arthukd

I posted this yesterday in the post surgery forum b/c I wasn't aware of this forum. I was hoping to get some feed back from anyone who has experienced their band slipping. I went to the doc Friday for a barium swallow test and just found out the result of the test yesterday (Tuesday). My band has slipped and I am not sure the extent of it. I only talked to the nurse and have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. I am curious if anyone has been successful with correcting a slipped band by removing Fluid. From what I have read on this forum, it seems that most people tried taking fluid out and then ended up having surgery to correct it. I am really hoping and praying it can be corrected by having fluid removed since I am a self pay paitient. Also, does anyone know if insurance will cover the surgery when you are having complications if you paid for the surgery yourself? Any thoughts appreciatied! Karen

Just thought I would post an update as well in case anyone was looking around for info. I had surgery a month ago to fix my slipped band and it has made all the difference in the world! Wow, I feel like a new person. I am pretty sure my band slipped early on and I just thought getting sick was part of having the band. It has been over 4 weeks and I have not gotten sick one time. I currently don't have any fluid in my band and I am kind of scared to add it that I might get sick and then cause the band to slip again, but I am eating more than I should. Still not what I could eat prior to lap-band, but more than I should to lose the additional 25 lbs to get to my goal weight. After vacation next week, I will make an appointment to get a small adjustment and ease back to a point that I feel has good restriction. I am glad I did not have to have the band removed and do not regreat for one second having the surgery to begin with.

My insurance covers baratric surgery but I wasn't morbidly obease...just severly! so it didn't cover it and it is not going to cover repositioning the slipped band. I can't eat solid food w/ out vomiting and it still isn't covered b/c they didn't cover the initial surgery wasn't covered.

I have/had this problem and I finally went to the doctor and found out my band had slipped and have to have surgery to correct. I would say if you are consistently throwing up, there is a problem. I understand not wanting to get Fluid removed from your band, but I have 3 times now. And I typically lose weight after having fluid removed b/c I am able to make smarter food choices. When I am so tight that I throw up all the time, I tend to eat foods that I know wont get stuck...which are slider foods and not healthy. Be careful! I wish I had made better decisions and gone to the doc at the first sign of an issue rather than putting it off and telling myself that I just ate too fast or didn't chew well enough...I might have been able to avoid the band slipping.

I would be extremely careful eating too much. I just found out this week that my band slipped and the doc said any number of things could have caused it and it wasn't necessarily something i did, but I know I was eating too much. A part of me feels like this is my fault for not following the instructions and I have learned an extremely important lesson. I will be having surgery in 3 weeks to correct the slip. I have not found out yet if insurance will cover the procedure (I was self pay for the lapband). My sister also has the lap band and has had it for about 5 years or so. I just had mine last year. She had a similar issue to yours and told the doc and he said you should not let becoming full be an indicator of when to stop eating. That you should limit your portions to 1 cup. If you are still hungry after 20 mins, than you should get an adjustment, but eating more than a cup can cause complications.

Thanks Mimi! I am going to be extra cautious this time around. I am not to my goal weight but I am very happy with my current weight. If I can maintain this and have no more complications I will be a happy camper. I have lost 55 lbs since 1/13/10. (just realized i need to update my photo as that was taken presurgery!) Glad to hear that you are not having any other complications after your surgical fix!

Just an update. The doc said there was no chance that it would correct itself by taking Fluid out, surgery is the only option. The good news is insurance should cover it and if it doesn't it should cost between $3-4K...which is much better than the $12K I paid to have the surgery. He said that this does happen in some patients and that it wasn't necessarily caused by being too tight or throwing up. I was pretty upset to begin with but am dealing with severl other outside issues at the moment. I am glad to know that there is a solution to the problem...I was thinking I would be throwing up for the rest of my life. I am hopefuly the surgery will correct it and I will not have any other issues, but from what I read on this forum, it seems once you start having problems, it just becomes a domino affect and one thing after another happens, until you eventally have the band removed. I am praying that doesn't happen!

I found out today that my band has slipped. I have been having problems off and on for a few months and finally went to the doctor to get some Fluid taken out and the doc had me get a barium swollow test. Finally talked to the nurse today about the result of the test and was told the doc said if I wasn't better (after having .5 cc's removed 4 days ago) that I would have to have surgery to correct the slip. So I have an appt with the doc in two days. My question is: Has anyone had a band slip and it correct itself by having fluid removed? I have searched on here for posts about slipped bands and from what I have read, once anyone has had a slip, things never seem to work correctly again and some people have had the band removed or replaced. I was doing better over the weekend, but started getting sick again yesterday and today can't keep anything solid down. I am self pay so I am assuming any surgery to correct the problem will be out of pocket. I am praying that getting the fluid taken out in two days will correct the problem, but I was hoping to hear from some of you before I see the doctor in two days.

I would probably get some taken out...maybe half of your last increase? I have similar issues. i got a fill before I went on a cruise in August b/c I didn't want to gain any weight. I was fine for a month after and then all of a sudden I could hardly eat anything. I was getting sick all the time and the only foods that didn't irritate my stomach (other than shakes) were "slider" foods. I went from 5.5 ccs to 5 ccs and actually dropped weight quicker than before because I could get back to eating healthy food. I am still at 5 and have started having problems again and considered getting some additional Fluid taken out. I haven't been on this site in a while and thought I would see what was going on b/c I was having problems again. <br /><br />It is helpful to hear that people are going through the same problems. Thanks for your post. I think I am going to call my doc right now to get a little unfill <img src='http://cdn.lapbandtalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I cheated as well and nothing bad happend. It isn't the end of the world so don't beat yourself up about it.

I've only lost 3 lbs since 3/15/10 and I was banded 1/13/10. It has taken my sister 4 years to lose around 80 lbs. Personally, I would rather have a bite of really yummy food that I enjoy (and I can do that now b/c I get full on much less food) than eat stuff that doesn't satistfy my tastes buds but is low in calories. I haven't had time to log my calories in the past month b/c of my work schedule but now that I am not working 70+ hours a week I do plan to get back to logging my calories so that the weight will come off a bit faster. I am still happy to have lost 3 lbs in the past month. Usually this time of year I gain weight b/c of all the food that is catered to my office and not having time to plan meals. Anywho, didn't want you to think everyone consistantly loses 1-3 lbs a week.

I have the same problem and I grew up in a home where my parents told me it was better to go to waste in the trash than in your stomach. I eat left overs all the time. In fact sometimes I can make up to 4 meals on something I get at a restaurant. At that point I usually don't mind throwing away left overs b/c I am sick of the food by then!

Just thought I would share that I made my own version of a green smoothie this morning! approx 1 cup spinach & 1 cup V8 Splash Diet (only 10 calories) - a few frozen peach slices, 2 frozen strawberries, 2 tbs frozen blueberries, 1/4 a banana and a packet of fruit punch flavored protein (it was a sample I got somewhere) It is actually very tasty!! It looks like Jachut describe, lawnmower clippings but not a bad flavor at all. The fruit punch protein made it a little strong so I had to add some ice to it when I got to work which mellowed it out. I am a fan!

If banded patients should only eat 1 cup of food at meals and 1/3 should be Protein, 1/3 veggies, and 1/3 starch, should we only be eating the equivalent of 1 cup of veggies/fruit a day? That doesn't seem like enough. I am horrible at taking a multi vitaman, and I am trying to think of ways to add veggies into my diet. (adding them to fruit smoothies for Breakfast - you can't taste the veggies, V8 juice, and V8 fusion - light) if you eat more than a 1/3 cup of veggies at a meal are you risking streaching your pouch? The calories aren't a problem b/c most of the veggies have like 10-20 calories per 1/2 cup (green Beans, squash, broccoli, califlower, etc) I prefer to get my nutrients in by eating veggies but I don't want to stretch my pouch. I am afraid I have been eating too much even though my calories are on track. It wasn't a problem until my last fill and now I get stuck all the time. I am not sure if it the type of food I am eating or the quantity or both. I have had a rough 3 weeks going back and forth on liquids b/c I get stuck. I am so sick of liquids! I just want to be able to eat somewhat normal food. I have had so much Soup the past few weeks that I am sure my sodium levels are out of control. My sister has had the band for 4 years and she had no idea what slimeing was when I was asking her about it. I feel like I may have cause my band to slip but soup and crackers seem to go down fine, but I have a weird feeling in the back of my throat. I need to go to the doc, but I am just trying to get past tax season (I am a tax accountant) Sorry the post kind of went off topic, I am just freaking out a little w/ the problems I have had the past 3 weeks.

catalyst - that is exactly how I felt - like i had been punched in the chest and I tried to eat through it! And that was the beginning of the end for me!! I would really stick to what your doc recommends w/ 3 days liquid & 3 days soft/mushiee and hopefully you wont go through what I have been through the past 3 weeks!!! I really wish I had stayed on liquids & mushies longer when I got my last fill. The first fill wasn't a problem so it didn't occur to me that I might need to wait longer. Lesson learned! Since Monday I have only had protein shakes, soup, & crackers...I know that is not liquid but it turns to mush and I really needed something to chew! Today I have moved on to a chunker soup and some refried beans. I will probably stay on this phase for the next 4 days or so...I might add some tuna salad see how that goes.

my doc recommends liquids/mushee for the day after the fill, but I have found I need to get myself longer to adjust. I tried to go back on regular food to soon and got stuck which lead to vomitting which lead to a swollen angry stomach and the cycle continued for 2-3 weeks. I got stuck again on Easter b/c I didn't want my parents worrying that something was wrong and I tried to eat solid food - mistake! this time I am giving my tummy pleanty of time to heal from the past few weeks of irritation before I attempt "real food."

I like unjury the best. Pure and nectar are pretty good. GNC are Lean Dessert are also good.

Jachut - I have noticed from other posts you aren't as worried about protein as we are here in the states, but I was thinking about adding a scoop of unflavored protein powder. Have you ever tried that?

This morning was the first time I tried spinach in a smoothie and I couldn't even taste it! I added parsnips too but they wouldn't blend very well, I still found my self having to chew them! I have put carrots and squash in before but decided I need to do something with all the veggies in my fridge so I branched out today. I get locally grown veggies delievered every week so I never know what is going to show up! I think I will try the green smoothie in the morning. I have grapefruit at home too...Do you put the membrane of the grapefruit in or just the juice and plup?

Thanks for the input Betsy. You always have some great responses.

I am wondering the same thing. I feel like any time I eat anything other than soft food/mushies I get stuck and my stomach gets irritated and swollen so then I go back on liquids/soft food/mushies. I keep thinking maybe I am not giving my tummy enough time to heal properly in between episodes so I am trying to give it a almost two weeks before I try anything questionable. If I get stuck then, I am going to make an appointment to get some fluid removed. I am only eating soup and protein shakes right now and I constantly feel hungry and I really haven't lost any weight since my last fill 3 weeks ago, which is super frustrating to not be able to eat and not lose weight...stupid slider food!

My surgeon had info on a new procedure for gastric bypass patients. It is less invasive than lap band. Here is a link to the procedure if you want to check it out. It is called StompahyX: http://www.advancedsurgeonspc.com/bariatric/surgicalweightloss.php

Yes! Sometimes I am very sad I can't eat more than I can. I love food and miss that feeling of fullness I used to get. Now, if I eat too much I am in terrible pain so I try to stop before I get full, but it is a constant struggle. I tell myself I am never going to do that again, and then two weeks later I am so excited about my meal, i take a quick bite forgetting to chew well and then can't really eat anything else the rest of the day b/c my stomach is irritated. I think I got too big of a fill last time.

I actually called my doc when having the same problem and he suggested I go on to liquids for a few days and then soft food. Seemed to work just fine.

Well, I was up a pound today :tt1: which I really don't understand. This past week I have only had soup b/c I had irritated my stomach and it was swollen and I couldn't eat w/ out getting sick so the doc said to go on liquids. I stopped recording my food intake a few weeks ago b/c I am a tax accountant and have super busy at work, I didn't want to deal with it. I am not really sure what my calorie intake has been. For now I am chalking it up to the high soduim and water retention.