leatha_g

You might pay attention to 'when' this coughing occurs. Is it all day, all the time or can you tell it if it is when you're drinking or eating, specifically?? One of my early signs of diaphram agitation, ie STOP/Yield signs, was a sudden bout of coughing, sneezing or hiccuping. If I did anything more than very gentle, slow, sipping, initially I would suddenly begin coughing uncontrollably. Didn't take me long to figure out this was my band's reaction to what I was eating/drinking and how slowly or NOT I was taking it in. Just a thought... I hope you recover quickly!

Congrats!!! That's what it's all about!!!

Pillows definitely will NOT do the job, unfortunately. You can buy elevators that lift the entire top of the bed without it being drastically noticeable. Which may be better for both of you.

I think both my nutritionist and psych eval were out of pocket.

You can find out if this technique was used during your surgery by reading your Operative Record. At least mine did describe the technique used by name and details.

I've always stuck to the idea of 'nothing larger than a pencil eraser'. It is definitely a learning curve. If you cut your bites before hand and do not find yourself overly hungry when you sit down to eat, it helps. Also between bites, lay your utensils down, then chew, chew, chew.

Today - Items banned aboard planes in Britain By The Associated Press Thu Aug 10, 10:18 AM ET Security measures in place Thursday at British airports in response to thwarted terror plot: Prohibited items in airline cabins: • All liquids, except medicine and baby formula verified as authentic. • food bought at airport. • Handbags. • All electrical and battery-powered items, including laptop computers, mobile phones and iPods. • Electric key fobs. • Wheelchairs, except those provided by airport. ___ Items permitted in cabin, carried in clear plastic bag: • Pocket-size wallets and purses containing money, ID and credit cards. • Passports and tickets. • Prescription medicine and medical items. • Glasses and sunglasses, but not cases. • Contact lens holders, but not lens solution. • Baby formula and milk, but contents of each bottle must be tasted by passenger. • Diapers, wipes, creams for infants. • Tampons, sanitary napkins and tissues, but not boxes. • Keys.

I fly on Sunday. I'm a bit concerned that it says you can't carry your handbag on board. ??? or electric key fobs. There was mention of laptops, IPODS etc.. I can't trust my laptop to be in checked baggage..

Aww Babs, I'm so sorry. I guess I don't understand why they're restricting your food. When they unfilled me completely, I was able to eat whatever I wanted. This sounds exactly like what happened to me 2 years ago. But, take heart, many have been able to correct itself without re-surgery. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

By atrophy, I mean some sort of malfunction of the esophagus. Probably due to relaxation of the muscles/elasticity of the esophagus.

I'm right there with you Shelley. I've been filled/unfilled so many times now, I just don't see the use in trying again. I honestly think it has to do with some sort of atrophy of the esophagus due to long term banding.

I have a 3 stick rule. If they can't get it by 3 sticks. They're done. This type of re-sticking is how some wind up with leaks in their tubing. Which means more business for the doc and more surgery time for you. I told my doc I wasn't interested in participating in any more surgery than I absolutely needed to, so random sticking is a NO NO.

Even the tiniest of unfills can give you some relief. Between you and the doc, you shouldn't have to lose ALL of your fill, unless there are any other complications. Please don't give up, it simply takes some adjusting to finally get things going your way. You should not, however, be throwing up on a daily basis. Your doc may want to take the fill completely out if she feels your esophagus needs the rest. Do you generally go to fluids for 24hrs or so, if you have PB'd or thrown up? This should help to prevent your getting esophagitis due to the vicious cycle of eating, throwing up, then eating again too soon. Good luck to you and keep us posted!

I took my capsules with yogurt, cottage cheese or some other food to help lubricate it enough to go through. Most of the time, this was never a problem. I did become overfilled once, to the point I had to open capsules to take them. Someone else has mentioned allowing capsules to dissolve a bit in water, before trying to take them.

Yes, you can lose weight, if you make the right choices when you CAN eat solids. I lived on Atkins shakes or protein bars for breakfast for the first year or so. It may have taken me a half hour or more to get the protein bar down, but I would just eat it til it was dissolved and at least I knew I was kick starting my metabolism by taking something in. The protein bars helped make sure I was getting in the necessary protein. This is where your views on what you NEED and what you WANT begin to make changes in your eating habits. Remember, it's sustinence now, not necessarily enjoyment we so often want to derive from the foods we eat. Drink warms liquids in the morning, first to help open you up a bit. With this type of restriction, if you make the right choices in the evening, you will soon begin to see the weight fall off. But, please, if you cannot get in your required daily liquids and the necessary protein, you may need to have a slight unfill. Good luck!

:hug: lol cashley.. thread killer. i know the feeling, but i don't think it's you. so many of us just don't have those pictures. :scared: I so often kick myself for not having BEFORE pictures, before I ever became overweight. I love your pics, btw, you're a gorgeous woman!

This too shall pass. It does concern me however, to hear how high your protein intake is. The kidneys can only process so much before they begin to have problems.

With good restriction, I did run into a problem with lettuce once. With each fill, or even different days, you should have to go by trial and error.

Tough tough situation. Sorry you had to put in that position at all. I think you handled it as well as you possibly could. Poor guy, I'm sure he's totally embarrassed.

The band (and God) is creating miracles all over. That's amazing news! Congratulations and great luck with your pregnancy!

I've never been quite so passionate about chicken, lol, however, I've not had one moment's problem with chicken breasts as long as I chew, chew, chew.

Sounds like this man and his wife have some very serious counseling needed. She is extremely insecure and obviously hurting. But what do we know of her reasoning? Perhaps he has given her reason not to trust him. I think in your discussion with him, I would certainly suggest he and his wife get counseling to prevent this further damaging his marriage or career.

My experience with that sort of thing is that what goes around usually comes around. I've known many people who were vicious like that and unfortunately somewhere along they line they've met up with sometimes awful things happening to them or someone in their family. Tragedy knows no addresses. I've heard it said that a person should choose their words wisely as they may have to eat them later on.

I took Cymbalta about a year. I found myself with much more energy, a general feeling of well being and it definitely helped the depression. Didn't notice any significant sexual side effects, but I'm single.. :confused:

lol, glad you stuck around to drink. yep. it's much better to go slow. nothing like getting home and not being able to swallow your own spit. be aware, even this fill can tighten up with time.. go slow.