Hello Bandsters

Was wondering if I could get some advice, just to give you some background; I had my first band fitted with ACS in 2007, it was a cheap band but it worked very well until 2011 and I lost 7 stone. However in 2011, it started to go funny and i started to wake up choking and as if that wasn’t bad enough, I ended up putting on 2 stone also. I was absolutely devastated and it looked like all my hard work was for nothing. Desperate as I didn’t want to go back to the way I was, I started looking at other places that provided bands, Belgium, my previous surgeon who now worked in France , places where the band is much cheaper to get. After going to see different band providers I decided in the first quarter of 2013 to go with one in Dublin, it was much more expensive (double the price) but I figured if there were any problems I would was only a car ride away. This place came across as professional and knowledgeable. They said that they used a much better band and that it was unlikely I would have any problems and one year’s after care would be covered in the total price. Delighted because I was really worried, I paid my money, ready to start another journey with my new band.

So I got the new band put in, the first two weeks were grand, after two weeks the swelling went down and there was no appetite suppression (the company don’t like the term restriction) and it’s the hungriest I have been in six years, I put on a half stone but I consoled myself, I would get my fill within a month of the operation and everything would be tickety boo... not so.... They filled the band to 6ml, and nothing, I contacted the Liaison Person and was told I would have to wait a month to get another fill. They only do fills - get this now, once a month! (Of course this was never mentioned previously, I was led to believe it was every Saturday and that all I needed to do was book an appointment). If I was struggling it was too bad, because I had to adhere to their ridiculous guidelines even if the band was not doing its job. Talk about fat shaming!! . So I promised myself, I would not discuss anything with the Liaison Person again, just confirm appointments with them and I would do all my talking to the Doctor and the Nurse who administer the fills.

I was struggling because I was constantly hungry, add to that I had really bad shoulder pain and my insomnia was acting up because I was so stressed and my anxiety was through the roof, so I had no energy to go out for my marathon 6KM walks. However once a month up until September, I would visit with either the Doctor or the Nurse to get a fill and I would explain again that there was no suppression, they would make sympathetic noises that I needed to be patient. By this stage I had over 9ml in and nothing, I was worried as this is a lot to have in the band and not have any sort of restriction (damn it! It’s our word, I should be allowed to use it ). I was very upset and depressed and stayed away after that, I felt like I had been made a fool of.

The only good thing, that’s if you can call it that is that I haven’t put on any more weight but my weight has stayed the same (except for 2lbs I put on over xmas).

Just after Christmas, i started choking again, it was slight at first but I had to go back and get some fill taken out of the band. I told the Doctor on call (different from my Surgeon) again that there is nothing happening with this band, it’s not doing anything. He gave me the usual speel about it being a tool and that I could be drinking 10 milk shakes a day (I’m not!) however I pointed out a tool is no good unless it actually does the job it is supposed to do but he just brushed me off.

It’s getting closer to the end of my after care and I can’t help but feel they are and have been “eeking” all this out and not bothering to do anything, so that they will look at my band only after my after care has expired and I will then have to pay more fees on top of what I have already paid.

Apologies for the misile but I thought it was better to give full story, as this isn’t my first trip with the band and I just I am really frustrated and upset and feel like I have been conned out of a lot of money for something that is a Trojan Horse.

I would appreciate any advice, I will be meeting with the Surgeon soon and I am again going to reiterate that the band is not doing anything, I may as well have nothing there for all the good it does.

If I am ignored this time, I would look at other avenues i.e. get legal advice or as my friend (a freelance journalist ) suggested she write an article. As far as I can see these are last resorts, I don’t want to do that, I want my band to work, I just want to be like other women.

If anyone has gone through this or something similar I would love to hear what you did or what your opinions are because I just feel like a total idiot.

Thank you.

If I were in your shoes, I would begin by having a look at the functioning of the band. I would do this with a barium swallow (under fluorscopy) so the professionals (and you) can actually see the rate at which the liquid flows through your band. Then you can see restriction (or not). When they are filling you, are they pulling out the saline which is already in your band to check for leaks? They should be doing this as part of quality control with each fill, whether "blind" or under fluorscopy.

Watching how the barium flows will tell your healthcare workers loads about your band, and, if it just flows right through, will corroborate your story and they will be hard pressed to brush you off.

I would start with this. Even if it weren't covered I would pay for it, just to be sure that the band is in place and functioning correctly. For info, a fluorscopy where I live, in France, is around 250 euros. NHS covers all of it but 15 euros, which my private insurance picks up.

Edited January 20, 201412 yr by parisshel

Hi Parisshel

Thanks for the above, the Doctor on Call said he was going to take the Fluid out and check for leaks but then when he was doing the de-fill, he said the needle pushed back (showed resistance) when he was taking out the fill so there was no need to check for leaks as the band wouldn't have done that if there was leaks.

I will ask them to do a barium swallow and see what they say.

Thanks again.

Edited January 20, 201412 yr by Candp

I would ask..no I would demand the swallow as well... this is your body and you have every right to get it checked.. and after all is said and done.. find a dr's office who will take you on with this band.. one who has your best interest in heart,... this office sounds like it it doesn't. goodluck

Thanks Jenni30

I will demand the barium swallow.

Unfortunately there are not that many places in Ireland that do gastric bands and the ones that do will not touch another's company's band, I would have to get the band taken out again. Really don't think I could go through that again...

You say you have 9ml presently in your band...how large is your band? 9ml does sound like a lot....plus, 6ml on your first fill is a large amount, in my opinion...although my first was 4 and did absolutely nothing....

My fills were 1 month apart also....most Dr.'s in the states do not do them any closer, least from what I have heard and read.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Choking" but since this is about lap band I will assume you mean through your digestion, possibly unable to get food down.

Going from 6 to 9 sounds like a big jump...does not surprise me you are "Choking".....

Generally, from what I know, the first fill can be large, and may not have any effect other than the swelling as you described...after that the fills get much smaller because then the Dr. is "Fine Tuning"...trying to find that perfect balance point...many people only get 1, maybe 2 on their 2nd, and after that it can be as low as .5 increments....

Just my opinion, but after the first fill they should have been more cautious...patience being the key....

The fact you are choking is proof that the band is doing something...but you should have eased into it...not jump head first...going from 6 to 9....

I have also heard, and NOT experienced it, that after getting a band completely un -filled, or removed as in your case, the 2nd time around is never quite the same as the first time....

My OPINION...is get some Fluid taken out, even back to 6ml if needed...then work your way back up gradually from there...and 1 month apart is not too long....

I had 3 fills 1 month apart...4, then 2, then finally 1.....that was all I needed...and the last fill I too was "Choking" for about 2 weeks, until the swelling went down...and the swelling would not go down if I continued to eat solid foods...had to be easier softer foods...even more shakes than usual.

This thing DOES work, but it does take a little fitness to get it there between the band adjustments, the foods we eat, and our own behavior modification.......not always an easy thing to do, and takes some understanding as to what is actually happening...and alas, not everyone "Gets it"

BTW...I like your attitude in reference to the "Tool"...frankly I get tired of hearing the term, and feel some people use it as an excuse or way out....but that's just me....

Edited January 20, 201412 yr by B-52

HI B-52,

Thanks for your post, I have commented on your quotes below:

You say you have 9ml presently in your band...how large is your band? 9ml does sound like a lot....plus, 6ml on your first fill is a large amount, in my opinion...although my first was 4 and did absolutely nothing....

My band has 14ml capacity, the surgeon put 3 ml in while I was being operated on as he was replacing my previous band. Then a month after 3ml was put in bringing it up to 6ml, still nothing, I went a month later with still no suppression/restriction 2 ml was put in. Again nothing, a month after that, I went and got 1 ml put in, nothing again. Then in September five months after having the band fitting i got 0.5 ml put in, brining it up to 9.5 ml and still no suppression.

My fills were 1 month apart also....most Dr.'s in the states do not do them any closer, least from what I have heard and read.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Choking" but since this is about lap band I will assume you mean through your digestion, possibly unable to get food down.

There are Cosmetic Surgeons in Belgium who come to Dublin twice a month, to carry out fills for it's patients. I choose a Irish company as an extra precaution.

I wake up choking on my saliva in the middle of the night, it means there is inflamation around the band, even I don't feel any restriction. Which could also indicate that the band may have been placed in correctly or that the band itself is faulty.

Going from 6 to 9 sounds like a big jump...does not surprise me you are "Choking".....

Generally, from what I know, the first fill can be large, and may not have any effect other than the swelling as you described...after that the fills get much smaller because then the Dr. is "Fine Tuning"...trying to find that perfect balance point...many people only get 1, maybe 2 on their 2nd, and after that it can be as low as .5 increments....

As I previously had a band, my body should be used to having restriction, over a five month period the fills did get smaller as I was anxious because the band was being filled and nothing was happening.

Just my opinion, but after the first fill they should have been more cautious...patience being the key....

The fact you are choking is proof that the band is doing something...but you should have eased into it...not jump head first...going from 6 to 9....

They were cautious I got 9.5mls over five months, and each time I met with them I told them there was something not right withthe band.

I have also heard, and NOT experienced it, that after getting a band completely un -filled, or removed as in your case, the 2nd time around is never quite the same as the first time....

My OPINION...is get some Fluid taken out, even back to 6ml if needed...then work your way back up gradually from there...and 1 month apart is not too long....

I had 3 fills 1 month apart...4, then 2, then finally 1.....that was all I needed...and the last fill I too was "Choking" for about 2 weeks, until the swelling went down...and the swelling would not go down if I continued to eat solid foods...had to be easier softer foods...even more shakes than usual.

This thing DOES work, but it does take a little fitness to get it there....and alas, not everyone "Gets it"

You are absolutely correct and I completely "get it" the band is fantastic if it works, and if you are operating at your sweet spot (which does take a while but it's now nine months and there is no sweet spot) the first band I had I lost 7 stone, at present I may not even have a band for all the good it does.

Ok, a 14ml band is something I know nothing about, and have read the numbers and equations are totally different than someone with a 10ml band...

That's no problem, thanks for your insight.

"I could be drinking 10 milk shakes a day (I’m not!)"

So, what are you eating daily to not feel restriction/suppression?

BTW-Many of us have 14 ML/CC bands. 9 fill is on the high end but I've seen other banders post higher numbers, and, 30 days between fills is the norm.

tmf

Hi 2muchfun

On a normal work day i would have the following:

Breakfast - 2 coffee lattes with low fat soya milk (85 cals per cup) -

1 banana

Break - a small bar of chocolate with Herbal Tea (no milk)

lunch - A large bowl of homemade Soup (today it was cauliflower and carrot)

1 Yogurt

More herbal tea

dinner - Will be a small plate of either rice and stir fry meat veg / salad, dressing and meat / sometimes potato, meat and veg

I stay away from most fruits (except bananas) as I find they give me really bad sugar cravings.

I drink Water and Herbal teas, during the day, most of the time I am still hungry, if I have something bigger for lunch, I am still hungry at dinner time.

Sometimes I will have a small bar of chocolate in the evening but nothing massive.

My weight has stayed the same since the first fill and I admit my insomnia is so bad that I haven't been able to go walking every night.

BTW-Many of us have 14 ML/CC bands. 9 fill is on the high end but I've seen other banders post higher numbers, and, 30 days between fills is the norm.

tmf

I understand that 9ml is high, but do you feel restriction with that, I assume you do?

It appears your breakfast and lunch menus are what we call slider foods and do not offer much in the way of suppression. Stir fry can give some restriction/suppression but depends on the meat or how firm you cook the veggies. I'd be hungry too if I ate your way.

Most nutritionists who understand the band will suggest denser foods and always Protein first. eggs, ham, omelets mock breakfast burritos for breakfast. Lunches should be chicken, turkey(deli too) fish etc. Brown rice, whole wheat breads and especially potatoes should come after the 6 ozs of meat. Drinking while eating should be shunned too.

The band won't work it's magic if food easily passes through the stoma into the lower stomach. What we strive for is satiation through stimulation of the valgus nerve and slider foods won't do this. If we're satiated, we should be eating less with much less hunger.

I don't know how many CCs are in my band. I just know if I eat like a Bandster I feel less hunger and eat less food.

tmf

One of my band eating rules is no liquids (like soup or yogurt) for meals. As tmf says about, these go right through the stoma and offer no feeling of fullness. No wonder you are hungry.

Tmf gives excellent bandster eating tips here. Try a couple of days following these and I'll bet you'll start to feel full on these types of dense solids. I might also nix the chocolate--it slides through, keeps your sugar cravings in active mode, and offers no nutrition (although I understand the pleasure part!).

It could be that you are properly adjusted; the only way to test this is to follow the bandster diet.

Thanks for your posts, I will take on board what you are saying, but even with my evening meal which has much more bulk there is no restriction at all.