maestrita

I saw some folks post about Smooth Moves tea. I'd like to caution people against using it regularly. It contains Senna. This plant, as well as Cascara Sagrada, are anthraquinones and can cause Melanosis Coli. By itself, MC seems pretty benign, but there has been a correlation between this and two forms of colon cancer. I used it for years because I thought it was safer than OTC or Rx methods, but I was recently informed that I had MC after my last imaging. I just thought I'd pass it on since I told doctors for years that I used it, and not one suggested I shouldn't use it to avoid the constipation caused by one of my Rx medications.

This happened to me right before I learned that my band had slipped severely and is near the bottom of my stomach. I sincerely hope that this isn't the case with you.

I wanted to post this so that you know that this can happen. I had my surgery done in another state, and I was having the aftercare provided by a clinic in Lewiston, Idaho. The gal there suggested a very aggressive fill amount. I was unsure, but agreed after she told me about some previous fills she'd done on other patients with similar needs. I had terrible trouble with reflux in the following days, but because of the holidays, I had trouble getting in to see a doctor. Since I could get Water down fine, I didn't feel that I needed to go to the ER. The following week, I paid over 2000 to get some help from a doctor. When he unfilled me there was a full cc more than was documented in my chart, and I'd never agreed to be filled at that level. Since then, I've been unfilled, imaged, partially filled, unfilled, imaged... and there is now no question, whasoever, that my band slipped to the extent that further surgery will be needed. When I notified the woman, she denied all responsibility. She wrote me a very angry and unprofessional letter denying any responsibility for what had happened and misrepresenting the events that took place. I am stuck with the cost of removing the band on my own unless I file a claim against her liability insurance. I just want to let people know that this can happen to you if you're banded. I hope it doesn't because it's a lot of money to have pay out for nothing but bad experiences.

Thank you all for your replies, and to those of you who wished me well. I think I should have been a little bit more clear on what took place. An unprofessional decision resulted in an acute incident during which my band slipped and I ended up seeking emergency care. The band itself isn't ruined, but it cannot function as it previously did without a surgery that costs the same amount as having it removed. I have been completely unfilled, imaged, partially filled, imaged again, unfilled... over several months, unfilled imaged again... It is slipped. The images include a CT, an upper GI, several x-rays, some with fluoroscopy... The slip did occur on that date, and the slip is documented by before and after images. My medical records document the position of the band immediately before and one week after this incident. My medical records state the amount that she "thought" was in the band, and the emergency surgeon who treated me after the critical incident documented a full cc more than she recorded that she injected. I am choosing not to sue this provider because of who I am as a person. It was her mistake, however, and I just won't accept any other explanation, especially given her comments justifying such huge jump in fill volume. She told me that I'd been wasting my time by having half cc fills, and that the only thing that could happen was that I'd lose weight. I agreed to a full cc after this statement, but she injected 2ccs. Let me be absolutely clear, and if you choose to disagree, that's fine. Overfilling a band can cause it to slip. That is all I came here to say.

You know what sucks the most? I didn't abuse my band. I don't eat compulsively. I didn't make myself barf. I got the band to help stave off the spinal arthritis that afflicts members of my family. I wasn't being foolish or greedy or lazy. I was trying to do something to help me stay healthier longer. Now I will be down 18K, with a zero net.

I have not been to that office since the overfill. She would not see me again once the other doctor suggested that she'd overfilled me. This was more than a careless mistake. If the additional cc took place on that date, it would have been a full 2 cc injection at one time.

Washington is ridiculous. That's why I'm going to Denver. I saved 7000.00 by doing that when I had my band done. I will be going to Dr. Weaver for my revision if things work out. He charges a fraction of what you've listed here.

Dr Weaver in Denver, CO.

Dr. Rawlins is great. I'd have him do my revision if I could afford him. I think I've found a good doc out of state who will help me though. Good luck to you!

I wish I'd never gotten the band. I don't have insurance that covers weightloss, so I'm stuck with a financial disaster. I've been fighting with the reflux for several years now, and they are again telling me that they think the band has slipped. First they thought it was, then they thought it wasn't, now they think it is again.... I don't know when this would have happened because I was super careful with my band. I didn't press my luck or misuse my band. I didn't over eat or do stupid stuff. I got the band because I thought it would prevent my spinal arthritis from getting worse if I could keep off the extra 40 lbs. I am posting here because I am terribly sad that this is happening. I worked really hard to create a life and leave behind the poverty from my childhood, and I finally scraped enough up to afford this great thing for myself.... now it's broken, and I feel like I just can't get a break. I'm just defeated.

I think this may be my last message on this site. It is a response to a PM I received stating that it is OK to be nasty to people if you think they aren't doing all they can to lose weight... I get disgusted with people who come on this site to express that they are so much better than people who struggle... I actually left this site for that very reason, and it has been months since I've come back. I only visited because I was looking for some insight into the issue of my reflux, and I immediately see this nonsense again. I think it's too easy to hide behind an avatar and say and do hurtful things. Maybe that comes from having been treated badly for years and years as an overweight person, and all of us can probably understand the impulse to kick back out a little of the BS that we've had to endure being overweight (spiritual reflux?). What I can't understand, or excuse, is the failure to control that impulse. The people who come on this sight are often people who've endured abuse for years and years.... a veritable bombardment against one's self esteem and personal sense of their value in this world. They need help, no matter how pitiful that situation may seem to others. They are looking for hope, not more isolation and rejection. Personally, I don't feel like I should have to state all of my physical ailments to avoid the nastiness or to get support on a SUPPORT WEBSITE. I wonder, does it ever occur to people who talk this way that they are LUCKY that it is working so well for them? Even if they do feel they are the ones doing the work, they are LUCKY that the work has resulted in success. Though I appreciate that you think that this sort of message doesn't refer to people like me (folks with other health problems), but I feel that I am EXACTLY the type of person that these posts refer to. Why else do you think it is that people DO complain that it's hard? Because it IS hard for some of us. The assumption that it is some form of laziness or slovenly behavior is just plain hateful. I am going to select and post a little of what I've said here, and then I am then going to disable my email from receiving any more nastiness. This behavior is so discouraging, and I just am not in a place where I am willing to take in bad things--be they food or be they words. Ciao!

I'm not looking for any sympathy here, but I would just like to say that there are times when I get discouraged. I experience debilitating pain for several weeks at a time, and getting exercise is hard during those times. I am about half way to my goal, and I am experiencing some trouble with the band which may make this the end of my journey. I'm only half filled, and it appears that my body won't even tolerate this level. I don't regret my decision because I've improved my health quite a bit. However, sometimes, I do need some encouraging words. Like others, I'd dreamed of being at my goal weight, and I feel sad that I'm not getting there. I might not ever get there, even if I try really hard. I just wish this forum was a place I could come for that support. After months of not visiting this site, it looks like it is the same as it was when I left.

If you decide you can't then you won't. You have to make the choice. If you force yourself to stop eating on time for a few days, it will get easier. If you force yourself to stop eating on time for a few weeks, you will find it much easier. Hang in there. If you decide to do what it takes, it will get better.

Hi Friends, I haven't been on here in a while, but I've run into a little problem. OK, it's a pretty big problem. I have an autoimmune form of arthritis called AS. I had the LAP band done two years ago in order to reduce the strain on my joints. Though I was at the lower end of the weight continuum, I needed to lose weight permanently in order to slow down the crippling effects of my AS. The pain from the AS causes me to lose sleep at night, so my rheumie prescribed me Cyclobenzaprine. It has been a God send, and it has changed the quality of my life. I now do not need 10-12 hours of sleep at night to be safe while driving to work the next day. The only side effect is a big one, though. I am waking up from this reflux/vomitting in my lungs sort of thing that happens. I don't know if it's from the medicine or if my band is too tight (5.5 cc in a 10cc band) or if the reflux comes from one of the other meds. I suspect it's the Cyclo, though, because I've tried to isolate it so that it's the only variable. I'm wondering if it's possibly getting caught in my pouch and dissolving close enough to the esophagus to cause the reflux. Cyclo's not supposed to work on the muscles like that, but taking a half a pill one time, the cut side rested against my tongue long enough to make it numb in that little spot. I know this is odd, but does anyone out there have any experience with this or a similar situation?

You ARE insane, but good for you! You only live once! Take pics for us because I can say with complete certainty that I will NEVER do any of the things you listed.

Oh, I am filled oh, too, tight. I went in last Monday for the fill, and I thought I would be fine when I left. The next day, I felt very tight, but I thought it was the usual swelling that you get after a fill, and that I'd be fine. I am NOT fine. I have not slept in a week because of the reflux. I am waking up to choking on spit up, and I am miserable. I feel like I can't even function. I tried to call my provider, but she was gone for the holiday, and for the next day, and the answering service wouldn't even take a message or let me talk with the on-call person. She told me to go to ER if I needed help by Monday. Honestly, if it were the slightest bit more offensive, I would go to ER. I just can't afford to pay 1000.00 for an ER visit if it can be avoided. I am just trying to hang on until tomorrow when I can make the drive and get an unfill. Until then, I am so tired but I am afraid to go to sleep because it will just be hellish. My whole body hurts from sleeping sitting up, which just barely helps. I just feel like I can't make it through tomorrow.

I did have an arrangement for good follow-up care. She did have great recommendations and her experience was excellent, as well. I didn't know that I would need to look for these sort of unlikely scenarios, and I am sharing because I think it is good to know what to look for when you say "good" follow-up care. Honestly, I don't think she would have anticipated that something like this might happen, either. Now I understand that it is critical for those professionals who serve in rural areas to become affiliated with others who can cover them if they are not available. For the record, I had my surgery by one of the most reputable surgeons in this country. I am certain that I'd have had excellent care in this event if I lived in that state. I'm sure I'd have been referred immediately.

Smoking is very bad for you. It is not only bad for your heart and your lungs, it is bad for your stomach. It contributes significantlyto ulcers and GERD (kind of bad for bandsters). Maybe you might consider giving it up entirely since you are investing so much time, pain, and money in the new healthier you. It sounds like you aren't really that attached to it.:rolleyes2: Not trying to be a SA, but rather to suggest a change in perspective. Wish you luck.

There is a section on this site if you scroll down to find doctors. I wish you luck finding someone who'll be there for you. I never dreampt I'd be in the situation I was in today. Knowing what I know now, I would make sure that you find someone who is local, and who is available at all times. Hindsight is 20/20, but since yours is still ahead of you, I'd like to tell you some things I hadn't known. I'd never have trusted that I would just be OK, and if I really needed help, I could go to the ER. The minor ER here would NOT help me, and the ER would have charged me what it would have cost for a full year of aftercare by a surgeon. I now know, for certain, you can find yourself in a dangerous position if you can't get the help you need immediately. It would have been nice to know that no-one at my person's clinic could cover my provider when she was gone, or that, in fact, they couldn't even refer me to anyone for help. I q' you, find out who does the care in your town, and what relationship you have to have with them before you are banded. Good luck. Off to sleep now.... finally.

Lost time from work: $150.00 A total unfill after nine months of fills: $800.00 A year's worth of aftercare purchased all at once: $1500.00 A local surgeon who promises to have someone on-call 24 hrs per day, 365 days per year: Priceless

It's not my surgeon. My surgeon lives in another state, and I might have been able to get in if I lived there. You know, it actually would cost the same for me to fly out there to be seen, but I didn't really consider that because it is such a simple procedure. I would love to go to the ER, but we are talking about nearly one half of my monthly salary for one visit to ER. The cost of care is not supported within the free market economy in my state. You simply can't purchase medical care if you make anywhere near the median income in WA. This is the reality you have to live with if you don't have insurance to cover what you need. I am just thankful that I now have, at least, basic medical insurance which will cover most other things. I remember when I used to have to make these decisions about when my husband should go see the cardiologist.... In any case, I made it through last night, and I am going to drive over the border to see someone today. Wish me luck.

Hi Jessica, I just love Joan Richardson in Lewiston, Id. It is a short drive from you. I drive down from further north to see her. She is at the Clearwater Medical Clinic. Good luck!

I know Medical Assistants (not Physician's Assistants) in Washington State can perform the fills. It is commonly done on the west-side. I think in WA you can perform an injection if you have as little as the phlebo certification. I wonder how you'd find out...

The anatomy is close, actually. The back part of the band is right in front of that area of the spine. Those other organs are in front of your stomach. It might be hard to picture unless you've experience the particular pain Alisa described. I, too, have pain in that region since my surgery, and it is a common complaint amongst bandsters. Still, I'd think that problems to the degree described here might involve some other issues. The formation of adhesions is a less common affliction, and it's possible that other trauma to the spine, possibly a pre-existing situation, might be exacerbated by the band. I'd not jump into any type of further action without getting a second opinion, and personally, I'd demand imaging studies or an exploratory surgery long before I'd consider moving forward with a permanent intervention. I wish the best to you. Let us know what you learn through the process.

Walk, walk, walk...Exercise really worked for me.