Eeyore

It has been quite a while since I have been to the forum. I was banded about 4 years ago at NYU. I did not have the best experience with the NYU team, mostly as a result of their practice simply being far to large for them to support. Often times I waited in the waiting room (often standing room only) over an hour for my appointment and often felt like I was being rushed out the door once I actually met with the doctor/staff that I was there to see. At any rate, it took a long while to find proper restriction but today I am 138lbs - a full 100lbs lighter then I started. I recently ended up having my band removed by Dr. Cunneen at Cedars in LA about a month ago. I cannot tell you enough great things about Dr. C. He had the best bedside manner, I found him warm and kind and was great to work with considering my band removal was an emergency. Today I continue to struggle with eating properly however. After years of never truly feeling hungry, now instead of feeling hungry I get nauseated, which I hear is not uncommon as your body relearns normal signs of hunger. I've also noticed that if I go more than a 3-4 hours without eating the nausea kicks in, which of course leads me to not eat, and i get really weak and tired and miserable for several days. I also have what I refer to as episodes. Often times it happens at night but not always. I will begin to sweat hevily, feel very hot and yet have the chills simultaneously, my abdomen feels very tense and I feel the need to have a bm, some times my heart feels like it is racing though it really isn't when I count it vs a clock. It is all very bizarre to me. This has been something that has been going on for years, maybe once or twice in a year but lately it happens almost weekly. I've checked in w/ Dr. C and there were no complications during my surgery, I've been to a GI specialist, a cardiologist and my primary of course to make sure there isn't anything else wrong and so far no one can find anything else. Has anyone else had any of this (the nausea vs hunger or the 'episodes') ? While I definitely look better and appear to be more healthy at 138lbs then I did at 240, I have found myself feeling far worse physically. I'm hoping at some point I will relearn the signs my body is sending me and get back to leading a normal life. It has been a very tough month to say the least.

Hi Everyone! I am moving back to CA in a few months but I'm worried about finding a doctor for fills and check ups. Any recommendations? I'm a self pay so cost is a factor but I'm not willing to compromise my safety either. Thanks for your help!

I'm looking to have a breast reduction - hopefully to be paid for by my insurance (any tips????) and also a TT. Does anyone have recommendations on a kind, knowledgeable and all around fabulous PS in NYC area?

soul love some advice or info from anyone who has done this. I am considering getting a reduction to hopefully a 36/38 DD so i can workout better (maybe even run!) and fit into clothing better. However, I am worried about losing sensation. This is probably TMI but my girls are definitly one of THE zones for me and I am afraid I would lose sensation and not be able to fully enjoy hanky panky again.

Thanks everyone. I am going to try and change a few things around and see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Hi Everyone, I hope this doesn't make me look like a complete fool but I hope maybe someone can offer some good advice. I had surgery about 8 months ago and have barely lost much of anything despite reducing my caloric intake to 600-1000 and fat to no more than 12-18g per day. I know my problem is lack of exercise. But while I know I need to exercise more I find that I cannot drum up the energy. By the end of the day its all I can do to take a shower before bed time. I've had thyroid tests done several times (thyroid problems run in the family) and every time the docs end up doing two because the first one is slightly below normal and the second one apparently comes back ok. I am really at a loss and very fustrated.

Thanks everyone. I didn't even know that about estrogen in my fat! My surgeon never said anything and there's nothing about it in the literature. But then again I keep forgetting to ask her about it. I'm going to go to my gyn and talk to her about my options because the PMS is what is really really troublesome, the period stuff I can deal with. Thanks again!

Question for all the ladies out there. Since having surgery and losing about 1/3 of my goal I've noticed my periods have been much heavier, lasting a day or so longer, and cramps are more painful and last throughout where as before if I had cramps it was only day one. Has this happened to anyone else? When you get to a more normal (ie not obese) weight does it get better?

edited by eeyore

edited by eeyore

Hi everyone. First I wanted to say thank you for 'listening' to my woes over the past few months. Your support is priceless. Thought I'd give a quick update... Its coming up on 3 months since my heart was ripped out of my chest and while still painful at times, things are looking up. The past few months have been a roller coaster of emotions - I'm sure anyone can relate to this, and it all seems some what foggy. However I went away for a couple of weeks and I'm not sure what happened exactly but its as if a light bulb went off or switch was flipped. Weird experience was coming home, I met this guy. Complete womanizer but hilarious, very charming and cute. No nothing happened -get your minds out of the gutter . But he made me feel attractive again, something I hadn't felt in a very long time and what is more funny is that I forgot what that initial attraction felt like. Those feelings that I can best describe as confidence and excitement have been very empowering. Suddenly I realized that I will get other chances at love and happiness, that life wasn't over. I wouldn't say that I'm healed but I think its progress. Though discouraged by not losing lbs apparently I've been losing inches (down 2 dress sizes!!!) and generally feeling better physically and emotionally. Thanks again to everyone for your support and encouragement. :biggrin2:

I cowgirled up and went to the Dr. for my fill yesterday - and I laid it out for her. She was so great and gave me some encouraging advice. I told her about how I seem to be able to fit into smaller clothing but haven't lost a single pound and I am feeling fustrated and like I'm going nuts.. She told me to consider it a NSV and celebrate it and not to worry that the scale will follow. Essentially she says that my body is repositioning as I'm toning up (thanks to my new passion pilates) and that this is a good thing. We also talked Protein. Admittedly I've been pretty bad about this and have been focused on calories and fat and not as much as protein. I find it difficult to count anything when I tend to eat things that don't have labels on them, so I just try to make good choices. Anyway, she recommended the Isopure drinks so I'm not taking in a ton of calories but will be getting a good dose of protein. I'll have to go pick some up today and see how it goes. Thanks to everyone!!!

Congrats Kristen!!!! :thumbup: Hope you are recovering nicely at home now. Went to see Dr. Kurian today for a fill myself - she's so wonderful! Keep us posted on how you are doing.