Advice from anyone who's been through this please!

[Little Teapot 1]

I was banded May 20th of this year and including the pre-op diet, I've lost 32 lbs. My first fill was horrible. There was a resident with the surgeon learning how to do fills. I should have refused, but I'm a student in the medical field, so I know you have to learn somehow. Long story short, he and the surgeon stuck me a combined 6 or 7 times before accessing the port. The put in 2cc's and I left with an appt to come back in 5 weeks or so. I didn't really feel a difference, which I know can be typical on such a small fill. On my second fill appointment, I was seen by the fill nurse. She was able to access the port right away, but could not pull out any Fluid. I was already worried that the resident poked a hole in my tubing, but she comforted me by saying that with all the poking, he may have gotten flustered and still not hit the port. She put in 2cc's said to come back in 4 weeks and we'd check.

Well, that appointment was yesterday. I was incredibly nervous about finding out if those 2cc's were still in my band. There was a surgeon there to do my fill (not my surgeon). He accessed the port right away. I felt him pushing and pulling the syringe, and then he said "Hm." I looked up and he said, "well, I can pull out what I'm putting in, but nothing else." I started bawling like a baby right there on the table with a needle in my stomach. The doctor didn't seem to care, but the nurse there tried to comfort me. Long story short, he put in 4.5 cc's and said to come back in a month. He didn't even want to acknowledge the possibility of a leak until I brought it up again. He said it's possible, but maybe the nurse didn't really access the port last time. Yeah right, I know she did because she pulled the saline in and out just like he did. If his 4.5 cc's aren't in my band when I come back in four weeks, then I most likely have a leak and will have to have surgery again to repair the tubing. I feel crushed right now

By the way, my fills have never been done under fluoro, but I'll most likely be insisting from now on.

Would anyone who has gone through tube replacement surgery be willing to share their experience?

[Desdemona 48]

I was banded May 20th of this year and including the pre-op diet, I've lost 32 lbs. My first fill was horrible. There was a resident with the surgeon learning how to do fills. I should have refused, but I'm a student in the medical field, so I know you have to learn somehow. Long story short, he and the surgeon stuck me a combined 6 or 7 times before accessing the port. The put in 2cc's and I left with an appt to come back in 5 weeks or so. I didn't really feel a difference, which I know can be typical on such a small fill. On my second fill appointment, I was seen by the fill nurse. She was able to access the port right away, but could not pull out any Fluid. I was already worried that the resident poked a hole in my tubing, but she comforted me by saying that with all the poking, he may have gotten flustered and still not hit the port. She put in 2cc's said to come back in 4 weeks and we'd check.

Well, that appointment was yesterday. I was incredibly nervous about finding out if those 2cc's were still in my band. There was a surgeon there to do my fill (not my surgeon). He accessed the port right away. I felt him pushing and pulling the syringe, and then he said "Hm." I looked up and he said, "well, I can pull out what I'm putting in, but nothing else." I started bawling like a baby right there on the table with a needle in my stomach. The doctor didn't seem to care, but the nurse there tried to comfort me. Long story short, he put in 4.5 cc's and said to come back in a month. He didn't even want to acknowledge the possibility of a leak until I brought it up again. He said it's possible, but maybe the nurse didn't really access the port last time. Yeah right, I know she did because she pulled the saline in and out just like he did. If his 4.5 cc's aren't in my band when I come back in four weeks, then I most likely have a leak and will have to have surgery again to repair the tubing. I feel crushed right now

By the way, my fills have never been done under fluoro, but I'll most likely be insisting from now on.

Would anyone who has gone through tube replacement surgery be willing to share their experience?

Teapot--

I did not end up with a leak but I also had a student who jabbed that darn thing in and out 10 to 15 times and never did find the port hole. He obviously was becoming upset and finally stopped without filling. It was VERY upsetting for me to keep being stuck over and over like that. I was also very upset that I didn't get a fill. I had to wait 1 month before they could get me in to the flouro and my experienced surgeon. When I finally got there --- he didn't see any reason why the student should have had a problem. He did say that, at first, the port can feel a bit tight and perhaps the student was afraid to push down. I had 2 issues with all of this. First, if the students are new to the process --someone should at least be in there with them supervising them and ready to take over if there is a problem. Second, I lost 2 whole months in the early months of my banding without a proper start in fills. I honestly think I lost some the the advantages of early stage post-banding weight loss. I also know that getting a fill under flouro allows the MD to fill it more quickly to the most effective level.

You may want to wait a whole 4 weeks before going back to check on it but if I were in your situation -- I'd get on the phone and talk to whoever is in charge and make some noise about what the student did and your concerns that there is a leak. I'd insist on a flouro check immediately to see if the student damaged the tubing. If he did --- they need to repair that pronto! And if they didn't damage it -- then you will have some peace of mind in addition to a more accurate fill. Do not be afraid to call and tell them what you want. What happened to you is simply unacceptable and if there was damage - they need to make it right --- NOW---and they KNOW that--so I seriously doubt they will argue the point with you.

Hope this helps.

[Little Teapot 1]

Thanks so much for your response. I do plan on calling the office tomorrow and get the ball rolling on this fluoro appointment. I would have insisted on something sooner while I was in the office if I hadn't been crying too hard to speak. I just felt completely helpless in that moment, and I didn't feel like the doctor wanted to acknowledge that anything could be wrong. I don't even know if he understood why I was crying. He probably thought I was crying from pain! lol.

I completely understand how you feel about losing some the the advantages of early stage post-banding weight loss. It's so frustrating to think of how far along I could have been by now. Anyway, no sense feeling sorry for myself. The sooner I get this fixed, the sooner I can get on track with weight loss.

Thanks again Desdemona!

[Desdemona 48]

Thanks so much for your response. I do plan on calling the office tomorrow and get the ball rolling on this fluoro appointment. I would have insisted on something sooner while I was in the office if I hadn't been crying too hard to speak. I just felt completely helpless in that moment, and I didn't feel like the doctor wanted to acknowledge that anything could be wrong. I don't even know if he understood why I was crying. He probably thought I was crying from pain! lol.

I completely understand how you feel about losing some the the advantages of early stage post-banding weight loss. It's so frustrating to think of how far along I could have been by now. Anyway, no sense feeling sorry for myself. The sooner I get this fixed, the sooner I can get on track with weight loss.

Thanks again Desdemona!

It is, indeed, possible that he did not understand the situation. It's also possible that he was also caught off-guard and his gut instinct was to PROTECT the practice by acting like it was nothing. They worry a lot about things like lawsuits so they have a tendency not to see or hear problems. However, once they clearly understand your concern and also understand that you intend to stand firm until you get satisfaction, they will start jumping. You're reaction was completely normal and understandable. Keep us posted here. I really want to know how it works out.

[Little Teapot 1]

It is, indeed, possible that he did not understand the situation. It's also possible that he was also caught off-guard and his gut instinct was to PROTECT the practice by acting like it was nothing. They worry a lot about things like lawsuits so they have a tendency not to see or hear problems. However, once they clearly understand your concern and also understand that you intend to stand firm until you get satisfaction, they will start jumping. You're reaction was completely normal and understandable. Keep us posted here. I really want to know how it works out.

I had my fill under fluoro yesterday, and there is indeed a leak. It's in the band, not in the tubing as I had hoped/suspected. This means I have to have surgery again to replace the band. I'm pretty devastated right now.

The kicker: I asked my surgeon before surgery if I should choose Lap-Band or Realize and he said he uses them both and they're pretty much the same. He said they've shown the same results. I did some research and decided to go with Realize. Now he tells me he's only seen two leaks in his career, and they've both been Realize bands. They've also both leaked from the exact same place as mine. This is an example of information that would have been useful to me FOUR MONTHS AGO!!!! I'm so upset over this whole situation. I feel like telling him to just forget replacing the band and do the sleeve or bypass. I just feel a little hopeless right now.

[Rachel412 116]

I'm so sorry Amber No advice here, just support.

[HolliJ 24]

I've been through a second surgery to get the tube (and port) replaced. Almost a year ago, actually. Wow, doesn't feel like that long! The excess tubing from weight loss, I guess, wrapped around the port. So when the doctor did a fill, he punctured the tube. So I had a surgery to correct it. Truly, no big deal. Not fun going through another surgery, and paying more money due to what the insurance company didn't cover, but it was well worth it.

Prior to the surgery I was having issues with the saline either not going in or being able to be removed. My fill prior to surgery resulted in completely losing all restriction. I went through a hell of a time because my doctor was going to China to adopt a child and was gone for a couple months. Then surgery was scheduled and whatnot. But it was about 4 months without any restriction. I gained weight during that time because I was discouraged and also felt like I had an excuse to eat whatever I wanted (which I didn't, but did anyway).

After the surgery and my next fill a couple months later, I started doing great. Took me a couple months to get dedicated, but started really losing weight around April. Since then, I've lost 45lbs. I haven't had a fill since December. Don't really need one. My weight loss depends on me and what I'm eating.

But yeah.... I know it's a pain in the ass, but **** happens. It was actually a first for my doctor (yay me....), but I've been doing great since! You'll be fine and happy you did it.

[HolliJ 24]

Ah, didn't read the whole thread. My leak was in my tube. But either way, I would still have done whatever I needed to do.