Jean McMillan

Why on earth have you let that suffering go on for four years?

Obstruction? Of what? For the record: band slips do not necessarily require band removal, repositioning, or replacement. Often they're treated successfully with a complete unfill and rest period. Worked for me.

That hasn't happened to me, but it did happen to a friend of mine whose tubing had sprung a leak. A sudden loss of restriction can also be a sign of a band slip, so it might be a good idea to have an upper GI study done to check the position of your band.

You could try taking Gas-X. Doesn't work for me, but some people swear by it.

I'm so glad my articles & posts have been helpful to you. I hope one day you'll be able to think of your band as your friend instead of a foreign object! In the meantime, congrats on the weight loss!

First, let me say what a good guy you are for looking after your girlfriend like this! She's a step ahead of the game with your support. Your girlfriend's symptoms really need to be discussed with the doctor. They're not going to be able to release her from the hospital without her surgeon's OK, so I would expect him/her to visit her at the hospital today to answer questions and go over post-op instructions. Her symptoms are pretty common. Incisions are very painful for the first week or so, and nausea is a very common reaction to general anesthesia and pain meds. I doubt very much that she'll be released from the hospital until they see that she can keep down Clear liquids. Did she give you any details about the really bad stomach ache? Is she talking about abdominal pain in addition to the incisional pain? If so, she's probably got a bad case of gas, which can be very painful indeed but eventually will dissipate via the usual means (burps or farts) over the next week or so. The nurses should encourage your girlfriend to get out of bed and walk around a bit today. No marathons, but movement will help prevent blood clots and help get that gas moving along. I suspect that some of the reasons your girlfriend is anxious and uncomfortable is the combination of general anesthesia and narcotic pain killers, which can cause depression. If she continues to have bad reactions to or lack of pain relief from morphine, percocet, or the like, she could ask for an alternative pain medication like tramadol.

That's a common reaction to the liquid diet. If you drink some OJ or other fruit juice, it may give your blood sugar a quick spike so you feel better, but that spike won't last long and you'll be back where you started (I'm diabetic, so I speak from experience). Are you only allowed clear liquids, or can you have liquids like milk or protein shakes? Having some protein combined with a carb is my best solution to this kind of thing. Protein from protein powder and carb from milk works for me.

Officially, a soft food is one you can cut with the side of a fork. Do that to an oyster and it'd probably end up on someone else's plate. You really should call your surgeon's office to ask about this. I adore raw oysters and although I didn't eat them as a new post-op, I have eaten them within a week or so of getting a fill and had no problems.

A can of green beans? I love that! Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't eat a can of green beans if you paid me, so for me, that's a great "test" of hunger!

Please don't take this comment as judgmental - I just have to speak to the suggestion that having some alcohol helps dealing with restriction fluctuations. I can't imagine any medical reason or believe that any doctor would endorse the idea that alcohol would help. It's a diuretic, it's a gastric irritant, and if it "helps", that's probably because it makes you care less about eating problems, not because it actually fixes them. Finally, alcohol is empty calories and loosens inhibitions, so that taking an extra bite or an extra serving that you don't need suddenly seems like a fine idea. Just my opinion, mind you, but I speak from experience!

Do you have a fill scheduled yet? If not, make an appointment. That will give you something to look forward to. In the meantime, do your best not to overeat, because that can interfere with healing and the settling of the band against your stomach. Don't worry too much about losing weight right now. Bandster Hell is one thing I wish I'd known about before my surgery. It wouldn't have changed my decision to have surgery, but at least the Hell part wouldn't have been an unpleasant surprise. Hang in there!

Well said!

How many times a day do you eat? If you're eating only 3 times a day, it's not surprising that 2.5 ounces of food per meal doesn't keep you going for very long. I've had to eat 6 times a day even with plenty of fill. Try not to eat more than 2.5 ounces at a time because eating more than that can interfere with the healing of your stomach and the settling of your band against your stomach. I know it's hard - you're in what we call Bandster Hell now. It'll get better after you've had a few fills. In the meantime, hang in there!

I haven't experienced that...your story is unique...but I do want to congratulate you for your weight loss and your persistence. I have had a port flip and repaired, as you have. That's not uncommon. I'm not clear on what happened when you went to your original surgeon for a fill after your tummy tuck. If he felt that you didn't need a fill and didn't give you a fill, why would you expect him to palpate your abdomen to check the position of your port?

I'd never heard of the Endo Flip, so I Googled it. Supposedly the device allows the surgeon to adjust the band to the mythical "sweet spot" during band placement surgery. Sounds nice, but there are a lot of other factors that affect restriction that I don't think the Endo Flip can account for or control. From what I read, the Endo Flip is used only during surgery, not to do adjustments after surgery. http://www.stopobesityforlife.com/obesity_surgery/correcting_obesity/procedures/endoflip_during_lap_band_surgery_to_increase_your_weight_loss/ As for getting feedback about Dr. Corvala, you might want to post a question here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/7-lap-band-surgeons-and-hospitals/

Let us know what the doctor says. I'm curious now!

Glad to hear you're finally making some progress!

Some protein drinks are actually formulated to make you GAIN weight (like bodybuilders do). How many calories are in one of those protein drinks? Do you enjoy drinking them? Do they keep you satisfied for 4 or so hours? Are 3 protein drinks a day what your surgeon or nutritionist recommended?

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling, but it's good that you're not giving up and that you're looking for help. You might want to post your question in the Texas group: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/2025-texas/ Also, I have a friend (who revised from the band to the bypass earlier this year) who is a support group leader in the Austin area. She used to live in Dallas so might be able to suggest how to hook up with someone in your area. Let me now if you'd like her contact info. I'm sure there are dozens of things going on with you and your disappointing weight loss, but one of the first things that strikes me is your Protein drinks. Why are you doing 3 Protein Drinks a day? Because you can't eat solid food? If so, your band is too tight and you need some saline taken out of it. If not, you really should be getting your protein from solid food. liquids may fill your nutritional needs but they do not provide any satiety. Finally, please stop comparing yourself to others (like your cousin). That does you no good unless you use it for inspiration instead of to berate yourself.

It could be a reaction to latex, surgical adhesive, the antibacterial liquid that gets swabbed on you before surgery, or meds (pain killers, antibiotics). Is it all over your abdomen, centered around your incisions, or what? Is it itchy, painful, hot, swollen, bumpy, flat, oozing? Is the affected area getting bigger or about the same? How long have you had it? When you've come up with answers to those questions, call your surgeon's office and describe what's going on. It's probably nothing terrible, but better safe than sorry.

Mrspopeye, it's funny because I tend to assume that an obese medical professional knows exactly how hard it is for me to manage my weight and is less likely to judge me, so I'm less likely to judge them. That's why I was disappointed that my formerly-fat doctor coudn't empathize with me. But maybe the sight of obese people reminds him too much of where he used to be.

I don't see why they'd need to remove the polyp before your band surgery, depending on where in your duodenum it is. But even if it's at the top of the duodenum (where the duodenum connects to the bottom of the stomach), I don't think it would get in the way of placing your band. Yes, you can have endoscopy after your band surgery. Some bariatric surgeons do annual endoscopies as part of the post-op follow up protocol. I had an upper endoscopy earlier this year without any problem. Some surgeons recommend that your band be emptied of saline before an endoscopy, but mine wasn't. The only other concern I have is that if you have an endoscopy done by someone other than your band surgeon, make sure they know you have a band so they'll be extra careful inserting the scope.

You may have to post your own thread in the NY group. Yes, I've had Lap-Band surgery. I was banded in September 2007 and lost 100% of my excess weight. But I'm located in Tennessee, not NY!

Inside every so-called adult man is a little boy who loves nothing better than farts & burps.

It's important to practice good band eating skills even when you feel like you don't need them. Even if not using those skills doesn't cause side effects, it could be harming the healing of your stomach and the settling of your band against your stomach. And as you say, practicing them now will come in very useful later on!