I think my band slipped and am scared

[mamato2js 0]

I ended up in the E.R. last night with horrible horrible burning knifing pain at the top of my stomach/in between the bottom of my ribs. For several days I had started to notice a burning sensation down there. I also started noticing I was "grazing" in an attempt to keep the burning under control. I knew it was wrong, but I just seemed hungry all the time, and I thought, "well, its not so bad, I'm eating small amounts." I started sleeping propped up at night and noticed that what once would fill me up, wasn't doing it for me any more, that I wanted more food to feel "full."

I have tried so hard to do everything I'm supposed to....especially the chewing chewing chewing. I got a clog about 4 weeks in and it was sooo painful that It was my "lesson learned." I had the band put in on April 20th and during my first check up, the nurse only put .7cc's in because she said I was doing so well, she didn't see a need for a fill but would give me a little if it helped my "psychologically." Now, every day I have burning and when I do eat (I'm back to soft foods) I feel like something is stuck in my throat and I burp and burp and burp and burp. I also get this weird feeling of bubbles moving all around in there. This is all new.... maybe 2 weeks?? I CAN eat soft foods and drink liquids without throwing up and it temporarily stops the burning...... I only feel nauseated when I have an empty stomach and the burning is too much for me. Yesterday, when I went to the ER the pain was so bad that I couldn't sip Water w/out it making my stomach just light up w/ pain. I was bent over in pain and shaking. I was VERY nervous because the ER doctor knew pretty much NOTHING about the band and I had my surgery done 2 hours south of where I live. They ran a CT scan and said there was no blockage, but I'm not joking....no one there seemed to know anything about what to look for on the scan other than that. So now I have to wait until Wednesday to hear what the doc has to say. Are there other tests? Will a barium swallow show it? I'm so so so so scared. I keep seeing that surgery is required to fix it and I could possibly lose my band??!!! I read that over eating could cause the slippage but I've been so good. I'm beating myself up trying to recall a time when I may have eaten too much and caused this. A slippage doesn't just "happen" right? I had to have done something? I JUST started back to CORE workouts too...about 2 weeks ago. I wonder if that caused it?!

For the first time in YEARS I feel hopeful, I feel good, I feel lighter, and healthier...... and now THIS! My family and I all went through this and endured so much.... to have it be all for nothing.... I'm just so upset!

Has anyone been able to get the bad fixed and leave it in? OMG I wonder if insurance will pay!!!??? Have I mentioned that I'm SCARED?

Can anyone offer any advice/suggestions???

thank you so much

[BandedKitten 0]

Have the ER doctors put in an emergency call to your surgeon. They can talk and he can tell them what to look for. I bet there's a bariatric surgeon closer to you who could look at the xrays.

Don't just try to Macho your way through it--you're in pain--speak up and be insistent that they find someone who Does understand the band.

I'm sending prayers your way and hope this lets up soon. But please don't just lay in pain---call your surgeon. Even if it means you drive two hours (have someone drive you!) ----this is too important to ignore.

Take Care of yourself! think of everything you did to get this surgery---all the effort---now protect yourself..take care of yourself!

BandedKitten

[skylily 7]

Hello, I understand exactly how you feel because I have suffered from the same thing. It wasn't a matter of the band slipping with me it was that I needed a bit of unfilling. Perhaps with your first fill it aggravated under your band and it won't settle unless you get the Fluid taken out.

I also needed antibiotics to get the infection under control.

I unfortunately cannot tolerate a decent fill because of what you have described so I don't have enough fill in the band to make a decent restriction. Which sucks big time.

What should happen is that they do a barium swallow and check the liquid going down etc. Then they will probably unfill you and hopefully that will alleviate your pain and then maybe you can try again with a small fill down the track a bit.

I have been banded two years and it is a year since I last went to the doctor and that was to get an emergency unfill. I have been too scared to go through it all again because as you know it hurts and is very scary. I'm booked in for later this month because I have decided to give a tiny quarter .25cc fill a go. Fingers crossed!

I hope so much every thing works out for you and it is something minor that needs adjusting.

GOOD LUCK.

xox

I ended up in the E.R. last night with horrible horrible burning knifing pain at the top of my stomach/in between the bottom of my ribs. For several days I had started to notice a burning sensation down there. I also started noticing I was "grazing" in an attempt to keep the burning under control. I knew it was wrong, but I just seemed hungry all the time, and I thought, "well, its not so bad, I'm eating small amounts." I started sleeping propped up at night and noticed that what once would fill me up, wasn't doing it for me any more, that I wanted more food to feel "full."

I have tried so hard to do everything I'm supposed to....especially the chewing chewing chewing. I got a clog about 4 weeks in and it was sooo painful that It was my "lesson learned." I had the band put in on April 20th and during my first check up, the nurse only put .7cc's in because she said I was doing so well, she didn't see a need for a fill but would give me a little if it helped my "psychologically." Now, every day I have burning and when I do eat (I'm back to soft foods) I feel like something is stuck in my throat and I burp and burp and burp and burp. I also get this weird feeling of bubbles moving all around in there. This is all new.... maybe 2 weeks?? I CAN eat soft foods and drink liquids without throwing up and it temporarily stops the burning...... I only feel nauseated when I have an empty stomach and the burning is too much for me. Yesterday, when I went to the ER the pain was so bad that I couldn't sip Water w/out it making my stomach just light up w/ pain. I was bent over in pain and shaking. I was VERY nervous because the ER doctor knew pretty much NOTHING about the band and I had my surgery done 2 hours south of where I live. They ran a CT scan and said there was no blockage, but I'm not joking....no one there seemed to know anything about what to look for on the scan other than that. So now I have to wait until Wednesday to hear what the doc has to say. Are there other tests? Will a barium swallow show it? I'm so so so so scared. I keep seeing that surgery is required to fix it and I could possibly lose my band??!!! I read that over eating could cause the slippage but I've been so good. I'm beating myself up trying to recall a time when I may have eaten too much and caused this. A slippage doesn't just "happen" right? I had to have done something? I JUST started back to CORE workouts too...about 2 weeks ago. I wonder if that caused it?!

For the first time in YEARS I feel hopeful, I feel good, I feel lighter, and healthier...... and now THIS! My family and I all went through this and endured so much.... to have it be all for nothing.... I'm just so upset!

Has anyone been able to get the bad fixed and leave it in? OMG I wonder if insurance will pay!!!??? Have I mentioned that I'm SCARED?

Can anyone offer any advice/suggestions???

thank you so much