spoiltmom

One thing I learned with the band is that I actually do like vegetables and I love to run.

I'm hoping those two things keep me on track!

Also my husband has decided to do it with me this time. He needs to lose weight and wants us to start riding bikes together.

Thanks Kat!

Kat, how close to your goal weight were you when you tried for the revision??

My weight is what scares me right now. I'm afraid they may turn me down because I weigh like 165 now but surely they will take into account that I started out at 235 right?

Turns out I was told the wrong thing. My upper GI did indeed show a problem with my esophagus:(

The report shows that my pouch looks good but after 30 minutes there was still way too much barium stuck in my esophagus.

I'm getting a total unfill tomorrow and then I'm not sure what's next.

I'm sad:(

I really am.

Believe me it's still a super hard decision for me. Im scared of gaining my weight back and that's why I want the revision. At the same time I start to feel like a failure all over again because I can't get a handle on my weight without help:(

Even at this low weight I still have sleep apnea that has actually gotten worse since I was banded.

Because I've lost and kept off 70 pounds that I've never been able to keep off on my own. The band has caused some sort of irritation to my esophagus and my food stays in my esophagus too long instead of traveling down to my pouch. I'm also throwing up constantly or on liquids to prevent throwing up:(

I'm trying to get a revision. I got my band 3 years ago. I've lost all but 15 pounds so I'm barely overweight now. Do you think insurance will gripe about that??

My insurance has the easiest bariatric process ever so I'm hoping not. They do not require a six month diet or medical records: only a letter from the surgeon stating your current diagnoses and health problems. It only took them 4 days to approve my initial band.

After doing a search 15 different ways Dr Snyder finally came up as in network provider. I will call them Monday.

Thanks!

Which doctors do they use? I'm trying to look them up on my health insurance plan.

Thanks!

Also, would I be eligible for revision? I currently weigh 165, which is only 10-15 pounds overweight.

When I was initially banded though I weighed 232. At that time I had bad knees, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

I still have the knee problems and the sleep apnea but no more high blood pressure.

I'd like to revise from Lap Band to sleeve. I have excellent health insurance but I can't find a surgeon that will see me. The staff always tells me, since we didn't place your initial band we won't be able to see you. What the heck?

Can anyone recommend a good revision doctor in the Houston area??

I have a band and would like a sleeve revision. Problem is I can't find a revision surgeon willing to see me since they didn't place my band initially. That doesn't make sense to me:(

I have excellent health insurance though.

Do any if you know a good Houston area revision surgeon??

Thanks!

Well the radiology report ended up being normal, completely normal so I'm not sure why

He was so concerned with the remaining barium. I had the upper GI done because the bariatric surgeon's office said I had to do it before he would see me. Now they are telling me he won't see me at all because he doesn't see band patients unless he placed the band himself.

Why is it so hard to get a second opinion? I realize most doctors do not want other doctors mistakes/problems but that shouldn't be the patients fault.

I'm so mad now. I just talked to my family doctor about my results. There is no issue at all with my band. The radiologist that did my test spoke with his colleagues and they said that my band is at a perfect fill level and that is why the barium went down slowly. They also said there is no signs of any esophageal problems at all.

Grrrrr. He made me worry for nothing.

You posted the same topic yesterday and the correct answer is talk to your bariatric surgeon. This is a complicated diagnosis and I seriously doubt anyone here would have your entire medical history to offer any better advice than your bariatric surgeon.

BTW-You mention "your surgeon" but then go on to say you're seeking a bariatric surgeon? What kind of surgeon is "your surgeon"?

Just thought I might get different opinions here. It will likely be weeks before I can see any surgeon. Mine only sees patients on Mondays and I have no idea what the wait is for the new one.

My surgeon is a general surgeon that also does Lap Bands. The surgeon I'm trying to see does only bariatric surgery and nothing else.

I know this sounds weird but the junk food goes down so easily but I really wanted a good salad or some nice vegetables, not ice cream or mashed potatoes. Sigh.

I've been banded 2 1/2 years. I got within 10 pounds of my goal weight and then gained back 15 pounds. I don't have a true green zone. I'm either too tight or too loose. Every time my seasonal allergies flare up my band gets super tight which has led me to be dehydrated twice.

Now my surgeon says I have esophageal dilation but its not a big deal and doesn't need to be treated. I tried to seek a second opinion and was told I would need an Upper GI first, the specialist I want to see requires it. My family dr ordered it and I had it done yesterday.

I was given 2 oz of super thin barium and after 25 minutes most of it was still in my esophagus. The radiologist said even with a band that's not normal. He did not say what the problem or diagnosis was though.

While I'm waiting on his final report I have so many things going through my mind:( Mainly I wonder if I will be able to revise to a sleeve AND I wonder if I will ever be able to eat healthy foods again without throwing up. I also wonder if I choose to do the sleeve what the long term complications are.

Any advice or kind words for me? I'm feeling like a mega weight loss failure right now:( I know I shouldn't but I do. I've explained everything to my husband and he understands and is on board with whatever I choose to do.

My surgeon thinks I have esophageal dilation but he doesn't think its a big deal. My family dr disagrees so she ordered an upper GI. I drank 2 oz of super thin barium. After 15 minutes most of it was still sitting in my esophagus and hadn't gone through my band yet. The radiologist was concerned about that. With a band it's supposed to take longer to go through right?? I asked the assistant if esophageal dilation would cause that and she said she wasn't sure. Thoughts? I should have official results tomorrow. I'm trying to see a surgeon who specializes in bariatrics but he requires you do the upper GI first.

He said that it was esophageal dilation. He said that my band had been too tight for a long time (i lost my insurance so didnt go back for a long time) and I had been eating too much. Since my band was so tight the food had no where to go but to pile up in my esophagus and stretch it. He took all the liquid out of my band ang gave me a few prescriptions to take and it cleared up. www.biscuitsandexcuses.blogspot.com

I so hope this is the case for me but I'm really worried.

Unfilling a bit' date=' reduces the pressure. You might lose better with less. I still go 4-5 hours without hunger and my band is just sitting there like a loose ring on a finger. It takes me forever to eat, I drink Perrier with meals, cause it helps to open the LES, and still get the hunger dimming response.[/quote']

4-5 hours?? I'm hungry every 2-3 hours:( but then for the most part it doesn't take me all that long to eat. I'm normally done within 30 minutes.

That's what I thought was happening. It's the LES that won't open' date=' in that situation. The band doesn't and can't get tighter and looser just randomly. It can seem to tighten over time due to scar tissue, but won't loosen. The only way it can feel like that is the lower esophageal sphincter failing to open in response to swallowing. Mine was intermittent and progressed to constant over a few months. If barium is just trickling through the STOMA, then you most definitely need an unfill ASAP. That might resolve your esophageal issues with just a part of the Fluid removed.

It's the back pressure from the band that causes nerve damage at the gadtroesophageal junction. Even eating exactly as told, the pressure occurs. Banding is a high pressure system, as is vsg. More GI doctors are recommending esophageal manometry pre-op, since there is a growing consensus that the intolerance to the band can be predicted and those pts given different options for surgery.

Have you ever felt stuck on Water or even yogurt? It's not your band stopping it. Fickle bands, first bite syndrome, getting "stuck" on soft foods and liquids are all signs of a potential problem. When so many report these things happening, it looks like a normal part of banded life, but it's not. It's a warning sign.[/quote']

Hmm. I do know that when I'm having episodes like that and I can get in with my surgeon a partial unfill relieves it and I'm able to eat/drink again with no vomiting at all.

If you had just 2 oz barium and it was in your esophagus' date=' that's an esophagus problem. It can lead to major problems in a short period of time. Please read my blog post "History" paying attention to the time between last June and present. I'm not trying to scare you, but save you from my experience. I belong to a band complications group on FB which has several members with this history. There is a phenomenon called psuedoachalasia, which usually occurs with underlying disease, but is occurring quite often in banded patients and is a relatively new development. I have what appears to be end stage achalasia, 0% muscle activity shown on manometry, but I'm hoping with my band removed, will resolve. I've been told to expect treatment ranging from feeding tube for 6 weeks to allow the esophagus to rest and regain some motility to removal of my esophagus. It's not something to mess around with.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174396/[/quote']

If that were the problem wouldn't I be vomiting all the time?? I have plenty of time where I eat a meal and within 45 minutes I'm fine to drink again and everything goes down smoothly with no issues. My vomiting only occurs because I have times where my band suddenly tightens up for no reason at all. It will stay that way a week or two and then go back to normal.

An unfill isn't an option until I see a new surgeon because my current surgeon doesn't see a problem. I saw him 2 weeks ago and asked about an unfill and he said it was not needed.

I rarely have chest pain, only when something gets stuck.

Honestly the radiologist referred to it as my esophagus, he never really said anything about the pouch. The barium was going down but only a trickle was going through the band. The rest he said was sitting in the "esophagus". Still he said it had plenty of time to pass completely and it didn't. It just sat in the esophagus above my band.

I had the same thing. They took all the liquid out of my band and put me on "band vacation". My doctor treated this very serious. He said that if I countinued to stretch my esophagus that it could cause malignent cells to form. I hope you get this figured out soon! Check out my Lap band blog www.biscuitsandexcuses.blogspot.com

Did your dr think it was just esophageal dilation??

I go for weeks where I'm fine, no problems, pain or vomiting. Then I have weeks where I vomit CONSTANTLY. Sometimes to the point of dehydration.

I am considering removal or sleeve revision depending on my Upper GI results.