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Severe Pain

Was banded in December 2009 and for about a year and a half now I've experienced on again off again stomach pain that gets so bad sometimes I cannot get out of bed. I have found no rhyme or reason for it, nothing particular that I eat and nothing particular that relieves it.

I've told my surgeon on several occasions and he has blown me off. I found out I was pregnant in January and am now about 20 weeks along and the pains have become more frequent the further along I get.

My surgeon never did one single test to solve the problem or give me any idea as to what it could be. Luckily, I am a nurse and work for doctors who have ordered barium swallows, X-rays, etc. before I got pregnant and the band is still in position. The last time I went to see my surgeon, he was incredibly rude to me, I asked him if my body could possibly be rejecting the band and he laughed in my face telling me that's like my body rejecting air. I also asked him about the possibility of my band being slipped and he asked if I had been able to eat and without giving me a chance to answer he responded with "well obviously you have you've gained weight"

I am in the process of being switched to a new Lapband doctor at this time but my insurance no longer covers anything related to the band.

I cannot describe how the pain feels...and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this? I know it's not pregnancy related because it was going on before I got pregnant and I feel like its Lapband related because it didn't start until after I was banded.

Recently when it was hurting I was at work and noticed my port felt like it was sticking out further than usual and I applied light pressure to the port site and it shot a sharp pain across my entire abdomen.

Sorry for writing a book here. I'm just at a loss of what to do!! Or what to think!

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Is your port red or inflamed or hot to the touch? Can you eat without restriction?

Where is the pain?

Could it be your gallbladder? Does the pain make you nauseous, or radiate into your chest or back?

Is the pain low or high. It could be a grumbling appendix, kidneys, gallbladder, ovaries..........the list goes on. We tend to think that after we get a band every twinge is related to that but often it is something else altogether. Speak to a different Dr (not bariatric) and see what he/she says.

  • Author

The pain can be up high or down in my lower abdomen, it differs. I don't have my gallbladder anymore so I know it's not that...I've talked to three different doctors that aren't bariatric doctors since my bariatric doctor kept blowing me off and they've all come to the conclusion that it is my band :( I don't have any pain when eating and my port site isn't red or inflamed. When the pains hit, my entire abdomen is tender to any kind of pressure.

Have you talked to your ob/gyn also? Ate you unfilled while pregnant?

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  • Author

I had a complete unfill after finding out I was pregnant and I've been checked for hernias....why do I feel like I'm going to be on the next episode of mystery diagnosis?!

Honestly it sounds like gall bladder and pregnancy is a huge trigger for gall bladder. It will come and go and hurts right were the band is. Mine did that for about a year till I got so sick

I was hospitalized. It felt like someone stabbed be right in the center under my breast and sometimes it would go to my back in the same area. If you eat meats or fried food or foods with more fat it makes the attack more often. But they told me pregnancy was the main reason. Talk to your obgyn about checking your gall bladder.

One more thing, with my second pregnancy I had kidney stones that sent me to hospital too. Pain felt like it was in my stomach. Needless to say pregnancy was hard on me. Best luck.

  • Author

I had my gallbladder removed in 2005....and these pains have been going on off and on for a year and a half at least and I'm only 5 months pregnant they're just more frequent now...

I requested all my records from my bariatric doctor and my last appointment where I said "my stomach hurts so bad sometimes I can't get out of bed, I double over in pain, it's tender to the touch, sometimes it's in my upper abdomen sometimes it's in my lower abdomen" evidently translated to "vague stomach pain" which is why I am switching doctors as we speak! Ridiculous!

Was banded in December 2009 and for about a year and a half now I've experienced on again off again stomach pain that gets so bad sometimes I cannot get out of bed. I have found no rhyme or reason for it' date=' nothing particular that I eat and nothing particular that relieves it.

I've told my surgeon on several occasions and he has blown me off. I found out I was pregnant in January and am now about 20 weeks along and the pains have become more frequent the further along I get.

My surgeon never did one single test to solve the problem or give me any idea as to what it could be. Luckily, I am a nurse and work for doctors who have ordered barium swallows, X-rays, etc. before I got pregnant and the band is still in position. The last time I went to see my surgeon, he was incredibly rude to me, I asked him if my body could possibly be rejecting the band and he laughed in my face telling me that's like my body rejecting air. I also asked him about the possibility of my band being slipped and he asked if I had been able to eat and without giving me a chance to answer he responded with "well obviously you have you've gained weight"

I am in the process of being switched to a new Lapband doctor at this time but my insurance no longer covers anything related to the band.

I cannot describe how the pain feels...and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this? I know it's not pregnancy related because it was going on before I got pregnant and I feel like its Lapband related because it didn't start until after I was banded.

Recently when it was hurting I was at work and noticed my port felt like it was sticking out further than usual and I applied light pressure to the port site and it shot a sharp pain across my entire abdomen.

Sorry for writing a book here. I'm just at a loss of what to do!! Or what to think![/quote']

When I was pregnant with my first baby (now 44 yrs old), I was awakened by severe abdominal pain most nights starting around 24 weeks...it was an umbilical hernia. As a previous poster said, not all our issues are band-related.

  • Author

I realize not everything is Lapband related but what no one is realizing is not everything is pregnancy related either. This has only been going on since I got the Lapband and before I got pregnant.

Maybe you have a rib out of place? My mother also suffered from "vague abdominal" pain. She had all kinds of tests, scopes, and an MRI. It took her getting pneumonia, going to the hospital, and having the doctor on duty say "oh, you have a rib out of place," pushing on her misplaced rib and Ta-da! Problem fixed! Hope you soon find out what's wrong...whatever it may be.

Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

  • Author

Never thought of that hmm!! Thank you!

  • 2 weeks later...

You poor thing, i hope by now you have figured out what has been causing it. Please let us know.

Lappyloo

For the last couple of days, I have been having similar pains to the ones you describe. Also very gurgley/gassy.

I would write it off to a regular stomach ailment and let it run its course, except I had a fill about a week ago, and am now wondering if I am too tight. I've been too tight before, and had an unfill. This does not feel like that. No heartburn/coughing to speak of.

Just general stomach ache. Sometimes, the pain radiates up into the center of my chest.

I'm a man, so it is obviously not pregnency related :)

Anyone have any similar pains. I'm hoping my band is not slipped....although, while uncomfortable. I am able to keep food down.

I guess I am going to wait a few more days to see if the pain subsides and then go to my DR. if I still have problems.

Any thoughts?

thanks

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