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??

Wow-you Guys Have Posted Some Really Great Info...ty

Maryland,

My situation sounds just like yours. My surgeon said my slip was probably from being too tight. I had not had an adjustment since November, I was going to the surgeon but did not get any adjustment. Totally my fault, I thought the "tightness" I was feeling was what I was supposed to feel. Once I was totally too tight and didn't really realize it until the next day. I almost had to visit the emergency room due to not being able to drink anything. After I get mine corrected I will not take any chances with being too tight, If I have any doubt I am going to ask to have some taken out. He showed me my X-ray and I saw that I too have a big pouch overhang. I am completely unfilled and can eat pretty much anything. I have no restriction and am gaining weight back quickly. Now I realize how much I really do need the restriction and how careful I will be. Tighter is not always better.

I am kind of worried because he told he was going to start me off with 7cc's this time. My first adjustment to 7 last time is when I almost had to go to the emergency room, but he does mine sitting up now and I know what to look for.

If you have a big overhang, you will need to have surgery to get it corrected at some point. It's not urgent, but you are probably are not feeling full and are experiencing heartburn because the food can sit in the overhang. At least, that's what happened to me.

I'm having an uncomfortable feeling about a inch below my bra line where i think the band is. If I straighten my posture and/or lift my bra off that spot it seems to go away. My port is about 4-5 inches away from the uncomfortable spot. I don't have acid reflux or pain at my strenum. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this feeling. I hope my band did not slip. Thanks

A lot of these stories sound like mine. I have been too tight right from the start, but I thought what I was feeling was normal. I realize now that the fills were too much, and when I complained about heartburn and reflux I got the lecture about portion size. I got totally unfilled 2 months ago and it feels a little better than before the unfill, but still really tight. I think my band was put on too tight right from the start. Anyway, I got a barium study and now I am slipped, even with the unfill. So, more surgery for me.:glare:

I'm in the same boat as you guys...but my doctor hasn't actually said I need another surgery now. I had overhang and the dr put me on liquids for 3 days and unfilled...I felt like doing the liquids helped...returned to dr- it helped - got fill..... I was able to over eat again and went for a fill... overhang was back and dr put my on liquids for 5 days....

Now I know I still have the dililated pouch but I don't want him to unfill me again. I am scared to go back and him tell me I need surgery or a complete unfill!! I gained 15 lbs back in 2 weeks when he unfgilled me last time!

Have any of you seen liquids to help?? I heard someone say liquids for 2 weeks will correct pouch dililation sometimes. I was thinking about trying that to see if it helps. I'm just scared to gain more back.

It is hard for me to do the liquids for 5 days, I don;t know how I could do 2 weeks.

I don't have extreme side effects. Any minimim effects I have are barable. I just try to make good food decisions, to not keep gaining....

Do you think I'm being stupid to continue on like I am??

I know I'm babbling...I just need some advice!

I think karyn you are probably needing surgery.

I have a dilated pouch and now, all I do is vomit and have reflux with anything healthy that I eat. I posted a bit ago to mrp3333 and was feeling fine a few weeks ago...

Now everything has changed, I vomit regularly. I'm really hating this band right now. I'll have to get surgery to have the band repositioned. I think this all is going to bankrupt me. This is my worst nightmare...exactly WHY I didn't choose the gastric bypass...I feared complications..Well, now I have complications with the band and a loss of 50 pounds in 8 months? I think I would have done better with the RNy. I am very disappointed.

Thanks Chrissi...I know I need to start facing the facts!

Did you ever try doing liquids to correct the dililated pouch? I tried for a few days...but didn;t know if doing it longer would be a possible solution.

I take it you are a cash pay person....have you tried getting your insurance to do the 2nd surgery. I saw someone say that sometimes because of a health problem, the insurance will cover.

I'll have to get surgery to have the band repositioned. I think this all is going to bankrupt me.

Chrissi,

Here is what I wrote previously regarding insurance coverage when you have complications with your band. Please read this and I really hope it helps. Drop me a PM if you need help or have any questions. I have been dealing with insurance policies and companies for a long time so I know a few tricks of the trade and I will be glad to help in any way I can.

Laura

Previous post:

I have seen many posts on this site regarding "self-pays" worried about paying for subsequent surgery when they have a problem such as slippage. You should all be aware that even though the Lap-band surgery was elective and may not have been covered by your insurance, problems that arise later are very different! If you have a slippage for instance, that is potentially life threatening and MUST be corrected. That means it is required, not elective, surgery and your insurance must pay for it.

Go to the mat with your insurance company, even call the insurance commissioner's office for help if you have to, write the appeal letters and ask your doctors' office to help you if need be, but make them cover it! Don't take no for an answer, and DO NOT put off proper care because you are worried about the cost. Besides, any doctor worth their Hippocratic Oath will do the surgery regardless of your coverage, if your health is at risk.

Please take care of yourself first and the details later.

I've had my band for 5 years, and just found out it has slipped. I had really bad food poisoning (in the hospital for 5 days) and it slipped b/c of all of the vomiting.

At any rate, I'm scheduled to have a new band placed on Feb 27. My surgeon told me to expect that the band has become "encapsulated"--that there is a "rind" around it as the poster above describes. My only concern going into this surgery is that she said the chances of leakage are greater if there's encapsulation, and that the surgery will take longer.

I don't have any pain at all with my slippage. I can just eat a TON of food! LOL I haven't gained any weight yet, but I think it's b/c I've had my band for so long that I just really do have different eating habits and I run every day.

Best to all of you....somehow, we'll all get thru this together!

Laura,

Thank you for that. I will really try. You've given me hope. I met this one woman in the drs. office who didn't have insurance for weight loss AND THEN HAD ADDITIONAL SURGERIES because of complications rearding her wt. loss surgery and still got a bill. I guess I'll just hang on to hoping the insurance which is actually very good except regarding this, will cover at least some of it.

My surgery is tomorrow morning to fix my slip. I am scared to death. For the past 2 weeks I have been unfilled and able to eat way too much.

Mrp3333,

Hope all went well with your surgery! I'm still experiencing reflux and the occasional vomit. Would love to know how everything is going with you!

To answer a question posted, I never went on liquids after my unfill. I would have if the dr. would have advised it. But, right after I got surgery going on liquids was the worst for me. I felt faint and tired all the time. I am not looking forward to going thru that again.

Unsure about the whole insurance covering a second sugery thing. I won't be having surgery to fix anything for at least another 2 weeks.

Because of my reflux about 75% of the time, I have managed not to gain any weight during this unfill, so I am thankful for that. I guess it could always be worse!

My surgery went ok. I had some really bouts of vomiting but nothing could come up. I believe it was from the anteshisia (sp?) I was able to home the same day. He would have liked me to to stay overnight but I didn't want to. (last time I had to stay 5 nights). Instead of repsoitioning the band, he put in the newest model that is supposed to help your band stay in place. I already had the big one so he gave me another big one. I am sore, he cut me in all the same spots and only half of of the scar where my port is. I have a "pain ball" which should run out tomorrow so I guess that will tell how sore I really am. I am starving for food. I can move around good right now. He wants to see me in 6 weeks and is going to fill 7cc's.

Hey there Mrp333,

Thank you for posting. That is so wonderful that you are doing and recovering well! Sorry to hear about the hunger. Right now my hunger is killing me.

I'm considering starting a job before I might have to get surgery and wonder do you feel as much pain as you felt with the original surgery? I felt sore bending for 6 weeks. I would have to bend a lot at my next job, that is why I am thinking of holding off for now.

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.