DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

Holy cow that's awful, may I ask where you live?

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Are they going to replace the port for you?

Before I had adequate Fluid in my band to kill the hunger, I concentrated on calories. I knew I could stay to a cup or less of food but there was no way I could go 4-5 hours without eating. I was way too hungry. So, I spread out my daily calorie budget so I could eat every 2 hours. For me, it worked, because I was eating smart and low calorie but I wasn't starving either.

No, because any puncture in the tubing would result in a leak, making all the Fluid come right back out. The port is made to be injected into, tubing is not. It's simply not possible. You'll have to get a new port or have an empty band.

I completely understand the frustration of wanting restriction and not having any, but it's always better to fill slowly and gradually. You run a much greater risk of shooting right past your Green Zone into being over-filled if you have aggressive fills, and doing that would only make the wait for restriction longer as the doctor tries to work backwards with unfills. It's much easier for everyone to work into the Green Zone slowly than it is to try to mess with a lot of fills and unfills because you've gone right past it.

You have to add it to your signature, with the link.

If you are taking very small bites and chewing it until mush but still can't eat, it's possible your band is too tight.

My concern isn't damage to the band it's damage to me. I was told that I ran the very real risk of my stomach being punctured when they were tubing it if they didn't know about the band and take precautions because of it. I just don't want to go into a hospital for one issue and end up staying for a hole in my stomach because a doctor didn't realize there was a band in his way of tubing me.

Congratulations!! That is so wonderful!!!

Everyone is different and everyone's anatomy is different. If your band fits snug enough you don't need fills, great. But if someone else needs fills every month for a year, then that's that's fine too.

I used to not think a medical ID bracelet was necessary for the Lap Band. I went in for emergency surgery this past Sunday and now I know otherwise. I am definitely getting one immediately. When you have a band, it is so crucial the doctors working on you are aware of it. Thankfully I was conscious and could make the fact I had a Lap Band known, but if I couldn't and the surgeons didn't know, I'm certain I'd have been in real trouble. For instance, I had abdominal surgery. Of course there's a risk of the tubing or band itself being cut. But when you go in for emergency surgery, they have to empty the contents of your stomach before surgery so you don't risk asphyxiating while under anesthesia. They do this by putting a tube up your nose and down your throat. If they didn't know I had the band and had taken the Fluid out of it before, the risk was very real my stomach could've been literally punctured trying to get the tube down. In fact, normally they don't tube your stomach until you're asleep, but because I have the band I had to be awake for it. I had to swallow as they did it to make sure it went through the band and not hit it. (yeah that was not pleasant at all, ugh!) So the moral to the story- I found out first hand this weekend how crucial it is for doctors to know about our bands. I will definitely be getting an ID bracelet.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. Hands down, best decision I've ever made for myself. I feel better and am happier than I've been in many, many years.

I have no problems with pills or MRIs. I take pills daily and have to have MRI's yearly.

I would speak to the surgeon, not the nurse, about your NSAID use and the band. I know she was only trying to help but the fact is she's not a bariatric surgeon. Go with what your surgeon says, not the nurse. For the record, I take 800mg of Ibuprofen very regularly. My surgeon was aware of this before surgery. He was also aware of the fact I've taken it for years. It's never caused a problem with my stomach or the band.

Could it be a slip? That's what it sounds like. Unfortunately, I've heard of a number of women who had slips due to pregnancy.

Congratulations!!!

If you're on a really low carb diet it may not work for you, but I tend to eat a lot of Lean Cuisines for lunch. Fast, easy, inexpensive, and gives me a variety.

I had a history of depression and anxiety, in fact I was on Xanax during the pre-op process. I had battled depression for years (I was on different antidepressants for years, too) and had such bad anxiety attacks I felt like I was having a heart attack. I was honest about it. When they psychiatrist asked me why I was depressed, I chuckled sarcastically and said "If you were a 400 pound, single mother with Multiple Sclerosis, wouldn't you be depressed?" (yes I also have MS) Not that I recommend my smartass answer, but you get my drift. So did she For the record? I've been off all meds for depression and anxiety since surgery in January. I haven't had a single anxiety attack and this is truly the happiest I've ever been during my adult life. I'm not saying WLS surgery can cure anxiety or depression, but for me, losing weight and finally taking care of my body has helped more than any drug ever could. Best wishes to you

Like you, I grieved. After surgery, when I was on liquids and healing, I cried and was angry as hell. But I also realized that mourning of comfort food was necessary to move forward on this journey. It's that unhealthy relationship with food that led me to be morbidly obese needing the Lap Band to begin with. I knew it was time to deal with my emotions and start a new chapter in my life. I found being honest helped. I didn't try to deny I was sad or angry and allowed myself to move through those emotions. The good news was, by the time I finally got back on real food 6 weeks later, I was definitely past my fatty food addiction so it made the transition into eating healthy a lot easier. Just remind yourself that you are strong and you can totally do this. Best wishes

I order pizza about once a month for my kids and I've never had a problem eating it. I usually have one piece of pizza and a small breadstick. But again, it's only once a month if even that often

Even though you feel better, your body is still very much in the healing process internally. People don't realize the amount of energy your body needs to recover from surgery, and that's exactly why for weeks afterward you can expect to feel more tired than usual and much more easily wore out. Your lethargy and light headedness today is a perfect example of this. You're still very early in the healing process. The chest pains sound like gas pains, because they pump gas into your abdominal cavity during surgery. It can take awhile for it ease up. Because it's not in your digestive system, it's actually in your abdominal cavity, it takes time for your body to reabsorb it. Chest pain, shoulder pain, even back pain is common. Be gentle with yourself and patient, you're healing

It doesn't exist for Mexican surgeons. They don't have to meet the same standards as American doctors which is exactly why Medical Tourism flourishes there. The best you can hope for is word of mouth information on the surgeons. I would start by asking the surgeon what brand and generation of Lap Band they use in surgery. If they use an older generation model, like the 4cc band that is no longer used in the United States, I wouldn't use that surgeon. It's very common in Mexico for outdated bands to be used to keep their costs down. The problem is, it's the use of those outdated bands that make American doctors reluctant to treat or fill patients banded in Mexico. Best wishes to you.

Hi Laurel and welcome!

I actually agree with you, it is a valid fear. I think the majority of us that have WLS do have food addiction issues. We use it to cope, to Celebrate, out of boredom, and to stuff away bad feelings. A common topic I see here on these forums are people upset and not losing weight because they haven't dealt with the mental side of obesity and continue to eat their feelings and pain despite being banded. For me, the key was realizing the band is just a tool, not a magical fix to all my mental and emotional issues with food. That realization alone helps me to stay on track and work through the food addiction when it pops up. Every time I go to eat I ask myself "Am I physically hungry or am I head hungry?" If I'm not physically hungry, then it's head hunger, and I acknowledge it and don't eat. I'm not claiming that's easy, btw. It's definitely not. But it's a constant work in progress and I know as long as I am realistic about myself and my band, I can do this. As far as time period for getting the band, it really depends on your insurance and your surgeon. Some people have insurance that requires them to do a 6 month doctor supervised diet before they'll approve the surgery. Others don't. As for myself, I went to the seminar the first week of December and was banded the first week of January a month later. Best wishes to you.