Have you had problems with the band?

YOU  MADE  IT....YOU  GOT  IT  ALL  WORKED  OUT. 

CONGRATS!!!!!!  And thank you for the post.

I have only had one problem, a very minor and easily repaired leak.

Your story sounds horrendous. I have never heard of exposed tubing. I just can't understand how that can happen.  Surely there is surgeon error here? And so much infection?

Kate

Kate.....the exposed tubing was so scary.  Nobody else had ever seen it either. 

I won't go back to the surgeon who put the tubing in that came thru and I won't go back to the surgeon who cleaned that tubing and put it back in causing so much infection.  Obviously they are different people but I'm running out of surgeons here. 

So happy to hear you only had one problem and that you apparently caught it in time.  A leak can turn in to a major problem but, thankfully, you did well.

Thanks for the post.  And you stay on the right track and continue to enjoy your band.

LaWanda

Im sorry for all your problems you are having that is one surgeon I would never go to  , it sounds more like a doctor problem then anything else . go****hink he needs to stop banding people jeesh.

No fills?  WOW.....that's amazing to me.  I know people who've never had a fill but they are few and far between. 

Thanks for the post.  Here's wishing you much success with your band.

LaWanda

Hello

First- I want to say how sorry I am about you and your sister's considerable troubles.  I am lucky that I haven't had no issues with my band.  My freind had to have her's removed after 2 years but I personally think that she kept her band too tight.  She has now regained most of the 200 lbs that she lost.  I am terrified that something like this will happen to me one day. 

Second- I wanted to ask about your sister's fill.  Why does the doctor think her fill is good enough.  How is he the judge of that???  If your sister can eat way too much she probably needs more fills.  Unless she's completely filled to the limit and still can eat too much ( I know someone like that too)...then there's nothing that can be done.  But some of us need our bands filled more than others to feel satisfied with 4-6 ozs of food.  I'm at 9.9 ccs and I can eat 4-5 oz of protein and a 1/2 cup of veggies and feel satisfied...before that I would still be hungry.  If my doctor had stopped before that I would have been upset.  I think your sister needs to go to another doctor.    

The doctor will give us a fill, have us drink some water, gauge how quickly it passes thru the band, release the plunger on the fill syringe, make sure it moves out a bit showing that the band is tight and that's that.  I couldn't always tell when the water goes thru but I could sure tell when something gets stuck.  I had always suggested going on the tight side knowing in a day or two it would loosen up a bit but neither or my surgeons thought that was a good idea because a band too tight can cause errosion.  You have to trust your surgeon.  But my sister and I can't seem to find one in town who we want to go back to.  And you know how one surgeon won't treat another surgeon's patient.  These two surgeons just happened to be in the same practice and then "split".  We're just both at the end of the rope.  Fortunately, we've tied a knot in the end of that rope and we're holding on.

Hi LaWanda, I remember you from way back.

I had band problems but nothing like you had.  I revised to the sleeve.  Best thing I ever did for myself.

I didn't work and it hurt to eat the stuff I was supposed to eat.  I never had any kind of functional restriction even though the band was filled beyond the recommended capacity. 

It just didn't agree with me because there was never a time at any fill level when there were not issues to deal with.  It's a crazy ****amamie idea anyway and I am surprised that it works for anyone.

Best of luck and I hope you can get the left over hardware removed!!

I'm thinking sleeve as well......as soon as I get up the courage.  And I know I need to get the hardware out....but again, the courage.

Yes, I had problems with my band. I had a decent first year, but after that, my band would start to randomly tighten up and leave me unable to even drink water. I would go in for an unfill and then be able to eat everything under the sun with no restriction. I went though a million fills and unfills and there was no sweet spot. Either the band was crazy tight or way too loose.

I finally got rid of the band and revised to the sleeve and have been much happier. I haven't vomited once with the sleeve, have great restriction, and can easily follow my eating plan.

Good luck,
Lindsey