trinity2008

Hello everyone, It has been a while since I have been on here. I was banded back in April 2008 and a year ago i had dropped a good 60 pounds. But now I have put back my weight on again, back on metformin and now tripilex because my triglycerides are a whopping 344. I am back to where I was 3 years ago! I am very depressed. I do have a fill of 3.9 cc in my band. I dont eat fattening foods, however, my weakness is Cereal. I eat cereal 3 times a day. who would have thought that cereal could cause a person to gain so much weight back!! i DO eat a reasonable dinner and the band works great. but then I need my cereal fix by 11 pm at night because i am hungry again. I HAVE concluded that I am a lap band failure but i keep hoping that its never too late. To some degree i feel that I am at the point of no return now. It depresses me. and I also know that exercise is important, but I have a fused ankle that prohibits me from walking and disc generation that prevents me from sitting and using my recumbent bike. My heart has enlarged again and sugar in my system leads my blood work to prediabetic again! HOW does a person overcome this ordeal??

I usually make protein shakes. A yummy one if you have a sweet tooth is the "reeses Peanut butter Shake". This consists of 40 grams of Rich Chocolate Whey protein powder, 2 table spoons of Natural peanut butter, 4 oz of skim milk (or chocolate soy, but I do not drink soy) and about 1-2 cups of ice. I use the magic bullet for all my protein shakes and works like a charm, easy to wash out vs a Vitamix blender or any other blender. But protein shakes seem to be my best bet for getting my protein in and preventing my hair from falling out. I also add a vitamins (powder form) to my protein shakes as well.

After surgery, that first month before my first fill I lost 30 pounds.

At 3.5 cc's I suffered major heartburn/reflex. It wasnt until i had gallbladder surgery that led to major complications (3 ERCP's) that my doc decided to give my stomach a rest (complete unfill) from all the inflammation caused by the ERCP's ( Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) - basically i needed stents in my bile duct to prevent bile backing up into my system. After the complete unfill, most of the severe reflex went away but now I take Kapidex which works wonderfully. Now 6 months post-op from ERCP, I had my band filled 6 weeks ago and another fill yesterday at 3 cc's. This time we are trying to stay away from 3.5 cc's if we can avoid it, because I did suffer major reflex at that level - and post nasal drip from allergies doesnt help either - so the stomach swells around the band, but no severe reflex yet (could be due to the Kapidex). I do have occasional heartburn here and there, but taking Pepcid A/C and Tums with my Kapidex works like a charm. Its been a long time since i have experienced any vomiting (knock on wood) and severe reflex. If this continues with you, perhaps having a slight unfill and acid reflex medication may help you.

Thats a very good question. I came down with a really bad respiratory infection last weekend along with a fever (very rare to have a fever). Then it went into my chest 4 days ago and have been hacking constantly, more so at night when I would go to bed (due to the bronchitis). Eventually I had to see my Primary care doctor to ask him if he could prescribe something very strong to ease my cough because my port, and maybe the band, were hurting from hacking all the time. He gave me a script and it definately made a difference. I see my surgeon tomorrow and plan to ask him this same question. I have noticed that my band seems much tighter now and not sure if its because of all the post nasal drip making my stomach inflamed. hmm... But in anycase, if your coughing gets to the point where cold medicines are not helping, and your hacking constantly, ask your surgeon or primary care doc to prescribe a strong cough suppressant.

I can completely relate to you. I was banded in April of last year and have only lost 44 pounds. During this time I have had a total of 4 fills. I had a set back after my second fill because my doc overfilled me (4.5 cc) and I was vomiting all the time, so I had to have a complete unfill done and had to start from scratch again a month later. I am currently at 3.5 cc's and have been at this amount for the last 3 months and we cannot go at or beyond 4.5 cc's because I vomit alot. My doc and I have determined that we are kinda stuck right now and should wait another month to try to put a little bit more in to see how I do. But in the mean time, I am very, very frustrated, as well as disappointed, that the people who were banded around the same time that I was, have lost almost 100 pounds by now and I have not. Its very heartbreaking and cannot understand why I am not losing the weight. I no longer eat breads or desserts - pretty much sacraficed everything I've loved, and I still continue to watch my portions because i will experience a vomiting episode if not careful. I just dont get it..

How big is too big to take any kind of pill with the band?? I had ligament reconstruction and have oxycotin that I could take; however, I had my band filled since the surgery and now am scared to take the bitty pill when I really need it for pain. And I am also learning that antibiotics are becoming very limited with the band. Some of my doctors get frustrated with prescribing because there are certain antibiotics that are chewable or come in liquid form. And dealing with chronic sinus infections, I am now limited to what I can and cannot take. And some of the heavy duty antibotics state to not chew. So when it comes to medication, how big is too big for the band?? Oxycotin is very small and was told not to chew them as they are time-released designed and can cause overdose problems. Please help!:eek:

myoplex ready to drink shakes. I usually buy the 42 oz and drink half in the a.m. and half in pm. I like it because it's chocolatey and smooth to drink unlike powdered drinks, which are way too thick for me especially when my stomach gets swollen. I admit that I often get tired of drinking the same thing, only because the strawberry is way to sweet-tasting for me, but i get my protein in and its much tolerable in comparison to other proteins.

I dont like the smell or the texture. I have to agree with the helloPenny though.. EAS is a great brand and I tend to buy the Myoplex ready to drink shakes. I buy the 42oz pack and drink half mid morning and the other half in the evening. A pack from Target (often hard to find as they sell out fast) and Wal-mart goes for about 9.99 (give or take a dollar) a pack. do not buy from GNC - they are very expensive. Vitamine Shoppe is decent too, they sell for 12.99. But I make sure - budget-wise - the shakes are a priority. I do not care for the powdered as it seems way too thick for me to drink, especially when my band gets tight from swelling.

I, too, suffer from hairloss. It completely scares me. I lost 35 pounds in two months and now lost a total of 50 pounds since surgery back in april. I continue to drink my protein shakes each day and am unclear why this is happeining. My hair has thinned out greatly making styling difficult. I asked my hairstylist about it and she said its because of the rapid weightloss and that it will continue to happen until my weight has stablized (weight loss goal that is!). Well, I have relatively stablized (not the weight loss goal) and my hair still continues to fall out!! I am worried that I will eventually go bald at the crown of my head! My doc says its all temporary but how much more will I lose?!?!? Its bad enough I have baby fine hair and I dont need to lose anymore. So I guess this will continue until I reach my goal???:eek:

Yes. I have had to do that on quite a few occasions. Infact, my last episode was yesterday at Red Robin. I had onion soup (without eating the onion) because I have been sick with cooties and a sinus infection, so all the post-nasal drip caused some swelling. anyway, I was in major distress and had to keep drinking so that I could start the sliming process. It turns out that all the post-nasal drip from the cold and sinus infection got clogged in my "pouch" and made me vomit my soup and stuff.

I am experiencing the same problem. I was banded in April and have only dropped over 40 pounds. I had a set back where I was overfilled and had to have a complete unfill and am now back at 3.5cc. But another bander I speak with via this site, she and I had surgery around the same time and she is very close to onederland and I am nowhere near it. she is shy 8 pounds from it and I need to drop another 41 pounds to get there. Its very disheartening for me and I just dont understand what the hell I am doing wrong here...

Hey there! I was on Paxil at one point in my life and it did cause me to gain weight. Now I am on Cymbalta and it seems to do just fine ( I have to open up the capsules and swallow the beads). I dont seem to be gaining any weight off of it, and like you I need them.

I didnt start feeling restriction until I hit the 3.5 cc mark. You will start to feel that the food u once ate at a normal sitting can no longer be tolerated. The food goes down more slowly and if you dont chew it completely, like we were directed pre/post op, the food gets stuck and then you feel the pain in the middle of the back and pressure in the middle of the chest area (I refer to this as distress) and feel the need to figure out ways to ease the pain i.e. sitting up straight, having someone gently pat on the back, or walking around/pacing (major distress) until u start salivating and then eventually vomit. But the food seems to go down much more slowly than before.

I was wondering the same thing! I have yet to recognize the fullness signs. I am at 3.5 cc's and sometimes I can get juicy chicken breast down and other days I just can't, despite chewing it up! I have had several incidents where the food would get stuck. It causes major distress and despite drinking something and hearing gurgling sounds, I have to sit straight up and then the "slimming" occurs and then its off to the bathroom to throw it up. But the distress can last for 10 to 15 minutes. It really sucks. Has anyone had a hard time doing the 30/30 rule with drinks?? I just cant seem to eat without sipping something!!

It's normal to feel that way right after surgery. You definately have to take it slow and learn what you can or cannot tolerate. I have found that the myoplex ready to drink shakes go down best for me. The Protein powders always seem too thick for me, especially when my stomach swells around the band. Just take ur time and try to enjoy them. It will get easier for you. I wish you the best of luck!

I had the same issue back in September. I had a fill done and did ok for a couple of days and then suddenly I couldnt get anything down. Liquids were ok as long as I took it slow, however, food was a real problem and I dealt with it for 2 weeks until one morning I woke up at 4 am in severe pain all in the middle in my back. When I swallowed my saliva I felt this pulling sensation in my back and it hurt like hell. I had to be seen right away and they did a complete unfill. Apparently I was overfilled. I was at 4.5 cc's at the time and then had to start all over. It is possible that it is inflammation. I also notice that post-nasal drip will also tighten my band as well. I have been sick with a sinus infection and a cold and had it really bad yesterday, to the point where hot soup wouldnt go down. I ended up vomiting at the restaurant. In anycase, you could be suffering the same ordeal - inflammation - and would see your doctor should this continue. I am glad you posted this though because back in May I asked my doc if ab work would affect the band and/or port and he said that it shouldn't. I intend to start doing ab exercises now that I am recovering nicely from ankle ligament reconstruction. And should I encounter the same thing, at least there is this thread to reference too. I hope you feel better!

I seem to be experiencing the same dilemma. I had surgery back in April and hoped that my glucose levels would be lower and my blood pressure down. I seem to be stable with weight loss right now (after dropping 44 pounds) and had a fill a few weeks ago. My endo did blood work and my glucose numbers are 1 digit from being considered diabetic and my blood pressure various. I was hoping that after all that weight loss my glucose work would improve, but it hasnt. I dont understand this. My gyn and endo have agreed that I should monitor my blood sugar with the meter periodically. I, too, had the surgery thinking that it would improve my lab work. How much more weight will it take before I am out of the pre-diabetic range? All of this is very disheartening.

Hello, I saw your posting and noticed that you and I had our surgery done by the same weightloss center; I had Dr. Tran. My surgery was done back in April and my doctor said it was ok to do sit-ups as well, but I am scared. Have you tried doing them yet? And does it hurt the port site?

Hello, I was reading your posting on the site about the CT Scan. What was the outcome of your procedure? I am curious in case I run into a situation simliar to yours. I had my upper GI last week because I was vomiting too much. But I am interested to know if your band eroded. I am hoping that your better now and that all is working well for you in comparison. Would love to hear from you about your outcome. Warmest regards...

Hi Belle My doc knows exactly where my port is and how to get to it fast. He is VERY good at it, and of course I would expect him to since he is the doc who placed it. Anyway, a few weeks ago I had to go for an unfill unexpectedly after struggling from my 2nd fill for two weeks trying to eat food (vomiting and then I woke up at 4 am with pain in my back and stomach, couldn't swallow saliva). Anyway, my surgeon/doctor was in surgery a the time, so I had to go the their other office in another city where I had to see one of their collegues for an unfill. I have never met him before since I've been with the practice. Anyway, he couldn't find my port at all. I kept telling him where my doc put it, but he just couldn't hit the spot. It took him 10 minutes to find it. My husband said that the way he was jamming and wiggling the needle, trying to find the spot, looked very simliar to liposuction! And for my husband to say it looked pretty horrific, it must have been bad. So that doc ended up hitting the sides of my port, just not getting it. So finally after he was able to unfill, I was EXTREMELY sore, tender, and had sharp pain for about a week. He really did a number on me. I see my surgeon next week to start from scratch on the fills, so I will be letting him know what kind of hell he put me through. But hang in there. I know exactly how u feel.

I was on mushies for 6 weeks and it got EXTREMLY OLD eating the same damn thing. I was so sick of canned tuna and chicken with LOTS of mayo - AND cream of wheat, which used to be my favorite Breakfast food until now! But the motivation was the weight coming off. You are going through what I went through and I did the exact same thing as you when I went to Bbq's: chewed the solids until it got mushy in my mouth, but that was after 6 weeks. I did, infact, eat a hotdog and chips while I was in the mushy stage. I chewed the heck out of it and swallowed, but later was scared that I would mess up the band (regret maybe?); however, now that I have had two fills since my surgery, and the 2nd fill was an overfill (suffered 2 weeks unable to eat any solids and vomited alot, now totally unfilled), it was just a nice break/relief to eat all that stuff again - hotdogs and burgers, etc... BUT.... I have not gained any weight, nor lost anymore weight. I have been very careful in not eating that stuff alot during the last couple of weeks. I still have my Protein shakes (even bought unflavored protein to put in yogurts and hot cereals) during the day, but maybe a hot dog here and there because of all the summer BBQ's that were going on around here! (off the subjuct but just to share) I meet with my doctor next week to start all over with the fills. There is no set number of cc he goes by; fills are based on how much Water I drink and then he adjusts the band to release the water, determining the cc amount. I was scared before to drink the water, only taking sips to avoid vomiting, but now I know what stuck feels like, and that water drinking won't cause that other than it "hanging in my chest", I am fully prepared to do it right next week and hopefully get the right fill/"sweet spot". But getting back to the subject, I would think you would be able to eat other foods besides the mushies after 6 weeks. That's what was given to me post-op. I noticed Southern Miss responded to you. She and I communicated alot prior to our surgeries. I was a few weeks before she had hers and now she has lost 10 more pounds than me. I just can't believe it, yet, I am sooo proud of her! My lack of weightloss was due to my slight set back. Anyway, just hang in there! 8 weeks seems like a long time.