MariaMaria

Hi! I've had a wonderful lap band experience, up until the past 6 weeks. I was banded sept 2008, have lost 80 pounds and I'm within 15 pounds of goal. I went in about 6 weeks ago for a fill, and by that evening, I knew I was overfilled. It was nuts. I'd never experienced over fill, or any problem at ALL. I happened to tell her I was on antibiotics for a root canal I was having, and she said that is probably what made me so tight, I was fighting my tooth infection. So I take out the fill. I go back about a month later and get the fill back. I do fine for about a week, and then...... After eating my back would hurt. Pressure in my chest. Tear inducing back pain. Nothing helped. This would last all day, even after eating a couple bites at lunch. I would pay for it all day. Back pain, chest pain...lots of burping. Pain so bad, I wanted to throw up, but nothing to throw up. Went back again, convinced I'd already reached my sweet spot and she took 1/2 out, again. This was last Friday. I immediately felt better and ate fine till today. Ate about 1/3 of a taco bell taco that was left over in the fridge. Ate slow, did everything I've always done....and the pains are back again. The back pain, the chest pain. The burping. Burping relives it somewhat, but it builds back up until I burp again. I ate the 1/3 taco at noon..it's now after five...and I'm pacing and sweating. WTH is it? Is this gas? Is the solution to just get that entire fill back out? I've never had a single problem until this..and it's really worrying me. I'm scared to even drink....it's not that it doesn't go down...but I know I'll pay for it in pain. I just don't get why I went 2.5 years without a single problem, and now this...the only thing I can find by browsing the boards is gas. (Not tooting gas either....this is all burping...and pain...if that is what it is???) Thanks for any replies and help.

I agree notturningback.....I am someone who can't/doesn't eat that much..I don't have much hunger anymore and I eat more out of knowing I have to eat something. And I have days...(probably more than I should...and I do know what I *should* stuff into my mouth...) where I don't eat the most nutritious. For example, I had one meatball and a couple chips for lunch yesterday...a bite of husbands ice cream...and Water and koolaid. Not exactly what the doc ordered, but for me..I'm not going to eat when I just don't want to..and I know I should have some fruit and veggies...but.....I did eat the meatball and left the bread..and did the best I could for the day. I worry less about calories and getting certain amounts of certain things..and just try to get some Protein..then I try and round it out the way I should, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. In the big picture, I'm doing way better than I was three years ago when I would have had the entire meatball sub, chips, my kids chips, 3 sodas...then an entire fatty dinner.

I was very, very scared to tell my husband..it's like admitting defeat, not to mention the cost of the whole dang thing. ( i was self pay.) To my surprise, he only objected to my idea of going to Mexico...which I understand, and we found a place closer to home, and he has been nothing but supportive. It was hard to tell him, I cried, got upset, the whole nine yards, and he only wanted me to be happy. I think you should tell him, I think you will be surprised that he will be there for you. Good luck.

Thank you so much for the nice words about the kiddos....funny how something someone says on a message board can give you a good outlook for the day! I've had my share of "mom guilt" for other various reasons lately...but I have to say I've worked very hard not projecting on them my issues with my weight. My father was morbidly obese my entire life, and I remember as a thin girl and a pudgy (normal) tummy him telling me I needed to do sit-ups every night because I was fat. I vowed even as a 10 year old girl I wouldn't do that to my kids. I have two girls and a boy...the oldest girl is very thin while the middle girl is more "meaty"...and I can't imagine piling on the crap or making her ever think she isn't perfect. I've never talked about my weight, my diets, my issues...and I hope that they never have to feel that pain. And your kiddo DOES love you no matter what your size, but he will love that you are in pictures again...I know I do!!! I actually handed my husband the camera to take pictures of me at the zoo this weekend....and that is priceless!

Yeah, sometimes eating can be a chore. I'm 2.5 years out from surgery...and at this point things are pretty second nature for me. For example, last night, the husband had some Cereal for dinner (it was a fend for yourself night.) and rather than be bothered with the thought of what I would eat, etc...I just didn't feel like going to the trouble. The hunger isn't usually there for me, I eat to stay alive now, not to cope with life. For the most part, the emotion of eating is gone for me. I sit here now with my 1/2 tuna fish sandwich and I'd rather just chuck the remained in the trash, but I know I need to eat...it's bizarre that now I almost have to force myself to eat... this isn't to say I don't love to go out to eat with my family, etc. It's just not quite the "fun" experience it once was, if you call pigging out fun. Does that make sense? I wouldn't change it for the world, the band has worked really well for me. Also, there are times when I can unexpectedly eat more than I thought. For example, I got a small blizzard from DQ over the weekend, and was able to eat the whole thing. Even though this is a slider food, I can't normally push the envelope with any food. I know what I can eat without weighing or measuring. My band was just having a loose moment, and I enjoyed every bite. Of course I wasn't hungry for dinner...but those things will happen!

Hey!!! We have a lot in common. I moved here 1.5 years ago from Kansas City. (To Tampa!...Tarpon Springs to be exact.) Anyway, I had to find a fill doctor too. I went through Fill Centers. Her name is Kathy, you can find her through the fill centers usa website. She is great. I really like her. I too was concerned about finding someone other than my own surgeon, but I've been very happy. She is caring and seems to really know her stuff. Good luck to you. I hope you like it here in Tampa, I haven't adjusted too well, miss my home. Oh my, I just replied to a two year old post!!!! i'm sure you have found a doctor by now!!!

I don't know what to think....yesterday everything was fine. I had oatmeal for Breakfast. I had a strawberry smoothie at lunch...probably about 1/2-3/4 cup of smoothie. Then I had about 1/4 of a italian roast beef sandwich with provolone cheese. All went down fine, no problems. really makes me wonder if it's not band related. My theories are... 1. gas issues caused by band, but only happen occasionally? 2. something else completely, like the gallbladder. anyone know if these gallbladder issues can come and go? Kinda freaks me out to just wait for it to happen again. I'm also VERY scared to go to my regular doctor and tell them...for fear that they will suggest the band is the issue and have it taken out. I had a friend have issues and had something like a ??? blockage (intestinal?) I can't remember. Anyway, she is a nurse...she told her doctor to NOT touch the band, and they performed surgery and took it out anyway.

I agree, I had a hernia that was repaired at the same time...in fact, he did it for free since he was already in there.

I told my husband, mil, mom, sister and a couple friends. I'm so glad I didn't tell everyone. I wish I had not told my mil. I was banded two years ago..and it's crazy the judgmental people that are out there...and I've even heard extended family members have the "why can't those people just use some self control" conversations. Whatever. I don't have time for that, and really..it's none of their business. My answer to my weight loss is that I eat less, it's that simple. And when they see me eat, they believe it. I say I've learned to eat slow, a small amount and I step away. Big whoop! My entire in laws (probably my mil as well) would think I'd lost my mind....elective surgery!!!??? But you have kids! Ohhh my gosh!!! I didn't tell my kids either (all under 10) only b/c I have never talked about weight in front of my girls..I don't think they even realized I've lost 80 pounds...I'm just their mom, and they love me either way!

My goal was to be around 160 in a year, which was a 90 pound loss. Ha. I'm 2.5 years out and weigh about 163. I'd like to get to 150 in the next couple months, by the end of the year. I'm a classic slow loser. I've consistently lost, although slowly, since surgery. I'm 5'8...so I don't know as if I'd want to get much below 150, I'm in a size 10 now, so that might put me around an 8...something I've never been in my adult life.

Okay...I had probably 3 tablespoons or so of plain oatmeal with Water and a touch of brown sugar. And my coffee. Feel fine. food went down fine, feel fine....totally normal. So, that really makes me think I'm not too tight. Is that flawed logic? Can the pain/gas just happen even if I"m not too tight? Maybe it's my period? What the heck I don't know. I'm going to take it very easy today, watching when I eat and what I eat...if pain comes back. I also should add that I had a Gas X and a nexus yesterday....wonder if that helped? Rambling.....I just hate not knowing what caused that. My mom thought maybe the spiciness of the taco meat may not have agreed with me, but I've never had issues with spicy foods before.

ack! Well, I made it through the night, and feel fine this morning, drinking my coffee...but Lord knows, I don't want to eat. I thought about going ahead and eating Breakfast and seeing if it happens again, but I'm scared to eat! I forgot to mention, that it is period time...but even so..I can't go through this every month. It's such a long, sustained painful experience, I'm honestly too scared to eat. I've had my three little bites of taco since yesterday morning, and that is it. And i know that is not good! I'm stuck between calling her and going in for an slight unfill...or trying to eat, see how it works, and then calling. Oh the humanity! She is about an hour away, so I gotta decide quick or I'll be wanting to shoot myself if I have to live with this again today. Cause I'll have to eventually test the Water and see if I can eat. After reading around on the boards and seeing people will go for a year or whatever with an overfill..I just don't see how they can live like this...(if an overfill is actually causing my gas/pain issues.) It's making me crazy!!! Added: okay, I decided to sit down with a bowl of oatmeal. Okay, who am I kidding...a bowl??? I couple tablespoons of that bowl! Then I will wait it out and see if the pain starts again.

I'm over two years post op, and unfortunately I have the luck of not scarring very good. Mine have turned into keloids/hypertrophic? I'm not sure I'm even using the right words...from what I've read aftrican americans are more prone to this...(i'm white). I asked the fill nurse if she thought a scar revision would help, but she said if I'm prone to this, it could easily just happen again...so it seems I'm stuck with a puffy red scar forever. Blech!