My wife had lap band surgery in June. She has lost 70+ pounds as of Sep 8. For the last 2 weeks she has not been able to keep anything down except liquids. She had a esophagram last week. The barium was not able to pass through the band except for a few drops. The doctor conducting the test said he thought the band was too tight. She told them she has not had a fill done yet. This is true. She hasn't had even one fill. The band has not slipped. Her surgeon said that perhaps the band is too small for her stomach, however he wants her to wait a month to see if the band will loosen as she loses more weight. I don't think she can't wait that long. If band was going to loosen as she lost weight wouldn't her situation be improving? She has lost 70 pounds already. I am concerned that her surgeon is looking out for his best interest over my wife's. Of course she doesn't want to do the surgery again to replace the smaller band with a larger band, but that is the only option her dr has proposed if her situation doesn't improve. Please share your advice if any have had similar experience.

She probably does have alot of inflammation and swelling........because the band is too small. Its not going to get better until the band is gone. My surgeon told me the lapband ap comes in large and standard and I have the standard with 90 lbs total to lose. I know know your wifes starting weight, but could be the surgeon chose the wrong band. Just sayin......

Try watching this youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8P9RpWTj2k&list=UU0yGW54KWDu-fLVl9qRRyFw&feature=player_detailpage

Actually this one is the one I was trying for.

She probably does have alot of inflammation and swelling........because the band is too small. Its not going to get better until the band is gone. My surgeon told me the lapband ap comes in large and standard and I have the standard with 90 lbs total to lose. I know know your wifes starting weight' date=' but could be the surgeon chose the wrong band. Just sayin......[/quote']

Thanks SandyM! She is about 195 pounds now and has lost 70 pounds in 3 months. It was a big decision for her to get the surgery. I am wondering if she should do the sleeve or bypass. My sister had the sleeve and has had no problems. I assumed before my wife's experience that the lap band was the safest option with the least chance of complications.

Actually, I think the band is still the safest. Just not sure about your surgeon. The problem I had with the sleeve or bypass is if your wife was having problems with either of those, they are not reversable. The band still is. You just have to get somebody to listen. The ideal situation is to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week. Having a surgeon who is building bragging rights to get her to goal fast is just irresponsible. I understand your wife doesnt want to go back in surgery, but rapid weight loss like she has can cause multi system failure. I have a pt in HH who was a botched bypss and she suffers many complications due to it. As others have said here, she probably needs to see someone else. Or, sit downand research (as quickly as you can) everything you can about the band and go with her to her next appt. Thats probably what I would do first.

No your right, it is the decision of that person and there can be complications with all and I have only heard of a 10 or 14 cc band I am glad you & your wife took the advice and went to the hospital she is probally dehydrated by now and may hae to stay a few days and make sure to ask anything as the surgeon should not disiss any questions cause they r the doctor and u just want to be informed as much as possible I hope your Wife gets better and hopefully the run the barium test to see why things(food & drink ) wouldn't stay down , I don't know why the surgeon wouldn't know what size band to put in that is very disturbing to me , even if you think the question is dumb still ask I can text my or call my surgeon no matter what day or time it is to get a answer if I think something is not normal and that is why I chose him cause I went to 3 different seminars with 3 different surgeons and I know 2 people that had the same surgeon as mine different hospitals but we all have done good so I appreciate being to ask him about anything at anytime, as we all have questions before, after and during our journey , keep us updated and I hope things get better for her , keep your support for her and be strong as I know that is what made you get her to go and if you need advice on anything else just ask here we will try to help also we try to support each other.

I appreciate everyone's advice. My wife really likes her surgeon. I am not sure I can persuade her to go to another surgeon. She called another lap band surgeon's office, but they transferred her to speak to a nurse, which went to voicemail. No one has called back yet. My wife doesn't tolerate anesthesia very well and the doctor knows that. However, she is leaning to have the surgery ASAP which tells me how miserable she is. I am worried that might have similar complications with a larger band. We have good health insurance, but we have to pay a portion of the cost of the surgery. I don't know that a lawyer would really win a malpractice suit at this point. Maybe the surgeon is not providing the best advice, but short of surgery again it doesn't seem there are a whole lot of viable options. I think if my Wife told the surgeon she wanted surgery, he would schedule it ASAP. Admittedly, I know very little about the lap band. I searched this site for anyone that had a similar issue, but I couldn't find anything. Are there really only 2 sizes of the bands? If anyone has seen a thread with someone who had a smaller band replaced with a larger band please let me know.

You mentioned:

I think if my Wife told the surgeon she wanted surgery, he would schedule it ASAP. Admittedly, I know very little about the lap band.

Honestly, it seem like your wife is being irresponsible on this, and as long as the scale is moving, even if it means an (IV feeding tube) she is willing to keep the band a little longer in hopes of getting to goal weight, even if it means a horrible complication?.

Also, when searching for a new lap band surgeon you have to be persistent, you have to let them know that your wife is suffering, and usually if you tell them the issue, the receptionist or nurse will schedule you for an appointment, but it may be hard at this point, because your wife's surgeon IS WILLING TO HELP BY REMOVING THE BAND or replacing it with a larger band.

If you and your wife is not willing to protect her health and get that band out ASAP, there is nothing this board can do for you, and if your wife suffer horrible complications, I doubt you will have any type of malpractice lawsuit because your wife is responsible for her complications by not doing anything about her issues, and not agreeing to remove the band (in a timely manner).

Actually her surgeon IS trying to help her in this situation and your wife is refusing to get the band out, thinking the band will loosen, and she apparently is liking the rapid weight lost.

That band IS NOT GOING TO GET ANY LOOSER, losing 20 pounds will loosen the band, your wife has lost 70, if it was going to loosen, it would have done so by now.

She will cause damage to her esophagus and body over time because she will constantly vomit, and have obstruction and swelling until she has to get it removed in an emergency.

The lap band IS the safest operation, when it is done properly and the patient acts responsibly,

Revising to the Sleeve or Bypass will not guarantee her to be complication free, if the band is installed right, it is safer.

Actually' date=' I think the band is still the safest. Just not sure about your surgeon. The problem I had with the sleeve or bypass is if your wife was having problems with either of those, they are not reversable. The band still is. You just have to get somebody to listen. The ideal situation is to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week. Having a surgeon who is building bragging rights to get her to goal fast is just irresponsible. I understand your wife doesnt want to go back in surgery, but rapid weight loss like she has can cause multi system failure. I have a pt in HH who was a botched bypss and she suffers many complications due to it. As others have said here, she probably needs to see someone else. Or, sit downand research (as quickly as you can) everything you can about the band and go with her to her next appt. Thats probably what I would do first.[/quote']

I agre with the removal or to replace it with a bigger one. Does this doctor have a office with other drs. Get opinion from one of them .I'm sure the drs would agree with your dr. But they may have another suggesttion. But either way a second ooinion is what you need. Where do you live? I go to a dr that has been banded himself and he is in zeypherhills fl. Also pretty famous for what he does. Please do something asap. Your wife needs you to be strong for her she has to understand that and go with your suggestions.

My wife called another lap band surgeon's office today. The nurse said she has never heard of a patient needing a band removed and replaced for a larger band. The surgeon is going to call my wife later. Has anyone heard of a patient needing a larger band because the smaller band was too tight?

My wife called another lap band surgeon's office today. The nurse said she has never heard of a patient needing a band removed and replaced for a larger band. The surgeon is going to call my wife later. Has anyone heard of a patient needing a larger band because the smaller band was too tight?

Only with the old, outdated 4cc bands. Normally the surgeon would know during surgery which size band is necessary so this isn't a normal issue for band patients.

I personally think the surgeon messed up huge and is now trying to cover his butt.

Same here

This whole situation is very disturbing.

It could be that your wife is having major complications from the band. Perhaps her body is rejecting the material placed in her body. Inflammation is usually the body's response to a foreign object.

I would hesitate to replace the band with another one without knowing why this happening to her right now.

The situation is serious, and I would be asking as many questions of the surgeon and the rest of her medical team to find out WHY this is happening. It is not just from the trauma of the surgery. Yes the vomiting could cause her to have swelling, but to the point of almost having the stoma close is very extreme.

Weight loss is not worth your life! Living the way she is now on IV and vomiting all the time is no quality of life.

Reach out to other doctors, not just bariatric surgeons, maybe speak to an internist or a gastroenterologist as well to see what their opinion is on the swelling before making the choice to put in another band or revise to another surgery.

Best of luck to you and your wife. Please keep us updated.

This whole situation is very disturbing.

It could be that your wife is having major complications from the band. Perhaps her body is rejecting the material placed in her body. Inflammation is usually the body's response to a foreign object.

I would hesitate to replace the band with another one without knowing why this happening to her right now.

The situation is serious, and I would be asking as many questions of the surgeon and the rest of her medical team to find out WHY this is happening. It is not just from the trauma of the surgery. Yes the vomiting could cause her to have swelling, but to the point of almost having the stoma close is very extreme.

Weight loss is not worth your life! Living the way she is now on IV and vomiting all the time is no quality of life.

Reach out to other doctors, not just bariatric surgeons, maybe speak to an internist or a gastroenterologist as well to see what their opinion is on the swelling before making the choice to put in another band or revise to another surgery.

Best of luck to you and your wife. Please keep us updated.

Good advice, but unfortunately "other doctors" are NOT qualified to assess lap band problems, Gastroenterologists can be of some help with an EGD, but no one really can help her but A VERY SKILLED LAP BAND SURGEON.

No one is really trained to detect band slippage but lap band surgeons, and I would not trust any other doctor to determine what is wrong with the lap band.

She REALLY needs to get her band removed, she has already had an Upper GI that showed no slippage - yet, but that will probably happen eventually with all the vomiting she is doing.

She should not be "trying" to figure out what is wrong and continue to try a "band aid" of IV fluids, her surgeon already KNOW what is wrong, her band is too small OR it may have already slipped.

Sometimes slips DO NOT SHOW up on Upper GI's, some people only find out their band has slipped once the surgeon has gone in to remove it.

Right now her symptoms are signs of slippage or her band is too small for her stomach both are an urgent situation because there is no saline in the band.

When you no longer have saline in the band and can't keep liquids down, regardless of what is causing it, slippage, too small band, esophageal issues, etc, the band needs to come out immediately.

She needs to have her surgeon to remove it asap, or find another surgeon to do it, personally I would not let the surgeon that installed it touch me.

This type of band complication is pretty rare in 2013, when I got my band back in 2005, many used to have bands too small before surgeons started to using the bigger bands, so this surgeon really have no excuse for installing a band that is too small.

She could also have a slipped band, like I said before they don't always show up on Upper Gi's.

Sure I am not suggesting that any other doctors work on her lap band just that they access her condition of health right now.

Make sure she is not suffering from any other aliments while she is having this problem, and to keep extra tabs on the surgeon to ensure that her health and well being is the top priority.

If the band has to come out it has to come out, but if she is going to reject a replacement band is not the answer for her. I would want to know that before making the decision to put another one in.

Sure I am not suggesting that any other doctors work on her lap band just that they access her condition of health right now.

Make sure she is not suffering from any other aliments while she is having this problem, and to keep extra tabs on the surgeon to ensure that her health and well being is the top priority.

If the band has to come out it has to come out, but if she is going to reject a replacement band is not the answer for her. I would want to know that before making the decision to put another one in.

I agree she should not be thinking about getting another band "right now" she has suffered too long on a too tight band, and she probably have some damage to her stomach already.

The last thing she needs NOW is another lap band installed, if she get it removed quickly, and heal, perhaps she may be able to get a bigger band down the road, but again, everyone is not eligible for rebanding depending on how much damage is done and scar tissue.

She will need to be assessed by a skilled lap band surgeon if she wants to get another bigger band, first things first, is to get that band out immediately.

Her band probably needed to come out in the first few weeks/month after banding, many surgeons have to remove the band right after placement due to obstruction or band too small for the anatomy.