Lap Band not working after almost 5 successful years.

Question

Maintained weight of 140 or 4 1/2 years. Suddenly lost any feeling of restriction. Surgeon ordered xray, found the pouch was not larger , but chalk fluid went right through. He did a fill then checked it 6 weeks later and IT was fixed. It is NOT fixed. Still no restriction, not feeling full and can eat even large bites without chewing thoroughly. I know what it feels like when the band it working. What could possibly cause this? What can I do to discover the problem.

Christopher S. Cobourn, MD · Answer

I think your doctor should consider an endoscopy to ensure there is no erosion.  Was all the fluid present in the band that was expected?  There could be a leak and the band is  not holding the fluid.

Mark Pleatman, MD (retired) · Answer

There are several possibilities. There could be a leak in the system. Has your surgeon checked to verify that the system has the expected amount of fluid in it?Another possibility is erosion of the band into the stomach. Often this needs to be diagnosed with an endoscopy.

Lap Band not working after almost 5 successful years.

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