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It was about 6 weeks after the band was placed when I noticed the pain in my back near my shoulder and It was about  7 months from the time it was placed to the time it was removed. My body encapsulated it. It was so painful to eat that I just stopped eating. I lost 60 lbs. The surgeon said that had the worst erosion that he had seen to date.

I think that Lap bands are still a great tool and I would recommend them to anyone but I also would recommend anyone who is experiencing pain to get an EGD.  I miss my band I feel very "out of control" now. I eat like a horse now. It's been a year since the removal and 6 months since I my last surgery to repair the two hernias I got after the removal.

I am having pain while terrible pain while eating.  I have had a CT scan and the specialist states that my band has slipped to my esophogus.  I have also had an EGD and he found a polup and gastis which he took biopsys.  I went to the surgeon for bariatrics and he tried to give me relief by taking the solution out of my band.  Unfortunately, he could hardly touch the port.  The port hurt so bad, was very tender to the touch and he couldn't get the needle in either due ot the pain.  I have pain on the front side of my body where the port is and the back and side as well.  The surgeon things my band has eroded and the bacertia has gone up my port.  I have an colonoscopy scheduled for Thursday as the CT scan showed a mass in the colon.  After the results, I go back to the surgeon and he will decide at that time when to have surgery.  I have been trying to review as much as possible about my symptoms.  I don't eat much.  Maybe once a day (if that).  The surgeon has instructed me to drink protein shakes and water to get my body strong for surgery.  I like the weight loss but the pain is unbearable.  Any similarities out there in regards to my port site being so painful?

Shan,
You are the first person I've seen mention a pain in your back that no one could diagnose. I've had a pain in my back near the bottom of my left shoulder blade for several months now. It was too bad at first. My GP said it was probably a pulled muscle and told me to take it easy. I now suffer from that pain every day. I have a lot of restriction, sometimes not even able to take in liquids, increased vomiting and bad acid reflux. All the latter symptoms just started over the last 4 days. Did you have any other symptoms besides back pain? Where in your back was your pain? I know I need to go to the doctor, but we my husbands company changed insurance companies. The new one does not cover any aspect of weight loss surgery, so I am trying to get as much info as I can before presenting to my primary doctor. If I can't get him to run the tests, the insurance won't pay for it. Thanks in advance for you help.
Mary
PS I had my surgery 2 months before you...June of '07. I've had my gall bladder removed but no other complications until the back pain started. What is an EGD?

Good morning! I am very sorry to hear of your problems. I have had my band since Jan '01. It slipped so bad my stomach prolapsed up through it in Feb of '02 and I had it replaced at that time. Without going into major detail and writing a book here, I have had many, many other problems, much pain over the years and at least 1/2 dozen upper GI's. It was recently confirmed that it slipped again, though not as bad as last time. I have finally switched surgeons with the intention of removing the band and converting to VSG. I just had a scope done yesterday. My band has not only slipped but eroded badly into my stomach. I saw the photos - there is no way this happened overnight. My advice if you  are concerned about erosion (and it is only just that as I am not a doctor), is to request a scope, not an upper GI. An upper GI will not show an erosion. It will show a slip though.

I wish you much luck and a great outcome!!

hi,,, my band eroded ! on Dec 29th I was in SO much lower abdominal pain I ended up in the er , the pain was lower left side and wrapped around my back , it hurt to take a deep breath or actually , just to breathe !  ,,, after ct's and xrays and blood work and urine , my white count came back at 19 , it's supposed to be between 9-12,,, as the nurse put it " something was brewing"  I had a massive infection , they gave me iv antibiotics and after hours , I finally got dilautin for the pain . Saw my surgeon the next day , and he admitted me. The band had eroded . it was probably party eroded for a year ( my weight loss had stopped , the shoulder pain was intense , I couldn't eat any good food only junk ) I ended up with an endoscopy, lesions in my stomach needed to be repaired, the band came out and I had a tube laproscopically placed to drain fluid and infection. Stayed overnight in the hosp on iv antibiotics and sent home with 5 days of every 6 hour antibiotics ( 3 kinds ) they made me so SICK I actually lost 10 pounds ,, of course I couldn't move without getting sick !  the drain tube came out on day 5 and the antibiotics were done that day . TG I have had no other effects, and truthfully , even though I have gained weight , I feel  a million times better. For 2 years I had shoulder pain and  reflux , I was living on prilosec, Haven't had to use it since the band came out AND I was able to really enjoy my food again , like not pick at a burger and eat like a baby . Now it's on to Atkins and excersize for me,, and when I get the hankering ,, a good burger . I HOPE you're not eroded, after the surgery to get it out ,, I would never tell anyone to get one !  GOOD LUCK TO YOU 

I cannot tell you how much this post has helped!  I am going to have surgery on Friday (the 13th of course).  For over a month now i have had EXTREME swelling to the point where I look about 6-8 months pregnant on any given day.  It changes on how big I am from day to day, hour to hour.  The swelling just happened over a few days, so it's definately not just weight gain, and I haven't gained weight anywhere else.  I have pain in my lower right abdomen that radiates around to my right back.  I also have about the size of a large cherry on my left shoulder blade (I know it sounds crazy even to me).  I was in so much pain I went to the ER and was admitted overnight and then about a week later went back to the ER and was admitted for 4 days.  They did 2 CT's, multiple x-rays which showed a dilated stomach, with just air (the crazy thing was they did one which showed the dilitated stomach and then another an hour later where the stomach was even bigger!), labs, a gastric emptying study and an upper GI.  They all turned out normal except for the x-rays.  They told me it was "functional GI disease" because I was a little constipated at the time and have IBS (not the constipating kind.  I know I know TMI right) and I don't have my gallbladder so that's out too.  The band is apparently in "perfect" placement.  It was placed a year and a half ago.  They took all the air out and sent my unhappy little painfull butt home.  Now it's over a month later and I'm even more swollen.  My GI doc thinks it's a lap band thing.  So, I've finally convinced my bariatric surgeon whom placed the band to do an exploratory laproscopy and look around to see what he can see and if he can't find anything obvious to take the (insert cuss word here) band out.  I am sick.  I am SO tired.  I hurt ALL the time.  My upper stomach is HUGE.  I am not crazy. I am a nurse (insert another appropriate cuss word).  And when they do find that something has happened with the stupid lap band I am going to call all these doctors up who told me I was constipated or had "functional GI disease" to function this.  And do the happy dance because I will once again feel like myself.  And I will be healthy and lose weight without the help of this horrible contraption.  I just hope it hasn't done so much damage inside that I need such a drastic surgery like you.
  I'm glad it's helped so many others.  But, my mom had this surgery as well.  She's had multiple infections at her site.  They wrapped the band around her hepatic artery so they have to be very careful when they fill it.  She throws up at every meal.  She just had to have the port removed because she just had such a bad infection that it stuck out like a third eye and was so painful she couldn't breathe or walk.  They're apparently going to replace it.  She has lost 110 lbs.  Looks amazing.  But she's bulimic.  Of course she's going to lose weight.  And her teeth soon.  She's terrified to have the thing taken out because she's afraid she'll gain back all the weight she's lost.  She worked hard to lose it.  Went through a lot of pain for it.  I don't blame her, but my Mom's only 55.  I'd like to keep her around a while. 
   Sorry about the book, but I needed some validation that I wasn't crazy.  I am very scared about my surgery on friday, but I'm ready for this to be over.  My insurance isn't paying for it...  but if I feel like myself again and pay for it over 10 years then it will be worth every darn penny.  Good luck to you all.  I could use a little myslef.  Thanks.

I know these posts are over a year old but I am doing research on erosion.  My band also eroded.  It was removed after having the band for 4 years.  Looking back I should have had things checked much earlier but I was losing weight and just endured the discomfort. No I didn't feel well and I also had consideralbe shoulder pain from irritation/damage to the vegas nerve - again looking back and the cessation of left shoulder pain post band removal has clued me in.  There was not sudden ability to eat - rather the opposite but partly because of increasing intolerance to foods and increased nausea/vomiting.  yes I know I was stupid.

I think I have had every complication possible with the lap band and would not recommend it.  I chose it because I did not want to permanently mutilate my body.  However, due to the problems that has happened anyway.  The band removed was actually my second band.  The first one leaked rendering it ineffective.  Had it replaced and I think the placement of hte second band during the same surgery as removing the first band was a mistake.  I had significant swellign to hte point of obstruction after placement of hte second band so it's no wonder that teh second band also failed.

Best of luck to anyone who gets a band but be diligent with your checkups, aware of changing symptoms, etc.  It could all end very badly and very suddenly.

I am wondering how everyone is doing now? I see a few avatars I recognize, but I hope everyone who posted on this thread is healthy today.

I relate since I had horrible complications with my band (including the left shoulder referred pain from the Vagus nerves.)  I think it's important to let potential banding patients know what can and does happen with lapbanding, so I thank you all for sharing your experiences. It's a hard thing to go through.

That's great to hear that you love your band Kimdella.  I am happy you are happy with your success.  I unfortunatly have not had good success.  I had the surgery for lap-band placement in jan of '07.  I lost about 20 lbs total. It was a struggle from the beginning.  I was discharged from the hospital after placement and readmitted 3 hrs later with stomach edema.  My band just didnt seem to do for me what it had done for quite alot of people.  Now I am having trouble again.  Last week I awoke on wednesday morning to a great deal of pain.  The same pain I had when I was in the hospital for a week with stomach edema.  There was no band slipage or anything, but everytime I eat I have alot of discomfort.  Like I just ate a HUGE turkey dinner.  I am beside myself with all this.  It as been 5 years of trial and error and needle after needle trying to get this band right.  Unfortunately no progress.  I am concerned about "erosion" however. Anyhow, in all efforts, good luck to you with your weight loss!
If anyone has any advise on what I can do please....feel free to reply! I can understand why I feel so uncomfortable and bloated!

i had a very bad experience with the lapband  it was replaiced 3 times.  i came very close to dieing.  get all your information up front.