autumnlee

Hi, I have 2 boys, a 27 month old and a 6 month old. I got my band in 2004 and was losing weight and then had to unfil since I got pregnant and was pregnant again before I had any fills. So for the last 3 years I have had a unfilled band. I went to the Dr last month and had some gastrits. So I am unable to get a fill. My problem is I am still eating like I am pregnant. I am nursing and I know you need more to eat but it seems like I am so hungry. The dr stated that I could have a half fill in 2 months and that would help I am a bit nervous since I am hungry all the time now and I don't know if I can handle not being able to eat like I do and afraid I will hurt my band. I think this sounds weird but I want to stop my heavy eating and lose weight but it seems like such a long way to back to where I was. I gues I am asking how do you get started again and deal with all the new stress on top of it. Please help if you can. Thank you!

First off, congratulations! I had a defill about 8 weeks pregnant and have not had a refill yet since I am breastfeeding. I just saw the doctor 2 weeks ago and they stated that I can have a fill when our son is 7-8 months. That wasy the nutrition of the milk is good. Have a great weekend.

I didn't know that we couldn't hane a ng tube. Do you know the reason for this?

Has anyone delt with Rocky Mountain HMO? I had the surgery but was on different insurance and was wanting to see if my husband can get it too. Just wondering if anyine has dealt with them or if they except the lap band.Thanks

I am a Respiratory therapist and I work 12 hour shifts also. They are a pain in the behind but it is so nice to have the 4 days off to be able to follow the diet much easier. If you get a chance use the stairs instead of the elevator. I do know that you are on your feet a lot and this helps with the exercise. What I have done is not ecercise on the days I work but really work hard on the days that I am off. When I am at work I try to take the stairs. For snacks I hear you about not having a schedule. It was very hard for me also. I have learned to carry around a little bag of nuts in my pocket. They are good protein and that way I don not have to worry about chesse or so forth getting warm. Then when I am heading home I wil eat some cheese or more nuts. That way I am not starving when I get home. I try to eat something every 2 hours or I just starve. Hope this helps and have a great weekend.

I am from Alamosa Co but was banded in Greeley co. It was the best place. Dr Johnell and the staff were awesome. Information on the bariatrics go to Northern Colorado Medical Center website and they can help you more. I wish there were some support groups in southern colorado. If you know of any please let me know. Thank you!

Surgeon Name: Dr. Johnell Location: Greeley Colorado at NCMC Date of banding: 9-28-2004 What your surgeon closed with (sutures, glue, staples, etc): tape How many incisions: 5 Type of band (if you know): don't remember Overall cost of your surgery (if you wish to share): around $13,000, insurance covered most of this And your personal review of the surgeon and his/her office and staff: I felt so comfortable with the staff and surgeon. You can tell that they really care about you and would do anything for you. They even take calls at anytime day or night. I recommed this doctor.

Congratulations!! Glad everything went well for you.

I had intense pain after surgery and they put me on Lidocaine patches. The patch has numbing medicine and it helped to take the edge off. I hurt for quite a awhile. Everyone reacts different to surgery. Don't feel like a wimp or put yourself down, you have been through lots and you need to focus on getting through it. Keep hanging in there.

I would do it over again. I had surgery Sept 2004 and immediately started to have problems. I had lots of pain and my bladder fell asleep so I had to have a catheter in place overnight. I was in so much pain that I wanted it out and they told me to be patient and it would get better. It did. I am now very glad I got it and would do it again. Give it some time.

I just had a child 5 months ago and 2 years ago with a band in and had no problems. They let the fluid out as soon as I found out so the baby would get as much nutrition as possible. The band caused very little problems through the whole pregnany and delivery. I waited 10 months after the surgery to get pregnant and still had no problems.

Hi, It is neat to talk to someone who had the band by Dr. Johnell. Their group is awesome I think. When I told them I was pregnant they were very happy for us and they told me that it happens quite a bit since some people are infertile til they start to lose weight and they don't think they can get pregnant so fast and they do. They were not upset and were very supportive. I hadn't tried to get pregnant before we got married and we just decided not to use any protection on our honeymoon. I wouldn't change a thing about the timing. I had lost 40 pounds and was feeling better about myself. I gained about 20 pounds with both pregnancies. With the first I ost the weight quickly and was back to pre-pregnancy weight within 4 months and with this one I am 10 pounds still over pre-oregnancy weight. Still not too bad. I am nursing and that really helps. I had no problems with the band most of the time.Toward the end I would e sore where the port is and when he would kick near it but wasn't enough that some Tylenol didn't help. I would wait until you are at a comfortable weight that you can be ok with. The more weight you loose the odds of having compications go down. Best of luck and thank you. Autumn

Hi, I am new to the forum but would like some help. I got my band in 2004 in Colorado by Dr. Johnell. 10 moths after I got banded I got married and was pregnant with our honeymoon baby. They took the fluid out and have not had any in since. When our son was 1 year old we got pregnant again and we now have a 26 month old and a 5 month old sons. After our first son was born they kept me empty so I could nurse. And have been pregnant and nursing since. I am still nursing but would like to get back into the diet and mind frame of the band again. I was wondering if anyone has had the band this long and been pregnant and if everything was ok. I have been having problems with food getting stuck even though I am empty. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Autumn