How is this possible?

My husband went for a upper gi and barium swallow after his lap band did not work for him he finally got brave and decided to try for revision....and in the results it says there is no gastric band seen in place at the fundus..barium flows freely with no delay or obstruction. And it says there is no evidence of constriction by the gastric band.

But it says a port and tubing are seen.

What????

Did it erode into the stomach? That happens sometimes from what others have posted? Perhaps they need to do another type of scan to find it before any type of revision.

Scott

I suppose it's possible.

He's in for a lot before they do a revision. First they want to figure out where the hell the band is. Then they want to take it out and let him heal before they do anything. We're looking at mid summer at best right now. We see the surgeon on March 6 to find out what's next.

I've read that bands have completely slipped the stomach through, and are on to the 1st part of the small intestine. I had symptoms of a slip for 5 years before it was finally "caught" on a scan. 1/2 of my stomach had slipped through. 

Good Luck!

I think that plan is pretty much correct.  The only thing I suggest is to fit into a cancellation if posible and shorten up the timeline, if possible. They know something is not right, who wants to wait a month for the next step.

Taking it out and then waiting for a revision is not uncommon... especially since this sounds a little more complicated, if they aren't even sure where the band is. Good Luck to both of you!

Thanks!

That was the plan before they even did the test...and before they said they can't see the band..wonder hoow long they'll wait before going in there to try and retrieve everything.

Bands can slip quite a bit, and the ports can also move, as well.  These are two of the complications they are known for.  One of the larger criticisms of the lap band is it can have mechanical failure of the band, the tube, or the port.  That is an issue with any surgery that involves implants of any degree; organs have ligaments that hold them in place for similar reasons, but artificial structures are not as well-integrated with the body, and this increases the chance of this happening.  It's rare, however it's quite possible.

 

Yep, I have an extra scar from my revision because the doctor first cut where the port was supposed to be and it had moved.

I just reread the report and it says no evidence of perforation (boring into or piercing) or extravasation.(leakage)

I can't believe we have to wait a month to see the Dr for answers.