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I had my surgery on August 7th and I had a minor complication. I vomited the Water that was used to test my new stomach for a leak and that caused a bad case of heartburn/acid reflux. I could not keep anything down for 4 days and was on IV. I vomited everything I tried to drink then and it was the most painful experience ever! Finally, I was able to keep some Gatorade down and was released. After getting well, I started messing up my diet. It eventually got to the point where I advanced to solid foods by the beginning of the 2nd week. I am extremely regretful. I don't know why I did what I did. The only way I can justify my failure to follow obvious directions is because I'm irresponsible. I'm also dealing with emotional/head hunger and another part (hate to blame it on someone other than me or make it seem like I'm some victim) is pressure from family to eat, since I never had their support to have the surgery. They also keep ridiculing me and telling me that I asked for all the pain I am in now. food doesn't taste good and it doesn't feel good. I have heartburn/acid reflux that is so painful, I can't sleep. I tried Famotidine (20 mg) -- didn't improve much, and moved on to something stronger today -- Zantac (150 mg). I really don't know what to do and I was hesitant to post about this because I'm afraid of the harsh responses I may get when I already feel bad. I read that eating solid foods during the first 3 weeks can cause a leak as the staples have not fully healed yet and that really scares me! I'm wondering if anyone else messed up like me and how they've healed? And if they're able to enjoy food again? I also don't know -- What should I do now? My doctor isn't responsive.

So happy for you! Glad you are not having any complications. I will be in your shoes 6 days from now when it is my turn. Very anxious but excited too. I wish you much success and looking forward to seeing posts on your journey. All the best, Sue

Surgery of any type is daunting. Like Porkchopexpress, I've been sliced and diced under the knife a few times...... Ok 11 including the sleeve job :-) Firstly. Everyone you deal with will be there to help you Secondly, You'll be out of it so no worries Thirdly, there will be discomfort and self doubt after. As long as you are ready for this you will be ok. If you struggle ask for help! There's no shame in asking. I was in for a total of 3 nights but I had to be different and had a few breathing complications but to be honest I never felt scared. I will say that of all the operations I've had this was the most challenging mentally I know the system in the UK is different but we are all the same when it comes to pain, worry and the need for support. You will be fine and withing a week you'll be cursing the fact that you're running out of ideas for Soups then purees or like me you'll be cooking too much and filling your freezer Enjoy the journey

I'm going through this right now. I posted on another forum and have copied and edited it a bit below and hope I can help anyone in preventing this. As far as your question, yes you can get the pouch back to normal but you and you only can make that happen. It's difficult, but, it can be done. If the pouch is really stretched badly they will un-fill you and place you on liquids for a period of time. My doctor told me 6 weeks of liquids. Holy smokes!!! Here is my post from another thread: Under floroscopy my doctor told me that my pouch was bigger than it should be. She told me that I would get a warning this time, but if next checkup showed the same, she will un-fill me and I will go on liquids for 6 weeks. For now I have been instructed to measure my portions. I did get a slight fill, so, I'm thinking that I'm not that bad yet. I keep a loose band because my allergies and drainage cause the dreaded lapband cement on the pouch that is only dissolved by drinking lots of hot liquids and is very unpleasant, thus I have to be a bit more careful with my portions. I have decent restriction and my portions have been at least 1 cup of food and sometimes 1.5 cups, however, I got into the habit of not chewing well and eating too fast. I rarely got stuck because of my loose band. In my opinion, not chewing well and eating too fast is what caused the dialation. I was also doing way too much exercise and was feeling more hunger and I would eat way to fast and not chew well with the hunger I felt at times. Someone asked about symptoms. First of all my weight loss stopped for months. My weight would go up and down by 6 lbs. and went on like this for at least 8 months. I tried increasing calories, longer work outs etc. etc. and nothing! My biggest symptom was more hunger in between meals and was getting hungry every 2-3 hours. The most obvious symptom that I should have never ignored was feeling satisfied (full) and would get that uncomfortable feeling of "no more" at meal time then all of sudden I would feel a thump in my pouch, due to food going thru quickly, then I could eat another meal if I chose to and honestly sometimes I would. I thought this was because I needed a fill, however, this was not the case and Doc said that a enlarged pouch of course holds more food and will push everything down quickly. Since being warned I have gone on liquids 2 times consisting of 4 days of Protein drinks and 1 can of Soup a day. In addition, I have modified my drinking and wait 1/2 hour before a meal and 1/2 hour after a meal. I now feel a huge amount of restriction and can only handle the 1/2 cup of food at mealtime. So, yes you can reverse the stretched pouch. I will continue to do the liquid thing at least every other week for a while just to be on the safe side. Since doing this I have lost 10 lbs. Lesson learned? If something doesn't feel right get it checked. I knew something was wrong, but, I was embarrassed to see the doctor because I had not reached goal. I think the biggest disappointment is first myself and second, being banded is high maintenance, but, we are the culprit to our own complications in most cases. I still love my band though! Hope this helps anyone who may be experiencing some of my symptoms and have ignored them. jake

I was in for 2 days, with no complications. Wishing you the best!

GO FOR IT!!! I was in pain for maybe a few minutes right after I got out of the surgery room, the other pain was mild, I was only in the hospital one night and in one week I was back to work. I am so happy I did this! I don't regret it at all. Not one complication yet....and I follow all directions given by the doctor so it can stay that way. Also, don't think that you will never get to eat the foods you like, you will it will just be in smaller amounts and not so often. I am so happy with my decision I love the outcome. GO FOR IT!!

any WLS will have successes and failures due to patient compliance or possible other complications for best results with any WLS, if we do as our dr advises (and nutritionists) the results can be whatever the person wants.........and if a person stops giving a damn, not changing what they eat or exercising, they end up bitter and pissing and moaning about it didnt work.. any WLS can and does work and any WLS can also not work..

Humor doesn't always come across the boards. Throughout my banded process the only "diets" i've been on were the pre-op and the pos-op. They were horrible to get through. Otherwise I eat whatever I want in moderation unless my band won't allow it. Pre-op, you are a asked to drastically change your eating habits without the help of the band. But our surgeons ask us to do so for a reason. On another board a lady who was having RNY had her liver split in two during her surgery, it was so damaged and brittle from all the fat. Her medical condition going in was very poor. My surgeon said he could tell I followed my pre-op diet well, because my liver was small and very easy to move around. Our surgeons are operating on us to help us get healthier. The pre-op diet is a time limited event in our lives. Why not do everything you can to make the surgery as safe as possible for yourself? I recently had a complication from a non-related band procedure. It was a simple thing. In-and-out. Miss a day of work. Back on your feet the next day. I ended up with a blood infection (Sepsis) that has a 30% mortality rate. I was in the ER twice, had a fever of 103.8, and missed 3 weeks of work. What could have been done to avoid it? I don't know. But, not cheating on your pre-op can help to limit liver complications. ANYTHING you can do to limit complications is a good thing!

Thanks for all the suggestions.. We are moving this weekend. At this time I'm ok with my fill level but would like to have a Dr available for complications or future fills.. I'll try to get a referral from my surgeon here.

does everyone have to have gallbladder removed after surgery? or did it bother you before and now you have to have it taken out? i do not have complications with mine now and was just wondering if it will bother me later? thanks, kelly

Oh honey everything your feeling is normal....I went through the same thing. In fact me being a single mom as well I'm pretty much tied to the house. Even though i hated my weight food was the only thing that made me happy...all those flavors and different textures and combinations...to never be able to indulge again??? I almost backed out. to be able to buy a $5 meal and eat it instead of 4 bites and walk away....to me that sounded horrible. Food was my enjoyment. Even now a week out of surgery I am going through those same withdraws of did I do the right thing? I took away my vice, my happiness, what do you mean I can only eat a breadstick and not the Pasta or desert?? This is something I'm sure will always stick in my head, but with most people the health aspect is more important. I knew I couldn't drop the weight to my ideal goal and stay there for long, it's just not feasible anymore. I'm getting older, health complication are becoming more and more and my metabolism is slowing down. This takes the guess work out and makes you goal achievable. I'm down 12 pounds since I started preop and I think it's due to the fact i have been on Clear liquids the whole time and have another week before I can start Protein shakes. You will always have that in your head yet when you see yourself getting smaller, your portion size isn't as important anymore. It takes a while for the grehlin to really decrease...but when it does you really won't have a desire for tons of food anyway. Good luck with everything and I hope you the best!!

Since I had a three week delay due to some complications with my hiatial hernia surgery, I am probably going to start soft foods tomorrow. My question is do you ever get to eat more than 4 oz. at a time, do you always have to wait 1/2 hour between eating and drinking, are you always restricted to 4 oz. of liquids at a time? I am really not talking about right now, while I am still healing, I guess I am referring to later. Or if this does change, when does it change? I read so manyof you drink 30 oz. of Starbucks at a time and sip tons of water all day and don't understand how you do it wih these restrictions. Thanks for clarifying for me.

Hi There!! I was sleeved on Oct. 30th in MX... so my nerves were pretty rattled. BUT knowing I had read tons of stories on this forum, I felt pretty prepared for what I was about to go through. I prayed to GOD that I wouldn't have too many complications and I guess he was listening. Day of surgery when I got out, I did have some gas pains in my back and upper chest. My hubby had to pat my back like a baby... looked silly but definitely helped! The pain and nausea meds given to me helped tremendously. By the second day, I was already feeling MUCH better! Just hang in there! Being nervous is absolutely normal! Just keep thinking good thoughts and how AMAZING you are going to look afterwards. GOOD LUCK!!!

The MGB is a great choice ! It has better long term weight loss and less risk/complication than any other surgery! I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I'm a former band and former sleeve patient so I've been around the block a time or two ! Lol

Glad your doing well! Yes I'm excited but so scared at the same time. I'm worried about complications and how everything will be after surgery. I just pray everything goes well. Sent from my SCH-I545 using the BariatricPal App

You go to the doctor as often as needed. I know that's not very specific, but someone whose port flips or whose band erodes needs to go to the doctor a lot more frequently than someone who experiences no complications. In the beginning, probably count on going more frequently than later on. Your surgeon is the one who can best estimate the visits you will need. In general you're probably looking at a post-op about 1 week after surgery, and fill appts starting maybe 5 - 6 weeks post-op (some much later though). After that as needed, although some surgeons require 6 month, 1 year, etc checkups. Really, ask your surgeon.

Sorry about your complications and having to have an endoscopy. If I may, may I ask what you're complications were? I'm a little concerned about complications but not too too much. My daughter had the surgery six years ago and is basically doing fine. she had to have an endoscopy done recently. Everything was okay but they think she has bacteria in her intestines. she has yet to have that checked out. she is busy with other Dr. appointments that have nothing to do with her gastric bypass surgery. Thanks for responding...

I dropped nearly all the weight by the 12 month mark. Since then, it's been a lot slower and had I been following the diet here in Europe, I'd have lost more (I've been here 3.5 months and only lost 8 pounds, but it's from all the physical activity, as I've been eating and drinking bad stuff like CRAZY and need to get back on board when I return home). I had a lot of complications my first few months, hated food and developed an intolerance/nauseous reaction to almost everything, so the first 100 lbs were gone in less than six months. I'm a picky, fussy eater who never cooks and is very busy, so I just found the right foods and stuck to them hell or high Water, lol. I rarely ate full meals during my first year because that simply didn't work for me (I'm so busy and always on the move). I just found the right combo of stuff at CVS/Walmart/gas stations (high protein/low carb nutrition bars, this special milk called Fairlife (it filters lactose and sugar out, Protein added, I used it like a Protein shake because regular protein made me nauseous), protein gummies, fruit/veggies on the go (snack packs that would have sliced apples with yogurt/sugar free caramel, or diced watermelon, or carrots with Peanut Butter, etc), protein gummies, and TONS of cheese. I also eat fast food pretty often, but I limit it. Chili from Wendy's, hot dog with chili from checkers with only a tiny fraction of the bun, cheeseburger from mcdonalds with the bun pulled off, taco bell pretty consistently (I either get crunchy shell or peel away most of the flour tortilla). I didn't do hardcore exercise (but between school, work and internship I was working 90-100 hours/wk), although I did walk everywhere. Walked as much as I could, because I knew I could sustain that. My biggest tip is to BE REALISTIC about your preferences/likes/habits/behaviors. I didn't try to completely change myself, because I knew I'd fail if I tried to be one of these "make ten meals, freeze them in tupperware, use cauliflower crust and complicated healthy recipes and go to the gym every day" people. They are WONDERFUL, they are successful, but they are not me. So I tweaked/adjusted things, creating a plan I knew I could maintain. There wasn't really a wagon to fall off of. I still eat fast food, I just skip the fries and pull the bun/breading mostly off. If I want dessert or a snack, I indulge, taking a few bites and then toss the rest in the trash or give it to a friend. That way, I'm not obsessing over it, I've satisfied the craving, and I haven't binged/gone overboard. In the end, you'll find what works best for you. You may be one of the people who takes great joy in completely changing everything, establishing brand new cooking/exercise routines for yourself, etc. Whatever the outcome, just find something you can LIVE with.

Pouch dilation is a complication from banding, not as serious as band slippage -- but is a prelude to slippage if saline is not reduced and caught in time, it can cause the pouch to get really big and prolapse, but it is a complication where it makes it difficult for the band to be effective... Pouch dilation happens when someone is filled too tightly TOO LONG and continues to try to eat on a very tight band (along with frequent vomiting), sometimes it can happen pretty quickly after being filled too tight, this is why it is very important to return immediately to your surgeon when you've been filled too tight to prevent permanent damage to your band. Pouch dilation is tricky also, sometimes you think you are doing well with a very tight band and losing weight, and after someone who have been too tight for a long period of time, start noticing they can eat more food, they think they need more saline, but sometimes the pouch will dilate .... Here are more causes and differences in pouch dilation and slippage: http://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/gastric-pouch-dilation-versus-slipped-band-an-important-distinction/ Aggressive band inflation and creation of excessive restriction to compensate for patient lifestyle non-compliance may contribute to morbidity including gastric pouch dilatation, band slippage and erosion. It is essential to be able to diagnose gastric pouch dilatation and its causes. Treatment of pouch dilation includes band deflation, which preserves the device and ongoing patient educational counselling. We recommend that restriction should be increased in patient’s with aLAGB commensurate with their compliance and lifestyle change in order to avoid complications.

I am a nurse and I have the Aetna ppo insurance. I had to complete a three month multidisciplinary monitored education wt loss program that my surgeons office did. It had behavior modification, dietician, exercise, and weigh ins. After my three months they scheduled me but my date was a month and a half later so really I did almost 6 months pre op before my surgery sept 25 th. I was disappointed it wasn't scheduled for August but things worked out well. I got all my pre op requirements in at my work, had some complications with MRSA and needed a last min infectious disease clearance. My irritation came in that I had been questioning my MRSA status from the beginning and my doc blew me off then when the hospital required a swab and it was positive the office completely over reacted saying I needed to be placed on a different floor, change my time to the end of the day so the room could be decontaminated, and maybe delayed altogether. however I got it all straightened out and my day went off without a hitch.

Did you call your surgeon and ask if it’s a less common complication?? I guess it won’t make much of a difference either way but I imagine it would be good to know just for the sake of knowing.

I am going to have surgery with the 4th surgeon that I went to. First was money reasons, 2nd was he stopped being a provider, and 3rd I walked out while he was talking in his seminar, for exactly the same reasons, he didn't believe in the lap band. Well I am not here to beg and I for one do not want to hear I told you so on the off chance I had a complication. I want someone who believes in what they are doing to me. My next surgeon, is great! I am so glad that I shopped around. Quality of care is my biggest issue, both before and after...feel comfortable with your choice. p.s. my surgeon, when I asked if he had theories/adjustments for if my port shows after I loose the weight...his response..."wouldn't that be great". I love his humor and perspective. (ahh to be that skinny that that is my biggest issue, wouldn't life be grand)

I am so glad that I found your post because I have had almost the exact complication. I am relived that it wasn't anything more serious. I recently had a cold so I am assuming that is why I was having so much pain. Thank you all for the information and putting my mind at ease.

if you really work on eating the exact amounts you should be eating the restriction will come into play by keeping food in your pouch long enough so the signal is sent to your brain that you are full. if you are eating until you feel stuck or slime or pb'ing than you have eaten to much and in time complications can set in. try measuring your food. it should be just about 1/2 cup of food per meal. with restriction as I talked about before that half of cup of food will be enough to make you not hungry. I hope this makes sense.

Thank you ! It feels good to be back home. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things after my hip replacement. I had a few complications other than my hip but I'm on the mend now. I lost 14 lbs while I was in the hospital and rehab... I was in for 38 days and didn't have much energy and wasn't able to walk at all so I didn't burn off any calories and I didn't have much of an appetite because of all the meds... but I hope to put those pounds back now that I'm back home (I never thought I'd say that... LOL). Tom, Toronto Banded July 6 06 Wt. Loss: 160 lbs