lorn_23
OK, this will take a little while. I've always been overweight, ever since I can remember. In 2002 I decided to have the Lap-Band because my husband and I wanted children and I didn't want to be obese during pregnancy because of all the increased health risks. I had my initial consultation with Dr. Hamn in Plano 10/2002 and I had insurance approval within 5-6 weeks and had surgery 12/24/02. I lost about 60 pounds in the first 10 months and my weight plateaued so we decided to get pregnant 02/04. I ended up having hyperemesis (vomiting all day every day thru the whole pregnancy) but we made it through and our son Walker was born 11/18/04 (2 wks late). I had my band tightened back up to loose the baby weight and I noticed that it didn't take as much to fill it to the tightness I liked as it did pre-baby and I also noticed I could eat more but I didn't think about too much, after all, I was a new mom. So, 10 months later my weight plateaued again (this time 10 lbs heavier than before) and we decided to get pregnant again in September 2005. Onced again, hyperemesis. This time, after 2 months something was really wrong. I would get stomach pain after eating which was only relieved by vomiting. After about 2 weeks of a liquid diet, I couldn't even hold liquids anymore. My band had been emptied so I pretty much new it had slipped. I went to see Dr Hamn and he confirmed that most of my stomach was now above the band and causing a gastric outlet obstruction. So, at 10 weeks pregnant, I had surgery to remove the band. Thinking that I would have the band replaced after the baby was born, Dr. Hamn left the port and tubing. That turned out to be a big mistake!!! The end of the tubing migrated to the right lower quadrant of my abdomen and caused excruciating pain. Because I was pregnant, my doctors all thought I was having severe ligament pain. I wasn't really happy with that diagnosis but nothing else showed up on ulstrasound exams and they weren't going to x-ray a pregnant lady's belly. So, I was reassured that after the baby was born the pain would go away- IT DIDN'T. I ended up going to the ER with fever and abdominal pain 2 weeks after my 2nd son was born. They took out my gall bladder (which had given me minor trouble before) but that still did not fix my problem. 2 more weeks went by and finally it was determined that the old lap-band tubing was the culprit and it was removed. 11/2006 I went back to Dr. Hamn this time to ask about Gastric Bypass. Unfortunately, he only does the procedure open. Dr Hamn was great throughout my whole ordeal so I hated to leave him but I didn't want an open procedure. So, I did some more research and went to see Dr. James Davidson. My current insurance, Aetna, required me to complete a 3 mo pre-op program which ended 02/05/07. All my documentation was submitted 02/06/07 and I was approved for surgery 02/08/07 2 DAYS LATER!!!!!! I can't wait!!! I want to say that I was happy with my band until it slipped but that I only chose Lap-Band over RNY because I thought I would have fewer complications with pregnancy... ironic isn't it. Anyway, 1 more month until I start my life... again!!!!!
