I thought slippage and erosion only happened in a small percentage of people. Reading the different posts, it seems like these things, especially slippage, are a common occurrence. I know the band isn't an easy ride, but it's sounding positively awful. I'm pretty sure I'd deal okay with the small portions and avoiding certain foods, and the occasional pb... but the multiple surgeries and other serious problems I'm reading about are making me think twice about getting the band. I thought the lap band had fewer complications than bypass, or is that just in the beginning, right after surgery? Seems like the band has long-term repercussions. Is it this problematic in the majority of the banded folks?

Debi

Debi I sent you a email

You are right to be concerned because slippage and erosion do happen. Erosion seems to happen to less and there are no clear reasons why - it is basically the bad luck of the draw - it also seems to happen within two years so if you make it past that point it seems much less likely to happen. Slippage is usally caused by excessive vomiting - some vomiting (pb) can be controlled by you but if you get a flu or food poisoning or whatever and throw up alot you will probably have a slip. I've known 3 people that have had a slip and all were fixed in the docs office i think by an unfill, letting the band reposition and then getting filled again. A slip is serious but i don't believe always causes surgery, etc. It's most imp to find a very skilled and experienced doc as the way the stich ithe band in, fix hernias (iI'e just learned if a hernia isn't repaired you will probably slip - and while most docs fix hernias, some don't). With the band you have to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. It is surgery, you are having an implant and complications can arise. We all pray and hope it won't happen but it CAN. There are many older threads on this site about slippage and erosion so read and learn as much as you can. I think you'll see it is not everyone but a small percentage of people. Good luck and lapband has much less complications then bypass.

I think you ahve to remember though that in a forum like this, people who have suffered slippage and erosion will seek it out to find help and talk about it. Perhaps it is only a small percentage, but a lot of that percentage will be found online seeking help and information.

Its the same with the hairloss thing. I get totally freaked by that, I'm actually almost afraid to have another fill and lose any more weight because it really isnt worth my hair to me. But then I remind myself that on my Aussie forum, NOBODY at all has suffered from this. Again its the sheer number of people here and the ones talking about it that make it sound like it happens to every second person.

Hi, Mary. Guess there's not much you can do about getting a stomach flu. This is probably a stupid question, but is there anything you can have on hand that helps to control nausea?

If you go to the doctor and ask for a prescription theres quite a few anti -emetics that they can prescribe to have on hand. I'd been home from hospital after surgery for a week when my oldest son started vomiting, and next thing both Ewan and Eliza were chucking too. I freaked - I'm afraid of stomach bugs at the best of times, but my stomach wasnt even healed. I went straight to the doctor and got a script for something to stop me vomiting and started taking it the minute I began to feel unwell. I had the whole "unwell" part of the bug, fevers, feeling lethargic and sick but I only got the mildest nausea and never came close to vomiting. It does work. I've got 35 pills in the cupboard for just in case.

Ginger helps for nausea. You can get crystallized ginger...or ginger ale gone flat. Also, some people say camphor smell helps nausea. So you can take a cotton ball and dip it in Sea Breeze astringent and sniff that now and then. Another one that has helped a friend of mine when she was pregnant, is sucking on a strong peppermint - like an Altoid.

Good to know there's something that helps nausea. Signing off for the night, will check back tomorrow.

...the multiple surgeries and other serious problems I'm reading about are making me think twice about getting the band..... Debi

Debi,

It took me a long time to get over the possibility that I might require a second surgery if I got banded. I researched and read for more than 3 years rather than taking action almost exclusively because of that concern. Then I realized that I wasn't living life, at least not to its fullest, by being so heavy. I had tainted my twenties and didn't want to say the same about my thirties. The conclusion I came to was that laparoscopic surgery is very safe for most people by surgical standards and often done outpatient. If the band could help me to lose at least a portion of the excess weight, even if I had a slip or the like and required a follow up surgery, what was there to lose? 3-5 days more off work in exchange for keeping the weight off? So what!

Being morbidly obese affects us and our health every single day. Surgery is 45 minutes of one day. A second UNLIKELY surgery would be even less than that. Having complications beyond a slip or a port infection are so rare that I choose not to worry about them. Could they happen? Of course. But it's not statistically significant. Being morbidly obese and addressing that health problem far, far outweighs that risk.

Move on to surgery day, when I realized that the recovery from the most invasive band surgery (original band placement) really isn't that hard. Something like fixing a slip would be even easier (assuming the band didn't have to be replaced, and if it did, I'm probably just back to the stats for original band placement). Speaking now, at -46 lbs, I'd have the surgery every year if I had to. And the odds of that happening are miniscule!

My advice, for what it's worth, is don't make the mistake I did in waiting 3 years. Complications are rare and, unlike bypass complications, are rarely significant. The weightloss and benefits are far more significant than the potential complications.

Good luck, no matter where your weightloss journey takes you.

I also had the same concerns you do, a few months ago. I believe it was Alexandra that explained to me that after a few years of be banded and healthy alot of people move on. Usually the ones with complications stay for support and to help others. Maybe that makes it seem like more than usual, people have complications, while the ones who don't are out there enjoyed there new slimer healthier lives!!

Hello,

I thought I would respond to your post, I rarely post, although I am not over 2 years post op so far it has been smooth sailing for me so far. Based on all my research of the band, MOST complications and problems with the band can be prevented. From what I hear band slippage is the MOST frequent problem for bandsters and also the MOST PREVENTED PROBLEM. With simply following the docs orders from post op, like full liquids, mushy food and transition to solids, and then trying to avoid too tight fills, which can GREATLY increase your daily risks of vomiting/PBing and simply avoiding problem foods and chewing your food very well before swallowing. My doc mentioned it is NEVER NORMAL to vomit with the lap band frequently, and if someone does, it is either because their band is just TOO TIGHT (which requres an emergency unfill), or their band has already slipped or they are simply just taking too big of bites on a restricted band which can plug up your esophagus, and these things are just common sense, but we all make mistakes as newbies and they should be learned from and not habit forming.

I am almost 9 months out and have only slimed twice on watermelon and that could have been prevented, since I am usually tight in the mornings, but I wanted to push the evelope anyway, also, I have NEVER vomited since surgery.

So as the others mentioned most bandster who are doing well don't post and it seems like a lot of folks are having problems. I eat normally at restaurants without ever vomiting, I just order what I feel will not give me a hard time and I usually take a doggy bag home....

Below are things that I received from an doctors office that may be helpful to you to identify and prevent problems with your band....

Good luck!

AVOIDING COMPLICATIONS AFTER LAP-BAND SURGERY

The most frequent, avoidable complications associated with the Lap-band are band slippage, stoma obstruction, esophagitis, and pouch dilation. These problems can be minimized with proper eating habits and close post-operative management and follow-up.

It is important for our patients to have a better knowledge of these complications in order for them to identify the symptoms and receive proper treatment immediately.

Band Slippage

Band slippage, also known as gastric prolapse, is part of the gastric fundus moving through the band, resulting in the development of an overly large gastric pouch. This leads to excessive stomach tissue inside the band and obstruction between the upper pouch and lower stomach.

It should be considered when patients who have had a normal postoperative evolution begin to experience changes in their eating ability (increased sense of restriction or obstruction).

Typical symptoms are increased difficulty in swallowing solid or liquid food, vomiting, pain after eating that lasts more than a few hours and reflux. The first response should be to deflate the band and give proper hydration. A barium swallow should be performed to determine the position of the band and to make the diagnosis of prolapse. If, in fact, the band has slipped, the treatment is to remove or reposition the band through laparoscopic surgery.

Stoma Obstruction

It is defined as the obstruction of the passage of food from the gastric pouch to the rest of the stomach and it is usually caused by food obstruction

Symptoms include pain while eating, chest pain after eating, inability to swallow solids (there is usually no problems when swallowing liquids) and nausea.

This is diagnosed through an upper GI study where the obstruction is directly visualized.

In these cases the band must be deflated and the patient should remain on a clear liquid diet until the symptoms have subsided.

Pouch dilation

This involves esophageal and gastric pouch reaction to restriction. It is associated with an overinflated band in an overeating patient and it may lead to more serious complications such as band slippage

The symptoms include lack of restriction after a tight fill.

It is most commonly seen in patients that have a tendency to binge or eat large quantities of food disregarding the feeling of satiety.

The treatment for this is to deflate the band for at least one month to give the esophagus a chance to go back to its normal size and after this has happened, start over with the fills gradually tightening the band and monitering the size of the pouch through upper GI studies.

How to Avoid This?

Before your surgery, you are instructed on how your eating habits must change. Chewing your food properly, eating slowly and avoiding the foods your body does not tolerate decreases the possibility of vomiting which is the main cause of band slippage.

Thanks NaNa for your post. It was very informative to read and to remind us of what we are to do. I agree with most that only those seeking information, still on the journey, or having problems, are the most likely to remain on the board. Everynow and then a old timer comes on and tells their story of success and no problems. We must live the bandster rules and hope for the best. Its got to be better than the alternatives.

Good luck in your decision.

NaNa, thanks for the info, thats great to have.

Deb, maybe Check with your doctor about his/her stats on slippage (gastric prolapse) and revision. It should be in the 1-3% range.

My experiecne is unusual. But I had slippage immediately after being banded, in recovery. I went 4 days in the hospital with extreme pain.

They went back in for a 2nd surgery 4 days later to find the slippage, they didn't know about the slippage until they went in again. I totally trust my surgeon & am confident in his ability. He is very well known, lots of experience. Shit happens.

For 5 weeks post-op I couldn't say I'd get the band again. Recovery was very slow. But now almost 7 months post-op, I can finally say, I'd do it again, even with all of the pain and slow recovery. I feel so much better. My energy and confidence is back. I rode a bike for the first time in 8 yrs. Life is good. The complications were awlful but for someone looking into a band, I think it is healthy to at least know it can happen, even if it is rare. Complicatoins happen and did in my case. I recovered. Being obese was so painful both emotionally and mentally. I'm still obese but now I have hope.

What I did right was to find a Doc that had lots of experience, that I trusted and talked to me openly about the possible complications. I talked to 30 of his patients pre-op to be sure he was good. I considered Mexico and I am so glad I didn't do that. I want a Doc who is close and a hospital that knew him and knew what a lap band was, just in case.

I went to the fill center yesterday after a night of horrible reflex. Yep, my band had slipped. The previous week I have a stomach virus and did thow up. That did it. I was advised to stay on liquids for 1 week and mushies the following week. All of my fill was removed and this should correct the problem. I already feel 100% better. Would I do it all over again, I mean get the lap band? Absolutely! The fills can be a difficult thing to get just right, but my blood pressure was 127/72 and I feel very healthy other than this minor set back.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such thorough answers. You have all been so helpful. I feel a lot better now. You gave balance to the posts I've been reading. I'm schedule to attend a seminar on July 6. The surgeon I'm going to be seeing is Dr. George Fielding in NYC. That means trips to the city for followups. However, I hear Dr. Fielding is an excellent doctor.I would have preferred to see someone a little closer to home (I live about 45 miles north of NYC), but there were only two bariatric practices in my area with the cvredentials I sought. The first surgeon I saw wanted me to have an RNY, and the second doesn't accept insurance.

Thanks to all of you again. I appreciate your insights and wisdom.