freeradical

Ooops, don't know where the last reply went, but I wasn't through posting. I wasn’t going to do this, but I figure it should be documented- somewhere. I had my band for 3 yrs when it slipped May 09. The last year with the band was anything but a cake walk. I could feel it all the time especially when I tried to sleep on my side and it seemed I was always going in for unfills & fills. It was generally uncomfortable most of the time. Then when I was actually making progress on the weight loss part of this deal the d_ _ _ thing slipped. I was at work, around 9:30 a.m., working on a dry erase board. Coffee had gone down great all morning. I became hungry and all I could find to eat were those small round tortilla chips. I ate 3 slowly chewing tiny bites. They had never bothered me before and 3 was always my limit. Next thing I know I'm bent over double with the worse abdominal pain you can imagine. My doc was on vacation. I called the office any way and the receptionist told me it was a wedged tortilla chip and not to worry it would go away. Well, it didn't go away and I was in the ER by 9pm that night. I went into emergency surgery at 2 a.m. and wound up having a small part of my stomach removed due to the circulation being cut off to that area. My ins. doesn’t cover lap band installations nor did it cover some of the removal surgery. I told the surgeon that when he got in there to take it out! He said what about if he could repair it and leave it in. I told him no. I had been through too much the past year with it and was tired of paying for fills and unfills out of my own pocket and that I was done with the band. As it turned out he couldn't repair it and now it's gone. I'll probably try something else if my ins. decides to cover it; however it won't be a band again. I'll go for something more permanent. Now I'm back to where I started with diabetes only now I'm out a cool 22-25 thousand dollars. At my age I would have been better served to put it into my retirement plan. This surgery wasn’t a hair brained, spur of the moment idea. I researched it for the better part of 6 years. After all this the only thing I can say is that I know I worked the band plan as instructed. I have friends who were very cavalier about the whole thing and wound up having the procedure done over again (their ins. covered it). I'm not the adventurous type, especially with my health and my money, I was careful about everything that even remotely applied to the band. Out of the 4 of us that had it done one still has hers, 2 have had redo’s and I lost mine. I believe the moral of my story is if your surgeon is as big as the side of a barn then don’t buy into this procedure. Good luck to the rest of you and happy holidays. F

I just love the fact that I can find the answer on this website to ANY question related to the lap band. I had the security lap band question and totally found my answer here. BTW, I'm also a card carrying bander. My surgeon gave me one with my band's brand name, his name and phone number.

I have a question. I'm of the age that I should have a colonoscopy :faint:. I've been wondering if anyone knows what, if any, effect this has on the lapband. Is it one of those things that would require band fill to be removed before the procedure. I've heard the prep for a colonoscopy is somewhat dreadful. Freeradical

I asked my lapband surgeon and he said I would need to use the enema prep and not the tablets and liquid preps most people use.

Has anyone responded to you? I have a friend that is interested in the same thing. I'm not finding any replies but thought I'd check with you to be sure.

I think you are correct about the stress. For the past 6 weeks I've been dealing with my precious little dog and kidney problems. I bet that had a lot to do with it since I read your post. Thank you!

After researching this procedure since it began in Europe I thought I knew everything about it and was totally on board. I believe where I went wrong was in thinking after the band had reached the "perfect" amount of fill that would be that and I would settle in, loose all my weight, and have the band refilled to the amount to keep me at that size. I have lost all but my last 13 lbs and I'm afraid that if I don't find a way to live with it I'm going to be in trouble. I did do a lot better than I thought I would last night. I was surprised when I my eyes flew open this moring and it was 5 a.m. I had slept for 5 hrs in bed without waking up- without reflux. This is what I did. I had nothing but water and tea from 5pm on. I ate crushed ice, drank a mixture of baking soda & water. Maybe 3 oz.(zantac, pepsid don't work anymore). I went to the freezer and got a gel ice pack. Sitting up I placed it on my abdomen below my sternum for 10-15 minutes. Then I moved it to my back low between my sholder blades. I kept alternating it back and front for I don't know how long. 1 - 2 hrs I guess. Then I fell asleep in my recliner around 10 pm. I woke up around midnight and thought gosh I didn't have reflux at all and decided to go to bed. Got up at 5 a.m. feeling good, went back to sleep until 7:45. I don't know if it will work again, but I just got back from Wally World with protein drinks and I'm doing it again tonight. I know for a fact cold reduces swelling and that's what I went with. My surgeon copped an attitude with me as well and called me "hard headed". I thought that's a strange way to treat someone that gives him $100 for 10 minutes work!! It is the medical profession that bills this procedure as next to effortless- not me. Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate all of my unknown buddies out there. We may loose our separate battles, but it is together we will win this war. Happy Memorial Day. I'll probably find a way to dilute the bar-b-sauce and drink it. :cool2:

7/7/06 - band installed My first year with the band went pretty smooth. Now I'm on a band fill/unfill roller coster. My fills are usually no more than .1cc fills. Nothing great. In the past 6 months everytime I get a fill, 3 or 4 weeks later I need an unfill. $ are adding up. My last fill was less than .1 cc on 5/4/08. Last night a dinner I ate one bite too many and threw up for the first time in a long time. I had reflux/regurg (R&R) all night, couldn't sleep and will have it again tonight I'm sure. I've been on liquids all day today. I just keep thinking that if this is going to be a way of life for me I need to figure out how to reduce the swelling caused by the irratation of the reflux and/or throwing up process. Has anyone figured out how to get theselves back to that lapband comfortable feeling without unfills? Please don't say I should monitor my bites better or anything on that order. Has anyone ever tried to wait it out? Did it work? I don't usually get past loosing a couple of nights sleep and I go get an unfill from utter exhaustion. I appreciate any sincere replies. I can do without the rude & unhelpful ones.

where do you go for your adjustments and how much do you pay for each one?

You're great!! This is information I can use. Bless you. Freeradical

Yes Rosie. You are correct. I do know what goes in which end. I was pretty much fishing for info from someone who has been through it before. When it comes to medical treatments and procedures I tend to conduct my own clinical trials and go straight to the section of the population who can provide me with the best information. My surgeon has never had a colonoscopy with a lapband in place, so I won't be asking him. Thanks Rosie. Freeradical

Hey Terri, I'm glad I read your post. My recent fill was last wednesday and I've had a pretty rough week. I've been thinking I need to go back for a little fill extraction. For the first time in a year I've been experiencing reflux at night whether I eat or drink 3 or even 4 hrs. before bed. I wake up with reflux and I'm also hungary because I can't eat a lot when I do eat. Then today starting this afternoon I can't eat more than 2 or 3 bites of anything without regurgitating it back up. This sucks. I'm calling Jamie first thing in the morning. I hope you got your problem under control. Thanks again this as well as reading the Major Reflux, No Restriction, & Very Little Recent Weight Loss = Stretched Pouch really helped with my decision making. Freeradical banded 7/7/06 Dr. Wellborn

Cool. Thanks for the reply. I will be cutting back to having my last food intake before 7 or 8 pm.

How about 5.8cc. Has anyone received MORE than 4cc in their 4cc band besides me? My doc is not concerned, but I am. Let me know if there is anyone out there in my situation please. I had my last fill 1 week ago. The only problem I'm having since then is reflux a night. Other than that I'm eating and drinking guardedly just fine. This is the first time ever I've been woken up with gastric fluid coming up in my throat several times a night. Zantac helps with the acid part of it, but I don't like this at all. Thanks, Freeradical banded 7/7/06

Before I totally freakout can someone tell me this, if the small Inamed band only holds 4cc why do I have 4.3 ccs in mine??? My Dr. said I have the small band and when I wound up with 4.3 cc at my last fill I said I thought it would only hold 4 cc. He said some hold 6 ccs and kept walking. Should I be having some saline removed? I don't want to wind up with erosion or whatever... I'm think I'm doing fine but I'm worried I may not be down the line. Any advice? Does someone out there know if I should do something about this or not? Also, I would appreciate some advice from people that have lost over 50 lbs within 6 or 7 months of their surgery. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. What does a days worth of meals consist of for you? banded 7/7/06 25 lbs lost (yep only 25)

I'm having trouble staying on a diet same as before the lapband.

I work for the state and have Qualchoice QCA at UAMS. Our ins. will not pay for anything to do with weightloss. Not programs, not surgeries, not counceling- NOTHING. They do support a healthier life style through weightloss, but that's as far as it goes. Oh wait, I forgot we do have some psych ins. We can go to into therapy to lose weight until we max out that. The employees do not even get a discount to participate in the Kern's weight loss program at VA/UAMS that our previous illustrious Governator lost all his weight on. I believe the state residents paid for that along with the chef that prepared his meals, so he didn't exactly need insurance. I pay monthly premiums for my health insurance along with an additional $300.00 a month on my credit card for my lapband surgery. My interest rate on that is going up in a couple of months from 2.99% to over 13%. At the lapband seminar they said I can claim the expense on my income tax. I did and got maybe an additional $3,000 back of the $16,000 I charged, and my accountant said I can also expect to be audited. I'm a little apprehensive about that, however, I do have receipts. Hate the audit idea though. To add insult to injury I have only lost 25 lbs since 7/06. Take from this what you will. I'm not angry or anything. This just really sounds funny to me once I sat down and actually put it in writing. Hum, I've gotta wonder here. I think I just had my reality check. _______________________

I'm also a slow looser, 25 lbs since 7/06. 2 other women I know that had it done the same time I did are down 60 and 80 lbs. I have 4.3 cc in my Inamed band. I kept thinking it wasn't tight enough and that's why I wasn't loosing, so I kept getting fills. Now I think it is the right amount and these posts have helped me decide what to do next. I'm the same way as you all and I'm so glad I found you. After every fill, aprox 7 or 8 this far, I would loose the first 2 weeks and then nothing. I can get good food down still, but it's usually hard getting started. After the first 2 or 3 bites go down I'm good to go. However, I am getting used to eating COLD food. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes to get the first couple of bites down. This site has been a hugh help to me for the past year now. I never fail to get my band problems figured out when I come here. Today I did something I haven't been able to do in 3 years. Yardwork. It was impossible for me to do until this spring. You all hang in there because we are going to get this thing figured out!!! If others can do it so can we. ______________

Here's my situation: I've had 5 fills and another one planned for 1/6/07. This far I have 3.3 ccs in my band. I know it is in there and not going anywhere because my surgeon extracts it before each fill to be sure it is still in there. Then he will gradually add it back plus somemore until it feels tight enough with me sipping Water at specific intervals, etc. Now for the question. Does this seem like a lot of fills and a lot of ccs for me not to be at that "sweet spot" stage. After each fill I can eat 3 or 4 ounces and be satisfied, but on the 5th day or so I can eat a whole low calorie sandwitch, and with each day that passes I can eat a little more. I didn't have a fill for 7 weeks one time and gained 3.6 lbs. I have done and felt great throughout this entire adventure. Y'all let me know what your experiences tell you about mine. Stats: 7/7/06 lap band installed 12/27/06 - 19 lbs lost <not much for almost 7 months> freeradical:confused:

I know what you mean Nails. I can eat all that too and soft bread. I can eat anything, but like you said the amount is so much less than before the band. I naturally eat low fat and low carb, except during the holidays that is!

Hi GayleTX. I eat them because I can and I'm hungry! It's not your typical sandwitch though. It's fat free and low carb. Freeradical

I was 207 and now I'm 189.

Okay, I'm feeling some better. Thanks so much for your reply. So far I haven't thrown up. I'm happy to say it's been pretty uneventful except for the slow weight loss. What size is your band? Mine is the small Inamed band.

Thanks for your response. I have the small one. Once I hit the submit reply I knew I had left that bit of info out. I see this site has started it's own slow loosers club (thread). I so don't want to join that. Jan. 1 will be a new year for me. I am going to try harder. Thanks again. Freeradical

I was banded on 7/7 in Little Rock. I have not had the grand weight loss as most have had. I haven't even lost 20 lbs. I have an appointment for my 6th fill on 1/17. I have 3.3 cc of saline in my band. I can still hold too much food. :hungry: I feel great, but I'm really ready to get this show on the road. I started at 207 and I'm 189 now. I waited too long between the 4 & 5th fills and I didn't learn to make my next fill appointment before I left the Dr. office each time. It's a process for sure and not at all as effortless as I had hoped. Slow but sure.