What All Bandster's Fear...Happened!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, the last 26 hrs has been....um, interesting.  Since my Upper GI w Small Bowel Follow Through was scheduled for this morning, I was not allowed to eat after midnight last night.  Normally I don't go to bed until at least 3 am, but since I had to be at my appointment by 8:55 (am!), I knew that I needed to get to bed a little bit earlier.  So I set my alarm to wake me up at 6:45, and went to bed at 1 am. 

BUT...since it has been getting down into the 20's over night, I needed to go outside and plug in the heater for the Truck, in order to keep the Trucks Engine heated (kind of pre-heated) (otherwise, it wouldn't start in the morning), (we learned this the hard way last Winter)!!  And of course, it had just started snowing....we have been having reports all week, that we were supposed to get snow, and hadn't, so we figured that last night would be the same....

So, when I slipped into bed, I told Walt that it was indeed snowing (unfortunately, I cannot get into bed without waking him!), and since he was planning to ride the Motorcycle to work, so that I could take the Truck (as I do not have Winter Riding Gear, and it would still be in the 20's that early in the morning), I new that I was going to have to drive him into work.  Let's face it, there was no way that Walt was going to be able to ride the Bike in the Snow and Ice!  So....I got to get up a bit earlier than I had planned, so that I could drive him into work, then drive back home, jump in the shower, then drive back into town to my appointment, all before 9 am!!  Oh, and did I say that I woke up all night long???  I guess that I was having a panic attack about having to drive in the Snow!!  But I did survive! LOL

And of course, Walt had to stop at McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich on the way to work....he did offer to get me one, but...since I hadn't had my test yet, I couldn't even have a drink of WATER!!!  So I politely said no, but thanks for the offer.  LOL  So after getting home, and trust me, this was my first time to physically drive in Snow/Ice conditions, and I didn't like it at all!!  I had to really book it to make it out on time.  Whats funny, is the Reno area got more snow this time than some areas of the Lake Tahoe area (In The Sierra's!!).

Anyway, so I made it to the Imaging place for my Upper GI, and was expecting them to say that all looked well, maybe just a bit tight.  Then I would take the films to my Surgeon and they would agree to remove the Fluid in my Band for now.

NOT!!  The Doctor that administered the Upper GI, told me that he could see some food still in the upper pouch of the Stomach, and the Barium crap was barely flowing through it!!  This was deja vu all over again from last year, when I had to have the Upper GI....The Imaging Doctor said that since I hadn't eaten since the night before, I should not have had any food in the pouch.  Well DUH!

So when I got out of the Imaging place with my x-rays in hand, I texted Walt, since we were possibly going to have lunch before my appointment with my Surgeon.  But, he ended up having a meeting in a few minutes, so I just went and had about 1/2 of a Cheeseburger on my way into the Surgeon.  I got to my Surgeon's office early, and checked in, hoping to get in a little earlier, but he wasn't running early or behind, just right on time....so I didn't get called back until my appointment time of 1 pm!  But, at least I can say that he is fairly punctual, we rarely have to wait very long at their office!

And like I said in my earlier post, I was TERRIFIED that he was going to ream me for gaining weight, etc.  And although he did reprimand me some, he was actually very understanding.  More so than I expected him to be.  He told me that we could remove the Band.  And at this, I think that he was waiting to see what my reaction would be.  I told him that Walt had asked me if I wanted to have the Band removed.  I told Dr Kozar that I advised Walt that most Dr's do not want to, or will not remove the Band unless there is a Medical necessity for it.  That they usually prefer to just remove the Fluid.

So, if you are still reading this....this is where it gets interesting.  Dr Kozar said that there IS a Medical necessity.  I must have given him a funny look, because I was not expecting him to say this.  He said that my Band Has Slipped!  Luckily for me, it was not extreme yet!  I am still able to eat and drink, but I have been having symptoms, that if we hadn't caught it early enough....well, those of you that have gone through it, knows exactly how bad that it CAN get!  Like when you can't hold anything down, not even liquids! 

So we began discussing options.  He said that the Band needs to come out.  So I definitely have to have Surgery.  He said that if we want to do a Revision Surgery, he can do the Bypass (RNY), or the Sleeve (VSG).  BUT!  If I want the Sleeve, he will not do it in the same operation as the Band removal, as he says the risk of Infection is much higher.  However, he said that he can and will do the Band removal, and the RNY in the same Surgery....

So before I could even think about it, he said that they would of course remove the Fluid from my Band for now, and start the Insurance approval process for the Surgery!!  So I am guessing that he wants the Band out pretty fast.  I haven't even decided that I want to revise to the RNY yet!  However, I am not sure that I want to go through 2 Surgeries to get the Sleeve either....I talked about it with Walt over dinner, and he said that it was my body, so it was up to me.  Although he still has some fears about my becoming Malnourished with RNY.  Although my Surgeon swears that it is not likely anymore, so long as I took my Vitamins. 

But I am not sure that I want to give up my ability to be able to eat what I want.  Just the thought of only being able to eat a couple of bites....I'm not sure I want that.  So I am hoping that some of my Blogging buddies that have undergone the RNY Surgery will read this, and give me some good feedback on their experiences, and recommendations.

And speaking of dinner....Laurie at Dr Kozar's office was able to get 5 cc's of my 7.125 cc's out, and I was able to eat about 3/4's of my In-N-Out Burger plus a few Fries!!  And it tasted soooo good!!  It has been since November 2009 that I have been able to eat a good Burger like that, without fear of getting Stuck!  So now I have to decide if I want to just have the Band removed, and become a fat, but happy woman, or go for the Revision Surgery to RNY!!  What a dilemma to have to be in.  I can really use any and all input!

Help!!  So with this, I will end this.  It is getting late, and since I didn't get much sleep last night....

Aloha My Friends :)

Image Gallery :

These images contain important information on Lap Band, Obesity, and Bariatric Surgery for weight loss.

A - The Lap Band

B - Barium as it sits in the dilated or enlarged stomach pouch above the Lap Band.

C - Notice the lip of stomach overhanging the Lap Band.

D - Notice a very small amount of barium sitting below the Lap Band in the main part of the stomach below the Lap Band. The flow is impeded either because the Lap Band is too tight around the stomach or that there is too much stomach coming up above the Lap Band.

Notice the depressed angle of the Lap Band. Normally the Lap Band should be sitting at at 45 degree angle in the direction towards the top right side of the image.

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