cathmo

Hello Dr. Hekier, Yes, Washington Regional only does Gastric bypass, but the support group includes anyone who wants support in losing weight, not only weight loss surgery patients. Cathy

I'm not even thinking of putting anything on my stomach again. Even Dr. Rodriguez wouldn't bring that subject up while I was in Monterrey. I know, because someone asked him about it, and he said he wasn't going there right now! :Banane27: At the moment, I just want to heal up my esophagus and stomach. As soon as I'm feeling better, I'm going to start walking, and when I'm able to eat solid food again, I'll start measuring it out. I can do this! Cathy

Sunsett, Yes, you are sooooooo right! Eating slower and measuring out what we eat.......all the things we were taught before to lose weight.....those and drinking loads of Water, are the keys to keeping the weight down. :Banane27: Cathy

Hi Cynthia, I hope that you don't have to lose your band, but the way I think of it is that it isn't the end of the world to lose the band. I was not born with it and it was just a tool to help me lose the weight. Yes, I lost a lot of money on the procedure but hey, it's just money, but it's not my health. I just want to be healthy........ not sick everyday, or God forbid, for the rest of my life! You just have to look at it in perspective. I'm also happy that I didn't have the gastric bypass, because if I had the same problems with that procedure, I wouldn't have anywhere to turn except for medications! That's why I didn't want anything cut out of me or re-routed. At least the band CAN be removed and you're back to where you started. And yes, this board is a great support. :Banane27: Keep posting. I hope and pray that everything will work out best for you. By the way, I've lost 6 lbs back (since Sunday) from the 11 that I gained back during the week of the surgery. It IS possible to lose without the band..... I just have to watch the amount of food I'm eating. The good thing is, my stomach shrank during the period when I could hardly eat anything so I now can't eat as much. I have to make sure not to stretch it out again! That's one good thing that came out of this. Cathy

I'm am disappointed that I lost my band, but I really had no choice. I was in pain and could barely drink anything. I either have to be positive that I can lose this weight on my own or not be positive, and I'm not having the pains that I was having while banded, so I'm happy about that! I've lived with hypothyroidism basically all my life, since age 7 and losing weight has always been a struggle for me as well as being discouraged.... CONSTANTLY! I've tried for over 20 years...... losing some weight and gaining more, and I felt like the band was my last option. Well, I figure that if I could lose weight with the band, then I can do it without. I just have to reconfigure how I will do it. I know now that I was eating too much food prior to banding, so now I will make sure that I eat less AND start walking. I'll just keep trying like I have before! :scared: That's all I can do. It's always a new day tomorrow.... there's always hope. Cathy in Arkansas

Thank you all! This forum has been a great support to me. :scared: Cathy

Just to let everyone know that I went down to Monterrey, MX this week, and Dr. Rodriguez ended up having to remove my band. After only having it for 2 1/2 months! I had no slipped band, no hiatal hernia. My problem was with the sphinctor at the base of the esophagus. It was really swollen and wouldn't work correctly. It wouldn't let hardly anything pass, although when he did the fluoroscopy on Tues night, the barium went through, then when I drank Water, it just closed off completely. No wonder I had such a hard time drinking water! Tues night, he couldn't figure out where the restriction was, so he had to do an endoscopy the next morning. That's when he found the swelling, but still didn't know the reason. So he went in with the laproscope and made the decision to take out the band, because he said the swelling might go down with medication, but it could always come back later, and I might get an eroded stomach. He said that my body just might produce too much acid and that may have been causing the problem but he really wasn't sure. He just didn't want to take the chance with my esophagus and stomach. He put me on steroids for a couple of days after the surgery and I was able to drink water and other liquids with no problem. I have to stay on liquids and mushies for about 2 to 3 more weeks. I'm just relieved to not have the reflux or the pain in my back or chest anymore and to be able to guzzle water again!! :scared: I am more sore than when I was first banded, but I kind of expected that. And I can't wait to be able to eat regular food again! But..... I have figured out a plan and will stick to it. Cathy

Just to let everyone know that I went down to Monterrey, MX this week, and Dr. Rodriguez ended up having to remove my band. After only having it for 2 1/2 months! I had no slipped band, no hiatal hernia. My problem was with the sphinctor at the base of the esophagus. It was really swollen and wouldn't work correctly. It wouldn't let hardly anything pass, although when he did the fluoroscopy on Tues night, the barium went through, then when I drank Water, it just closed off completely. No wonder I had such a hard time drinking water! Tues night, he couldn't figure out where the restriction was, so he had to do an endoscopy the next morning. That's when he found the swelling, but still didn't know the reason. So he went in with the laproscope and made the decision to take out the band, because he said the swelling might go down with medication, but it could always come back later, and I might get an eroded stomach. He said that my body just might produce too much acid and that may have been causing the problem but he really wasn't sure. He just didn't want to take the chance with my esophagus and stomach. He put me on steroids for a couple of days after the surgery and I was able to drink water and other liquids with no problem. I have to stay on liquids and mushies for about 2 to 3 more weeks. I'm just relieved to not have the reflux or the pain in my back or chest anymore and to be able to guzzle water again!! :scared: I am more sore than when I was first banded, but I kind of expected that. And I can't wait to be able to eat regular food again! But..... I have figured out a plan and will stick to it. Cathy

Just to let everyone know that I went down to Monterrey, MX this week, and Dr. Rodriguez ended up having to remove my band. After only having it for 2 1/2 months! I had no slipped band, no hiatal hernia. My problem was with the sphincture at the base of the esophagus. It was really swollen and wouldn't work correctly. It wouldn't let hardly anything pass, although when he did the fluoroscopy on Tues night, the barium went through, then when I drank Water, it just closed off completely. No wonder I had such a hard time drinking water! Tues night, he couldn't figure out where the restriction was, so he had to do an endoscopy the next morning. That's when he found the swelling, but still didn't know the reason. So he went in with the laproscope and made the decision to take out the band, because he said the swelling might go down with medication, but it could always come back later, and I might get an eroded stomach. He said that my body just might produce too much acid and that may have been causing the problem but he really wasn't sure. He just didn't want to take the chance with my esophagus and stomach. He put me on steroids for a couple of days after the surgery and I was able to drink water and other liquids with no problem. I have to stay on liquids and mushies for about 2 to 3 more weeks. I'm just relieved to not have the reflux or the pain in my back or chest anymore and to be able to guzzle water again!! :scared: I am more sore than when I was first banded, but I kind of expected that. And I can't wait to be able to eat regular food again! Cathy

I'm a Virgo..... Sep 4.

Thank you so much, health1st! Even after my NP said that she didn't think it was a slip, there really wasn't a way for her to be sure because she was only looking at an X-ray. I will be glad to get down to Monterrey and get this checked in a proper way. If it needs to be and can be fixed, Dr. Rodriguez will do it Wednesday afternoon, after my test. I am just hoping that he doesn't say that the band needs to be removed, but I am prepared for that also. Anything to take this pain and vomiting away! Yes, you are right about the dehydration. This past week I got steadily weaker during the week, and had to take off from work on Thursday. I got more Protein in that day as well as more Fluid. I felt much better on Friday. I will let you know how it goes this week. Cathy

The reason I asked is that I'm having MAJOR restriction with NO fills at all, and I was banded on May 17. I'm having pain in my back, on the left side, inside my shoulder blade, and I can't eat any solid food, only liquids and very mushy foods. Some days are better than others, such as I was able to eat watery scrambled eggs yesterday just fine, but today I ended up throwing them up. I was having lots of pain when I ate anything and especially drinking Water.... and belching a gazillion times to get it down! I'm not having that kind of pain much now, but I still have to belch a lot... WAY too much. I think that I irritated my esophagus, and that's where the pain was coming from. I started having this restriction around mid June, about a month after I was banded, AND towards the end of a bout of bronchitis (which I had for about 5 weeks). I started coughing 4 days after my surgery. I had just started eating solids and ate too much on a couple of occasions and too big of bites, and I PB'd and haven't been the same since. I keep wondering if my band has slipped, due to the coughing. Well, I'm going to Mexico next Tuesday to see my surgeon again to find out what has happened. I have been on liquids for almost 6 weeks now. I can't live like this. Do you think this sounds like a slip, from what you know of the symptoms that you have had? Thanks! ........... Cathy

Hi Health1st, So you had a slip within the 1st 3 days after you were banded? How odd! Do you know what caused this? Thanks, Cathy

Hi Bullit143, I am having these problems.......can't eat solids, acid reflux at night, coughing and loss of sleep at night because of the reflux, LOTS of burping, but I'm having way too much restriction (swelling of the esophagus?). I'm not sure if it's a slip or not... it may be a hiatal hernia. I'm going to see my surgeon in Mexico next week. I'm tired of this..... have been on liquids for about 5 1/2 weeks now (just got banded on May 17) and sometimes can't get liquids down. I may end up losing my band, I sure hope not, but I can't live like this. I'll let you know what happens. Cathy