Spot

I think I may have a port issue, but not entirely sure what exactly is going on. 5 or 6 days ago, I started getting some sharp pains around and near my port. My imagination to what it is is the best way to describe the pain - it's as though my port is stitched into my muscles (I haven't the foggiest if it is) and that when I twist a certain way, the stitches are pulling my muscle. It's not crampy, it doesn't seem gut related, and is a sharp pain. I am a truck driver, so I won't see home for another two weeks. My Lapband doctor lives in a different state than I do, and the Lapband doctor available to me near my home will probably not be able to see me when I can be there. I'll definitely try to see him, should this pain not disappear. But I was just wondering if anything similar has happened to you, or you have read such a thing. Oh, and is my port still being held in place by stitches? As for the port itself, it feels like it hasn't moved and is still top-side up. It doesn't hurt to push on it at all (which probably means it's not what I imagine it to be, huh?). Thanks in advance for any knowledge you have.

I want to say it's off to the side of my port, too. I think I'm now noticing that it happens more often when I eat, but then again, it happens when I don't eat, too. I'm also starting to wonder if it's something like my band has slipped. I'm not sure what the symptoms of that is, so I'm off to check this forum - certainly the topic has been covered, lol. Something just ain't right though, that's for sure. I really need to get in to see someone. I don't know if insurance will cover anything band related, and maybe this isn't a band related issue? It's just so hard for me to make any appointment due to not knowing when I'll be home and if I can make said planned home time. This truck driving gig makes appointments hard. It'd behoove me to get it checked out incase it IS something that could render me unable to drive, while I'm off in some far away state with a load in my trailer.

Never mind, I figured it out.

Hey, I hope you all don't mind me butting into this conversation for a quick question. So as you all know, Dr. K retired. I got one letter saying he recommends some other doctor, but then not too long after that, I got another letter saying he's recommending a different doctor, and will be sending all our files to them, and that this new doctor will honor the price of fills we had with Dr. K. Of course, now that I need a fill, I cannot find the letter(s). Can you help, and let me know who it is that already has our files, and will honor the cheap fill cost? Thank you so much in advance!

Congratulations!

I struggle with this also. I don't put a drink in front of me while I eat. After I eat, I do take a couple of sips. I want to drink while eating because I enjoy getting rid of food aftertaste. If we're out to eat, I sip on some Water until my food comes. I don't drink while eating, but do take a sip of my husband's pop. Since surgery, I've probably stolen a can's worth of sips. I need to cut it out. I'd have a mint or something afterwards, but I can't have mints on me. I'll eat them. Maybe try to end my meal with an orange slice or something kinda juicy... or will the juiciness of the slice be counted like a sip of juice? Bah!

Tuesday, while on my daily bike ride, I got really sick. Puking off the side of the bike trail sick. I sweated profusely all night, before the fever came. That day, I was 207. I have been vomiting and in and out of the Urgent Care ever since getting IV, ass medicines for nausea and fever and potassium. Anyhow, I'm sitting now at 191. Well, that's what it was before I went and saw my primary care provider today, whom then sent me to get some more IV fluids and 20 ml of potassium (rinse and repeat tomorrow), so I could be more. Probably not much more though. I'm soooooo freaking happy to not be puking today. I wish the crossover to onederland wasn't so iffy like this. I don't think I'll rehydrate myself up and back over 200, but certainly most of the 16 lbs lost is all Fluid. It was a hell of a way to lose those few significant-to-us pounds. The thought is that I got sick-sick, and all my retching really pissed my stomach off with the band. Blech.

I have been stuck a few times. While it's not fun, for me, it's not as bad as I read others describe it. Two things either happen when I get stuck. I can either coax it down with pineapple juice, or it comes back up. I don't have to deal with it for two long, either way. Having it come back (PBing) up is so completely unlike throwing up, and I don't think you'll get stuck enough times to where your PBing will cause you band slippage (If it's happening often, then worry). If you do get stuck, be very careful with eating for a couple of days afterwards like mentioned previously. Your stomach could very well be pissed off from the whole event, and want you to take it easy for a bit. Lay off the hot and warm liquids for a day after you're done getting stuck or PBing. Cold drinks will help better with a swollen stomach. View all this as punishment for eating X, and don't do it again .

Yeah, it's in my post about the crap way I hit Onderland.

Nope. I'm currently back to square one - an almost complete unfill. I hope to get in for a fill in a couple weeks and hopefully catch up to where I was previously.

Other than getting ill, causing me Lapband grief, I've very much enjoyed losing weight, and was at a good spot (I'm at a near complete unfill at the moment). I hope I can continue to lose while on restriction hiatus, and that I can get back to that good spot again within a reasonable time.

Oh, it's only $25 per fill/unfill with Dr. K. That's not bad. I'll probably keep going to him then.

Well, I've had post-operative nausea pretty bad before, and have always been pukey. When I'm sick, I can't imagine NOT throwing up. My body will make me retch until stuff comes up. Since 97% of the time nothing CAN come up past the band, I retch and retch and retch some more. I think this is definitely not working very well with the band (duh, lol). I need to somehow reel in my nausea when it starts. Snake oils, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy - I don't know. I need to get on top of it though so the next time I'm ill, for whatever reason, I can not traumatize my stomach so much with my incessant barfing. I'm bummed I'm almost completely unfilled right now though. I really hope not to lose any ground while recovering, and getting refilled. I'm out of free fills with Dr. K, so I need to find someone more local. I don't want to pay for fills and airfare, after all.

Ugh, I got sick again for about two days. I went into urgent care again. My doctor called my Lapband doctor and they all decided to unfill me and let my stomach settle down and heal. Of course, there's nobody that has ever done such a thing in Nowheresville, Wisconsin, lol. Fortunately my Lap-band doctor did a good job explaining how it's done to the hospital's surgeon, whom seemed awfully excited to be learning how to do something new, lol. They made sure they had the proper needle to do the unfill, but no flouroscope. That seems sorta unnecessary considering you can totally feel my port, and you can see where I've been stabbed previously. Plus, I've been filled a few times before, so I knew that the surgeon had to press down a little harder to get through the port. Despite me being willing to do just about anything to stop feeling nauseous, I was plenty sure everybody had this unfill under control. My gallbladder and that surgeon have already played nicely before, so I knew I had a guy who wasn't going to mess around. Anyhow, he took out around 5ccs. I had 6.4ccs in before, I think. 6 and some change, at least. I don't have any big plans on eating solid food anytime soon. I think I'm going to do a nice, slow, gradual liquid to mush diet. I'm not ready to be sick anytime soon, so I'm not going to push it. But, now that I only have 1cc or so left in my band, I sure hope I don't start gaining weight before I get filled again. Blech.

I just made an appointment for the 24th to get a second fill. I don't have any restriction, and I don't feel like I'm feeling full like I should. Hell, yesterday I ate steak and today a hotdog with bun... no problemo! I could go eat 2 more if I wanted. Well, I'm pretty sure at least. Fortunately, even though I don't feel the band is doing its job yet, I'm still not eating much. It's not willpower but rather just a fear of eating too much and getting stuck or PBing. Now, however, I did totally PB some tortilla chips. It's events like that that keep me from eating everything in sight. Even though it seems I may be wide open and able to eat everything, I can't. I don't know what food is going to cause me grief. Those tortilla chips are the first and only thing to give me any grief since getting my first fill. So, anybody else already planning on getting a second fill, or think they may need to get a second fill?

In less than 12 feeling-better hours, I got back up to 202. Today my scale is giving me anywhere between 199 and 202 (isn't there any good scale that doesn't cost a fortune?). So, I think I may change my ticker to 200lbs and eagerly await for a well-hydrated weight of under 200 . Geez, I have never lost so much weight while sick. I know it's not weight-weight, just my fluids and such... I'm just saying that I almost freaking withered and crumbled away, lol.

Oh yeah, I definitely have the "big butt" seat on my bike, lol. My NSV today was a 8 mile bike ride with my older two boys. I had only been doing 4 miles previous to today. Another thing. We were at an amusement park today and the little kid "drop" ride my youngest and I were going to go on had one adult seat that was taken already, but the lady was too big to fit into it and had to make the walk of shame out of the ride. I saw this, thought twice about attempting it myself, but decided to go ahead and give it a try. My walk of shame would have at least made her feel better that she wasn't the only one who couldn't fit. Well, I got up there, stuck my ass in the hole without problem and the bar went down with ease.

I didn't notice much with my first fill. Not even swelling that I know of, but I was pretty cautious and did liquids and mushies for a while.

Sometimes I can't figure out if it's the food that's causing me problems, or me eating too fast or not chewing well enough, because I'm still struggling with not eating like a ravenous pig. Plus, my fills have been keeping me on my toes. This last one took me near a week before I could eat solids - about half of everything was coming up. But now, 2? weeks out from that fill, I can eat fine again, if not too well. With all that said, I guess my answer is: BEATS ME! (ETA: I have only taken the rare sip or two of my husband's pop since surgery)

I just scheduled my 3rd fill for the 23rd of this month. I wish I could go sooner as it seems like I've been able to eat too much and too well lately.

I have had a stitch hanging out when I had gallbladder surgery, and with my Lapband surgery. Like a previous poster said, just cut the SOB down as far as possible. I thought it was the craziest thing the first time it happened to me... called the nurse right away and she made it sound like a common thing. I think doctors ought to be more careful to make sure there isn't stuff poking out of us like that, lol.

How does your doctor know how much to put in when he does fills, and how does he make sure you're not over filled? My doctor has me drink Water while he has the needle in my port. He fills my band with X amount, I drink, he fills again... this goes on until I feel the water being restricted. He then takes out .2 ccs, I drink, and we do that until I feel the water pass through again. He'll then do even more fine tuning after that. My doctor says for me to do non-hot liquids for the rest of the day, and then to eat solids as soon as tolerated. It took me almost a week before I could eat solids. There just might be something to the advice other doctors give to wait a bit longer before getting back to solids. I recommend doing liquids for a few days, then mushies. Give your stomach 5 or more days to unswell.

As of this last week, I can comfortably cross my legs... the girl way even.

Co-worker needs to sort through, and deal with her jealousy and bitterness. And I think that if she makes a snarky comment like that again, you have the right to call her on it. Straight up ask her if there's a way you can make YOUR Lapband not make HER angry because it's getting effing old. I'm sorry. This crap is the exact reason I'm keeping mine a secret from most people.

I hope it's enough for you! I'm desperately trying to figure out if I will need another fill or not because I have free fills for one more month, and airfare is cheaper when you can avoid buying at the last minute. I'm leaning towards just going and seeing if I can't squeeze just a touch more in. I'm at 6.4 (I think it was .4) in a 10cc band.