bandwife

Thank you all for your quick and kind replies. I will broach the topic of seeing a different bariatric doc, and also that of maybe getting his regular doctor in the loop. Kat, thanks for the warm water suggestion, I'm going to pass it along to him right now!

Thank you all for your replies. Please note that we are NOT the ones considering a lawsuit, though I often feel that my husband must have been the victim of malpractice, that's how badly the band is functioning. As per your advice, I will also start a new thread, but here is some more specific information: My husband had the band put in in March 2007. Within 24 hours of his discharge from the hospital, he experienced severe nausea, followed by uncontrollable vomiting. He was readmitted, xrays were taken (I think he drank some kind of liquid so that they could ascertain where the band was). The doc said he was having some type of latent reaction to the anesthesia. He wound up staying the hospital an additional 5 nights. Thereafter, we followed instructions to the letter regarding introduction of liquids, soft foods, etc. (Obviously we were frightened to death of any further reactions, so we were extremely cautious). When he went for his first fill was when the trouble began - even with the most basic foods - salmon, soft ground meat, steamed veggies; my poor husband would have PBs and vomiting almost immediately. This trend has continued to the present day. Right now, he has NO fill - his band is empty. He's gone back to the doctor multiple times, and the nutritionist has told him to eat more slowly, eat more frequently, and stay away from dense foods. None of that helps. I swear to you, we haven't had steak, haven't had bagels, or even sandwiches in our house in more than three years. I have a son who is growing up without having ever had a Sunday morning bagel or egg on a roll. I don't mind; those aren't great eating habits to establish. But, what kills me is that even with the efforts of cooking food that should be no problem - baked tilapia, grilled veggies, salad - he simply cannot take those first couple of bites without getting sick. It happens at business lunches, it happens at home, it happens at little league. To boot, he has only maintained about a 20 lb. loss. It is more than just the discomfort - I think if he had to vomit twice a day but was maintaining a 50 lb loss, we might feel differently. But to have gone through all of this, to try all of the techniques we've been instructed, and still be struggling with his weight daily.... We hate the band. Every night at dinner I think about how I wish I could go back in time and talk him out of it. If he hadn't had the reaction to the surgery, I would suggest he have it removed.

I can't believe how insensitive you all seem to be. I'm a new member, having joined because after 3 years, my husband's band is still causing more trouble than it's worth. Just because you've had positive experiences, isn't it possible that the original poster is legitimately unhappy, and for good reason? We are educated people, and undertook the decision for my husband to have the surgery after much research and deliberation. While there was pre-surgical weight loss, and some post-surgical loss, he's been unable to maintain it. He vomits after most meals, even when eating foods such as salad, fish, and soft ground meat. One of you posted about steak - we haven't seen a steak here since March 2007. The whole family has given it up as he can't eat it without suffering from a horrible need to throw up after each bite. It doesn't matter how much he chews it. As a result, he feels cheated out of eating meals - once he throws up he often can't eat anything else, and resorts to "treats" afterwards. I joined this forum to see if we could find some constructive help, but you all seem to have just "drunk the kool-aid" and are unwilling to consider that not everyone had the same good results as you. Maybe I'll look someplace else for help.