KristineNote

Heya, I have lost about 125 lbs and in a month gained 10 lbs back. Why? I had to get my band drained. I've been having diahhrea since September. So I finally made a Gastro appointment. Six weeks ago he did a upper endo and a colonscopy. I was just diagnosed with really bad acid reflux and one ulcer in my esphogus. After having this procedure done I was unable to get much food down and was in constant cramping. I hadn't gone number 2 in a week. So when the pain became unbarable after 7 days, I went to the ER. They said I was really dehydrated and then because at the time I was 175, we both (the ER doc and I) thought it'd be good to drain my band. I mean just 15 lbs from my goal weight and I am having a lot of problems. I went back the next night in severe left shoulder pain. They did a chest xray and saw I had a large air bubble which caused referred pain froy lap band. Two weeks after the procedure I had a low grade fever every day, until two weeks had passed and then it was just gone. I made a follow-up appoint with my gastro because of my low grade fever, my mild constipation (I went twice during 14 days after my procedure), and my stomach tenderness. He said "it's IBS, just watch what you eat, take Fiber and Probiotics and talk to your lapband doctor and family doc" So I went to my lap band doctor, he ordered an upper gi series to rule out a few things. He said if the upper gi series is fine, then he'll fill my band in a few weeks. I went to my general doctor who gave me some nerve pain meds for my constant shoulder pain (it's managable now) and ordered some blood tests/urine tests. So I did that on Monday. My gi series is tomorrow. She thinks the upper endo rattled something with my band and is causing complications. I'm now 25 lbs away from my goal and I really really just want the band back to normal. I'll live with diahrea. Gaining weight after loosing constantly for 16 months is such a bummer. Right now I'm having constant stomach tenderness, and my right side feels really tight. My port sight (left) is really tender to the touch, still. I have to take stool softeners now, which is amazing cuz after like 8+ months of non-stop daihrea, I'm now having solid. Weird and not fun. I'm also peeing all the time now, I think I have a UTI, but am unsure. The urine test should say if I had one, so I'm sure my general doc will call me if I had that result. Maybe lol. I'm hungry all the time, my stomach hurts when I walk.And I'm either bloated really badly, or 10 pounds went straight to my upper stomach. It took the ER doc like 5 sticks with a giant needle to find my port. My lap band doc said something about blood pooling, or something, I don't remember. Also, I'm a very stressed person and have lots of anxiety. So I assume my personality has some part in why I'm sick. But my anxiety has never effected my physically this badly previous 6 weeks ago.

During the 8 months of diahrea I had no pain. I never had dehydration issues either. It's just my stools weren't normal. I perfer that over this which is constant pain, fluxuating fever, and my stools now are so hard I have issues going without stool softeners. Even the stool softerners aren't really helping. Before the upper endo/colonscopy I just had one issue. Now I have tons of issues. If i could choose, I'd go back six weeks and never get the test done! The only good thing about that test is now I'm on some kind of drink for my ulcer. Though, I would have never guessed I had an ulcer. I enver experienced heartburn since my lapband surgery. I'm pertty sure my 8 months of diahrea were all stress related, too. I'm just so easily worked up.

My surgeon told me how important taking my Vitamins were. Iron, Calcium, viitamin d, Biotin, multi-Vitamin. I think that's all but there's probably a ton more I'm suppose to be taking. I was really good at taking them the first couple of months after surgery. But I stopped when I ran out and never thought to buy more. I'm just lazy and I didn't think they mattered all that much. I have experienced no side-effects of not taking them... Until now. Maybe. I still take the multi-vitamin ones though!...occasionally... Biotin suppliments prevent hairloss and skin damage, right? Well.... now my skin is getting dry, and I just moved from a very dry, hot climate to a very humid, cold climate. That could be why. I've come to try many lotions. Mostly ones containing shea or cocoa or both. St. Ives, pure cocoa butter from CVS, and Johnson's Baby Lotion to name a few. I have Patches of dry, flakey skin on my hands and forarms. Not many but to the point where people ask me: "What did you do to your arms?" And I'm like "Nothing. Dry skin!" I usually apply the lotion right after I shower in the morning but I apply again, just a little bit, on my hands, if they feel dry during the day. Right now, for the past week and a half I've been trying pure cocoa butter from CVS. And my skin is really soft and the skin tone is nice and even. But my patches of dry, flakey skin haven't changed. Is this lap band related? Do you guys take your vitamins religiously?

Hi. I rarely get my period but usually it's just pelvic pain (this is my 3rd period in the last 9 months). I have multi-ovarian cyst syndrome, and sometimes I get immense pain from them but not recently. My lap band surgery was 9 months ago and the only complication was some phenric nerve irritation - which causes shoulder pain now and again. Right now my pelvic area hurts, not badly, but just a little. I'm having diahrea, I'm drinking lots of Water and liquids but am not peeing that much. But what worries me the most is that my upper stomach feels uncomfortable. This hasn't ever happened. It's not painful, per say, just uncomfortable. I haven't had pain there since a few days after my surgery. My discomfort is located where the port or band is - dunno which, it's where I can feel the hard thing under the skin. I just moved from CA to NJ. I don't have a bariatric surgeon here - instead I see a local weight loss doctor who knows how to fill it but is not a surgeon and has limited knowledge of the lap band. Oh and I lost 8 lbs in one week from the 2nd to the 9th (got weighed in by my new doctor both times) I went from 230 to 222, which is very unusual for me. I only loose about 3 lbs a week at max, usually 1.5 lbs a week. This kinda worries me because I was eatting badly (Hurrican Sandy took my power, so was ordering take-out all week) and my only exercise was a 2.2 mile walk one day and some push-ups sparringly over the week. My worry is that something's wrong with my lap band. And I moved across the country so my surgeon can't help me. I hope someone can put my worries to rest and say that it's normal for the lapband to feel uncomfortable during your period.

Hi, I'm Kristine. I've lost almost 80 lbs from the start of pre-lapband to post lapband. In January I was 300 lbs, the day of my surgery (in Feb) I was 292, and now I'm 222. I joined this forum because I recently moved from CA to NJ and lost my surgeon's expertise and the community I had there of bariatric patients. My surgery was Feb 28th of this year. I was self-pay because my insurance was way to much of a hassle. Dr. John Coon of Riverside, CA, was my doctor. Great, knowledgable staff, great community of patients, and awesome surgeon. My only complication was phernic nerve irritation caused by the wire being too long. My doctor said if the pain was too unbearable he would open me up again and trim the wire. I'm not familiar with the specifics. But because the day of the surgery was the worst pain I ever experienced, I'm not going to do that again anytime soon. So I put up with occasional left shoulder pain. I am a patient of Dr. Hickey's of North NJ, she's not a surgeon, but a weight-loss doctor. She said she could fill my lap-band for me, so I see her now and again. No fills in two months, which caused me to stay at 230. Then suddenly I lost 8 lbs in 1 week - I have no idea how that happened. I blame Hurricane Sandy. The good thing about this doctor is she asked me to keep a food journal and a pedometer. I'm now more aware of what I'm eating and how much walking I do which inspires me to do better. I want to reach 160 or maybe even 140. I'm 21 now, but didn't start gaining weight until I was 16-17. All my life I had been thin until I had an emotional breakdown. My lowest weight at my current height was 130 and I was a size 6. Now I'm a size 18 in jeans and I'm aiming for a size 8. In January i was a size 26. Everyone in my family knows I had the lap-band but none of my friends do. I tell my family that it was a good decision, getting the lap band. But honestly I don't know if that's true. Everyday is such a struggle. I don't like it but I'm not going to quit anytime soon. I'm dreaming of getting this thing out of me as soon as I get to my goal weight but I know I'll probably keep this thing in me for years... It hurts all the time. I spit-up food all the time. I hate taking all these Vitamins, they're so big they feel like they got stuck in my throat. My mom, who's still in CA, is the only one who knows how unhappy I am. I never told her how I really felt. But she told me on the phone just yesterday that she knows I'm not happy with the surgery. I lied and said I'm happy I'm loosing weight, I don't regret doing this. I think one day I won't regret having the surgery, when I'm at a decent, healthy weight... but right now I'm really struggling. And I do know that loosing 78 pounds in 9 months is very good. I'm sure I'll stop hating this thing eventually, but right now I'm not in the proper mind-set. Hoping to change that!

I actually know where Morristown is! Perth Amboy is where my other cousins live, and that area is a bit too far. I'm originally from Long Branch, NJ, and I moved to CA 4 years ago, but grew up in NJ. Love being back in NJ, regardless of the storm. Hope you faired well! I was without power for 2 weeks lol. I'll call up that doctor tomorrow - it's Veterans Day and I have a whole day planned to stay with my veteran friends. Thank you!

I agree, I need to find an experience surgeon. I just don't know the area that well and the only surgeons are all the way in Princeton. Seeing as I just need the occasional fill / tightening, I thought this doctor could do it. She hasn't done anything yet, though. I'm in the Raritan area of NJ.