TerriDoodle

The gerd has probably irritated your stoma and caused swelling....which is why you are now too tight. You need to call your doctor for a slight unfill to give your tummy a rest. You'll feel immediate relief! Talk to them about your diet and habits and they can get you back on track soon enough.

Good luck, Stephanie!

I agree...you don't need a fill unless you are hungry all the time and your weight loss has stalled. But when the time does come, there's no need to worry or be scared...although I don't know WHY your surgeon filled the band during your op!? Never heard of that! So keep an eye on him and if you have a 4cc band, don't get anymore than 1.5cc for your first fill!

Do you have any hobbies that keep your hands busy?? Maybe some needlework or something like that? When I'm beading I can go for HOURS without thinking about food.

Well, it's important to be educated even if it does make you a little nervous...but that's natural. 90%+ of the people on this board would have the surgery again in a heartbeat....so that's a VERY good sign. Good luck to you and welcome to LBT!

Thank goodness Kat's alright. Such good news!! I feel like I can breathe again! Tracy - What's an IEP? I trust it's not something/someone you want to do often. I wanted a shake in the worst way yesterday, but the only thing that stopped me was the electric was out at the Dairy Queen. HA! The next stop I made, JIB, the line was 8 cars long!! I decided God was trying to tell me something. So I went home and had 2 glasses of wine instead. :thumbdown: Other Tracy - I'm fine except that I'm back at work now. Yuck. Glad you like the jewelry! I've got to start selling some of this stuff! It's piling up!! lol Pam - You're going to be a wonderful officiator! I wish I was there, too. Good thing we're not....we'd be making faces at you in the back row. :thumbup: Laura - glad you're better too. Jeez!

I :thumbup: my doctor!!! Dr. Spivak is the best there is!

Yes, I'm very curious to see what happens with you...I haven't heard of this type of complication before. Can he not put in a larger band? I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. Please be sure to stay hydrated which can be difficult, but is so very important! If you start to feel lethargic and/or have vision changes, make sure you go to the ER....those are signs of dangerous dehydration!

I'm sure you're fine. You don't say how long you've been banded, so I'll assume it's been at least a few weeks. I often get the hiccups when I get something 'stuck', then it goes away, the food goes down and I can continue eating normally again. Sounds like this is what is going on with you. Perhaps you are nearing the time for a fill.

In your instance, since you are eating so little at a time, I would say that they most important issue is to keep a close eye on the nutritional values of your food. Nibble all day on a piece of fruit all day if you have to in order to get the nutrients you need! This may go against the popular wisdom but the band is not designed to starve your body of nutrition!

If you have small fills (0.5-1.5cc) you probably will not need fluro. When you get closer to your sweet spot and you're thinking you may need a 'wee bit more' they may do a fluro just to make sure they're not over-filling and to make sure Fluid is still getting thru. As others have said, smaller more frequent fills are far better than one big one...which tends to result in going back for an UNfill! BTW, my doc charges $100 for a fill; $150 for a fill w/ fluro.

Thanks, Judy, for calling to get the update on Kat. Yikes, does this mean she's going to have to pay for all of this out of pocket? UGH! She was self-pay wasn't she? Michelle - Congrats! I did Zumba last year and it did indeed kick my ass in a big way. So big, in fact, that I never went back! LOL My heart rate just got way too high and I wasn't comfortable with that. But it is fun!!

They're gonna try to repair it or are they removing it? Do ya'll know? :biggrin:

Laura - I was tossing and turning in bed.....thinking of you tossing and turning in bed and it came to me!! ACUPUNCTURE!! I have never tried it, but my 84 y.o. mother-in-law has pretty severe chronic sciatica and she says it helps. It sure can't hurt the baby, so why not give it a try?? I had forgotten about this but when my back was hurting I went to a Reiki healer, too. That was a strange and wild experience but my back did get better immediately. I won't refer you to the practice though, because Wikipedia says recent studies show it's a bunch of hooey. The placebo effect is probably how it worked for me. Reiki is big in California, maybe Pam knows people who have experience with it.

Laura, Kat makes a good point about the 'grabber' thing. I wish I was closer and I could lend you the elevated toilet seat we have here. My mom used it and they're great when you have back problems. You may want to look at your local drug store or medical supply rental. It would at least make going to the bathroom easier. I definitely can relate to the depression you're talking about...thinking you're never going to feel normal again. I remember falling to my knees in pain and crying loudly all because I leaned over to brush my teeth. I took lots and lots of drugs to make it better and did stretches as well, but you are at a huge disadvantage being pregnant. I cannot imagine what it could be!? Are you in line for a scan or what's next?? TracyinKS - oh yes, I've been a jewelry-making fool...at least one project a day. Have a couple of them in my store and a couple that I'm keeping. My 'studio' (aka dining room) looks like a tornado (or a hurricane) hit it. For some reason I've lost 2# during this last week which is amazing considering all the junk I've been eating!? But it's the same 2# I've been gaining and losing forever. This a.m. I weighed 181. Ho hum. Kat - got your email with #'s....thanks. I'll be anxious to hear. Oh, got a text from Haydee earlier. She's at the ofc today and home situation is the same. But she's doing alright.

Hi girls- Yes, my situation is a million times better than most. At least the weather is nice here (woke up to 64 degrees) which is such a blessing for those without AC!! I still can't go to work (oh, darn!) because our phone and network are down. Getting around town is pretty dangerous...on my end of town which is by far the best off...about 50% of the signal lights are out which makes things congested and dangerous. We have so many 'major' intersections! The grocery stores that do have cold items or produce have very little and they are sold out quickly. We are fortunate that we are able to just eat the things we had in our freezer or we'd be in big trouble! I haven't had a fresh vegetable in several days....I'd kill for a salad, broccoli or asparagus! Getting the things you need is like going on a scavenger hunt every day, making the traffic worse, which in turn slows down the recovery effort. Thank goodness most of the high water has receded but what is left in those areas is sludge and sand and debris. Have you seen the before/after arial pictures of Bolivar, High Island and Galveston? It's horrible. Galveston is uninhabitable much like New Orleans was after Katrina. The mayor made a stupid decision yesterday to allow residents to come in "look and leave". They had to set up check points to verify residents belonged there which slowed the traffic to a crawl. At one point the traffic was backed up for 10 miles....3 lanes of it. Rescue and responders couldn't get through...then they had to end up using the manpower to get everyone OUT again and looting became a problem where there was little before. Residents were turned away after 6:00 pm which created another traffic nightmare getting all those thousands and thousands of cars turned around. Galveston mayor must be an idiot to think that would have worked. TracyK should be reachable by cell. I'll try texting her. She may have gotten tangled up in that traffic yesterday. Even if you could send her stuff, she may not have mail service....we haven't had any this week. It's a royal mess down here. I just can't say it enough that I am so happy that the weather is at least cool....for now. This never happens in mid-Sept. Kat and Laura - please get better soon. I don't need to be worrying about you guys, TOO!!! Much love to you all.

Jeez, Kat. I hope you're going to be OK!! If two doctors told you you should be in the hospital, I'm surprised Rick didn't sit on you to make you stay! You're a good patient though and am sure you're following orders (RIGHT?). Please be careful! TracyK - I'm all over my guilt. But thanks anyway! I know you're just trying to help a sista out.

I'm sorry, Kat. Well, even if you lose your band, you have gotten to goal and you have your TT. And you have us to keep you accountable. You'll be OK. (((Hugs))) Your health right now is most important.

Nobody is going to work today in my world. We have power at the office but no computer or phone lines...so what's the point? I'm trying to figure out the best way to help today....may go give blood, the hospitals are in short supply. It's hard to know what is the right thing to do...they ask us to stay home. I have a bad case of 'survivor guilt'. Laura - I am so sorry about your back pain. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! I hope you get some relief soon, sweetie.

I am just feeling very blessed right now. High, dry, and cool. The kids are with me now 'cause there's not electricity or water at their dad's house. Good to have them under my wing. We also have my married step-daughter. Her husband is an ER physician and is at work for the next 48 hours. Their house is nice but in a dicey part of town that had a lot of damage...there are 'rumors' of looting going on and she didn't want to be there, not to mention there is flooding nearby and no power or water at her house either. So we have a house-full now. The pictures coming out of Galveston, Kemah, Seabrook, High Island and Bolivar are just devastating. It's going to be a really rough road for the next few weeks. It's sad :smile:

WE HAVE POWER!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it??? Still no TV though 'cause the cable is out. We drove across town to borrow a generator from friends who didn't need it. Took quite a while to get it hooked up and loaded with gas/oil, etc., hooked up the refrigerator to it, and 5 minutes later our power came on! You have no idea how excited I am about that!! I am so proud of our city service response team on so many levels and all the help that is pour into the city. It's just the beginning, but it's a good sign. Thanks for all the love and prayers.....PURPLE POWER IS THE BEST!!!

I'm OK. Have power for a short while.

Well, we've got 1/2 of the windows boarded up and taking a break to cool off for a moment. I feel a lot safer with the windows covered with the added bonus I don't have to watch the trees bending to the ground. The evacuations are going very smoothly and traffic is not too terrible from what they're saying on the TV. There is a little problem with fuel supply. Most Houstonians are 'sheltering in place' so that the people evacuating from the coastal areas can get out....and that plan is working. I feel as safe as I can be under the circumstances. I've been thru these before and know I'll be OK. I just hope Tracy's house is going to be OK.

Blue dot is where Tracy lives, green is where I live and red is where Haydee lives. Tracy lives right on the coastline of Galveston Bay and is in greatest danger of the storm surge. She needs special prayers for sure. The threat to Haydee and I will be flooding an damage from flying debris. A strong Category 3 hurricane can rip the roof off of a well built structure. We will most likely be on the "nasty side" of the storm (the NE side) where most of the tornados and rain occur. Wish us luck! Yes, we've rescheduled the Memorial Service to 9/27.

Judy - Memorial service is Saturday, right when the hurricane is supposed to make landfall. Latest reports say it's going south of here, so it might be ok. Tracy - Yes, you can make a paypal payment (to my regular email address at gmail). Hope you all have a good day. Gonna be another crazy one here.