kingfish
26/08/08 - SLEEVE V LAP BAND
Out of a group of 12 of us who remain friends and who were banded from April 2005, I had the least success because the locking mechanism had failed, I had a port replacement and eventually lost my band to erosion where 90% of my band ended up inside my stomach. One suddenly lost restriction after months of having no fills, thought surgery would be to repair a faulty port - turned out the band had failed and was replaced, one has developed a hernia above her band and was spiking temps since her surgery, she was aspirating stomach acid iinto her lung while she slept, developed aspirational pneumonia and is now unfilled and waiting for removal of her band. Of the rest, two have struggled to continue losing and are still grazers and fluctuate between being able to eat too much or being too tight and suffering reflux BUT the junk food still goes down. The remainder are very happy with their bands, 5 are very happy with their weight loss and are at their goal, and the other are maintaining but would like to lose more. All except 2 trek back and forwards for fill adjustments as required. Most can overeat and constantly search for food if the fill level is not right. None of the girls have long term confidence that they won't have a problem with their bands in the future.
In brief, that is how it is with our little group and I am the only one who has revised to a sleeve. I am doing as well now as the best of our group. I have excellent 'restriction', I cannot overeat, recovery has been great, my attitude to food has already changed because I have to follow the rules ( long may it last) and I don't have one regret about going for the sleeve. I did let out a long sigh as I looked at a wonderful meal I had prepared for my family, symbolically plated up for myself, pushed the food around my plate and tasted the yummy gravy and then gave the plate to my grateful husband. But I do know that one day soon I might be able to sample small bites of a delicious meal whereas most of my banded friends just cant get down things like most fruit, vegetables and salads, meats, bread etc. Enough said?
I'm in my fifties, I have five children, I have a fantastic husband and family and I'm tired of being so grossly overweight and so out of control with my eating. Over the last 9 months my self esteem has crashed, which caused me to withdraw into myself and become depressed. I don't have to live like that anymore! I don't want to sit on the sideline anymore, I want to live my life to the full and have the experiences that I have always avoided because of being so overweight. HERE'S TO LIFE!
I live in New Zealand, and that's about as remote as it gets when it comes to finding other people who have had lapband surgery. My surgery is scheduled for May 16th 2005, and in spite of asking and being asked if I wanted to speak with someone who has had this done, I have not heard from anyone. Until I found this site three days ago I was not sure if I should have gone with RNY instead, but now I am so reassured that I know I have chosen the right option.
Into the second week of "liquid" diet 3-4 sachets of optifast per day, but am now having two a day and have added a little fruit, as well as clear chicken broth with a cup of lo carb vegetables and some sliced poached chicken breast. Would still not be having more than 700 calories daily and I feel more satisfied and less constipated. Have lost about 12 lb in a week by following this diet. My family asked why I didn't try to follow this plan until I lost as much weight as I wanted. I can do it for two weeks because I know I have to as a prerequisite for the surgery. If there was no surgery I wouldn't have lasted for a day - I can even eat when I feel sick! My energy levels aren't very high right now, I should be exercising, but this morning throwing the frisbee for Sophie (our border collie) to catch was almost enough.
Three days to pre-op weigh in and I find I am starting to rationalise that I could have more protein or an extra apple on top of what I am already having. When I got up this morning I was convinced that I would stick to a liquid only day but it didn't happen. It really is all between the ears where the sabotage begins. I am still sticking to around 700 - 800 calories per day, but I feel like I am cheating. How stupid is that? If I had been living this way (with fairly high self control, eg no carbs, sugars or fats) before I even considered surgery, I probably would have lost a stack of weight more successfully than anything else I have ever tried, but I would never have lasted beyond a certain time! No point in talking about what could have been achieved if only I had of done things differently. Five more sleeps and the journey begins! Felt really sad today when I read Jessica O's profile, my heart goes out to her and her family with what she has been through after her RNY. I know 100% that the band is the only way for me and all doubts are absolutely gone!
11th May 2005
I would love to talk with other people in New Zealand who are about to undergo lapband surgery. I am having mine done on 16th May 2005, this website has been a godsend! The decision was made nearly 18months ago that if I gave diet and exercise another try with a serious commitment for six months and it didn't work for me, then I would look at a surgical option. I am paying for this myself, tried to go through Middlemore but they declined! I have spoken to someone who had a RNY done at North Shore Hospital a few weeks ago, she went through the public system and it cost her nothing. But she had to follow a strict regime which was set out by her doctors, for over a year, before they finally decided that she was a suitable candidate.
I am eleven days into a pre-op liquid diet, which I have recently supplemented with a few vegetables and some protein. My daughter commented tonight that I looked like I had lost a stack of weight, I will know on Friday exactly how much. Hasn't been too bad, don't miss my carbs and fats much at all!
13 May 2005
Pre op weigh today, wonder how much I am down! My beautiful daughter told me last night that my eyes were sparkling and keeps telling me how great I look, she is wonderful! I have eliminated all carbs and don't have more than 15 grams of fat a day because of the pre op diet, that's probably why all the puffiness has left my body. I didn't look healthy two weeks ago! Trouble is that I know that as soon as I intoduce carbs again, I can't stop! The message board has become my new obsession instead of mindless computer games like Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire!
14th May 2.00 am
Had my pre-op weigh in 16 hours ago, lost 12 lbs in 11 days - fantastic, I am told to stick with the liquids until my op on the 16th NZ date (US would be the 15th) Damn I thought, I really wanted to relax the diet for one day and I guess I had made up my mind that I would do that before I went for my surgery!
I am so pissed at myself because instead of taking it quietly, being moderate and remembering that my stomach had shrunk after 11 days of mainly liquids, I did the opposite, over the course of the day I had the worst food and I felt disgusting, sluggish and bloated!!!!! Somehow sugars and carbs trigger the desire for more and I have little control!!! So right now I am swearing and blinding at myself and I feel better for having vented it - I could never be this honest with my nearest and dearest. I have got it behind me now, it's 2am here (having a mocchachino with an extra shot at Starbucks at 8.30pm has kept me awake) and I'm going to I promise myself that I will only have my optifast and water for the next 48 hours!
15th May
Feel so much better after the big blow out, got things back on track with the exception of an apple and some fish - tiny amount.
Have packed my bags and will leave at 6am in the morning to go to my daughter's house and she will take me to the hospital.
18 May 2005
I finally belong to the bandster club - and I feel wonderful. Arrived at the hospital bang on 7am and immediately went through the surgery prep, by 7.45 am I was shuffling my bum onto the narrow operating table, getting the drip into my arm and remembering nothing until I found myself back in my room again at about 10.30am. My surgeon had called my husband, and he notified everyone including my children at school(plus a couple I had not wanted to tell) but he was so happy that it was behind me and that I was coming home to the family again! He is a darling! Suffered the dreaded shoulder pain for the first 18 hours and had a bit of a cough (from throat tube) but that has passed now, the only uncomfortable area is around the port incision. My surgeon also repaired a hernia that I didn't know I had so the whole procedure took about one and a half hours. I did stay in overnight and was glad I did. I was happy when I discovered that if I sipped water I could immediately produce a burp and that's how I entertained myself in the early hours of the morning. After lots of burping the shoulder pain disappeared.
The most exciting part was being aware of my little sips of water gurgling down and realising that there was already some restriction I am grinning from ear to ear
19th May 2005
Felt better yesterday than today, major gas, shoulder pain is back and I'm wondering if this was such a good idea. The Board has been fantastic yet again, I have decided to go with liquids like water and chicken broth for a few days to see if it helps with the gas. Husband Phil has been fantastic, working and taking over organising the boys and household.
23rd May 2005
Still feel exhausted, but gas is 100% better, staying away from fruit juice and protein drinks has helped. Phil drove me to my appointment with Dr Fris - was so happy that he waived the extra fee for the hernia operation ($2800) because I did not have insurance. Everything is looking good, he said he put 1cc into the band during surgery! Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Didn't weigh me, glad about that because I still feel so bloated. Will jump on the scales on Thursday! I am not going to get obsessive about scales and weight. Am I saying that because my scales won't weigh any higher than 100 kg?(220lb)
24 May 2005 - my response to a fairly tough post from someone who is very focussed about their journey :Stop messing around with the band and just do what needs to be done!
This journey is always going to be different for everyone. For myself, the biggest problem has always been with the organ between my ears. Pre-op if I was on a weight loss program I would always start to relax my efforts as soon people started to compliment me on how great I was looking. And then I would beat myself up for being weak - how many of us have done that!
I have gone ahead with this surgery knowing that I still carry the baggage of what I used to do and how I used to think and react and these are issues that have to be dealt with. I am just starting to be aware of the first actual hunger pangs 8 days post op and this is a completely new feeling for me. Most of my adult life I seldom knew what REAL hunger was! I can't react the way I used to, I have to learn to make sensible choices. In a meeting with my surgeon yesterday, he said that just getting a band does not change what is going on in an individuals head. New skills have to be learned and utilized and there will be slip ups along the way, I see my journey as a partnership between myself, my band, my surgeon (for counselling and fills) and the most wonderful support tool one can have, this amazing Message Board. This Board encourages me to be honest, I can read profiles of people who sound just like me, who sometimes falter, but then they dust themselves off and carry on, and I really believe I will succeed.
25th May 2005
Starting to feel better every day, still a little bloated - some gas and sporadic shoulder pain, hardly noticeable now.
26th May somehow a very special day for me
Thought I'd share with you all how wonderful I feel this morning. I grabbed a cool sweater that was a hand-me-down from my shopaholic daughter who is mad on clothes, it was always too tight for me but I hung on to it anyway.It looked REALLY great on, and even a bit loose - how great was that! Put on a little make up (something I had normally not bothered with so much) took my boys to school and went grocery shopping straight after. As I wandered around with my trolley I noticed a few people making eye contact and smiling at me, and I was smiling back. On thinking about it I realised that I was walking taller, held my head up and my face didn't have its customary frown, I am suddenly happy in my body and it shows.
In less than 4 weeks:
I survived the pre-op fluid phase and lost 12lbs - Post op 16lbs
My feet are no longer swollen
My face has lost its puffiness
My eyes are sparkling
I feel like I am a butterfly emerging from a coccoon
I delight in the fact that it takes me longer to eat half a cup of yoghurt than it does for all the men in the house (husband & 3 teenage sons to eat their dinner.
I really enjoy the taste of the food I'm having
I feel like I have been relieved of a massive burden, my band and I are doing this together! Today, my battle with food is OVER!!
8th June 2005
Reflection time, what an enlightening journey this has been so far. My appetite has returned and I am eating REAL food! With that knowledge I have to be aware of what I am putting into my mouth and that I don't get back into the habit of grazing. For breakfast I can eat oatmeal with some muesli mixed in for some wonderful texture, topped with apple puree or a little brown sugar and milk. Midday I have soup or some meat, or cheese on 3-4 whole grain crackers. Trying to get the protein in with vegetables before I have anything with carbs. On June 6th it was Queens Birthday weekend in NZ and we headed off to our beach house, just my husband, daughter, three sons and three of their friends, and of course the dog and cat. It was fantastic, I felt so energised, in fact having this band has changed the way I feel about myself so much that I find I want a much closer relationship with my DH, and he is so happy to have "his girl" back again. What a wonderful life we have ahead of us, esp after 33 years of marriage! My daughter baked scones with cream and jam, and I had a very small piece of one and that was enough. In fact it was amazing watching the others eating and remembering how I would have had 3-4 servings before banding, and I still could have gone back for more! I have still not got my official post op weight loss, my appointment is on the 20th and then I will post! I have sneaked a look on my mother's scales and they show a 32lb loss but they might not be the same as my doc's scales. I will close today with a delightful comment that my 17 year old made, he is home sick today, and as I walked down the hall he called out after me and said "Mumsy, your bum is getting smaller!" How good was that!
16th June
Am in my 6th day of a hideous flu, being sick is awful, made me think about all those people who have to endure sickness on a daily basis and made me feel grateful that at least I am recovering! My appetite has not been great and I have forsaken sugar free for sweetened juices and lemon and honey drinks to keep the fluids up. My poor husband has had to endure nights of me coughing and farting.(Since this surgery my ability to let rip with the most massive farts esp at night is incredible. I just have to roll over in bed and I'm at it again!!!! Luckily I don't have the same problem during the day!!!!!!!!!!!!)Haven't had any energy to think about good eating, looking forward to feeling 100% again so that I can get back to the gym and think about the meals that I can enjoy. Last weekend I treated myself to have my eyebrows tidied and coloured and tomorrow I am having my hair cut and restored to my natural blonde colour again. My next treat for myself will be a pedicure, have not worried about how my feet look for years and then had the experience of having my first one four weeks ago, a gift from my daughter. My feet looked great, and my toenails looked awesome. I never thought I was worthy of looking great from head to toe and now I do - another non scale victory! It is almost like being reborn, it is going to be an exciting journey to reveal the new me!
20th June 2005
The big day, 5 weeks post op and first official weigh-in! Today I am 26lb down since my pre op diet. 12lbs pre op and 14lb post op. What an amazing start, and from here the hard work begins. I got an exercise plan from my doctor today and a graph forecasting an achievable weight loss for the next 10 months. I finally have a GOAL of 85kg or 187lbs which is ONLY 89lbs away.
I will do it in small chunks. I am fizzing, it is just awesome. This band has changed me from being an overeater and binge eater into someone who has control, and for the moment food is no longer the major focus in my life anymore. It is very liberating!
24th June
Have been aware of thinking more about food and have a bigger appetite so I think it is time for a fill - rang this afternoon and have an appointment for 3pm on the 27th. Nervcusly excited!
27th June
The fill is in (or so I'm told). Apart from a tiny prick there was absolutely no pain, just the pressure on the port while the search for point of entry was on. Took about 10 minutes and 1cc was put in which means I should have 2cc in my 4cc band. As I was leaving I tried a few sips of water to test it out and I seemed to feel that slow gurgle again as the fluid trickled through the stoma. Fluids for today, which means I can "Have another protein shake maybe" - or NOT! Think I'll try some chicken broth instead. Have to say that the desire to eat anything has gone again - great feeling for the moment but I'll give it a couple of days to settle. Cost for the fill was $110 but if any adjustments need to be made over the next days, I won't be charged for that!
A question on the board today helped me to crystallise the positives of this surgery - my response was as follows:
My decision was made when I decided I wanted to have a life that did not include all the complications that come with morbid obesity! I had high blood pressure, was unfit, tired all the time, and had swollen feet, face and hands 90% of the time. Sitting on the beach in summer in my 54 year old fat suit watching my family have fun suddenly had less appeal than getting out there and being a part of the fun.
I am over six weeks out from surgery and I feel better, I look better, I am exercising, I have more confidence, BP is down, I have dropped a shoe size, swelling is gone and my three teenage sons are so proud of my progress. I am getting my life back and I would never trade that for anything that is supersized,like fast food!
Sure I may have some slip ups along the way, but I will never mourn the food that I am not able to fit in anymore food. I love the fact that I can leave food on my plate. My only regret is that I didn't get my band earlier!
There are people out there for whom food is more important, and there could be psychological reasons involved here. I don't believe this is a quick fix for a weight problem unless there is the desire to let go of many of the habits that made us overweight in the first place.
18th July 2005
Three weeks since I last updated - and I am coming to terms with life with my band. Wasn't sure about whether my fill was working, it depended on what I was eating. Sometimes I would start the day with 3oz tinned tuna and after two bites I could feel it sort of sticking before the feeling passed. Just seems to be with tuna, not other solid proteins so far. Otherwise, I can eat anything without difficulty. Sometimes after eating I notice a slight increase in thick saliva which I feel I want to spit out - I wonder if this is what they call sliming? My portions are small and my choices are mostly good - I have eaten foods that would have done my head in with guilt before banding. Finally got a new electronic scale two weeks ago because my other set would show error messages over 200lb in weight. Spoke with the supplier and they came to my door with a new set because they were still under warranty. Now my daughter and I each have a tool to monitor progress. I used to be really obsessed by the scale - and my daily mood with be dictated by whether I was up or down. Post fill my weight stayed the same for two weeks and then I started to see a small shift down again (27#) I have enjoyed the experience of eating a balanced diet 90 - 95% of the time, and realising that I am maintaining my weight well as I adjust to learning how to work with this band. If I lose more during this time it is a bonus. Case in point was a birthday dinner that I put on for my lovely 92yo MIL. I had a few pita crisps and dip, 2 slices of sashimi tuna, a small portion of roast chicken with apricot cashew bread stuffing and some veges, and a tiny piece of pavlova with raspberry and cream topping. This was over the space of an hour. I felt so satisfied and then I watched as two family members (who had very generous portions of dessert), finished off the rest! I watched them and I could feel myself smiling as I realised that would have been me previously - in fact I would have taken the remaining dessert away when everyone had been served and obsessed about having the leftovers as soon as I could do so without being seen. One of the successful bandsters here in NZ said that she lost her weight in chunks of 10kg (she has lost over 60kg - 132lb) In between those chunks she allowed time to settle into her new weight for a few weeks before embarking on the next stage. I like the sound of that - my next check in with the doctor will be on the 26th July and will look at another fill then!
31 July 2005
Time for an update, the last week has been disappointing, but also rewarding! On the plus side, had coffee this week with some new bandsters and have decided to get together regularly for support and friendship - nobody understands like another bandster! I am happy to say that I can now retract the statement I made near the beginning of my profile implying that NZ bandsters were as rare as hens teeth.
On the down side, went in for my fill and checkup - had lost 1.5kg in five weeks in spite of not having restriction. Efforts to increase my fill failed in spite of many attempts and I had to go back the next day so my surgeon could do it. Again it failed and an attempt was made to do it under ultrasound - which was a painful and futile process. The conclusion was reached that my port had flipped - hard to believe after only 10 weeks out. Solution was to open the port incision and turn it again, reanchoring it with long stitches. I don't have insurance so the procedure will be done under local in the surgeons rooms. He said he would not charge for his time, but there will be an instrument cost plus other incidentals. Went onto the board and found a few others who have had this procedure done - everyone said it went without complications. Fingers crossed!
4 August 2005
It is done - was not myself all day and by the time I went in I was feeling alot of tension. Rob did the whole procedure within 20 minutes, the only pain I felt was a momentary sting as the local was put in and a slight twinge when I was being stitched again. When he got down to the port, he found it hadn't flipped, it was tilted. He put in the needle to draw back saline from the band and found it was empty???? That explains why I have had a battle with my appetite for the last week. I haven't gained but I think I would have started to within another week. Rob put 2.5cc's into the band and closed me up. I hope that everything will work the way it should and that I don't have a leak. I have to let go my fear that I could have problems with the band eg leakage after he said the band was empty. When I asked about future fills he said that he now knew how the port was angled and that there shouldn't be a problem. I asked if he would do the fills himself and he said he would. I also asked about fluoro and he said they don't use it here, firstly because he felt it wasn't necessary and secondly because 1. it isn't covered by insurance and 2. it is very expensive for a patient to have it done. On the other hand, I would hate to think someone needed minor surgery to find out how a port is place when there is difficulty with giving a fill!!!!!!!!
19th August 2005
I'm back home again with another 2.5cc fill under my belt, but unfortunately it looks like there is a leak in the port tubing because when he tried to pull back the 2.5cc of fluid that went in two weeks ago it was empty again. He explained what would need to be done to fix this and how what had happened - it could be that when the attempt was made to put in the second fill, multiple efforts to locate the port could have caused the syringe to slip over the edge of the port and rupture the tubing, OR the connection point, where the tube is joined to the port, has a fault. He said it was virtually impossible for the fault to be in the band itself! He said it was day stay surgery but under general anaesthetic!!!!!Of course my alarm bells went off because I told him I have no medical insurance and can't afford to pay out several thousand dollars to have this rectified. He immediately said that he would find a way to have it done at minimal cost to me (he thought around $250), which really lifted the anxiety off my shoulders. I now have absolute confidence that I have one of the best bariatric surgeons in the world looking after me and I really believe he is 100% behind his patients especially after what he is doing to help me!
I fully expect this inflation to last for at least a week and if I lose it again I will have to tough it out until he is back. I don't know if I mentioned to you that this was a tough week for me with food because I was plagued with head hunger again (because the band was empty) - similar to what it was before banding! Amazingly though,when I stuffed down a little too much chicken a couple of nights ago, it got stuck causing alot of discomfort before it eventually came up again. The Americans call this a PB (productive burp) and it reminded me that I have this wonderful tool that won't let me eat even close to what I did before banding. When this PB happened I felt that I had earned my stripes - I was one of the bandster clan! The next day I found it easy to restrict myself again and when I jumped on the scales this morning I was 15kg down in total. Now that would never have happened if I had been on a diet - blowing it would have been the end and the weight would have crept up again.
When I walked in this morning and told my surgeon that I was fighting the food demons again this week, he said to me before I left, "It isn't your fault - the chemical balance that the band gives has gone (because the band was empty) and that's why the hunger came back!" It has taken a while to really understand the mechanics of this thing, eg when he was inflating the band again this morning I could feel it and I could also feel that it was too tight at one point before he settled on 2.5ccs again - and then suddenly the head hunger just disappeared again and that's what this is all about!
20 September 2005
In six days I will have surgery to replace my faulty port - the last two months have been hard to get through because for all but about 12 days of that time I have had no restriction at all. It has been a battle on some days to manage my eating and to make good choices - but sometimes I have slipped up and eaten junk again - but the great thing is that the band so often reminds me to slow down or stop. It really is all about making good choices - hi fat hi sugar foods go down so easily, so it is best not to have them in the house. Easier said than done when you have a family of stick beasts (my three teenage sons!) I have maybe gained and lost about 2lbs several times over the last weeks, and I am so eagar to get the weight loss show on the road again. I am very grateful that my doctor has managed to book me in to the hospital where my band was done, at no charge! This is wonderful and I feel very fortunate to have a surgeon who will go all out to make this work for me!
24th October
Time to get real and update again. My port replacement surgery went ahead on the 26th Sept and was over and done with so quickly. I could have driven myself home again because the recovery after the anaesthetic was so quick. My band was filled back to 2.5cc's and I was ready to get the show on the road. I can't say enough about the support of all of my medical team - they ALL gave me the surgery pro bono..............no cost to me whatsoever and this has reaffirmed how much my surgeon wants to help me get the results that I want. My cake mixer was going flat out and my oven was churning out cakes to go with my thank-you cards whcih I took with me and distributed when I went back for my 2 week post op check. My doc weighed me again for the first time in two and a half months and was delighted that I hadn't gained any weight during my band failure. My weigh in became my official starting point again. I asked for another fill at the same time because the 'head hunger' was still hovering and he took me up to 3ccs. When I heard the words "Your fill is still there!" I could have kissed him - now I KNEW that everything was working the way it should be! Now...........if I could just get that restriction level right again! A week later I was back again and my fill was taken to 3.5 and FINALLY I started to feel as though it was starting to work for me. The next few days were great, my portions were tiny compared to what I had been eating and the frequency of my eating. The holiday weekend is here and we were supposed to go away, but bad weather and Phil having to work on Saturday meant that I was able to get to my 3 weekly 'Bandit' meeting. We are a group of 7 who keep in contact via phone or email and we all get together at our lunch meetings and sometimes outside of those meeting too. It has been the most wonderful support network, and we are all becoming firm friends as well. To have a group of peers who were all banded within two months of each other, and to be a part of everyones success is very inspirational. I have been on the Board less because I have this amazing support group, but I still check in most days and post responses too. Over the last couple of days I have been aware that I probably need to go up another fraction in my band because my choices have not been so good. One of my sons made chocolate fudge, and when I don't see it I don't think about it - but if it is in my face then I find myself having a small piece. I am still a sugar fiend and it does me no good at all - so from today, my commitment is to eat only foods that do not slide down easily. Otherwise I am happy, my weight is starting to move down again and 32 lbs are gone, and they will NEVER return!
26 November 2005
Not a lot has changed other than time since my last entry. My fill is up to 4.2 and it lasted for a week or so, I am due for another on Tuesday. I am still waiting for that fill level that will push my head hunger into a corner for a significant period of time. I know that I shouldn't have accessible snacks like cashew nuts in the house because that is what I unconsciously reach for if I am in the kitchen - I don't have a problem with the sweet stuff that would have attracted me before - there is alot of chocolate and cookies around the house for my stickbeast sons and husband and I forget it is even there! My weight is still around the same 30+lbs down, but I am hoping that finding my ideal restriction will happen soon. I find it amazing that people are so different - just one in our support group of 7 is at their ideal spot and has been for two months, while the others have had greater weight loss success than me and their restriction between fills has lasted for a much longer time than mine. I am prepared to be patient, I will get there in the end. If the way I am living now could be called maintenance but I had another 60lbs off, I would be happy. Life is still way better than I could ever have imagined it to be and I have no regrets.
20th September 2007
For the last 6 months I have not been feeling very well - and in May this year I was admitted to hospital for an undiagnosed complaint that manifested itself with high temps and intense abdominal pain around the port area. After five days of iv antibiotics, c t scans, xrays and ultrasound, I was sent home none the wiser. In early July I went for my 20th fill in over 2 years, and I was told that since I had reached the maximum fill level of 6ccs in a 4cc band, I was 'a band failure'. I felt devastated to hear this, I had made a huge investment and this was all I was going to get!
To cut a long story short, when my doctor probed for the port during my last fill, he must have pierced a pocket of bacteria that had still been lurking since my time in hospital in May. Within days a massive abscess had formed, and the prognosis was possible band erosion. Yesterday I had a gastroscopy which confirmed the erosion, but also showed that the locking mechanism on my band had come apart. Now I understand why I have never been able to find the restriction that has always eluded me. Now, the band has to come out and it will be at least three months before I can have another shot at either another band, or the gastic sleeve. I am so disappointed that this has happened but I am also very happy that there is a reason why I have been feeling so unwell, and best of all is that it was not something I was or was not doing that has caused this result.. I can now lay the worry to rest!
A NEW BEGINNING - REVISION TO SLEEVE
At last it is finally going to happen on August 5th 2008 after months of waiting and increasing anxiety as I was watching the weight creep up. I never believed that the dreadful, uncontrollable behaviours that disappeared with banding, were back with a vengeance and I felt like I was going to eat myself into an early grave if the surgery was delayed for much longer. Finally, after exhausting all the normal channels to fund the revision, my surgeon was able to arrange it all and suddenly I had my hope back again.
