Jodi_620

Not sure where in PA you are but I know where my Mom is (Western PA) every medical situation results in a huge run-around situation and to make matters worse, the choices of doctors are not so plentiful. But I agree with others, if possible try and find another surgeon or at least let the doctor know that either they get on the ball or you will move on.

You poor girl. That barium is hard enough to get down but to have it come back up.:bored: I hope you are able to get in for your Gastografin quickly and that you get answers soon. Waiting in a situation like this is so hard.

Hmm...is it sort of in the kidney area? (meaning lower back, off to the side) The reason I ask is that I got a pain there about the same time in my Lap Band journey and nobody can tell me why. I even had my gallbladder removed in hopes of losing that pain (it was full of stones anyway) but the pain did not go away. All the doctors can say is that it is muscoskeletal. I get it mainly when I am sitting and especially when I am driving.

So the pain you are talking about is acid pain? Advil and certain vitamins will do that to me. I can take the vitamins but I have to do it early in the day and drink a lot of water with it. If I take them too late at night I get a mouthful of stomach acid while sleeping. I cut out Advil completely and find that Excedrine works fine. Otherwise the only presription med I am on is Synthroid and it does not affect me.

It really depends on what caused your problem. Your surgeon really should have cleared this up with you. You say he would never fill you again, did he not give you any further explanation? The technical term for this is esophageal dilation. There are two basic reasons for it. Either your band was too tight or your surgeon did not place your band correctly. If the band was too tight, getting an unfill and allowing the esophagus time to heal is all that would be needed. If the band was not placed properly then keeping the band permanently loose or removal of the band may be necessary.

I did and had pain too. Mine was mostly intermittent pain that would travel from my abdominal area up my esophagus (the center of my chest). Due to Lap Band surgery we get a lot of gas and due to hernia repair, belching can be painful or impossible. For me, it was impossible which lead to excrutiating pain. Each episode would last a few seconds. I also had shortness of breath related to the hernia repair. I couldn't walk across the room or speak a whole sentence without getting winded. All of this lasted a week and 1/2 Otherwise I had incision pain which would pretty much be the same with or without the hernia repair. I had to sleep propped up for nearly two weeks. Bending and getting up from the sitting or lying positions was painful for about the same amount of time.

Also, I was told by my doctor that like bread, many people can't tolerate prawns (shrimp). I can usually tolerate it okay but I have to take it extra slow(more so than some other foods). I don't think I would have been able to handle it so early though.

I agree with your doctor. I was able to do a lot one week post-op. The port site incision will be the most painful, the others are barely noticeable. I couldn't lift heavy items or I would feel severe pulling at my port site. I could bend but had to be a little careful with it. Walking was no problem. Listen to your body and if you feel pain, stop what you were doing to cause the pain. Otherwise, keep moving.

The reason for chewing well is to avoid getting stuck. As you get fills you should be more mindful of how you are eating and eventually you will get accustomed to how well you need to chew. I am at restriction and have been aggressive at keeping good restriction and I personally have not needed to chew all my food to liquid in order to get it to go down but I do have to eat slower and chew more than I used to. There are also certain foods that require more chewing than others and there are certain days where I need to take it easier because I am suddenlty tighter.Like I said, you will get accustomed to it as you go.

I was told 800 calories.

I have had fills under fleuro and the water passes right through the band. Because shakes are thicker they pass through a little more slowly. I know for me, even 2% milk goes down a little slower than water. But really the shakes never really kept me full like solid food does. That is why we are told that once we have healed and gone back to solid foods post-op we should be eating solid food for each meal.

Two indicators to needing a fill are hunger between meals and/or slow/no weightloss. Sounds like you may need a fill.

The food will slowly pass through the stoma (the area where the band is...imagine an hourglass). How fast the pouch empties depends on how tight the band is (restriction). It will pass into the lower stomach and continue through the digestion process as always. At current restriction a 3/4-1 cup meal keeps me satisfied for about five hours, sometimes longer.

I would call again , you will likely get a different person who will hopefully be more helpful. But demand an answer on what your policy covers with WLS. I have UHC and had no problems getting answers. I do not know about your surgeon but most have insurance coordinators that handle the approval process, they are experienced in this so it is better to leave it to them (that is, once you find out if the procedure is covered with your policy)

No, as long as you are losing and not struggling with hunger, you do not need nor should you get a fill. But in my experience, once you lose so much the band will likely get looser (same concept as your belt getting looser as you lose)

What kind of diet does your doctor have you on at this stage?

The pre-op diet is about getting the fat off the liver, some doctors are more aggressive about this than others. It is a fear of attempting surgery and causing damage to a fatty liver. Post-op diet is only about healing not weight loss... some doctors are more cautious than others not wanting the band to slip. But in my opinion, although it is not the intention, the strict diet does help us to prepare for eating less and gets us on track for weightloss.

What kinds of foods are you eating? Certain foods can trigger your appetite. Is it due to head hunger or are you truly hungry or maybe both? True tummy rumbling hunger is normal at this stage. You will be relying on willpower until you get a fill or two. Head hunger is another thing. If you are not so much physically hungry as you are craving a particular type(s) of food then you need to look at what is triggering that. It could be stress, hormones or your diet. Are you craving comfort foods like breads, pastas, potato, sugars? That is what we reach for when we are stressed and the more we eat the more we crave it causing a vicious cycle.

Percentage-wise you are about where I was at 7 months. And you are running marathons!...how cool is that! Maintaining is where I have been for a couple months now. I would like to lose another 13 pounds...with my frame I think that I would look great then. But lately I have just been working on seeing where exercise will take me, at least for the summer. Maybe this fall I will get back to trying to lose the last bit of weight. Right now I am around mid-range normal BMI and if I didn't lose another pound I would be perfectly fine with that.

Hi spauding01 (from a coal miners daughter-granddaugther & great granddaughter) :thumbup: 1.) This is a common fear and it was my biggest. I also have PCOS and as you can see from my milestones below, you can lose weight successfully. As a matter of fact, my PCOS symptoms went away almost immediately. I have been off my Metformin since the beginning. 2 & 3.) We are all pretty much in the same boat as far as not knowing what will happen in the future. Any one of us could change jobs or lose our current coverage-especially in todays economy. It is a risk you will have to weigh for yourself. It took just under a year and six fills for me to reach my goal. It is a necessary part of the process so if you think you may not be able to maintain it then another route may be best. Good Luck in whatever you decide!

Go BillOh!!!!! :thumbup:

It sounds to me like you are a great candidate for the band. I think the biggest failure rate comes from those that get the band thinking that it requires nothing more on their part. You have dieted before so you understand how to watch what you eat and you are already accostomed to eating healthy foods. You are already active. Your biggest problem is controlling your portions and the band will take care of that. You will still be able to have most of the foods that you love as long as you can tolerate them but you will get full on them much faster. As far as all the fears and anxiety goes, it is perfectly normal and in the end you will realize that you built it up to be much worse than it is. There will be pain but it is quite manageable and short-lived. The cost is pretty painful too but in the end it will be worth every penny... there isn't a wiser investment than investing in your health. My biggest fear was of failure. To go through the pain and cost of surgery and fail would have been so humiliating. Like you, I had been on so many diets and failed that I was sure that this would just turn out to be another failure but it didn't. Good luck with your consult!

I would typically say that it is normal and probably due to stress or hormonal changes. My restriction feeling changes from time-to-time. But because you recently did a lot of vomiting, maybe you should go have your doctor check to make sure everything is still good, especially if you start noticing other signs like pain, food coming back up or acid reflux. I was told to come in and get an unfill if I get stomach flu with a lot of vomiting because it can cause slippage. It could be nothing but it is something you want to think about.

Thank You and right back at ya! :eek:

I've given up carbonation because my doctor said to. So I do miss my beer. I have non-carbonated mixed drinks on occasion. I am serious about weight loss so I don't choose to add these empty calories on a regular basis but when an occasion arises I have a few drinks with no guilt. Vodka and SF Cranberry Juice with a slice of lime (Cape Cod) is my drink of choice. Had a few jello shots with Vodka and SF Jello on my vacation last year. Alcohol does not affect me any differently than it did pre-op nor has it affected my weight loss at all.