Found out today my band slipped :(

Ray 479 · February 21, 2008

wow exactly what happened to me same symptoms but i could not sleep lying down and i ended up spitting a little blood they had to go in and take it out and i had a three month wait for healing before replacement.That will be on the 12th May . I was only banded for 7 months but lost 47 kilos. I am stacking it back on and it is annoying the hell out of me.Would like to talk to people who have been second banded.

lindaa · February 21, 2008

Thank you all so much for your comments on this thread. My symptoms were identical to the ones you describe which is what convinced me to schedule an unfill. They took out most of my fill, leaving 1 ml. and sent me for a barium swallow. The radiologist told me that my band has slipped "a little" and I'm still waiting to hear back from the surgeons. In the meantime, I am feeling better and thanks to you guys, I know to stay on liquids. I hope you continue to post your progress, and any advice you have. I have a hard time communicating with the doctors who are doing my follow up.

Chrissi · February 21, 2008

Hopefully all of us get better. Dang this band has a lot of quirks and kinks to it! Constant maintenance! At least with a new car it is good for a few years!

I have been told my band is not positioned in an optimal way due to some movement, my pouch is twice the size it should be and the dr. is not inclined to fix it. Why? He did not say why he isn't inclined to fix it, I'd say he isn't inclined to fix it because it hasn't threatened my life yet.

So now I have to live with a pouch that is a lot bigger than what it was made to be and a band not in the proper position. Jeesh, if I would have known the care was so substandard I would have just went to Mexico to get my band placed.

mrp3333 · February 22, 2008

I do not feel as sore as I did the first time. Probably because he left the same port in and I have a small cut around that area. I am still very hungry

Ray 479 · February 24, 2008

wow exactly what happened to me but i was also spitting up blood they had to go in and take it out and i had a three month wait for healing before replacement.That will be on the 12th May . I was only banded for 7 months but lost 47 kilos. I am stacking it back on and it is annoying the hell out of me.Would like to talk to people who have been second banded.

mrp3333 · February 25, 2008

I was banded in July 07 and have lost 53lbs. The last fill I had was Oct 07 and now I had to go back the next day because I could not drink Water. The Dr took some Fluid out, but now that I look back I was still too tight but didn't realize it. On the other visits, the Dr said he didn't want to add any more more fluid and really thought he should take some out. I said no because I thought I was OK. 1st week of January I had my regular appt and I almost told him to take some out but I didn't, the next week I was doing a whole lot of PBing. Called and got in to see the Dr and he took some fluid out. I was ok for a week and then started vomiting. Went back in and he took some more out and I questioned if my band had slipped, first he said lets wait a couple of days and see how you do, but then he said to ease both of our minds let get an Upper GI. Went for the upper GI the next morning and 2 days later they wanted to schedule surgery. Was ok again for about a week and then couldn't keep anything down. Called the office and ask about taking out more fluid, the nurse thought he already took it all out. Went in that day and he ask me if I wanted it all out. Hard decision but I decided to have it all out so I wouldn't have to keep going to Dr and paying co-pay. I was scared to death to have it all out and did OK for the 1st few days, but then realized I could eat whatever I wanted again before my 2nd surgery and having to do the liquids again. I did gain around 8lbs, but I had lost 15 in 2 weeks due to vomiting. Now after the 2nd surgery I am questioning why I did all of this in the 1st place. I am scared it may slip again. I may not realize it is too tight again. I may overeat and make my pouch stretch. I guess if it doesn't work this time, it wasn't meant to be. I don't think I would convert to Gastric Bypass. I will keep you posted how it turns out. So far it seems the pain is less but I am starving. Funny thing I noticed today is they put an elastic "support band" around me last time for when I wasn't laying down. This time they asked me if I still had it and I said yes and they told me to make sure I used it. When I went to put it on today, it really doesn't help this time because it is too big.

allaboutmefl · February 25, 2008

What kind of elastic support band? I didn't have one of those after my surgery. Did the doctor say what the advantage is to wearing the support garmet? Sometimes I notice when I wear a "support" top that goes to my waist, I get uncomfortable on the left rib cage area. That has to feel good that the garmet didn't fit.

I'm glad the band has been good to you with the second surgery.

Chrissi · February 25, 2008

My goodness, what you are describing with your tightness and not realizing the feeling sounds so much like me it is scary. I am unfilled now and awaiting a Drs. appt. with the surgeon to discuss my mal positioned band.

I really don't have a lot of options since I can't tolerate a fill because of the reflux. I hope to lose some more weight, but don't know how that is going to work with this band, one day tight the next loose. The pain with the reflux some days is intolerable.

mrp3333 · February 26, 2008

The elastic band support goes right under my breast line to right below my waist line. It has velcro on one end and they pulled it as tight as they could and attached it to the other side. At the first surgery it was already on me when I woke up. The nurse told me it was for "support". It helped when I got up and moved around, it was like it held everything "in place". Sometimes it was so tight it was uncomfortable. Now when I pull it tight the velcro goes past the part where it should attach to, so It is not tight anymore if I try to wear it.

Ray 479 · April 20, 2008

Its been a while i only have 3 weeks to go untill i get my second band the only part i am not looking forward to is the Optifast th week before yech.

I am curious as to whether the band woks just as well the second time .

Or if there are any complications.

Thankyou Ray

ps they took everything port and all and my port was perfect:thumbup:

Knottafatty4ev · April 20, 2008

I'm new here, but am looking to hear about other folks' experiences with band slippage. I got my band a year ago today, and have a couple of problems. Right off the bat my port incision developed a nasty penicillin resistant staph infection and after 6 weeks of antibiotics had to be removed. It was replaced about a month later and things were fine. However, after my second fill I started having severe reflux. My doc squeezed me in the next day and took about .3ccs out. Things were better. 3 months later I had another fill. I think it was .15 ccs. About a week later I started having INTENSE pain in my band area. It lasted for hours and there wasn't a painkiller in the world (or at least in my medicine cabinet!) that could touch it. I went back in the next day and he took another .3 ccs out. He had me come back in today, a month later (and coincidentally my "bandiversary") for a barium swallow just to check on things. Sure enough, it had slipped. He emptied me out today and scheduled me to come back in in two weeks for another barium swallow.
I'm totally freaked out. I am terrified of gaining the weight back. I've been in tears off and on all day because I'm so afraid it's not going to correct itself and he's going to want to remove the band. I *can't* go back to being that fat and out of shape again. I didn't realize how much I had become a recluse until I lost the weight and started doing things again. I kept wondering why no one was noticing I was losing weight, but then realized it was because at my heaviest I had pretty much quit doing anything social. I left the house to go to the grocery store and Target. I don't want to feel like that again.

Anyway, if anyone has some stories of postive outcomes after a slip, I would really love to hear them.

Thanks.

Jeanne

12/4/06

247/234/170/150??

I've heard a lot of stories like yours in the waiting room of the dr. An unfill will usually work. The dr. just has to give you baby fills from now on - and very infrequent. One lady told me she had 3 complete unfills over the course of a year. I have to say, though, that she looks fantastic!