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Hi, I am hoping to have my Band out soon, i have had it for 7yrs no real weight loss just lots of sickness until my esophagus was so inflamed they emptied my fills and said that they wouldn't fill again, i have been deflated for 5yrs, 3 months ago i started to eat a meal when all of a sudden the meal felt like it had got stuck and slime came into my mouth until i was sick, this is what happened when i use to get my fills after a week i went to my GP who arranged a Barium swallow and a CT scan both reported Band still in place.. it has now been 3months since i ate a small meal just soups and blended fruit is staying down..I saw my surgeon last week who said because i had my Lap Band fitted in Prague then he would have to apply for funding to have it removed on the NHS..? HAS ANYONE ELSE BEEN THROUGH THIS PROCESS. Pannini

No panini, I had my done on nhs and as I'm still under the consultant am able to go ahead with surgery. Sounds you're having a really tough time. I hope you get some good news soon x

Hello Pannini,
It sounds as though you and I have had a very similar story. My band was put in place in the Czech Republic 2008.
I did lose quite a lot of weight but then last year I became very unwell with the same problems you have faced I was vomiting everything back up I couldn't even drink water most of the time. My GP paid no attention to me at all but then I ended up in hospital vomiting blood. They tried to send me home after a Bavarium swallow but I refused to go and insisted on seeing a bariatric specialist luckily he was lovely, he emptied the band and booked me a clinic appoinment. In that appointment Mr dresner said that he would remove the band and then two months later book me in for a gastric bypass. My band was removed in November and my bypass will be done on the 7th of January.
There was no mention of special funding in fact he was very happy to remove it as he explained that bands have expirey dates and left can make you very unwell. I know it's not ideal but after a year of begging my gp to refer me to someone the only reason anything has happened was because I ended up in hospital and refused to leave until someone took me seriously. Well anyways sorry for babbling on! Good luck and please let us know if you have any luck xx

I had a band fitted privately and have managed to get nhs funding to reposition it due to severe acid reflux problems they had to apply for funding for me but I goat it although I didn't qualify for a different type of surgery as my bmi is now below 40 I go in on Monday
Hope this helps good luck x

Monalisa said:

I had a band fitted privately and have managed to get nhs funding to reposition it due to severe acid reflux problems they had to apply for funding for me but I goat it although I didn't qualify for a different type of surgery as my bmi is now below 40 I go in on Monday Hope this helps good luck x

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Monalisa my BMI is lower than 40 and my surgeon offered to remove the band that had been put in abroad and then do the bypass 8weeks later. The only 'co morbidity' is that I have metal work in my spine. He said he would prefer to do it now because I have proven that I am committed to losing weight and he would rather do it now than when the weight crept back on. I am at james Cook hospital in Teesside. Maybe you should try and push to see another specialist? they may offer to go ahead with different surgery if that is what you would rather? Anyway I hope you get the help you need because it's awful living with a band that causes you agony x

Thanks Christine
I wish in some ways I had I just assumed that was the nhs rules and that I was lucky to get the offer of fixing my band I'm under Manchester think the only other I could try is Liverpool on the nhs but not sure how easy it us to transfer. My op for my reposition us Monday so I'll have to see how I get on and if it fails again push for bypass I list six stone with my band so had showed commitment and have regained 3 with all the problems x

Bless you,
I will keep my fingers crossed that the band revision works for you and you will never have to think about needing anything else xx

Thank you Christine
All done on Saturday after a cancellation on Monday due to no beds feel like I'm back at square one but fingers crossed this time and I don't have to have a third operation
Hope you are doing well x

I'm pleased that you are feeling ok and your op went ahead. Mine was cancelled due to no beds and they stopped my liver reducing diet. Apparently they will contact me back this week to say when it will be booked back in, I'm feeling quite unmotivated, so I know how you feel being at square one but we will both get through this x

Hi Christine
They didn't seem particularly concerned with me following the Liver diet for the band repair just said oh do it for a week and when op was cancelled Monday it wasn't mentioned. I was lucky my surgeon got me in on sat at the hospital where he operates privately under the nhs as he is going on leave. I'm hoping this op does the trick although I think given the choice I would have revised like you are be good to hear how you get on hopefully you will get a date soon. Have you ever had any band repairs before? Xx

No I was never offered it as my surgeon doesn't do them, I just guess it's luck of the draw with surgeons! I'm certain that if this doesn't work for you that you will be able to request a bypass or whatever you think is best, it's not like they can say you haven't tried things their way!
My surgeon also only told me one week for my liver reducing diet on this op but I had started doing two just incase. They called me this morning and have booked me in for the 26th so keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays good and they don't cancel on me again please x

I will keep everything crossed it is so awful being cancelled good luck and I'll keep an eye on here to see how you are getting on.
Just hope you're right and the nhs will continue to help me because i am on my own with my son my husband left because of my weight many years ago and just can't afford to pay put again at the mo still owe on the last op which I borrowed for
Xx

Oh god that is terrible, I had a crappie ex who cheated on me after years of being awful to me about my weight, how I wasn't good enough blah blah blah, you will be a much stronger person for it now I'm sure! Obviously give this a chance to work and I hope to god it does but if not and if he isn't very helpful request a second opinion, that surgeon will surely see sense!
I'm sure like me you paid years ago because the NHS didn't offer it as a service but now they do and you are just as entitled as anyone else is so fight for what you need and what is best for your little boy. My weight is effecting my spine (I slipped and fractured it whilst pregnant with my little girl two years ago.) I know the pressures of needing to get this fixed for them as much as for you, and I'm certain with the right support on here you will know what to say and do and it will all come out the way you need it too x

Hi Christine
Sorry for late reply my op is all done now he managed to reposition my band said I had anterior slippage with a gastric pouch and adhesions hope yours is going ahead on Monday still. My little boy isn't so little now he's 17 and 6ft 6 lol but I've brought him up on my own for 11 years so here's to hoping to lose the weight again after this set back and a new life for me don't want to be on my own forever. Hope I don't need a third op but will push if I do trouble is when you lose the weight you don't qualify if it goes wrong Good luck keep in touch x

That isn't necessarily true Monalisa, when I went to my surgeon with band issues I was below the threshold and he offered me the surgery based on the fact that I would be likely to gain the weight without something in place to help me, and that he would rather give me the op when I weighing below the criteria than to wait till I was over. It's a matter of surgeon rather than 'criteria' And absolutely you should be looking and feeling your best to get out there and find yourself a nice guy xx