My Band Story-Sorry, Long but Worth Reading

I joined OH in May of 2008, specifically for the purpose of learning about WLS.  I think the mistake I made was that for the two years between joining and banding, I didn't post any questions.  Back then, almost all posts about banding were positive.  My antennae weren't aware of any possible negative, as long as I "follow band rules".  My brother had his lap band in April 2009. lost over 125 lbs and has regained his health and active lifestyle.  I had another friend who had RNY in 2009 and she has had some very scary experiences with transfer addiction, strictures, ulcers and extreme weight loss (down to about 105 lbs at 5'9" tall) but has gotten sober and is now about 130 lbs but still suffers from strictures.  My insurance would only cover RNY or banding in 2010.  I have Medicare with a Med-Advantage plan.  My point in prefacing my experience with this information is to give readers some perspective on where I was when I chose banding.

I was banded on 5-28-10.  My highest weight was 290 lb in late 209, and I was 277 when I was banded.  I count my pre-op weight loss because it was part of the process.  Say what you will, but through the process of being banded, I have lost 88 lbs.  I had no fill at the time of surgery and felt "restriction" from the get go.  I had a small fill in August 2010, only 3 cc, because although I had restriction, I could eat more than a half cup of food and I got hungry between meals.  Looking back, I think I would have waited for my first fill.  I wanted to get it out of the way before our Maui trip in October and allow time for adjustment to an unfill if necessary.  My band doc is 1.5 hours away so that was a factor as well.  I did well that trip, flying was no issue.  I did have a day of inability to eat, because I ate dry meat....my first real stuck episode.  During the first 9 months banded we traveled a lot, flying, going over the mountain passes to our lake house.  Never experienced tightening due to altitude.  I had my second fill in March 2011.  .5cc was the amount for a total of 3.5cc in my 11 cc realize band.  

My FIL's health was declining in 2010, 2011 so we traveled to spend time with him, often driving down I-5 over the Siskyous, or we'd fly down to San Jose.  We went to Maui again in 2010 (we try to go every Oct to visit our friends) and had no issues with altitude, even going to Haleakala Crater at over 10,000 feet.  Airplanes are pressurized to about 8,000 ft altitude, so 10,000 ft is higher than the pressure in a commercial airliner.  I had no problems.  I'm emphasizing this because many bandsters claim altitude affects bands; that has not been my experience. Since the band is filled with fluid, altitude shouldn't affect it at all.  Liquids don't expand with altitude changes and saline is specifically used in fills because it has very little gas content.

During the summer of 2011, I began to experience pain at night that would wake me.  This pain started mid-gut and radiated up to my jaw, chest, neck and even my teeth.  I would feel it in my mid back too.  It only happened once every 3-4 weeks and I saw my doctor for it.  Since it lasted only a minute or so and resolved with drinking water and/or changing positions, he wasn't concerned and suggested I see my band doc, since he felt it might be band related and not cardiac.  I saw the PA at my band doctor and had a barium swallow.  Band looked good.  I was still losing slowly, so opted out of a fill.

In late September 2011 I began to experience pain under my right ribcage.  It got so bad on September 30th, I thought I was going to miss my daughter's surprise 40th birthday party, but after a few hours the pain subsided.  I called my band doc on the following Monday and was scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound and barium swallow the next day. The ultrasound was positive for gallstones, so I was scheduled for surgery on October 18.  My barium swallow showed the band was ok, but I had slow emptying of the esophagus. This is important to remember.

The gallbladder surgery was easy.  I felt great by a week out and thought we had found the source of the mystery pain.  We were planning our trip to San Jose, as we hadn't seen my FIL since mid-July for right after my birthday in early November.  Unfortunately, he passed away on my birthday at 90 yrs old.  He had large incisional hernias, got a bowel obstruction.  He had many abdominal surgeries (colon cancer, rectal cancer, ostomy revisions etc) in the last 40 years, so the hernia(s) were expected.  He had a truss, but didn't like to wear it.  On his death certificate, cause of death is "Bowel Obstruction-VasoVagal reflex".  They attempted to relieve the obstruction via endoscopy and in doing so, irritated the vagus nerve causing cardiac arrest.  Since he wasn't a surgical candidate, due to advanced age and cardiac and vascular disease, the endoscope was the only means to relieve the obstruction.

After his death we had to get the house cleaned out,  decide who got what and get the house ready for renovation and rental.  We spent the better part (other than 2 trips home for a week or so) of late November 2011 to mid April 2012 in San Jose.  During this time, the mystery pain began to occur more and more frequently and I began to experience frequent "stuck" and PB episodes.  I could no longer eat salad or any fibrous foods.  Even a pea skin would get stuck.  I was eating only soft foods, soups etc.  Sometimes I would get stuck on yogurt or even water.   On one of our trips home, I went to my PCP and he thought that maybe it was a stress response to the situation, since the pain would still resolve with water and changing positions.  He suggested that since it originated in my stomach to take PPIs once or twice per day.  It helped for a while.  As time went on, I began to have the pain mid day.  Around March 2012, I began to have heart arrythmias, at night , during the day, all the time, but especially when I ate. 

When I got home in April, my PCP sent me to the Cardiologist for a workup.  He was very concerned about the irregular heart beat.  I underwent a stress test, echocardiogram and it was determined that my heart was healthy, but irritated from high blood pressure, even though my blood pressure had been well managed on a low dose antihypertensive med for years.  The cardiologist cleared me to see my band doctor.  I went in the next day (June 12 2012) and had a barium swallow and my band was almost completely closed up.  Remember, I only had 2 fills, 3cc and .5 cc for a total of 3.5cc in my 11 cc band.  I also had an enlarged pouch (not larger than the band, so not a slip, per se) and a larger concern, diminished esophogeal motility.  The PA immediately decided to remove all fluid from my band.  When the fluid was removed, I asked to see the syringe (looking to see if it had 3.5cc and if the fluid was clear) and it did contain 3.5 cc of clear saline, so all was out and no evidence of infection. I was scheduled for another barium swallow on July 17, to allow my stomach and esophagus to return to normal.  When I went back the pouch was back to normal and the band appeared to be in the right place (no O sign).  BUT, I still had slow emptying of the esophagus...not a good sign.  In the 5 weeks since my unfill, I had trouble the first 3 weeks, went on full liquids for a full week and then things settled down. I had no problems until September when I started getting stuck on everything!  I again went on a soft/liquid diet and things settled down so we could go to Maui in October.  When I was in Maui for two weeks, I had NO PROBLEMS.. but when i came home, the symptoms returned, along with persistent reflux.

I made an appointment with my gastroenterologist in November.  We scheduled an EGD for December 6th.  It came back normal for celiac, HPylori, Barrets.  However, since I have IBS (diagnosed by him back in 2005) and my IBS was the D type and is now the C type (constipation) and I was only having a BM 3 times a month and getting stuck all the time, he put me on Amitiza and an antispasmotic.  He suspected that since I was plugged up, and the alimentary canal only has two openings....if stuff doesn't come out, stuff cannot go in.  So far, it has helped a lot.  I also drink green tea with 20 drops of essential peppermint oil to help with the spasms (which are what cause my band to clamp shut) and that seems to be effective too.  I still struggle, but I'm on the fence about whether to remove my band to help with the symptoms or try to work with it.  I have to see the GI doc next month to discuss this and other options (exploratory laporoscopy) and see what we will do next.  He thinks that the band has irritated my vagus nerve and stomach and that I have  generalized GI dismotility as a result.  This can be life-threatening and certainly is life-altering.

Again, my point is, if you have a band and you become constipated, eat some cut up prunes in your yogurt, do something to get things moving.  I never made the connection between constipation and a "tight band" but on the days when I am pooping, I am able to eat.  On the days when I have gone 2 days or more without BM, I cannot eat anything. DUH!  Also, the band does irritate the vagus nerve, causing palpitations and dismotility (the vagus nerve regulates everything, look it up).  If your band tightens up for no reason, it might be that your vagus nerve is irritated,has slowed things down and is causing constipation.  I still get palpitations when I eat.

I don't think there is anything known as a "fickle band".  It is vagus nerve irritation.  

Like I have said so many times, I'm grateful for the loss of 88 lbs, glad I could get the band, but not so happy with the lost time and resources dealing with the complications.  I am not a band basher, just someone who won't be bullied into submission by those who call any negative posting regarding band experiences "bashing".  

If this helps one person, the post was worth it.

You have gone through a lot............... and I agree with you too, that there is no such thing as a fickle band. It is a inanimate object it is the irritation on the vagus nerve and stomach tissue that causes problems. 

I hope you can keep getting better. Because I know for sure that removing the band may help with your symptoms, but sadly it may not make them go away. Sometimes the damage is permanent.

Good Luck

Thanks for your kind words.  It has been quite a trial.  I need knee replacement, which was the primary reason I looked into WLS.  My BMI is well under 40 so I qualify, but have been dealing with the band side effects to the point that I haven't been up to facing that surgery and rehab/recovery.  I need a break.  I've had over a dozen surgeries in my adult life and would be happy to avoid another one or two.  It really adds insult to injury when I'm called names for sharing my experience honestly.  I shared my FIL's experience so people can see that the vagus nerve can have a huge impact on us.

Steph you sure have gone through it! I have to agree with you about not allowing yourself to be bullied into anything. There should be no place for that here. You know my story. My diagnosis from my surgeon to justify getting the sleeve was esophogeal dismotility. I thought the band could tighten randomly but learned it is the tissue that gets inflamed or swells as a result of stress, flying, etc.

I was fortunate that there was no damage from my band. No scar tissue even. It was all perfect. I just was getting stuck all the time with no fill. I never got over 3cc in my Realize band and often had to have some of that taken out. I was just too susceptible to getting stuck easily. I think when I got all the fill out I had 2cc. Each of us reacts differently. I followed the rules, too, though I admit to getting distracted while eating and taking too large of bites. It wasn't all the time.

 I sure hope you can get your issues resolved. If your band has to come out then so be it. Things change. I am glad you come here a lot so we can keep up.

It's no coincidence that so many of us have experienced very similar side effects from our bands.  I don't regret getting it, but I would not choose it knowing what I know now.  I appreciate your support Sue, it means a lot.

That Vagus nerve system is SO important. And it gets damaged so often by the band's being in our bodies. 

I hope the medications help you and you can keep your band for as long as you decide you want to keep it.

Thanks for sharing your story, Steph.

Your posts about the vagus nerve are spot on and were very helpful in keeping me alert to what my body was doing AND get me to call my doctors.  You've been through so much, I appreciate your willingness to "stick your neck out" despite having lost your band years ago.  Hugs Nic

It was trial by fire for me.  I had so many subpar medical professionals who were like, "Derp derp, what's the Vagus nerve got to do with banding?"  I had to learn everything I could, otherwise I'd be 6 feet under by now, I suppose. 

I'm glad some of the info has helped you. I hope things start turning around soon. I appreciate this nice message, too, Steph. Thank you!

It so weird how everyone's anatomies are so different and we all react differently to the band. 

I had just the opposite problem.  Which of course is a good thing in the long run because it's not causing me any medical issues.  But in the beginning I was really struggling...I struggled for almost 18 months.  I got fill after fill and there was no restriction.  I wasn't losing any weight...and it had been more than a year.  It wasn't until about the 16 month and about 9.8 ccs that I finally was able to feel what I was supposed to feel  Which was satisfied after a small meal.  Finally!!! 

Still after almost 4 years I can still eat anything I want.  I hear people say certain foods are off limits to them.  I can eat whatever I want...bread, veggies, fruit, white meat, beef...whatever...and that's with 9.8 ccs!!!  I also never had to take tiny bites or eat slower either.  I eat just like I did before...just healthier.  Honestly, I could probably get more of a fill because my band holds 11 ccs but I don't want to push my luck.  So August 2011 was the last time I got a a fill.  I went in last year for my yearly check up to make sure all was well...and he asked if I wanted a fill but I turned it down.  There are too many bad stories out here for me to be filling my band up to the limit!!!

But it's funny...I wonder what it is about me that makes me so overly tolerant to the band???  I'm not complaining it's just weird to me.   

Step, sorry to hear about your complications and I hope you are able to resolve your problems quickly.

You've been having issues for a long time now, why do you still have a band in your body? It's removable.

There are LOTS of people with stories -- NOT only with lap bands, but with Sleeves, Bypass and with any type of weight loss surgery. 

I had a story, but I identified what was wrong with me and fixed the problem. There is NO WAY that I would be suffering with my band as long as you have. I started having upper chest pain, burning and shortness of breath last September, after several tests it was determine a hiatal hernia was causing my problem. It cost a LOT OF MONEY to figure out the problem, but it was identified.

There is NO way that I would ALLOW the lap band to damage my body as long as you have. If I had a problem with my lap band there is NO WAY I would have put another lap band in my body.

I got my hiatal hernia fixed and band replaced and I feel awesome, no more pain or burning. I was prepared to get my band removed if it meant that I feel better, there was NO way I would allow lap band issues as long as  you have.

You have an empty band and still having problems that is NOT GOOD. Please do yourself a favor and get your band removed before it continue to damage your body.

If you don't want to be a band basher, why do you continue to keep your band to further damage you?