greyhoundmom

hi! not sure i can help but i can empathize as i'm the same boat! banded 6/08, lost 40 lbs and then after 6 months stopped cold. i was a bit overfilled, got acid reflux, had some Fluid out, on and on and more problems. i haven't had to have my band changed or anything but 51 weeks after the band - i had gallstones that were not there before the band and had to have gallbladder surgery - same surgeon 1 year minus 1 week to the day of my banding! anyway, sorry you are struggling. you are not alone if that helps! i stayed off this site for a long while because the success stories were actually depressing me! at my peak, i had 7+ cc's in my band and now i have 5.5 and can't seem to get up there again. just had a small unfill today due to vomiting - i have no idea why because i eat slowly, chew chew chew, stop when i'm full. it's frustrating. ah, well, good luck to you and to me and i hope we both find a way to make his work for us!

hi army! it sounds like you don't have enough restriction! the band only works with restriction. i wonder why you've only had 2 fills? without good restriction, we are fighting the same battle we were fighthing before getting the band! i know for me that didn't go well for the last 10 years! i think i had a good fill level for a short while until it got overfilled slightly and caused acid reflux that i can't seem to shake since october. i've had a sore throat all day today - deep down in my esophagus. drives me nuts. so it's just as important not to get overfilled! i had some gurgling going on when i drank and i should have known that was not right but i kept it for a couple of weeks without knowing better. have been going thru little unfill, ok feel better so do a fill, oh, unfil again, ok, fill. sheesh. seems like we have to find our sweet spots with our bands! once that happens, from what i hear from everyone who's losing, the weight comes off. this sure can be a long process! hang in there! those who are losing are very inspirational to me in that i feel hopeful i'll get there and those who feel stuck are inspirational to me too for sticking with it and plugging away at good habits that should serve us well in the long run. we'll get there. sounds like you have some good habits and just need more help from the band. i wish your dr. would be more understanding and realize you are probably under-filled and need his help not unfair judgement.

so sorry to hear you are broken-hearted kizzie! i hope you feel a little better each day. and you really have to eat some nutrition or you'll be very weak and you'll feel even worse! allie, 107!! WOW! you must be totally psyched!! congratulations!!

hi everyone! Addy, i'm right there with you. i've been saying 40.5 lbs for a while now and i'm ready for it to be more! my in-laws are VERY supportive and this weekend they said you look wonderful and are definately losing again. well not on the scale but that was nice of them to say that! i see them every 2 weeks or so. i'm up at 3am having a sugar-free pudding cup because i'm starving. i exercised hard today and my legs ache which isn't helping sleeping. every day i get up and say just keep working at it and it'll work. i appreciate all of your support as well - i was doing so well until about october when acid reflux started. i'm underfilled now and i can tell i have less restriction but i do feel better (the ulcer-ish pain is gone for about 2 weeks now) so i think it's good to stay like this for a short while. scale is the same. hope that root canal went as well as it can! i've never had one but have had a lot of fillings and have 3 crowns. it's a root canal that i dread tho! take care! anyone get the feeling of being full but then having their stomach growl like you are hungry? happens to me all the time - and it's weird because my head says, oh i must be hungry but then i feel full up at the top of my stomach and i know i don't need to eat. my husband thinks i'm nuts on that one. it's like i have 2 stomachs, which i guess we sort of do. going back to bed. tylenol and the pudding cup should put me back to sleep! bye for now! ps hope those 60 degree temps are heading my way! usually we get MI weather a day or 2 later. sounds nice!!

Addy, hi, i'm struggling too. i have read that we tend to go to liquids but they don't help because they go thru the band too quickly. i know you say you are full but i don't think it stays there long enough to stop you from getting hungry sooner than if you ate solid food. i try to force myself to eat solid meals that wind up being pretty small and they definately keep me feeling full longer than protein shakes do. there is a thing called 'soft food syndrome' that is what bandsters do and wind up with too many calories. the band is supposed to work best with solids. that said, i'm stuck at the same weight since october, so i'm no expert! i've just read all that stuff in this book: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Laparoscopic-Adjustable-Gastric-Banding-Achieving/dp/0595311148/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234274767&sr=1-4]Amazon.com: Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery: Jessie H. Ahroni Ph.D. A. R. N. P.: Books[/ame] and i tip my hat to you for having ANY slimfast! i think that stuff tastes so nasty i can't get past 1 sip. hang in there! we'll find the right mix of diet, exercise and band fill and then the weight will come off again.

Allie, AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!! you must feel so darn good!! good for you!! thanks for sharing your pics!

i don't know for sure. the dr. explained that the band is not at the esophagus - it's lower. so if it's stuck (which i have had that happen and i get local pain (at the band) and 'sliming' until it frees up - hurts but nothing like the spasm situation) it shouldn't trigger the esophagus. people without the band get these spasms. i just don't know. i'm trying extra hard not to get stuck tho just in case!

glad you are feeling better, strike! i have definately gotten sick (pre band) working out early in the day on an emtpy stomach. not exactly sure what is going on with that phsycially but i felt like you did and wound up taking a sick day that day. you guys are kicking butt weight loss wise - way to go!!!!!! you must be so proud!! i can't wait to be just plain overweight! i just love that you've posted pictures! i had the upper endoscopy test and my refill. she put back in what i had before the test but i couldn't swallow water. so she took out 1cc and the water went down. i'm kind of low on fill level but at least there's some back in there! the test went fine. i might have barretts esophagus from acid reflux but i really don't know. i just looked up what he told me ('abnormal z-line') and found out that that indicates barretts which is not really good but probably not too bad - he took a biopsy to be sure it was ok - don't know results but i'm sure i would if it wasn't good news. that and spasms and 'dismotility'. basically my esophagus is not happy right now. on medication for a month then go back and see how it's going. i was happy he ok'd getting my band refilled! on liquids so far and that's working out ok. the pain in my stomach is gone. just have pain up behind my breast bone and an irritated feeling that i think will subside with more time on the medicine. happy sunday everyone!

CONGRATULATIONS! 'onderland' is my dream! 16 lbs from there. WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and thanks for your support!

hi jillrenee15 - i have been reading up on this and it seems the cause is officially 'unknown'. tho just like you, i had a fill in october that was too tight and i had more acid reflux than usual so i had it taken out. then i had another one in november and same thing - had to go back and take it out. i've had 2 'spasms' in december and january (if i remember the dates right!) and the first one was absolutely the worst one. i remember it took my sight away for about a second or too and my whole body was shaking afterwards. i remember thinking this band must be too tight and yet i was saying to myself that was VERY different than anything i've had before. i've read very hot or very cold foods can trigger then and the first one - i had lobster salad and it felt a little stuck so i was sipping on ice Water to try to help it down. the 2nd time, i didn't chew a piece of chicken enough and i felt that stuck feeling and most likely - i did the same thing - sipped something to help it down and wham! i drink iced tea all day long. i'm thinking of not using ice cubes and see how that goes. i take anti anxiety medicine at night to help me sleep and i had stopped it in december to see how things went. and bam, got the spasms. i would never have thought that was related but my dr. told me the anti-anxiety medicine is a muscle relaxer so possibly it has been preventing these spasms for me and when i stopped they cropped up. just like you - i'm in a 'wait and see' mode to see if it happens again. maybe it will, maybe it won't. but know at least i know what it is. that helps a little. take care! i saw this pic of the esophagus this morning and that is exactly where my ongoing chronic 'low grade' pain is daily - all the way up to my ear. do you have that? a dull ache that is just there? not to the point of spasm? (click on the little pic to see the full pic once you click on this link) Esophageal spasms: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com i am afraid to get my band refill tomorrow but i'm doing it to see what happens. i got this band for a reason and i won't leave it empty! i am wondering if this is a complication of the band that is just not well documented. and i really hope it is NOT!

hi all! had that upper endoscopy test today. had my band unfilled yesterday (scary thought! didn't hurt - just like a usual fill or unfill). the conclusion seems to be 'esophageal spasms' that may be more instense because of the band but it's probably something i've had going on for a few years. i've searched for that and lap-band on the web and found some postings here and on obesityhelp.com about the same issue. seems it can be treated with muscle relaxers if the protonix doesn't do the trick. friday i get my band re-filled back to where it was. only was at 5cc - it has been up to 7cc's - so no wonder i'm not losing any weight. luckily i'm staying the same weight - not going up. just up/down within a 3 lb range. i'm envious of you losers!! i see the dr. again in 1 month to see if things are better with double the dose of protonix. i'm a bit afraid to get re-filled friday - afraid it'll kick this thing off again but i'll do it and will see how it goes! he said the band can stay put and be re-filled. i don't know what my surgeon thinks - haven't seen her since 6/10/08 when i had the surgery! i see her physician assistants for fills and they've had no idea what's going on. we're doing well so far on our mile a day challenge (my husband and i). we were both just over 31 miles for january! it's fun to track it and know the numbers like this! i'm -.5 miles behind right now for february but will make that up quickly! hope you are all doing well and losing losing losing!

thank you Tquad64! it sounds awful i'm sure but for me it doesn't happen every day - few times a week in a minor way - only 2 times really bad. i'm hopeful this will clear up once i get on the right medication. i really want the band to start working for me again so i'll do whatever i have to do to get past this roadblock! thanks for your concern and support!

hi, my lap-band surgeon doesn't seem to care much in that i haven't seen her since the day of surgery! i see her phyician assistants for fills and have been telling them what is happening and they just say 'no fill' until this stops. so i called the gastroenterologist who diagnosed GERD for me a while back and he did the testing. going by how i feel, the protonix 2 times a day helps. i'm going to do 6 small (100-200) calorie meals a day with dinner being a little bigger (not much) because i eat that meal with my husband. i'm going to keep track of what i feel and when so i can try to analyze what sets this off. both times, i did stop eating because the band felt a little stuck. then, all heck broke lose behind my breastbone! so i need to work harder to avoid getting the band stuck at all (chew chew chew, eat slowly, etc.). i've been holding at 40 lbs off for 3 months now. while that is very good - to have lost 40 lbs! - i'd like to get the scale moving downwards again! i've lost some restriction with these unfills and i find i'm eating crackers to sooth my stomach which really doesn't help with weight loss but i understand it - an empty stomach with excess acid for whatever reason is not good. i believe it's not my heart - tho the syptoms seem like a woman having a heart attack. my heart thankfully is in very good shape and the dr. agrees my heart is fine. phew.

hi there, i was just diagnosed with this condition today. i have had symptoms of small spasms for about 3 years but didn't know what it was (pain behind/beside my breast bone, fluttering behind my breast bone and pain thru to my back and up to my neck). i had lap-band surgery on 6/10/2008 and was doing fine until a fill in october. have had 2 fills since and 2 unfills within 2 weeks of those fills! i had an upper gi and and upper endoscopy and the dr. says that it's esophageal spasms. maybe caused by acid reflux (had that for years but it's been under control and was hoping as i lose weight with the band - would get better) but maybe just for no known reason. i had the 'band is stuck' feeling several times since surgery and that was ok - hurts but in one spot and not too badly and not for too long. but then i had 2 MAJOR 'pain events' that i thought was also the band but it felt like my rib cage was going to explode and i had to throw up but couldn't and my whole body was shaking! THAT was not normal band action! my dr. does not recommend taking out the band. he said to eat small meals (well i already do that with the band) and if the protonix i already take (that he has just doubled the dose to 2 pills a day) doesn't do the trick then there is something he can prescribe to calm my esophagus. i never heard of this before and never even thought to search this site for it! i'm afraid to have my band re-filled to where it was (had to have it emptied for the endoscopy procedure). but i don't want it there and empty either. hope not many others are going thru this. it does seem to be a condition in general and not necessarily band initiated tho the band might make it worse? maybe?

long, that is absolutely amazing! WAY TO GO!!!! congrats to you! you look wonderful! mike 11 --> this is what it's all about! ps i like your purple shirt!

thanks Lucy and Addy (there is so much posted here it's hard to keep up)! i feel better right now - the endoscopy test is wednesday morning. have to get all fluid out of the band on tuesday afternoon. THAT scares the heck out of me but the promise they'll put it right back in soon after and that they do this all the time when people need tests like this. i'm hoping they find an easily treatable issue and that it is NOT the band - maybe it's just aggrevating the issue and isn't causing it. we'll see. i'll let you know. thanks for your support! addy, i had a hernia fix too at the time of banding - i think maybe the band is irritating the area that was fixed? or maybe there is scar tissue? i have no idea. i'm glad the dr. is going in for a look!

hi Mike, i think most of us if not all of us would say it's the best decision that we ever made for ourselves! for me, losing weight did not work before the band for at least 10 years - on many programs, with tons of exercise. i have insulin resistance big time and this has helped a lot. i'm off 3 medications and i feel very fit - tho still fat but working on that. it is not all a picnic - it is a serious thing to do - surgery was not fun for me (i had a hernia fix at the same time). but once healed, it was amazing to see the scale go down consistently! you absolutely have to watch what you eat, how you eat, when you eat. it is not an 'easy way out' as some say. but it WORKS! caution - overfills (if you get an adjustment and it's too tight) do NOT help. they can bring on acid reflux which has stopped all weight loss for me now and is causing issues that i need to address with a gastroenterologist - which i am doing now. then i hope to get back to losing the rest of what i need to lose. good luck to you - someone who was banded before me told me 'it's an individual journey' and that's very true. and yours will be different from everyone else here. to me, the benefits far out weight the risks. i eat less, i never feel too full or bloated anymore, i move better, i feel better, i look better, i'm healthier, i do things i haven't done in years (like ride a mountain bike again) and i no longer feel invisible to the world. i'm here and happier and still working at it. the band is a life changer - no doubt!

hey addy - question - did you put sweetner in your coffee? i find that when i do that (not coffee for me but tea) i am way more hungry the rest of the day - particularly artificial sweetners vs. plain old sugar. just a thought.

hi all! sorry you aren't feeling well allie! hope it's better by now! allie, iteach and long, thanks so much for your replies about what you eat! i definately am eating more than you. i must not have the restriction 'sweet spot' yet. i had a dr. appt yesterday and the upper gi showed 'esophagus spasms' - up before the food even gets to the band. and acid reflux which i already knew. i am not sure what that means re: weight loss. i can't get another fill till this is figured out. going to have an endoscopy test as soon as they schedule it so he can have a look at what's going on. i have had 2 severely painful events after eating that i thought were just a too tight band but now it seems they were these spasms. ?? very strange. keep up the good work everyone! happy wednesday!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! you guys are AMAZING!! would you be willing to share what you eat in a typical day? your success is very hopeful to me as i'm stuck at 40.5 lbs down and not breaking thru that in a few months. find out today about the ulcer and what to do about it. hoping for a solid plan to solve this issue once and for all! WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hello everyone! i've been lurking but haven't said too much because i've been discouraged. haven't lost anything since about october. haven't gained either. been working out like crazy. eating was iffy but not really bad over the holidays and better now. the fill i got in october triggered acid reflux (which i have had but was under control for a very long time) so i had an 'unfill' (just what they put in that time -they took it out). have had only 1 fill since and that one had to be taken back out too. had an upper GI test this week. acid reflux for sure but i'm not sure of an ulcer. will find out. either way, i'm on medicine for it and the worst of it feels much better. my husband and i are doing our own exercise challenged (like the nike+ sort of). 365 miles each - 1 mile a day minimum for the whole year! i'm keeping track. sometimes we do 2 or 3 miles so we can be ahead sometimes then behind sometimes but it must add up to 365 miles each or more when we are done. it's a good motivator to move every day! sounds like many of us are hovering around a few lbs on the scale. i seem to stay in the same 4 lb range. i did go down .5 below my lowest but it's back up a little. i don't count the ups unless they go > 5 and that hasn't happened! i just count it when it goes down.. which has been a while! since i'm on the new dose of medicine, i feel full all the time. it's weird. good i think but also strange. i was snacking all day because of the acid feeling and i know that wasn't good. anyway, don't mean to be discouraging - just saying hello! for those of you in the cold - like me! - keep WARM! we are planning where to go for vacation this year - can't wait!

thanks for the info huggie! i mostly do the elliptical and treadmill. i'll think about it a little more. i love the motivational aspect but i'm not sure it fits what i do. sorry to hear about your toe - hope it's all healed up!

hi huggie! is nikeplus for running only? will it track walking on a treadmill and workouts on an elliptical? on a bike? when i look at nikeplus.com - it seems to be geared towards runners. thanks! p.s. i got my ipod! wondering if i want to do nikeplus now - i will if it'll work for my exercises. i don't run. i do jog sometimes.

hi all, 6 months already? wow!! i feel discouraged right now but this thread has me excited because i too have experienced much of what you have posted and i'm so grateful that i had the chance to have this surgery! i was looking into it for THREE years and that was a long time of anticipation and fear (will i get it, will it work, etc.). i donated 12 more bags of clothes this past weekend that i a) hated to wear to begin with and :smile2: no longer are even close to fitting! most of all i just feel 'normal'. still have a ways to go but i don't feel invisible or like i want to constantly hide anymore. and i don't mind if my butt shows in my pants (i've been covering it up with long tops for YEARS!). i feel so strong and i'm back to jogging on the treadmill which i used to like about 20 years ago! and now i like it again! let's all say a big thanks in our hearts and minds to our surgeons and to the support group we have here and other places (like the obesity treatment center that i work with here in NH)! next, i want to get 40 more lbs off by june. i'd like to do the nikeplus challenge that huggy told us about - need nikeplus shoes for that. i'm getting an ipod for my birthday (yeah!) to help me move faster while exercising and that works with nikeplus. i might by myself the shoes just because - to get myself moving even more. happy anniversary everyone!