Angeladarling

I have been banded since 2007. I had all the fluid taken out of my band about a year ago when I was first pregnant. I had a rough pregnancy with bad acid reflux and throwing up almost every night (from the reflux). Now that my baby is here the reflux got better for a while. Now it is back and I've started sliming/vomiting some after eating. It felt like my band was too tight. I went to the doc and did a barium swallow. You can see the barium go down and stop before the band. It barely goes through! So I have full restriction with no fluid in my band. The nurse didn't know what to think. The doctor says I should have it removed. Has this happened to anyone else? How could this possibly happen?

I don't know what to do. I had a band revision surgery on Friday (old band removed and new one put in due to slip.) I tried to eat some oatmeal for dinner and haven't been able to keep anything down since. I tried to sip on hot water but that just came right back up. I drifted off to sleep but woke up coughing/chocking. I tried to call my doc and the after services people said they would page him. That was almost an hour ago. I'm afraid if I go to the ER, they won't know what to do for me. Is anyone awake? Any suggestions? Thanks, Angie

Crzy - thanks for your post. I went in to see my doc this morning. I was completely closed off. She was able to remove a little fluid from the band and we could see the barium start to go down. So I am feeling better but still nervous to put anything in my tummy. For some reason, I was thinking that runny oatmeal would be considered a "full liquid" which is not true. So I'm back to clear liquids today and will move on from there.

I recently moved to St. Louis and would like to find a local lap-band support group. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I am living in Maryland Heights. I was banded June 28, 2007. I may need a fill but need to find a local doc. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Can anyone recommend an endocrinologist in Houston, TX? I moved here a couple of years ago and really need to get a new doctor. I have been seeing my PCP but I really don't think she knows what she is doing when it come to PCOS. Any suggestions on how to find a good doctor in a new area? Thanks!

I am coming too and excited to meet everyone! I will be coming solo so hope to make lots of new friends. See you in a couple of days!

Ok, so I have always been told that keeping a food journal is so important. The problem is, I really hate doing it! How vital do you think a food journal is?

Thank you for your replies! I have signed up for sparkpeople.com. I'm hoping this will help me stay on track with my eating. Keep up the good work everyone!

Does anyone have ideas on how to deal with/treat insomnia? My mom is having a major breakdown becuase she hasn't slept all week (again) and I don't know what to do to help. She has seen several doctors, completed a sleep study, has tried several medicines for restless leg syndrome and insomnia. The restless legs seems to be getting better but the sleep medicine makes her feel so out of it in the morning that she hates taking them. She called me crying on the phone about minor things that really aren't a big issue. I know it is becuase she is so tired. What can I do to help her? What can I suggest that she try? Any advice is welcome. Thanks for listening!

Thank you for all of your ideas! My mom was prescribed a new medication and has starting doing Yoga at night. She seems to be doing better. I'm hoping to get her a sleep CD to listen to at night. Thanks again!

Does anyone know how much Fluid you MUST drink to avoid dehydration? I am asking becuase I can't seem to keep much down today and yesterday. I had a fill 5 weeks ago and have been okay until now. I ate too much of a Breakfast burrito yesterday morning and I think I may have irritated my stomach and think there is possibly some swelling. Now, I can barely keep Water down. I am thinking I just need to wait for the swelling to go down but I don't want to put myself at risk for being dehydrated. Any advice or suggestions? Angie

Thank you for all of your responses. I drank some hot chicken broth last night and started to feel better. This morning I am sipping on some hot chocolate and I am feeling a lot better! I'm so relieved. Angie

Hopefully you will feel a little better every day. You may not be able to feel your port now, but as you loose weight you probably will feel it. I couldn't feel mine at first but after 50 pounds gone I can feel it. Also, I found the heating pad worked best for me to alleviate the gas pains in my shoulder. Are you going to the UGH support group tonight?

Hi! I am LDS and living in Houston, TX. I was banded on 6/28/07. I'm glad to see other LDS bandsters on here. I am going in for my second fill on Wednesday and can't wait. My weight loss has been at a stand still for the past 6 weeks. I am still struggling with emotional eating. Does anyone have suggestions? What to do instead of eating for comfort?

Yes! It is this Wednesday, Jan 9, from 7-9 pm. I just found out about it myself but plan on attending. Congrats on your surgery! How did everything go on Friday?

This is exactly the post I was looking for! I am almost 11 weeks out and have done really well so far. But lately I have discovered that eating junk food is so much easier than eating healthy food! I'm glad to know that it isn't just me. I will just have to keep all the junk out of reach! Keep up the good work everyone and thanks for the support! Angeladarling 344/303/150 sur date 06/28/2007

Hi all! Just wanted to chime in and say that my surgery is over! Surgery on Thursday went well. I was in the hospital longer than expected but what can you do. I ended up being in the recovery room for 5 hours while I waited for a room to be ready. Did they forget I was going to be there?! So I went in at 5:30 am and was home by 7:00 pm. I have been feeling sore, tired, and not wanting to eat. But I worry about getting dehydrated so I'm trying to get in as much water and protein as I can. I am excited to finally be on this side of my journey. I can't wait to say good-bye to Lane Bryant! She has been good to me, but it's time to move on. Thanks for all of your support! Good luck to everyone!

Just wanted to say that I am sooo excited to be banded on Thursday! I can't believe the day is almost here! I went to the pharmacy today and bought liquid tylenol, children's chewable vitamins, gas-x chewable, and protein powder. I'm almost ready to go! I can't wait to join you in band land. Good luck to everyone and keep up the good work.

How long were you in the hospital when you were banded?

Thank you for your replies. I think I just need to be patient and wait until I go to the orientation meeting and when I meet with my doctor. I just wish they were more helpful on the phone!

I posted this on another site but I am hoping someone can help me! Ok, so I'm going to be banded by Dr. Marvin at Methodist hospital on June 28. I have been trying to get information about what he expects for the post-op diet. I found some info on the internet on www.obessehelp.net which lists Dr. Marvin as being part of their group. So I went to one of their support meetings and thought it was great. I asked a leader there if I could get some info on the post-op diet, she said not to worry, they would give me all kinds of stuff when I came in for my appointment. So the next day I called to make my appointment and they said they only work with some of Dr. Marvin's patients and I'm not one of them so I needed to call his office directly. I think it is becuase I'm going to a different hospital then the one they are affiliated with. I have talked to his office before and they didn't know and told me to call the Methodist weight loss clinic. So I called the Methodist weight loss clinic and asked to set up an appointment to meet with someone about what to expect after surgery. I was told to come to orientation. I asked what they go over. They said they go over the gastric bypass surgery, the lap- band surgery and doctors are there to answer questions. I have all ready been to several seminars and all ready have my surgery date! The guy at Methodist said I still need to come to the orientation. That's fine, but when can I meet with someone who can halp me through this process!! What should I do? I meet with my doctor on June 22 and will ask him all of my questions, but does anyone else have experiance with this? or any other advice? Thanks for listeneing...

I'm not from Colorado but have visited several times and love it! The mountains are just amazing! I'm here in Houston but just wanted to welcome you to the group. Have fun reading, there is lots of good experiances to read about on here. Good luck on your journey!

Thank you for all of your responses! I am hoping to be in and out in the same day. My surgery is 3 weeks from today! Congrats to everyone on getting the lap-band. You are all an inspiration to me.

That is awesome areellady! The last time I did WW was around the same time as you but it took me 2 years to loose 30 pounds! I hope this journey will be as good for me as it has been for you. Keep up the good work!

Toni, I will be banded at Methodist Hospital becuase that's what my insurance company wants. And if they are going to pay, I'll go to Methodist! Who did your surgery? Good luck to those getting banded today!!