karewpah

Hi Joan...sorry to hear about your slipped band...it is a time consuming process and, I found, it really played a mental game on me..truly. In April I was in India and experienced acid reflux, then it got really bad to the point where I would wake up choking on acid. I was there on business and left for home immediately. Once back in Canada I went to my surgeons office. They did a barium swallow and diagnosed a esophageal dilation, they removed all the fluid from my band. With time, they felt the pouch would go back down to size and I could be on my merry weight loss way again. End of May I was in France and as soon as I stepped off the plane (I'm still unfilled at this point) I started throwing up...it's was dried blood in stomach juices. I didn't eat on the plane so it wasn't to do with food poisoning. I continued to throw up from Sunday to Tuesday and kept nothing, not even water, down. I sent an email to my PCP and my surgeon. I got on the plane and when I landed I had emails and voicemails from my surgeon to get to the hospital asap. He xrayed me and found that I had slipped. A portion of the stomach below the band had pushed up and over the band. My stomach was also somewhat twisted. I was extremely dehydrated and continued to throw up. He put my name up on the surgery board to get me in asap. As soon as I was out of surgery I felt 100% better. Recovering from that was easier than the first surgery. He used all the same entry points so I have no new scars. Now, I'm at a good place for a fill. I think I can work it here for a bit and lose some weight. Make sure you only eat the volume of food your surgeon tells you (mine is 1c) and cut things up small and chew. Now that I have fill in my band I have to retrain my head on bite size and chewing. With little kids pulling at me during dinner, it's easy to get distracted and take to big of a bite or not chew enough. Good luck on your journey. I thought I'd NEVER get back to a fill that I could live with in my band...and here I am. M

So...I've had the band 9 months Sept 21st. I was unfilled April through to August (having revision surgery for a slipped bandin at the end of May). Of the 9 months I've been on empty for 4.5 (those were VERY hard months). I'm back to decent fill level and feeling great. The scale is starting to move downward again and I'm feeling like I just might lose the 20lbs by end of year...that's 5lbs a month and very achievable. It's been slow...painfully slow at times, but I wouldn't trade my band for anything...when I was completely unfilled, I was ravenous. I really had an eye opener of how much the band actually does. it's all so exciting!!!

That's 1500 calories that your body burns if you sit down and do nothing all day. 1500 calories to keep you breathing... That's actually pretty good. Now add in every time you move, eat etc and that number goes up. Add in exercise and you will most certainly have a caloric deficit. Mine is 1485. That the BMR Basal Metabolic Rate...yours truly is average. Track what you eat...get out and move everyday. 45lbs is better than 0. Some do lose very slowly...if that's you, accept it and keep moving forward. You CAN do this!!!

It does sound that you are either too tight, not chewing well enough, or eating too fast. You may still be a bit swollen from the fill. So...do 1 day of liquids so that if you are swollen, it goes away. Then....eat slowly and chew chew chew and the chew some more. If you've still got the sliming...you might need a *slight un-fill. Even .1cc could make a world of difference.

I am a revised Bandster. I had my surgery Dec 2010 and my revision May 2011. I'm back to the beginning with fills and that whole process. It's daunting and frustrating. I wish you the best. I was lucky that I only lost weight because of the slip (which doesn't count as real weightloss for me) so I'm maintaining at the weight I was before the slip. I have 20 lbs to go. 10 lbs will get me to a normal bmi.

Wow Dec bandsters you're really knocking it out of the park here! I'm in a maintaining mode right now. After a complete unfill, then dealing with a slipped band while overseas, then coming home and having surgery end of May to correct it...to going through the fill process all over again. It's tough! I like my red wine but have recently had a tough love talk with myself. I didn't get this $16K tool to mess it up, so I'm sucking it up, following the rules and trying to get this going again. I've had my 2nd fill, and am 4.4 in a 10cc band...which really means nothing at all...it's just my numbers. I do think I will need another fill in Sept as I'm not at the satisfied for 4-5 hours mark...more around the every 3 hours. I've recently been making sure I'm eating the dense Proteins and eating my veggies or fruit. If I want a bread...then I have some...otherwise I don't. Let's see how this goes for me over thenext couple of weeks. I think another small fill is needed to get me to where I need to be. Everyone keep up the great work and positive support!! <3

Quest. They have 20gms protein and 6 net carbs... High in fiber too. Super delicious!!!

Come to SWLC in Mississauga ON.... They are great!

A dilation should be able to be diagnosed via barium swallow and xray

I would question why he would fill if he suspected a dilation. Typical protocol would be partial or full unfilled to allow it go go back. Adding fluid can exasperated the problem

Jess...don't stress that will just prolong things. Relax, drink lots of water or crystal lite or whatever and keep following the rules. Your TOM will come and you will dump the water weight.

Drink fluids, taking slow sips. Would you happen to be @ that time of month as well? To answer your question" yes stress can cause the band to be fickle and tighten. Some people report a cold or being under the weather causes their band to tighten as well. Tis there anyway to lower your stress level? Deep breathing, meditation, Adavan? Hope you get through this soon

Keep an eye on it...it may just be swelling. Small sips of the drinks and try again tomorrow.

Funny thing is...they are the same, just a different purpose. I use them and love them. I use them now while my band is completely empty so that i don't gorge on food. I can't wait to get a fill and see how they help then with hunger...

So how is it going for you? I'm assuming you're now post op? How are you feeling?

I LOVE chia seeds. When you are though your 30 days post op and can have puddings etc. I make chia gel, only I don't use water I use chocolate RTD protein shake and it turns into a nice thick chocolate pudding...delicious and filling!

Also Cindy...all surgeons have different protocols...son't jump on the poster without first asking what their instructions were...common courtesy as everyone's medical instructions are different

I too am deflated. I am struggling...I committed to myself to switch my eating to be more protein based as I've got carb cravings. I don't go for a fill until July 18th and I've been empty since April. I'n at that point where 4 lbs have crept back, but I can knock those back off on my own with focus, determination, right eating and exercise.

Hi Joan, same band repositioned. Fortunately the port didn't need to be altered. Feeling tremendous now!

It's not clear. I had some gastro troubles when I was in India in April, they diagnosed my with a pouch dialation and unfilled me completely. When I saw the nurse yesterday she felt that the trouble I had in India, was probably not completely out of my system and the extreme vomitting I had while in Paris resulted in the slip. Her advice was, eat slow, chew chew chew, don't drink with meals, small bites...basically the rules. i'm still empty and will be up until July 18th...we will be very conservative with my fills from there. I asked her about the 5 day pouch test and she, nor my surgeon were convinced that, without an unfil, the pouch test would be helpful. fingers crossed I won't have to go through that again.

Wow and congrats to all the Dec 2010 Bandsters! I can say for myself, it's been quite a journey. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I've got 15 or so pounds till I'm at goal...I'll probably up that to 20 just to give myself a bit of wiggle room. I'm wearing all my dress clothes that I wore 8 years ago...thank goodness they are classic and still in style lol. I've experienced a slip so I had revision surgery 2 weeks ago. I find now that I'm getting nervous...what if I slip again (it was painful and at a VERY inconvenient time) What if I gain it back? I'm not sabotaging myself...just hearing voice in my head lol

Ladies, it's quite common for the body to go into early menstrual cycle during surgery. This happened to me during both my original surgery and my revision. Completely normal. I am on the pill and each surgery I was mid way through my 3 week pill cycle. I wonder if it has to do with the trauma of surgery... Not sure though

I really don't know how long it will take to stretch out your pouch. I'm jsut recovering now from revision surgery where I have been eating as a good bandster. I still need to slow it down somewhat, but my pouch was HUGE...no idea why it was so big. My band has been empty fort he last 6 weeks so it's really a mystery to us. I don't htink the band itself can stretch though. I will say, if you have to have your band reset, recovery from that is easier than the orgiginal surgery. The progression of foods is a bit faster though I'm too afraid to try anything. It is really the best thing to go slow with fills as the damage that can be caused from being too tight is really quite painful. Hope all is well in this thread

God give ME strength as I cannot understand the purpose of this post as you seem to not want to hear what others are offering to you

Not likely with just one meal...but you need to not do it again...or else you will stretch it out