BroomHilda
ER Unfill
Jul 17, 2009
Well as you already know I saw my surgeon on Monday for my one year appointment and he had given me a fill. However his fills are really hard core when compared to others I think it is because he was to get you out of his hair for a while instead of seeing you monthly. It all boils down to being stretched too thin and my surgeon is definitely that.Anyways I received 1 cc and all was well Monday night. Tuesday was fine it felt like nothing happened. Then Wednesday came and I woke up nauseous and sick to my stomach. My left side under my ribs ached and I was to say the least starving. I would try to drink some fluids and next thing I know the air and the fluid would have a war inside my pouch for the limited space and as the air(burp) came up so did the fluids. It was pretty bad. I was miserable all day and no matter how I sat or stood or laid down I could not get comfortable. I kept mass producing thick saliva. That night it calmed down enough to allow me to get in some protein shake and some soup. At night I felt a mild case of sore throat and heartburn, I woke up to me trying to swallow down thick saliva. I thought things were going to be okay, however the next morning I woke up cleaned up the puppies toys and wham it hit me the same terribleness from yesterday. The pain was back the inability to keep the liquids down due to the painful air trapped in me and uncontrollable PB/vomit of fluids and thick saliva.
My husband came home for lunch and saw that I had not moved from the couch and that the juice he had given me had not gone down enough and became very concerned. He started telling me that I should call the doctor because what if something is really wrong, what if it is band erosion or band slippage (HE REALLY KNOWS HOW TO MAKE ME PANIC) so I went on the Internet and started researching symptoms of Band Erosion and Band Slippage and the one thing I kept reading was pain that people ignored because of fear to be unfilled. Right then I thought I better call my surgeon. I called left a message and then spoke to the nurse. She informed me that my surgeon has left for vacation and will not return until the 24th of July. She stated Belzberg the only other person in all of Southern Kaiser who can touch a Lap Band would be in surgery today but on call in ER. The nurse made arrangements for me to see him. I called my DH at work informed him of the situation and we prepared to make the 90 mile drive to Harbor City. When I arrived I had to deal with the biggest morons Kaiser could employ and continuously explain myself through a glass window who I am and what I need all the while the person on the other end has no idea of what I am talking about and what is a lap band.. GOOD GOD I WANTED TO PULL MY HAIR OUT>>>
Anywhoo instead of it being a simple in and out thing like many other band patients get to experience when they go in for an adjustment I had to be admitted to the ER , take all my clothes off, sit in a room for 3 1/2 hours, get 6 vials of blood drawn, an IV and pee into a cup to make sure I was not pregnant. If the ER doctor had his way he would had me drugged up on Morphine, and anti nausea medicine. Finally God smiled down and had the idiot ER doctor speak to the head resident who was familiar with my case. She came in spoke with me and immediately paged Dr. Belzberg. She came back and said that he would be here in the next 25 minutes. Relieved I did not have to explain to another person when and what I had surgery for and what an adjustment was I pleased to just hang out.
Belzberg hates the lap band and he made sure to inform me of his feelings and question me as to why I had a fill and why I did not have the VSG sleeve. Ireally did not feel like debating or defending myself at that moment so I allowed him to bask in his egotistical discussion about the superiority of the sleeve. To each is their own I said, he asked how much I have lost since the band and I told him 83 lbs he seemed quietly impressed but he still snickered a rebuttal. You are like the only one. Now I am like whatever man fix me or tell me what is going on and stop being a VSG salesman.
He injected me and finally removed all the fluid to see that I had over 5ccs inside my band. 5.25cc to be exact he told me that if he just removes the 1cc that was put in on Monday that it will not relieve the pressure because of the swelling. He said he would have to remove 2cc's he waited for a minute to see my reaction and when he saw I was on board to do whatever it takes to feel better he looked at me surprised like and said most patients would freak out and beg to get less taken out. I just looked at him and said " I don't want to abuse my band". He took out the fluid and put it back in to help show me the difference in how it feels and let me tell you I did not realize how being that tight affects your ability to breathe. I could barely breathe when the 5 ccs were in there and now that I look back I remember feeling this way when the 4 ccs were in there too and how I just made myself deal with it.
I drank some water for him and he answered some questions for me and raised some other ones. Poof he was gone. The ER nurse came in to remove my IV of fluids and get ready to discharge me and then I was hit with the receptionist bill of $100.00 copay. Ouch!!! I wrote her a check and got dressed and my DH and I left for our 90 mile drive home.
Things I learned from this experience is we are in such a race to loose weight and to be with the same fill level as others we can loose sight of the health part. I think eventually I could handle 5ccs in my band but only if done gradually my surgeon is too hard core with his fills which make it way too hard to recover. I so wish I had a nice Lap Band doctor office to got to to have my after care and support but this is what my insurance pays for and so I am stuck until I make better money. I can also honestly say since January I have been very lazy relying on the band to loose this weight instead of continuing to work hard on my part but i guess I felt tired and drained and like I deserved to go on auto pilot for minute.This 6 week challenge is again what I need to regain control and become happier with my progress. I see what the band does alone and I cannot stand the way my body looks now its time to see what I can do again with the band's help.
Not to mention Belzberg got my DH all fired up about the band coming out he filled my husband's head with all kinds of BS that the band should only be in for 3 years tops and that Kaiser will remove it yada yada yada. SO then my husband all the way home kept wanting to discuss removing the band once i got to a normal weight. I told him I would consider it once I was able to maintain the same healthy weigh for at least 3 years. He acted as if I was copping out and I just told him "Look I am sick and twisted in the head when it comes to food and unless you have this problem yourself you will never know what it is like. I know I am not ready to remove this band so lay off not to mention darling I am still considered Fat according to the BMI and we have not had any children yet so both you and the VSG salesman need to leave me the fuck alone".
