Hello all, I'm new to this site, & I am reaching out in shear despiration. I was banded in 2005, and all was WONDERFUL until October 2008. I had lost over 120 pounds, and was in a size 8, and had cosmetic surgery, that I myself paid over 16K for. I was very happy. Well in October of 2008, I realized I could eat more & that I had no restriction & I was no longer full nor did I get hungry, but I wanted to eat. I began falling into old habbits & eating things I hadn't been able to eat in years. My doctor realized there was a leak. So last week, he replaced the port. Immediately after, he gave me a fill of 3cc, and only 2.5cc came back. I still have NO restriction, and I've gained over 35 pounds and I'm back in a size 14. I'm frustrted, upset & starting to get depressed. The doctor told me today, he doesn't know what to do next. He stated he had to call the devise representative from Allergan, the manufacture of teh LAP BAND, to see what to do next. I'm at a loss. Has anyone every had this happen before? Could the band itself be leaking? According to the Dr. & Allergan, there has never been a leaking band. There have been problems with the port, and around the port, but never with the actual band. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I have never heard of their being a problem with the band itself. Did they test the port to identify where the leak was after they removed it?

I would wonder if the band itself was defective if there is some kind of warranty on it.

According to the doctor, he replaced the part of the port where the leak was, and while I was still under, he gave me a fill of 3cc, and immediately thereafter he pulled it out & only got 2.5cc back. I'm scared, frustrated & I feel completely lost. As of now, we have no idea where the leak is. The doctor doesn't even know what to do next, he states he's mystified.

It is his responsibility to figure out the problem. Don't let up on him until he does. I'm wishing you the best for a quick solution!

Thank you. I will let you know what happens. Honestly when he told me he didn't know what to do next & that he had to call the rep, I'm thinking, why me? I honestly am at the point that I feel like asking him if I can pay him in cash, anything to have him put in another one, one that works. I have 4ml band, and I had it filled to 3.65, so I was eatting very little, and honestly I loved it. So now that it's leaking, even eating the smallest portions is making me gain weight, because of the small quantity of food that I was taking in, when the band was working.

Have your physician do a fill during fluro. She will be able to see where the leak is. Good Luck!

Update - So my doctor did a fill today using an Iodine dye, and X-Ray. It was interesting. I have a very large leak, and the leak is in the band itself. According to my doctor this makes me a very unusual case, and it's not something that is very common, and he has consulted with other suregons and none of them have ever had a patient experience this. As he put it, "I am a very unusual case". So as of today, at least we know what the problem is. We are going to schedule a full replacement. I have to admit, I am a little nervous about having a full replacement, but excited that now they know what the problem is & how they are going to fix it! :-)

Sorry to hear that melody, but I'm glad they were able to figure out what was going wrong.

Please update>>>>

Melody,

Can you please let me know what happened. I just found out today that I have a leak in the band also. I am totally freaked and I don't know what is going to happen. :smile2:

So I finally got insurance approval last week, and had my pre-op with my general PCP yesterday. I have gained 48pounds in 6 months! :-( Considering I had a 3.65mL fill in a 4.0mL band, I could barely eat anything, and I was happy about that! So everything I consumed went to fat. I'm not happy about that.

Anyways, good news, I have a new surgery date 04-13-09. I will have to stay overnight. The new surgeon, my previous surgeon could not perform the procedure, so yes, on top of it all I had to go to a different doctor. He's really nice though. He stated that there are one of two ways it can go. First, they can unlock the band & slip it out of the current location & slip another one in. this would be best case! Secondly if it doesnt' slip out, they would have to cut the pouch, and then suture the band into place. When I say pouch, what I mean is when they originally place the band, they take part of the stomach below the band & they attach it via stiches to the stomach above the band to hold the band into place to limit slippage. If they can't slip the new one in, they will have to cut that and then stich it up. The good news, the doctor stated he would put in a small fill too if he could slip out the previous band without cutting & re-attaching! I hope that is the case!

I'm a little nervous, but very excited. I am hoping the weight will come off just as quickly as I put it on. I am more motivated now that I have a date & that we have a plan. Before, in all honesty I was very depressed.

The doctors office told me I should plan to be out 4-6 weeks. I hope I don't need the time, but she suggested I take it, so we shall see. I think I may need it to readjust to eating again. It's odd though, I was not put on a diet this time, before surgery. I think I am going to do a liquid diet 5 days before, because it does have a positive affect, and that way I can be used to it for after the surgery. This morning I am having pancakes, which I love & is one of the things I can't have after surgery. I have never been able to eat bread, pancakes, etc, with the exception of maybe a bite. So I will be enjoying them today!

I know what it's like having a leaking band, and my heart goes out to you. Even though it will take a while to replace & fix, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You have come a far way & this is just another hurdle in your journey. Keep a positive attitude & things will work out!! I'll write back when Im out of the hospital. Till then, have a GREAT week! :-)

Melodystar, you have a very positive attitude. Props to you!! Thanks for explaining the procedure in such detail. I hope all goes well during your surgery. Best wishes!!

I am so glad I came here and read Melody's story which has been one of my fears of this surgery. I just started doing the leg work to get approved and hopefully scheduled soon. I'm glad to see there's a remedy for everything.I pray it all goes well with you and please let us know how you are doing.

Hello all, I'm new to this site, & I am reaching out in shear despiration. I was banded in 2005, and all was WONDERFUL until October 2008. I had lost over 120 pounds, and was in a size 8, and had cosmetic surgery, that I myself paid over 16K for. I was very happy. Well in October of 2008, I realized I could eat more & that I had no restriction & I was no longer full nor did I get hungry, but I wanted to eat. I began falling into old habbits & eating things I hadn't been able to eat in years. My doctor realized there was a leak. So last week, he replaced the port. Immediately after, he gave me a fill of 3cc, and only 2.5cc came back. I still have NO restriction, and I've gained over 35 pounds and I'm back in a size 14. I'm frustrted, upset & starting to get depressed. The doctor told me today, he doesn't know what to do next. He stated he had to call the devise representative from Allergan, the manufacture of teh LAP BAND, to see what to do next. I'm at a loss. Has anyone every had this happen before? Could the band itself be leaking? According to the Dr. & Allergan, there has never been a leaking band. There have been problems with the port, and around the port, but never with the actual band. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

3 yrs is not much mileage out of a band. Do you have the realize band? You were doing so great, hope its gets fixed real soon.

Melody, Good luck. You do have a great attitude which is half the battle. I have lost 120 plus but have 6o to go. Went for a fill last week but now have no restriction. I had an upper gi this week but they didn't see anything. Now they are going to do a scope and put contrast in the port to see if there is a leak. I pray that it will all be ok for many reasons but mainly because my insurance will not pay so I will have to pay for it all. I do not have the money. We will see. I will say a prayer for you right now.

I realize that 3 years is not a lot of time with the band, but according to both of the surgerons & Allergan, band leaks are not very common. Both referred to me as being unusual. I was actually the first case that my surgeon has seen with this problem, and after speaking to other surgeons, it is very unusual. I actually have the LAP Band from Allergan, and it's going to be replaced with a newer version of the LAP Band. I wanted to see if I could have it as akeepsake, I know, I'm crazy, but they stated it has to go to pathology, and then afterwards they are going to see if they can send it to the manufacturer.