything, if I eat it super slow. Breads are so much work though, that I usually just skip them. I say that my band has a personality disorder...every day it's a different personality! Some days I can eat fairly normal, then the next day I will barely be able to eat at all. I just have to wait and see what the day holds. I am still very happy with band and feel blessed to have lost 40 lbs so far. The next 30 lbs. will be much harder!

Just wondering how many of you have experienced a weight loss plateau at approximately 1 year post op lapband? I am nearly 1 1/2 years post op and have lost 40 lbs, which is over half way to goal. I did really well for the first year and then, BAM! Nothing! For almost 5 months now...nothing. I recently started a power walking program using arm weights and the weight is starting to come off again. Thank goodness!! I have not been counting calories, just simply eating what the band would allow me to do and having moderate exercise prior to the power walking. I do plan to keep a journey/food diary and see what I can learn it. Just wanted to know if this is a common problem and if any of you have suggestions. Thanks!!!

I think you will like Dr. Veninga. He is an excellent surgeon. I am almost 1 1/2 years out from my lapband surgery. His office is very friendly. He is a bit quirky, but overall very good. I wish you the best of luck with your sleeve!

How about coffee for the caffiene? I quit the colas cold turkey as well and honestly don't miss them. I am almost 1 year postop and now my doctor says I can have them, but honestly don't want them! You get used to life without them! As far as the other posters have said, I agree that you are probably getting too little calories. Maybe boost your calories a bit. I do think exericse helps as well. As far as you being a failure, well, I don't think that's true! You have already lost 30 lbs. and that is a victory!!! Just remember that there will be some plateaus. I had a plateau around the 6 month postop mark. Hang in there! You are doing a great job! :confused:

I got a kick out of your post! A bit graphic, but funny. Loved the "operator error"! So very true! I think that what the others have said about being sick is definitely the cause. Hot drinks will certainly help "prime" your band. It works for me. I think the worst thing for me is eating out. If you get stuck, you have to run to the bathroom and try to not look alarmed. I have resorted to a napkin for small PB's. I find that most of the time, my PB's are opeartor error - eating too fast! It has been 7 months and still this is something to work on for me! Good luck to you! Thanks for the laugh! ; )

All I can say to this post is "WOW"! The thread took on a life of it's own! Before I had my band, I felt the same way you did and also researched into the long-term effects of the band. I didn't find alot of info and it is hard to find anyone with 10 years or more with a band. I did post a thread asking what was the longest anyone on this forum had the lapband, I will go back and see if I can find that information. There has been some good advice posted on this thread, after you weed out the bickering. Just follow your heart, do your homework and remember that no road to weight loss is easy! Also, anything worth having requires a little work! So far, so good with the band! Best of luck to you!

I have been banded since 2/25/09. I have had gas here and there, but lately I have noticed that I have gas ALOT! It's sometimes very painful and often I have to leave the room to relieve myself. I also notice that it happens after I eat something. I asked my doctor about it and he said that some people experience this because of the high protein diet. I am definitely eating my share of protein daily. I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem and what they did for it!? I do use Gas-X from time to time, but don't notice a big improvement! Help!

So, it has now been 4 months since my surgery. I have lost 24 lbs. to date. The last 6 weeks have been at a stand still and I gained and lost the same 2-3 lbs. over and over again. :crying: But, I just got my 3rd fill this week and I can really tell the difference. I have alot of restriction and I know this will kick off the weight loss again. Also, I am walking now, so that should help as well. :target: I had acid reflux really bad before my surgery. I still have it somewhat, but not nearly as bad. I am able to take medication for it "as needed" now, instead of a daily. Also, my doctor has lowered my blood pressure medication because of the weight loss! :thumbup: These are definitely victories! I still struggle with some food issues and think that maybe I always will. I have definitely learned that the lap-band is a tool and if I stop using it, it won't work. So, to stay focused is really the key here. Cheating band is only cheating yourself! On my next blog, I hope to report some major improvement in the weight loss and to my self esteem! Surgery: 2/25/09 1st fill: 4/6/09 - 2 cc for a total of 3 cc 2nd fill: 5/11/09 - .5 cc for a total of 3.5 cc 3rd fill: 6/22/09 - 1 cc for a total of 4.5 cc Good luck to all of you out there! :smile2:The journey to 1,000 miles begins with the first step!:smile2:

So, it has now been 4 months since my surgery. I have lost 24 lbs. to date. The last 6 weeks have been at a stand still and I gained and lost the same 2-3 lbs. over and over again. :thumbup: But, I just got my 3rd fill this week and I can really tell the difference. I have alot of restriction and I know this will kick off the weight loss again. Also, I am walking now, so that should help as well. I had acid reflux really bad before my surgery. I still have it somewhat, but not nearly as bad. I am able to take medication for it "as needed" now, instead of a daily. Also, my doctor has lowered my blood pressure medication because of the weight loss! These are definitely victories! I still struggle with some food issues and think that maybe I always will. I have definitely learned that the lap-band is a tool and if I stop using it, it won't work. So, to stay focused is really the key here. Cheating band is only cheating yourself! On my next blog, I hope to report some major improvement in the weight loss and to my self esteem! Surgery: 2/25/09 1st fill: 4/6/09 - 2 cc for a total of 3 cc 2nd fill: 5/11/09 - .5 cc for a total of 3.5 cc 3rd fill: 6/22/09 - 1 cc for a total of 4.5 cc Good luck to all of you out there! :smile2:The journey to 1,000 miles begins with the first step!:smile2:

I think SunnyRachel summed it up quite nicely! Totally agree! BethfromVA - Why do you continue to read these posts if you don't like what Dr. V has to say and thinks he is "off"? Just wondering?!!

Everything went great! I had my surgey on 2/25/09 with no complications. Dr. Veninga's office is great to work with. I had my first fill yesterday and am ready to start losing again. I lost 17 pounds preop/postop, then stalled out for the last 4 weeks. Having the fill should get me back on the road to losing!

Hi All! I got my fill yesterday too! All went well. I also got 2 cc! Now I have a total of 3 cc (apparently I already had 1 cc). They tried 3 cc's first, but after doing the Water test (sitting up and drinking water), it was too much and they backed out 1 cc. After that, the water went down fine! My doctor's office has the nurse and the PA do the fills. They are very good and use ultrasound to find the port, mark the spot, then used a cold spray to the skin before inserting the needle. The most uncomfortable part was the PA pushing around trying to find the spot (my port is slightly tilted, thanks to a ripped stitch the 2nd weekd postop). It was uncomfortable, but not painful. The whole thing took less then 10 minutes and went great. I am on liquids for 24 hours, then back to foods gradually. I can definitely feel restriction though...my Protein shake went down slowly this morning! :lurk5: So, being nervous was for nothing!! Good luck to you all and let's keep up with each other!! :hurray::hurray::beer_yum::hurray::biggrin:

Hi! Don't worry, Restless Monkey is right. You are healing right now and your body is adjusting. Sounds like you are eating good and exercising, but your body has been through a huge change...give it time. Having said that, I am 6 weeks out from surgery (getting my first fill today) and have not lost any weight in 4 weeks. I have managed to lose and gain the same 1 lb every week! But still, I am not upset because I know this is somewhat normal. After the fill, I can expect more restriction and slowly to get to where I want to be. Sometimes we have to remember that this is a slow road to success...so be patient and give yourself big hugs for accomplishments already!!

Thanks for all your responses and advice! Today is the day and I am feeling really good about it. I weighed this morning and I am still chasing that 1 lb. around! I am essentially the same weight as 1 month ago...so the fill is needed! I am ready! I will let you know how it goes! Best wishes to you all!

I agree with Glorybee, it takes time to heal and feel better. It was about 2 weeks for me before I felt "almost" back to normal and 1 month before I was back to normal. I did over do it a couple of times and was very tired, very quickly in doing normal things. Give yourself time to heal - you will be happy you did in the end! Congratulations and good luck on your journey!!

I will just say that the liquid diet was really, really, really hard for me. Others say it was no big deal. I did find that after the 3rd day, it did get easier and I thought of food less often. I was not allowed anything but protein shakes. I could have broth and that was nice, especially on a cold day! One thing I did was just try to keep busy and when I started thinking of food, I would change my activity, go for a walk, watch my favorite TV show, etc. Anything to keep your mind off of it! You can do it though, really you can! I did it and I would have never guessed it!! Good luck!! : ))))

Wow! Looks like waiting for the doctor to get on your insurance is paying off!!! Great story and how wonderful to be able to do this together! It really does take all the support you can get and having your wife in the same boat will really help you both! I wish you both so much luck and improved health very soon! All the best!

I think I was in Bandster Hell for a while, I was really, really hungry and felt like I could eat anything! There were some days that I did eat too much and then felt really bad with some chest pains and hiccups. I have since learned to eat less and not to push it so much. But still, I know I am not feeling the restriction needed to lose the 1-2 lbs. a week that we all want. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about the fill and will be going to my first fill visit. I am not afraid of the process at all, just on how my body might react. I have heard some horror stories about bands being too tight and not being able to get anything down. I know it takes patience to find the "just right spot" or "sweet spot" and I am okay with that. Of note, I am having my "monthly" right now and have noticed that the band feels tighter than it had - any correlation? I don't know?