Question:
I had lapband surgery on 5/21/2008. I was doing ok....by the time I had my first

adjustment my old appetite was back. I went for 1 adjustment and it really did not make much of a difference. When I went back for my 2nd adjustment there was a problem. The doctor said that my band had a "kink"....but by the time he realized it, he had already put the solution in. He could not get it back out. He had me drink some water, but it would not go down. I started to throw up. I had to have emergency surgery that night. I could not keep anything down. Even my saliva would not go down. The feeling in my chest was 50 times worse than acid reflux. I saw my doctor a week later and he said everything is ok now. He took out all the solution during surgery, so this is a few steps back for me. He will fill it in about 2 weeks, provided the swelling in my stomach has gone down and hopefully, most of the pain is gone. My question is whether anyone has had this problem. My doctor said that in all the years he has been doing this, he has never seen this. He said it was nothing I had done and really could not give me an explanation as to why this happened. I have complete faith in my doctor even now and dont feel that he did anything wrong. As I said, I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Thanks, Joyce    — joycemarra (posted on July 23, 2008)

July 23, 2008
I am sorry to see you are going through so much so soon after surgery. A kink is one of the things that can happen. There are lots of things that CAN happen, a kink, a slip, an erosion, a port flip, etc. With every surgery, there are potential for problems that can and do happen. As far as your appetitie goes, you have no fill in your band until your stoma heals, something I can relate to as I had to have an UGI and had zero fluid in my band for 3 weeks. It was if I had never had surgery at all. It's these times that we have to rely on our heads to do the right thing when we can't count on our tools to help us with restriction and small amounts of food.... needless to say, a huge challenge. It takes a few fills before you hit "the sweet spot" with just the right amount of restriction so try and be patient. Eat healthy proteins and veggies, watch carbs, drink water and exercise and you'll do ok. Your surgeon has to fill in small increments to keep your stoma from swelling too much and you having problems like you have already experienced. Be patient, it will get better and again, sorry you have been through so much. Good luck and welcome to the loser's bench, Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
   — DawnVic

July 24, 2008
Sorry you are going through so much right at first. But to answer your question, I know of someone in my support group that had a kink in her line also. So you are not alone. According to our doctor it is very rare, but it does happen.
   — redbear

July 24, 2008
It can happen. I got some bad fish and the severe vomiting that ensued caused my band to slip, and the stomach to push back up through the band, essentially kinking the stomach. And it was totally closed. I was out of town and had to get back to town. Wanted my own doctor, not someone out of state. Did a un-fill under fluroscopy and the still had to do the corrective surgery and start over. So that is where I am now. Corrective surgery was 4 months ago, LB is just over 1 year, but essentially you start over with the corrective surgery. And I did gain back 10 pounds before i got back on a even keel and got a fill and started the losing track again. But the time before the corrective surgery, I lost lots of pounds not eating at all. So all in all, it has balanced out. Now if I could just fix the back - bulging disc which might require removal/fusion. Already have an earlier fusion on two levels. So keep trekking onward. I am.
   — MzCruse