trulytangledgrl

Thanks Lisa for the information!! I actually got an appt to see a surgeon on the 25th to discuss all my issues I've been having. I'm not hopeful that he well agree to do removal surgery since he didn't do my placement, but we will see. I'll keep you all posted!

Hi all... Been forever since I posted but just wanted some opinions. I've had lots of port site pain lately... Well always had it really but it's worse now than its ever been. Also tons of abdominal pain/discomfort in general. So a couple of things I'm wondering... Is it possible to have an allergic reaction to the band? Should I be concerned that my body is reacting to a foreign object in my body. Maybe the band is eroding? Anyone experienced this before? What are the symptoms of erosion? I'm wondering how much it costs to get band removed and if anyone had gotten insurance to cover it even though all of us here are self pay for installation... I'm so freaked out!!! I've had my band since 2008 and had problems all along -- just wasn't the right choice for me. I just want it out to be honest. I don't know what to do!! I can't afford to pay to have it out. So depressed.

Thanks for your reply. I don't have any redness around the port area, and no swelling, just a general bloated feeling most of the time. This happens when I eat meat, so I have actually switched to a vegetarian diet as of last week. I had an upper gi about a month ago and the Dr. Said the band looked fine. Placement was good - no slippage, and he didn't say anything about erosion. I think I'm just worried over nothing! I do notice, however, that my port area generally hurts if I touch it. I don't know why that is?

Has anyone experienced band erosion? If so, can you tell me what it felt like? I'm experiencing extreme stomach pain... It's sharp pains and it won't go away. I have experienced this pain a lot since being banded in 2008. It's just getting worse though.

Its not going to last the rest of your life. Once you are able to be on a diet where you are eating solids, it should subside. Also, I think that just as one other bandster said, eating a lot of greens can give you diarrhea also. So maybe cut down on the greens and eat carrots or something if you are able.

Lisa - - I think you are 100% correct as well! Good thinking.

Hey Lisa! Thanks for the reply to my message. Its really great to see you are still on the lapband forum! Your words of encouragement really mean a lot and I hope that one day I will be as successful as you! I don't think I will ever have to work at not being too thin. LOL! That would be weird for me. You are right though, the body is very strange... Its very weird that at one point I had 2.25 cc of saline in my band and now I can barely tolerate 1.75 cc! I just don't get it - - what changed? I have no clue. Well, stay in touch! I am sure you will get that 7 lbs off in no time! Love ya, Carrie

Hi there! Congrats on your decision to get lapband surgery. You are not going to regret it! The liquid diet is really difficult, I know, but stick with it so that you can lose a little before your surgery. It really helps the Dr's when you can lose a little because it helps if you have a fatty liver. I guess it makes it easier for them to see around inside of there when you can get some of the weight off your liver. There might be days where its really difficult even having the band - - what I mean is that the band is NOT an "easy fix" as some people might try to tell you (mostly to discourage you because they are jealous). By no means is having the band easy.... It takes a lot of strength and courage and also you will be forced to deal with emotional issues head-on instead of stuffing them down your throat. You absolutely CAN get down to 160-150!! My heaviest weight was similar to yours - about 235 or so, and I was at 195 when I had surgery, and at one point was down to 145. So its absolutely doable. Just have faith in yourself! If you need extra support feel free to send a message.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to check in (and its been a LONG time) and hopefully get some support from you all. I am hoping that I can continue to come to this forum and be a source of support for everyone here and visa versa. I was banded on March 28 2008 at OCC. It was such a great experience! I love Dr. Ortiz and everyone else at OCC for helping me to FINALLY lose weight and be considered "normal" not overweight. I went from 205 to 145, but had to get all the liquid out of my band about a year ago due to the fact that I couldn't keep anything down. I had many tests done to make sure that my band hadn't slipped - - and it hasn't, thank the lord. So, anyhow, I had all my liquid removed, and gained some weight back. A while after that I went back to my Dr. and had 1 cc put in just to see if I could tolerate it. I did - - and still continued gaining weight because it wasn't enough restriction. So, this past friday, March 11, I went back to my fill Dr. in NYC to have more liquid put in my band. I got .75 cc and we will see if I can tolerate it. So far, so good! Of course I am just on liquids right now, but I think my problem in the past was that I didn't drink enough water and I would get extremely dehydrated which caused a domino effect with me vomiting everything I was eating. I am not sure if being dehydrated can cause the band to be tighter or have more restriction? I am hoping so much that this works out and that I can get back down to 145 (from my current weight of 167 - - which I have maintained for over a year now which is pretty impressive according to my Dr.) Well, I guess thats it for now. Thank you all for reading what I have to say! I hope to hear your responses and get some support.

I am so sorry to hear about your band! I have not heard anything about gastric sleeve surgery - - did the doctor explain to you what exactly that is? How does it work? Do you think you are going to go through with the surgery? Is the band slippage causing you to vomit a lot or is it not really effecting you?

I am so excited to know that everything is okay with my band! The surgeon also gave me 1cc of fluid so I will have some restriction. I only had .35 cc in and the surgeon said she was very impressed that I was able to maintain my weight and not gain anything since my last visit there in Feb. When I went to see her in Feb., she put me up to 2.5 cc of fluid and it was too much for me to handle - - I had to go to the ER to get some liquid removed because I couldn't keep anything down. So I was basically empty for 3 months and managed to not gain a single pound. Sometimes I get really down on myself that I wasn't able to lose anything, but when I think about it, not gaining is pretty impressive considering I had no restriction.

Hey everyone! I had my appointment today with the surgeon! She looked at my films from the barium swallow and said that everything looks perfect! Just wanted to update all of you and say thanks again for the support and replies to my message. I am so thrilled that things are alright.

I have an appointment with my Dr. at NYU next friday. I will keep you all updated on what she says. Thank you all for your advice and support - - it is much appreciated.

I found out last week that my band has slipped. It is around my distal esophagus (have no idea what that is, but it doesn't sound good) instead of being around the top of my stomach. I am so nervous and anxious because I don't know what to do from here. I can't afford to go back to Mexico to see Dr. Ortiz to get it fixed/taken out. I don't have the money or the time off of work. I am just wondering if anyone else has had this experience or similar experiences and if so what did you do? Has anyone heard of insurance paying for cost of surgery to repair a band even if the original band was paid for out of pocket? Also, has anyone had surgery to repair or remove a band from a surgeon within the US (if you had your band outside of the US)? I am just so nervous that I am not going to be able to get this taken care of for financial reasons. I don't know what to do - - I am freaking out. I can't stop crying (and EATING, to boot!) and I am just not sure what to do from here. Help! Anyone with similar stories to share/advice to share?

Hey Kim! It sounds like you are in exactly the same position as I am. I got a fill about a week and 2 days ago and am feeling pretty restricted. It takes me about 45 minutes to drink a cup of tea in the morning - - sometimes longer. Its great if you are able to eat solids, though, and not PB - even if it takes you a long time to get it all down. Sometimes I can eat, sometimes I can't. It really all depends. It seems like my band is really finicky. I have been playing with my fill amount for way too long - - I get fills and then decide that I am too restricted so I go get liquid out. Then I decide that I am not restricted enough so I get another fill. Its back and forth back and forth and I am nearly ready to give up to be honest. I don't like the feeling of being sooooo restricted that it takes me 45 minutes to drink a cup of tea, but I don't like feeling so open that I can eat whatever I want. I just want a happy medium but can't seem to find it! Anyone else having this problem? If so I would love to know that I am not alone.