HeatherO

I agree with this 110%. I have had too many slips to count over the years, but the only way to get to goal was to jump right back on the horse and keep on going. The band really helped me with this aspect of the journey.

I suffered a slip and had to have my band replaced last week. My band was empty and it was the same thing, I threw up almost everything, couldn't drink anything cold. Even milk would sit in my stomach all day and later come out curdled into big chunks because it wouldn't pass. I was able to eat because my pouch was dilated . . . but everything came right back up. It definitely sounds like a slip to me. You need medical attention right away. If you have insurance, even if they don't cover wls, you can get an endoscopy done with a diagnosis of acid reflux and it will be covered under almost every insurance plan. This is really one of the next steps you need to go through. Last but not least, suppose you don't have a slip. Throwing up everyday causes your stomach to swell. It will continue to be irritated everytime you throw up. It just gets worse instead of better if you are having a regular problem. Perhaps you can go on a diet of nothing but warm liquids for a week and then try to move onto mushies and see if it is enough for some stomach swelling to go down. My band doctor has also told me to take children's motrin for stomach swelling on a very occasional basis if I am having a problem as well. This is usually on the no-no list for bandsters so he only approves the use on a very occasional basis. Perhaps you can call your band doctor and ask how they feel about this option. I wish you the best of luck.

I have lost somewhere between the World's Largest Ball of Tape and a newborn calf. :0)

I didn't want to be a statistic either. 50-60% was not good enough for me. I kept at it until I lost 100% of my excess weight . . . even after the birth of my daughter 3 months ago I am maintaining a normal BMI. This journey is what you make of it. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, any reasonable goal is achievable. Don't forget that averages are just that . . . the middle of the road. It includes people that follow the rules and work out diligently and people that never exercise and drink milkshakes every day. It is YOU who decide where you want to be . . . so make the best of a good situation.

Laura, did I miss an email about murder??? I am really curious now. You mentioned it was a current employee so they must know who sent it. Will they be contacting the police or something along that line? That sounds like harrassment to me. Pamela, I hope you feel better. Jenn, congratulations on making the final break and good luck for a speedy resolution through the courts. Life is soo much better once you can finally let go and move on. I hope you have an awesome date.

I think almost every pregnant women feels this way in late pregnancy, banded or not. I could definitely feel some soreness. I think it is even worse when the baby is head down because that is feets up and available to pummel your ribs, lol.

You sound much too tight and probably need at least a small unfill at a minimum. Usually a small unfill will correct the issue completely. On the other side of the coin, if you stay too tight for too long, you risk a slip and the loss of your band. Have you talked to your band doctor about it?

Ok, If you haven't tried funnel cake, you probably don't want to, lol. It is dangerous stuff.

I listen to everything, lol. Too hard to list it all. My surgery was officially one week ago today. I can now move up from liquids to mushies. Yayyyyy. Funny thing is, the first time I was banded I lost a ton of weight during the liquid stage. This time I gained but I don't think it was from an excess of calories. I think it is because I was so dehydrated that I had to replenish myself just to get back to normal. Either way, I'm feeling pretty darn good. Have a great Friday everyone!!!

This is soooo true. But just wait until you reach goal. :0) I reached goal last Summer, spent some money and bought some awesome clothes which still fit like a dream a year later. I even noticed my size 8's are a little baggy now, lol. It is amazing to reach your "too good to be true goal" and maintain long term. I can't wait until the rest of you join me :0)

Good one!!!! ROFL :blushing::w00t: In the same vein . . . when you lose all your excess weight and find out that losing some padding around your face makes your wrinkles grow, expand and come alive, lol.

Haydee, i am sorry you had to go through that. It sounds like it went as well as it could have gone.

That is awesome news, congratulations :blushing: Now of course we absolutely musstt see some pictures :0)

This Ramadan has been rough for me. The last day in the hospital after the birth of my daughter, I had a bad vomiting episode following pain medication that severely irritated my stomach. Unfortunately my band slipped. I had surgery last Friday to have it removed and replaced. This is my first completely non-fasting Ramadan due to illness. It makes me sad but I hope next year will be much better.

Oh, OK I understand now. I thought they were literally puppies. Mine were 3 pug puppies at about 5 weeks old. The mother wouldn't feed them and kept snapping at them so I was raising them by hand until one started holding her head cocked to the side and was having balance problems. Turns out that they had Water on the brain and were defective from birth which is why the mother turned on them and I had to rear them by hand. The mother pug knew more than I did. I spent weeks trying to save the poor dears not knowing that they could never be saved . . . I just prolonged the inevitable until it showed outward signs. Afterwards she was fixed immediately. I am really sorry for your mom. Pugs are the most lovable dogs in the world and I know it has to be heart wrenching. I am happy you can be there to help her along.

Laura, I was wondering the same about the puppies. I once had to do it with a batch of purebred pug puppies because they had a health problem that would shorten their life span in a very painful way and it was unfair to make them suffer. It was so hard because they were so full of life at the time.

Thanks everyone. I am actually feeling much better already. I never thought I could enjoy a liquid diet . . . but liquid diet is better than not being able to eat at all. Just having energy again has improved my mood greatly.

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a good Tuesday. I am except for this liquid diet thing . . . blahhh. Today is my first day back at work in the office. It is going good. I feel perfectly fine and have adequate energy. The only think is if I sit too long and try to stand, it hurts to straighten up and I want to walk around semi-hunched over. This is also my first completely non-medicated day. It is strange, I had the hydrocodone syrup over the weekend for pain . . . and I had a really pleasant weekend. I had a couple of things happen that would have had me riled but it was like . . . ahh, whatever, I don't really care all that much. I have never really been on pain killers before and now I can see completely why people can get addicted. I have decided this past weekend was much to enjoyable for me to refill my prescription if I could get by without it. They are nothing but trouble anyway. It was that one darvocet in the hospital that made me vomit my way into a nasty slip in the first place. Haydee, don't get too nervous. Most people do perfectly fine. Even my band doctor didn't believe that I was having a problem with the band because I was empty. He said it is exceedingly rare for someone to slip that badly while empty. Perhaps it is worthwhile to start reading the pregancy threads . . . or maybe even post a poll regarding band complications occurring during or immediately after pregnancy. The results will probably be anecdotal and you will probably have some people answer that they are 5 weeks pregnant and never had a complication, lol. It might be interesting to see what people have to say.

I just want to give everyone a quick update on me. I have been really sick and vomiting daily with horrid reflux since my last day in the hospital after having Ayla. I have had an empty band since January. I saw a doctor twice for it but they gave me anti nausea meds and sent me on my merry way. The doctor really didn't think it could be the band because my band was empty. Now I have learned the hard way, you can get a slip on an empty band. At the beginning of last week I just couldn't take it anymore and scheduled a self pay flouroscopy which is 4 hours away from here. The scanned me and saw the barium never passed through the band, it went into a dilated pouch and got stuck there . . . with an immediate need to vomit. The band was hanging vertically as well and nothing made sense on the x-ray. The doctors first thought was possible erosion or the worst slip he has ever seen. So they did an emergency EGD and scoped my stomach to see what was up. I needed emergency surgery to repair or remove the band and was scheduled for 7:00 AM the next morning. Then they drew my blood and found that my potassium was at 2.5 which is critically low. Low enough that I should have been having heart problems. The nurse told me that had I been much older or weaker before I got sick I could have died. So I was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday and had to go on IV pottasium for 2 days before they could get my potassium high enough for an anesthesiologist to even consider putting me under. Well, I had an emergency band replacement onn Friday. It was self pay and wiped out our family savings. So I am sitting here uncomfortable not able to sleep and drugged up on hydrocodone. I lost my original Realize band and now have an Allergan model. I look very pregnant again because my whole midsection is so swollen. I was 127 pounds last Wednesday but now I am 144. I think it is retained fluids and my whole body looks thick and puffy, especially my legs and around my eyes. I am mourning the loss of my savings but happy I still have a band. So here I go again on the banded journey, only this time it is step one all over again. I have been all weepy and sad for days. I am pretty sure that pregnancy had a lot to do with my band woes. I am afraid to get pregnant again. Anyways, please send some positive energy and thoughts my way. I could sure use them.

I felt the same way in the beginning and insisted on keeping some Fluid. I ended up having three emergency unfills until I was emptied around 6-7 months preggers. After I was emptied at the end of pregnancy, I again felt the need for an emergency unfill but my band was empty. Nothing I could do but bear it. The last day in the hospital after I had the baby I had a bad vomiting episode after taking a darvocet. My band slipped while it was empty and I was in the hospital. I had emergency surgery to replace it last Friday. I realize now that I was foolish to worry about keeping fluid in. I was so worried about not gaining too much . . . didn't realize I was going to lose my band over it. Now I agree with the doctors, empty it out right away and realize that even empty you are still not 100% safe. You can still lose your band with one bad vomiting episode.

Thanks everyone. Jane I did get that outfit you sent Ayla and it is adorable, thanks. :0) I am going to take some violet pictures with all the cute outfits that Ayla received on her and post them. She is a really lucky girl with all of her violet aunties. I am not sad and weepy so much over the band or the money. I think being sick contributes to me being weepy though. What really has made me so incredibly sad is that I lost the first three months of my new daughters life and maternity leave being horrifically sick. I will never be able to replace those months. I cant even begin to describe how rough it was. I was even too sick to get on the computer. At least it is done and I can put it behind me. Life goes on :0). By the way, that comment about not getting pregnant made me snort into my protein drink lol. Thanks for the laugh.

I just want to give everyone a quick update on me. I have been really sick and vomiting daily with horrid reflux since my last day in the hospital after having Ayla. I have had an empty band since January. I saw a doctor twice for it but they gave me anti nausea meds and sent me on my merry way. The doctor really didn't think it could be the band because my band was empty. Now I have learned the hard way, you can get a slip on an empty band. At the beginning of last week I just couldn't take it anymore and scheduled a self pay flouroscopy which is 4 hours away from here. The scanned me and saw the barium never passed through the band, it went into a dilated pouch and got stuck there . . . with an immediate need to vomit. The band was hanging vertically as well and nothing made sense on the x-ray. The doctors first thought was possible erosion or the worst slip he has ever seen. So they did an emergency EGD and scoped my stomach to see what was up. I needed emergency surgery to repair or remove the band and was scheduled for 7:00 AM the next morning. Then they drew my blood and found that my potassium was at 2.5 which is critically low. Low enough that I should have been having heart problems. The nurse told me that had I been much older or weaker before I got sick I could have died. So I was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday and had to go on IV pottasium for 2 days before they could get my potassium high enough for an anesthesiologist to even consider putting me under. Well, I had an emergency band replacement yesterday. I was so ill, I couldn't even make much of a decision to go back to Mexico or to convert to a sleeve. I had $8,950 in my savings account. I just had to spend $8,800 of it to replace my band. So I am sitting here uncomfortable not able to sleep and drugged up on hydrocodone. I lost my original Realize band and now have an Allergan model. I look very pregnant again because my whole midsection is so swollen. I was 127 pounds last Wednesday but now I am 144. I think it is retained fluids and my whole body looks thick and puffy, especially my legs and around my eyes. I am mourning the loss of my savings but happy I still have a band. So here I go again on the banded journey, only this time it is step one all over again. I have been all weepy and sad for days. I am pretty sure that pregnancy had a lot to do with my band woes. I am afraid to get pregnant again. Laura, I see Dr. Brad Watkins at Cincinnati Weight Loss. He does a revision for $7,700 if you were originally banded in the states and $8,800 if you were originally banded outside of the US. I know you are sold on the sleeve but I just wanted to let you know that there are band options that are not so obscenely priced in the US. Anyways, please send some positive energy and thoughts my way. I could sure use them.

* Jennifur, the new tat is absolutely adorable and I love the color. * Haydee, I am older than you and it took all of 2 weeks after going off the pill to get preggers with a happy and healthy baby girl. I wouldn't worry too much, if it is meant to be it might come along a little faster than expected. I bet you will look absolutely adorable preggers. * Judy, It is now impossible for me to look at a swimmng pool without thinking about fimming, lol. Ethan sounds like he is part human and part fish. :-) * Laura, I feel sad for your friend at work. That has to be so tough making those kinds of decisions. I really want to see Carson with his teefs as well, lol. It might sound a little hokey but a frozen washcloth for him to gnaw on is really soothing with the cold and the nubby texture. * Kat, I am sorry the CPS has you worried. That is enough to make anyone crazy and you of all people don't deserve to feel bad. I am grateful they are there to protect children but sometimes really good people get stuck in the crosshairs and really bad people find ways around it. * Suzy, congrats on making it through surgery. * Terry, I am happy to hear that Evan sounds much better. It sounds like things are really looking up.

I'd be more in for the margaritas on the beach as well :0) I can't imagine being all prepped for a transplant after getting the looong awaited news that it was time . . . and then have it not come through. I am not sure how they are coping but I would be very heartbroken and depressed. I really hope an organ comes in for them soon. I will be having a flouro done next week. I am very, very scared that I have a little slippage going on. I havent really been right since the baby was born. I feel like I have a super tight band and I can't really eat but I know it is empty. I hope, hope, pray that whatever the issue is, it is salvagable. I just can't fathom any way an empty band should have me so seriously restricted without it being slippage.

I just wanted to dorop in and say hello to everyone. :0)