my lapband story -- its not pretty (long post, but please read)

[nosilla 12]

Hi all --

I am new to these boards and new to this removal board. I want to share my story and perhaps see if there is anyone out there that can relate to what has been going on with this band. Its an odd feeling to be completely unique in an experience, even among fellow bandsters.

After months of research and planning, i was banded on June 6, 2006. Let me first say that the date did not escape me (666) but I figured that if i were to reschedule based on the calendar date, that I did not have much confidence in my surgeon ... so on with the show. Oh, I should mention at this point that I was self-pay...and that I really didnt have 18k just sitting around, but I found it ... because this was for my health.

Quick history on me ... I am very short (5'1") and very round. At the time of the band i was in the 290s, and I carry all my weight in one place, my middle.

The band was put in and I did very well initally ... I lost weight due to the liquid diet and I was okay with that. Id actually spent many months on a liquid diet in my past so that part was not terribly scary. My first fill was another story. 2 months in and my port was already flipped. My surgeon always uses the UpperGI equipment so it was visibly flipped. He decided at that point that he should go back in and "fix" it. So ... we were back for surgery #2 in September to get the port fixed. Bye to another 5k, but again, its for my health.

My "minor" outpatient surgery for the port adjustment was my undoing. I developed post surgical complications and infections that kept me out of work going on 3 weeks. I ran a low-grade fever for weeks, but was told that its really not a fever until its over 102. I was constantly running 99-101 depending on the time of day. A couple courses of antibiotics and that went away. I spent a lot of time at my surgeons office. We were like best friends.

So ... funny thing happened about a month after Surgery #2. I was at work (finally) and leaned over my desk to reach something (short, remember) and noticed that my shirt was very wet on my stomach. Odd ... thankfully I was wearing a black cotton top. In the restroom I realize that I had sprung a leak.

Yes ... a leak. After much research I realized that what was going on was a seroma ... common with surgery involving a lot of tissue damage. My large surgery incision was constantly leaking a straw yellow "serious" Fluid. It wasnt infected ... it was just weeping. And it kept weeping for weeks, months, etc. Again, still best friends with the surgeons office. We just all thought it would go away. At one point it did close up. Very shortly after .. leaking from a new place (still along the scar of the incision that had been opened twice).

So .. life went on as usual ... just with a steady flow of bandages several times a day to contain the weeping. This went on for months. I will point out that a wound cannot heal if the seroma is springing like a leak. The seroma cannot be "cured" it just needs to go away.

I did go in for a fill, my first fill after the port correction. After using me as a human pin-cusion my doctor determined that alas, the port had flipped again. It was 100% flipped ... back to square 1. I will give him credit, after essentially saying "gosh, that shouldnt have happened" he did manage to give me a fill. I will spare you the details, just know there is a lot of manevuring you can do with what are essentially 2 knitting needles. I still had an open would where my incision was at this time, but I was smart enought to get antibiotics to keep infection free.

After more time, my incision never healed. It just kept weeping. At some point I was refered to a wound care doctor. I went ... once. Was told to pack my wound with this special gauze (again, i will spare the details) but that didnt last very long. One day when I did not follow the schedule ... not that i was very good at packing a 7cm wound, it seemed to close up a bit.

Well ... I have been pretty much living with that same open incision, bandages, tape for the last ... gosh, over a year now. I stopped going to my doctor. Partly due to being disgusted partly due to avoidance. I just wanted it to correct itsself. As long as nothing "changed' i knew what was going on.

Enter change. I did start packing my wound a bit a couple weeks ago, not fully, but i figured it would perhaps stimulate some tissue growth and maybe my wound would heal. It has not. What I did notice one evening is that I can actually see something in that wound. Its white. I believe it to be 1) the port 2) the tubing ... either way, I should NOT be seeing that for any reason ... and the fact that the port would have moved north like that is fairly scary.

So, I am here reading up on band removal. I need to schedule time with a surgeon ... if not the one I already used ... and get this thing out. I am sure you are wondering why I would live with this incision issue for so long. The answer is not that easy to explain. My surgeon looked at this weepy open incision for months before he sent me to a wound care. He didnt seem terribly concerned as it was not infected and figured it would work itself out. When something becomes "normal" its easy to take comfort in the status quo ... no changes...for the better or worse. Better than changes for the worse, right?

Anyway ... I am now totally hip to the idea of getting this band removed. I will say that I have NO idea if the band would have worked for me or not ... I dont PB all the time, but thats because I know I cant eat until the afternoon. I come home, drink a glass or 2 of wine... and have dinner. I am unable to excercise due to the incision. But I still love ice cream (sadly). I am now in the 260 lb range, have been for over a year.

All of this story to lead me to a couple of basic questions:

1) does anyone know of a doctor in the atlanta area that might be a good choice for consultation on the removal ( i dont want to go back to mine if i can avoid it)

2) how much have people paid for the removal when its self-pay in a hostpital? My old surgeon worked out of the Hosp and not a surgical center.

3) what is the recovery time? One of my big concerns is that I am fairly important at my office for day to day activity and its hard to take time off. I dont have another 3 weeks

Any advice, thoughts, questions are welcomed.

Thanks for reading.

Allison

[Bansterboy1 0]

I had a infection and i had the port put on the other side and was in hospital for weeks in antibiotics the infection was so bad the white tube

started to come out of the skin it was gross:eek: and i wanted the band out as well i got talked into keeping it in thank god because i have lost about 189 pounds so try to reconsider

[JUDE 0]

Hi, just read your horror story. Not sure what the procedure is in your state but you should make a complaint to the medical complaints commission (or whatever it is called). Your surgeon should not have charged you for the correction and it is his responsibility to put this right. You may well have a case for neglect given the way that you have been treated by him.

I can't advise whether to keep a band or not as only had mine done in oct 07.

I hope you get some resolution - even if you don't go back to your original surgeon you should still follow up on the negligence aspect.

hope all goes well for you in the future.

best wishes.

[Alexandra 55]

Allison, wow, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry you have been having all this trouble. It certainly seems as though someone should be able to address your healing issues--though this time it's related to your band, it seems to indicate a more serious systemic problem that needs attention. Unless you're somehow sensitive to the materials in the band or used in the surgery? I don't know.

I wish you the best of all possible resolutions. :hug:

[FurEllie 0]

Allison, I recently had to have mine removed (along with 1/2 my stomach) because the doctors at the hospital were too unfamiliar with the lapband to take my fill out.

The surgeon who took the lapband (and my stomach out) was the only one who was smart enough to remove the fill before I got worse. By then though, the damage was done. I will PM you with his contact information. He is in Alpharetta and works out of North Fulton Regional.

[gamboagirl 0]

Your healing sounds like my own after birth issues w my midwife not stitching me up properly and I have not healed yet -- baby is 1 this month!!! I started seeing a GYN for help and I go some good advice, but healing is slow, very slow.

That sounds like a horrible ordeal. Will insurance not pay for removal since you are having medical problems?

I get that ins won't pay to put one in usually, but complications should fall under a different catagory, I would think...

[mistyone 0]

Allison, I recently had to have mine removed (along with 1/2 my stomach) because the doctors at the hospital were too unfamiliar with the lapband to take my fill out.

The surgeon who took the lapband (and my stomach out) was the only one who was smart enough to remove the fill before I got worse. By then though, the damage was done. I will PM you with his contact information. He is in Alpharetta and works out of North Fulton Regional.

I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a hard time. What were the complications you had and why did they have to remove 1/2 of your stomach?

[FurEllie 0]

I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a hard time. What were the complications you had and why did they have to remove 1/2 of your stomach?

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f79/great-while-lasted-49338/