lotzasunshine

Stress can really wreck havoc on you and your body will respond to it. I went almost 2 years only losing about 1 pound a month. I left my highly stressful job in April of this year, lost 6 pounds by May and have continued to lose ever since. I haven't done one thing differently than I had been doing before. I only eliminated the stress. I'm glad you got yours under control. I hope you are able to continue with your weight loss. Good luck.

Thank you so much! It is nice to know that I am not the only one!

I was banded in July 2008, and lost 65 lbs my first year. I had some trouble after my father passed away from cancer in April 2009. I didn't do well with the stress of his death and was overfilled- and aspirating at night. This went on for about six months. In that time, my husband lost his job and we had to figure out how to live. I got a job as a nanny in trade for a basement apartment. My husband got uneployment so we were ok. That went for a whole year. The October after my dad died I finally got in to see my surgeon and get an unfill. It worked wonders and I was coping better. I went back in March 2010 and got a fill to start losing again. About a week after that fill I lost all restriction. I had NO help from the band. I went back the next month and the office discovered a leak. I scheduled a port replacement in July 2010, two years after my initial surgery. I gained about 30 lbs from march to july.The Dr determined that it was a manufacturing defect in the port tubing. After the port replacement I was doing ok, but not losing, even with fills. I had one that was too tight and found a local dr to take some out. I did well with that, but then my husband and I were getting too stressed out by our living situation and decided to leave. Ever since my port replacement I have been very gradually gaining. I get fills and then am too tight, then too loose etc. I decided to give it one more try when I reached 289. I can't let it go back to 300. So I got a fill a week ago and am down around 6 lbs now. I am praying and hoping and working to make this tool of mine work again. My husband and I found good jobs, and have a great living arrangement now. I can afford to stay on top of this and I am promising myself that this is going to work. My portion sizes are good and I am still eating healthy, lots of Protein. I guess this is just a really long explanation to say that I am back on the wagon and hoping it will work again for me.

I have had this problem too. You need to get an unfill ASAP! Coughing up Fluid from your lungs is a very bad sign of being too tight. Stress can cause swelling around your band and make a perfect fill into a miserable situation. Get an unfill, wait for the swelling to go down and refill tiny bits at a time, that is the only thing that worked for me.

Hello Ladies!! I haven't been here forever! How are you all doing? Long story short, Josh and I left the nanny scene and both have good dependable jobs now and I am able to afford regular fills. I am getting back on the band wagon, and got a good fill on Monday and am down 5 lbs this week so far. I know it won't come off that fast for long but at least I am heading down now. It is a relief to not be gradually climbing. I figured it would be good for me to get back on here. I need to kick myself in the butt and stay on the wagon this time!

I had to get a total unfil on Monday. :cryin: I had been having terrible gaslike (though worse) pressure/pain that kind of billowed out... starting in my chest and going up towards my ears. It was quite unbearable. I called Dr Metz's office in the morning. His NP told me to come in for an unfill. She told me if the pain did not go away she would get me in for a for a upper GI Tuesday, then if all was well she would give me some fill Wednesday. I am going to MI tomorrow and did not want to go with a empty band.

I went to a support group at Dr Snyder's Monday night. (He is at Rose) The pain was getting worse so I went to the ER there. They did a CT and said my stomach was dilated (though the band looked fine) They called Dr Snyder and he said I could come see him the next day.

I went to see him yesterday. He left the exam room to go look at my CT in his office. He came back, opened the exam room door and said "Your stomach is HUGE!!!" He said it was the size of a football. :eek:

He ordered a Upper GI and they got me in right away. Turns out my stomach was not emptying. The good news is the band is fine... no erosion, slip or dilation. :purplebananna: The radiologist had me lay on my right side for 45 minutes in the X-ray table. She told me that if it didn't empty they were going to send me to the ER so they could get gastro in for me. It emptied very little (if at all) in that time. They had just gone to get a wheelchair for me when the radiologist called and told me she had just talked to Dr Snyder and he siad I should be able to go home, that there was not much they could do for me in the ER. She told me she did not see anything obvious in my CT or UGI. No masses or anything. This made me feel MUCH better. Everyone agrees there is definetly something wrong.... just have no freakin idea what <sigh>

Before I went for the test Dr S said no fill until this is taken care of. So.... I guess I will be white knuckling it for the next month or so in Michigan. I am praying I don't gain too much weight, though the full stomach is a lot like a full band. Hopefully I will do OK.

Hopefully this clears up so I can start re-filling it when I come back.

Sorry I haven't been on for a while. So sorry to hear about your problems!!! That sucks! But I am glad they found out what was wrong. It must be hard to go through. Let us know how you are doing now, and if we can do anything to help!!

I am glad you're not gaining! That is good! I have really struggled for these last few pounds that I've lost. I got a fill a very months ago and I think it has helped a lot with portions, but it seems that the scale is hardly moving. I have done the low carb diet and am about to start the Insulin Resistence Diet. It's very balanced and is identical to the diet that I gave my diabetic patients. I hate to think of it as a diet, since I should be on it the rest of my life due to the PCOS. I never want to be a diabetic and with my PCOS the chances are high - regardless of what my weight is. I am very carb sensitive.

I wish I could pick you up and see you! I still have some things to give you that I never got to last time you were here. I won't be in town that day! Tell your Mom, I said, "HI!" I really enjoyed meeting your family!

I'm sorry you won't be in town. It would be nice to see you again. You are an inspiration!

Marie-

No problem on the 9th. Sorry it took so long to reply back to you. Had to make sure the hubby could pick up K after school. He said sure. I am looking forward to meeting you. We'll talk before then.

Thank you so much for working it out! The shuttle costs so much that it is a relief to have someone to get me! I really appreciate it!

What day and time are you coming in? I can most likely do it

julie

Thanks! I fly in on the 9th at 11:45 but can hang at the airport for a while so if you could pick me up around 1:15 or so we would have time to do lunch my appointment is at 2:45, then its pretty much straight back to the airport. I hope this works for you!

So I broke down and scheduled a fill and flight with the credit card. I didn't want to wait until after the holidays. Could anyone spare the time to be my ride from and back to the airport? I would pay for gas and take you to lunch!

Thanks Marie!!! How is life since your last fill?

Well I'm not gaining so for that I am grateful. I need to get a fill but have to wait until we have enough in the bank. As it is I am now working out 45 minutes a day on my elliptical and drinking my shakes and the Protein Water too. Trying my best to lose while I wait for a fill, but not getting very far. I feel like my life is more balanced than it has been in years. With DH working again and me having enough time to keep up with the apartment, errands, nannying etc. I feel like I have the time to finally exercise too so I am really getting into it. I am not letting myself skip a day for my workout all week. I know if I skip I will stop. So, that is me in a nutshell right now. How are you doing?

i can't believe it! I finally lost 200lbs since the day of surgery! I have lost 244lbs from my highest weight noted. (it was a weight watcher's visit) - :blushing:

this morning when i stepped on the scale i had to giggle with glee! :lol:i was home alone, so no one was there to Celebrate with me, so i thought i'd come here and share my good news!:smile2:

i've got about 68lbs to go! :eek:

i love my band!:wub:

yay!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97

Amy......................289................226.5..........160........ 66.5

Angie64.................270................270...........210....... ......60

Astrasmom.............254................254...........170............ . .84

Babe.....................265................265...........199.... ..........66

Band_Groupie.........172.5..............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5

BetsyB..................226.6..............206.8.........109...... ......97.8

BigMomma..............209................209...........135............ . .74

Bklynike.................258...............258...........150......... . .108

BobbieND...............224...............207...........150..... .......57

Bree99..................259...............234...........155..... .......83

Brigette................198................198............150.... ........48

Bristlecone............157................145............130....... .....15

crzytchr................217................217............180..... ... ...37

Dana36.................233...............229.............160....... .....69

daqui26.................274...............274..............200....... ....74

DDGALARZ..............185...............183............150............ .35

destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5...........150.............6 5 5

Diamondgirl81........317...............270..............225........... . 45

ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130.......... ..68.5

Fourme.................189...............168.............145.......... . ..23

Healthy-me-in-Az...242................183.6..........139.............44.6

HummingBird..........204...............164.............150............ .14

jenibeni.................224...............188.............165........ ....23

Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... .......102

Jeni 85..................185..............192..............150............. 35

KDEE....................240................240.............150...... ......90

kyleegirl01.............245................194.............160...... ......34

Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... ......95

Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... .......20!

Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19!

lotzasunshine..........271..............269.6............225.......... ...46

MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... .. 30

newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... .. ...39

Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... . ..90

ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... .......40

Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... .. ..83

RandaPanda...........194...............161..............150........ ....11

RAYNE913.............234...............210..............160....... ......50

RobinAnn.............232.4.............185.4.............154...... ....31.4

scoutmama...........270...............270...............180........ ....90

shadst8................333...............291.2.............233........ ....58.2

skinny31................261...............236..............182..... .......54

SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150........... 44.5

sueinne.................220................226.............180.... ........46

swjtlongdrive..........242................217.............179......... ....38

Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44

TARASGIRL.............305...............259..............225....... .....34

tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96

Teacher2010..........192...............174...............150...... . ....24

Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139

TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... .....62

TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94

Tinksmom..............256................213................145....... .....43

unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97

Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40

wonderwoman2009 175...............175................160..............15

Just popping in to say "hi". I haven't done a lot of chatting here, but I do follow everyone.

I was banded by Dr. K on July 22 2009. My start weight was 284 but I weighed 270 on the day of banding. I'm proud to report I've lost nearly 99 pounds since I started this process. (I've also lost my gall bladder, but that's another story.)

I've had five fills (and one partial unfill tweak). I haven't been to see Dr. K since May when I traveled to Denver twice in 5 days (once for a fill, once for a partial unfill). I'm at great restriction right now.

I have about another 30 pounds to go and am confident that they will come off even though it is slow going now.

Here's a picture of me at 284 at a wedding in May of 2009 (I'm in orange).

Here's me two weeks ago in a dress that I'm planning on wearing to a wedding on Saturday.

Other NSVs, I can climb into my ambulance with ease now; I've gotten a new jumpsuit for my EMS duties (when folks from other departments were teasing me about my clown suit, the Fire Chief thought it was time for me to size down... from a men's XL to a men's medium). I tend to my garden with ease. I walk everywhere. I fit into size 16 jeans; regular size L tops. I'm just thrilled with my progress.

Congratulations!!!! You have lost so much, it must feel amazing!!!! You look so cute in your new dress!

mmmakala

How has your first weekish been?

I wish I could add some banana or strawberry. Strictly liquid. No pulp or cream or anything. My doctor is very badass apparently. Haha.

crazylegs

Gas has SIGNIFICANTLY subsided and I am feeling so much better. Recovery went GREAT. I'm feeling good. The scabs are all coming off.

I'm settling with the nectar Double chocolate.

My solution was mostly lots of different flavored sugar free jellos

Hi all! I am 26 and have been banded for a little over two years, now don't look at my ticker and think I am a loser though. I actually did very well the first year, and then lost my father to cancer, so I put myself on the back burner, was too tight for a while, and then, when I finally got back on track, my Dr found a leak. So now I had a port replacement, and am back at it again. All my ticker shows I've lost I have lost since Tuesday.

Anyway, long intro just to tell you that if you guys have any questions, I am totally here to answer them! I don't know everything, and am certainly not perfect yet but still going in the right direction!

serenity88- congratulations on getting banded tomorrow! Good luck!!!

twostepsatellite and crazylegs _ sorry about the having to watch other people eat!! Totally SUCKS! I just did that this week after my first fill since my replacement surgery, I needed to do liquids and was dying because my husband was eating a small pizza.

I was having it during the night, and I was too tight. Not just fills make you tight. Stress can do it too. Even though it's been a while since your last fill, you may want to go in and talk with your Dr. With stress, your body can swell inside and cause you to be more tight. That is what happened with me. Don't put off going though. I did and it gave me problems for over 6 months. Good luck!!

AmyRainbow-

Congrats on choosing a date for your surgery. You are really taking a big step in your life. It will change so many things! You have made a good choice with Dr. K. He really is a wonderful surgeon. Let us know if you need anything!

Ok, so I had my port revision surgery in June and got a fill this week so I am FINALLY losing again!!!!! I am down 9 lbs since Tuesday, but now I can finally show a loss on this thread!! YAY!

Adjua....................347...............337...........240......... ....97

Amy......................289................228.9..........160........ 68.9

Angie64.................270................270...........210....... ......60

Astrasmom.............254................254...........170............ . .84

Babe.....................265................265...........199.... ..........66

Band_Groupie.........172.5..............157.5..........0-148........0-9.5

BetsyB..................226.6..............206.8.........109...... ......97.8

BigMomma..............209................209...........135............ . .74

Bklynike.................258...............258...........150......... . .108

BobbieND...............224...............207...........150..... .......57

Bree99..................259...............234...........155..... .......83

Brigette................198................198............150.... ........48

Bristlecone............157................157............130....... .....27

crzytchr................217................217............180..... ... ...37

Dana36.................233...............229.............160....... .....69

daqui26.................274...............274..............200....... ....74

DDGALARZ..............185...............183............150............ .35

destined4thinness..215.5.............215.5...........150.............6 5 5

Diamondgirl81........317...............275..............225........... . 50

ericanda1973.........198.5............198.5...........130.......... ..68.5

Fourme.................189...............168.............145.......... . ..23

Healthy-me-in-Az...242................183.6..........139.............44.6

HummingBird..........204...............164.............150............ .14

jenibeni.................224...............188.............165........ ....23

Jennih...................232...............232.............130.... .......102

Jeni 85..................185..............192..............150............. 35

KDEE....................240................240.............150...... ......90

kyleegirl01.............245................194.............160...... ......34

Lady LAP...............217................217.............125...... ......95

Lisa65...................174.5............165..............145..... .......20!

Liz........................193.4............174..............155...... ......19!

lotzasunshine..........271..............270.4............225.......... ...46

MaggieGT..............238...............236..............208.......... .. 30

newdicarlo.............187...............174..............135...... .. ...39

Northernmist..........289...............265..............175.......... . ..90

ol55andahalf..........184...............184..............144...... .......40

Peggy1.................308...............308..............225......... .. ..83

RandaPanda...........194...............164..............150........ ....14

RAYNE913.............234...............210..............160....... ......50

RobinAnn.............232.4.............187.2.............160...... ....27.2

scoutmama...........270...............270...............180........ ....90

shadst8................333...............291.2.............233........ ....58.2

skinny31................261...............236..............182..... .......54

SNDYCNRD.............207...............194.5............150........... 44.5

sueinne.................220................226.............180.... ........46

swjtlongdrive..........242................217.............179......... ....38

Tabithan................244...............234..............190....... .....44

TARASGIRL.............305...............259..............225....... .....34

tdtucker................256...............256...............160...... . ....96

Teacher2010..........192...............174...............150...... . ....24

Tealeaves..............305...............289...............150...... . ...139

TeriLu....................215...............212...............150.. .... .....62

TIGGER71G............224...............224................130....... .....94

Tinksmom..............256................213................145....... .....43

unshackled............277...............277................180....... .....97

Valerie.................190................190................150... . .......40

wonderwoman2009 175...............175................160..............15

I have my first fill this Friday. I'm so nervous, yet excited to get the first one out of the way and fear no more. I watched my sister have a fill with Dr. K and she did not even flinch, I hope the same for me!

My fears are not knowing when enough is enough. Having the band be too tight and having to return. I live in Colorado but still not close enough to make me not worry. Any advice?

Patty--I watched your video, what an inspiration! This thread is so helpful and motivating!

Dana

Don't stress about your first fill! It is a little nerve wracking because you've never done it before. But Dr. K is awesome, and finds the port very quickly. I have had one fill by someone here in Salt Lake and I swear he must have been digging around with that needle for almost 2 minutes. i thought I was going to be sick. That was the moment I decided to only have Dr. K's office do my fills! He will feel for your port and go right in. My first fill he used ultrasound to locate it and then went in. But idk if that is common for all first fills.

You may need several fills before you can get to a really good spot. He will have you drink a few sips of Water and see if you can feel it slow and be restricted. He will work hard to find you a good spot. Last time I was in there I drank almost 4 of the little cups before we found a great spot. He will definitely take the time you need. But help him too!! Some bandsters like to stay super tight, which Dr K will not do. Being tight is the worst thing in the world, so be completely honest with him, and he will make sure your experience is as painless as possible!! Good Luck!!!

My Doctor said low carb low sugar. I took it further because I read the horror stories of people being opened up in surgery and not getting their band because their liver was too fatty. I did no carbs no sugar for 10 days. I had all the Protein and vegetables I could eat, but it made me crazy. I agree with the others who posted to call the office for clarification. Can't hurt. Good luck!

I got a fill on Tuesday and it went well. I weighed in at 280 :smile2:

but that was with clothes, and it doesn't count unless you're naked right? LOL! Anyway Dr. K filled me up to 6.9. I was supposed to be at 6.3 ish when they found the leak. So it was a pretty big fill since I only had 4.5 during surgery. I am really tight, and did mostly liquids for almost 3 days now and it is getting better. I think that is normal for some people right? That they have to put themselves on liwuids following a fill because of the swelling. I ate chicken right after my fill so that I could test it at the office. Dr K said it was a good idea, and it was fine. Chicken has been the hardest thing to go down for me since day one, so I thought if I can get chicken down I will be fine.

Anyway, doing better today, and am down to 272!!! Even if you take off the 2-3 lbs of clothes I was wearing at the office, that is a loss of about 5 lbs in abt 3 days! I am super excited! It does wonders for my mental and emotional state to have the scale going down instead of up. I know that being on liquids has been part of it, and don't expect to keep up this rate of loss for long, but I am so happy that I am FINALLY losing again!! YAY!! :party:

Congratulations!!!!

I know I haven't been around here a lot. Been pretty discouraged with the restriction after the surgery. It wasn't much because my Dr and I didn't want me to be too tight. But I just went for a fill on Tuesday FINALLY!!! I weighed 280 at the office, and the scale this morning said 273.6!!!! So if you take out a couple lbs for clothes at the dr I have still lost about 5 lbs!!! YAY!! It does wonders for my mental and emotional state!!!!

Hey All!!! I'm so excited to find a community of "bandee's" that i can relate too!! I was banded on July 20th weighing in at 292 and as of August 2nd i am 272. I am still in puree' stage but I feel great and I cant wait to have and exciting adventure like many of you!!! You all keep me inspried!!!

Congrats!! You are looking great!!!!!

are you still going to be getting a fill on the 2nd or 3rd?

I am coming in on the 3rd. Going to be a quick stop though. I will be on my way back from Illinois. I have been helping my Mom move. So on the way back we will stop for my fill and then keep driving to SL.

Hi Everyone -

I am going to jump in here and post since I have been reading this for two days straight - talk about a long post!

Anyway, I was all set to go with Dr Johnell in Greeley, but he is $12,700. I have 9K that I took out of my 401k and thought I could get a loan for the rest - but am getting denied. SO, I looked some more at Dr k. Thinking it over, having ANOTHER monthly bill on top of the $200 for a fill is not a pretty thought either.

A few questions -

Does anyone know much about Dr K's complication rates? Dr Jonell has done 1100 Lap Bands with ZERO mortalities, only 3 removed due to complications, and 2 removed at the insistence of the bandee - just couldn't hack the change in eating.

Is Dr K's clinic a Bariatric Center of Excellence?

I really can't find much about him as far as his track record, number of Lap Bands placed, etc.

Dr Johnell has an 80% success rate (meaning 80% of people have lost 50-75% of access weight and kept it off for 8 years). 15% of his patients have not been successful and 40% have reached goal. These numbers are all part of the reason I really wanted to go with him, but I just can't come up with the extra dough

I guess I am looking for some assurance that Dr K's patience are just as likely to be successful - and as unlikely to have complications.

Also, I live in Loveland, so driving to the Denver area for fills will be an issue with work - does he have late in the day appointments, Sat appointments or appointments in other locations?

I know I can call his office and find all this out, but I have been stressing all weekend and am looking for some peace of mind :wub:

Thanks in advance for any answers!

Amy

I know Dr. K's website could use some updating with all the stats. But I took a picture on my phone of the stats on the wall in his office. Hopefully this helps!

As of June he had done 720 Lapbands. The sign also says that there are 62 patients that have lost over 100 lbs. As of the 10th of June Dr. K's patients have lost over 62, 789lbs.

That comes out to be an average of abt 87 lbs per patient!

Those are the only stats I have. I do know that complications with him are rare, as he spends extra time and effort making sure that he prevents everything he can. I know it has been a blessing for me. It may be a wise thing to make an appointment with his office so you can look into his stats if you are worried about it. Also there is a financing place that works with his office, and since you have so much ready to go it might be a good idea to use that to help get a small loan. Idk how that would work but it is worth a try. He is pretty flexible with appointments during the day but idk about nights or weekends. Another thing to discuss with his office.I fly in from Salt Lake City to get my fills as the price for a plane ticket to Denver and a fill in SL is about the same. Good luck in your decision!!! Let us know if you have any more questions!