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Hi all. Um...yeah. Been gone a while. It's good to get a little caught up on what y'all have been up to. I've had a lot going on this year which has kept me away. Anesthesia school is heating up for the home stretch (less than 12 months now). The beginning of the year was very rough. My husband was laid off from work. Then I found out his drinking had relapsed and he had a lot of trouble from that, and is in treatment. He spent some time in the hospital. We've both been in recovery since then. The economy being what it is, he still hasn't found work. Luckily it has been time well spent for his recovery. We're getting by, but we really hope he finds something soon. Needless to say, for a while my band was the last thing on my mind. I was down to about 165, but today I am 172. I had been thinking that this was higher than I was this time last year, but today I looked back at my stats and saw that I'm actually lower, and about the same as I was for the second half of last year. I'm not doing as poorly as I thought, but I do want to start working on getting to goal finally. That will involve a fill (it's been over a year since my last fill) and cutting out the evening sweets grazing. I'm impressed by how far so many of you have come. Hopefully I can get back on track and get down to my goal. Great to see you all here... gwen

Hey Janine, congrats on being rebanded! Sorry I'm late to the party...I have been so busy this term. Is it easier the second time, now that you know what to expect? I've heard from some that rebanding (or any revision) is harder to recover from, because the scar tissue makes the surgery more technically difficult (and longer). But I wonder if Bandster Hell is easier when you have an idea how long it lasts, and maybe even since you spent so long with no band...just thoughts. I'm so happy for you!:rolleyes2: Juli, I really liked what you wrote about not comparing yourself to others, and your other thoughts in your post. This does become like a diet after a while, in a way--or it probably should if we are to continue all the way to goal. Some make it there without going into diet mode, but just eating smaller portions of junk food can only get you so far. I'm well into that kind of "diet fatigue" phase by now. I'm tired of making the right decision all the time, and my occasional treats become much more regular than they should. And it's much easier to make the wrong decision--not only because it's what I want to do, but because time and trying to eat between classes, when stuck at the hospital, etc etc...factors add up that make it so much easier to make choices that don't support continuing weight loss. This semester, I think if I make it through without gaining I'll be doing well. But I do want to get to goal...perhaps it will happen before the end of the year, perhaps not. Jeni, I hope things are looking better for you. If insomnia is really plaguing you now, I'd consider going back for that sleep aid for a limited period of time--no more than a week, just to break the cycle. You don't want to depend on it to sleep. But during super stressful times--for me, when I was just starting my divorce proceedings from my ex years ago--it can help break that insomnia cycle. And exercise really helps, too. Take care, and I hope things get better! Everyone, I hope folks are doing well!

Wow. I missed most of August and all of September so far with the Marchies. Where did the summer go? Well, I was on vacation for 2 weeks over my anniversary and birthday. We had a great vacation (Oregon coast) and I gained 4 lbs, from 167 to 171. Isn't it weird how you can be at a weight that a year ago you could only dream about, but now it feels FAT because you've regained it? So weird. I totally feel fat, but it's just 4 lbs that are hanging on. Still running, still mostly doing the same things. I totally challenged my band on vacation, though. I think I'm due for a visit to the surgeon again just to make sure everything is as it should be. School is marching along too. Have been in the OR all summer, learning lots. Anesthesia is complex, and we're just now getting to the point of learning how much more there is to learn. But it's been going well. I'm getting tired of getting up at 4am though!!! Still running. About 12 miles per week now, I was higher before but it just hasn't been happening. That's it with me. Sounds like folks are doing okay for the 18 month point. Juli, saw your grad photos, CONGRATS! You looked super cute in your little dress and your cap and gown. It must feel great to have accomplished your degree after so much work. This was your MBA right? Janine, I am so glad you are getting your band back and SOON. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose it. OMG. Best to you and keep us posted on how everything goes. I'm curious to hear how the new band is compared to the one most of us Marchies have (probably all of us) so you can't leave the Marchies! Best to everyone, keep on trucking. Gwen

C sections and laparoscopic surgery are two totally different cases and need different anesthesia techniques. The standard of care for any laparoscopic surgery is general anesthesia with endotracheal tube because the pressure created by filling the abdomen with CO2 gas makes it likely that you would aspirate stomach contents into the lungs without an ET tube. Also a chemical paralytic is used during the surgery and whenever that is used, you need a machine to breathe for you, so you get a breathing tube. C sections don't have these issues. It's not a matter of the tugging and pulling--we do hip replacements under spinal anesthesia with sedation, and believe me there is tugging and pulling (and pounding) during that. Also a previous poster mentioned doing spinal with nitrous--I don't understand what they mean by that. did you mean using nitrous to fill the abdomen instead of CO2? Because that isn't done--nitrous expands any air-filled space, so even inhaled nitrous isn't used during laparoscopic surgery, plus I'm not sure what the purpose or benefit would be. If you meant that they use inhaled nitrous with spinal anesthesia, that's theoretically possible but for the reasons mentioned previously, spinals are not used for laparoscopic surgery, including lap band.

Wow, guys, I've been away for a while. The OR is taking all my time and energy this summer. It's good though, I'm starting to get my stuff together in there and really enjoy what I'm doing. Tia, wow that is scary. I'm glad you're doing better now. Those big fills are so tempting, aren't they? But TROUBLE. So glad you are doing better now. 69 lbs, that is so awesome! Jeni, I hope you've had your surgery by now. You'll feel so much better. The GB surgery is harder than lap band in some ways, but at the same time you will recover so much better now that you've lost so much weight than when you had your band surgery. And the risk of the surgery and anesthesia is lower because you're so much healthier. All that nausea and vomiting can't be helping your band--I hope you are all fixed by now! Hugs! Juli, you are still losing weight! I mean, you say you're stalled but everytime I see your ticker and your signature, your weight is lower. Maybe it seems like you are stalled because it is slower than the first year was. But from over here it looks like you're still doing pretty good. Why so hard on yourself? You are exercising and you're getting your MBA. I've been telling myself that any weight lost during grad school is a victory--not just school but all the other shite that goes along with being in school, i.e. long distance relationship, being a parent, working etc. etc. Maybe I'm just seeing the result of your recent change of heart/habits. But it seems like you've been losing the whole time, just a bit slower. Anyway, don't know if another perspective helps or not. But I think you're awesome.:biggrin: Tammyj, looking great! WOW! I finally made it to the 160s this week-now I'm 8 lbs from goal. Whoa! Usually I hit a new low weight, then immediately bounce back up and slowly come back down to that weight. So far this one is sticking, which is great. Still running, eating is going pretty well. I also walk or bike to school most days of the week now. My last fill was in May and I don't think I need another anytime soon. I don't have classes now, just clinicals 5 days a week until the new semester starts in September, so that's nice, even though it's also pretty stressful. At least I'm doing what I came here to do now, which is really cool. And I get 2 weeks of vacation after next week--I can hardly wait! Everybody, I hope the summer is going well!

That's an interesting question, Jeni. There's been a fair amount of research showing that obese women don't get as good quality health care as normal weight women because they don't want to see the doctor and be told they are obese, and they don't feel they are treated as well. I know, that's a big "duh" for us. But it could be that we're more willing to investigate things once we've lost weight, especially since everything happening now is "different" since we've had WLS. We're more tuned into our health. Also, like Juli said, our bodies have to adjust so much to the major weight loss. Things reveal themselves as we lose the weight. And you probably know that major weight loss puts us at risk of gallbladder issues, because we are processing so much fat that is being metabolized from our bodies. That's why some band surgeons just electively remove the GB at the same time as band surgery, and others put their patients on medication to prevent GB problems for 6 months or a year. So, those are some of my thoughts about it. As for me, I feel like I haven't been in the doctor's office much in the last 9 months, not counting fills. I saw my Portland PCP in December before I moved, and then had to follow up with the new ARNP in Spokane (who I really liked a lot) about the breast lump. Once that was sorted out, I've felt pretty healthy. ThickChick, I'm sorry to hear about your break up. I hope you are doing okay! Things are going okay here. Weight loss is at a snail's pace. Stress seems to make things worse, so I try not to worry too much. I don't think it's a fill issue, I think I just have to be more careful now than I used to about my calories. But since we just started doing full cases in the OR last week, it hasn't really been my top priority. It's been scary and stressful! :thumbup: But really fun, too. Today I did the anesthetic for a patient who was donating his kidney to his brother. It was pretty cool. Ok, off to study!

Well...they keep you as covered as possible. But when you need to have your stomach prepped from nipples to groin, that leaves you pretty exposed. If you were having knee surgery, you would be much more covered the whole time, but you can't help but have everything below your armpits hanging out when you have abdominal surgery. They are usually pretty careful about making sure only necessary personnel are there when you're being prepped, and once the drapes go on the only thing exposed is the surgical field (belly). Ask the surgeon if he is willing to make a tape of your procedure. That's possible with a laparoscope. But HIGHLY unlikely that they'd permit a friend or family member to actually be there in the operating room. If the surgeon won't record the surgery for you, there are lots of videos on the internet to show your husband exactly what will happen, if that helps.

I guess I should clarify. I took Luvox for its antidepressant effect. It is an SSRI (same drug class as Prozac).

In my experience, it DOES get better. But it hasn't ever completely gone away. It becomes less intense and easier to deal with, I think. But there are still days when my head thinks it knows better than my stomach. I doubt that will ever completely stop being a problem. About the Luvox, I was taking it for years and stopped taking it about 3 months after I was banded. I never noticed any difference in head hunger, but I did lose 5 pounds after I stopped taking it. YMMV.

Hi everyone! Can you believe it's already July? I'm happy to see folks checking in. I'm rolling along...school going okay, we have a long weekend for the 4th so I'm going home to Portland. I was down to 171 until TOM rolled into town...so I have a few days to wait for the Water weight to go away and I'm back in business, I hope. I'm not changing my ticker, though! :thumbup: Have a great 4th, everyone.

Check with your band surgeon. Doxycycline is a good drug for skin infections, but you might need it in a different form (it's available as a liquid, which might help) or your band doc might want you on something different. There are other options, so you might need to be on something different. Good luck.

Sometimes fills can take as long as a few weeks to really "kick in". It has more to do with your stomach tissue than the fluid--the fluid flows pretty freely between the tubing and the band. That's part of why they don't recommend getting fills more frequently than every 4 weeks. Your stomach tissues are very sensitive and it can take a while for it to settle into your new fill. You are doing great at less than 2 months out--just learn to listen to your "soft" stop, not waiting until the pain-in-chest feeling comes, to stop eating! It's all a learning process.

Yes, unfortunately this isn't really uncommon. Lots of people try to nurse along a too-tight fill and have just the same problems that you have had. It's important to always keep your fill loose enough that you can take in solid lean protein, for safe weight loss. Hopefully your unfill and liquids will heal your dilated pouch. Often that is all it takes. But be sure to keep a close eye on things, if you are still having symptoms or if this doesn't clear up with the unfill and liquids you could have a more serious problem like a slip. Good luck and I hope things are going better soon.