Band slipped - Follow doctor's orders!

[lmartinez]

Hello,

I was banded the first time on August 11, 2006. I had a GREAT recovery; didn't even feel like I had surgery. But, on the third day (Aug. 14), I made the terrible mistake of eating a tiny piece of chicken. I immediately started to feel sick. Luckily, I live in the area and was able to go see the doctor the next day. He checked my band, and yes, it had slipped. I had to go in and had a second surgery ASAP on August 15. PLEASE follow doctor's orders! I know food is very tempting, but you need to realize how much you can loose if you do this. I could've lost my band, even worse, my LIFE!

I am doing great now; following doctor's orders. Now, after what I experienced, I am SUPER scared of eating solids. Yesterday was my first day eating solids. I ate about one tablespoon of baked salmon, and one tablespoon (or less) of mashed potatoes. I am okay so far. I went back to liquids today, though. I will give it another shot tomorrow again. Hope this helps someone else into not trying to make the same mistake I did - you'll be sorry. I don't want anyone to go through what I went through.

I want to thank all of Dr. Ortiz's staff for being so supportive and kind to me. Que Dios los bendiga! God bless you!

Thank you for reading this.

[slm]

god was watching out for you . best wishes & good luck .

slm

p.s i had my surgery the same day as you .

[Littleroo27]

Wow, it's kind of funny that you posted. When I went in for my orientation session on Monday he told me about the possibility of a slip and the WOMAN WHO ATE CHICKEN (I see it in all caps!) and her band slipped! You are now like a poster child for sticking with the post-op diet, lol.

I'm really glad you are okay though, and thank you for sharing your experience as a warning!

[lmartinez]

Wow, it's kind of funny that you posted. When I went in for my orientation session on Monday he told me about the possibility of a slip and the WOMAN WHO ATE CHICKEN (I see it in all caps!) and her band slipped! You are now like a poster child for sticking with the post-op diet, lol.

I'm really glad you are okay though, and thank you for sharing your experience as a warning!

WOW, I guess I am well known in the clinic as "the lady who ate the chicken!" I am glad he is telling people what happened because, like I said before, no one should have to go through this for a piece of chicken (or any solid food). Your band and your life are just too precious. I really hope my posting helps other people. Thank you for your response!

[mommyrkr]

Yes, you are famous. I have heard of you too. I had surgery on Aug. 28th, and I have not cheated. You mistake encouraged me. Thanks, but sorry for your hardship.

Becki

[Guest marys]

Girl, what were you thinking? I'm about 8 months post op and I can rarely get chicken down at all. So very sorry you had to go through that but I'm sure you are not the only one who has ever tried it and you sharing your experience may help someone else thinking about 'just a little piece won't hurt'.

Continued good luckk to you on your journey and take care of yourself.

P.S. If we were all perfect we wouldn't need this band - believe me this band has taught me what a hard head i am with some of my food and eating behaviors.

Yes, you are famous. I have heard of you too. I had surgery on Aug. 28th, and I have not cheated. You mistake encouraged me. Thanks, but sorry for your hardship.

Becki

[lmartinez]

I am not sure what I was thinking at the moment. I guess I felt hungry and I saw that delicious piece of chicken and thought it was okay. I can't tell you how much I cried when Dr. Martinez told me it had slipped and that I had to have another surgery. I cried EVEN MORE when they told how much more I had to pay for hospital costs! I guess I deserved it for not following doctor's orders. I had to learn the hard way. Dr. Ortiz was so upset with me too - he calmed down later; but, I don't think he likes me because of what I did.

Anyway, I decided to get this surgery as a b-day present to myself for my 30th birthday. I wanted to look good this next December 2 for my 30th birthday and the holidays. I've lost 18 lbs. so far. I am still very scared to eat solids, though. I literally sweat with every bite.

I am glad people are reading my posting and are learning from it. You now know what can really happen if you do this, or if you are thinking about doing this.

[LoriBecky]

Hellooooo Chicken lady Yes.. you are famous - but I'm glad it all turned out OK

This is a great post for new and future bandsters!! We aren't just trying to make you suffer through when we put you on the liquid diet, it really does have a purpose!

Keep us posted on your progress

[PAMMIE]

Hello,

I was banded the first time on August 11, 2006. I had a GREAT recovery; didn't even feel like I had surgery. But, on the third day (Aug. 14), I made the terrible mistake of eating a tiny piece of chicken. I immediately started to feel sick. Luckily, I live in the area and was able to go see the doctor the next day. He checked my band, and yes, it had slipped. I had to go in and had a second surgery ASAP on August 15. PLEASE follow doctor's orders! I know food is very tempting, but you need to realize how much you can loose if you do this. I could've lost my band, even worse, my LIFE!

I am doing great now; following doctor's orders. Now, after what I experienced, I am SUPER scared of eating solids. Yesterday was my first day eating solids. I ate about one tablespoon of baked salmon, and one tablespoon (or less) of mashed potatoes. I am okay so far. I went back to liquids today, though. I will give it another shot tomorrow again. Hope this helps someone else into not trying to make the same mistake I did - you'll be sorry. I don't want anyone to go through what I went through.

I want to thank all of Dr. Ortiz's staff for being so supportive and kind to me. Que Dios los bendiga! God bless you!

Thank you for reading this.

SO THERE REALLY ISSSSSSSSSS A CHICKEN GAL LOL

I WAS BANDED AUG 17 AND WAS TOLD THE STORY. I THOUGHT MAYBE THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF US, WHICH IT DID LOL

GLAD EVERYTHINGS GOOD NOW

[Janel]

Hi, sorry to hear your band slipped. I am new here and I am planning on getting a lapband by Dr. Ortiz, but as I read more posts and other forums, I find this slippage happens alot. I have been reading about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy which restricts your stomach like the band, but permanent, no slippage, no erosion or fills to do. The thing is, it's hard to find a doc outside the USA who can do it. In the US, you need a BMI >50, which I don't. It's more expensive too. But my question is... if your band slips and you need another surgery, who pays? Do you have to pay for it again, or is it free because it was defective? If it erodes do you get any type of refund??

I just don't want to borrow 10 grand and have this thing slip or erosion a few months or a year down the road!! LoriBecky, is there any type of guarantee on the product?? The Laptalk forum has a whole forum for people who had to have their bands removed because of these problems, so it's making me think twice about it and going with the VSG.

Thanks to whoever can help!

Janel

[slm]

hello everyone ,

How do you know when your bad has slipped??????????????

thanks for info ,

slm

[mysterymachine]

hello everyone ,

How do you know when your bad has slipped??????????????

thanks for info ,

slm

Good question! I too would like to know this.

[PAMMIE]

Good question! I too would like to know this.

What is a slipped Band, and what causes it?

There are two types of slippage; anterior and posterior. This refers to whether the front or back side of the stomach slips. There is something else called concentric pouch dilation, but this is not the same as slippage. Slippage or prolapse is when the stomach slides up through the Band, making the pouch bigger. If this happens the Band usually becomes too tight, and patients experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. This is because the amount of stomach being

[lmartinez]

hello everyone ,

How do you know when your bad has slipped??????????????

thanks for info ,

slm

Hello!

I didn't know my band had slipped until Dr. Martinez told me. But, what I felt the night before was horrible. I felt as if something was squeezing me inside, right below the chest; and, I could not hold down ANY liquids at all. I had a fever and I tried to take some liquid Tylenol and I even threw that up (sorry for being so graphic). I was not able to sleep because I could not lay down; the squeezing pain would be worse if I did. I had to sit on our sofa with a pillow against my stomach the whole night. I guess this is how it feels. Or, maybe I felt it this way because mine hadn't scarred/healed since it was so soon after my surgery. I am not sure.

I am doing great now. I ate 3/4 of one scrambled egg this morning and I feel okay. I have lost 20 lbs. since my first surgery on 8/11/06.

Thank you for being interested! :-)

[Littleroo27]

Hi, sorry to hear your band slipped. I am new here and I am planning on getting a lapband by Dr. Ortiz, but as I read more posts and other forums, I find this slippage happens alot. I have been reading about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy which restricts your stomach like the band, but permanent, no slippage, no erosion or fills to do. The thing is, it's hard to find a doc outside the USA who can do it. In the US, you need a BMI >50, which I don't. It's more expensive too. But my question is... if your band slips and you need another surgery, who pays? Do you have to pay for it again, or is it free because it was defective? If it erodes do you get any type of refund??

I just don't want to borrow 10 grand and have this thing slip or erosion a few months or a year down the road!! LoriBecky, is there any type of guarantee on the product?? The Laptalk forum has a whole forum for people who had to have their bands removed because of these problems, so it's making me think twice about it and going with the VSG.

Thanks to whoever can help!

Janel

Janel,

I asked Lori about this because I too didn't want to have to pay $10,000 and then ANOTHER $10,000 if the band had a problem!

As I understand it, if the band erodes and you need to have a second surgery, you will pay for only the cost of the surgery, not for the new band. As for slippages, this is getting more rare as time goes by and doctors improve their techniques. It is most likely to occur if you eat too much and put pressure on the band or if you vomit (ie: really bad flu), so they stress taking meds right away if you do get sick. I'm not sure who pays for the surgery if it slips - it might depend on the reason for the slip - Lori will probably provide more info to us on this

Also, erosion happens mostly when the band is too tight, which is why a lot of doctor's are doing more fills with lesser amounts so that they don't over-fill the band. OCC does fills under fluroscopy (X-ray), which really helps to reduce or eliminate the risk of overfilling a band.

I haven't heard of the procedure you are talking about, so I can't say anything good or bad about it, but the thing I like about the lap-band is that it is adjustable and reversable, if needed. Way less scary to me!

[PAMMIE]

Also, erosion happens mostly when the band is too tight, which is why a lot of doctor's are doing more fills with lesser amounts so that they don't over-fill the band. OCC does fills under fluroscopy (X-ray), which really helps to reduce or eliminate the risk of overfilling a band.

THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF THIS. CAN YOU PLEASE POST WHERE THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM?

HERE IS WHAT DR ORTIZ HAS TO SAY ON EROSION:

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

After receiving numerous calls and email regarding the latest speculations about erosions on the boards I feel obliged to post some facts that should be of some relief and informative at the same time. There are very few reliable sources out there on Gastric Banding complications except the series that are published in the medical literature. My colleagues that post on these forums will agree that my team and I are considered one of the foremost authorities in gastric banding complications and treatments in the world and as such our intention is that our ongoing research results in a safer gastric banding procedure for everybody.

Folks, Lets start out by doing the math. Band erosions are not increasing as one would think. They have actually diminished noticeably in the past number of years. What is increasing is the number of patients having the procedure along with the ability to communicate this fact through forums such as this one. A surgeon that has performed 100 procedures may have 1% erosion, which is equivalent to 1 patient. While a surgeon with 3000 procedures under his belt will have 30 erosions, but this still represents 1%. Also the awareness of it's existence has prompted us to look for them purposely through endoscopic studies.

We now recommend that every band patient gets an upper endoscopy around 18 months after the surgery. For a surgeon to know exactly how many of his patients bands have eroded he would have to scope them all. Endoscopy is the only way to prove an erosion since some erosions are asymptomatic early on.

Erosions are unfortunate adverse reactions of gastric banding. They are also poorly understood. The term erosion has been popularized recently in the literature as one of the complications of gastric banding. It suggests the wearing out of the gastric wall, but the actual process seems to be more of a foreign body reaction where the body tries to eliminate the implant. Erosions are not new and it has been known for decades and reported in the medical literature that various materials near the stomach or intestine can slowly penetrate the wall and ultimately be eliminated through it. Implants, sutures, staples, mesh, rings, tubing, cloth and metal all have readily penetrated the gut.

Though the actual process is not fully understood we do know the following:

- Most bands erode from the outer edge of the implant into the stomach. Sometimes it is the tubing and not the band that penetrates the gut. This would discard the suggestion that bands that are too tight erode. (Conversely we now know that bands that are too tight actually slip more often)

- Surgical technique is similar around the world. Most surgeons in the US and the rest of the world learned the technique from a handful of international surgeons who proctored them. In turn these surgeons have perfected the technique and the principles of band placement remain the same around the world.

- Erosions can coexist with an infection process. Even though it would seem that the infection can start at the port and then ultimately cause an erosion, our recent studies have detected mircopenetrations of the stomach at the initial stages of the erosion (soon to be published data) then most likely stomach bacteria tract down though the tubing to the port and contaminate it. Again these ongoing studies will shed new light on the process and hopefully someday will totally eliminate the risk of gastric penetration.

- Erosion is not selective of one band or another. Sooner or later every brand of gastric band has been reported to erode.

- Latin bands do not erode more frequently. For one the implant used comes exactly from the same company and are made of the exact same materials. Contrary to a controversial post recently published in a forum, responsible surgeons performing gastric banding in Mexico have a comprehensive follow-up protocol. Fluoroscopy and Endoscopy is routinely performed which means that we detect the erosions more efficiently and earlier when present.

- When an erosion is detected the band should removed. This gives the stomach time to heal and in given time receive a new band. It is the patient's responsibility to tell the doctor of his or her symptoms. The sooner it is detected the better the chances of performing a laparoscopic and uneventful surgery with a quick recovery.

- We also stress the importance of follow-up. Most erosions have no symptoms early on, so a routine checkup with your doctor is always the best option.

NO NEED TO PANIC, erosions are still a rare occurrence, but if present when detected and treated early on the outcome is benign in nature.

You will all agree that gastric banding has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. It is the safest weight-loss procedure but unfortunately no procedure is free of complications. Even though erosion rate is very low, it still exists. When present it should be detected and treated promptly. The earlier it is treated the better the outcome. In some cases patients have actually received a second band after a brief period of recovery and thus having the benefit of restriction and weight-loss again.

The only source of reliable medical advice is your doctor. Other sources of information only lead to speculation, anxiety and worst of all delay in treatment if needed. If you are to go out of the country for surgery, select a responsible surgeon that offers follow-up. Ask if he will always be available (my patients can reach me in a moments notice, they all have my cell#) Don't be enticed to go to the cheapest, usually they go hand in hand with poor to no follow-up. You must be able to trust the doctor you have chosen.

We as Surgeons also have our official Internet forums where we exchange knowledge with each other having only your best interests in mind. Remember, ultimately it is your success that results in our success.

My best wishes to all,

Respectfully

Ariel Ortiz Lagardere

[Littleroo27]

THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF THIS. CAN YOU PLEASE POST WHERE THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM?

The information came from one of the lap-band surgeons at Scripps Weight Loss Clinic in La Jolla, CA. I would also like to clarify that there are two types of erosions - stomach erosions and band erosions. I was refering to stomach erosions.

[Janel]

Thanks Littleroo and Pammie for answering my question...very informative!!

Janel

[PAMMIE]

The information came from one of the lap-band surgeons at Scripps Weight Loss Clinic in La Jolla, CA. I would also like to clarify that there are two types of erosions - stomach erosions and band erosions. I was refering to stomach erosions.

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT STOMACH EROSION AND HOW IT PERTAINS TO THE LAPBAND? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, OTHER THEN EROSION OF THE LINING OF THE STOMACH FROM AN ULCER.

Also, erosion happens mostly when the band is too tight

SO STOMACH EROSION IS CAUSED BY HAVING YOUR BAND TO TIGHT?

THANKS FOR ANY INFORMATION OR WEB SITES I CAN GET INFORMATION FROM

[Littleroo27]

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT STOMACH EROSION AND HOW IT PERTAINS TO THE LAPBAND? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, OTHER THEN EROSION OF THE LINING OF THE STOMACH FROM AN ULCER.

SO STOMACH EROSION IS CAUSED BY HAVING YOUR BAND TO TIGHT?

THANKS FOR ANY INFORMATION OR WEB SITES I CAN GET INFORMATION FROM

That's what he said! I'm not sure if I have a website on that one (I might, but I'm at work and can't check), but I did write it down in my notes from the Scripps pre-op meetings, where the surgeons answer questions.

[fairywool]

I am not sure what I was thinking at the moment. I guess I felt hungry and I saw that delicious piece of chicken and thought it was okay. I can't tell you how much I cried when Dr. Martinez told me it had slipped and that I had to have another surgery. I cried EVEN MORE when they told how much more I had to pay for hospital costs! I guess I deserved it for not following doctor's orders. I had to learn the hard way. Dr. Ortiz was so upset with me too - he calmed down later; but, I don't think he likes me because of what I did.

Anyway, I decided to get this surgery as a b-day present to myself for my 30th birthday. I wanted to look good this next December 2 for my 30th birthday and the holidays. I've lost 18 lbs. so far. I am still very scared to eat solids, though. I literally sweat with every bite.

I am glad people are reading my posting and are learning from it. You now know what can really happen if you do this, or if you are thinking about doing this.

Hi ,

I don't think Dr Ortize will not like you I think he just been so glad that you made it no one wants to lose some one. But I know how you feel its my 7th day and my tummy is starting to talk crazy .

Peace and good look to you Fairywool

[LoriBecky]

OK... this is what I've found out so far...band erosion is still a bit of a mystery. There are different theories. One of them is infection that gets in thru the port and travels to the band, another is that its possible that there was an accidental nick of the stomach during the time of band placement that caused the erosion. It could be from a band that is too tight. They used to think that aspirin or other NSAIDS might be the culprit but that theory has been ruled out.

Sometimes there is no specific reason why one person will have an erosion and another won't.