Thursday, April 25, 2013

I have got an announcement

Unfortunately, due to all of the problems I have been having with my band, it became medically necessary to have my band removed.

Many of you followed along with my tales of woe...the days of not eating, excessive vomiting of water, unrelenting pain, total unfills, chills and shakes, complete tightness in spite of being unfilled..etc.  you have listened to it all.

Unfortunately the incident that began on march 28 th and has continued for 20 days has now been resolved.  I took your advice and got a second opinion.  On Tuesday  4/16 I went to my GP explained my situation and asked for a referral,to a GI.   He was happy to do so b/c he wanted me to have an endoscopy and CAT scan.  Before I got the referrals, the following day I was in so much pain that my doctor sent me to the ER.  Based on the CT scan there, I found out I had a slipped band and part of my stomach was crimped up.

Transferred to another hospital so they could take the band out immediately.  

It has been a week now....I am healing up fine and dandy....but I am sad, fearful, disappointed, and confused.

Where do I go from here?  I worked so hard for 2 years to lose the weight and work this body into a fit one.  Will it all slip through my fingers?

I am eating real food again....super hungry ALL THE TIME....feeling a little reckless because I can eat tortilla chips ... what now?

Words of encouragement or advice would be much appreciated.

7 comments:

  1. I am so glad you are ok!!!
    First, I haven't been where you are, but my first instinct is to tell you not to panic, stay close to your doctors, heal, and when it is time to explore other options, do it with an open mind. Is VSG an option later?

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  2. I'm glad you're feeling better and able to eat real food.

    PS: perhaps I am confusing the many bloggers that are out here on the web, but don't you work for Allergan? If so, Have you received any feedback from them on this?

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  3. I'm glad that you have found some relief.

    I don't know how you are feeling, but I know I would be in a panic!

    I have always swore that if I ever lose my band, I will do a revision to VSG. That is just me. ((Hugs)) and I hope you find peace and comfort as you move forward!

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  4. Oh my goodness, I'm first of all happy that you are ok, resting and healing and I'm SO sorry that you were in such agony. I'm angry that your dr. didn't immediately order a GI when you were having such trouble. :( Beyond that, I have to echo what everyone else has said. The sleeve (from what I hear I never had a band) is everything that the band promises to be without all the common band problems. Again I don't know your finances or if this is even an option for you but if I were you I would start researching, beginning with what your insurance will cover and if not I would consider self-pay.

    This is NOT to scare you or upset you, but there is a man at my surgeon's office who had the band for 3 years. He lost -100+lbs and took up running. Like he became a SERIOUS athlete. He is now a personal trainer and helps others reach their fitness goals. His band slipped this past Dec. and he had basically an emergency surgery to remove it. As he was going into this crazy emergency surgery he told our surgeon "Don't let me wake up with nothing!!" ie he was terrified of living life without SOME sort of tool, either the VSG or the RNY. I just thought that was interesting that someone who had come so far athletically, was still terrified of life without a tool. He ended up being able to have the VSG at the same time they removed his band. I think he was quite lucky to be able to do that. I share that story just because you are NOT alone in your fear of "what now?" I am sending out prayers for you and hoping that everything will eventually work itself out. Right now your biggest concern is healing. Hugs.

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  5. I am so glad you are feeling better! How scary!

    I never had the band, but I love my sleeve. It has been an extremely easy process.

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  6. I had to have my band removed and I went 6 months without anything. I felt like a never-ending hunger, and constant cravings. It was awful! I got my sleeve on April 1st and I love it so far, even though I have had complications from the surgery.

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  7. I'm so sorry that this happened to you. My best advice is to weigh yourself every day and to really stay on top of what you're eating and your exercise. You do not have to gain the weight back.

    This terrifies me. I've had my band for 4 years & 7 months, and I love being this thinner, fit iteration of myself. I don't want to go back. I would seriously consider revision to the sleeve if I lost my band. I don't think I'd gain all 80 pounds back, but I imagine that 10-20 would be pretty easy to slip on if I didn't really watch it.

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