Lap Band Problems

Whoops, I didn't really clarify my point above.

Usually bleach/heat does do the trick for killing TB but hospitals pretty much quit using the bleach/heat thing because of the residue left on the surgical instruments after sterilization from the bleach.  That is why they use disposable instruments on TB patients now.  The instruments were burning the patients they used them on next.  The hospital I refer to still uses the bleach/heat thing and these days that is just not acceptable.

My band slipped. The sign that I had were severe acid reflux (especially at night - would wake up throwing up stomach acids, or coming out of my nose). The doctor assumed it was a small slip and unfilled me to let my stomach fall back into place. About 6 months later, even with an empty band, I would sometimes throw up liquids. Other times I could eat as much as I could pre-banded, then water would get stuck. I would say any changes whatsoever need to be checked out. I know it's not what you want to hear, but you have a ticking time bomb in you, so be alert with it so you hopefully don't have any long term damage if and when things do go wrong.

In my case I take responsibility for letting the old, compulsive eating habits take over.  I had the band for 4.5 years, was a super star losing 116 in 9 months!  But, I had to get the band removed in May because my pouch and esophagus were so dilated that there was nothing there to keep bile or food down.  The official diagnosis?  "GE/Esophageal junction grossly compromised".  I take responsibility because I know that I wasn't controlling portion size, wasn't eating slowly, wasn't chewing well.  I also started eating carbs again, which I didn't do for the first year, and I started to gain weight.  I also was regurgitating food almost daily and would then turn around and eat more trying to soothe the various emotions and stressors that I call "life".  I developed reflux at year 2 after having none for the first two years because my HH was repaired when they inserted the band.  So that's the role I played.

The other half of the story is that my band was in perfect position.  It never moved.  I didn't have a slip or excess scar tissue.  HOWEVER, the upward pressure, that is created naturally from the band, fights with the downward pressure the muscles in the esophagus used to swallow food.  They are at odds and therefore causes a perfect storm of distress on top of the issues I created by over-filling the pouch.  Over time, the pressure was too great and the sphincter between the pouch and esophagus just stayed wide open.  I was having chronic reflux and night cough (very dangerous) and I could even feel the food go down and then come back up a bit because that junction was wide open.  Very weird sensation.

So, that is my personal experience.  Many lose their bands for other reasons like slips, surgeon error, etc.  Others must claim some responsibility.  I'm being painfully honest to demonstrate that there are many reasons that the band may not work for all or may not work long term.  There are many successful with the band long term too!

We all do the best we can making such an important decision.  We research and talk to others that went before us but none of the surgeries are perfect.  I know plenty of people that have gained weight back with the Sleeve and RNY and have had a variety of complications.  I would never tell anyone NOT to have the band but if I had to do it over again I would have had RnY because I'm a sugar addict and sugar goes right through the band and the Sleeve.   It all depends on your personality, your health going in to surgery, etc. 

Do the best you can to research and make the decision best for YOU, then don't look back!  Claim your new life!

Best, 

Lisa O.

 

Congrats Donna, it sound like you are doing the right things, I am going on 8 years and never really had any horrible problems -- even when I got my band replaced last year, but things to watch out for is new onset reflux, especially at night, or vomiting in your sleep,  painful eating, frequent vomiting, if you don't any of those things, you are good.

To keep your band healthy you want to try to minimize any type of vomiting or getting food stuck, these are the number one reasons for band damage and removal, Pbing is not really painful, but band damage is, it is horrible, with burning and painful eating, and frothing at the mouth, so each time you Pb can over time cause some issues.

Good luck

I think what was meant to be posted is "Sliming "People Don't Froth at the mouth  At least not any of the ones that I know. If your looking for the true complications this is a good link to visit, since this is what the Surgeons are told to look for .

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038361/

And if your Curious about the rates of complications Allergan posts them on their website

Table 1: Serious Adverse Events Considered Related to the LAP-BAND® System for the US 

Pivotal Study in Severely Obese Adults  % of Adverse Event 299 subjects Band Slippage, Pouch Dilatation 11  Stoma Obstruction 8 Gastroesophageal reflux 3 Esophageal Dilatation 2 Cholelithiasis 2 Incisional Infection 2 Abdominal Pain 2 Gastroenteritis 2 Nausea and/or Vomiting 2 Port Leak 2 Delayed Esophageal Emptying 1 GI Perforation 1 Hernia 1 Band Erosion 1 Chest Pain 1 Dysphagia 1 Infection 1 Asthma 1 Atelectasis 1 Dehydration 1 Headache 1 Abnormal Healing 1 Hiatal Hernia 1 Improper Band Placement 1  respiratory Disorder 1 Thrombosis 1 Thyroid Disorder 1 Death 0 Table 2: All Adverse Events that Occurred at a Rate  of 5% or More for the US Pivotal Study in Severely  Obese Adults # of % of 299 Adverse Event subjects subjects Digestive Nausea and/or Vomiting 152 51 Gastroesophageal reflux 103 34 Stoma Obstruction 41 14 Constipation 27 9 Dysphagia 26 9 Diarrhea 22 7 Abnormal Stools 18 6 Body as a Whole Abdominal Pain 80 27 Asthenia 25 8 Incisional Infection 21 7 Infection 20 7 Fever 18 6 Hernia 16 5 Pain 16 5 Chest Pain 15 5 Pain Incision 14 5 Band-Specific Band Slippage/Pouch Dilation 72 24 Metabolic and Nutritional Healing Abnormal 23 8 Port-Specific Port Site Pain 26 9 Port Displacement 18 6 Skin and Appendages Alopecia 23 8 Table 3: Serious Adverse Events Considered  Related to the LAP-BAND® System for the US  Lower BMI Study # of % of 149 Adverse Event subjects subjects Abdominal Pain 2 1.3 Shoulder Pain 1 0.7 Dysphagia 1 0.7 Medical Device Complication 1 0.7  (Band Erosion)  Gastric Outlet Obstruction 1 0.7 Vomiting 1 0.7  

http://www.allergan.com/assets/pdf/lapband_dfu.pdf

Seeing as this was a % of 299 people you might want to multiple it by a few hundred Thousand to get the REAL PICTURE

Thank you everyone for your information. I'm not experiencing any of those symptoms and I will be on the look out in the future. I paid for this band and I lost my weight. I let life, stress and my own weakness get in the way and I gained some back.

No more, I'm back on the wagon, back to drinking a glass of hot tea before my meals, eating dense protein first, vegi's second, no slider foods, small bites, chewing well and no drinking with my meals.  My goal is November 30,2013 and I will be to my goal weight.

Thanks again, everyone