bandayed

Hi Cat -- I think I remember you. I haven't logged on myself for a couple years. I find my situation alot like yours currently. I was debanded June 4th. I went in to have my band repositioned b/c I had severe gerd, had a swallow study and my Dr diagnosed prolapse. When the Dr got in there he found that my body had made lots of scar tissue around my band. when attemting to move it, the scar tissur punctured my stomach. What was supposed to be a 1 day hospital stay and lap procedure turned into an open procedure and 7 days in the hospital. To top it all off, I lost my band. Aside from the gerd though, I loved my band. I lost 80 lbs and was very close to my goal weight. I was not prepared to lose my band. I can no longer get a band b/c of the scar tissue, so my only future option is a sleeve (that my insurance doesn't cover) or GBP which makes me nervous, and I also won't qualify for at my current weight. I have gained weight like you -- 15lbs, and don't feel like I am eating that badly either. I exercise as well. I just feel like I worked so hard to get here, and I don't want to go back to being fat. All my size 12s are skin tight and I don't even have any 14s left. I feel like I am trying to be pretty good about it, but it's almost inevitable that I gain weight. Like you i am thinking of maxing out the old credit and heading to Mexico or something for a sleeve! On good days though, I know how hard I worked to get here and how much I don't want the old me back so i am encouraged and know that I'll find the strenght to stick to it. It's just so hard to have been so successful and close to goal to see it all slipping away slowly. I know EXACTLY how you feel. Hang in there though! I think for now I'll try to just stick to diet and exercise and not crazy surgery ideas -- I think my body needs time to heal. I think the large losses and gains we've put ourselves though screws up the metabolism. Gotta give everything a chance to settle down then see where you stand..........keep fighting the good fight sistah!

I am back after a long break from LBT and what do I find -- my exact problem here in print! I have been banded over a year and a half and have just recently started having problems with GERD/acid reflux. I too wake up in the middle of the night choking -- SCARY! I had a partial unfill last week and have had no middle of the night incidents since:). What I have noticed though, is that if I have a PB or some problems getting food down now, what comes up now is more like vomit than it used to be. It used to be regurgitated food -- like what just went down. Now it is acidy and gross -- like when I vomitted pre-banding. I am concerned that my band may have slipped. How is acid in the pouch if I am adjusted properly etc.....Does anyone else notice this who has the coexiting GERD/acid reflux issues?

Hey.....I too, have a hard time with proteins. I can eat SOME fish (not tuna) but I can eat salmon fillet and fillet of sole. I can eat meatloaf but not a burger. No to chicken, pork, steak etc. I too eat chili several times a week. I also like to fry up ground turkey or hamburger and eat it with LF sour cream and or salsa -- like nachoes without the chips. It is definately hard to get used to, but once you have a few stand bys like the chili, cottage cheese, or fake nacho thing, you feel better. Good luck with it. Now if I could just start having a hard time with ice cream......:S

I am just coming to the same realization. I have been very happy with my band and I do still have it -- just one year now. I am thrilled with my weight loss, and I feel like for the first time in my whole adult life I am probably eating enough protein. Other than that though, I think my diet is pretty unhealthy too. I cannot eat most fruits & veggies. I cannot eat tuna or chicken. I feel like alot of the things I would like to eat to be health are off limits and instead I eat chili, clam chowder (not the clams) and hamburger. I miss salads, I want to eat fruit! I take my vitamins and calcium supplements but I still think that the natural food source is better than the pills...............Why is it easier to eat cookies & ice cream than chicken & melon???? It does strike me as going against the weight loss & healthy mode. In this respect I do feel like the band is unhealthy. Hopefully taking the supplements, vitamins etc makes up for it...............

I am a solid I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Brady Bunch & Partridge Family girl........:music:Come on get Happpppyy!!!!!!:music:.........Mom always said don't play ball in the house............Uncle Aurthur!!!!!

Funny....I am sort of coming to the same place as you ladies. Although I am not throwing in the towel yet, I still WANT to overeat, but I am very restricted so I cannot (thankfully). I live in fear of PBs too and for the last 2 months have eaten only very specific safe foods -- Soups etc. I was just realizing the other day how I have fallen into this not so great pattern. Although I am happy with my weight loss, I have plateaued and I feel like if I lost my band tomorrow it would all come right back b/c I will never be a normal eater. I also get the shoulder pain if I am full rather than some cognitive cue..........I'm trying to get back on track with the wter and exercise as my kids head back to school. Hopefully that will jump start me weight loss again. It IS good to know that we're not alone! Hang in there ladies! CD

I have found myself choosing easy foods lately. I have yogurt for bfast & soup for lunch. I eat burger meat most every dinner and have unfortunately reintroduced ice cream (AUGH!) to my diet. I worry about PBing b/c I think I am a little too restricted too so instead of eating a small amt of hard protein I coose a safe food instead. My weight loss is slow/stopped for the last couple of months so I know I need to get back on board. Thanks for your post, you made me realize that what I'm doing while not great, is "normal"! Let's try to turn it around!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, yup, yup....it didn't happen to me for about 10 days after surgery but when it did I thought something was wrong because I had never experienced such....um.....urgency should we say?!?!? But as you reintroduce solids things....um......solidify.....slowly. This too shall pass (literally) good luck with your band!

Hey all....haven't posted in a while, but I've been lurking around. The thing that has lead me out of lurkdom and into the light is this problem I have been having. Ever since my last fill, I have tons of heart burn: when I'm hungry, after I've eaten, at night (it even wakes me sometimes). Luckily it responds to Tums & other antacids but 9X out of 10 I don't have any!!! I think I am resisting buying them b/c I feel like they are a bandaid and I am kind of leary of them since I feel like I could mask a problem that could lead to esophogeal damage. I am worried that my heart burn is a result of the fill. I have been very restricted and have had a fair amount of PBing. Maybe the burn is things actually squeezing through my new, tiny stoma?????? Does anyone else have this issue? I never had heartburn preband except when pregnant. Do you think I could just take prilosec or something or are these meds contraindicated with the band??????? I know, I know, call the Dr.................

Congrats Photonut-- you can shop ANYWHERE now!!!!!!!! That's a lifestyle changing NSV if I ever heard one! Hope you bought a pair of those jeans for yourself, or maybe even two.......maybe two is not the best idea though since you'll probably be rockin' a size 12 soon! Keep it up Sistah!

Not sure it qualifies but after 2 weeks of the beach in Nantucket with 4 kids (you drive right onto the beach there)....I got my trashed truck detailed yesterday....you can only imagine the amount of sand inside........now I can sit down without sand stuck to my legs! Oh, and I saw my first hummingbird -- ever! It does seem like the dreary & bad news all comes at once....maybe that's a good thing....so the rest of the time can be happy.......hang in there Paula!

WOW! That is just THE BEST news! And now you have a "reason" to have that babyfood in your cabinet for those tight days!