OT Complications
on 5/29/10 8:23 am - Califreakinfornia , CA
Thanks for all the support from EVERYONE!
How is your infection doing. I looked up on google about that cleaner you are using and I'm going to purchase this for myself. I hope you are feeling better and your infection has cleared up. Please let me know how you are doing.
I have been doing really well with my weight loss. I am down 39 pounds in 9 weeks. I have lost a total of 2.5 inches. I went for a fill but because I can only hold 2-3 ounces in my stomach, I did not need one. (I have a 10cc band.)
I have had some complications with everything. When I got home from Mexico, I got my first infection. It was a small staph infection at my port site. Antibiotics cleared it up. Two weeks later another staph infection, it started at the port site and spread to underneath my breasts. Again, antibiotics and steroids this time and it cleared up. At the beginning of March another infection, this time it started on the right side of my abdomen and spread to the port site, more antibiotics and steroids to clear it up. Sunday another infection started at the port site, spread from under my breasts, down my abdomen, in my belly button, and then down to my groin area. Again more antibiotics, steroids, pain meds (it is extremely painful), and drainage tubes to help drain the infection. If the antibiotics do not work, I will have to go in for IV antibiotics.
I constantly cry because of the pain and smell that comes from the infection. I have missed a lot of work and have fallen behind in school (working on my Bachelor’s Degree) and to be honest have become very depressed. I have had one doctor tell me my body is rejecting the band. Another has told me it was something that happened during surgery, and another one says I need more vitamins.
I am only eating what does not upset my stomach. I am taking daily vitamins, cut back on my sugar, have been tested for diabetes, eat yogurt, and still I get these damn infections. I have called the doctor in Mexico and he says just to come back and have the band removed. I am at my wits end here. Oh and to add the cherry to my cake, when I tried to register my band with Lap-Band®, they said my number does not exist.
Any thoughts on any of this……..
It really doesn't sound like rejection to me but instead just an infection you can't get rid of.
Sorry you are going through this. :o(
on 4/1/10 12:23 pm
Hi,
I'm so sorry your recovery is not going well.
A poster with the screen name gourot said his body rejected the band while he was at the clinic. I wonder if it could help to contact him (his first name is Alex) to find out if he had the same symptoms?
He said he had a revision to VSG while at the clinic and now is doing fine.
Is it possible to visit a bariatric clinic/doctor near you? Perhaps they can determine what is going on?
As far as the money goes, perhaps Dr Betancourt would allow you to make payments? It might be worth asking about.
There must be some way for us on OH to figure out how to get you what you need.
Please take care for now. And please keep us posted.
I wish you the best,
Cheryl
I hope you can find some help with getting your band removed or getting a revision if that's what needs to happen. Good luck with everything and keep us up to date on how you're doing. Take care!
I would suspect that the infection is in the port/line of the band which is why they reoccur with time in between infections. Not being able to register this band cause even more concern. You absolutely have no way of knowing what is inside of you.
I am a nurse and when I was researching I wonder what short cuts they were taking to afford to offering these surgeries at this price. I crossed them off my list as my gut instinct said something was not right with this pratice.
Please get this thing out of you as soon as possible and I would not convert to a sleeve untill after you remove the band and have an infection free peorid(at least 3mos).
Did you tell the Dr. who is treating the band infection that you had the band in MX?
m1=23, M2=11, M3=4(had stall for 3wks), M4=6 M5=6 M6=6 M7=4 M8=3
I am a VSG to DS revison!
