How many of us have had to/need to be revised from the "Band"?

I still get the left shoulder pain and it doesn't matter if it's jello or a piece of chicken. My nerve pain is concentrated in both shoulders, upper arms, & neck. It's a severe burning pain and it aches terribly.
My upper back spasms as well.

I haven't tried the Bentyl, but I do have IBS from the band of course. I'm not really having any issues with acid since they removed the band. I did have an erosion and a host of other band related problems.
Some have been relieved while others still persist. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm just trying to find something that will help heal my nerves. If that's even possible.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and sorry that you are feeling so much pain. Hopefully once your baby is born you will find relief from your pain. Has your doctor discussed any plan of action that he wants you to take part in once your baby is born ?

I know you might not be feeling "reflux", but it could be causing the residual swelling thus leading to more nerve pain. I would still consider going on a PPI to see if it helps at all unless you just can't go on one. And, a few times on the VSG forum, I've been reading of this silent reflux that people are experiencing which causes painful eating and leads to gastritis which then typically includes a higher dose PPI and carafate for 2-4 weeks.

We're fairly sure after delivery that the pain should subside to some extent. It isn't chronic yet, and I'm able to manage through it for the most part. I don't get it every day, or every meal. It really seems to be related to how my body is shaped and the growing baby. Unfortunately, my surgeon believes I will have to deal with this for life, and there is absolutely  nothing they can do for it surgically, and I'm not sure what course of action we would take if it becomes chronic. I'm guessing we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

I still suffer from gastritis and this is my newest regimen, it's also the most helpful so far...

Bentyl for nausea as needed.

Mylanta

2 Omeprazole a day ( sometimes I've had to take three, but that is VERY VERY rare )

No more coffee ( except on vacay )

No more lemon water

Little to no dairy

No alcohol except on vacay Not a problem because I'm not a big time drinker.

Normally I never get "involved" in peoples choices of surgeries, but this is the one time that I do want to say... "If you're pre-op consider ANY other type of surgery other than the Band".

Reasons I have heard people say they WANT a band.
1) It's LESS invasive... (This is false. You're getting a medical IMPLANT. You get more complications than without an implant.)
2) LESS complications... (See above. Many folks who had had bands have MORE complicatons. Ports flipping, bands slipping, bands eroding into stomachs, etc..)
3) It can be taken out/reversed *** WLS is not a "temporary fix" folks. It's a LIFESTYLE committment. It's not something we take out. As the old proverb goes...Measure TWICE and CUT once. Why would you want to have surgery after surgery and complications after complication?)
4) The Band is Cheaper.... (McDonalds is Cheaper than healthy Organic food...You get what you pay for. It's YOUR life, YOUR body make it count.)

There are actually LESS complications from people getting RNY, DS and the VSG (Sleeve) than band. I have heard of so many folks who got a band who had to revise to a different surgery or worse...Are permanently scarred and their stomachs ruined from Bands eroding into them or causing mega-esophogus.

I'm not here to tell you WHICH surgery to get. I have the RNY and LOVE it. Have not had a single complication and have lost all my weight and all my medical co-morbidities are gone in less than a year. BUT, any newcomer to WLS needs to research, research and research some more.
There are 4 WLS types. Make sure what you get is a GOOD fit for you.
Most "horror stories" about DS and RNY are totally FALSE! VSG (Sleeve) is also a very good surgery and is "like" the band without all the nonsense of fills and such.

That being said, obviously some people do awesome with the band. Have met their goal, have no complications. But even people I met who have little to no complications have told me they have to WORK harder than the average bear in their diet/exercise and fills. (I personally do NOT want to go monthly for fills and unfills, etc).

I wish EACH of you a safe and wonderful journey into your WLS choice. For those who had to revise to a new surgery, my heart truly DOES ache for youm because I know you had to go through a lot of nonsense and pain. I hope you find a good journey, no complications and sucessful weight loss!

((((hugs)))
warmly,
Jackie

Well said Jackie !!!!!!!!

 Amen to that Jackie!!

Long story short,  I had the band four years ago this July, it worked amazing for me. Reached proper restriction in about six months, lost close to 100 lbs. SURPRISE, got pregnant had to have an unfil, but only gained about 35/40 lbs with my pregnancy, most of which came off right after he was born. Nursed for 18 months, got a good fill, got a stomach virus which caused a slight slip of my band and had a complete unfill which resolved my slip. 

Started working my way back up towards proper restriction, got it dropped down almost to my pre-preggo low weight and I was thrilled. I started to feel very sick, strange pains over my body, swollen joints,  major reflux and chest pain that would come and go. Eventually the pain go so bad I made my DH take me to the hospital, after several tests it showed that I had a major slip (even though I had not been sick, or having any "stuck" episodes since my last slip) that was cutting off circulation to my stomach and had to have emergency surgery to remove my band. 

Since having the band removed, my strange shoulder, knee and back pain have subsided and all of my swollen joints/joint pain is gone. I went from being told that I was developing arthritis at 31 to being completely pain free, my surgeon says that this complete resolve of all my symptoms (some even neurological) have nothing to do with my band, but I don't believe it. I feel better now then I have in the last two years, and I am glad to have the band out. 

I am having a revision to a sleeve at the end of Aug, start of Sept. 

Courtney,

I noticed early on that the band exacerbated any little illness.  If I had a cold, the symptoms were worse.  If I had a virus, the symptoms were more pronounced.  I firmly believe that the stress of having the band plays havoc with your immune system.  I had this low grade bad feeling all of the time and I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good until I revised to the sleeve.

The band can effect your whole body even if you don't realize it.  Emotions even have a negative impact on the functioning of the band.

People, Drs. and Insurance companies need to wake up and realize that the band is a very bad idea for WL.

Good luck with your revision.

I would not doubt that there is a low-grade inflammatory effect from the band for some people. Even if it is from an inflamed stomach or esophagus, that inflammation does throw off chemical signals.

It is the constant drip, drip, drip of irritation to your stomach, esophagus and port area.  Things don't heal, they just keep building until the damage is done and the band has to come out.

The psycological damage is pretty bad too.  There is constant worry and guess work from day to day because of the fickle nature of the band.  It takes a toll on all daily activites because the band is always on your mind and never in a good way.