silry

when i first got pregnant i was seriously freaked. not only b/c i never planned on popping out any rugrats but b/c of the band. my doctor considered me high risk and i was desperate for advice, or helpful words, or just support. i didn't find what i needed so i basically left. anyhow, i wanted to post my story so if someone has my same questions and fears maybe i can reassure them. i got pregnant after 8 months of being banded. not ideal, obviously, but timing has never been one of my strong suits. i barely lost any weight so i was extremely frustrated, disappointed, etc at the pregnancy. i got unfilled at 6 months. i am glad i waited b/c it kept me honest. LOL. none of that "i ate a whole bag of mini snickers b/c the baby wanted me to" type of stuff. LOL!!! before getting my unfill i gained about 15lbs. after my unfill i gained another 15. despite being "high risk" i had an amazing, easy pregnancy!!! really, i loved it. for the first time EVER in my whole life, i embraced my body. my belly wasn't something to be ashamed of. now, i didn't like being fat and pregnant, but i was lucky that i didn't have a single complication due to obesity. my port never hurt (except when bebe kicked it. which he liked to do - a lot!) but it was more uncomfortable then hurty. like when you bump it, you know? it didn't stick out either - and i had a BIG belly. (i'm short, so bebe didn't have anywhere to grow but out.) labor. i was TERRIFIED of labor. unfortunantely i don't have much to really add here. i ended up needing a c-section so i can't say how the band would do during labor. (funny side story: when my doc was telling me he feared i'd need a c-section (i was 41 weeks at that point LOL) he asked me "if i do a c-section on you, will i be cutting your band at all?" i replied "only if you are REALLY bad at doing c-sections" and handed him a diagram of where the band is placed. he turned red and we both laughed. :thumbup:) i am now refilled. i'm essentially starting out as a new bandster, even though i've had it for almost 2 years. i haven't lost any weight and as unpopular as this is, i wish i never did it. but i want to be honest. however, i have this thing in me and i'm going to try try try and try some more. i want my baby to have a mom that can keep up with him! anyhow, i have a healthy, happy baby boy. he is 6 months old, wonderful, gorgeous and the love of my life. he is also teething, so free baby to good home. :thumbup: KIDDING. here he is:

i got unfilled at 6 months. my doc was super freaked about my lapband (but sweet about it) and insisted i get it done. i was also treated as "high risk" even though i had the easiest pregnancy known to man. LOL. i'm glad i stayed filled - i didn't gain my weight until after the fill was out and i could eat what i wanted and boy did i. LOL. i gained 30 total, which my doc was actually fine with. towards the end of my pregnancy i started to feel like i had resistriction again, so i'm glad i did get that unfill.

i use cloth! recently my washer broke (:thumbup:) and i had to use sposies. it was horrible! i guess i was so used to my bum genuis diapies that the sposies really bothered me. his butt felt so tiny and i was constantly changing him b/c i was paranoid he was going to leak. plus his poor wee boy bits got a rash. :thumbup: i got my new washer today (IT IS SO COOL!!!) and am thrilled to have his butt back in BG. LOL.

It's been a long time since I've been here. Long story short, I had ZERO success with my band despite having awesome restriction (lost almost no weight). Then I got pregnant. I had my gorgeous healthy baby boy in May (with no complications!!!). I was unfilled in my 6th month of pregnancy. (I gained 30 total pounds with the bebe, in case you were curious.) Anyhow, so I've been unfilled for several months. A week ago I started experiencing chest pain in the center of my chest along with extremely wicked heartburn/acid problems that OTC acid reducers cannot seem to really help. I have been on liquids for a week in case I irritated my band. I haven't had any restriction since getting unfilled so I've been basically eating normally. I've never had even so much as a twinge of discomfort. Even when I was 10 months pregnant (oh yeah, 10 months. LOL.) I scheduled a fill literally the day before the pain started so I will be heading out to MX to see the doc in 2 weeks. I've been researching slips/erosions to death and I just don't have any clue what could be going on. Does that sound like a slip? Or erosion? Am I having the worlds slowest heart attack?! Sometimes I can't catch my breath, I'm not sleeping very well as a result of the constant worry. I feel like I have a lump in my throat as well. When I swallow hot or cold liquids, I can feel it go down. I'm not throwing up or anything. I'm terrified! Especially since I have this amazing little baby boy at home... I wish I never got banded. I keep reading that the band CAN kill if there is a slip and the stomach gets damaged. The idea of leaving my son motherless because I didn't want to be fat eats at me. I'd rather be fat and alive. My ins won't cover anything band related here in the US so I feel like my hands are tied - I can't go to a regular doctor right now? Does anyone have any words or advice or ideas about what could be happening to me? Or anything?!

*grumbles* i am NOT doing a very good job! :mad: BUT i think i figured out how to deal with the crushing STARVATION during the day... instead of having my one meal for dinner, i have it for lunch. then i have my second shake of the day for dinner. i did it today and it worked well. my hubby comes home kind of late, so we end up eating at 7-730pm which is far too late as it is. i'm actually up 2lbs!!! :embarassed: eating that late cannot be helping. :mad: :mad: :mad: so. breakfast: 8oz vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 6oz of coffee blended together lunch: veggie burger with one slice of 2% cheese, light mayo, ketsup and mustard, pickles and lettuce on a whole wheat bun, beef jerky (yes, again) dinner: 8oz chocolate soy milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

i'm 23 weeks pregnant with a very big boy with long legs! b/c of my lapband they are treating me as high risk, which is actually kind of cool b/c i've had 3 really fun ultrasounds. i'm not thrilled to be gaining weight (up 7lbs currently), especially after only losing something like 20lbs and getting knocked up so soon after my surgery. (he was more then an "oops" baby!) i notice i'm starting to get stuck more and more, which makes me very nervous. since i got banded in Mexico, i don't really have any support from my surgeon on how to proceed. we're trying to figure out a way for me to get an unfill. so of course i'm nervous about that, but what really has me freaked is labor. from what i've read, women can vomit b/c of the stress of labor. not just a little, but violently. so now i have this huge fear of slipping my band during labor and having to go into emergency surgery right afterwards. because i'm "high risk" i have the option of choosing a c-section over vaginal. my doc is actually rather anti-c-section, but is giving me the option. i don't want MORE scars on my poor belly and the recovery time is longer then vaginal. so, my question is how many of you with bands that have had children since being banded, had vaginal birth? did you have any issues with your band as a result? (sorry for the LONGEST POST EVER. i applaud your patience!) :smile:

does anyone know the answer to this?! :welldoneclap:

Dr. Ortiz in TJ, Mexico. I was very happy with my surgery and all that, but it's just a bit scary to not be able to go to his office and ask for options. Plus it's a bit of a pain to get down to MX with our work schedules. We don't want to use up sick time NOW - want to save it for when I pop out the kidlet! My husband is mortified to send his pregnant wife to MX alone. LOL.

hi all. i was banded in february 07 and i haven't lost a single pound, despite exercise and diet. NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT. we were going to schedule another fill, despite me having what felt like great restriction... i was just desperate to make this work... but i found out i'm pregnant! :faint: now i'm scared about having a baby while fat... =0 i'm scared about the effect pregnancy will have on my band... i'm 29 and this is my first pregnancy. i feel a little dumb because all my friends have multi kids... here i am freaking out over the typical stuff, not to mention the band issues. eep!!! like, will the port hurt with the big belly?! boy were my husband and i surprised to discover that sex could result in babies! (kidding... but we were were shocked!!!) anyhow, i'm 8 weeks along.

well, i have restriction. quite a bit of it actually, but not too much. i would dare say i'm at my 'sweet spot'. and yet... i have not lost a single pound since my surgery in february. i exercise, i'm properly filled. i had such high hopes for my lapband. i researched until my peepers ached. i follow the bandster rules. i don't eat around my band. i don't think i can stand the disappointment that i see in my husband and mom's eyes any more. i used to turn to food for my emotional pain... but now that just causes me to get stuck. so i started drinking. that's awfully cute. i got a text message i sent myself after my surgery (i scheduled it to be sent 5 months after the surgery) a few days ago and it said 'i bet you are doing great! how much have you lost?' i cried for a few hours. if i had the band removed tomorrow, i know i would gain a freakish amount of weight. so at least i'm greatful i'm not gaining weight. *sighs* the band is useful for something, i guess.

i went to the doctor a couple of months ago and they wouldn't check any of that for me - said they didn't cover weight issues and/or pre-existing conditions. grrr. my husband got a new job and when our new ins kicks in, i'm going to give it another go. he's now employeed at a company that offers the best insurance in town, next to the culinary union. so i'm hoping...

hi everyone. i'm in need of some... advise or a buttkicking or suggestions?!? i don't know. i'm feeling very frustrated and alone. i got my second fill and at first, i didn't have any restriction. but after a few days i got stuck and was weirdly thrilled. it was like confirmation that my band/fills were working! but... i'm not losing weight. i started tracking my food and whereas i can still eat a good variety of foods, my portions are hugely reduced. i thought maybe i wasn't eating enough calories, so i added a few higher calorie foods and took out some of the low-fat substitutes (ie low fat cheese and replaced it with regular cheese). but all that did was make me GAIN. my diet includes veggies as snacks, almost no meats, no dairy, no sugar, low sodium, and organic foods. i joined water aerobics and weight watchers. i bought a pilates dvd, band and workout ball. the amount of food the old me would eat is so very different from what i'm eating now, i'm astounded that i'm not losing. today i went to weight watchers and had a 3lb GAIN. after ww, i went to dinner with my hubby and got stuck eating a tiny piece of meat. i ended up having to bring home almost my whole meal... which will probably last me 2 days. i can't stand the disappointment i'm feeling! my husband is trying to be supportive, but i'm not losing!!! i feel like a complete failure and it's causing me to spiral into a depression. very few people know about my band, but the ones that do know are constantly asking me how i'm doing... and i feel like a complete failure saying i've lost NOTHING since my surgery. what on earth else can i do? what am i doing wrong?! does anyone have any insight, advice, anything? :cry:cry:cry:cry:cry:cry:cry:cry:cry

thank you all for your great suggestions! it's all pretty much what i already knew, but it helped me realize that there isn't some magic suggestion out there... it basically boils down to plain old fashioned hard work! and so i have pushed my butt into gear and this past week, i lost 3.8lbs! *wiggles* i'm still not thrilled with the way things are going, but i'm seeing improvement in the way i look and feel... and for a totally female nsv, today i put on my cute black top and noticed that for the first time in a loooong time my boobs stuck out way over my belly! my belly used to be equal or even more so out there. THAT FEELS GREAT! i feel very womanly.

i love love love yoga! i tend to bulk up when i exercise at the gym so i started investigating alternative means of exercising and found yoga to be amazing. it took me around 3 months to really see results physically, but emotionally i benefitted right off the bat. forcing myself to calm down and concentrate was great! pilates hates me. it wants to kill me. i don't heart pilates. LOL. maybe i'll give it another go when i lose more weight!:paranoid

the first time i lost a buttload of weight my feet went down a whole size. 8.5 to 7.5. i've since regained that buttload plus some back but oddly enough my feet have stayed 7.5. i'm kind of curious what is going to happen when i lose this time around!!!

i've posted on this before, but i just got an email that reminded me of a few more... it's not "it depends weather or not i can get home early..." the weather has nothing to do with it! it's whether! and you did not go to "there" house. you also didn't go to "they're house". they're means "they are"... so does "i went to they are house" make sense?! "we visited my MIL's house and i got a real since of her style". no honey, you did not get a "since" of her style! you got a SENSE of her style. (i must have read that sentence about 4 times before i figured out what she was trying to say. :tired ) oh, and fyi... this girl that i got the email from has 2 master degrees. :faint:

i was banded in mx by dr. ortiz. whereas the staff was perfectly nice, the clinic clean and shiny, going to mx is not the funnest thing ever. i failed to consider things like crossing the border every time i need a fill. it has proven to be a HUGE PAIN in my huge behind. also, after the surgery i really felt sort of... left alone to drift. no follow up care, etc. i don't regret the level of care i received and i very much enjoyed the beautiful hotel. so, the moral of my lil story is think of afterwards. do you have somewhere to go if you have complications? what about fills? those are the 2 things i wish someone mentioned to me before! good luck!!!

CONGRATS! breaking that had to feel amazing!!! that little card they give you after surgery says i have a 4cc band. my fill doc was astounded that i didn't have any restriction after my first fill. when he filled me the second time he said there was no way i wouldn't have restriction. LOL. leave it to me to be exceptional! and, once again CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

i'm bummed out. :cry i don't have any restriction after my 2nd fill. i have 3ccs in my 4cc band. now, i know many people have to get multiple fills before gaining proper restriction. i've been paying close attention to their fill history (if they have it posted in their sig, of course) and i keep seeing people with my size band perfectly restricted at less ccs then i currently have! it makes me want to pull my hair out and scream. mostly i just feel very... alone. absolutely no one understands what i am going through. what i am feeling. if i hear "oh, give it some time" one more time... i swear... i'll :censored: . i'm also just loving all the "helpful" advice people are pushing on me. like, "drink lots of water with your meals to help fill you up!" uh, doesn't work like that now folks! i also like "just eat more bread", "add another meal during the day" (WTF?!). eh. i don't want to continually whine. i'm just feeling frustrated and alone. i need another fill, but we went 2x last month and i can't afford it again. not with gas prices being this high! we had planned for these trips, but months apart, not WEEKS apart! but i'm not just bitchin' without any extra effort being put forth. i am abiding by the bandster rules, i rejoined weight watchers, i signed hubby and i up for water aerobics, we've increased our dogs walkie times and i've cut out liquid calories (ie juice, flavored coffee drinks). so i'm making an effort. and so far, i'm up an lb. (but i do feel better having now vented!) anyhow, i haven't seen this thead active for a few days and wanted to get it moving again! this is a great group of people and i'd hate to see it fade into the archives, or where ever unloved threads wander off to die.

i didn't vote. because i'm not sure how to answer that. i'll be honest, i'm very disenchanted regarding my band. i never antisipated being able to have 3ccs in a 4cc band and having zero restriction. having the same amount of hunger, the same fears and worries about my weight after being banded... it kills me. after my last fill i just cried and cried. i know i need to get another fill. but i need to save the money first... it's not as easy as getting the surgery and bam! you start losing. it may be for some, those lucky ducks! so. in order to not emotional-eat myself to death, i rejoined weight watchers. what's different in my life now versus pre-lap band? about a $9k increase in debt, scars on my belly and i can't drink soda! but but but i don't have proper restriction. maybe i'll get there and will start losing weight and i will fall as head over heels in love with my band as other people are. i don't want to be all whiney and annoying, but i'm sure i'm not the only one who goes through this stage and i feel its important to see all sides of the banded life. i wish i read stuff like this when i was researching. so i'm going to hold off on voting. :tired

peanut butter cookies are pretty much my favorite thing in the whole wide world. i am so excited to try these!!!! thanks! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

then i totally consider myself lucky!!!

i got my second fill yesterday. i told my doc that after my first fill, i could eat absolutely anything. he was suprised by that - he said he gave me almost an aggressive first fill (2.2ccs in my 4cc band). for my second fill, he gave me 3ccs. he had me wait around for about an hour, then eat a piece of toast to see how it would go. well, eating dry toast is kinda gross and it doesn't sail right down. so i thought "yippee! this fill is the one!" :paranoid but... last night for dinner i had 2 pieces of cheese pizza. YES, i know that was naughty bad of me. i have pizza about 4x a year. my hubby really wanted pizza after our 5.5 hour drive home, so i said fine. i cut it up into teeny bites, chewed-chewed-chewed and it went down fine. so then i started taking bigger bites to test how things are going, and everything slid right down. i probably didn't (okay, i didn't) need that second piece, but i was eating out of anger. *sighs* (and don't worry - i will not be having pizza again. like i said above, we almost never have it... and if i do, it's typically the brickoven lean cuisine ones!) :bandit i'm scared to tell my hubby. :cry he is very sick of the 5.5 hour drives each way, the insane gas prices and the wasting of our weekend. plus he's not fond of the horrid pain-in-the-assness of leaving mexico. he wants me to be happy and to succeed in my weight-loss so i know he will drive me back down again. after reading here for about an hour, i decided to wait a month or so before getting fill #3. i am going to eat slowly and very carefully and see if maybe my portions shrink. maybe the amount i can eat will be lessened? i'm going to re-join weight watchers and i signed up for deep water aerobics at the local community center. i'm hoping that i am just one of those people that can eat anything, but much less of it. :straight well, that's all. i probably should have just put this in my journal, but i'm not going to copy and paste now. LOL. :phanvan

yey! vegas people! i thought i was all alone out here!!! :heh:

weird! i wonder if there are different kinds of barium... the stuff i had to drink had almost no taste or texture. it was just like thick, pink water. it wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't unpleasant either. :phanvan