Do you think she really passed from her Lap Band or were the seizures just a coincidence and not related to the band slipping? I had this surgery done because its so safe.

What I don't understand is how a band slip could strangle the esophagus. A slip is actually when the stomach slips up through the band, not the band slipping up on the stomach. A slip is not a defective band, it is a complication.

When we are very ill we sometimes have a hard time hearing what doctors are telling us. I was in the ER two weeks ago with sepsis. My hubby had to tell me much of what the doctors were telling me after we got home. I was just too sick to hear it or care.

I do hope Shirley's family are able to get answers as to what happened. My prayers are with them.

I thought I had read someplace the band could slip up or down. A slip upward would be the worst.

@ Hummingbird, Erosion is very possible, however it only happens to 2% of those who get the band..

http://www.thinnertimes.com/weight-loss-surgery/lap-band/lap-band-complications/erosion.html

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/45428-lap-band-erosion/

This is off Obesity Surgery: Principles and Practice:

http://books.google.com/books?id=3ey9oR1TFmkC&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=lap+band+erosion+symptoms+sepsis&source=bl&ots=CaXJ1BqtPt&sig=M6LczhFC-HurjBdPMEk5Nmz-fAE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BveZT5TvD4boggfJ9tWiDw&ved=0CFcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=lap%20band%20erosion%20symptoms%20sepsis&f=false

We cannot say that its not a possibility, when there is some evidence. Yes, there might be some other underlying illness, and perhaps, Shirley had a very weak immune system. But, because of HIPPA regs, we will not know the ultimate result to her death. I hope Shirley is enjoying the never ending love and glory of God in Heaven.

@ Hummingbird, Yes a Slip can be an issue, but we don't know if there was any esophageal blockage, or issues....Also the slip up, wouldn't have any effect to the lungs, or the brain, unless, there was any bloodclots that traveled to the areas....Its always a possibility

erosion has nothing to do with the port.

Yes, It very much has a lot to do with the Port....It has to be removed ASAP if the band erodes.

I am sad to hear of Shirley's passing. I did not know her personally but she was a fixture here since I joined last March. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Yes, It very much has a lot to do with the Port....It has to be removed ASAP if the band erodes.

Erosion has nothing to do with the port. The port is sutured to your muscle, I believe outside your abdominal cavity, nowhere near your stomach.

Okay I stand corrected, however the band can erode into the stomach wall

Okay I see my error....i meant to say "the band"....i had a senior moment. My bads

One thing I've learned from my daughter having type 1 diabetes since she was 3 years old(now 20) is that if you don't go to a specific doctor that specializes in what your issue is, you might as well diagnose yourself. Doctors are just as CLUELESS as us when dealing with specific issues if they are not trained in it. But, bc of their arrogance they rarely say, "I don't know". If any one of us goes to the drs right now complaining of a headache that won't go away and the dr finds out you have the band or if you have say, diabetes, it will automatically be blamed on that. Its an easy, quick diagnoses and its gets you out of his/her face so he/she can get on to the next patient/paying customer.

I believe that an infection in or around the port can travel along the tubing to the band and vice versa. Often an infection at the port site can be a sign of erosion.

Herewith some info found on another site.

How to you tell if you have lap band erosion?

Probably the biggest indicator of erosion is weight regain because the band is no longer in place to restrict the food intake. Another one of the signs is redness, swelling and pain around the access port. This is caused by bacteria from the stomach getting into the capsule that forms around the band. The infection simply travels to the outside port along the tubing. Another sign that erosion is happening is that the erosion causes the band to be less restrictive than before so you can eat more than before. A lot more than before.

http://all-about-lapband.com/problems/erosion.html

Vaccine Help Obesity 9.06.pdf

I thought I had read someplace the band could slip up or down. A slip upward would be the worst.

Thanks, Humming Bird. I should have stated it as the only slip I know of is when the stomach comes up through the band, no stating as fact that this is so...sorry folks...

I looked through pubmed for upward slip info, the studies all talk about gastric prolapse, which is where the stomach comes up through the band.

OK, more searching revealed it is called Anterior Slippage or, paragastric Richter's hernia. It is pretty rare, can cause necrosis of the stomach. Here is a link to the study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/15802063

And a paper with a case study about it is attached.

Gastric Herniation.pdf

Thanks Denise for posting this. It would be interesting if I had enough of a medical background to understand what they were talking about!

I did know that it was possible for the band to slip upwards, in fact initially I thought this was the only type of slip. It took a while on LBT reading lots of threads to realise that the more common kind of slip was "downwards".

I am sure that Shirley's band probably did slip upwards but that still makes it hard to understand the chain of events that occurred afterwards.Would an upwards slipping band really cause seizures or did something else happen? What would cause the band to slip so easily - Shirley stated it took one bite? We know that Shirley's band was stitched in place as she mentioned this numerous times. What is the significance of the "2 bands"?

Unfortunately we will probably never know and that is what makes these type of events so scary. I understand patient confidentiality but sometimes you would think that a greater good would be served by giving more info to others who are in a similar situation that could benefit from the extra knowledge.

The two bands thing I don't understand either. As far as the one bite...perhaps that was the straw that broke the camels back, as it were? We may one day find her as a case study such as the one I located, especially if there were indeed two bands. On the other Shirley post, I posted where this can affect the lungs, also. I am starting to believe this is what happened to her, at least in part. As someone else theorized, perhaps an infection spread and caused the seizures and cardiac arrest.