Kalipso2

i've been banded for 7 months now and have lost 40 pounds. i had been filled to 5.2cc in my 10cc band in July and it was too tight. i left it tight for 2 months because i thought i could work around the PB'ing multiple times but finally gave up in September and agreed to a slight unfill because i haven't lost any weight since August. when i went in for my unfill they checked my band under flouroscopy and my band was barely letting any Fluid thru and this caused my stoma to stretch. she took the fluid out and the liquid ran thru. i had to wait 2 months before coming back for a fill. i didn't PB much during these past 2 months and i assumed all was well when i went in for my fill on Friday. turns out i gained 4 pounds and they were NOT happy. in my defense... in September i was weighed in a tank top and shorts and on Friday i was weighed in with jeans and a sweater. i had my band checked again under flouroscopy on Friday and i was still WAY too tight. the liquid was just not draining and on top of that, i'm having a LOT of reflux but i don't feel it. my stomach is still dialated. it took 3 minutes for the barium to travel thru the band when it should have taken 30 seconds. even after all that, i still didn't want her to unfill me anymore than i was because i had gained 4 pounds back after the last unfill. she pulled out a chart showing me a stomach dialation and a slipped band. it scared me enough to let her take out .7cc. while i was trying to make my next appointment in 4 weeks, Dr. Curry (my surgeon) approached me. now THAT really scared me because he only see's pre-op patients and does the surgery. he rarely sees patients after surgery. he had the picture from my flouroscopy in his hands and said he personally wanted to see me next month. his nurse told him he was totally booked and he firmly said "Double book me." i'm to start back from scratch and eat ONLY Protein for the next 4 weeks... as much protein as i can stomach (no pun intended). i'm to up my exercise from 30 minutes 3 times a week to 45 minutes 5 times a week in hopes that it keeps my weight down. i'm scared because i don't feel the reflux but it looked BAD on the flouro machine. i'm scared because Dr. Curry wants to see me himself. i'm scared i'll have to have the band removed! i can't seem to stop crying. i'd be okay with the 40 pounds i've lost and not lose anymore if i could just keep the band. thanks for listening...

i had another fill appointment this past saturday. i was looking forward to another adjustment because i've been able to eat a lot more than usual. i told the nurse that my acid reflux is bad 3 out of 7 nights but i've stopped PB'ing during the day. she wanted to look under floroscopy. i just couldn't believe it when she showed me that my band was too tight. hardly any of the barium was flowing thru the band and the reflux was bad (which i still can't feel). she also told me my pouch is severely dialated and if she didn't remove at least .5cc that i had a very high chance of my band slipping because of how the food has been stretching my pouch. my stoma is stretched a lot. so now i'm back to square one. i got the slight unfill and the barium flowed thru quickly. i have to go back to liquids, puree, mushies and then regular food... just like i did after my surgery to get my stoma back to the original shape. i don't know if i can do 1 week of full liquids only, 1 week of puree and 1 week of mushies again. after my surgery i wasn't hungry because i was healing but i'm hungry all the time now. saturday was the first time in 9.5 months that i wished i had NEVER had this surgery.

i knew before i started searching for a surgeon that i was going to be self pay. living in cleveland, i branched out my search for a good surgeon with an affordable cost from cincinnati to indiana to pennsylvania and even Mexico. i disregarded mexico pretty much right away because i was just too scared to go out of the country (BUT dr. curry has been the only dr. i found that will do fills on patients who had surgery elsewhere!) my choices were to stay in cleveland and pay $10,000 more and have to pay for all fills OR drive the 4 hours to dr. curry and have free fills for 2 years. essentially is was dr. curry's great reviews that lead me to the decision to choose him. a good thing for you is he has recently opened a sattelite office in columbus for fills! good luck on your journey!

my port is to the right of my belly button and up about 2"... it actually sits above the port incision, not right under it. yes, i can feel it but you can't see it. its funny because my port is almost like my safety blanket. when i'm upset or stressed and think about binging, i touch my port to remind me that i CAN do this. sometimes if i wear tight jeans that ride lower on the hips, when i set down the waistband will jamb under the port for a quick jab of pain.

you'll have to continue getting fills until you find your "sweet spot", which is when you feel completely full but not PB'ing after 1/2 cup of food and staying full for 4 hours. it usually takes multiple fills before you get to that point. you may even have to have a slight unfill at some point to find the exact spot. some say that even a .25cc unfill can make a huge difference. i've had several fills and a few unfills but it wasn't until my last fill on 12/31/08 that i actually FELT the restriction. my band was tight and i was afraid to eat for 2 days. after you get a fill you should do liquids and mushies until your stomach gets over the "trauma" of the fill. after the 2 days i feel normal and will go in next month for yet another fill.

congratulations! i was banded by Dr. Curry in april. i live in cleveland but make the drive down to cincinnati for my fills, etc. he was the best surgeon after all my research so i don't mind the drive! good luck on your first fill... don't be surprised if you don't actually get to see Dr. C.... he usually has someone else do the fills. most likely your fill will be done under flouroscopy (xray) to make sure the band hasn't moved at all. you'll have to stand in front of this big machine and you'll get to see your band on a computer screen... ask if they can print out a copy... i did and have it hung up at work lol don't be suprised though... you'll get sprayed with lidocaine to numb to skin but she'll IMMEDIATELY stick the needle into your port. i didn't know what she was doing the first time and i grabbed her arm before she could stick me. (not a good thing to do!! lol) if you ever have ANY questions EVER, Dr. Curry is great in returning emails... usually withing 2 hours! it's the one thing i really like about him. good luck on your new journey!! kris

i was told to just but OTC medicine (prilosec?) but i buy the generic store brand and it's been working great!

hi carol! i have read about the pouch test but haven't tried it. although i almost had to do it after my last fill on 12/30/08. it was the first time ever that i could actually FEEL the band around my stomach, even without eating or drinking. i only had liquids for 2 days after my fill because i was afraid to eat. now i'm back to feeling "normal".... really feeling no restriction. i usually have a protein drink for breakfast, 1/2 cup of cheerios as a snack, 1/2 of a low carb wrap with cheese and turkey for lunch, a protein drink as a snack and 1/2 a chicken breast for dinner. i do admit to not exercising as much as i should. i do need to start using my wii fit!

i was banded on April 21, 2008. i lost 40 pounds within the first 4 months but am struggling to lose the last 30+ pounds. in november i was diagnosed with acid reflux and had to have 2 slight unfills but got refilled in december now that i'm taking medication. any tips on how to get the body back on track?

i'm 5'-4" and my beginning weight was 213. i had steadily gained weight over the past 10 years despite the numerous diets and nutritionists. my insurance did not cover surgery for anyone... even for a morbidly obese person. according to the BMI chart, i was obese. i was lower on the scale than many other people but i was still obese and wanted to be happier and healthier. it's not been an easy process... with a lower BMI it's been harder for me to lose the weight. the first 40 pounds came off easy but now i'm struggling.

time for an update! i've been on my acid reflux medication for over a month and i feel SO much better!! i had no idea that i even had acid reflux... i never felt bad at all except for the PB'ing. i've had to fills since my november appointment and i'm back up to 5.0cc in my band. even after gaining a pound during november & december, i feel good!

you look awesome, teri!! like you, i didn't see the scale move as much but it's almost like my body reshaped itself. keep up the great work!

i was about 2 weeks late after my surgery. i KNEW i wasn't pregnant so i patiently waited for it to come lol

1. i started this journey because i stopped having sex because i was too embarrassed about my body. (still lookin' for the next guy.... lol) 2. to shut my mom up. "kris marie... i'm calling to tell you that you're fat. i'm sure your friends don't want to hurt your feelings..." ok mom... but it's ok if YOU hurt my feelings? 3. my older sister who's had 2 kids weighed 60 pounds less than me! 4. i'm TIRED of being the fat friend guys feel like they have to be nice to so they can hook up with my tall, skinny friend! 5. a few years ago, one of my sister's ex-boyfriends saw me unexpectedly one day at my place of employment and asked when i was due. i've never been pregnant. i could go on and on... but honestly, deep down i started this journey out of vanity and not health reasons. i don't want to cringe and jump every time someone touches my back or arm. i want to wear nice form fitted clothes. i want to hear that i look nice. i'm not quite there yet but i'm on my way!

thank you SO much... that really means a lot to me!

please don't beat yourself up. i know i cheated big time on my pre-op diet. the medi-fast crap they gave me was horrible. i still had many "last meals" before my surgery.

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........191...........191...........178........13 Sades............186...........185...........175........11 Stephanie........175...........172...........155........18 shortgal.........173.6.........173.6.........168........5.6 Bandpal..........172.26........171.93........150........21.93 Momto1plus1......187...........185...........174........11 lindata..........174...........174...........169........5 kalipso2.................172.................172..................165.............7

i find it absolutely amazing how many of our mom's have said the rudest things... i was thin until my mid-20's. after i moved out of my parents house, i started gaining weight. i can remember this day like it was yesterday... my mom called me... she NEVER calls. she said she wanted to talk to me about something in case my friends were too embarrassed to. she said "kris, you're fat and i think you need to start exercising and join Jenny Craig". i was SO hurt that i wrote her a nasty letter and refused to talk to her for a few months. she may have meant well but she really hurt my feelings. i ended up telling her that for once in her life, if she has nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. i own a mirror... i know what i look like. since then, she has been VERY supportive. she has never said another negative thing about my weight. unfortunately, we had another big fight 1.5 years ago that has nothing to do with weight. i had planned my surgery and was going to have my brother go with me. my sister asked me to please talk to mom about it. i did and i asked my mom if she would go with me. we both cried... about the past, about the present and the future.

yes, you definitely sound too tight. i thought my band would losen up a little after my last fill. stupid me, i waited 2 months before i went back for a slight unfill. i could do liquids just fine but nothing solid. so i basically lived on Slimfast and PB'ing episodes for 2 months. my band didn't slip but i did stretch my pouch. i'm having to wait 2 months before i can get another fill.

i was banded april 2008 and i lost all of my weight during the first 4 months. i haven't lost any during the last 2 months which is extremely frustrating but even if i don't love another pound i'd be happy! i started exercising in september... running actually... and while the scale hasn't moved, people have commented that i look slimmer. so it's not all about the scale but the way clothes fit too! (BUT i am going for another fill soon!!)

that's exactly what i'm worried about. i had a slight unfill of .5ccs in september and have to wait until next week for another fill. does the band get used to the current fill and if i get .5 this next time i'll be fine or will i have to struggle finding my sweet spot someplace in that .5cc.

i think you should be okay with an unfilled band as long as you don't keep your stomach constantly stuffed.

after my first fill i actually felt MORE hungry than i did before the fill. i got my second fill 3 weeks after the first fill and was overfilled. i went back and got a slight unfill and i still haven't found that "sweet spot" yet. my doctor is out of town, although not as far as yours is, and i had told myself i would go every month for the first year and that hasn't happened. i've gone 3 times in the past 6 months because it's a pain in the behind traveling so much. it seems like my body was just adjusting to the fill and i'd have another appointment. i have 2 years of free fills so i'll be traveling for awhile. i hope you find a closer doctor for fills soon!!

i didn't feel proper restriction until after my 2nd fill. it will take a couple of fills until you might actually feel full. you might feel a little restriction right now... right after your fill... because the fill causes your stomach to swell a bit which is why most doctors have their patients start the liquid and mushie phase over right after a fill. i can DEFINITELY tell when i'm full. it's a feeling like if i eat one more bite i'll throw up and i HAVE taken that bite and i have thrown up. this is all a learning curve right now... give it time, you'll get the hang of it!

i feel the same way, but i have always had very low self esteem issues. i have the mirrors in my apartment situated so that my head does not show in any of the mirrors... only my body. when i look in the mirror i still see the fat me, not the size 10 me.