Hey all!

I have had a pretty unfortunate time so far..so much that i'm contemplating getting the band removed at the earliest possible time. I don't know if this makes me a wuss.. I see so many people on the forums with stories of sleeping upright, throwing up every week, constant nausea, pain, etc.. that seem to put up with it in order to have the effect of the band.. but I don't now if I can handle that.

The first week after my band wasn't so bad...I had a lot of general surgery pain but i seemed to be recuperating then about day 10, I started to feel really sick. i've had constant nausea, a lot of pain in my upper left side radiating out to my right shoulder, trouble getting anything down but coconut Water, esophegeal spasms, pbing on a few sips of water..much less anything else, an immense amount of gastric reflux which I've never had before, and feel like i've been run over by a truck.

I have a good surgeon, they took me in and did a CT scan, an endoscopy, and a diagnostic laproscopy. They didn't find anything wrong.

They say i should feel happy nothing was wrong only i'm pretty much incapable of doing anything..except sitting through the minutes feeling absolutely miserable.

In reading the forums - some people seem to have these problems and somehow be ok with it..and I guess I'm wigging out that these are 'side effects' of the band and that i'm not really ok with them.

Does everyone experience a lot of crappy awful side effects or are there people for whom this just works with pain, nausea, reflux, etc?

I don't see myself as someone that is going to say ...i throw up every day but i lost 50 pounds so Yay its worth it. If i was i would have just chosen to be bulimic and avoided surgery. :: grin ::

Seriously.. i've seen so many stories of people on the forum saying things like i have to sleep sitting up now..and that just seems absolutely unacceptable to me...so much so that i have an appointment with my doctor to discuss my desire to have my band removed.

I've been wondering if i'm just one of those people that rolled the dice and got a lot of the side effects and should throw in the towel rather than spend the next fews of my life suffering to decide to throw in the towel. Maybe i'm band intolerant..i dunno.

Maybe I'm not giving it enough time.. i don't want to be a wuss. I want to lose weight. I am willing to make lifestyle changes to do so..I'm just not willing to be miserable every day of my life in order to lose sixty to eighty pounds which is what i want to lose.

I guess I'm writing to hear from other people.. Does everyone seem to be suffering from F* side effects (as it seems reading the forums)? Are there people that have been successful and had minimal to no side effects? Were you always that way or did you start out with a lot of issues?

I am really regretting my decision right now and trying to figure out whether the band is for me after all. I spent two years contemplating the band and thought I was making a sound and reasoned decision based on my desire to improve my quality of life..I could use some thoughts, insights, stories, and ideas..

It really sounds like you are too tight. If the doc said you are unfilled, then maybe he should have used a larger band? Try sipping warm beverages, Soups.

I can honestly say I was too tight for about 6-8 weeks and still didn't suffer the way many people have. Yes I pb'ed 1-2 times a week and many foods were uncomfortable to eat, along with acid reflux at night if I didn't stop eating/drinking at least 2 hours before bed. After 2 small unfills, I have no "problem" foods and pb'ing is very rare (the last time while traveling Memorial Day weekend - and it was totally my fault for eating too fast).

I think you have to take the information you get on these boards with a grain of salt since many people who don't have issues may not even look at these forums unless they have a problem.

I would double-check with your surgeon's office to make sure he didn't put any saline in your band and get their opinion on what to do. It is not the painful, suffering journey you are portraying it to be for most of us. For a few, maybe, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

It's a shame that you've had to experience such bad side effects from the surgery. Any please know that many of your feelings are quite normal right after surgery. The "what did I do" and "is this going to work" and doubts and fears are all quite common.

I wish you the best.

It makes me wonder if your band was placed correctly? Did they do an x-ray to see where it was placed or if it has perhaps slipped from where it was originally placed? My doc said that a CT scan doesn't show you where it's placed, because of how the CT works - it shows slices of your body, not the whole picture. And a scope down the mouth may not indicate an incorrect placement.

It might be worth asking him. Good luck!

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time!

I think a lot of us tend to forget that abdominal surgery real can and does make most people feel pretty cruddy for a period of time. Even those of us who describe it as a breeze ...well, we're speaking in relative terms. It's like having a baby--you get something good out of it, so you put up with labor and episiotomy and other indignities.

You're still very close in to your surgery. I'd discuss the discomforts you're having with your doctor; chances are, they can be relieved or significantly reduced.

I guess I haven't seen the same posts you have from people who sleep upright every night or Celebrate vomiting in the name of weight loss. I have had occasional stuck episodes--but if they were the norm for me, I'd be discouraged, too.

But it sounds like, in your post-op ickiness, you're having a really strong case of buyer's remorse.

Be aware that any surgery to remove the band will cause similar discomfort. That consideration alone may make you find it worthwhile to stick it out for a bit to see how things unfold.

A month from now, you will be in a totally different place. You might still want to have the band removed--and that would certainly be an option. But I'd strongly recommend getting past the postop hurdles (with help from your doctor--reallly, s/he has tools in the arsenal to address your issues, so there's no need to suffer in silence) before making that decision.

First let me say I'm sorry for your pain:sad: and for the fact that you are discouraged. Everyone is different and only you know your body and how you feel - that said - it seems too soon to give up. I had a very rough time in recovery after my band (placed 7/20/10) and missed an extra week of work, cried daily and wondered "was it worth it"? I was in such pain in the recovery room I voiced that thought, but the sweet nurse said "you have to look at the big picture honey". So, 2 & 1/2 weeks later things look very different. I feel better, can eat more, and have less pain. I waited so long and jumped through so many hoops, had gall bladder removal only a month prior to banding, to get here I just want to tough it out. The weight is coming off and I feel prettier already (that may just be in my head but I'll take it). Have faith friend, nothing happens overnight. And call your doctor as many times as it takes to get an answer - that's part of the procedure in my opinion.

Hey everyone!

thanks for all the support. I'm giving it another week or two to see how things go.

I still can't get down a Protein shake.. or anything but Clear liquids now at week 3.

:: sigh ::