According to Allergen, the makers of the Lap-Band system, approximately 24 percent of...

According to Allergen, the makers of the Lap-Band system, approximately 24 percent of Lap-Band patients will experience band slippage at some point. It is however good to know that most lap band slippages are avoidable and preventable with knowing the signs of danger and knowing and listening to your body.....

I have to admit my first year of banding was the scariest....I had no idea what my future would hold with the band, it was also the most difficult with continuing with fills and losing weight and trying to catch that sweet spot over and over again...but now at 7 years I honestly no longer fear slippage.
 
I know my band and body, I rarely experience any negative symptoms unless I eat too much or eat too fast...and last year I admit I was eating too  much, I was getting complacent about how much I was eating on a restricted band and started coughing after a recent cold and it never went away and that lasted for a week and to take preventative measures, I decided to remove saline to allow my stomach tissues surrounding my band to rest for awhile and after I did that my restriction NOW is perfect with no issues...I guess this is something I will have to do forever as long as I have my band...if i start experiencing any adverse symptoms that last over a week...it's time to see the band surgeon...so honestly I no longer fear band slippage....and that's a good comfortable feeling for me at 7 years....

Also many surgeons say that 3 years is usually the benchmark of when many people start to have problems IF THEY DON'T GIVE THEIR BANDS A REST, sometimes you have to remove pressure from the esophagus and let it rest for a  month or two...that is when the reflux may start ..but usually will go away if the saline is removed from the band periodically to let things calm down..but every one is different and some people never experience reflux --but those that do need to react to any adverse symptoms below that many last for longer than a week..

FYI....

LAP-BAND Slippage

Monday, 01 March 2010 22:56

 

Band slippage is one possible risk involved in Lap-Band surgery. According to Allergen, the makers of the Lap-Band system, approximately 24 percent of Lap-Band patients will experience band slippage at some point. Slippage occurs when the band slides further down the stomach, causing the upper pouch to become bigger and the band to become tighter. Though some patients who experience slippage may not notice any symptoms, for others, slippage can be a painful and dangerous condition. Learning the risk factors for slippage and familiarizing yourself with its symptoms can help you avoid and identify this condition.

Causes

Common causes of band slippage include eating too much food and putting pressure on the abdomen. Always follow your doctor's instructions and stop eating when you feel satisfied. Do not keep eating until you are uncomfortably full. Excessive vomiting can also cause slippage. For this reason, Lap-Band patients should notify their doctor immediately if they are feeling ill or nauseated. Medication can be prescribed to reduce vomiting.

 

Symptoms of slippage

Band slippage can result in a variety of symptoms. The longer you have your band, the easier it will be to identify any unusual reactions to food. Pay attention to the way your body reacts to certain foods and learn what types of foods work best for you, and which ones should be avoided. The following are some of the symptoms that may be triggered by a slipped band.
 

• Lightheadedness
• Nausea or vomiting. Some patients may be unable to even keep down fluids or may notice blood in their vomit.
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdominal area, which may intensify if you breathe deeply or lie die.
• A sudden onset of reflux (heartburn), especially at night.
• Productive or convulsive burping where small amounts of digested food come back up.
• A persistent night cough. 

Treating a slipped band

If you suspect your band has slipped, contact your doctor immediately. Severe symptoms may necessitate a visit to the emergency room. Your doctor can perform a fluoroscopy to detect the position of the band. Some patients may not even realize their band has slipped until a fluoroscopy is performed.
Surgery may be required to treat a slipped band. In some cases, the slippage can be corrected by removing fluid from the band, which may loosen it enough to allow the stomach to descend on its own.

Wait....you mean over eating (which causes vomiting) can cause the band to slip??  That dastardly band.  And all this time I thought the band just randomly slipped for no reason.

Thanks for posting, Nana!

Good morning beautiful...well...in some people the band just slips out of the blue...with no warnings or nothing ....DARN LAP BAND

Hi, apparently this is what happened to me.  I posted last Friday that my doctor said my pouch above the band had stretched.  I didn't know what to do. She said to stay on soft foods for thenext 6 weeks to see if it goes back to normal.  Under the flouroscopy, she removed liquid to see how much I had and then put it back with .10 more.  She said she couldn't do more.  Will watching what I eat and eating soft foods reduce the pouch in your opinion.  I have no symtoms of being sick, except if I eat too much, I have a pain under my breast  after about 1 hour. Thanks for the info.

I hope everything clears up for you!!  Since you had no symptoms, did you just happen to find out you had this slip during a regular check-up/adjustment? 


Please keep everyone posted

Yes I went in for a fill under the flourascope.  I could see the pouch bigger than last time.  She just said to watch what I eat and and stay to soft foods.  I feel fine, and actually have lost 5 pounds in the last week, which is what I have lost in the last 5 months.  No heartburn, vomiting,pain, nothing.  I just want to be normal, I don't like having the stretched pouch. PS:  I guess I will never be normal, but I don't want the stretched pouch.  LOL!!!

I hear ya!  Just glad you found it before it started causing problems!

I hate to bombard you with questions, but when did you have your surgery?

It sounds like you had pouch dilation instead of a real band slippage, although they both can cause issues, they are technically different. Most pouch dilation's are treatable without surgery and often caused by eating too much on a too tight band (and PBing vomiting often) and most can resovle on their own by empting the band and resting for about 6 weeks and slowly start refilling the band.

Very important, you can't cause ANY complication with your band UNLESS YOU ARE VERY TIGHT REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU EAT. This why the band IS ADJUSTABLE so you can adjust it tighter when you are ready to deal with eating rules and weight loss and remove saline when you have other issues going on...

This is why many people who want to eat more food such as vacations, illness, they request to get saline removed from the band to allow them to eat more without worrying about stretching the pouch while it's too tight. The tighter the band the more dangerous.

However, if pouch dilation's are NOT treated promptly it can progress to a prolapse pouch aka...(very large pouch that hangs over the band) which is considered band slippage. All band slippages are not the same, REAL band slippages occur from either the surgeon not suturing the band properly, (which is rare nowadays, most US surgeons use the PARS FLACCIDA method to make sure the band is sutured properly) and/or the band can slip before it actually heals if the patient vomits frequently before 6 weeks post op the band can heal wrong therefore the patient may never reach a sweet spot and their bands never work properly.

Also REAL band slippage is usually caused by frequent vomiting which can cause sutures to come loose and the band will no longer be secure and stitched in place and usually with this type of slippage it is URGENT that the band be removed or replaced immediately since this type of slippage can strangle the stomach -- do a google search on PARS FLACCIDA method of suturing the band in place and types of band slippages to get more info.

With Pouch dilation's THERE ARE SYMPTOMS BUT MANY PEOPLE DON'T NOTICE THE SYMPTOMS SINCE THEY USUALLY ARE NOT PAINFUL...POUCH DILATION SYMPTOMS ARE SUDDENLY ABLE TO EAT MORE FOOD AFTER A TOO TIGHT FILL LEVEL, FOR EXAMPLE YOU GET A TIGHT FILL TODAY AND KEEP THAT FILL FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND START EATING TOO MUCH FOOD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU NOTICE YOU CAN EAT MORE --OFTEN TIMES THE POUCH HAS STRETCHED INSTEAD OF YOU NEEDING MORE FILL...AND MOST PEOPLE WILL CONFUSE THIS WITH NEEDING A FILL...and usually this is.accompanied by frequent reflux and the reflux may come and go and may not be that severe this is why pouch dilation is tricky to detect.....

This is why it is recommenced to get a fill under fluoroscope at least 1 per year or have an Upper GI once per year to check the pouch to make sure it has not dilated too much....

Again....many long term lap banders pull back on saline to avoid any pouch dilations especailly if they've lost all or most of their weight.....they still have restriction enough to limit their meals but not that extremely tight restriction that can cause issues....

Hopefully you learned something today.....

Great information.  Yes, I think the pouch just stretched, cuz I ate too much.  Will it shrink if I keep it light??? What is your opinion, you seem to know alot.  Thanks again!!!!!

If you are not experiencing extreme burning, vomiting and heartburn, I doubt you have any type of permanent damage to your band based on what you are reporting...as long as your surgeon removed saline to allow your pouch to shrink back down and you eat light for a few weeks you should be ok.....

But only get tight when you are ready to DEAL WITH THE EATING RULES....

P.S. By the way I had a temporary pouch dilation about 6 years ago...my surgeon emptied my band and I healded and I have not had any issues since.

Good luck