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

Hi Jan P! (( HUGS!! ))

Your post is in the middle of a different thread. Folks aren't really ignoring you, they probably just missed it.

If you want to start a new thread (you get more responses that way):

1. Click on this link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/index.php

2. Click on the forum marked: Lap-Band Complications (New Forum) -- it's the 3rd one down.

3. On that page, click the "New Thread" button -- it's near the top left.

4. Write up your issue & click the Post button & you're on your way!

Welcome to LBT! About your gas pain: when they do the surgery, they pump your body cavity full of carbon dioxide to get more room to see stuff. It's a really cool procedure, but it results in all this extra CO2 that can't get out except through osmosis. So basically you have to wait for your body to absorb it....

Your diaphragm REALLY doesn't like it, but it doesn't have any nerves, so it refers it's pain, typically to the left shoulder, though some have the pain elsewhere.

The best way to combat it (or so they say) is to walk, take Gas-X & keep the GI track moving (i.e. burp & pass gas as much as possible).

The fact that yours hasn't passed in 6 weeks is really disturbing. And if it's getting worse, that's just not good!

I would definitely tell your doctor what's up & get him to do an Upper GI or whatever he advises. We do have a foreign body inside us now... some of us don't tolerate it as well as others.

Keep us updated!!

raazzberry -- Are you doing any better? Any test results? (( HUGS!! ))