Hi folks!!! I don't post very often but I feel lost, desperate and hopless at this point so I'm hoping that someone out there can help me. Ok, here's the cliffnote version of my story:

I was banded in July of 05'. Everything went well with surgery and I thought I was on my way to becoming the "new" me until my second fill. The first fill went fine (I have the VG band). I had 1.5cc put into my band the day of surgery and the first fill I was brought up to 3cc's. That went fine for about 2 weeks and then no more restriction. I went back a few weeks later to get another fill, that night I was in terrible pain. Pain in my left shoulder, underneath my rib cage and in my back. The doctor called me in a script for pain meds to get me through the night and saw me at 6:00 am the next day. He completley unfilled me. I waited another week and went back for another fill. She brought me back up to 3cc's everything seemed to go fine started my 2 hour journey back home got half way there and I had to turn around and go back. The pain came back again and once again I was completley unfilled. Waited about 3 weeks this time went back she put a little back in, 2 days later had to go back and get unfilled again.This time I waited 2 months, went for a fill last friday. Everything seemed to go fine once again until the next morning. Anything I tried to eat came back up, and the pain started to come back. I tried to deal with the pain since it wasn't as bad as the last few times but by wed. I started vommiting again and this time I had really bad heartburn. So went back to the office and once again I am completley unfilled. I am so at a loss here and I just do not know what to do. The doctor seems to think that it's my diaphragm that's causing referred pain throughout my body when I get the band filled. I just feel hopless and desperate at this point and I don't go back to see my doctor until the 10th of March. Is there anyone else out there going throught this or has gone through this or something similar to this and what did you do about it? Anyone else have any suggestions or ideas as to what I can do?? Thank you all for taking the time out to read my long post.

Jo Ann

I think you need to ask for a barium swallow to check the positioning of your band. A VG band normally can allow for large fills for quite awhile. Something doesn't seem just right here. I hope it all turns out well for you!

Thank you leatha for your reply! I agree with you on this and when I had to get unfilled the last time my mother was with me and brought it up to the nurse practioner. I will definitley ask my surgeon when I see him on the 10th!!

Thanks for your best wishes too!!

Jo Ann

Something that I was thinking....why is the doctor so set on filling you to 3cc? You had 1.5 at surgery, why not go to 2? or 1.75? My feeling is that you should CREEP up on your sweet spot. I understand that it is a long commute, but would you rather go through all that pain. Joy had a lot of pain, too. Doctor put her on Prilosec and she's been taking Gas-X pills. After starting to feel better, she had a bottle of V-8 at work and it almost did her in. Scratch the V-8 from now on. That was about a week ago and so far so good. I wish you well, Jo Ann.

I'm reminded of the stuff I read in Gypsygirl's blog about the trouble she had with fills. Skim thru it and see what you think. I haven't had a fill yet, but from all I've heard, and from reading her blog, I'd say that MyKdsDad is right when he asked why not just back off a little? Why remove the whole thing and then try to put so much back in at one time?

Anyway, read her blog! You'll be inspired and maybe get some help with what you're going through. By the way, Gypsygirl is my Hero of Today as well. She rocks! :confused:

Here's the link to her blog:

http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/profile.php?N=G1029860910

Thanks you guys for replying!! The doctor and I have talked about creeping up and we have been trying that. The last fill that I had they only put in .5cc. So I guess this next time around we'll go a little less and see what happens. I'm kinda scared to put anything in there at this point. He also did mention that he will probably send me for some tests to see if there isn't something else going on in there, which I pray to God there's not. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! Thanks Photonut for the info on the blog!! I am definitley going to check it out!!

Thanks again for the advice and the support!!

I'll be believing everything's just fine, Razz. Let us know when you find out anything. *hugs*

I had these symptoms without ever getting filled, just from the band itself. Had the band removed, and stomach/nerve is still irritated. I think some people just can't tolerate this device. I would try to go with no fill at all for a while to let your stomach calm down and also go back to liquids, then start with a TINY film. Also, IMHO, barium swallows don't show much. You can have liquids go through fine and still be overly filled and not able to eat food, even purees.

Any news? Barium swallow?

No, no news yet. I don't go back up there until the 10th and they said they would discuss different tests with me on that date. I'm sure glad that they don't seem too concerned about it. (that was sarcastic by the way!! LOL!!) It's only my health and future we're talking about!! Oh well what can ya do!! I will definitley let ya know anything that happens!! Thanks again for the support!!!

Jo Ann

Thanks!! I really appreciate it!! I will definitley keep you all posted!!!

Jo Ann

Hi everyone!! I just wanted to update you all on what's been going on with me. I have been experiencing pretty bad acid reflux over the past week now and finally I have gotten my doctors office to listen to me that something is just not right!! So tomorrow I am going for an upper GI to see if my band has slipped :eek: !! Hopefully that's not the case!! If everything goes well with the GI and it shows no slippage, then they are sending me for and endoscopy! And then I guess we'll take it from there. So wish me luck everyone!! Thanks again for all of your earlier responses!!! I will keep you updated with whatever I find out!!

Jo Ann

Hi I am a new kid on the block had my banding just six weeks ago and started having trouble with pain in the left shoulder right from the start. Spoke to my specialist re this problem & was told it was due to interference with the diaframg & would probably settle down within six weeks. |Well time ups & the pain is increasing each day. Today I have had 4 Panadeine Forte, one Endone & am waling around with a Tense Machine on & just getting by. I go in for an adjustment to the band this Friday (first one) any suggestions as to what could be happening. Thanks

I find myself SO very very puzzled about why your doctor operates on this "take all the fill out" stuff --- why not just back off a bit?? Sometimes it can be just one or two tenths of an inch between good restriction and overfill.

I think this round robin of jumping from nothing to full, nothing to full, nothing to full, is nonsense. You should be very very slowly increased past 2.5 ccs UNTIL the right spot is found --- and this time do NOT go home so soon -- get the fill as early in the day as possible and hang around and have a meal of Soup before you head off home.

And I agree with the doctor -- your pain sounds EXACTLY like diaphraghmatic pain.

I guess I should of given more details in my post but my doctor is not into fill me up totally and then take it out. He has put in as little as .2cc's and the pain has happened.(It happens with ANY amount of fluid in the band. Whether it be .1cc's or 3'ccs.) It doesn't always happen right away. It can happen in as little as right away or 24hours later, it just depends. And I don't go home right away, I do stay around the doctors office usually around 4 hours.But I can't stay there for 24 hours. In my original post I didn't go into every single detail and I guess I should of that's my fault, I only gave an example of a few times. It is diaphraghmatic pain, that was already determined, we just don't know exactly what is cause of the diaphragm pain is. After my test yesterday we found out that my band was placed too high, but that was due to a fat pocket, so at this point it's still either the fat pocket, or I developed a hernia, which is just another guess at this point until I get the final results of the test. So hopefully I won't be in the dark much longer. And if this test doesn't give a definite answer then I will be going for more tests. Thank you so much for your response!! I really do appreciate the feedback, and I do apologize for not making my original post a lot clearer.

Thanks again,

Jo Ann

Hi I am a new kid on the block had my banding just six weeks ago and started having trouble with pain in the left shoulder right from the start. Spoke to my specialist re this problem & was told it was due to interference with the diaframg & would probably settle down within six weeks. |Well time ups & the pain is increasing each day. Today I have had 4 Panadeine Forte, one Endone & am waling around with a Tense Machine on & just getting by. I go in for an adjustment to the band this Friday (first one) any suggestions as to what could be happening. Thanks

Jan,

I don't understand why you're having adjustments if you're still having pain that is "increasing each day". If your diaphragm is irritated or if you're still having some residual gas pain that has (for some reason) settled in your shoulder, you need to heal and get yourself to a point where you're comfortable and in a good bandster pattern before you start in with the fills that start more irritation.

I would definately talk to my doctor first and get this pain diagnosed and treated before I started into adjustments.