Baba Wawa

http://www.lapband.com/en/live_healthy_lapband/months_beyond/dietary_guidelines/ Following Allergan's instructions for diet...4-5 cups of food divided into 3 meals = 1.3/1.6 cups per meal assuming fruit/veggie servings are 1oz each...

I did my research...my medical team is great, but they are doing less and less bands and more revisions, VSG now because of experiences like mine. I was and am highly compliant. Please don't make assumptions. My purpose in responding to this point of view is to help that person who reads that they are at fault, when in fact they may NOT be, and encourage them to share their experience in a safe venue, away from bullies. I once held the point of view that if I did everything "by the book" my band would be a lifetime device. Unfortunately, the band manufacturers no longer state this, saying it isn't a lifetime device. Perhaps if you asked when I was banded, you would understand that the # of failures has escalated tremendously for the newer bands in the last 2 years. When I was preparing for surgery 3 years ago, the old 4cc band was cited as the one causing problems. The newer bands were being touted as "much safer, less prone to complications..." Why do you assume that anyone who "cry about failure" are bellying up at the "ff restaurant"? That's just a mean stereotype! Btw, the instructions that Allergan is giving for post op diet and eating habits keeps evolving as more and more complications surface.

You said it "...the band is too tight". This is the responsibility of the medical team, not the pt. I don't have erosion, but I am too tight, with no fill after losing 82 lb. If I develop erosion, it will be due to the band, not my eating habits. I only had 3.5 cc in my 11cc band, kept it loose on purpose. There are hundreds of stories just like mine and worse. If a pt goes in for a fill and is given, say 5cc, thinks they are ok, but over time develops random tightness, GERD, etc AND is not well educated by their medical team (so they don't recognize the warning signs), is this the patient's fault? No. This exact scenario is being played out in the banded community over and over again. Go to other support sites, search band complications and you will see for yourself. The patient who gets a band and the band doesn't perform as promised, or causes life threatening complications, is a victim. To blame the patient for the device's failure is to victimize the patient TWICE. My band has helped me, but currently is injuring me...I'm thankful for the loss of 82lb, but for a 63 year old woman who has had over a dozen surgeries, the prospect of additional surgery is daunting. If my ins had covered it, I could have been done with one procedure, VSG, and saved myself a lot of trouble. Being aware of potential complications, their symptoms, etc could save your life.

Most of them are from sites like this and are just opinions...

Yes I know what it is...looking for links as to the CAUSES. Thanks though.

Help me out here...need links to articles citing what causes erosion.

Since the Vagus nerve is in close proximity to your stomach, band, AND regulates heart rhythm, it is common to have this feeling if you swallow to big a bite. You might need to cut food smaller or chew more completely.

As I said in my post, I'm under a doctors care. I've been checked for a slip and that's not the problem...believe it or not, many people suffer without a slip, erosion, etc while they are waiting for ins auth for removal. My situation is becoming the norm rather than the exception. I belong to a couple of online groups of people who overwhelmingly agree this is becoming the expected outcome of banding. However, I have lost 82+ lb and feel great other than my tummy issues. I'm hoping to revise to sleeve in early 2013, so I need to baby this thing in the mean time.

I too am suffering from severe regurgitative reflux. I have no fluid in my band, NEVER kept it tight...I had 2 fills total, 3cc and .5cc. My history with the band is that I've been compliant, chewed, cut my food into tiny bites, etc, etc. I've lost 15 lb since my unfill mid-June. I've been on Prilosec for a year, increasing doses to 60 mg per day. Since I'm still having issues with nighttime reflux, I'm trying some holistic remedies with my docs permission. I'm taking 2oz aloe vera juice first thing in the am, then again mid-afternoon. I'm also taking artichoke extract after meals twice per day and essential enzymes to help with digestion and stomach emptying. I'm suspicious that food is sitting in my stomach, fermenting and causing gas. This could be causing the reflux at night. I'm on day 2 of this regimine. PPIs can cause food to be "under processed" before entering the intestines and slow emptying of the stomach. I'm going to try to wean myself off the Prilosec, slowly...will let you know how it goes.

No, it's happens with all surgeries. The band itself is the problem. The stomach is a muscle and churns against the band, it's believed that this phenomenon causes scar tissue to form under the band around the stomach, which apparently is an unforeseen result. I'm getting tighter though I have no fill in my band.

I had a complete unfill in June. Scar tissue has formed around my stomach under the band causing me to be tight. The band is coming out, but have to go thru the process for insurance and that takes time. Just over it.

I'm so tired of never knowing what foods I can eat...puking up stuff. This is no way to exist. Ready to just throw in the towel and be done, just get this thing out of me!

More than likely the problems WERE directly caused by the band. If the OP didn't have GERD pre op and had issues eating with an empty band, then the band has to be the cause! There is nothing you can ingest, other than large doses of NSAIDs, that can give you these symptoms and results. So many are having this exact type of complications, it cannot be coincidence. I've had my band empty 4 months and I'm still getting stuck, sometimes on liquids. My band has caused scar tissue to grow around the stomach and under the band. I have reflux too. I was completely compliant. I had only 3.5 cc in my 11 cc band. Telling someone that the only way complications can happen is through noncompliant eating is just wrong and blames the pt for the failure of the device.

The biggest risk with alcohol is that you might overdo it and get sick to your stomach. Early out, that is just asking for a complication, such as a slip, gastritis, etc. IF you drink, make it one or two and call it done. Don't risk another surgery for a 21st birthday celebration.

I got my band at age 60. Prior to deciding on banding I tried hypnosis, which helped me to lose a whopping 9 lb, which I regained. My all time high weight was 290. I'm now about 209, so have lost 81 lb with my band, but it has been slow going. The first year, I lost about 60 lb, maintained for a year and started losing again after having my band unfilled in June. One thing I can say is that I have a very different outlook on food and eating. It's about getting my protein in, avoiding troublesome foods and babying my stomach. I have developed scar tissue under the band, around my stomach, so am very restricted. I only had 3.5cc in my 11 cc band, so was not overly focused on fills...I had two. 3cc at 3 months post op and .5cc at 9 months post op. I'm currently having issues with reflux, so taking a PPI first thing in the morning and mid afternoon on an empty stomach, which is helping me. VSG is a great option for many over 60, since there's no bypass involved and no follow up. Should I revise, it will be to VSG. I'm grateful for the weight loss, but concerned that I might have to have another surgery. Good luck to you!

I had a GI virus last September, vomited my sock off for 24 hrs. Had an Esophogram a couple of weeks later and band was fine. Getting a Flu shot doesn't keep you from getting stomach "flu", it is for influenza which is an upper respiratory infection and doesn't cause vomiting, except in cases of very high fever. If you have school aged kids, they're bringing viruses home daily and you could catch a nasty GI bug. Talk to your doctor about this to be sure you have the correct info. Anti emetics won't help unless given by suppository or IV since most who have this type of illness can't keep anything down. The best defense is sanitizing phones, remotes, door knobs, etc as well as practicing good food prep safety. Most "stomach flu" is actually food born illness from cross contamination (veggies, fruits that won't be cooked coming into contact with raw meats or surfaces where raw meat has been prepared without proper cleaning and sanitizing). I'm very careful about eating out too. Having owned a restaurant (12 years of perfect health inspections) and managed 5 different Starbucks stores (also 100% perfect health inspections) I give any food establishment a good look before ordering.

Even if you DON'T overeat, you can stretch your esophagus and pouch. The pouch is designed to hold a couple of ounces of food, about 1/4 cup. The reason we are told to eat slowly is to allow food to pass through the stoma into the lower part of the stomach, making room in the pouch for the rest of your meal, 1/2 to 1 cup. If the food can't pass through the stoma, even if it's chewed properly, it will stretch the pouch and back up into the esophagus causing it to dilate, even when eating per the "band rules" and not overeating. This is what I experienced, and after a complete unfill, I have lost 8 lbs because I can eat healthy foods, rather tan depending on sliders due to a too tight band. BTW, I only had 3.5 cc in my 11 cc band.