lappyloo

I am feeling very overwhelmed. My last fill was pretty tight and I lost about 6 lbs the first week. After the first two or so weeks my restriction lessened quite a bit. My problem is, I ended up having SEVERE GERD. Just swallowing Water burned. So I went to a Gastro Dr. and he did an Endoscopy. Thankfully my results came back normal, but he was quite concerned because he saw no evidence of me having any restriction. He said he knows I am banded only because I told him so. He wants me to go back to my surgeon because he is worried that I may have a leak. I have an appt. next week with my surgeon. So my question is, does anyone know any information on Lapband leaks? I paid out of pocket for this and there is no way I can afford to pay for it again. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Lappyloo

Very well written and dead on! Thank you!

I've never thrown up, thus far. But whenever I feel that very painful stuck feeling and start sliming I just stand at a sink and pound on my chest. I don't know if this is helping or even good for me, but I havent had the food come back up. Hopefully I never will. Had my 4th fill today and can already tell I'm going to have good restriction. Yay!

NSV=non scale victory Bandster hell is when u have been banded but dont have restriction from the fills yet sp basically u are able to eat as much as u want

Finally, some restriction! Almost 3 months after surgery. This is definitely a slooow process. But I finally was forced to eat differently for the first time since being banded.

I've been having 1 of the New Whey protein drinks everyday. They are more like a shot of protein, size wise, but are packed with 42g of protein. They are disgusting to taste, but worth it if you can down it really quick followed by a chaser of crystal light or something to get the taste out of your mouth.

I am so HAPPY, I was really starting to doubt whether the band was going to be a useful tool, for me personally. FINALLY, after reading about a lot of my fellow bandsters eating smaller portions and having lost weight, I can say I am there too. What a great feeling to have restriction. I have been at the 20lb mark basically since 1 week post-op, (first week of June) but since last Tuesday when I got my 2nd fill, I have lost 3 lbs. Woo Hoo. Just posting this to give everyone that has been banded but haven't reached restriction yet, HOPE that the time WILL COME and it makes it all worth it. I put on a pair of shorts yesterday that I faithfully wore everywhere for the past year and 1/2 because they were the only ones that fit. Size 18, they fell off of me. So the scale says I've lost between 23-24 lbs, but my body has lost inches!!! My husband couldnt believe his eyes. I was jumping up and down with joy. Not because I've lost weight as much as it is about that now I know this CAN and WILL help me to reach my goals!!!

Don't freak out, everything is fine. I've already had one fill and swallowing is still very easy. It will take time to feel really strong restriction.

I received a letter today, 8/4/12 from Allergan, Inc. regarding a welcome letter for getting banded. In it, it specifically states verbatim " Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin, should be used with caution and may contribute to an increased risk of BAND EROSION". So many people, including myself, think that it is our stomach that erodes, when in fact it is the band. This info came directly from Allergan, Inc. Hope this information is helpful, I know it was for me. Have a great day!

I had my first fill today, it was a breeze. All that nervousness for nothing! Anyway, my surgeon told me that NSAIDS and Prednisone (anything anti-inflammatory) can erode the band. I may need to be on Prednisone in the next couple of months and he said that he would have to remove all of the fluid first. So just a heads up out there that those items erode the band!!

Just like I posted earlier to Humming Bird, I wanted to let you know that it is indeed the band that erodes not the stomach like we all thought. I received my letter from Allergan today, 8/4/12, and it specifically states that the band is what erodes. Just wanted to let you know so you had the correct info. Thanks!

I received my letter from Allergan today, 8/4/12, and I want you to know that it states verbatim. "Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin, should be used with caution and may contribute to an increased risk of band erosion". Therefore, it is not the stomach that erodes, it is the band that erodes. I thought you would find this useful since you didn't think it was the band that eroded. Like I said, this is straight from Allergan, Inc. Lappyloo

I need a pair of very supportive walking shoes. I have Fibromyalgia and walking kills me. Any suggestions wouldbe greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your insight!

I too had plantar fascitis. I had to have 2 cortisone shots 3 days before my wedding in order to just walk down the aisle. It is horribly painful and so worth the shots!!

Im still on an emotional rollercoaster, lol

jenband12, I switched to Tylenol this past week and it has been helping, I also take it with caffeine. That might be the key to it working.

It is the band that erodes, per Allergan, Inc.

Nope, today was my first fill. Just walked in the door, actually. I was banded 5/24. My 1st fill today was a breeeeeeze. I'm sorry that you had to have a trainee do your first fill!! You would think that it being your first, they would use someone that has done it a lot. I didn't even feel the needle that numbed me. I was nauseated all the way there and home from nerves, but it was so much easier than I had expected. I hope your next fill is as easy as mine was. The one bad thing about mine was, my surgeon is going out of town Friday... so he said to make sure that i can eat by Thursday morning because if he needs to remove fluid he needs to do it before he goes out of town. That was not very reassuring! He said if I need fluid removed while he is away, I will have to go to the ER. Oh heck No!!! I don't do hospitals!!! Let's hope everything goes smoothly. He put in 3cc's and there were 2 in from surgery. So I have a total of 5 cc's in my 10cc band. He said I probably won't need more than 6 cc's total. Wow!!

It's an auto-immune disorder and there is no "cure". Red nodules appear on your legs and your joints/bones hurt really bad! The only thing that helps is the steroid "Prednisone" which I was told erodes the band. It's in the same family as Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Just wondering if there were any fellow bandsters that have this along with the band. I had been in remission for a year and a half and find it interesting that I get banded and 6 weeks later the "EN" returns.