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Unfortunately, I'm back.

Bookie

Member
Hi, all members old and new.

I'll try to keep it short, but even so, summing up is probably to take time, so make yourself a cuppa.

Banded in France in June 2013, as my BMI was steadfastly refusing to go over the point at which NHS would fund.

It all went wonderfully, weight was coming down steadily but firmly, I went from a 26-28 to a firm 18, and I was aiming for a size 16 as my perfect goal (I am very tall!). It was all good.

Unfortunately, I started getting more and more reflux, to the point I got referred for a barium meal, and long story short, it got confirmed that the band had slipped. We then went on the not-so-merry roundabout of deciding what to do next.

I ideally wanted a conversion to bypass done at the same time, but because I got the band done privately in France, they won't do it. They officially use the excuse that it's safer for me to have it done in 2 stages, bt the consultant let is slip that it's against CGC policy to provide funding for conversion ops when you have had the original done abroad, because they're having so many "repairs" surgeries from botched ops abroad. But they won't even put me on waiting list for conversion, oh no: I have to get the band out, then put all the weight back up to the required BMI criteria to trigger an other op, no matter how long this may take or the damage it may cause my body in the meantime. :-(

I was put on waiting list for band removal a few months ago, but in the last couple of months, the reflux has got so bad, I'll spare you the gross details, I finally phoned them the other day, and I was told there were over 200 people on the waiting list (this is St George's Hospital in Tooting) and no date as to when I'd be done. It's only when I explained that absolutely nothing was staying down, and that I was throwing up every night, no matter how early or how little I ate in the day, that someone bumped me up the list. Out of nowhere, the next day, that was last week, they phoned me to get me in for a pre-op assessment this Thursday coming.

At this point, I am unsure how soon I'll get the op, but hopefully not too long after the assessment; No idea how long it's going to take, or how much damage it's going to be, it will depend on how much thickened scar tissue is around the band, how much rummaging they have to do to take it and the port out, whether they need to cut out a lot of tissue, and whether (hopefully not!) there is any necrosis anywhere... all in all, a very uncertain time. :-(

So, that's me: from very happy times, thinking this was the best thing I had ever done, to feeling definitely unhappy at having to go back under the knife.

Then again, I did lose over 5 stone and got 3 years of being very happy with my weight loss... so, I don't know. Basically, I wished this bl**dy band hadn't slipped and that I didn't have to go through all this again.

I'll update this thread after my pre-op assessment.

Wish me luck.
 

Laaux

Well-Known Member
Hi, all members old and new.

I'll try to keep it short, but even so, summing up is probably to take time, so make yourself a cuppa.

Banded in France in June 2013, as my BMI was steadfastly refusing to go over the point at which NHS would fund.

It all went wonderfully, weight was coming down steadily but firmly, I went from a 26-28 to a firm 18, and I was aiming for a size 16 as my perfect goal (I am very tall!). It was all good.

Unfortunately, I started getting more and more reflux, to the point I got referred for a barium meal, and long story short, it got confirmed that the band had slipped. We then went on the not-so-merry roundabout of deciding what to do next.

I ideally wanted a conversion to bypass done at the same time, but because I got the band done privately in France, they won't do it. They officially use the excuse that it's safer for me to have it done in 2 stages, bt the consultant let is slip that it's against CGC policy to provide funding for conversion ops when you have had the original done abroad, because they're having so many "repairs" surgeries from botched ops abroad. But they won't even put me on waiting list for conversion, oh no: I have to get the band out, then put all the weight back up to the required BMI criteria to trigger an other op, no matter how long this may take or the damage it may cause my body in the meantime. :-(

I was put on waiting list for band removal a few months ago, but in the last couple of months, the reflux has got so bad, I'll spare you the gross details, I finally phoned them the other day, and I was told there were over 200 people on the waiting list (this is St George's Hospital in Tooting) and no date as to when I'd be done. It's only when I explained that absolutely nothing was staying down, and that I was throwing up every night, no matter how early or how little I ate in the day, that someone bumped me up the list. Out of nowhere, the next day, that was last week, they phoned me to get me in for a pre-op assessment this Thursday coming.

At this point, I am unsure how soon I'll get the op, but hopefully not too long after the assessment; No idea how long it's going to take, or how much damage it's going to be, it will depend on how much thickened scar tissue is around the band, how much rummaging they have to do to take it and the port out, whether they need to cut out a lot of tissue, and whether (hopefully not!) there is any necrosis anywhere... all in all, a very uncertain time. :-(

So, that's me: from very happy times, thinking this was the best thing I had ever done, to feeling definitely unhappy at having to go back under the knife.

Then again, I did lose over 5 stone and got 3 years of being very happy with my weight loss... so, I don't know. Basically, I wished this bl**dy band hadn't slipped and that I didn't have to go through all this again.

I'll update this thread after my pre-op assessment.

Wish me luck.

I'm so sorry to hear you've had such a rough time of it. I can't imagine suffering so bad and being sick constantly. Good luck for your pre-op and let us all know how it goes. Fingers crossed you get an op date asap! X
 

FeeBee

Well-Known Member
Good luck with your pre-op and hopefully you'll be feeling much more comfortable very soon x
 

Mazza

Administrator
Staff member
Hi @Bookie

Good to see you back but not the circumstances :(

Good luck with your band removal and I hope it goes smoothly.

I've now got a sleeve after a two stage conversion, having had similar issues to you.

Keep us updated x
 

Bookie

Member
Hi, folks.

Well, The pre-op went well, my BP is perfect, I'm in good health, so that's that sorted.

The pre-op nurse couldn't tell me anything about a date for surgery, that dept only deals with the physical side of pre-op, nothing admin. She suggested I give the admissions nurse a call so she could give me an idea of how long I might have to wait.

Admissions nurse phoned me back the next morning, (that's last Friday), and gave me a date for the op: 29th September!!! *gasp*

So, long and short is I am back on liver-shrinking diet as I type this, ultra low-fat, low sugar, y'all know the routine. I got sent some sheets with 4 different choices of diet to pick from, but I am an old hand at this, and I'm damned if I'm going to buy disgusting WeightWatchers soups when I can make my own, better tasting, no added rubbish, and all way round a lot healthier!

So here we are, day 4 of it and I am having that lethargy from when you cut out sugar from your diet, reminds me of my early Atkins days, many moons ago, except I can't have fat either!!! Anyway, it's only for 2 weeks, and anything that helps reduce the risk attached to any surgery, hey.

So there you go. Barring unforeseen circumstances, my next update will be post-op.

I do have a worry: You see, I was never a psychological over-eater, I literally ate when I was hungry, because I can't stand the feeling of hunger, I didn't snack, didn't binge eat, I just liked to eat good food, and too much of it. The band was perfect because I could still eat everything, just in small quantities before I would be sated, and that was wonderful. I am however worried, because I have been sick when eating for so long now, that I am looking forward to having things which have been off the menu for a while, and with that, comes the worry that I might over indulge, simply because I can, sort of thing. I am looking forward to eating "normally" again, but the temptation to go OTT is going to be hard to fight. Anyway, that's something else I am going to have to deal with once I have recovered.

Right, see you on the other side, peeps! :)
 

Hannah2

Well-Known Member
Good luck!

Use physical portion size to restrict your eating - I have certain small bowls/ plastic containers and freezer boxes & side plates that I use to make sure I limit what I eat/don't try to eat too much. However you won't feel good if you eat more than you should anyway so you won't keep doing it!

Hope the LRD goes ok.
 

Sunshine99

Well-Known Member
@Bookie
Good Luck with the operation :)

Toni :rainbow:
 

Bookie

Member
Well, it's done. And I am so annoyed!

There was nothing wrong with my band. It hadn't slipped. It was functioning exactly as it should!!!

What the hell, I hear you say? Yeah, me too.

Turns out I have a massive hiatus hernia which is so big that it looked like the bulging part of my stomach, pushing the band in the same way as it would have if it had slipped. The barium meals etc, gave the appearance of a band slippage. It's only on opening me up that they could see this properly though.

Then, just to make it better, they didn't fix the hernia there and then. Why? Because I was the last op of the day, and what was supposed to be a quick band removal, 50 mns top, would have turned into a major op. So, even though they said it was because of the risks, bla bla bla, I know very well that it's complete b****cks. They could have done it while I was under. So I sat in that waiting room for 6 hours before I was called in, because my op was one of the simple ones. And then they just removed and threw away my 3.5K band which had nothing wrong, and didn't touch the actual problem. The more I think of it, the angrier I am getting, but it's only just sinking, and tbh, I don't think the drugs have completely left my system yet.

So, now, I am being told that they will re-evaluate my case in about 8 weeks once I've healed, and take it back to the CGC to decide whether to operate on the hernia, but as there's only a 40-50% chance of success, and most hiatus hernias come back within 1 year, because it's a long and complicated procedure, and because of my Marfan's, the odds of it recurring are probably even higher than average, there is a possibility they just won't do it full stop.

Angry? Incandescent, the more I think about it.

I had 3 scars from the band, I now have an additional 5, count them, FIVE. Ok, so I am not that bothered, at my age and the state of my body anyway, lol, but it's the principle of the thing. And they might have to re-open me again. FFS.

I'm going to stop here, because I could rant and rant on and nothing more would happen. So, I'd better stop for now.
 

Maria61

Well-Known Member
Well, it's done. And I am so annoyed!

There was nothing wrong with my band. It hadn't slipped. It was functioning exactly as it should!!!

What the hell, I hear you say? Yeah, me too.

Turns out I have a massive hiatus hernia which is so big that it looked like the bulging part of my stomach, pushing the band in the same way as it would have if it had slipped. The barium meals etc, gave the appearance of a band slippage. It's only on opening me up that they could see this properly though.

Then, just to make it better, they didn't fix the hernia there and then. Why? Because I was the last op of the day, and what was supposed to be a quick band removal, 50 mns top, would have turned into a major op. So, even though they said it was because of the risks, bla bla bla, I know very well that it's complete b****cks. They could have done it while I was under. So I sat in that waiting room for 6 hours before I was called in, because my op was one of the simple ones. And then they just removed and threw away my 3.5K band which had nothing wrong, and didn't touch the actual problem. The more I think of it, the angrier I am getting, but it's only just sinking, and tbh, I don't think the drugs have completely left my system yet.

So, now, I am being told that they will re-evaluate my case in about 8 weeks once I've healed, and take it back to the CGC to decide whether to operate on the hernia, but as there's only a 40-50% chance of success, and most hiatus hernias come back within 1 year, because it's a long and complicated procedure, and because of my Marfan's, the odds of it recurring are probably even higher than average, there is a possibility they just won't do it full stop.

Angry? Incandescent, the more I think about it.

I had 3 scars from the band, I now have an additional 5, count them, FIVE. Ok, so I am not that bothered, at my age and the state of my body anyway, lol, but it's the principle of the thing. And they might have to re-open me again. FFS.

I'm going to stop here, because I could rant and rant on and nothing more would happen. So, I'd better stop for now.
Oh no that is really terrible, poor you x
 

FeeBee

Well-Known Member
I'm not surprised you're furious. I'm so sorry :(
 

Sunshine99

Well-Known Member
Oh noooo ! You have every right to rant on ....how infuriating :mad:
 

Bling Babe

Well-Known Member
OMG that’s disgusting, I completely understand just how infuriated you must be feeling, I hope they sort this out for you and soon xxx
 

Julcsi

Member
Well, it's done. And I am so annoyed!

There was nothing wrong with my band. It hadn't slipped. It was functioning exactly as it should!!!

What the hell, I hear you say? Yeah, me too.

Turns out I have a massive hiatus hernia which is so big that it looked like the bulging part of my stomach, pushing the band in the same way as it would have if it had slipped. The barium meals etc, gave the appearance of a band slippage. It's only on opening me up that they could see this properly though.

Then, just to make it better, they didn't fix the hernia there and then. Why? Because I was the last op of the day, and what was supposed to be a quick band removal, 50 mns top, would have turned into a major op. So, even though they said it was because of the risks, bla bla bla, I know very well that it's complete b****cks. They could have done it while I was under. So I sat in that waiting room for 6 hours before I was called in, because my op was one of the simple ones. And then they just removed and threw away my 3.5K band which had nothing wrong, and didn't touch the actual problem. The more I think of it, the angrier I am getting, but it's only just sinking, and tbh, I don't think the drugs have completely left my system yet.

So, now, I am being told that they will re-evaluate my case in about 8 weeks once I've healed, and take it back to the CGC to decide whether to operate on the hernia, but as there's only a 40-50% chance of success, and most hiatus hernias come back within 1 year, because it's a long and complicated procedure, and because of my Marfan's, the odds of it recurring are probably even higher than average, there is a possibility they just won't do it full stop.

Angry? Incandescent, the more I think about it.

I had 3 scars from the band, I now have an additional 5, count them, FIVE. Ok, so I am not that bothered, at my age and the state of my body anyway, lol, but it's the principle of the thing. And they might have to re-open me again. FFS.

I'm going to stop here, because I could rant and rant on and nothing more would happen. So, I'd better stop for now.

So so sorry. I am in similar position that I do know that I have a hernia that causes me bad reflux and therefore the band is useless cos it cannot be filled up but my question is what would you do in this case???? If I fill the band the reflux is so bad from the hernia that i cant tolerate throwing up and choking on acid 3x a night if i leave it empty i gain weight... please tell me what the answer is. I had endoscopy and that showed the hernia not the barium x ray.
 

Hannah2

Well-Known Member
Oh no @Bookie so sorry to read this and I can understand how angry you would be! So they might repair the hernia but will you be able to have another band or wls? I hope that you get some answers soon.
 
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