Thinking About Removing My Band

[knoxknox 2]

I have been a member here since last March but have not participated. I got an email and thought I would look to you all for some guidance.

I have a 10cc band that was put in 10 years ago - I don't remeber the exact date. I did pretty well with it at first although did have problems eating many foods. I lost about 50 pounds. But after about two years things started to go downhill. I continued to try to work with the band. I went to support group meeitngs (they are no longer available). I tried to eat the foods I was supposed to eat. But I was having issues keeping food down. I had fills backed out. I had a fluoroscope a couple of years ago and the band hadn't slipped. Everything looked okay.

I am now at no fill and have been for about 3 years. I still vomit several times a week. I have horrible reflux. I take Nexium to help but it doens't take care of it all. I gained all my weight and then some. My teeth and throat are starting to show damage from the reflux and vomiting. While there are foods that almost always give me problems, even the foods that I generally can eat will bother me from time to time. I am usually afraid to eat as I don't know if I will keep it down or not. I do try to focus on eating and take small bites and chew chew chew. I find I drink with my meals because it helps flush the food through. If I don't I generally have problems. Sometimes I eat and I think I am okay only to have to vomit an hour or more later. I generally feel like there is a ball stuck in my throat. Sometimes my stomach growls because I am so hungry but nothing will go though.

Here are my food issues:

• I can't eat rice of any kind. No quinua, no brown rice.
• I can eat some Pasta but never spaghetti or angel hair. I often have issues with elbow macaroni. I avoid Pasta generally.
• I have a tough time eating raw fruit especially apples, oranges.
• I have a hard time with potato in any form. Though had some potato and gravy at the holidays (about 1/4 cup)
• I generally can't eat meat. Red meat in particular. chicken has to be a thin breast and very moist or a finely ground chicken salad. I can eat deli meat in a sandwich depending the type of bread. I can't eat ground beef but can ususally eat ground turkey.
• I can't eat scrambled egss. I can eat fried eggs on an English Muffin (Egg McMuffin) provided I chew it to close to a liquid.< /li>
• I can however generally eat Cookies, pies, cakes, chips, ice cream, crackers. But even those get stuck.
• I can usually eat salad.< /li>
• I drink diet soda occassionally but shake out the carbonation. I usually drink lite green tea or Water. coffee in the morning.

I am trying to eat well but find I can't get in the foods that I need to eat. I am in a program at work that helps with healthy eating but I have a hard time following it because I can't keep down the foods they want us to eat. I know I don't get my Protein in nor my fruits and vegatables. I tried drinking my fruits and veggies by drinking a can of V8 fusion daily. I don't want to live on Protein shakes and liquids. I want to eat healthy foods and have a balanced diet. I don't want to be afraid to eat. I want to eat normally.

Does anyone else have these kinds of issues? Will having the band removed resolve these issues? I chose the band because I felt it gave me the best shot at eating normally while helping me control the portions. Now I regret having it done. Maybe I should have gone with a bypass.

I welcome your comments/suggestions. Maybe this group will help me restart my band efforts or help me determine what my next steps should be.

Thanks!

Karen in Maine

[2muchfun 8,928]

First, I would recommend you visit your bariatric doc if you still have one and if you don't, find one, make an appointment and get the scoop from an expert. Visiting with a nutritionist might help too.

It sounds like you're band has too much saline in it? You might want to have it all taken out and start the post op phase all over? There's a site that might help you narrow down your options.

Check this out: http://5daypouchtest.com/

You might want to look at the sleeve if these benign attempts don't work?

tmf

[BillieG 81]

That sounds awful!! I am "pre-surgery" planning to be banned any day now. I did a lot of research to hear the good and bad before I made this decision. I don't know if there is a difference but it seems that most people who have had the band around 10 or more years ago have these problems. A friend of mine also had it done in 2004 and she lost 100 lbs then started having similar problems like you are having. She thinks it is the type of band they used. Now the "realize" band is supposed to be much better? I don't know?

Anyhow, it sounds like u are going through hell and hey... this doesn't work for everyone. I would see a bariatric specialist first to get a final opinion and if things don't change get it removed! You definitely don't sound like it is helping you live a healthier lifestyle.

Good luck!

[B-52 7,113]

2 things jumped out at me....You are trying to eat what you are being told to eat? You also mentioned what you NEED to eat?

I make my own food choices (Smart choices) based upon what the band will allow me to eat....I am also surprised as to how little I need to eat..and yet I am 100% healthy and have more energy I know what to do with...

2nd thing, all the food you listed..it would appear my list is very similar....with some variations, give or take....but you would be surprised what other foods you can eat.

You keep mentioning the foods you NEED to eat...that can be a wide interpretation...also you say to eat "Normally"...what is Normal? as it was before we had surgery?

I have friends that eat less than me...and they did not have surgery, nor were they ever fat a single day in their lives...they eat like "Birds"

The way I eat now, I could never have imagined before surgery...if anyone told me that THIS was going to be my NEW NORMAL, I would say they were nuts...no one can survive like that....yet my portions are no bigger than my fist, and then I am done!

Everyone is different, have different comfort levels, tolerances, and different adjustments to the band....I feel everyone has to learn their band, how to "listen" to it, learn their own rights and wrongs....all with the Blessings of your Dr....NOT what the next person is doing or not doing.

Things that I can, and cannot do...I do not expect the next person to be the same or follow my lead...but to be aware that every individual has to find their "Groove" where everything clicks....and they find success, not never ending, ongoing struggles...

Edited January 1, 2014 by B-52

[hiddnstar 167]

HI!

With no fill and still vomiting several times a week, it seems to me that it's time to remove the band.

I hope you will see a doctor as soon as you can to discuss your situation. It is concerning that your throat and teeth are now showing damage caused by the complication.

I am so sorry about what you have gone thru and continue to go thru. How very frustrating. I can understand your being scared to eat. I am glad you are reaching out to people who may have an understanding from personal experience or from their own research on weight loss surgery.

I don't see any good reason to leave the present band in. It is not working for you and you are sick and uncomfortable.

When I was first having problems with my band, my surgeon did a barium swallow to see if the band was still placed correctly.

It was. So he declared my symptoms were not caused by the band.

However, what he didn't check was how it was actually functioning.

I had trouble for a long time until I finally went to a different surgeon who checked the placement as well as the functioning.

What he saw while looking at the functioning, was that the band had migrated (which was not seen on the "placement" pictures) and I no longer had a pouch. He also determined that in order to get true restriction, I needed a lot more fill -- and my body could not tolerate any more fill.

Basically my body rejected the band. I was fortunate that this second surgeon checked the function aspect so that we had a complete picture..

I had mine removed.

I have heard the newer bands work better than the old ones. So, be sure to write down questions you have about what your options might be now. Maybe you could have yours removed, heal up, and have a newer model put in. It's something to ask, if you are interested.

It was important to me to have something in place before I had the band removed, to address continued weight loss.

I hope you will see a bariatric specialist who can help you with your situation --- and soon. You don't want to continue causing damage to your body (you mentioned your teeth and throat). It also sounds like the easiest foods to eat are the highly processed, high sugar, high fat crapola, That was true for me, too. And that is another reason to see someone ASAP, so you can get back to eating and digesting food that will nourish your body.

Take care of you

And make an appointment for next week if you can!

~hiddn

[twinmommy2014 7]

I had a negative band experience and surgeon removed it after 9 months. 5 years later I am still plus size. Now I am waiting for either the sleeve or bypass through health insurance. I should get a call to start the process in a couple months. I have been waitlisted since Aug 2012. I would NEVER EVER recommend the band to anyone. I too did all the research, made the decision and spent thousands to be a complete failure. New research shows it has a failure rate as high as 50%. Wish I knew that years ago. I followed the diet, did everything right and basically threw up for 9 months. It even started to damage my esophagus. I even cried when they told me it had to be removed bc I felt like a failure. There are other options. The band is not for everyone. Do what feels right.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

My concern for you is the constant pbing and reflux causing internal damage to not only your teeth but to your throat also. I would think that you should see your doctor, have an endo done to see if there is anything wrong on the inside and then an upper GI to make sure everything is ok on the outside. It's neither here nor there what you are eating or can not eat the issue is the band is not working well with you or for you at this point. You may be able to get a new band and have the old one removed. I would think a very near appointment with your doctor would be your best bet. If I was having this many issues eating I would definitely have it taken out. Why live miserable day to day with something that is making you physically ill. Take care of you.

[duckydoom 128]

I'm commenting on this for a hopeful update... how did it all end up? I'm seriously considering removal as this point (same issue, PBing constantly, never sure of what is going to set my band off), and am hoping to get some advice. I hope all is well with you.

[Pepper28 82]

Just reading thru your post & I understand you're in a program at work which gives nutritional information to people who have not had wls?

I find that if I stick to only those foods that do not irritate my pouch and I comply with my band's eating program I do just fine.

My list of foods is exactly as yours. No meat, only the soft parts of the chicken, ground turkey, etc.

I do live on Protein shakes, Soups, and salads, sugar free jellos, oatmeal, mushies. And yes its a VERY VERY miserable life, a very different life from my pre-band life where I carried around 60 extra pounds on my knees and ankles baring most of the weight, but I've accepted it as my New Normal..

Will I be able to tolerate this for years on end? for the rest of my life?

I don't know. But its the sacrifice I'm willing to endure for the moment until I've gotten my weight under control.

And if removing my band means gaining weight....I'll try and ride it out for as long as I must...

[duckydoom 128]

Yeah, I actually work for the insurance company that covered my band, and I went through nutritional counseling on my own for 6 months prior to moving forward in the band process. With the coverage for the surgery itself, it was stipulated that I would pay out of pocket for an additional 24 sessions of phone nutritional counseling to make sure that I was on the right track. The counselor would go over my food tracking with me, we'd talk about introducing new foods, what worked, what didn't work, etc. It was really helpful in developing better eating skills and coping skills (I was an emotional eater, now I redirect it to walking the dogs, sewing, etc).

It worked fantastically for me for about the first year, and it's only really been the last 6 months that I've had so many problems. I avoided tough meats (we were actually vegan for the first 9 months after the surgery, then slowly started adding in animal Proteins again), pastas, breads, etc with only the occasional slip up food wise. I was very tolerant, so she gave me a fill from 6 ccs to 6.5 ccs, and then I started having the issues with being stuck, PB-ing, etc. We removed the .5, and it just never went back to that sweet spot. I'd start PBing and straight up vomiting with such force that I'd end up with burst blood vessels in and around my eyes (sorry to be graphic), and never know what would trigger it. I'd go back to full liquids and mushies, and then per the nurse start trying to work those super moist animal Proteins in again, tolerate them fine, and then suddenly a salad or a portion of meat that I'd tolerated before would set me off and I'd be sick again. We still review my foods, and can't find any sort of pattern.

I'm as unfilled as I can be right now and had a vegetarian chili for dinner last night. I managed a quarter cup before feeling full, but when I woke up this morning I could still feel it sitting in my pouch, so I'm back to broth today. I totally hear you in saying that if that's what it takes, I'll do it... and I totally made that commitment to myself when I started this journey, expecting ups and downs, but that I'd finally settle into a routine and know what was right and wrong for me to eat. Not knowing any of that, being scared to eat, and still being at my surgery day starting weight 18 months later is finally just wearing on me to the point where I want to be done. It's a scary and very emotional place for me... I don't like it!

Hopefully tomorrow's appointment will give me some answers though. Not knowing is the hardest part for me.

[duckydoom 128]

Aaand, I totally just realized this wasn't my own original post and you were talking to the OP. Sigh. I am so frazzled.

[Pepper28 82]

@@duckydoom

Love your story!

I'll consider consulting with a nutritionist.

Amazing how only a .5 makes a huge difference.

Same for me...it was like an instant light switch between eating a cow and a .5 later on sugar free Jello and popsicles for weeks!

[duckydoom 128]

Thank you I feel like a doofus and I am effectively banning myself from the internets until I get some sleep lol.

Definitely consulting a nutritionist was a big thing for me. I found that if I didn't take a digestive aid before eating animal products, I'd tend to retain Water. I've definitely lost fat overall and gained muscle, but I'm just nowhere near where I had hoped to be by this point.

Best of luck to you in your journey <3