leatha_g

OH PENNI I am SO SO Sorry to hear this news. Please know my heart goes out to you and I will pray for your safe surgery and recovery this evening.. This is very disheartening news.. God bless you.. I have also scheduled a barium swallow and EGD.. sigh.

Come back with good news, Penni, PULEEEZE!!

Due to the position of my port, I was not able to do much abdominal exercise for quite some time. With weight loss, it has moved, but initially, wearing jeans, abdominal stretching, sitting bent at the waist for long periods was very uncomfortable. Your mileage may vary. I was told, 'if it doesn't hurt, it's okay'.

That's a very touching post. I'm really glad you're okay and very glad you have two children whom you love to show for your time invested in the band. I think somehow, this love affair with our bands is a 'hope' somehow that we'll not have to be overweight all our lives. Like so many other things we've tried, it's a very promising Hope, but I think we're finding that even the band is not yet that perfect 'be all and end all' that we'd like it to be. That's unfortunate, but without those of us who've had the opportunity to be a part of it, it might not be perfected for those who come after us. I do hope eventually there is a 'be all and end all' for those of us who desire to be thinner and healthier. I know it won't be easy, but you have the tools to make better choices and exercise after this amount of time. Keep your chin up and hold on to those newly formed habits. Good luck to you!

Dr Maese is a bit 'sure' of himself, from what I saw. Honestly, they should leave the needle in until they watch the swallow a couple of times, in case they need to back it off some. Sounds like his normal 'in a hurry' self. Sorry you had to endure that. It isn't typical. I only saw him once, but I found I had to really assert myself with him if I wanted to get in a word edgewise.

:Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny I WANT to go to STROKERS!!! I WANT to go to STROKERS!! I WANT to go to STROKERS!!!!!!!!

frosted mini wheats are your friend..

Had my gallbladder removed exactly 6 weeks after my second banding sugery. Weight loss often precipitates gallbladder problems. I hope this is not the case for you! Did you have referred shoulder pain too?

YES! Definitely. One of the biggest lessons I have learned about being overweight. -- I NEVER should have stopped wearing my tight jeans to begin with!

Definitely exercise the lungs. The diaphragm/referred pain is due to the stretching/agitation of your diaphragm - sort of like stretching a t-shirt, it will take time to get back into shape. You'll notice it upon eating, breathing deeply, sneezing, coughing, but it really will go away in time. Walking and deep breathing exercises really are the best medicine. My second banding exerperience was totally different also. Good luck to you!

I'd love to see ya if maybe some of us could get together. I realize how hectic it is to try and see everyone.

Just remember, you've come too far to undo all that you have done already. When they unfilled me due to slippage. I waited until the day BEFORE my repair surgery to go to the local burger joint. Then, I had a child's burger, fries and small drink. I thought I was in heaven, but only once in the 30 days I waited. Otherwise, my first thought was burgers, fries and shakes. lol. YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT ALL ALONG!!

Praise God. I am so glad to see you post! Thank you so much for letting us know you are well and recovering at home. I know you'll do fine! Please take care of yourself. Don't overdo it and just rest while you get your head in a place of peace to move forward in this journey. Gentle hugs.. and thank you for being the sacrificial lamb, so to speak.. Leatha

I have been banded over 2 yrs now and I have had less than a once a month average (more like 10-15 times total). PBing is definitely something you shouldn't be making a habit of, as it can damage your esophagus AND is a factor in band slippage. It is not always avoidable, but diligence in chewing, cutting your food into pieces no larger than a pencil eraser, slowing down while eating can all help to avoid this unpleasant experience. I think the frequency it may happen to you depends on how restricted you are and how keen you are to listening to your band when it speaks to your body. Hard stops, soft stops, hiccups, burps, sneezes, sudden runny noses are all signs that you are reaching your 'full' level and should stop trying to eat more.

I have a beautiful sister, 6 years younger than me, who I was extremely close to in my earlier years. This girl was the golden child. Smart, pretty, had all the best friends, was the cheerleader, popular girl in our family. Valedictorian of her high school class. Could have had anything she wanted until the local baseball star introduced her to heroin. She's since been to treatment after treatment, jail, prison, more treatment, halfway houses, she's participated in activities unspeakable and certainly things she would have never been involved in before drugs entered her life. Our once golden girl is now mentally and emotionally a basket case, has hepatitis C, cannot be trusted to do anything she says, lies, steals, manipulates and has basically thrown her whole life away. I miss her. I sure could have used a good sister over all these years. I still love her and pray for her daily, but it sure is tough watching someone drown in the darkness of mental illness, drug induced dysfunctional behavior and know that there isn't a single thing you can do to change them or save them from themselves.

As far as I've heard, the band itself cannot be stretched. You can have pouch dilitation above the band and it is fairly common. There are various reasons this could occur, one might be repeatedly overeating, another might be that the band is too tightly restricted and thus begins to form a bowl-like structure above the band. Sort of like overtightening your belt and still having that roll bulging over the sides. All good reasons to maintain the bandster guidelines of eating 1/2 to 1 cup of food and never eating for longer than 15-20 minutes per meal. (Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.) Easier said than done.. how well I know.

Praise God! Close call.. now you know these things CAN happen, irregardless of what you do. I'd just tread lightly, you've gotten a second chance. Good news! Congrats!

Johnathon. If nothing else, you need to request your medical records from the doctor that won't talk to you. You need to MAKE SURE it has the operative record in it, with the size and serial# of your band. You also need to get any xrays/flouro that you can get your hands on.

Veninga didn't take you? He took me with a slipped band and previous other doctor. Darn. I completely understand where you are right now. I had the same problem. I was calling and begging and fearful of what damage might be going on inside, but as long as you aren't having any serious vomiting/pain etc. If you are unfilled, you are probably fine and though the matter does need to be seen to, it is not an emergency situation. You need to contact Inamed to let them know you have been diagnosed with a slip and now you can't find a physician who will take you. They need to track your band and document what goes on with it. This is the lady who contacted me at home : denise.maddalon@inamed.com Feel free to PM me if you need to talk about it or if I can help you in any other way. Also, I'm available on Yahoo IM - lethalwoman2003

Same here. There are often times that I want to run to my drug of choice: FOOD and there are often times that I do and get by with it. But mostly, the band is there to keep me from OVERDOSING in spite of myself. There is maintenance that goes along with it. There are problems that can be associated with it, but again, these problems are preferable to me as opposed to the blood clots I was suffering, or the pain and swelling of my feet and legs or the lack of breath I had going up stairs or the inability to dance. My quality of life is 100% better than before the band. For this, I am truly grateful.

Erosion, Slip or not. The lapband is still the BEST thing that happened to me, along with anti-depressants and a hysterectomy. I have had a slippage. It's a minor bump in the road. If I have another - I may be forced to remove the band. I'm still 75lbs lighter than the day I started. I am ALIVE which would have been questionable at 250lbs on a 5ft body. I still have to get an EGD and an upper GI to confirm whether I have any problems, but I am still very grateful for the band and the opportunity I have had to lose this weight.

Just remember, a slip is still just a bump in the road, compared to some very severe problems that could have developed with a bypass. It's a nuisance, to be sure. I'm very sorry you've hit the bump in the road, but you'll be back to smooth sailing in no time. Good luck!

Me too. I've suddenly developed nighttime reflux again the last 3 days. I figure I'm either stretched or slipped again. Neither of which I'd be happy about. I've contemplated the ER all day, but I've put myself on liquids/soft foods instead hoping to call the doc tomorrow.

God bless you all.. on this day and every day going forward.

I had my hiatal hernia repaired the second time around. The length of recovery wasn't any longer, but I do think the agitation to the diaphragm/shoulder pain was a bit more problematic due to the extra agitation from the repair. I would certainly advise having it fixed, however, as they tend to become a problem later with the band if un-repaired.