LookingForMe

My story so far spans 6 years and includes 4 surgeries and a lot of ups and downs. In 2008, weighing in at 288 pounds on a 5'3'' frame, detesting seeing myself in wedding photos, and now having a gorgeous stepson to live for, I sought out weight loss surgery. Not to mention, my endocrinologist diagnosed me with PCOS and told me my only hope for having a baby was to lose weight. My employer is known to have a "Cadillac" benefits plan, so I had a hunch approval wouldn't be too difficult. I was correct. Getting approval only took a few months, and a minor number of hoops jumped through. I decided on the Lap-Band and was pretty excited going in to surgery. I wasn't too nervous, believe it or not! And even though back in 2008, the pre-op diet that my surgeon required was MUCH worse than what they do now (14 days of CLEAR liquids), I got through it ok. Surgery went pretty smooth- I remember falling in love with the SF Banana popsicles they gave me to eat right out of surgery - delicious!! After 2 weeks of chilling at home and lounging in the sun, I was back at work. I started getting fills soon after and started feeling the restriction. My memories that stand out - first time I got stuck was on a piece of egg and my husband had to stop alongside the road for me to slime/gag/vomit whatever you call that, ugh. The band had its good and bad. I remember getting stuck often. I remember wanting so badly to sample all of the foods at Thanksgiving dinner that I snuck away to do some yoga poses to get the food to slide through the band so that I could eat more - and was caught by my SIL who thought it was hilarious, as she downed a pumpkin roll. But a lot of the time, I paid attention to the rules, and didn't get stuck, worked out 5 days per week, and I lost weight - a lot of weight! I was down to a size 14 when I started having gallbladder issues. Getting extreme upper right stomach pain and nausea for no apparent reason, vomiting my guts up when there wasn't even anything in my guts to vomit up. That is when the band slipped for the first time. I knew it had slipped because even though I had a slight unfill, I could not get anything through the band and I was sliming/salivating constantly. I carried a can around one weekend so that I could spit my extra saliva out. Gross. By the time the dr finally decided to remove my gallbladder, the slip was so bad that I wasn't eating anything and was very dehydrated. He removed the GB, repaired the slip, and sent me on my merry way. Since I wasn't filled directly after surgery, I immediately gained back about 25 lbs. But I felt so good compared to before the surgery that I didn't care! After a couple of months of not caring, I realized I was starting to gain a little much, so I started getting fills again, pumped back up my exercise plan, and did ok at not getting stuck, not vomiting, etc. But I did still have one problem that I had from the very start. When I had the band, I could not burp. No matter how hard my husband tried to coach me, it didn't work. The gas got stuck in my esophagus and just gurgled around in there, making me (and him) miserable. I learned that if I just *barely* gagged myself with my fingers, the gas would be able to come up, and *most* of the time, I could keep from emptying the contents of my pouch. It sounds, and felt like bad Band behavior, but I was miserable and had to do something. Anyway, I started to lose weight again slowly, and was really enjoying life again. That was a pretty good year for me. That Christmas season was filled with parties, and I was able to enjoy them without the band being an issue. And on December 22nd, we found out the greatest news - we were pregnant! We had been trying for nearly a year and given it up to just enjoy life, and surprise! It was wonderful news! So, I went to my surgeon and he did a complete unfill. I had a GREAT pregnancy. I felt better during pregnancy than I have EVER felt in my life. I felt so full of positive energy. I was literally that glowing pregnant woman walking around on cloud 9! I focused on eating a lot of healthy food, taking my vitamins, drinking tons of water, continued exercising. I was a great PG mommy! (I did crave spicy foods and the baby insisted on a bowl of Graeter's black raspberry chip ice cream every night I gained weight, quite a bit, but I was so happy, I was ok with it. I had a great big round baby belly and didn't care that my arm fat was back I got up to about 248 at the time of delivery. My delivery was great. Near perfect, in fact. I made it to 8 cm before I got an epidural and delivered within 12 hours. Post delivery, they moved me to the recovery room, and that is when the disaster started. I nodded off due to extreme tiredness, and woke up aspirating my spit. Every time I nodded off while I was in the hospital, I woke up aspirating saliva. I am convinced, CONVINCED, that my band slipped during delivery due to being completely unfilled and all of the pushing. The next year was a mix of joy and misery. I couldn't eat food most of the time - well I take that back. Some weeks I could eat soups, soft foods, other weeks, I had to stick to protein shakes and milk shakes. I nursed my baby that entire year on that diet. Every night when I lay down to sleep, if there was ANYTHING in my pouch, even a little water, it would immediately reflux the second I dropped off to sleep and I would aspirate it. I got a couple of respiratory infections due to aspirating, and had to use an inhaler sometimes. I found out that drinking a milkshake at the right time of evening would cause everything in my pouch to slide through and I wouldn't take even a sip after that before I went to bed. Still nursing the baby, I did take a 2 day break (pump and dump) to have an Upper endoscopy, where a GI doctor (not my surgeon) said the band looked fine, and used a balloon to stretch the esophagus a little. This didn't really help. Not wanting to affect my nursing relationship with my very beautiful and healthy son, I continued my suffering. I suffered like this through his 13th month, when he started to drink from a cup and lost interest in nursing. After we stopped nursing, it seemed like the band got even worse. I was down to about 170 lbs. now after a year of nursing and barely eating. And now even the tricks I used for that year weren't working anymore! So back to the surgeon I went and finally he decided to remove the band. It was removed on 11/30/2012 and I weighed in at nearly 160 lbs that morning at the hospital. My insurance would not approve me for an immediate conversion, and my surgeon didn't recommend it. He wanted me to give my body a few months to recover from the malnutrition, trauma, and to see if the reflux problem would resolve. It did, immediately. I did well the first 6 months. I became an exercise nut, doing the 30 day challenge, P90X, etc, and eating a whole foods diet. I spent all day Sunday in the kitchen preparing healthy and wholesome meals for me and my family. I only gained about 20 lbs those first 6 months. Then disaster struck. I went on vacation, forgot my thyroid meds for a few days, came home with the flu, and triggered a nasty depression. A few months later, I had totally given up and was gaining weight like crazy. Within the year, I've gained another 80 lbs. Backing up a little, I tried, just a few months after the band was removed, to get approved for the Gastric Sleeve. My insurance wouldn't approve me this time because my BMI wasn't high enough. Come back when you are on our BMI chart, they said. HAH! Please gain weight and become unhealthy again, then we will help you. SO, anyway, I gave up on that for a while, and started trying again this past January. They denied me a couple of time because they tried to say the Band didn't work, so they wouldn't approve a second surgery. Uh, YES it DID! My surgeon's PA was on the war path when she heard that! A 130 lb weight loss does not indicate failure, she said! So, needless to say, she got me approved. But I shelved the approval due to some personal issues with my mom's situation. And finally decided to go for it, was Sleeved on 5/30/2014, despite my husband's protests (worried about complications/permanence) and looking forward to adding more to my story! So far, the sleeve seems alright. I am definitely not hungry, but a little unsure as to how I'm going to get my protein in with this much restriction. Gonna time my time and follow doctor's orders!

My weight was 192.4 today at a fitness challenge weigh-in! Down 77lbs since surgery and still losing!

I just tried a new vitamin and it's shockingly tasty! Celebrate Multi-complete chewable with iron, orange flavor Seriously my stomach has been so sensitive I've been scared to try the vitamins but this one I can do!

Would love to join your group. Sleeved on 5/30. HW = 265 SW = 256 CW = 236 Has anyone else had trouble drinking Protein shakes since surgery? I was fine with the whey protein pre surgery and since then if I even smell it, my stomach retches. Even the protein shots and the clear Isopure drinks. I can do some of the pre-made drinks so I've had to resort to that to get protein in, but they are very expensive. I'm afraid my hair is all going to fall out from not getting protein, like it did when I was banded.

How much exercise is ok while pregnant? I'm 7 weeks, first OB appt in a week, and am really confused about exercise. I was doing hard workouts 3-4 days a week pre-pregnancy. I was starting to get into running and was finally starting to lose weight again. I've had a cold foe the last week so haven't worked out anyway. I'm ready to move! I want to run again but people tell me to take it easy and a lot of articles say to keep you heart rate under 120 or 130. That doesn't even feel like a workout to me! If I'm gonna exercise, I want to sweat! What workouts do you do during your pregnancy? I've already gained 7 lbs between the holiday season and being pregnant. I feel like a house already and have read that I shouldn't gain more than 15 the entire pregnancy. I feel like I need to workout!

Hi, Ladies, I just found out last week that I''m pregnant, and that puts me at 6 weeks. I have been wearing a compression garment (ok, just call it a girdle already!) since about 50 lbs down from my original weight. That was about the time that my extra skin and flabbiness started to annoy me with its jiggling, and also cause excess sweatiness/rashes from the rubbing. I don't go out of the house without one on! I'm still 100 lbs down from my original weight, and I know it will be some time before my baby belly really starts to "pop", especially since this is my first. So, can I keep wearing my girdles for now? When should I give it up?

In the 20 months since my LAP-BAND®® surgery, I've lost 116 lbs. I went from size 24 to 12. It's hard to realize your success, because in the mirror, you always see the flaws. My wakeup was when I was able to wear my husband's clothes. I couldn't believe his jeans fit me! And then they were too big. It was a great feeling! Unfortunately, I've started having some complications. My gall bladder had to be removed, and my band had slipped during the period of time that I was sick with gall stones. So my band is now repositioned and completely unfilled. I just hope this doesn't indicate a turning point in the wrong direction! But today - I feel like a success story!

I too just had revision surgery to repair a posterior slip, but also had my gallbladder removed at the same time. I have had a lot more pain this time around. I talked to the dr. about it and he said it's to be expected. I know my situation is a little different from yours, but I thought it might help to hear it. I also had a lot of the shoulder pain from the abdominal gas they use this time, and I didn't have that the first time at all.

I am 20 months post surgery, down 115 lbs, and my gall bladder had to be removed. My gall bladder made me so sick that I vomited a lot, even though I was trying to be careful what I ate. At my Friday appointment with the surgeon, surgery was scheduled for Wednesday. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night violently vomiting up pure stomach acid. I think this is when my band slipped, because I could barely eat the rest of the weekend. I had more vomiting on Monday night after trying to eat some soup. It got worse after that, and all day Tuesday, I couldn't keep anything down except small sips of water. When I went in for surgery on Wednesday, I requested to speak to the surgeon beforehand and told him I thought the band may have slipped. He was very skeptical at first, and made a few attempts at dry humor. But, after taking an x-ray, he could see that the band was in a different position than it was originally. He came back and told me he was glad I mentioned it. He said he has a lot of patients that think their band has slipped when it hasn't. So, my simple gall bladder surgery turned into also repositioning the band. I have 6 incisions instead of 3 more, for a grand total of 11 scars on my belly now!! Good thing I never planned on wearing a bikini! I also asked him to do an upper endoscopy while I was down to make sure there was no damage to the esophagus from all of the stomach acids, and that turned out ok. All in all, a stressful day, but I'm glad it's over and my band is back in place. Unfortunately, it's totally empty right now. I just hope once I start eating again, I don't gain any weight back! I keep reading stories on here about the band never being right again after a slip. I hope I don't have the same problems. I'm just glad I was so close to goal weight before I started having real issues.

I did it! 112 lbs so far, and I guess I'm finally at that "sweet" spot. First 6 months - 50 lbs, 2nd 6 mos - 20 lbs, 3rd 6 mos - 20 lbs In the past 3 months - 22 lbs. It feels like I'm losing so fast right now that I can't keep myself in clothes!

I'm in Northern KY, and went to Dr. Dwayne Smith. He's very good! I have Anthem/PPO

I had my first fill this past Thursday, after being uncertain that I even wanted one, because I was losing weight so quickly already. Though I have no comparison, I think it was an odd experience. First of all, the office opened at 9am, there were 3 appts at that time, and the Dr. didn't come in until almost 10! No emergency surgery or anything, just randomly late. When he finally came to my room, he seemed very rushed, and didn't want to talk to me at all - very odd because he's usually very nice and patient. I asked him how much Fluid he would put in, and he said, "I don't know, I haven't done it yet." He had me lay on the table and lean back on a pillow. He put the needle in my port and was digging around - he didn't say anything to me, except to have me raise my head like I was going to do a situp. He seems to be struggling, still not saying anything, finally he takes the needle out, puts a bandaid on me and says, "Ok, you're done." His asst. gets me a cup of Water to drink. I asked him how much fluid he put in and he says "Oh, we put about 1.5cc in the first fill." So, here's the really weird part. He sits me down in the hallway to wait for a chance to talk to the nutritionist. Then I hear him talking to his asst. in his office, telling her that "that last lady was difficult" and that he didn't even know if he got any fluid into the band because he never heard the aspiration in the needle, and couldn't tell if he was feeling the "flap" behind the port. He told her that he decided to stop digging around and just try again next time. Next time is in 3 more weeks. FYI - NONE of this was mentioned to me. Now, I don't know if it's a mental thing or not, but I have been much more hungry since this happened! I am beginning to think that instead of putting fluid in, he took some out (mine was pre-filled a little during surgery). I've definitely been eating more, and I am finding myself foraging for food, something I haven't done since I started the pre-op diet. I'm still counting my calories on The Daily Plate, and you can see the trend go up since Thursday. I'm so frustrated! Is it possible that he may have punctured the tubing or something?

It's been awhile, but I wanted to update this thread. My doctor was very much more calm and collected the next time I saw him. He had to finesse the port a bit, but was able to get a good fill. He apologized for my overhearing their conversation (it was about me), and this time he took time to explain the real situation to me. I appreciated that very much. I have had one other fill since then and I'm very pleased. I have good restriction, and I'm losing weight easily. It feels like I'm barely working at it anymore!

Was it close to your period the week this happened? I'm only on my 3rd fill, but I have discovered that the week of my period I have to be super cautious about what and how I eat because I am MUCH tighter. It's been a painful learning experience.

I regret eating this morning when I was stressed out.... if only I could take back that bite of omelette that got stuck and caused me so much pain for an hour and a half...... other than that, none!

OK, totally weird. I had not read this post and actually did something similar to this earlier today to get unstuck. It was the first time I've been really STUCK. I thought I had been stuck before, but oh, no, this time I was REALLY stuck. It lasted an hour and a half, and I thought I was going to die. To beat it all, I was at work. Finally, I decided I was going to do anything I could do to make myself puke (bad idea, I know). So, standing up, I leaned my head down onto the toilet, and got ready to put my finger in my throat. Lo and behold, as I leaned over, I felt the pressure lift. I didn't have to gag myself after all (not that it would have worked anyway)!! Oh, and by the way, to those who said it doesn't hurt - YOU ARE WRONG! It hurt like the dickens after about 45 minutes. And all I had to eat was part of a leftover veggie omelet. What was there to get stuck?

I went out to a H.S. reunion on Saturday night, and I had 2 glasses of wine, and sipped on a shot of Jagermeister. At the time, I seemed to stomach the alcohol just fine, and I made sure to have a few sips of Water before bed to wash everything down. I got up on Sunday, and drank some water. But we were going out to eat with some friends, and didn't get to eat until like 1pm. We ate at a hibachi, and I had a couple of pieces of sushi, plus a little bit off my husband's hibachi meal. It should definitely have been enough food to fill me up, but my stomach still felt funny, and my brain interpreted the sensation as hunger. Knowing that I had eaten enough, I didn't allow myself to eat again until around 6:30 pm. So basically I suffered all day with a feeling like hunger, and didn't do anything about it except drink water. Then, at 6:30, I ate dinner, leftovers from my husband's hibachi meal. I ate what I felt should be enough, and then stopped. I was STILL feeling hungry. I waited half an hour, and then ate some low fat ice cream. FINALLY, the feeling of hunger went away. So, my theory is that I had acid stomach and my brain was just reading the signals all wrong, that's why the milk-based ice cream helped. Does this sound like a feasible theory? I'm also concerned, because I feel hungry again all day today. I had my usual Breakfast Protein mix, and then I ate a half of a Panera bagel that someone evilly brought to work... then another half a couple of hours later. Too much food, I know! Am I just worrying too much? Could I have messed up my band that easily?

You know, if he was just having a bad morning, then I'm glad it wasn't the morning that I had my surgery!!!!

I appreciate all of your comments.. my problem is that I really don't want to go to another doctor. Up until this, he has been awesome. I think he had something personal going on, and was rushed. I wasn't meant to overhear the conversation -that part was a coincidence - it's the fact that he didn't tell me that bothers me. I am definitely going to ask about it when I see him, and if I keep feeling so hungry, I'm going to call and move up my appointment. I agree it was very unprofessional, and I'm going to take your advice and address it directly with him (but not with his staff). Has anyone ever had an experience with a fill having the reverse effect? Is it possible he pierced the tube or something? It sounds plausible to me, but I don't think I've ever heard of it happening.

I've done so well with my weight loss and diet since being banded on 7/28/08. I've been resisting my doctor when he suggests getting a fill, because I've been doing SO well. I've been losing more than 2 lbs a week, counting my calories very exactly, making good choices, and exercising my butt off! And I have enough restriction to not be hungry between meals. But last night, my husband and I went to a wedding, and I was bad. I drank 3 glasses of wine, ate a days worth of calories in cheese and crackers, and potato chips. Then they opened a buffet line for a full meal (at 10:30 at night, no less) and I ate mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and pot roast (I didn't eat much at the buffet, I just didn't want people to ask why I wasn't getting a plate). And then I couldn't resist eating half a cupcake. Thank goodness I ate everything slow and chewed well - thankfully didn't get stuck or anything. But I guess that's why I ate the soft foods, because I knew they wouldn't get stuck. I can understand now how they say people can "eat through" the band. The bad thing is that I don't even KNOW how many calories I consumed. So this morning, I get on the scale and I'm up an entire pound in one day. I'm so disappointed in myself. Now I'm afraid that I really should go ahead and get the fill that the doctor is strongly recommending. Maybe I really can't do this my way, without the fill. :tongue2:

My doctor is pushing me for a fill because he says that I don't have a "pouch" until I get a fill. He doesn't want me to wait until I get too hungry, or until I reach a plateau in weight loss. He wants me to go ahead and get adjusted to prevent that from happening. I think I'm doing fine right now. I'm not struggling with hunger. I think I just got swept up this weekend, especially from the wine. I don't know... I think I will just take his advice and get the fill this week. I just hope that I don't have any problems with PB afterwards, or I will definitely regret it!

I was banded on 7/28 - 8 1/2 weeks ago. I had some delayed healing at my port incision site, so the doctor has not done a fill yet. It's finally almost healed enough that he could do a fill. However, I'm not sure that I want one. The last 3 visits, which were each 2 weeks apart, I've lost 5 lbs, so about 2.5 lbs per week. I eat what I think are larger meals (smart ones or lean michelina's dinners, a mini-sub at Subway, etc.). However, I'm eating healthy, and I feel very satisfied after I eat. My hunger is gone, and doesn't come back for several hours. Occassionally my band does feel tight, but for the most part, I can eat whatever I want as long as I chew slowly. My question is - why do I need a fill if I'm satisfied and I'm losing weight? My doctor told me yesterday that he wants me to get a fill so that I don't reach a plateau, or start getting hungry again. He says that you don't really have a pouch yet until you get a fill. I feel like he's really pushing me to do it. Has anyone else experienced this? I've heard there are many people that never get a fill and still reach their goal weight. I'm exercising 4 days a week, and I am really enjoying seeing the weight come off. I don't really want to risk the misery of getting stuck, when I'm already doing so well.

I was diagnosed with low thyroid about 4 years ago. I didn't even realize anything was wrong with me. I just thought I worked too much. I would come home from work and go right to sleep, sleep all evening, get up for a little while, and go straight to bed and sleep the whole night. I was irritable, moody, and sometimes just plain mean. It's easy now to look back and see that - at the time I just thought people were out to make my life harder. The other symptoms - being cold all the time, dry skin, brittle fingernails and hair, these things I didn't even notice because I was so tired. I am taking 137 mcg of Synthroid daily, and I feel great. I feel like fixing that problem breathed new life into me. I know that if I ever stopped taking it, my life would change drastically. However, fixing that problem did not fix my weight problem, as I had so hoped. That's why I'm here, with my band, losing now!

I'm a little late on this topic, but I SO feel your pain. I broke out in huge hives every day for nearly 2 years. I tried everything to get rid of them. After stopping every medication but my birth control, I finally stopped taking the birth control. Guess what? The hives stopped. The birth control was Yasmin. I was allergic to the unique synthetic hormones in it. Probably not the same in your case, but I feel your pain... hives are terrible. Mine were best relieved with cold showers and oatmeal baths. And very cool rooms, any kind of heat made it a LOT worse.

I was banded on the 28th. I am just now starting to have a bigger appetite and feel less restriction. Here is what I think : When you are eating only liquids and mushies initially, your band feels tight. Then once you start eating solids, it starts to loosen up a bit to where you can gradually eat more. I didn't start being able to eat more until I started on solids. And I have never really overeaten, so I don't think I've stretched my stoma out. Good/bad ? I don't know. It's much easier to get in all the Protein, and I am happy to be eating a few vegetables now too. I'm not an expert or anything, this is just my theory.