eisermanr7

hey everybody, I was banded july, 2008. I got pregant 4 months afterward. I didn't see a doctor about my band from oct 2008 until this last monday! so basically I was wondering if over that amount of time is it normal to lose any fluid out of my band? I just got filled to 2.4 cc's (she checked before fill and I was at about 1.8 cc's) on monday, however about 2 years ago i was at 2.5 cc's... meaning I have lost about .5 cc's over the course of two years. Anybody have any ideas?

I just found out last night that I am pregnant. It is a welcome surprise, however it is a surprise! I just got banded on July 1st & I know our docs prefer that this didn't happen until a year after being banded. I guess I just don't know what to expect now. Do I have to get completely unfilled now? or can I just keep on going?? I feel like I eat enough, I have been losing about a pound a week. I'm scared about gaining weight from being pregnant-- I promised myself that I would never go that direction again!! I'm caught in a bittersweet moment right now (although I know it'll be a wonderfully-sweet moment in the end!) If anybody has some input on this-- PLEASE help me! :thumbup:

thank you everybody for all of your advice! sorry it took me so long to get back on here! but i'm sure you can understand it's been hectic lately and i've been having a few spotting episodes. so far i still have all of my fill in... i actually haven't even called my band doctor yet and told them. I figure they want to see me back in January so i'll just tell them then (plus that was when they wanted to see me next anyhow and I pay out of pocket). Everything is going well so far, able to eat fine... one thing though... since probably about 1 1/2 weeks before I found out I was preggo, my port side has been a little tender, like muscle soreness? it's very dull and it doesn't constantly ache. also, it doesn't hurt when i poke or prod at it, so i don't think it's infected or anything.... could it be my hormones??

:eek: I have been getting "stuck" a lot this week. My last fill was a lil over a month ago. I can still eat and still drink fine... most of the time! but like I said, I have gotten stuck like 5 or 6 times this week. I guess I'm just wondering if I am getting too comfy with my band and I need to slow down?? If I eat super extra slow I don't have any issues, but it also seems like I have been eating and chewing the same way I always have since I have had my band (but I guess you never really realize what your doing until it's done). I'm just freaking out that I'm messing up my band-- I definitely don't want that to happen!!! Also I was wondering if maybe I'm just a lil too tight?? but I had my last fill over a month ago and it's been fine. Should I go on liquids and mushies for a couple days??? Sorry for all of the babble, just freaked out!

I was told to get to my doctor or emergency room asap if I got a stomach virus. I actually was reading an article in the newspaper the other day and it was about a new vaccine that they are giving babies to prevent the rotarvirus (thats the one that causes the stomach flu)... I don't know if it's only for babies, but I think it would be awesome if banders could get it someday! :biggrin:

Well I had my 2nd fill yesterday. It was 1cc... so the doctor tells me that I'm at 3 cc's now and I'm not going to have much more room for fills. While I was there we also discussed my portion sizes, because at my 1st fill he told me I should be eating an "egg-size" portion. Well, I've really tried, but I usually can eat like 2 or 3 times that amount! He told me that I shouldn't eat until I feel full... that I should only put the alotted serving size on my plate and only eat that!! And then he said that basically if I don't change my portions that this surgery isn't going to work the way it's supposed to work! So now I'm questioning myself. Was this surgery was right for me? I was under the impression that the band was supposed to make me feel fuller? I know I have the psychological stuff to deal with .... eyes bigger than the stomach type thing, but I feel like I've made big changes as far as that goes.... I don't eat in between meals! and I don't drink with meals! And I haven't even had ONE sip of soda (of any kind!) since a few weeks before my surgery! I dunno... I guess I'll have to work harder! I've come this far! And spent this much money!!

Thanks you guys for your uplifting suppport!! I think it's just what I needed!!

I overate yesterday myself!!! I still feel really bad about it!! I think I definitely need another fill!! I am also still trying to get my eyes to match my stomach size!! I think if I only had so much to eat in front of me, I would realize I don't need to eat so much! hopefully i can just move on from this!! and you too! :tt2:

I am feeling pretty good, I went to my first fill dr.'s appt since I've had my surgery on July 1st. Even though I felt good and I had lost some weight already, I was still unsure that everything was ok (I had some big fear that my port was gonna be misplaced or something and I wouldn't be able to get any fills). Well I got my first fill, turns out I had .5 cc in my band that I didn't even know about, the doctors told me that that was what comes in the band (my mex doctors said they don't put any in, so that must be true), so my doctor here put in 1.5 cc... so now I have a total of 2 cc's in my 4cc band!! I feel pretty good, however I still don't feel like I have enough restriction, but I am not going to get anxious about it yet!! I think I do need to watch my portions a bit closer, I am afraid that I am going to strecth out my pouch. I asked my new doctor how much I am supposed to be eating, and he said the size of an egg? :biggrin: I think sometimes I can eat the size of 2 eggs before I feel full. But sometimes I also think my eyes are just bigger than my belly. I'll just have to try harder i guess!

Now this is just what I personally did, so I would still use your own discretion... But I went back to the tanning bed 6 days after surgery. I still had bandages on top of all of my incisions (on top of the glue), so I think they probably protected me-- of course I got funny looking circle tan-lines. All of my incisions healed completely in less than 2 weeks!! I'd say by 10 days after my surgery all of my bandages and glue were off, and I don't think it did anything to my scars. I actually think that the heat helped heal everything up a little quicker for me! Like I said, that's what I did, but everybody is a lil bit different :lovechoc:

:cool2: I may just be acting paranoid, but last night I was walking into my living room out of the kitchen and we have a baby-gate up so I stepped over it like I always do and I felt kinda-like a pop and then a tingle?!?! It felt lower than where my port is, but there was like a tingle that shot up (like a nerve) it wasn't really painful, but it freaked me out. Now I'm scared that something is wrong with my port, so I have been obcessively poking around my port-site area to see if I think it has moved or not to the point I'm making myself sore!! I had my first fill last week and everything is fine, I just don't know if what I experienced last night is normal or not?? If anybody else has had this happen to them PLEASE let me know!! It'll make me feel much better!

:biggrin: I was just wondering if having the band could screw around with my menstrual-cycle??? My periods have ALWAYS been regular... every 28 days. I had my first period since being banded on July 19, so naturally my next period should have been last Saturday (Aug 16). Well, I didn't get my period until yesterday :smile:. I thought for sure I was preggo!!! B'cause that's the only time I've ever been late is when I was preggo!! I know I got my period so I should just chill, but I'm never just late without a reason, and I'm just wondering why I was on time last month (I could've understood it a lil bit better then because of all of the liquid/mushie food causing sudden weight-loss), but now I am late? If anybody else has had this same thing happen, please let me know! Will this continue? Will I go back to normal? I'm kinda freaking out because I am not on any birth control and I don't plan on being on any for quite a while.

:wink2:My doctor told me no more than 10 lbs for 6 weeks, so I took 4 weeks off of work, and took it easy the last two weeks, because I also have a VERY physically demanding job (i'm a maintenance tech). Honestly, at first I was under the impression that this surgery was gonna be a piece-o-cake and I thought I'd be able to go back to work in about a week, boy am I glad I got that time off... I wasn't even feeling 100% until after 3 weeks!! Plus I was self-pay, so I couldn't afford to do any damage to myself

:teeth_smile: I have been so horribly bad the last few days on what I have been eating! I still can't eat as much as I did before banding, but I feel as though I am headed in the wrong direction. Yesterday I ate approximately 4 meals, and they were all frozen meals, nothing good for me! I just can't believe I am doing this to myself... right after I had the surgery I so desperately wanted and paid for just a lil over a month ago! I need support, and I know I can get it on here, but my husband is a stringbean garbage disposal, so he eats junk all day long, it just makes it so much harder. So today, I'm trying to get back on track... I'm going back to work my first time since surgery, so I scrambled one egg and I added some onion and home-grown tomatoes. I'm eating one for "breakfast", I made one for to take to work for lunch, and I plan on drinking a protein shake when I get home. I just hope I don't keep letting my bad habits creep up on me. If anybody else has 2 cents they wanna throw in, I'll take it!!!

I took a month off from work because my job is very labor intensive-- I'm a maintenance tech, so I'm constantly lifting a lot more than what's "allowed" after surgery. Plus all of the torque involved with the pushing and pulling. Also since I was self-pay, I couldn't afford to mess anything up! I'm good to go now though! :biggrin:

:smile:Thanks you guys for all of your support!! Reading your comments just made me feel so much better!!! I will definitely put your suggestions to use!

First of all, congrats on getting banded! As far as answering your questions, you should do what your doctor tells you, but I can tell you what mine told me to do... Clear liquids for the 1st week, clear liquids + creamy soups the 2nd week, mushie foods the 3rd week, and on week 4 i could transition to solids (chewing VERY WELL!). As far as being crunched over, it's probably because of all of your muscles sore, I found placing my heating pad over my abdomen and stretching out slowly helped a lot! Also don't forget that walking is very important and that helps as well! And brief showering should be A-OK for your incisions, but no baths or swimming! hope this helps!

:wink2: It's Me!! I'm glad I could be a lil' inspiration for ya girl!!! I'm sure I'll need a lil' inspiration down the road *hint hint* lol. Now I'm just waiting for my first fill-- August 27th !!! It seems so far away! I'm afraid I'm gonna gain weight back, my weight loss has already slowed down a lot! Well glad you're doin good chickie!! much luv to ya girl!

:eek: Not exactly sure what's going on here... I don't go to my doctor until Aug 27th, but it seems as though I am getting severley bloated everyday!!! It happens at night usually, although I woke up one morning because of it. And it is strange because it doesn't feel like the same kind of "bloaty" feeling I had before surgery, it's almost a sharp pain right where my stomach is (not nauseas though). I have been taking gas-x and it seems to help after a couple hours. I was just curious, is this normal? Does this problem go away after time? I was banded on 7/1/08 and I just started solids last Tuesday... could this be some more healing going on? Help!

:tt1: I am upset right now because I had really bad pain in my left shoulder and chest on last Saturday... and then I had some bad pains in the same areas just a couple times over the last couple days, but I feel better everyday! And also it was only happening if I stood or walked too long, as soon as I sat down--pain was gone! So I decided to have my patient facilitator get ahold of my doctor last night... and he says to do gaviscon and stay on liquids for another week!!!! I'm kinda freaking out!!!! does this mean that something is wrong? I just started mushies today!!! :tongue_smilie: and it feels fine when I eat! I read on this forum that this pain is kinda common. I dunno... I think I am more upset about having to go back on liquids, but I am scared to death that something is wrong... maybe I just over did it on Saturday... I did get my hair done, and after they wash my hair in the sink like 3 times it puts a lot of strain on my upper torso (even before I was banded, but ususally the pain is just in my neck)

Hello, My name is Jaclyn, I'm 24, and I live in Virginia. I am scheduled to get my lap-band surgery done on July 1st. I am very excited and I am very nervous. My husband is accompanying me on the venture and it will be our first time flying together and our first time outside of the country EVER! I have had a lot of friends, family, and coworkers try and talk me out of going to Mexico, but it IS the only way I can get the surgery, and I feel I have done my research. I am going through belite weight and Jessica is my patient facilitator. So far, she has comforted all of my fears and I feel she will continue to do so before my surgery and afterwards too. Dr. Jose Rodriguez is doing my surgery, so if there is anybody that has had any personal experience with him, feedback would be great!

:huh2: I started mushy food today and I'm feeling way more restriction than I did on the liquid diet. I kind of figured this might happen, but in a way it's a completely different feeling! I just made a scrambled egg and I couldn't even eat half of it! That kind of makes me excited... I'm hoping this restriction might last... but I was also wondering how long your stomach really stays swollen from surgery? At what point do you know if you need a fill? I hope I keep my restriction and don't need any fills.... I'm self-pay, so every little bit helps!:embaressed_smile:

:embaressed_smile: I definitely have to concur with everybody on here so far!!! I think Mexico (hospitales angeles) was great!!! I would go back there in a heartbeat!!!

:cursing: I was banded on July 1st. I am out of work for 4 weeks, but that is only because I am a maintenance technician, so my job is VERY physically demanding! My doctor said not to lift more than 10 lbs for 6 weeks! I was originally going to just take a week off... but boy am I glad I have the extra time off now, because I'm really not in any condition to be doing that stuff right now. Plus I am self-pay, so I can't afford to mess anything up!

:smile2: I have lost 13 lbs!!! I was banded on the 1st! I start mushies tomorrow, so hopefully I won't gain a whole bunch back before I get my first fill! (my first fill isn't until Aug. 27th:crying:)