Hello everyone! I'm scheduled for surgery on 7-30-10 and I'm nervous but excited about starting my journey. I have taken the 6 month bariatric prep classes so I understand the risks involved. My main concern is erosion, does anyone know what the odds of this happening are? What causes it? How I can prevent it? Should I be overly concerned about it? Your feed back would be appreciated.

Thanks :biggrin:

I had erosion, it is really rare and often docs dont find it until your band is already in your stomach. I was lucky and found it when it was the size of a pea. I didnt really have any symptoms my doc just checked my band randomly with endoscope.

Things that can cause erosion are alcohol. spicy food, rapid fills, consuming things your should like advil or other things that can weaken your stomach walls and not following your doctors rules.

Symptoms are usually being able to eat huge amounts even with a big fill, port or tubing infection, pain in your band area, vomiting etc.

I had erosion, it is really rare and often docs dont find it until your band is already in your stomach. I was lucky and found it when it was the size of a pea. I didnt really have any symptoms my doc just checked my band randomly with endoscope.

Things that can cause erosion are alcohol. spicy food, rapid fills, consuming things your should like advil or other things that can weaken your stomach walls and not following your doctors rules.

Symptoms are usually being able to eat huge amounts even with a big fill, port or tubing infection, pain in your band area, vomiting etc.

Sorry to hear that and thanks for the quick reply. May I ask how the erosion was treated and if you were able to keep your band?

Wow, I thought erosion that was something that happened after years...something that erodes that fast seems like a product failure. There doesn't seem to be enough time for things like alchohol or spicy foods and such to even have time to influence it. Have others had this experience this early into the process or anyone have the erosion at a much later date?

Thanks for any info.

Sorry to hear that and thanks for the quick reply. May I ask how the erosion was treated and if you were able to keep your band?

I took some meds for 2 weeks and had a complete unfill. I then went back and had another endoscope that showed my erosion was basically healing by itself very well. My doc said I could keep my band and he would stitch the erosion or I could take out the band and wait a minimum of 3 months for a new band.

I decided to let my stomach heal 100% on its own. I waited 5 months and then got a different band.

Photos of my erosion and more details are all on my blog in the Feb-mar section.