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I Must Have My Band Removed!



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Hello--

Sorry to hear about your issues.

My mom is a respiratory therapist and I was speaking with her on the phone while I was reading your post.

She recommended a vascular specialist, a pulmonologist (sp?), and a cardiologist. Breathing problems are NOT to be taken lightly. Get every inch of you inspected. Once you see all those specialists and nothing is wrong, then you should start exploring psychological issues. UNTIL THEN, take care of yourself and see some specialists.

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I agree with what has been said. You need to get a second opinion. The band to my knowledge and experience doesn't effect my breathing unless I have overeaten. So I have learned to pay attention to how much I eat. That has helped.

Don't give up, you did this for a reason. Take what everyone has said and see if anything make a difference. The final decision is your of course.

Banded 12/17/07

244.5s/199.5c/165g

Birmingham, AL

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i hope everything works out for you... it sounds like u are having panic attacks anxiety.. sometimes we react diffrent when we know that something within our body has changed... do u have an inhaler, and do u have asthma? It has to be medically proven that the band is causing medical problems for you in order for your insurance to cover the removal...

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Now I'm having another issue with my band. Every time I attempt to eat (or think about eating) I nearly vomit. I've read enough about slippage caused by vomiting, so I try my best not to "let" myself do so. :sad:

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You need to go back to your surgeon and have them look at your band under fluoro then. If it's fine, then you need to deal with the stress somehow -- have you tried an anti-anxiety med like Xanax? I went through a short period several years ago when I needed it to deal with something, and it really helped until I could get my head around the problem. Even if these problems all have physical causes, you are clearly upset and stressed about them.

Have you had a chance to have your lungs evaluated yet?

Sorry this is still going on. :sad:

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i am so sorry. i hope they can fix it.

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Hastings, thanks for your post.

I get "winded" by performing the smallest tasks--talking on the phone, working at my desk, bathing--none of which were ever a problem prior to surgery

I am at the end of my 6th day out.

I have been finding this too, but I know it is the pain medication, on a fairly empty stomach, making my head feel wonky, making my hands shake & increasing my heart rate. The lower calorie consumption contributes to my lack of stamina, energy, hot flashes....I do small windows of things & lay down alot.

I felt almost human yesterday, only 1 of the pain killers in the early morning.

Last night I had a Migraine & ended up taking 2 consecutive doses of the pain meds. Since with big head pain + the med head disruption, & the restarted nauseau from the meds.....today SUCKED.

Tomorrow will be much better = there will be no more pain meds. :sad:

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I am at the end of my 6th day out.

I have been finding this too, but I know it is the pain medication, on a fairly empty stomach, making my head feel wonky, making my hands shake & increasing my heart rate. The lower calorie consumption contributes to my lack of stamina, energy, hot flashes....I do small windows of things & lay down alot.

I felt almost human yesterday, only 1 of the pain killers in the early morning.

Last night I had a Migraine & ended up taking 2 consecutive doses of the pain meds. Since with big head pain + the med head disruption, & the restarted nauseau from the meds.....today SUCKED.

Tomorrow will be much better = there will be no more pain meds. :scared2:

I haven't been on the prescribed meds for about a week and still no change. Although I plan to get my lungs checked this week, I still plan to get the band removed.

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Please make sure you pursue having your lungs checked.

It very well could be panic attacks because they are almost exactly how you describe them, but even if is not, you need to know what is happening.

Best of luck.

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UPDATE

I was just discharged from the hospital. I was admitted yesterday because my chest pains became constant and shortness of breath was not getting better. Anyway, I was evaluated (scans and x-rays done) and there were no pulmonary embolisms, but said the physicians said I will need to get the band repositioned (or possibly removed).

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I am scheduled for my Lap-Band surgery in a couple of weeks. Right now I have bronchitis and a bad cough. I had whooping cough as a child and now whenever I start to get a cold, it goes to my chest. When I cough, it is deep and powerful, and I want to know if anyone else has had this problem.

Could it cause band slippage? For that matter, how do you know when your band has slipped? Is it painful? Can you feel it? Or is it something that has to be checked with ultrasound? I have heard of band erosion, too, as I have been trying to find out about band slippage. What's that all about? Sounds serious to me!

I'm really excited about getting banded, but after having a coughing fit a while ago, I began to wonder if this is really right for me. Can anyone help me?

Thanks.....:lol:

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No embollisms is excellent. Did they explain how the band is affecting your breathing?

The physician said that he has seen this condition in other patients who have had their band placed incorrectly. The esophagus spasms throughout the day and worsens when food is consumed. The chest pains/cramps are also a sign of this, but the shortness of breath is still not FULLY explained. He didn't want to assume that it was related to the band, but he also didn't want to exclude it.

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