What exactly does it mean: The band is too high

Poodles · September 22, 2007

My doctor says my band is too high. What are the symptoms of this, and what causes it?

Can it be fixed without surgery? (Think I know the answer to that already, as he wants to take it out... but thought I would ask.)

Band-aided · September 24, 2007

From what I've heard and read on this forum a band being to high is, it's been placed to near the throat (can't spell the name for the oss-off-i-gas) for a suitable poach to form. The band needs to be a little way down to be able to make room for a small poach! is this as clear as mud! Hope you understand.

loriely · September 24, 2007

How are you doing now jetlagjane ?You had to have an emergency defill.

Band-aided · September 26, 2007

Hi Loriely,

Oh my God, so not funny!!!! Just had a fill yesterday at my Doctors, I'd emailed them in panic when I was in Africa and when I went in today they were laughing their heads off! I'm in bloody Pakistan now so hope to goodness I don't have another blockage! I'm playing it safe and staying on liquids whilst I'm

here! I'll tell you what though, Zimbabwa was the cheapest place on earth for a defill $5.00!

Jx

mandi78 · October 13, 2007

Poodles-What has happened with your situation? Does the dr think it was always too high? Will he replace it or does he just want to remove it totally?

Poodles · October 14, 2007

They want to remove it and do an RNY, but I won't go for the RNY. The Dr. removed all the fill, and I have been pain free for a few weeks, which makes my life alot better.

I have noticed that if I follow the "rules" I have restriction. If I don't follow the rules, I can eat the house down. I started back low carb, and it seems to be working (although this is day ONE.) I had to get the "oh yeah I can eat with out pain" thing out of my system. Now I realize that since I can eat without pain, I should eat the right stuff...

mbz · October 15, 2007

There are 2 other options I can think of, other than RnY--I am going to DS (Duodenal Switch), but there is also a less-extreme version (no intestinal bypassing) called the VGG (vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) You can read posts about them on obesityhelp.com, good luck!

WASaBubbleButt · October 15, 2007

Poodles, is the doc that wants to remove your band the same one who placed the band? If not, I would send current films to your original band surgeon before doing anything.

It's really quite difficult to place the band too high. It almost takes effort to screw it up that bad and the reason is because your stomach is soft and mushy like a piece of cooked fat on a steak. Your esophagus is hard, rubbery, dense, and kinda like the hard part of your ear. In order to sew the band into your esophagus it would be very difficult and take extreme effort. If you stuck a needle in a piece of cooked fat would it feel different than if you stuck it in a book? Sure it would, it would be bloody obvious. It would take effort to get the needle through a book, it would slide through a piece of fat with complete ease.

If you were a doctor would you go to the extreme effort to make your esophagus a pouch or would you recognize that something isn't quite right?

Sometimes docs just want to make money. Even if your pouch is too high, so what? Why would they remove it? Why not reposition it instead? Why RNY? RNY earns a doc a LOT more money than a simple repositioning of your band.

Another reason to have your original surgeon view the films is that sometimes on an xray the images are distorted. Actually, the larger the piece of film the more distorted images are. It isn't always exactly like it is on film vs. in your body.

The biggest reason to have your original surgeon view the films is because what typically happens in such a situation is that some surgeons sew the band in place just a tad different than another surgeon. When a doc is expecting it to be one way but your surgeon sews it another way it can appear different than what it is. The new doc is looking for a specific type of view and he doesn't realize that the original surgeon didn't sew the band into place as the new surgeon and it can "appear" to be higher or lower than it actually is.

During surgery the doc places the band around your stomach. Then he takes a portion of the lower stomach, brings it UP and over the band and sews it to the upper stomach (or newly formed pouch). Some docs grab a different piece of the lower stomach than other docs and so the final product is going to appear different on film vs. what it really is. Only the original surgeon knows his own technique and if he has an odd or non standard technique it will look differently on film from what the viewer is expecting.

Not sure if that makes sense but I hope it offers some insight to potential issues to be aware of.

VegasGrace · October 16, 2007

Before I make a decision I'd have it measured. Look in the handbook and it tells you exactly where it is to be positioned. My doc-family doc, said it was sitting on my esophogas. I almost paniced... but I took out the book, then when I went back for the Barium Swallow- brought the book and showed the radiology tech and radiologist who said it was within the range.

Whew!