burnsun

Long journey..... so similair to so many of yours over weight since about an hour after my first period started....(.later diagnosed with PCOS at age 26) . Dieted my way for years and lost well over 600 lbs total my whole life! :cursing: Currently I am a stay at home mother with eight children (5 adopted special needs children with down syndrome and one with autism too) I decided on the band when I was pregnant with my first biological child..... right about the time Carnie Wilson had had her bypass. I was not interested in the bypass and malabsorption thing. I was 330 lbs before I got pregnant...... I delivered on July 4th 03 at 270 lbs. (I am a puker) I wasn't worried about it if I ever got pregnant again..... this was a huge fluke (or so I thought) I have sever PCOS and throw about 1 egg a year and all that crap.... we had tried all kinds of fertility stuff for almost 10 years before and no luck ever even making and egg. I had been about 5 months pregnant before we even realized (I thought I was dying of ovarian cancer when I went to the doctor.....:juggle: So she was born (self pay here cause I could not get insurance on me and when I finally did I never bought maternity 19K later) I had a wonderful happy and health daughter albiet huge! I started saving again. Got my band 7 / 27 /04 from Dr. Ortiz in Mexico......all went great and awesome for 18 months..... got my first fill in Mexico 6 weeks later..... only one fill ever till unfill on 12/05 for three weeks because one morning I woke up to puking..... realized I was pregnant.... but lost the little one (I actually have five losses to date with the two live ones since band....another PCOS side effect.....some sufferes can not stay pregnant) my band tightened up and I could do or eat nothing...... even after I miscarried it would not open..... it was so bad and the only time my us follow up doctor could see me was the same day as one of my adopted girls with DS open heart procedures. I went to get an unfill while she was in recovery..... firt time i could eat or sleep in 9 weeks since getting pregnant. I went back in Feb and got about half the fill I had before cause I had been at goal for several months...... just wanted to stay there. Went through another pregnancy.....same issue....unfilled when I saw a heart beat......... I never got another fill...... alll yearly endoscopies fine and all check with swallow fine and I stayed between 150 - 165 when not pregnant. Though any time I got pregnant came the nausea and vomiting and worse! I adopted three more children in the time we had the band,.....heck I felt so good and could keep up with a small army by then! Got pregnant again last June..... this time the heart beat stayed and so dod the baby. THough I never really felt good about this one or did I ever feel good after he clamped my stomach down! No fill to remove....... bad doc and I and OB decided we would wait it out...... I would keep drinking my food as necessary and eat if I could...... well this worked for the most part.... though three times I had to go get fluids at the hospital...... Band doc was convinced all wa s well with the band...... the one xray I was able to talk into at six months said....all fine...... I was puking so long after eating solids they were coming up digested..... so everyone was sure there was no problem..... I was on zorfan ....it would occasionally fix it.....most times I just felt so nauseous I could die! I gained 15 lbs, but In Novemeber one night I puked so hard I thought I was going to die....I lay down in the bathroom and cried ! From that point my five year old girl would make sure I had baggies or cups to puke in..... it happen 12- 15 times a day, The hospitalized me for 5 days to stop contractions and then I went on home IV therapy and zorfan pump...... all medical involved still want tme to wait it out....couldn't be the band....... I am still puke digested food..... Water goes through.... I JUST PUKE!. Sometime after thanks giving I stopped eating solids.....liquids were easier to puke.......bad on my point...... I lost some weight.... but no one was worried.... I started to swell on and off in my ankles,,,,,,again all blamed on pregnancy and my age! (geriatric pregnancy:ohmy: I was told):confused1: Well on December 19th I was at the orthapedic doctor with a few of my children to check their growth and how their orthotics were doing when he accidentilly hit my belly..... I almost fell to the ground in pain...... it hurt so bad..... he freaked and wanted to get me admitied right then (course he is at the children's hospital)..... he called my ob's office ...I had just seen his partner that morning and commented about how it hurt and was ignored....my ob out for vacation. They had me go in for observations...... took the kids home, got a sitter and husband and by the time I got there I was having contractions every three minutes . They got them stopped and decided since I was dehydrated again (surprise....it was now going to be 24 hour IV and we were going to increase zorfan and I was going to get an endoscopy if they couldn't stop it. Every on all involved still sure it was just pregnancy......I wanted to believe them..... I listened..... I SHOULD NOT HAVE!!! Got to go home for CHristmas.....but I could no longer walk and I am swellling from all the IV......it is going into third space.... not me! We go back when the contractions come back...... my doctor send me to the big hospital not our little one cause I am diallating.....where the NICU is..... they send me home after 12 hours.....again just pregnancy.....no issues. Well I finally talk them into the endoscopy....cause they all think I have an ulcer or cancer or something.....band still looks fine on xray....... get endoscopy...... NOT FINE....though the place feeding tube through the band........... STILL PUKING MIND YOU ALL THIS TIME.....band is around middle of stomach..... slipped since x ray the week before ...... not working! Still puking with the feeding tube (by the way this was the best method of birth controll I ever had!) I have contractions on and off.... they are trying to stop this and keep us both alive till I deliver...... we get a TPN line in.....I still puke even if I eat or drink nothing...... and I am still swelling!!!!! I need potassium (the most pain I have ever had from a drug in IV twice daily) I am at the point of having a heart attack due to the fact my body will not absorb anything and I have no potassium or no Protein now! We do this dance for 10 days...... i finally give up..... I ask and have my husband start calling all bariatric and or other surgeons around..... finally find one who will operate....cause I know I am going to die if we don't I can not do this for ten more weeks! We transfer hospitals, get a new OB....get evaluated....do another funny xray....... band has now strangulated my stomach...... IT MUST COME OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Doctor wants to do it that after noon.....we all then realize no one gave the baby the shots for his lungs...... I have to hold on two more days..... I talk them out of the TPN line and NG tube..... I finally almost quit puking! Get my shots and wait...... still having contractions on and off..... The plan was to take the band at 3 pm and watch me for 3 hours and send me back to anti partum for a few days and hopefully send me home. Well Emerson had quit participating by this point...... our surgery got postponed till 11 pm on the 7th due to OR needed for accident! We switched anesthesiologist and I am sure we got to much verisaid...... the operation for the band removal went grat....stomach was not dead.....they were worried there might have been issues babby ok. In recovery and awake at 11:30. On my way back to my floor (still prgnant at 12:45) they tell mt husband and he goes for some food and coffee! In the elevator! The labor nurse who had been by my side since 3 asked me if I though I was having contractions...... I said... I have a pain med...how would I know....she asked over her walkie talkie phone for permission to take me to L&D.... they doctors said no....we were just fine when she left..... time is over for the danger to baby...... WELL THANK GOD SHE DIDN"T LISTEN! We went to L & D and with in 4 minutes of being in room we were on our way back to OR for emergency c section...... they actually started before I was completely anesthetized..... the beds got locked to gether and it was a mess and I remember the same nurse holding something that wasn't the baby..... (I do not want to know what it was....) then I fell asleep..... Emerson was born at 1:08, he was here almost 45 minutes before they could find my husband! His apgars were 1 & 1 and then at 10 minutes he extubated himself! And he went off to the NICU and I went off to recover. I woke up about 9 am the next morning.............. with a c section scar too! Not really happy!!!! None of this was working out the way I had planned! I was now about 238 lb almost 50 lbs of water weight..... besides the surgeries I could not even move my legs past each other they were swollen that far up! We went home without Emerson five days later. He stayed at the nicu for 8 more weeks and still has a few issues with being early.... heart monitor and apnea monitor. He may get a pace maker if it doesn't go away in the next 8 months. It is a lot less than it was..... but not that much We had a lot off issues.... but the first thing I wanted to eat was a PICKLE!!!!! I loved pickels and always pbed on them....so we quit eating them!!!! It was the best pickle I ever ate. I am back around the 200 mark and am doing great I just do not want to get any bigger and would prefer to be back at 150.....so we are going to get sleeved. Doctor here who took out my band thinks this is great idea and I hope that this surgery goes better than my last:thumbup: My VSG is scheduled for june 22 09. thanks for reading so long...... ....and the best compliment I ever received was when one of my daughters therapists told me I was such a nice person for letting my husband keep pictures up of his "first" wife. Not many people were that understanding! :confused1: SO I guess I really did look different! I was an original memeber of lapband talk in 2003 /04 and posted for years.... hoping to enjoy this new forum

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I was told after 8 weeks with my emergency band surgery & c sections....... but my edema was so great...... that i was larger than I had been at 330 lbs....... and had problems moving! So I wore my hose and walked as much as I could...... (pain or not)

I was able to get in my Fluid w/o a problem after the first two days..... about 2 oz every 15 minutes. I also discussed with my doctor. We took no pain meds that they would not give a c section patient (so that I could no have to dump the milk......same with the anethisia) it was different from the normal program....... I also took liquid tylenol with me and used this for the pain after the leak tests. But I am not a big pain person anyways...... I just used my heating pad and bed buddy. I also hate pumping...... but brought home 40 bag of milk.....and remember sitting under the dek at the South West Gate pumping cause there were no plugs in the bathroom and all the ret were out in the open!!!! It might take a while and I have to eat about 1300 cals with more carbs which make my loss a little slower..... but it keeps going. I also lost with the band....... 130 lbs while breast feeding but my daughter was much older!

I haven't had any problems yet! I just needed to eat a little more than 800 cals....... I use two extra Protein shakes made with milk or a rtd Isopure to make sure I get enough protein and carbs to breastfeed. I also breast fed for almost a year after my band too!

I agree with you..... I felt the drain removal was the worst of my experience too!

laughing sort of..... not at you..... but realizing that I must be the only harry potter fan....cause I saw your post and immediately thought of a goat and poison!! I hope this resolves soon!

I loved my band till I was pregnant the second time with it. I just get to much morning sickness for it to be compatible with me. I flew a lot with it.....never really had too many problems with it cause of flights. But I did have the " varying day thing" Some days really ltight others not. My sleve does that too......But no where near as finiky as the band.. But I will say....today I got to eat a salad!!!!!!!!!!! I never realized how much I missed them.....never could eat them with the band. (except the blue cheese pecan one from outback....so shredded....I used to call it prechewed!....would last me three days) But my sleve lets me eat a walnut craisin vinegrette one!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing!

I have eight kids....range from 9 months to almost 9 years. I had my surgery in Mexico on a tuesday and was back home on Sat and was back to normal routine that night! I had a little help from my husband on lifting the 2 1/2 yo but not as much as I should have...... I am fine. It worked out great for me~

The starch and the bread and the cookie thing...... was exactly one of the reasons the band worked so well for me....... with the vsg it is really really hard cause I can eat them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I went 2 years w/o any bread white or wheat or any kind! I find the vsg much harder.....or I guess at this moment more difficult....than the band. BUT I know it will be easier to maintain my weight if I get down cause I am doing great on the 1200 to 1400 calories an full and want no more about 100% of the time even with carbs............... I just feel that there are days I am " more open" / days I wish it was smaller and days I wish it was mroe open! I would shake if I stayed around the 800 calories....... and in relationship to things that I hated with the band / love with the sleeve...... I can eat vegetables (the good ones,,,,, like brocolli or cauliflower or carrots or celerery).....today I ate asparagus.... a whole serving not just like one tip.... before sliming and pain (like with the band).... I can eat a salad...... So at times my issue is making better choices and by actually spending the money on food for me (cause I only have one kid that eats raw vegies at this point) and justifying the expense...... I know..... but I really feel that this is a lot like with the band..... some days more / some days less..... who knows why...... I just have to get in all the Protein, liquid and chew and I will be fine!

Oh I forgot with lunch......I remembered this...... it seems weird but if I chew like I did banded ....25-35 times each bite...... I get full faster......if I big bite (and I got back in the habit of this since I had my wisdom teeth done.....cause it still hurts 1 month later....hell vsg was easier!!!!!!!!) I can eat more....... this seems the opposite of what I expected..... but it is true. I think it is because of the time it takes me to eat. Graxing is the thing that kills me..... but I really like the portable calorie thing and of course there is more exercise..... though I also gain weight (muscle) for a while till I start to loose...... but like I said I have been in a long stall...... but the sizes of clothes and inches are disappearing...... so I try not to panic!

Yep.....the TPN line (the central one) is the same kind I had whem I was hospitalized with band issues and pregnant. IT WAS NOT FUN AT ALL! (doesn't sout like it does it). But I will say after about 16 hours with it in...... my whole outlook changed. I was so sick....so hungry and so dehydrated...... it really made me feel better and gave me back the energy to keep going! (I was able to buy Emerson another 10 + days in utereo) and I know they did not want to try the band removal while I was as sick as I was before the line...... It was not fun, but if it gets you to the end result.....the leak heals...... it will help! (by the way I liked the TPN so much better than the NG tube!) but...... I was so scared by the concept of the tpn........ but it was not as bad as other options at that moment.

I understand...... going through the same issue here. I only have 20 lbs to go......and I seem to be sabotageing myself. I decided that I HAVE TO CONTROL THIS! ANd I am going too! I am also trying not to kick myself in the but to much! Cause if I am eating good food...... then at least it is a lot of good food....like broccoli and celery. I know my biggest problem with the sleeve (that I did not have with the band....is I can eat bread & Cereal.......the carbs kill me...... even if good whole wheat or oat or other dark one) SO here is my new plan...... 1) more liquids...... 3-5 glasses Water & crysal light..... even my skim milk (at least two or three) and 1 rtd Isopure or hgih Protein shake......to make sure I get all the protein I need! 2) I am spreading my pills out through the day.....some of them make me nausious and "fill me up" so instead of taking the Vitamins, at the same time as my two others..... I am trying one about an hour before each meal...... I eat less and 3) I am writing all that i eat in an iphone app..... I have it with me at all times.....and I check in a nuerotic sort of way,,,,,, use it to make food choices (sometimes better) 4) and trying not to kick myself to hard....... but I want to take this off and be successful for me and my family! The scale started moving again....though the clothes were always getting smaller.... but I had been more hungry and grumpy! (****I am still breast feeding......so I also need to eat and drink a lot more than some of you.....same with needing Calcium and Iron supplements too)

I know that the best thing I found for my but and bottom half is using a good pair of tights...... walmart had some really "nude" looking ones with no seams that were cheap.....$5 each.....that held my tummy and but in the right place. I can loose a whole size when I use them...... these were comfortable enough to wear in the summer (especially if you have to wear hose anyways......) I like them..... have thought about the other products...... I wasa lot younger the first time I lost weight.....and had not had the c section...... so stuff mostly right back where it came from..... this time I have this annoying hanging thing above my c section.....so I am thinking of one of them....... though I just haven't really wanted to do it! And I hate underwear too! Weird!

Mine did too! With the band loss originally it was almost a wwhole size........ so I got to be a 9 or 9 1/2 (who hoo....sarcasm here......still huge and limited cheap options) but I used to be and 10 1/2 or an 11. I also lost some width too! BUT I COULD BUY BOOTS OFF THE RACK................that was amazing and of course expensive!

Reply....in my state you are paying for the ones in the basement....... either on medicaid or when they do not pay their bills and it passes on to you and your insurance provider. You are paying for medicare now with fica..... I see and have seen this issue from all sides (one pregnancy w/o insurance) over 19k....this was the normal one by the way. Tests that cost me 200 and 40 dollars were reimbursed in a subsequent pregnancy (when I had insurance) for 12 and 25 bucks! And with emerson ...... stuff covered and not covered and all the fighting..... I am still getting bills and I really do not know what to do! All of my adopted children get medicaid throught their adoptions (they were all US children in or would have been through the system) and I have used this as their primary and as a secondary! I watched my husbands grandma.....spend and sell and do everything right till she had no money left..... we could no longer help her....and then we were stuck trying to find her medicaid and medicaid bed in a nursing facility ,,,,, something is way wrong! I really feel the most screwed people are the ones who pay their bills and have no insurance!

i just got an iphine two weeks ago.....and i love it too.....shhhhhhhhhhh do not tell my dh though! he still thinks i hate it! My only problem is actually using it as a phone! I get a ton of calls while driving and to answer it is difficult cause I also need the lock cause my kids like to play with it and dial china! Even with the headset it is harder to answer than my old one!@ ( I needed an new phone....cause mine fell out of my bra cause my girls are shrinking and into the toilet with help of my son) I downloaded almost the same apps as Susan mentioned. I love my Otterbox.... but again I have 8 kids and my phot takes a ton of wear and tear that most do not

I think by day 15 I was ready for the rubber room! You sound very good and I hope you do not have a leak or that this fixes it!

I know how it feels. I spent so much time with that damm ng tube and a tpn line the last weeks I was pregnant before the emergency band removal that I cry about it just thinking about it! I am so sorry you have to go through this. I wish i had words of wisdom. I just know that when I heard the ng tub get ready to flush I just wanted to cry and scream! Please know that this will pass eventually. It is hard. I think the ardest part for me was my little girl being afraid of me and scared of the tubes and the noises! I hope you feel better and get some answers soon

I felt fine the next day..... I would have been confident going home. BUT I AM CRAZY! I always have done natural child birth and been runing around quicker than any nurse wanted (and hour in bed was almost impossible for me) and we will not discuss the things I did after my c section when I finally woke up! Sometime with SDS with my kids we get the 23 hour thing in the surgery center!

I wish i could have had mine done as one operation! Heck they could have just done the c section then too! Would have been so much easier for me! Mine were two separate....but that was because I was an emergency and was almost 32 weeks pregnant. Guess waht lost the band and became a mom for the 8th time all in about 2 1/2 hours! I would do it. And all my problems started when I got pregnant too! (had one godd pregnancy...... but never worked right after the m/c before Jordan......or really the correct word would be "never worked the same"

my kids accidently pulled off two different skirts and a pair of shorts the first time I lost weight with my band (IN WALMART and in LOWES!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I got to buy new clothes after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About 2 weeks out of surgery.... I really had no issues at all. I can not guzzle a 24 oz in 2 minutes but I can drink all I need and or want.....

My regret..... I get to wear my band wardrome again...... I wanted to by all new clothes..... welll Maybe my sleeve will eve make me skinnier than the band did! then I could get all new clothes!

Awesome job Bob! I am so proud FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is an I-touch? Do I want one or would that make my husband jealous?