Hi Dr. C,

I need help and don't know what to do. I had lap band surgery in Mexico last May, 2006. A doctor in Dayton has been doing my fills but my band was over filled last September and I have had problems ever since. I had 8 cc's in and had to go to the ER and have all taken out. Went back in Nov. and had 5 cc's back in.

Two weeks ago, I had been vomiting a lot so I went in to get some taken out of my band. Doc took all out and sent me for an Upper GI with barium. The person doing the test told me the barium was stuck in the esphogus. She showed me the xray.

Doc said everything was fine. So I kept complaining so he did EGD. Said band was in the right place and nothing was wrong.

I have not been able to eat any food for over 2 weeks. When I try, it hurts bad and I vomit. I have learned to drink little sips and it goes down.

I called everyday this week and doc will not call me back - office says he is in surgery. I explained that I could not eat solid food and asked them to have him call me.

Should I be worried about this? I can't go anywhere else cause I got my band in Mexico.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you,

Sherry

Dr. C,

I am experiencing a lot of pain on my left side which is radiating to my back on the left side. I would say it is moderate to severe at times. It started yesterday morning and I am not able to sleep.

Will you be in the office tomorrow? Would it be ok if I just showed up there tomorrow morning?

I'm sorry for being a pain in the ...

Thank you!

Sherry

Sewingloss: An average of 1-2 pounds a week is good. If you're losing less, it might be time for a fill...... Talk to your Dr......

Sherry,

I'm going to send you a PM rather than discussing your medical history here.

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!

Dr. C,

I am experiencing a lot of pain on my left side which is radiating to my back on the left side. I would say it is moderate to severe at times. It started yesterday morning and I am not able to sleep.

Will you be in the office tomorrow? Would it be ok if I just showed up there tomorrow morning?

I'm sorry for being a pain in the ...

Thank you!

Sherry

UPDATE:

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There is a God in heaven and he loves me… because he put Dr. C in my path!

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Well – I went to see Dr. C this morning. After chatting a bit, he decided to check out my band. Seems there was 6 cc’s of fluid still in there, even though the fill doc in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dayton </st1:place></st1:City>said it was empty.

<o:p> </o:p>

This would explain why I have been so sick over the last few months. Two weeks ago, the fill doc in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dayton</st1:place></st1:City> took out 5 cc’s. He said the band was empty but it really had 6 cc’s more left in it. I think everyone would agree that 11 cc’s in my band was too much.

<o:p> </o:p>

Results – The band was overfilled. There is nothing in my band now and I am giving it a break for a few weeks. Hopefully I will continue to get better and the swelling will go down. In might take a while since it was overfilled for several months.

<o:p> </o:p>

I would like to offer anyone thinking about driving to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dayton</st1:place></st1:City>, Oh for a fill some advice: KEEP ON DRIVIN… an extra 50 miles to Cincy will be well worth the drive!

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I also want to thank Dr. C for his kindness and his expertise! I can’t say enough about this man and I feel truly blessed to have him on my side.

<o:p> </o:p>

Thanks again Dr. C! I will see you in about a month.

Sherry

Sherry,

Glad I could help, and glad we don't have to operate on you!

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!

Hello,

I am pretty much new here. I have been banded back in September 2006, (5 months) Tomorrow I have an appointment with my surgeon for a possible 3rd fill. Ever since my surgery, when I get my cycle and I am finding that the band seems tighter than usual. Does this happen to anyone else?

Thank you.

Hi Dr. C,

Dr. Rodriguez in Mexico says I have an Inamed 11 cm band - the one that holds 9 cc's baloon. (?) I guess he should know but does that sound right to you? Apparently I don't have a VG band... is that what this means?

Thanks again,

Sherry

qwinner - how did you stretch your pouch?

qwinner - how did you stretch your pouch?

I apologize for not telling the entire story over again. I need to not think about it so much as I am hoping the situation corrects itself. Please read my past few posts for a more detailed explaination but here it is in a nut shell. After becoming too comfortable with my weightloss, I lost sight of how I got here. 80lbs doesn't come easy but sometimes we forget the challenges we faced along the way. I had a fill about 8 months ago and should have realized it was to much. I didn't though and went on for months and months and I began to push my limit, over eating probably more than I realized. A month or 2 back, I developed severe reflux that no medication would cure so I went to my band Doctor and a upper GI revealed that my band was too tight and my pouch was dilated. We are hoping that a couple of weeks of liquids and mush will reverse it. There was no damage or slippage of my band, so I am hopeful. This past few days have been hard. Like starting all over again 2 years ago, but I am determined not to lose my band. So, learn from me and treat you band with dignity and truthfulness and be kind to it so it can help you reach your goal and keep you there.

the reason i was asking i have started experiencing alot of foam. i was looking for something that may could remedy this problem. it is very annoying because it seems like i have an esophagus full of foam all day. i cleared my throat try to sip out, etc. always comes back. i have the uncontrollable to want to burp. it seems there is something stuck right where your adams apple would be if i were a male. any suggestions from anyone?

the reason i was asking i have started experiencing alot of foam. i was looking for something that may could remedy this problem. it is very annoying because it seems like i have an esophagus full of foam all day. i cleared my throat try to sip out, etc. always comes back. i have the uncontrollable to want to burp. it seems there is something stuck right where your adams apple would be if i were a male. any suggestions from anyone?

I don't mean to freak you out, but that is how my problem started. I thought it was a sore throat that wouldn't go away. I thought it was a lot of different things before facing reality. I even got an endoscopy and the Gastro said my band was fine. They can't tell from the inside. If you are having these problems, go immediately to your band doctor for an upper GI and drink the liquid and watch it go in your pouch and down into your stomach. If everything is fine, great. If not, you have caught it in time. DOn't put yourself thru what I did. It was awful. Let me know how you make out. Good luck.

Attadoc, Dr. C! And congrats Sherry for getting what you need!

I think that is a VG band although in the US at least it holds 10cc. Doesn't really matter as long as we know it's not a 4cc band.

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,

Dr. Rodriguez in Mexico says I have an Inamed 11 cm band - the one that holds 9 cc's baloon. (?) I guess he should know but does that sound right to you? Apparently I don't have a VG band... is that what this means?

Thanks again,

Sherry

I think it's so awesome of Dr. C to offer to take care of her! I wish you were in Texas Dr. C!!! I think I had a pouch dilation. I lost restriction and had terrible heartburn for about a month. I'm not able to see a surgeon for reasons I won't bore you with but I did look on these forums for some help. Dr. C said my symptoms sounded like possible pouch dilation. I immediately went on liquids only. Slim fast and Campbell's Bean with Bacon in a blender. I only had these in 1/4 to 1/2 cup servings three times a day or so. I did this for about a 2 weeks and I'm much better. I've only had mild heartburn about 3 or 4 times. Restriction is better. I started eating avocado, cottage cheese and soft fish with no problems. Lots of yogurt too. I've lost 5 pounds in these last 3 weeks and I feel much better. Should I be worried about "occasional" heartburn? It was daily before but only 3 or 4 times in the last week and only mild.

I had some heartburn and found that I was eating too close to bedtime.