aimerus

I can still eat thin crust but I have to be so careful to take tiny bites and chew well. I have to concentrate on not snarfing it down. My first PB/stuck episode was with pizza and that turned me off of it for a long time...not forever, of course..

Don't worry about it. They just want to make sure you are not crazy. I had to do the psych evaluation as well. I took a personality test and he asked me some questions about my life and why I wanted a band. It was no big deal. At the end of our session, I asked if he had ever recommended that someone NOT get the band and he said just once... it was a lady who had split personalities and he said no b/c she already had enough "stuff" inside of her.

Wonderful!!! You should be very proud!

It's tough but I bet you are going to feel so much better once you move to the mushie phase. As long as you are following your drs instructions then I am sure your pouch is fine. Hang in there!

Baby your bands!!! I was banded in June 2008 and had emergency surgery on Tuesday afternoon after an upper GI showed what my surgeon and I had pretty much already suspected...a slip. Though I am not sure when the slip occured, I went from Saturday to Monday with no food and barely any liquids (not even my own saliva) I vomitted constantly, had the worst heartburn and indigestion I've ever had, and had a very sharp, instense pain that came and went right between my boobs and radiated through my whole body. Even my ears. I went for a huge unfill on Monday morning but the symptoms persisted and I was back in his office on Tuesday morning and in the operating room a few hours later. I'm home resting, on the full liquids stage, gassy as can be, giddy from pain meds and really sore. And dang that left shoulder pain. Deja vu. My point... be careful with your bands! I was not always careful with mine. This has been NO fun though I am grateful to have a second chance! I have not even talked to the insurance company yet... no idea how much this is going to end up costing. Ack.

Call the dr. Ask to go ahead and move to pureed foods. I'm sure your period does have something to do with it! Hope you feel better.

That's great! My insurance company required 6 months of medically supervised weight loss. Good luck to you!!

Lemon pudding, mashed up avocado, Hamburger Helper pureed in the food processor (not too attractive to look at but..yum!), Baked potato, mashed potatoes, lasagna pureed, chicken salad pureed.. A medicine cup full?!?! That seems awfully small to me!

She sounds like a *^%@# to me. "you know.. the band might not help your Gerd and you may not be successful at all if you don't exercise 1 hour a day... so you might want to reconsider.." Seriously? What a stupid thing to say.

Yes, it is possible. My band gets tight at certain times of the month, if I go to the gym several days in a row or if I have a cold or allergies. You are obviously too tight so it is good that you are going for an unfill. I usually have to take it easy after an unfill as I am sore and swollen from several days of being too tight. Have fun at Disney!!

I never had that done either.

Woo-Hoo!!! That's awesome. Congrats!

Popsicles!! Don't put those in the pantry though.

I second the chewable papaya enzyme tablets. I always chew one or two after eating meat. Hope you are feeling better today.

@Marykb- After about a year, I just kind of stopped listening to my body and kept eating even though I knew that my pouch was full. This led to barfing, not every day or anything, but I am sure over time that these episodes contributed to the slip. In addition, I rarely gave myself time to heal from one of these episodes. @big range- My surgeon had to replace the port and hose b/c there was a kink in it so he just went ahead and replaced the whole band. He told me beforehand that if anything was infected that he would have to remove it. Luckily, nothing was. As far as insurance, I don't know yet. I called the hospital this morning and they have already submitted the claim to Cigna. I will probably call them today and see if they need anything from me. I'm pretty nervous about what I am going to end up owing but it's done now.

I understand. I am almost at 2 years and this dang thing makes no sense to me sometimes. Some days, I can eat a huge portion of a certain food and some days, I can barely tolerate 2 bites without feeling full. I have learned that depending on the time of the month it is and whether or not my allergies are acting up does make a difference in how tight I am.

My husband has several food allergies and they were awesome about accomodating his needs. I am sure this will be no different. Good luck!

O M G.. I am in pain and am looking for advice, reassurance and your similar experiences. I have had this band since June 2008 and have lost 115 lbs. Over the past 6 months, I have had several small unfills b/c I felt like I was just too tight (especially around certain times of the month..) I gained 5 lbs over the holidays and decided it was time to get a fill. I ate a pretty big lunch on Tuesday (oink) containing groundbeef and went in for my .5 cc fill at 4:00. The dr mentioned that he had more trouble than usual and was concerned that my "hose may be kinked." That evening, I ate some very dilluted chili and felt fine so I had a meatball. Ok..ok..2 meatballs. Don't judge. I felt fine and went to bed. The next morning I had a Protein shake and felt really tight as I do most mornings. I was able to eat the meat from a taco for lunch and a few bites of refried Beans. My nose started running and I hiccuped so I stopped and was feeling SO happy and encouraged that I had that restriction back! Fast forward to 2 hours later...I am at my desk feeling that heaviness in my chest and listening to strange noises emitting from myself. I PB'd twice and felt better. An hour later, I threw up Water...lots of it and pretty violently. A few hours after that I threw up brown liquid full of hamburger meat (yum, I know) but the weird thing was, it seemed to be coming from my "real" stomach because it was old looking, smelling and tasting, you know? I continued throwing up about 6 more times. I went back to the dr this morning and got the .5 cc's removed. I am on liquids and was able to drink a few sips of Protein Shake, coffee, and water before throwing up again. What I am wondering is..is todays throw up from food still being stuck in my band or do you think it is from my no doubt swollen stoma and esophogus? Bless you if you are still reading! My questions are: Ever heard of a "kinked" hose? How long can food stay stuck? Do these papaya enzyme tabs really work? How long till the swelling subsides? Thanks!

Yes. Frequently. My dr describes my band as "picky." I'll be going along fine for a few months and then - BAM..I suddenly can not eat the same foods or amounts that I had been consuming with no problems for months before. My band is also very sensitive to coughing, colds (and drainage from them). I am also waaayyy tighther the last 2 weeks of the month b/cause of hormones. I have had this thing since June 2008 and still can not quite figure it out. In fact, I am having an episode now. I went for a slight fill on Monday and have been fine all week. Good restriction but no PBing or anything. Suddenly, after my morning smoothie- I feel very very tight, my chest hurts and I could not keep my coffee down. I feel like I ate a giant piece of chicken and it is just sitting there but I have not anything solid since last night (baked potato..) Ugh. Yes, so I feel your pain. Good luck! Take it very easy over the weekend and call your dr if the problem persists.

Hey UpperWestSide! Thanks for responding. I went to the dr again for another unfill this morning and he wanted to go ahead and have the barium swallow done. I am waiting on those results but the guy who did the x-ray said he thought the band placement was fine and that I just looked tight. I am happy I can keep fluids down today! Have a great weekend! I will be in your wonderful city on Monday!

A few people in my office are doing some plan using HCG. First, they have a "gorge day" where they eat the fattiest, greasiest food they can find. Then, they drop to 500 calories a day and put this stuff under their tounge. They feel great for a few days and then they turn pale and weak and cranky but they lose like 10 lbs a week! Duh, who wouldn't lose that eating 500 calories a day? Seems like a scam to me!

Wow. He sounds like an ass. If you are not comfortable with him then kick him to the curb and get a new dr. I think some "tough love" is perfectly acceptable but telling you that you are going to be one of his failures is pretty crappy. If you are not satisfied with your weight loss results then maybe it is time to evaluate your diet and exercise situation. The dr can only do so much, the rest is up to you. Good luck!

OMG! You are a brave one. I love roller coasters but that sounds insane! I have never heard of any warnings to avoid amusement park rides with the band. How did you know you had a leak? What were your syptoms?

Hi Suzanne- I too had a hh repair during my surgery in June 08. What exactly is gastritis and is the Nexium for that the hh or both? When are you going to get re-filled? How has it been being unfilled? This started on Thursday night. Ate too much fish for dinner... On Friday, all I ate was 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes. I could not keep any liquids down. I was on mushies/liquids on Saturday and liquids Sunday and today. I still feel pretty bad. There is something extra icky about heartburn on an empty stomach. It does seem like my band is too tight but why? I got an unfill back in August because I was having similar symptoms though not this bad. At that time, I had a barium swallow and everything looked fine. Wonder if the next step for me will be an endoscopy? At this point, I'd be totally ok with a complete unfill if it brought me some relief. This dang lap band is still so mysterious to me at times...

Hi me1234... I know exactly what you mean about the feeling of a lump. I have an appt to see my surgeon tomorrow to tell him about the heartburn I have been experiencing that kind of came out of nowhere (been banded since June 08) and also my pouch that feels full all the time even though I am able to eat nothing and drink very little. Why have you had so many unfills in the past?