I was banded back in 2007 with minimal success. I had no problems for the first 6 mos and lost about 50lbs. About 6 mos after my surgery, i started having issues with things getting stuck and vomiting frequently. My surgeon kept saying that i was eating too fast or taking too big bites, but i totally followed all the rules. I have since been hospitalized twice for stuck episodes, had my gallbladder removed, and have gained back 40lbs in spite of vomiting up almost every meal. I'm getting really depressed and frustrated. The only foods I can keep down are bad foods, because nutritious stuff gets stuck. I want this to end. I have an appointment with my surgeon next week to discuss my problems for the millionth time and to talk about getting it removed. Any suggestions for what to say to him? He's the typical pretentious idiot surgeon and has made me cry on several occasions....so I'm a bit nervous about talking to him. Does insurance cover the removal? Insurance paid to get it put in. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Did you ever have your band removed?? i was banded in July 2007 & have had only had 2 fills.. I continually get stuck & cant get nutritious food down so I tend to eat "junk" . I was banded in Mexico & all went well with surgery & have lost 60 pounds.

Anyway I have insurance that should cover the removal & am scheduled for 7/22. The first surgeon i met with was not very nice, made me feel crazy.. I just saw another surgeon last week & she was so nice & agrees it needs to be removed. I did have an xray done last year that shows I have a small opening into my stomach & the band "may have some slipping" so hopefully all will go well.

i am so scared that i will never be able to eat normally after it is removed, i would LOVE to eat a salad, steak, chicken without it coming back up!!

I just had my band out two days ago. I was in the hosp. for just one night. I believe my insurance is going to pay for it. In my case, tests revealed that the band had slipped. I had a lot of reflux because liquids were not passing all the way through the pouch - so in the last bunch of days before the removal, I could not eat regular food. All this with a complete unfill three weeks prior.

Here I am, home, two days later, and drinking juices, ice teas, smoothies, milk, and everything is passing through fine. I'm looking forward to reliving a normal life and hopeful that I can face the food choice battles better this time around. I know what you mean about all that you posted.

Is it possible you can get a second opinion? I would think for a variety of reasons a removal is an option. How about a complete unfill? Oh, good, good luck and good vibes to you.

Thanks for the reply! I hope all is going well! I did have a complete unfill March 2009 & food did go down a liitle better. I then gained about 10 pounds so got another fill in Aug 2009.. It seems the longer i go with a fill it gets tighter & cant eat food..

i know i wil have a food struggle the rest of my life but i am definately going ahead with the surgery..

i also thought this would be an out patient surgery but was told i would spend 1 night in the hospital..i see you spent the night also!

take care!!

Ok..so here's the update. I had the band removed this past Thursday. Insurance covered it completely and it was surprisingly outpatient. I'm pretty sore, but it's not as bad as it was when I had it put in. It's the incisions that hurt mostly...and the gas, but that happens with any abdominal surgery.

My surgeon remains a nasty pompous man, but I refused to let him him bully me any longer. Since I started this thread I have had an endoscopy, an esophagram, as well as an esophageal monomitry test (which, btw, should seriously replace waterboarding as an interrogation technique). I've had a standing date with my gastroenterologist every other week to figure this out. Every test came back normal. The GI thought it must be the band causing the regurgitation. The shmuck surgeon thought that either I'm eating too fast (which anyone who's eaten with me knows is ridiculous) or (my personal favorite excuse) that I have some kind of esophageal motility disorder that isn't showing up on tests and conveniently only presented itself after having the band placed. I believe the simplest answer is usually correct...

Unlike when they put the band in, I got very little instruction about recovery from this. I was basically told to be on liquids "for a while" and then move to soft foods "for a few days" and see how it goes. I love when they're specific like that. I tried some soft food tonight, and it didn't go so well (it hurt) so I'm back to the liquids for a bit longer. To be honest, I'm terrified that I'm still going to have this regurgitation problem even without the band and that my life will never be back to normal.

OMG! It's amazing the nightmares we endure! I was also told I may have "motility issues" and may have to have my band out.

I was banded in 2005, had initial success then my gall bladder went to hell and it's been downhill ever since. Every day, for the majority of the day I have a sore throat. The kind you get after you've vomited. I do not vomit. I do not PB, but I have this lingering sourness, sore throat, burning that really only goes away WHILE I'm EATING! then comes back with a vengeance after I eat.

I've had it now for 5 years, I'm tired of it. Tired of trying to sleep strategically. Worried that I'm ruining my esophagus. And I'm ready to move towards removal.

Thank you for your post. The timing couldn't have been better for me. I wish you the best in your recovery.

I'm convinced that "motility issues" is the surgeon's way of covering his a$$. It can't possibly be the band! Oh noooooo....It must be some motility disorder beyond his control.

Did I mention that I was put on GERD medication even though I didn't have it? The doctor thought "maybe it will help..."

Since you have gall bladder issues, I assume you see a gastro. Have you been scoped & prodded and all that? Definitely get it done....but BEWARE THE MANOMETRY TEST!!!! (and yes..i checked the spelling this time)

You're right, it is amazing the things we endure.... I wish you all the best.

I was banded back in 2007 with minimal success. I had no problems for the first 6 mos and lost about 50lbs. About 6 mos after my surgery, i started having issues with things getting stuck and vomiting frequently. My surgeon kept saying that i was eating too fast or taking too big bites, but i totally followed all the rules. I have since been hospitalized twice for stuck episodes, had my gallbladder removed, and have gained back 40lbs in spite of vomiting up almost every meal. I'm getting really depressed and frustrated. The only foods I can keep down are bad foods, because nutritious stuff gets stuck. I want this to end. I have an appointment with my surgeon next week to discuss my problems for the millionth time and to talk about getting it removed. Any suggestions for what to say to him? He's the typical pretentious idiot surgeon and has made me cry on several occasions....so I'm a bit nervous about talking to him. Does insurance cover the removal? Insurance paid to get it put in. Any advice would be much appreciated!

:thumbup: I am so sorry to hear this. Sounds very close to my situation. I got my band 2/25/08 and was fine for the first year. Lost about 60 pounds and then started getting fills and unfills. Could not eat anything healthy at all. All the other sweets and junk stayed down, the rest came right back up. Had two complete unfills. On 6/26/10 started having terrible pains in my back and side. Went to the ER and had Emergency Band Removal. Was in the hospital 6 days with a drain tube. My whole stomach had come above the band and the band was cutting of oxygen to my stomach and causing it to die. I am lucky not to have anymore damage to my stomach than I already have. Let me know if you would like to talk. I am still very disturbed about the whole experience and would love to have someone to talk to.

I got my band 2/25/08 and was fine for the first year. Lost about 60 pounds and then started getting fills and unfills. Could not eat anything healthy at all. All the other sweets and junk stayed down, the rest came right back up. Had two complete unfills. On 6/26/10 started having terrible pains in my back and side. Went to the ER and had Emergency Band Removal. Was in the hospital 6 days with a drain tube. My whole stomach had come above the band and the band was cutting of oxygen to my stomach and causing it to die. I am lucky not to have anymore damage to my stomach than I already have. Let me know if you would like to talk. I am still very disturbed about the whole experience and would love to have someone to talk to.

Yikes! I didn't even know a stomach could do that! Thank goodness you had it taken out! I just don't understand how something so obviously risky and harmful is still pushed as some kind of miracle cure for obesity & all its related diseases... I've struggled with my weight my entire life, but have been very healthy up until I had the band put in. It's all been downhill from there. While I'm healing physically (I can keep soft foods down!!!!! Yay!!!), this whole experience has been emotionally taxing. The fact that the band didn't work for me just compounds my feelings of failure and inadequacy... :thumbup:

Yikes! I didn't even know a stomach could do that! Thank goodness you had it taken out! I just don't understand how something so obviously risky and harmful is still pushed as some kind of miracle cure for obesity & all its related diseases... I've struggled with my weight my entire life, but have been very healthy up until I had the band put in. It's all been downhill from there. While I'm healing physically (I can keep soft foods down!!!!! Yay!!!), this whole experience has been emotionally taxing. The fact that the band didn't work for me just compounds my feelings of failure and inadequacy...

I know exactly how you feel. Its as if we have used our last resource. All that hope and high expectations to be let down again.

I don't know where to start but I can sure use your suggestions. I am a fairly newbie only 27 into my band. I have been experiencing a lot of pain, from what I read I am experiencing the "Stuck" feeling and althought when "vomiting" nothing comes out but gas I have the feeling of having a heart attack. After the first set of "stuck feeling" epidoses I went to the doctor, which was surprise because all I was having were mushy items.He took out "residual liquid on the band" and asked me to go back to liquids and I did. After another week of liquids but disconfort but not as bad, i finished my week. I went back to mushy and one day in and the "stuck" feeling came back and this time there is nothing stopping it. I thought I was going to die in my bathroom floor, the pain was sooo band I could not even breath properly. I was rushed to the ER. After almost 6 hours in there they gave me a esophagram and nothing displayed to be wrong and no liquids were getting stuck apparently. I saw the doctor later on that day and he said that this is very unusal condisering my band is empty. He said a solution would be to have it removed but that would be crazy considering thati just had my band in. Today my 3rd day in liquids (today i made it all clear liquids) and the stuck feeling is still here. I am in tears after i drink anything. I am now even afraid of drinking water.... has anyone been through this before? I am very afraid and I have never before in my life experience anything like this. The pain i have is soooo severe that it brings me to my knees. i can't sleep, I can't even talk at times, I can't laugh, I can't drink. Any information or advice you can provide is greatly appreciated.

I'm so sorry you are having all this trouble. I know all about that "heart attack" feeling and it's no joke. Get an upper gi series and endoscopy done to rule out any other problems. I know it seems crazy to take the band out so soon after having it put in, but seriously consider it. Keep us informed!

And an update on me....It's been 9 days since I had my band out. I transitioned to solid food yesterday and things took a turn for the worse. After taking 3 or 4 bites of Chinese eggplant and noodles I experienced what could only be described as a "stuck" episode! How can this be when I'm no longer banded?!!!!! I spent 3 hours on the bathroom floor last night trying desperately to dislodge and cough up my food. I just don't know what to do. I called my GI last night sobbing and I have an appointment for Monday. Talk about feelings of failure...I feel like an idiot. After all I said about my surgeon just trying to cover his butt, and it turns out he may be right after all. It just doesn't make sense. I never had any problems swallowing my food before I was banded and now, even without the band, solid foods get stuck and come back up. How am I going to live like this? I'm terrified that I will forever be eating my meals through a straw! Has anyone else faced this?

I am sorry moonroses that you are having the stuck episodes even after having the band removed. Please let me know how everything is going with you.

Thank you for your kind words and support. Today I went to see my doctor again, it has been 10 days i have been in my liquid diet since the ER episode and nothing seems to have gotten any better. I have been on Clear Liquids for the past 6 days. I asked my doctor to remove the band and he said that he didn't recommend that, he said that another option would be to replace my band with a bigger one? BIGGER ONE? i thought there was only one size fits all sort of thing for band. So far I have lost 38 pounds all together and he said to me that all that weight would be gained back within a month and that taking the band out was not a good idea and he didn't recommend it. I am now more depressed and even more confused and scared. I would have loved for the band to work but after what I have been through with this pains, am afraid it will happen again no matter how "big" this band will be. My removal or band replacement is happening this monday (3 days) away. I have until then to decide and I am confused. :thumbup: