STUPID f'n band! what is WRONG!!!

shellyj. · August 9, 2006

ok guys i am about ready to pull the plugs on my optimism with the band. this (insert curse words) band is giving me problems AGAIN and i really dont know what to do!!!

i had been partially unfilled since may when i recieved a tiny fill that was fine for a few weeks but got progressively tighter to the point of closing me off. the dr took out .4 cc's SWEET RELIEF!

so i waited 3 months till after the wedding to get a small refill. .1 and 1/2 but definitally NOT .2. (my dr said a .1 fill is so small its hard to give one that tiny so it was a smidge more than .1 but not more than .2.)

so i go home things are great. eating solids no PB's this goes on for a few days. i do notice that my meals are getting smaller and smaller. yesterday my caloric intake consisted of:

BREAKFAST: yogurt

lunch 4 bites of mushy mexican (barfed up)

NEW lunch slimfast

dinner 2 bites of mush cooked veggies (barfed up)

NEW dinner yogurt and a 90 calorie juice

i am SO DAMN FRUSTRATED i dont know what to do. before my fill i was WIDE OPEN. i had no restriction on portions and none on textures.

HOW can a .1 - .1 1/2 fill SEAL ME OFF????

if i cant EVER get restriction again how can i be successfull with the band? in november it will be 2 YEARS that i have gone WITHOUT restriction.

i have had so many fills and unfills its RIDICULOUS. my Fluid level is constant. i have never had them draw out less than they thought should be in there. my band hasnt slipped. WTF IS WRONG THEN???

ok enough complaining. i have to figure out if i can wait a week till my scheduled unfill or if i will have to in sooner. (MORE CURSE WORDS!!!)

****** for newbies...this is not a typical problem. usually the answer to being overfilled is to get an unfill wait a few weeks and get refilled slowly.

Trace Curry · August 9, 2006

Michelle,

Multiple alternating fills/unfills is often times a sign of either a slip or a hiatal hernia.

Hope you get it straightened out,

Dr. C

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

ok guys i am about ready to pull the plugs on my optimism with the band. this (insert curse words) band is giving me problems AGAIN and i really dont know what to do!!!
i had been partially unfilled since may when i recieved a tiny fill that was fine for a few weeks but got progressively tighter to the point of closing me off. the dr took out .4 cc's SWEET RELIEF!

so i waited 3 months till after the wedding to get a small refill. .1 and 1/2 but definitally NOT .2. (my dr said a .1 fill is so small its hard to give one that tiny so it was a smidge more than .1 but not more than .2.)

so i go home things are great. eating solids no PB's this goes on for a few days. i do notice that my meals are getting smaller and smaller. yesterday my caloric intake consisted of:

BREAKFAST: yogurt

lunch 4 bites of mushy mexican (barfed up)

NEW lunch slimfast

dinner 2 bites of mush cooked veggies (barfed up)

NEW dinner yogurt and a 90 calorie juice

i am SO DAMN FRUSTRATED i dont know what to do. before my fill i was WIDE OPEN. i had no restriction on portions and none on textures.

HOW can a .1 - .1 1/2 fill SEAL ME OFF????

if i cant EVER get restriction again how can i be successfull with the band? in november it will be 2 YEARS that i have gone WITHOUT restriction.

i have had so many fills and unfills its RIDICULOUS. my Fluid level is constant. i have never had them draw out less than they thought should be in there. my band hasnt slipped. WTF IS WRONG THEN???

ok enough complaining. i have to figure out if i can wait a week till my scheduled unfill or if i will have to in sooner. (MORE CURSE WORDS!!!)

****** for newbies...this is not a typical problem. usually the answer to being overfilled is to get an unfill wait a few weeks and get refilled slowly.

Josette · August 9, 2006

that sucks Shelly. I hope it gets better and is maybe just some weird swelling. I don't know. Good luck and I hope you get relief soon.

gordonfamily3 · August 9, 2006

The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. (I work for the my surgeon now so fill or unfill is no problem with me.) I wasn't lossing much and eating more not a lot but more. So I asked for a fill. They took me from 2.8 to 3.0, too much after a week so they took some out I am now @ 2.85 or 2.9 and it's working great so pb's but not many at all. It's weird I think it when we get to that "green zone" or something weird like that. Not sure but I totally fill your pain.

shellyj. · August 9, 2006

Michelle,
Multiple alternating fills/unfills is often times a sign of either a slip or a hiatal hernia.

Hope you get it straightened out,

Dr. C

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

hi dr c. thanks for responding. the last time this happened they checked me for a slip and assured me that it looked great, no slip, no pouch stretching, band placed perfectly. this was back in feb.

i have never been checked for a hiatal hernia BUT DEFINITALLY will be now. i am sure i will be checked again for a slip and have another endo. as well. btw- i have never had acid reflux with all these times of being to tight.

thanks josette for the well wishes.

kim- i am sorry you are going though the same thing. i will ask the dr for a small unfill in the hopes it will leave me with some restriction but i think he will want to take more than the .1 - .2 he added.

DonnaB · August 9, 2006

How long are you staying on liquids following your fills? The surgeon's office I'm using for fills recommends a full week on liquids before moving on to solids. MY SURGEON says 3 days of liquids, 3 days of mushies, then on to solids. Is it possible that you're eating solid food too soon after the fill and irritating your esophagus and stomach causing swelling? That would make you progressively tighter till you couldn't keep food down. Just a thought.

If that's not the problem, (this is a little "outside the box" but here goes) I think, if I were you, I'd try getting filled by another doctor or PA. It may not make a bit of difference but then again . . . it might. At any rate, you've got to try SOMETHING DIFFERENT if you want to get a different result.

Sorry you're having this problem. Let us know how you're doing and what you decide to try.

MelodyJ · August 9, 2006

I got into a VICIOUS cycle of eat, pb, swell.....then I just kept doing it!! Finally took 3 wks of liquids --warm much better---then voila....can eat again!!!

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -74lbs

the best me · August 9, 2006

shelly, I wonder if sipping some Aloe Vera juice ( a few ounces a few times a day) would help? Just a shot in the dark. That's def. what I'd be doing, so I thought I'd offer it up. Good luck.

HunnyBun · August 9, 2006

I can't offer advice, but putting myself in your shoes I would be very devestated. All I can offer is compassion.

I truly hope you find a way to overcome this.

Mags

Teresa A · August 9, 2006

I hope everything works out well. I will keep you in my thoughts.

shellyj. · August 9, 2006

donna- calvin and i were just talking about trying a different dr for fills. the problem is there are VERY limited ones in the area. i go to idaho now to see my current dr. there is a NEW dr in town that we just found that does has done the band for 6 years so i have his name and number. i will think about seeing him in the future.

as far as liquids after fills, my dr's (both of them) just suggest liquids-mushies the first 3 days and move on as you are able. i chew my foods till they are liquids then chew more! right now i am going on liquids for SEVERAL days.

kathy- i will definitally try the aloe vera juice.

thanks to everyone for the support. i am SOOOO frustrated. i have done this so many times (fills - unfills) i just feel like at some point i have to realize that i may not ever be able to have restriction. *sighs*

leatha_g · August 9, 2006

I'm right there with you Shelley. I've been filled/unfilled so many times now, I just don't see the use in trying again. I honestly think it has to do with some sort of atrophy of the esophagus due to long term banding.

shellyj. · August 9, 2006

I'm right there with you Shelley. I've been filled/unfilled so many times now, I just don't see the use in trying again. quote]
thats EXACTLY how i feel, i mean for almost 2 years i have been been getting filled and unfilled and EVERY time this happens. at some point i have to wonder when is enough!!

I honestly think it has to do with some sort of atrophy of the esophagus due to long term banding.

hehehe leatha i need laymans terms! is that like scar tissue? when i first had restriction i was at 3.4 cc's. currently i am almost sealed off completely at 2.0. thats a CONSIDERABLE amount less than before and neither of my dr's had any explanation on that?!?!

Maryland · August 9, 2006

Shelly, you say you don't have restriction, but if that is all you are eating, you DEFINITELY have restriction! Just perhaps not the kind you had in mind! LOL But something is sealing you off -- a hernia, some kind of swelling, or something. It might even be stress, or fear that something is going to go wrong again. I can have problems keeping dinner down if we start talking politics at the table! It's as if my stomach/esophagus just tightens right up. Or if I'm nervous or rushing -- same thing.

See if maximizing a relaxing atmosphere will help. Make sure you have plenty of time to eat, no talking, put on soothing music, etc. See if that helps. You may have created a psychological feed-back loop that needs to be broken (you have a bad experience with the band, which makes you nervous it's going to reoccur, which causes your stomach to tighten up, etc.) If so, you need to be patient in breaking the loop, cause your body has to unlearn the behavior.

Anyways, I wish you success, and I hope these ideas can help.

leatha_g · August 9, 2006

By atrophy, I mean some sort of malfunction of the esophagus. Probably due to relaxation of the muscles/elasticity of the esophagus.

I'm right there with you Shelley. I've been filled/unfilled so many times now, I just don't see the use in trying again. quote]
thats EXACTLY how i feel, i mean for almost 2 years i have been been getting filled and unfilled and EVERY time this happens. at some point i have to wonder when is enough!!

hehehe leatha i need laymans terms! is that like scar tissue? when i first had restriction i was at 3.4 cc's. currently i am almost sealed off completely at 2.0. thats a CONSIDERABLE amount less than before and neither of my dr's had any explanation on that?!?!