Buffalo, NY Band 6-30-08 HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE!!!

Thread Starter  

Hi everyone....I recevied the band this past monday at Buffalo General in Buffalo and it was literally the WORST day of my life. I felt like I was in a nightmare and couldn't get out! I am posting this b/c people need to know that it's not all a big bowl of cherries like many people make it out to be! I was wretching and heaving and sick out of my mind. At one point I told my husband I was ready to jump out the window b/c I could get no relief from this sickness and heaving. No medicine seemed to work and the anestetic made me SOOOOOO sick. I never had an adverse reaction to anestetic before, I just believe they gave me TOO much!

I was supposed to be in the recovery room for 1-2 hours and they could still not wake me up after 5. I was throwing up, BEGGING for someone to help me and this is what I heard from one of the nurses "Oh, I heard her talking before she went into surgery how she was prone to motion sickness, I think she just talked herself into being sick. There's nothing worng with her!" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????? SHe had the NERVE to say this while i was actively throwing up!!! Hello!! I was so out of it though I couldn't even open my eyes to see who it was.

It has been 3 days since the band and the good news is that it hasn't been as bad. I have gotten a little better each day. If I could go back, I definately would not do it again. Maybe I will feel differently in a few weeks. My experience was so awful that I can't even imagine going through one minute of discomfort for a fill. I am considering not even getting a fill.

THanks for letting me vent here!

Do not let one insensitive nurse ruin the whole Lap Band experience for you. Let your doctor know that you had trouble with throwing up so that they can make sure your band did not move and go from there.

It will get better, I promise!!

Bowl of cherries with one big pit of a nurse does not ruin the whole bowl of cherries... let your self heal and give the band a chance to do its job :)

Good luck on your road to recovery,

Kim

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*** NOTHING tastes as good as thin FEELS!!!***
275/234/160
Consultation 275 / Pre-surgical 268 / 3cc fill when placed / 2 week post 255 / first fill 1cc (4cc total) 248 / second fill .5cc (4.5cc total) 241 / third fill .5cc (4.5cc total) 237 / fourth fill .5cc (5cc total) 234

Thread Starter  

thanks! I appreciate the kind words. Encouragement is always good and helpful!

Can I ask you an unrelated question? How do you get the tickers at the bottem of EVERY post to you have to constantly cut and paste with every post?

It sounds like a horribly adverse reaction to the anesthetic, I wonder if they used a different one from what you've had in the past? And then to have to put up with an insensitive nurse on top of it..... wow.

I am so sorry it was such a nightmare experience for you. I don't think it had anything at all to do with the lap band itself (but of course, I'm not a doctor or even a nurse so I don't really know). We all know there are risks going into any surgery but we also go into it with the high hope that we won't be one of the people who has problems, and when you're one of the ones who does have problems, it doesn't matter how low the risk was. For you it was 100%. It sounds like you were absolutely miserable and I'm so sorry. I am glad you're feeling a little better each day. I hope by the time you're ready for a fill, you feel up to it. Thanks for sharing your story.

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Original weight: 255
Weight at surgery: 232
Current: 198.8
Goal: 130
Banded 5/15/08

No they are part of my signature

if you go to edit profile and then go to edit signiture

if you click on one of mine it will take you to the site that you can use to create them then when you are done you just copy and paste the information into your signature and save it...

Took me a few tries so if you have any more ?? just hollar

Kim

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*** NOTHING tastes as good as thin FEELS!!!***
275/234/160
Consultation 275 / Pre-surgical 268 / 3cc fill when placed / 2 week post 255 / first fill 1cc (4cc total) 248 / second fill .5cc (4.5cc total) 241 / third fill .5cc (4.5cc total) 237 / fourth fill .5cc (5cc total) 234

Thread Starter  

SO helpful! I think I got it!!!

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I get deathly ill with anesthetic, so I feel your pain. My Lap Band surgeon was so cautious to make sure I didn't get sick that they gave me several anti nausea medications to insure no throwing up...it was my first surgery that I didn't!

I have had my band since September and there are some very rough days, but they are typically self inflicted. There hasn't been one day that I have regretted my decision. I have lost 92 pounds since September 21st and feel GREAT!

Keep your chin up and give your band a chance to help you on your journey...hopefully you are over the hard part! Good luck.

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NOPBJ,
I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with the anesthesia. I also had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia. I had dry heaves for two days and when I woke up I was incredibly dizzy. My heart rate dropped too low and then my blood pressure went up. They had a very difficult time stabilizing me.

All in all, the surgery itself was not so bad. I do feel the outpatient surgery centers are a joke, though. Definitely an assembly line atmosphere. Once you are out of surgery, their job is to get you out the door as fast as they can to get your space ready for the next outpatient procedure coming to recovery. I was sent home much too early and still having dry heaves and very dizzy. My insurance would have covered inpatient for this, and my recommendation to anyone who can get the coverage for inpatient is to stay the night, if they can.

Good luck on your journey. I think you will find it getting better and better every day.

Alice
Banded April 8, 2008
271/242/150

You absolutely need to make sure your doctor is aware of this and file a formal complaint with the hospital. They will know which nurses were on duty while you were in recovery and will take action regarding this. If your doctor prescribed anti-nausea meds and you didn't get them, somebody's going to have to answer for it. My partner's doctor prescribed them, and thankfully, she never needed them, but they were available to her, and the doctor and nurses have constantly checked to see if she has any nausea, even on follow up visits. If you doctor didn't prescribe them, that needs to be brought to the hospital department head and administration's attention, since as my partner says, "Lap Band surgery and throwing up are not very compatible." Hospitals are aware that they are not just health care facilities but businesses as well and poor "customer service" can hurt them.

BTW, she had a pretty rough go of it for the first week. Mostly gas pain and an inability to get comfortable enough to sleep well, even in her recliner (a bed was a total non-starter), but things improved a lot in the second week. If you can, get up and walk as much as possible. That will help a tremendous amount, and make sure to drink, drink, drink.

BadgerMom

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This is the me I've built with pride.

I'm so sorry to hear you had a bad reaction to the surgery. I also felt very nauseated to my stomach as they were wheeling me into my room. Next time try putting one or two alchol swabs under your nose. It took the nausea away just like that. Good luck and give the band a try.

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Sportscar here I come!!!

Highest weight 03/08: 283 lbs
Last doctor's appt before surgergy: 274.8 lbs
Surgergy date weight on 06/27/08: 258 lbs
Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Sorry you had such a bad experience w/you hospital staff. I'm not sure how that's the band's fault however. I think you will feel better about things as time passes. I wish you the best, and hope you feel better soon. Keep us posted.

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WOW,

I agree with one of the other posters. I was banded on 6/18 and I was an inpatient, so I stayed one nitght in the hospital. I was ok in the hospital but the next day after I went home. I was nautious and vomiting. I vomited about 3x and began dranking maalox total complete. It helped with the nausea.

I also so bad gas in my chest and a bad pain in my shoulder. My first week and one half was not pleasant but trust me it gets much better. I am 18 days out from surgery and doing great. No pains of any kind even in the port area, so trust me it will be much better.

I know your agony, I did a post entitled " Will I ever feel normal agan?" and 18 days out, I feel pretty good.

Hang in there. I know you had a bad start but believe you me, it will get better and you will loose weight. Good luck and keep us posted.

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Highest 278lbs- Banded 6-18-08
First fill of 1cc on 10-17-08
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Thread Starter  

Can you describe to me what your "rough days" are like? What do you mean by this? Also, how many fils have you had? thanks!

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I am sorry to hear that you had such a rough time. Sounds like it may have been the anesthesia that caused you to be so ill. I don't know that for a fact since I'm not a doctor or nurse. I am only in the process of thinking about having the surgery at this point so I'm interested to see how things go with people who are being banded and what they go through. Take care and feel better soon! Bev

5 hours!! OMG! I wonder if you had a "new" anesthesiologist. That nurse should be fired too. i wouldn't let this drop. I agree with the above posts that you should file a complaint with the hospital.

In the past, I had a couple surgeries and was DEATHLY ill when I woke up. This time around, they gave me the anti-nausea shot just BEFORE surgery and i woke up with zero sickness (thankfully). I'm just wondering, did they give you that shot ?? just curious.

Best of luck with your band! hang in there.

278/231/180