karibensea

I don't have a cough at all, and my sinuses are mad drippy up here in Jersey! lol Back home I would be all clogged up but here in NJ my nose is constantly running. I know the doc will notice tomorrow when he does that barium swallow ultra sound, and no reflux to speak of really.. I will be very glad when he just says oh it all looks good 1/2 cc is all i am going to give you and that will be my sweet spot I am sure of it.!!! We will see Thank you all for your input

I live south near the town of Blackwood, NJ just south of Deptford.

Stacey Thank you for posting this I am having the same issues as to gaining weight also I have had my bad 3yrs in July 2012 I have been kind of bad though as of late working around the band using what is called a slider food. So that being said I have since downloaded "myfitnesspal" and love, love, love that app!! I am working on a 1200 cal regime I was 254 when I got banded and now at my lowest was 203 but since have gained oh about 10 lbs. I have made some major life changes since Jan 2011 and there was a yr working for a company that I totally hated and the stress nearly killed me. No longer working "unemployed" a whole different kind of stress but the stress of the job is gone. I was to a point where I constantly had sleepless nights, major hair loss and a huge Vitamin deficiency, my cholesterol has even jumped from 206 to 221 so I once again have to make some major life changes to protect my health. I had to find a new doctor when I moved to NJ in Jan 2011 he never once checked the band not even at the 2 yr mark. So this week I changed doctors and we are due to have a barium ultra sound to see if there is anything actually wrong with the band or if I have stretched my pouch. I am also scared to death I have NEVER had one issue with this band and I hate the thought of major issues especially since my medical insurance is running out at the end of May since I lost my job. Anyway I wish you luck and please keep me posted as to this process as it might be something I have to have done eventually. At this point I am really not sure what is going on with me and this band. We will see. Have a great day Michele

It has been almost 3 yrs since I had been banded and I have started gaining weight!! I have have no major issues with the band, NO pain, NO anything out of the normal except major STRESS for the past year sitting all day working at a job I absolutely hate. I moved, working hard at getting my life in order. NONE the less there is a problem here I am so not sure what is going on. I do not seem to be eating anything out of the norm of what I had been but maybe what I had been has been wrong from the get go. I moved to NJ a little over a year ago and although my doctor is one of the best in the state I really feel as if he is not the best for me. I had a couple very small fills and it has been almost 8 or 9 months since he filled my band the last time. Now with the weight gain he seems to think that the band has reached its point of no use. It has NOT even been 3 yrs! He now wants to remove it and put in a sleeve..WHAT another surgery I DON'T THINK SO>> Now keep in mind that since I have found him when I moved here, He has not one time done an ultra sound to make sure all was ok with the band, not one time did he even do any kind of xray! Really how would he know anything was up or not.. So bottom line here is this, I have gained weight and I mean like 10 lbs of weight and I am angry with me and at him because his quick fix is to take out the band and do another surgery without every getting to the root of the problem. I am going to a new surgeon here closer to my home who once again has come to me highly recommend from many different directions and hopefully we can figure out what is going on. Maybe I just need a fill! Maybe there is a leak in the band, maybe something horrible is going on and I just don't know. Although if something very bad was going on I think I might know, don't you? I have been getting a bit of heartburn as of late so I am really a bit nervous about it... Please help..any thoughts or personal insight would be helpful. My appointment is at 2pm Est today Michele

Other then the my fitness pal is there that you all know of an app for calorie counting?

Hello everyone I has been 3 yrs for me come July 9th and I have been pretty successful but not the way I wanted. I will admit I have not always been a good girl with this process and I have had NO major issues at all.. Have any of you ever had your band replaced with the sleeve? I am just wondering if you have and how has it been working for you? Thanks and I look forward to all of your responses.. M

Hey you all thanks for the kick in the pants I need this as I really am a slacker. I got a fill back in July last year after I moved here to NJ. I have a great doctor and good friends all of who live back home..lol I know I just need to stop being lazy and give up a few things I could not bear to part with food wise...you are all correct in saying just get off my tush and make it work..Why on earth was I thinking about the sleeve. My band is at the sweet spot and I do have restriction still pretty good too I might add.. Thanks again all of you and Humming Bird I really wanted to be at the place you are by now but again being a slacker on my end did not help..any tips you might want to share? I just need some help getting back on track Thanks M

WALK WALK WALK..I can not stress that enough..I have severe back and I was in tears it was so bad but walking did help sooooooooooooooooooo much..Also when you lay in bed on your back get one of those very long bags and have it PACKED with ice, double bag it and put a towel between your skin and the ice bag..I am serious this will help you so much..Good luck and congrats on the decision you have made.

I have BCBSDE and since I did not have medical insurance from Feb 11-July 11 I have to wait 1 yr for the insurance to cover anything bariatric! What is that all about? BLUE CROSS paid to have the surgery done back in 09 and now they will not cover anything because I had a laps in coverage? Really who can afford the Cobra that is offered to you between jobs? I wonder if anyone has any ideas as to what I can do. I need to have my band looked at and can not afford any kind of medical expenses right now...I have had my band for a bit over 2yrs and when I moved up here to Jersey I got a fill and it was too tight. Now he did back out some fluid and it was all good. As of late I have been having a problem with major phlegm due to a bad head cold I had a couple weeks back. I cough a lot too, as it seems I can not shake it! The cough is deep and makes my throat hurt not like sore red kind of hurt but strain kind of hurt. I feel as if I have a clog in my band or that something might be wrong with the band. Sometimes I get a bit of what feels like heartburn. I get so freaked out but it has been over a year since I had my last barium xray to ck on the band so I am scared. I can NOT afford hospital bills right now and I just do not know what to do.. Any input you have to offer will be a blessing.. Thanks

Hello all I have been having some buring in the area when the lap band should be located. Not all the time but from time to time there is a buring sensation, kind of like heartburn but not nearly as bad. It has been two years since I had the band put in and I am a bit concerned. I am wondering if perhaps I ate something that might be a bit stuck and it is causing this problem. I do not have any issues sleeping at night nor do I have any kind of reflux issues. I do not have any problems eating food at all or drinking either. I am just concerned because I do not have insurance that would cover anything related to bariatric so the cost of any test weighs heavy on my mind. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated Thanks so much Michele

Hey there everyone Just checking in to see how you are all doing, it has been a very long time since I have been online and I have had many life changes since. I have been banded for 2 yrs now this past July and only lost 60 lbs. My goal was 100 but so far that has not happend. But hey only 40 more to go. It would seem that I have a 10cc band and right now I have 8 cc in the band so the doc says. lol Anyway just touching base to see how your all doing and to catch up. Peace Michele

Hello there Thanks for posting..I to was banded in July 09 and down just about 60lbs and that seems to be it! I don't excersise either and I am no where near a size 8! lol I had a ton of lbs to lose and maybe with this last fill and my sweet spot I can get some more weight off. I do have a gym at my office and for 10 bucks a month I might do it. I might break down and get my sweat on, oh god I so hate the sound of this. I love food and I totally enjoy cooking, but of course once the band was in place many things on those programs changed. Less food, less cooking and more flavor! Anyway i keep moving forward and I also do NOT regret doing this at all. Keep in touch! Michele

Totally wishing you luck honey. I was worried about a slipped band but I have absolutely no trouble keeping anything down. Keep in touch Michele

210 lbs that is AMAZING!!! Congrats to you! So you said you had to work hard on your emotional/mental part of losing so much weight? I am not sure I understand really. Your happy you are down this much right? I am sorry I just did not have that much to lose so I guess I have no idea. I think that is great that your down so much and I know how much of a change it was for me to curb my love for food. Since I had the surgery I have gone more to flavor then quality! If you know what I mean. Thanks for chiming in and keep up the great job your doing.. Michele

Yep I think I need to scale back a bit on my food intake. Truth is I do eat the wrong stuff! God I eat nuts and I seriously thing one of those might just be stuck! I hope you feel better soon and are able to eat some..baby steps and Liquid Protein. milkshakes..I love ice cream heheheh keep in touch ok? Michele

I just the past couple weeks starting haveing an issue with heartburn! I am so afraid of what it could be. Like I said I am I do feel at my sweet spot but now this..I have moved to a new state and have a new doctor so this has been a huge year for me. The heartburn is not a big deal but it is noticeable when I get it. And once I had to take an antacid! **** the one time the new doc gave me a fill I had to have some taken out because he tightened me up so bad I could not drink morning coffee.. now I can drink things and wonder if maybe I might just have something stuck an it is causing a problem you know.. Not sure what to do really a bit scared Thanks for popping on and if you have any input on this matter please help a girl out with insight.. Thanks M

Yesterday I finely was able to get a tad bit removed from the band and I do feel soooooooooooooo much better. I was having a problem getting coffee down in the morning and well eating was very hard. The band was just way to tight. So it had been this way for about 3 weeks and now that it is a smidgen loser I seem to be getting a bit of a burning sensation still every now and then. I really hope I did not mess things up. I have had the band in for 2 yrs come July and I have had NO issues what so ever. I also had NEVER been that tight, ever and it hurt. I did not have a lot of throwing up at all but I was very careful too knowing I was so tight. I will give it a couple days to relax and I should be fine..Down under 200 for the 1st time in over 20 years! I am ecstatic!

Please check your email I sent you an important note there regarding a new doctor..the best doctor in NJ :-)

I got a fill 3 weeks ago and it has been so tight that things were backing up in the middle of the night and waking me. I could hardly drink coffee and get it through. It was so tight that I was very uncomfortable. I was just so afraid that if I did not do something about it that it would cause problems down the line. The band has been in for almost 2yrs and I have had NOTING go wrong or turn bad with the band at all. I just did not want any issues. I feel so much better since I had a bit removed. I can sleep and drink fluids with out it hurting so much. And even though I am under 200 for the 1st time in over 20 yrs I still got some Fluid removed. Just keep a watch and pay close attention to how you feel. You will know if you need to get some taken out trust that and your intuition. Good luck Michele

I am not sure where this post went but it was originally posted at 7:21 am this morning and now it is gone from the forum wall. I am concerned as it has been almost 2 yrs and I have never had any issues with my band but then of course I have never in the 2 yrs been this snug.. I do experience burping that produces phlegm and in the middle of the night I get some of the taste of what I had to eat last. This is crazy I get to my sweet spot and now I think I might actually be way to tight. Please read on and any input would be great. Thanks so much. original post below there has been verbiage added to the post. My band hurts in the morning when I first get up and try to drink my coffee. I had it tightened a couple weeks back and it still seems to be very very tight. As the days go on I can eat, drink but wow it is snug. More so then it has been in the two years I have had it actually. I am self pay and the cost of each visit it expensive and being unemployed is rough so I just left it tighter and hoped it would loosen up in time. I guess two weeks is not long enough, it kind of feels like I have a hair ball in my throat. ..lol Have any of you ever had this issue? The band is really working because when I try to over eat it will back up, and ohhhhh my gosh I have had things stuck and how painful is that? And any liquid with bubbles totally forget that! Michele

My band hurts in the morning when I first get up and try to drink my coffee. I had it tightened a couple weeks back and it still seems to be very very tight. As the days go on I can eat, drink but wow it is snug. More so then it has been in the two years I have had it actually. I am self pay and the cost of each visit it expensive and being unemployeed is rough so I just left it tighter and hoped it would losen up in time. I guess two weeks is not long enough..lol Have any of you ever had this issue? Michele

Someone mentioned Dr. Marc Neff, Do any of you know how to get in contact with him? He is actually located down in Cherry Hill which is quiet a drive from where I will be but he comes highly recomeeded. I am going to be located more north of that area in Piscataway, Manalapan anyone know of a Doctor up that way? Any input would help..

I just got wind of this matter. I hear it will be hard to find a new doctor who will take me on as a new patient. Have any of you experienced this? I am relocating and being hassled about finding a new doctor is the last thing I need to be dealing with. Please if you have any input it would be appreciated. Michele

Congrats to you Amy! So do you like Dr Neff? Iwokeup seems to really like him. I need a good doctor since I am moving and all. The doctor I have here in St Louis is one of the best in the country and I love him. Took me 1yr to find him but I was so glad I did he is just great as well. I did post that I would like to get Dr Neff's info so that I can contact him. Where is he located? I am still in the process of looking for a place to live but I know that my job is located in Piscataway, NJ You are on the right path and this website here is amazing! I am almost 2yrs now with my band and if I can help at all please feel free to ask! Michele

Thank you so much for getting on this post. It really is appreciated! The new job I am taking will be up in Piscataway, Nj and where I am going to be living I simply do not know yet. I will be in town the weekend of Jan 7-11 and will be scoping out new housing areas. I do not wish to go more north then Piscataway-New Brunswick area but if the price is right it would be a huge consideration. Can you send me the doctors info please and maybe I can meet with him while I am up there. Thanks again so much and I do hope you had a good holiday! Michele