Annchan1020
Trying to get through a revision surgery
Sep 18, 2017
In 1992, I was desperate to find an answer to my obesity. At that time I had been on every diet known to man. I had yo yo dieted for so many years and had worked my way up to 250lbs. I grew up in a family of body shamers. I had been so humiliated by my size that I even stopped going to the doctor for fear that he would weigh me and I would feel so ashamed. Then I found Dr. Molina! He seemed to have the answer. His gastric segmentation seemed to be the way to stop the cycle of eating and dieting and regaining weight. So I paid his fee in cash and had him implant a gastric band.
For the next 25 years i lived with the vomiting, occassional pain and diarrhea that came with the band. Until June 24,2017 when things changed quite dramatically. I suddenly had non-stop diarrehea and nothing would stay down. Not even water. I went to the Emergency room and they put me on IV fluids. Then I sought the help of a GI specialist. After an endoscopy I was diagnosed with a severe case of GERD caused by the band. There was now an obstruction causing food not to empty into the larger stomach. I began to lose lots of weight. I went from 185lbs to 168 in two months. Now what to do?
I sought the advise of a surgeon in Chicago whose expertise was in Bariatric surgery but definitely not familar with the Molina style band. He told me that he would operate on me but gave me three outcomes. All looked extremely scary.
!. He would attempt to cut the band off. But if he couldn't get it off it would stay in my body forever. Then he would have to salvage the left over space between the esphagus and the band to make a small pouch to attach the small intestine. However if there was not enough room to make a pouch (under 1 inch of space) he would then have to attach my esphogus to my small intestine.
2. If I left the hospital with my small intestine attached to my esphagus I would be dependent on eating soft food at extremely small amounts for the rest of my life. I would have to always have food with me to avoid the danger of malnutrition. If something got caught in the small intestine my ability to vomit would no longer exist and I would have to have a doctor remove the blockage with a scope.
Sounds like a rosy picture right? Not!
I then set about the task to find a bariatric doctor to help me. Which lead me back to Houston. AFter reading articles, blogs and reviews of the many doctors in Houston that have been treating Molina's numerous victims. I approached the Davis clinic. I have not had my revision surgery yet. I am hopeful that it will work out okay. Please feel free to comment and lend support. My phone number is : 248-789-8379, my email is [email protected]
I am especially interested in your personal experience with the Molina style band and how you are doing today. Also whether you have had it revised.