Frantic - please help!!!!

[chubbydiva 0]

Hi I haven't posted in awhile but I need you guys help please. I was banded in Nov. 2007, I've lost almost 60lbs, I'm pretty much at goal. Over the last several weeks I'd noticed the band becoming tighter and tighter. I had major surgery 4 weeks ago, so I put the band on the backburner. Today I went in for an unfill and they said the band had slipped!! My doctor wanted to revision surgery tomorrow. I was and am in hysterics. First and foremost, I was self pay and in no way can afford to pay for additional surgery. Now they did say that my insurance "should" cover this emergency surgery.

I am still not healed from my surgery on Aug. 1st and it was horrible. My surgeon did call me back and say it was ok t ohave the band repaired. This is my dilemma. Should I just have the band removed? I know I will gain every pound back but I'm afraid of this happening again and if my insurance decides not to pay we are sunk financially. How hard will this revision surgery be. Having the band placed was ruff, I don't want to go through that again. My doctor stated he just needed to go in and reposition it and stitch it back down "most likely" or he may have to replace it.

Anyone with insight on this please post. I am crying as I write this, I'm trying to calm down. Ironically, today I told my husband, was the first day that I've woken up pain-free since my surgery on Aug. 1st. Now this:cry_smile:

Edited September 3, 2008 by chubbydiva
More info

[gabi311b 0]

I am so sorry that this has happened to you. I say stick with it...you have already seen such success. Everything will work out, I'm sure! I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

[Jessiebear 2]

I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this. This past January I faced the possibility of what you are going through right now. My situation turned out okay. You are facing some very difficult decisions. I'm almost in tears with you! Let us know how it turns out. You do have options. Ask your doctor about an unfill & going on liquids for a couple of weeks & then reassessing the situation. I think some people here have had success with this.

[drstan1 0]

calm down hysteria will not help go to gym get addicted to the tread mill and put the doritos down walk uphill for a 1/2 hour you will feel better i have had lots of trouble with my band will go for unfill and take it from there see you in the gym..

[*susan* 1,709]

drstan1, I am not sure what getting addicted to the treadmill and staying away from doritos is going to do, she really didn't state exercise or doritos was a problem.

Chubbydiva, I am curious as to why your surgeon isn't trying a complete unfill as well. I had a pretty bad slip last year. My doctor did a complete unfill for about two months. I spent two weeks on liquids only after the unfill. The band was able to reposition itself via this method. I have read of numerous bandsters who were also successful with slipped bands via this method. Did your doc even consider trying this as an option first?

[chubbydiva 0]

Susan, thank you so much for your post. I was reading through the forum last night and saw that sometimes the band did resolve itself. My doctor did a complete unfill yesterday and I can drink fluids without a problem. I called and left a message this morning at his office to ask about staying on liquids and waiting 2 weeks. This would help me tremendously. It would give the surgery I had on Aug 1st time to heal more and I may even be Blessed enough to avoid another surgery. I'm waiting for a call back from the office. Again, thank you.

[kathyy68 0]

Just wanted to let you know I was in your shoes also. I went in mid August with major reflux. They did an upper GI and found that my band slipped so they did a total unfill. I was also very dehydrated and had to have an IV in the office that day. They had me do liquids for 2 weeks and I went back today for a check. My band was in perfect position and 98% of the swelling had gone down. I am now on solids and still completely unfilled. I go back in 2 weeks for another check. Basically just wanted to let you know that it MAY correct itself without surgery. You may want to ask to go that route before doing surgery again. I was scared to death having to face another surgery also....thank goodness it corrected itself. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Kathy

[*susan* 1,709]

Chubby, that sounds like a great idea. Please let us know how everything goes. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

[mascphillips 0]

Hi

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but I can't seem to find the right place to post a new question, and what chubby diva said seemed to almost fit my circumstances.

I had surgery on June 12 and have lost 21 lbs. Went for my first fill on July 15. I don't know how many cc's the fill was but it's been working really well until last week. I know I ate too much on Labor Day and had 4 episodes of pbing that day. Since then I have had the worst hearburn and intense pain in my chest that I have ever had in my life. In the past two days I've just kept to really soft foods and liquids but last night I woke up at 2 am and violently vomited (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a pb). Reading through all these posts I'm scared that the band has slipped, but how does one tell? I'm waiting to call my doctor on Monday but I had it done in Mexico and don't really want to make the 4 hour trip if I don't have to. Any suggestions?

[tanderson 3]

My band was put in on 6-4-07, the happiest day of my life. Over the next year I managed to lose 55 pounds with lots of HARD WORK and EXERCISE....about 3 weeks ago, I began to notice changes in my body. I was having more variations in my diet because some foods went down so much easier than others. And I am sorry, if I have not been able to eat hard Protein all day long, by the time the evening come around, my body is weak and trembling and HUNGRY. Mind you, I had 1.8 cc in a 4.0 band. Anyway, I resorted to eating more high caloric soft foods such as ice cream, so that I could have some caloric intake.

This went on for a few days and I knew that I needed to see a doctor as the weight was starting to creep back on. The only problem, was that my surgeon retired 4 months after my procedure and left no follow up instructions. At the time, I was really OK with this because at the time of his retirement, I was losing relatively well and easy and had been told that my body would never need another fill as I had recently had to have a slight defill.

So last week I began looking for a doctor and started feeling worse and worse, more tired and more tired. Labor day, I was in the hospital with my daughter who was having surgery the next day, and I began to feel sick. I went/vomited in the bathroom several times and then realized I was having pain. Suspecting a slip, I walked over to the ER to check myself in. The next 24 hours are a blur to me as my pain became so intense. My BP was 175/157, low grade temp., pain so intense it radiated through my abdomen, chest, back, both shoulders, and jaw, sever nausea, vomiting bright red blood spots; at one time they did and ekg because they thought I might be having a heart attack. They did plain xrays on my which showed nothing and told me to go home and follow up with wichever lap band doc i could find, and i forced them to admit me for pain control and to consult with a surgeon.

The next mid-morning my pain became more intense, bowel sounds stopped, pain meds were doubled and given twice as often and nothing touched the pain i was in...nothing. I was given a CAT scan to look at the band and was told I did indeed have an extremem slip to where my entire fundus had passed above the band and yes I had the stitch method used to prevent the band from slipping. That night my wonderful surgeon came and removed the band. He said when they first saw the stomack it was COAL black. He was afraid I was going to have it surgerically removed. Luckily, when he removed the band, the tissue above the band began to turn deep purple which meant the blood was beginning to return. There is one small spot on my stomach that did die, but my surgeon says that will scar over in time.

I am only 5 days post op from band removal and still very emotional. I am so happy that it's out. I was told about complications of slippage and erosion, but NO ONE every told me about complications of possible neucrosis. I have no an idea of why what happened, happened. I followed ALL band rules to the tee! I keep replaying the whole thing over and over in my head and realize how close I was to losing my life. If I had indeed developed gangrene, I may not be alive right now.

NO I WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER LAP BAND NOR RECOMMEND LAP BAND TO ANYONE. _______ If you have a slippage....please have it removed!

[lin2 0]

Who was your surgeon? I am also in the DFW area and was banded in July but have only lost 2 pounds because I am still hungary and not eating right. If you were doing everything right and still had that happen to you, it is scary to think about those of us who can't seem to follow plan. What a horror story - I am so sorry for you.