Can anyone tell me their experience with an unfill due to a slip? Could you feel it correct itself? Small sharp pains? Achy/sore feeling? The outcome?

My band slipped last year. Since it wasn't a severe slip, my dr unfilled me by 1/2 (5cc out of a 10cc band) and let it rest for 4 wks, hoping it would go back into place. 4 weeks later, after telling my dr that my reflux had stopped, he gave me a 1cc fill (without doing another xray). Well, I still didn't relux, but also no restriction. So 3 wks later, he put in another 1cc. That night the reflux started again. So, he did another xray. My band had not moved from the last xray! So, he told me that he "treats the symptoms, not the xray" and took out the previous 1cc that had put me over the edge. Told me that I had to do most of the work from now on. I took that as tho he was done fooling around with my band, that since my reflux was gone, I would be fine.

After going 10 mths with a sub standard band, I managed to gain about 18 lbs. Had SOME restriction, just not like I once had. After 6 pm it was like my band didn't exist.

However, a couple mths ago I began having stomach pain. Not nausea, but actual pain. After 4 days of increasing pain, I couldn't take it anymore and my hubby took me to the ER at 3 am. After a ct, it was shown that my band had totally herniated. They unfilled me totally and told me it had to come out. So here I sit waiting for my sleeve revision with an unfilled band and size 8 shorts that don't even come close to buttoning anymore. Not to mention the nightime reflux is back with a vengeance even tho I have no Fluid in my band. In the past 2 ths, I've managed to gain another 12 lbs - for a grand total of 30 in the last 18 mths (I count that as my lowest weight, 144). I've read some people gain much more, so I guess I'm "relieved" (??).

I had no actual pain with my slip. Just less restriction and severe nightime reflux. Such it was a slight slip, my dr was hopeful it would go back into place by itself. Where the mistake was made (in my opinion, no medical knowledge here) was not doing a followup xray before filling my band some more. Had they found that it was still slipped before, maybe deciding to unfill totally would have had a better outcome.

So, no. I have no clue if there's pain with the correction itself cuz mine never corrected itself...I'm guessing tho that if it corrects itself your band may work better. Just a guess tho

Good luck!

Marci

Hi Marci,

Just curious, are you actually having a revision to the sleeve, will your insurance cover it and if so, will you use the aurgeon who did your band?

I hope you don't mind me asking but I sometimes think I should have opted for the sleeve initially but was concerned about the major cutting of the stomach. Thanks!

Im sorry to hear about your problem with the band. Good luck with the sleeve

Are you saying you had small sharp pains and an achy/sore feeling? When? Before the unfill or after? Where exactly were the pains, aching and soreness? In your abdomen? Upper, middle, lower, left, right? I had a band slip, diagnosed after a sudden attack of reflux and eating/drinking problems. I felt absolutely nothing when all the fluid was removed from my band. The nerves in the upper GI system are kind of quirky and don't process stimulus the way nerves in your skin do (for example). When you cut yourself, you feel pain at the site of the cut. When the band presses against the stomach or the diaphragm, the sensation may be "referred" to another area - commonly the left shoulder. Anyway, I did feel relief after the unfill and was able to eat and drink normally the next day.

I had small sharp pains before the unfill, after the unfill it was "sore/achy" for a day. My dr told me that after the unfill I may feel when it corrects itself, similar to the pain I had when it slipped. I experienced that a little bit yesterday. Pain is located right where the band is postioned-chest area. Spoke to my surgeons nurse today & she said Im ok. I was just curious about others "feeling" their slip or when it corrects itself.