Overfilled At 5.8Cc!!!!!!!!!

[Gayla1313 0]

So, after months and months of misery and dollars spent, I have FINALLY found a doctor who was honest and thorough. He performed a flouroscope diagnostic and it turns out my band has been drastically overfilled which has caused all of my problems. Reflux, GERD, vomiting, and now pouch dilatation and weight gain. He removed .5cc and still the barium was back washing up my esophagus and not even trickling through the band. He wound up removing 1 full cc and now the Fluid trickles through like it is supposed to but now my pouch is stretched and I have probably gotten all the weight loss I am going to get from it. Which totally SUCKS! Thousands of dollars, pain, discomfort, frustration, etc. etc. for a 60lb weight loss.

I can warn those considering Lab Band enough, that just because you can eat doesn't mean you need a fill. Fill centers and "certified" doctors will take your $$ and just keep filling and filling. If your having reflux and gurgling etc, it's TOO TIGHT. Also, I don't know how many doctors are telling the truth about the expected weight loss, but 60% of your starting weight is on the high end of what the expect and as little as 10% is considered success.

I have posted elsewhere on here about my health issues and weight gain and frustrations, only to have most of those on here blamed me for overeating and not "taking care" of my band. Why doesn't anyone ever look at the doctors who are supposed to know what they are doing?!?!?!?

I wonder if I can repair the damage done to the pouch and get anymore benefit form having this thing in my body.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Gayla, I think most docs do know what they are doing but it appears you got one that didn't. I have a friend who got LBS and her surgeon put it on wrong and shortly afterwards lost his medical license over his alcoholism. He moved to Florida I hear. She had to have her band removed.

There are some bad ones out there that's for sure. And I do agree that surgeons may embelish results or screen the % of results.

My only advice for you is to somehow try to find the enthusiasm you once had for the band and try to find those positive thoughts that have been crushed by a bad doctor. Can't blame you for being pissed but the band won't work for you till you can find the silver lining in the crap you've been dealt.

tmf

[kbliss78 123]

I Have heard there is a pouch test to shriek to pouch after a stretch. Search 5 day pouch test. I saw some videos on you tube of banded girls

Doing it. Sorry for you stress and sadness!

[Gayla1313 0]

Thanks for your advice, however, I am not pissed, I am actually pleased I will not be waking up in the middle of the night choking on acid. I am disappointed that I depended upon my doctor to know what he was doing and the fact that I did not take charge of my health sooner and get myself educated BEFORE having surgery.

I would love to find the silver lining, move on and have my band work properly, however, the band will not do what it is designed to at this point since my pouch has been stretched. But if I can help someone else make better decisions and not drink the Lap Band Kool Aid the doctors are serving, I will make that my silver lining.

[Gayla1313 0]

Thank you KBLISS I just found that as well. I will try it. I have nothing to lose (but pounds) at this point...lol

[elcee 3,340]

You have lost 60lb, I would say that is quite an achievement and it is one that you probably would not have made without your band.

Time and time again there are threads here about being too tight and how dangerous it is but a lot of people ignore them believing that the tighter they are the better.

Be aware that if you have your band removed without revising to another form of WLS you will probably very quickly regain the 60lb you have lost and possibly even more.You may need to see if you can work with your band for a while, if not then research the alternatives.

[Gayla1313 0]

Thank you elcee, your right, I am happy to have lost the 60. It was 80 but I have regained 20. I am not planning on any more surgeries. I will work with what I have and exercise more and try to continue to eat as if I had restriction.

I can tell anyone who asks, tighter IS NOT BETTER! You will be sorry in the long run and do more harm than good.

[littlerlou 7]

Thank you for this post. Ive only had my band a few months...the first 2 fills went great. The 3rd fill..not so much. I had too much restriction and was in pain and misery. I went back the next day and he took out 1/2 of what he put in. I was sad cause I thought it was a step back...the first 2 days I was great. Now Im regurgitating every small bite..I get the throat full of slimy spit and have to spit whatever I ate up within minutes. I thought Id give it some time but now reading more and more posts..I think I need more taken out again. I will only have 4CCs in a 10cc band but slow and steady is my reality now. Before I wanted quick weight loss and I didnt care at what price. Now..I know my limits. Thank you..its posts like these that make me come to my senses.

[Gayla1313 0]

Your welcome. I had exactly the same thing happen, only I tried to live through it for the weight loss. My doctor INSISTED it was not the lad band and that I would have had reflux with or without it and it must just be me. I got down to 158, but basically from starving and dehydration. I could not keep anything down and would throw up constantly so I just stopped eating. I wound up in the hospital on IV and having to have an EGD etc. to figure out what was happening. Again, the doctors looked for every other explanation, pancreatic tumor, celiac, etc. I kept suggesting the band, but was dismissed. I went to a totally different doctor for an unfill. Within minutes I felt better, go figure.

They weight loss was nice, but the cost was not. The weight gain is frustrating, but my health and well being is more important.

It sounds crazy, but I used to joke that I would do anything to lose weight and if I wound up in a coffin at least I would be thin. IT IS NOT WORTH IT. Go slow, and at least periodically get fills using floroscope. That's the best advice I have. Good luck!

[ms.lady 3]

I can relate to this post and thank you for posting! I got my band in August 2011 got one fill and went for a second fill a few weeks later and my doctor could not access my port, come to find out port flipped had another surgery to repair in November. Got a fill in January everything went fine. I got another fill late part of February and had to go back 2 days later for a unfill because I could not keep anything down. Since then I have been miserable. When I eat (with the exception of a couple times) my food comes back up immediately (within seconds or minutes) this include some drinks as well. I have a couple of good days where there was no sliming,throwing up, productive burping or whatever you want to call it but for the most part everday multiple times a day. I have developed what I believe to be acid reflux, I wake up in the middle of the night choking on gastric juices (that taste horrible) and my throat is irriated. I only have maybe 3cc in my band (probably less with unfill) so I thought it would get better. It's so embrassing and tiresome. Now here I am 3 months later and its not, I can't not take it anymore I have a appoinment to get a unfill and discuss this reflux. While I am extremely happy for my weight loss, some days I regret the lapband because of this. I liked it when I had no problems with any foods and I was using MFP, measuring/weighing foods, and exercising with the assistance of my band. Emotionally I am all over the place I just want to work with my band and fill like a normal human being!!!

[Gayla1313 0]

Junior Guru, I am so sorry for your troubles but it sounds like a mirror image to mine. Do not wait an longer to get the reflux under control, it can be very dangerous if left untreated over time and can lead to erosion and cancer as well as erode the enamel from your teeth. My reflux got so bad that I couldn't even bend over without throwing up acid, and even Water irritated it. I went and had 1cc removed and although most of my reflux symptoms have reduced it is still there.

Everybody is different, so what is tight for someone at 3cc's can be totally different for someone else. I still have to take reflux medication, but I found a doctor who is also suggesting black licorice. No, not the jelly bean kind, but get some chewable black licorice root pills, they taste pretty good if you like licorice and it is an herbal remedy for reflux and it seems to help. I chew 1 before each meal and 1 before bedtime. I also stay away from the worst offenders, alcohol, chocolate and caffeine (I know, just kill me now).

I also HIGHLY recommend getting your next fill/unfill with fluoroscope, it is an eye opener and you can see EXACTLY what is happening in there.

I sometimes have a feeling of regret with the surgery, but I was insulin dependent, with horrific cholesterol levels, sleep apnea, etc. and all of that is resolved. S I try to keep that in mind. The doctor I recently went to admitted that Bariatric Doctors on the whole are doing a disservice to the overweight population at had. They are selling a "golden ring" that does not exist. Expectations for extreme weight loss with just the "tool" of LapBand does not exist. I thought I was being reasonable wanting to get down to 150lbs. at 5'5". But apparently wanting to go from 230 to 150 was unrealistic at best. I am at 176 now and my new doctor, said if wanted to lose any more, to get off my ass and run. There is no golden ring or easy way out that I was sold back in 2009. Oh, well, off to run...lol The best of luck to you, and I hope you get to feeling better soon!!

[Skyvic 226]

I love my doctor and his team. We have good open communication. I was filled to 5.5cc in February. I had one rough month of symptoms you all have mentioned. I told him today and he had hoped that I would have called him ealier. I realize now that if you aren't feeling normal, than something isn't right, possible overfill. Now...after 17 pounds if weight loss since February, I am finally in the green zone...meaning we should not have any of those nasty side effects if overfill. I also learned that just because you drop weight does not necessarily mean you need a fill. In fact a person could go eight months with weight loss and no fill during those eight months. Every individual is different so we must listen to our body.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Gayla, you are so wrong. The ring does exist and exists for thousands of patients. You and your doctor are just flat wrong.

But it's good to have whiner's like you visit the boards to bring everything into perspective.

tmf

[Jachut 487]

aren't you going to try unfilling completely and doing a few weeks on a liquid diet to shrink down the pouch? That's the standard treatment. As long as the band hasn't actually slipped, it will usually shrink.

I think this is on the cards for me. Even as a band veteran of seven years I've fallen into this trap and well AFTER I'd lost all my weight and kept it off for years. I had to unfill totally for cancer surgery and when I refilled, I just couldnt get to a comfy spot. I've gotten WAAAAY too tight as we discovered when I was sent for a barium swallow but I couldn't feel that because of the slightly stretched pouch I'd developed. I stress I was not downing large quantities of food, but just not feeling my band. This was symptomless for ages, so my doc was happy to take a wait and see approach. Now, I've got awful heartburn and went today for a slight unfill, but several hours later, the ranitidine I'd taken yesterday was wearing off and back came the awful gnawing pain. I've taken more medication tonight but I really hope that it settles and I suspect I'm going to have to go back and have more taken out.

Luckily, I don't get stuck, vomit or have any actual reflux of stomach contents, just pain.

[Gayla1313 0]

Skyvic, What you say is exactly right. Everyone is different. Everyone should listen to there own bodies and not allow medical professional who "know better then you" tell you what is working for all of their patients should work for you. Good luck to you and I am glad you have a doctor you are happy with.

2muchfun (tmf), We are all adults here (or so I thought), each with his or her own experiences good or bad. So, if you feel the need to resort to name calling like a 5 year old, and get annoyed at posts that don't extol the wonders of the LapBand then maybe you should not read those posts. I have the right to post my experiences here without the worry that a "POST-BULLY" calling me names. You should be ashamed of yourself.