gdf18

I'm really shocked!!!!! I thought Obamacare was supposed to eliminate refusals for pre-existing conditions.....this is CRAZY! Hope you can work it out soon. Now you have me thinking I really can't leave my current job until I hit Medicare in 5 years. OUCH! Please let us know what happens. If I can remember how to fix my ticker, I"ll take he plunge as well. I'm down 10....I was up about 60 at the worst of it, and am going to OA because I need the mental help. I need to be able to let the band do what it does and not eat around it. I so often am angry at the band when I can't eat instead of being happy I can't eat....so I need some work. More later- SOOOOOOOOO happy to see some familiar "avatars" and people. YAY. Gwenn

Good to see everyone. It's amazing all the stories about doctors one, two, three years later. Seems to me that some of them really have surgeon syndrome. They're good when there's cutting but for long term, they don't like to hear about problems, etc. There are exceptions of course of course of course....but seems like I wasn't alone with a doctor who didn't care once I wasn't a "poster child" for him. This is such a special field because of the lifetime challenges that surgeons have to realize that they're dealing with a population with an addiction problem as well as a physical problem. Maybe they should have a two doctor system....like having an internist and surgeon for other diseases. Maybe we should get hte ongoing care from someone other than a surgeon....just thinking out loud. I'll check in if others stop by as well. I need all the motivation I can get.

HI Turler! Saw a note that you'd posted and so good to see you! And SOOOOO proud of you! OMG- after all the trouble at the start- you are fantastic. Wish I were there wtih you. Guess you read my sad story. I'm still down about 40 and back on the wagon, but lost so much time and disappointed in myself (nothing new there). I finally decided to join OA and it's helping, even tho I don't like it. My band works, but not if I eat around it adn I'm an expert. So, back to the trenches to help me let the band work. Losing again. Hope all else is well. Stay in touch! I'll look now and then for responses or email me directly at gdf18@hotmail.com. By the way, I have no idea what my counter says if it's even still here. Let's see when I post. G Gwenn

I am right there with you. Lost 90 - had a terrible year where I unfortunately learned to eat around my band. Recently had surgery to fix a big problem with my port and tubing, and thought I'd be on the right track but nothing fits and I'm afraid to get on the scale. Starting back on a high Protein, low carb diet (YECCH- DIET) this week. I'm so miserable. Really miserable. Could use some support as well. I'm not changing my numbers here yet....hope springs eternal that I can lose before fixing! G

You look amazing. So many people tell me about the pain...you're so lucky. I'm so unsure. I want to do tummy, breasts and I guess I'd need arms. To me, it's about working on dropping the weight (I lost almost 100, had band problems, and now am back on track to get under 200) and being able to get smaller sizes. With the big boobs and belly, size doesn't change much and it's a big downer. But I'm 59 and am worrying about doing surgery. I've never had a problem, but I worry a lot. And if I do my breasts I'll need my arms done or else I'll be buying smaller and the arms won't fit. I'm afraid I'll look like frankenstein! No decisions to make now.Now it's about getting back down to where I was, and beyond. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

Wish I could send my story out to everyone, but maybe it will get around. Left shoulder pain should only happen for a week or so after surgery if at all. It starts as gas which is trapped. Why the left shoulder? Because it's actually pressure on the diaphragm and the diaphragm and left shoulder are attached at hte same spot on the spinal cord. Your brain reads it as shoulder pain. HOWEVER, anyone having it longer likely has a piece of excess tubing hitting the diaphragm. That's the cause. There is always a little excess tubing - not everyone has it hitting the diaphragm and not everyone experiences pain when it does. MY STORY- not only did I have excess tubing hitting my diaphragm-----a stray piece of body fat wrapped around the tubing forming a noose, or vise around my diaphragm. Million to one shot, right? I complained for over a year as the pain became worse and my original surgeon (I have happily moved on) ignored me, made me feel stupid, and had any excuse that didn't involve him. In the end, although it was not his fault that hte fat wrapped it, he ignored my pain and suffering, and who knows....did he leave in too much tubing, opening me up to the problem? Tubing can be moved and my new surgeon took one look at my xray and scheduled surgery (before they know about the noose effect). He just saw that it was hitting me inside and saw no reason for me to have pain. The rest was a surprise to all. STAND UP TO YOUR SURGEON OR GO FOR ANOTHER OPINION. I LEARNED A LESSON AT GREAT COST - LOST A YEAR + to pain and gained weight trying to avoid the pain. Great good luck to anyone who has this problem- take care of yourself....no one is going to do it for you.

Cannot say more good things. The staff and Dr. K are wonderful, caring people. If they move a little too fast, it's because there are so many patients, but if you need them, they will slow down and give you whatever time you need. My strongest recommendation.

Let's say that I'd recommend Dr. Cunneen.

Hi- got home last evening. A lot of repair work. Moved port- smaller port in the new space and I understand that they gave a lot of thought to how to set up the new tubing to the port to make sure i have less issues this time. The biggest work was the weirdest. Turns out that I had excess tubing which was hitting my diaphragm, which is generally the cause the shoulder pain - there are a number of people who have this happen. HOWEVER, I had a twist- rather than just touching it now and then, somehow a piece of loose fat had looped around the extra tubing and had literally attached it like a vise to my diaphragm....which is why I was in so much pain, more and more as time went on and this became solidified. So, quite a clean up. I'm hoping that no pain will mean a fresh start. The surgeon did not touch the band itself- all was well there- and so I don't need to do the same after band diet. I'm too open, but a fill will be a few weeks out until the port site heals. I'm going to try to stick to liquids and mushies for a few days and then just protein. Without the constant pain,I might be able to do that now. Now I have to get back to work and try to control the carb cravings. That's harder than surgery. Gwenn

Dr. Cunneen just did some repair work on my lapband, which was put in by another surgeon who is no longer part of the Cedar's group. So far, great news- pain I was having has shrunk to nothing. I understand that the issue was so strange that no one had seen it before. But at the root of the problem was excess tubing that wasn't necessary. And I had my port moved (not so unusual- personal preference) and a smaller port put in (Cunneen's preference). I've had an overall good experience with my band, but gained weight because of the problem caused by the excess tubing. Now I just want to get back on track and get the rest of the weight off. I like Dr. Cunneen very much so far. Seemed caring and patient with my many questions and the emotions that go along with repairs, etc. My husband also liked him very much. I'm hoping for a speedy recovery and to move forward.

Amazing that this came at this moment. Yes, I had significant repairs - just this Friday- home from Cedars last night. Khalili is no longer with the office at Cedars, which means you'd be on your own in terms of payment. Dr. Scott Cunneen just helped me- truly helped me- and he recently did bands and bypass on friends of mine- I would give Dr. Cunneen my highest recommendation.

WOW- was I surprised to see a lapbander come up in my email! And I have to tell you....I'm in exactly the same boat but my boat has extras. I've had shoulder pain for over a year- really got worse- and I started to eat more to avoid it. My surgeon gave me no answers and after months of research and pushing I had information. Also, my port was giving me a lot of discomfort when I had sex and also when I ate a lot. It ached! Finally, and to make a very long story shorter, I found a new surgeon and guess what my surgeon didn't tell me? There's tubing sitting on top of my diaphragm and that's been causing me the pain (seems the diaphragm and shoulder are connected to the same spot on the spinal cord and the brain makes the shoulder feel the pain). So, tomorrow morning- amazing that you wrote this week- I'm on my way in for repair work,and I'm hoping this will get me back on the straight and narrow. I gained back over 30 pounds...still down 55. I'm very grateful for what it's done- but I also have found out how to eat around hte band. Ice cream and pirates booty go right through. Now I've been back on tons of carbs and diet soda. The new surgeon told me he may be replacing the band- depends on what he sees when he goes in. IF he does, I'm back to square one with 3 weeks liquid protein...OKAY BY ME. So, I completely sympathize, empathize, etc. I guess they weren't lying when they said the band is just a tool and it's up to us. Same is true for gastic folks- after a year or two they start to gain cause dumping is over. No magic for us YET. I'll check back after I'm home from the hospital. If I can sit to get on- I'll be back on Sunday. Take care and WE CAN DO THIS! Gwenn

Congratulations! You give us all hope. It can take time to make it, with spills and ups and downs, but we can get there with determination and G-d's help. Good luck with maintainence.

Checking in....not sure who is around or looking in. Struggling with dieting, a word I never thought I'd need to use again. UGH. Going for a fill next week. Surgeon said he wants to make it easier for me. Looking forward to it. Hope everyone is well and happy!

I don't know about anyone else,but I'm doing okay with food now. Nothing like a giving oneself a good kick in the rump to get back to business. Down 5 in about a week. Went to the surgeon today and he's great...all about helping me so that I can make my 100 (and then some). I'm still having quite a bit of shoulder pain and may have to have a laposcopy and maybe move the port at the same time. I'm holding out until April. In the meantime, trying anything not to let gas build up as that the cause of the pain- referred to the shoulder. Other than that....all is well, thank the Lord!

Congratulations! That's something I would very much like to do- for me it's been about 16 years since I was under 200 pounds. That's great news for both of you and I wish you many happy and healthy years together!

Dear Carol, Numbrgirl, and all, Yes, that was me just now. I'm back. I do move in and out of this, but I'm admitting that right now, I cannot do this on my own. I have gained 20 pounds- I never thought I'd see 240 again in my life and I got up to 244.5. The scale was dusty but I finally climbed on. The good news is that I climbed on and also big news---I didn't feel good and really felt that 20 pounds. I'm still beating myself up over almost making 100 and then gaining, but I guess I haven't slaughtered all my demons although I'd like to as I hear they make a good soup when boiled down - LOL. Carol- you are AMAZING!!!! I'm so so happy I came on if only to see that after all the stops and starts you've zoomed past me at high speed- Okay.....I'm very very jealous too. Turned green. Congratulations. Numbr- you're also unbelieveable!!! Now I'm dark green with envy. Okay, on with the battle. That's the biggest thing I've found out lately...the battle is still on. The first year my band really took care of everything for me. Now it seems to be me and I've been hearing that this is true for a lot of folks. Besides my therapy, I'm going to support groups most Tuesday evenings and it's good. Also need to be here as well. If I'm on and off, it's better than off completely. I kept trying to catch up with my low of 92 down, but I kept starving myself and had the band too tight. Had a bout with two bad sinus infections and then Pneumonia so it was a bad 3-4 months and I went back to carbs- and found Pirates Booty. That was a mistake. I was downing a bag or two a day! Behind me now. My band was actually opened a little because the surgeon felt I needed to really heal after being so sick and needed a broader range of foods. So I overate or starved. Now I'm back eating as I did when I first got the band. I'm eating a lot, but smaller amounts and eating every few hours. Also getting some exercise in almost every day- even if it's not a lot. Day 5. Lost 3.6 pounds already and with luck, will go under the evil 240 and wave goodbye forever. Back to the surgeon for a consult this week. Wish I wasn't going in heavier but I can't shirk from it either. I'm still having pain in my left shoulder after all this time (whenever I'm empty) and sometimes I have to eat a small meal because of the shoulder! Also my port has never been comfortable. Last time I saw him we discussed by having a laposcopic look at it because the tubing is not pressing on the diaphragn in the xrays. In my own head, I think it 's the port....like scar tissue or something- but I think somehow the port is pressing on my diaphragm....but we'll see. I want to fix whatever can be fixed because who needs any discomfort of the extra food. There are days I'm not hungry but the shoulder pain makes me eat and sometimes it's so bad so quickly I have to grab anything I can get. Literally, I'll pull into a convenience store and grab whatever they sell....and it's seldome protein and veggies. So, my long story but that's where I am. I'd like to be much further along. I'd like to be talking to plastics about my belly and boobs, but I'm not there yet. Thanks for listening.

Jenn- What an ordeal! But the good news is it's passing behind you and you'll be fine. It's a cautionary tale cause bottom line, we do have something foreign in our bodies and gliches can happen. I wish you a quick and full recovery.

Because I freaked out getting on the scale and finding 20 pounds there (don't think I didn't know about it- I was hiding from my scale), I went on the old Atkins diet for a week. It was not easy and the high fat didn't feel as good as it did 25 years ago! I've gotten very fatfree with the band- heavy cream was a bit much for me. Anyway, I did it for a week and lost 4 pounds. Then the second week, nothing. And I started eating carbs again. I'm back trying to eat the way I did the first year of the band, which was just less and not much sugar.

You know, I forgot about it but I had to have a little taken out because I was getting reflux and I've been on protonix for years- so it had been rare or never anymore. How did I forget that- it was about 6 months ago. The surgeon said to too tight causes too much back up- and you know, I didn't lose any more weight when I was that tight. I'm finding a do better a little looser so that I can have a broader choice of foods. I also feel much better on protein....but tell that to that little carb devil sitting on my left shoulder! Right now I'm doing a good balance. And I'm happy to say, I've been on the bicycle and then today, I walked (we go to synagogue on Saturdays and it's a .8 mile each way. It's not doing this for a few days that is the challenge...it's doing it as a habit. That's the trick.

Well, day three is going well and I am pleased. The weekends are tough as I'm around without the structure of work, but I'm determined to get through the "sugar" withdrawal and move on. Again. I am happy about one thing.....I stopped it. I didn't just keep gaining. But I have work to do. I've lost a couple of pounds so far, and will re do my ticker this weekend . Right now I'm depending on a lot of hot liquids- broth, diet hot choc and decaf to get me through the urges, and I have them bad. Hope everyone is doing well and see you all in a day or so.

I'm not the acid reflux writer- but like others, I've had it - much worse in the past but it still happens time to time. I just sleep higher, and monitor what I'm eating the next day to figure out why I'm getting it again. It can take a day or two of work to get it to back down. Sleeping higher really helps. And I agree with all- not eating too close to bedtime helps as well.

Hi- First of all, congratulations on starting the process of weight loss surgery. This is a great site and you can get a tremendous amount of information and support here. I suggest that once you have a date you find the "monthly" support group here, as you'll get to go through the surgery with a group having the same experiences as you- it's great. As to which type...there are lots of questions to answer, some which having to do with how much surgery you're interested in having; whether you want something that will change your organs or something that can be removed, etc. I think 2 key factors is amount one needs to lose (in general, gb folks lose more faster); and very important, what kind of eater you are. Sweet eaters have a lot of success with gb because you just cannot eat them...you get to ill. Volume eaters often are better off with the band because if you have bypass and build up volume again- the band can be stretched- it happens alot- and then you have trouble and weight gain. So, there's a lot to consider. For me, it would be important, above all, to have a doctor who believes in the procedure I need him to perform..... Best of luck!

I don't know about more blogs and websites. I get overwhelmed, but it's a great idea. Now that I unloaded on everyone, I'm going to try to get back to upbeat- mojo coming back and I'm not going to squash it in a bad mood. I'm sitting here late with my 25 calorie hot chocolate feeling better now. Food was okay....could and will get better but no sugar, no junk carbs. Ate a little more than I'd have liked, but still all good choices so that's a start and I forced myself off the bed and onto the Recum. bike while watching TV. Did 20 minutes so I feel good about that too. It doesn't take much. I was good so don't you think the scale shoudl show a 20 pound drop tomorrow AM????LOL. Thanks to all for helping me get a better day today!

Charlene and Cherielynne-thanks to you both....it was great getting a quick reply to make me feel welcome. I'm back and will stay on the boards as much as possible. I'm trying not starve or make myself nuts with my food journal- I have a habit of becoming obsessive with it and then throwing in the towel because it takes too much time. I'm going back to some of my old South Beach diet recipes. I did well on it but as we all know....it didn't stick. But the basic foods were good and healthy. This time I don't want the word DIET to creep in and make me crazy (crazier- LOL). Thanks for your encouragement!