Signs of slip or erosion? Please help

[strawberryparty 0]

Hi, I made a post on the 18th, I saw my GP on the 19th and she prescribed me Lansoprazole - my symptoms were acid reflux that was keeping me up at night and nausea (GP felt my abdomen and she told me it was not erosion and extremely unlikely to be a slip). I took the Lansoprazole yesterday and this morning, but I am feeling worse.

I was banded in 2009, I got in touch with the helpline of the Hospital Group who banded me, I've been told a nurse will call me some time today, but in the meantime I'm feeling unwell and worried. The Hospital Group woman I spoke to said the GP would not have been able to tell if it was a slip/erosion just from feeling, and that instead I needed x-ray.

I feel very nauseous. I am shaking, my hands and arms feel shaky.

I feel like there's a sort of loose fist clenched in my chest, it's not painful, just uncomfortable and a feeling of something not right that's just lingering for going on 4 days now.

I was told by Hospital Group that a barium x-ray will cost me £450.

I don't know what to do - should I wait for the nurse to call me? I'm feeling sick and like something's wrong. Should I go to A&E or wait?

I just don't know if this is the band having slipped or erosion or what it is. I can't wait another night like this though.

Can anyone who has experienced slip or erosion give me insight if my symptoms sound like I need to go to A&E?

Edited January 20, 2017 by strawberryparty

[gryffen 176]

I would just go to casualty and get seen too, most surgeons work for nhs anyway so you could be seen sooner and get treatment quicker if needed. Unfortunately THG is about money so if that's tight then casaulty

Fridge Pickers Wear Bigger Knickers ????

[strawberryparty 0]

I've been in A&E, just got home today, had x-rays & CT that showed abnormalities, i'll be having band out soon hopefully after a follow-up with specialist. Thank god for NHS, I could not have waited on THG nurse's call was in too much pain in the end, and paying £450 for an x-ray wasn't possible. Will be so glad to have the band out.

[gryffen 176]

Hi lass, hope your feeling better knowing you felt something wrong and got it checked. So has your band slipped or is it chewing through the silicon? Make sure to get referred back to your primary WLS provider or go via NHS for followup

Fridge Pickers Wear Bigger Knickers ????

[strawberryparty 0]

Hey gryffen, feeling much better now thanks, the situation was - CT showed band was awkwardly placed & that was causing problems, and also I'd mistakenly thought that my band was empty when in fact it still had saline in it, so having any fill in wasn't helping matters.

I'd been fine with the band for the last 5 years since my last unfill, but acid reflux and nausea had been getting worse over the course of the last year, until last week or so where it was becoming unbearable and was keeping me awake all night. Then, the last couple of days before going to A&E, I was getting horrible discomfort in my chest like a fist squeezed tight, and I was "feeling" the band like I never had in all the time I've had it since 2009.

Went to my GP first, she felt my stomach, said v unlikely to be slip or erosion, prescribed me proton pump inhibitors, told me to come back in a month and we'd see how I was. But that night & the next morning I felt worse, pain in chest/oesophagus/top of stomach was worse. I called up THG, the lady I spoke to said she'd have nurse call me back, and she said I could pay to come in for them to check my band was empty, could also pay £450 for an X-ray with them, but I just don't have the money right now. So I was waiting for their nurse to call me for a while, but in the end I was just feeling worse & worse, felt something was very wrong.

Went to A&E, had x-rays and CT & kept in overnight. I found out the band still had some fill in, they took that out, and also CT showed band was a bit awkwardly placed & that was what was likely giving me the discomfort. I feel better without the fill in, but still acid reflux/nausea at night & in morning at the moment. So possibly/hopefully I will be having the band removed with nhs rather than THG, which would have cost me £5,000. If the band wasn't giving me any problems, I'd have been ok to leave things as is, but losing sleep with the reflux & the pain in the chest sensation of "feeling" the band like it's not sitting right - this makes me really want to have it out. Will be having follow-up with nhs surgeon soon to see what will happen.

[gryffen 176]

Hi lass I'm glad you know what's going on now and a question to ponder is that how was your band placed awkwardly by a trained surgeon at THG? I'd look into it and maybe send off a complaint, get records to see how it was placed as if they are at fault then maybe they should sort it.

Defo take your Omeperazole and anti nausea (hopefully Cyclizine) and rest up!

Fridge Pickers Wear Bigger Knickers ????

[A_new_sara 136]

On 1/23/2017 at 7:02 AM, strawberryparty said:

Hey gryffen, feeling much better now thanks, the situation was - CT showed band was awkwardly placed & that was causing problems, and also I'd mistakenly thought that my band was empty when in fact it still had saline in it, so having any fill in wasn't helping matters.

I'd been fine with the band for the last 5 years since my last unfill, but acid reflux and nausea had been getting worse over the course of the last year, until last week or so where it was becoming unbearable and was keeping me awake all night. Then, the last couple of days before going to A&E, I was getting horrible discomfort in my chest like a fist squeezed tight, and I was "feeling" the band like I never had in all the time I've had it since 2009.

Went to my GP first, she felt my stomach, said v unlikely to be slip or erosion, prescribed me proton pump inhibitors, told me to come back in a month and we'd see how I was. But that night & the next morning I felt worse, pain in chest/oesophagus/top of stomach was worse. I called up THG, the lady I spoke to said she'd have nurse call me back, and she said I could pay to come in for them to check my band was empty, could also pay £450 for an X-ray with them, but I just don't have the money right now. So I was waiting for their nurse to call me for a while, but in the end I was just feeling worse & worse, felt something was very wrong.

Went to A&E, had x-rays and CT & kept in overnight. I found out the band still had some fill in, they took that out, and also CT showed band was a bit awkwardly placed & that was what was likely giving me the discomfort. I feel better without the fill in, but still acid reflux/nausea at night & in morning at the moment. So possibly/hopefully I will be having the band removed with nhs rather than THG, which would have cost me £5,000. If the band wasn't giving me any problems, I'd have been ok to leave things as is, but losing sleep with the reflux & the pain in the chest sensation of "feeling" the band like it's not sitting right - this makes me really want to have it out. Will be having follow-up with nhs surgeon soon to see what will happen.

How are you doing now?

[strawberryparty 0]

Hello - to follow up, I have had my band removed and have been without it for a couple of months now. I feel immeasurably better. I've been able to get sleep at night now that the reflux has stopped, and being freed of all the smaller unpleasant things that come with the band I feel like a normal person again and like I've got my body back (just speaking for myself, I know other people love their bands and removal feels like the end of the world - for me, I'd come to feel like this thing inside my body was alien and giving me a lot of anxiety for a number of reasons, the reflux and loss of sleep was the physically urgent part of it).

About the operation: my surgeon told me I did not have very much scar tissue. The wounds are healed nicely. I stayed overnight in hospital following the surgery, I was able to go home the following day. I was on pain relief and an anti-neausea med for 11 days until I felt I didn't need them any longer (though the port wound gave me some pain during the nights after I came off the meds, trying to turn over in bed, the port wound would wrench horribly for the first 2 weeks or so). All in all it took about 3 weeks to feel recovered and normal, but things really improved day-by-day around the second week. I've been at a healthy weight for a couple of years now though, so I don't doubt easy recovery is largely down to that as well as being young. I feel for people who take much longer to get over the surgery.

I was really scared leading up to the surgery, in particular frightened about any complications from the anaesthesia, but I am so immensely relieved that it is all done and over with now.