eve529

I originally posted this as a response to another question, but I'm re-posting here for better visibility. This may help somebody. I am posting this so none of you make the mistake I did. I suffered for 18 months with a band that was too tight. I "slimed" most days after a single small bite, and could only eat soft foods and liquids, but the thing was that I was still hungry and gaining weight! I was ashamed to go back to my doc since I was gaining weight, and I foolishly assumed that if I was gaining weight the band wasn't tight enough. I knew that overfills were bad, but I figured if I were overfilled, I'd be loosing weight. I tried working out more and even fasting --nothing was working. I felt like such a failure, and just tried not to think about it. Some time ago I learned that frequent vomiting can cause fatal issues with the esophagus, and the potential harm I was doing to my body became too much to bear. I finally went back two days ago, with my tail between my legs. The doc was very understanding, and she said that I had probably switched to a soft food diet out of necessity, and thus was unable to eat most protein-rich foods --you know, the kind I'm supposed to be eating 60g a day of to help me feel satisfied. She was right. My diet started deteriorating into higher calorie, less satisfying soft foods because I was trying to work around a too tight band, with little success. So despite the fact that I have gained a substantial amount of weight over the last 18 months, my Doc LOOSENED my band. It's only been a couple of days, but I can't tell you what a relief it is. I can't believe I lived like that for a year and a half! I can actually swallow chicken breast and fish now! I am much less hungry and feel much better. My doc's having me return in a month. I have high hopes that with my concentrated effort and a properly inflated band, the scale will move in the right direction again. it may be coincidental, but I'm already down two lbs, even though it feels like I'm eating more. I am so glad I finally stopped the foolishness and faced the music at my doc's office. I'm not normally not an idiot, but there was this weird psychological ballet of shame going on that caused me to stick my head in the sand. I hope that none of you will ever feel too ashamed to see your doc. It's just silly and I deeply regret the damage I've done.

Ivyrose: I'm so sorry about your situation. I know what you mean about the "all or nothing" mentality. At least your stomach is healing now. You'll be back "in business" in no time. Thanks for sharing your story.

SueAZ, Thanks for your post. Getting the fill isn't necessarily the problem. My mistake was not going back after the overfill despite the fact that I was vomiting frequently. You could always try the fill, and then, if you're getting PBs (or worse--SLIME!) just go right back the next day.

Well said!

If you are vomiting nearly daily and can only eat soft foods, your band is too tight. It's VERY dangerous to vomit so much. I am posting this so none of you make the mistake I did. I suffered for 18 months with a band that was too tight. I slimed daily, and could only eat soft foods and liquids, but the thing was that I was still hungry and gaining weight! I was ashamed to go back to my doc since I was gaining weight, and I foolishly assumed that if I was gaining weight the band wasn't tight enough. I finally went back yesterday with my tail between my legs, because I learned that frequent vomiting can cause fatal issues with the esophagus. I didn't know what the solution was, but the doc was very understanding and she said that I had probably switched to a soft food diet out of necessity, and thus was unable to eat most protein-rich foods --you know, the kind I'm supposed to be eating 60g a day of to help me feel satisfied. She was right. My diet started deteriorating because I was trying to work around a too tight band, with little success. So despite the fact that I have gained a substantial amount of weight over the last 18 months, my Doc loosened my band. It's only been a day, but I can't tell you what a relief it is. I can't believe I liked like that for a year and a half! I actually can swallow chicken breast and fish now! I am much less hungry and feel much better. My doc's having me return in a month. I have high hopes that with my concentrated effort and a properly inflated band, the scale will move in the right direction again. I am so glad I finally stopped the foolishness and faced the music at my doc's office.

I too felt so horrible for 5 days post-op (with nearly the exact complaints you have) that I cried with regret at getting the band. Not only was I in pain, I was depressed. It was horrible. My family had this, "oh come on -- it can't be that bad" attitude that made it worse. Plus people kept telling me that they'd never heard of anyone complaining of pain after lap-band surgery. Two thoughts ran through my head: either I'm the world's biggest wimp or something must have gone horribly wrong with my surgery. On day 6, I felt better and knew everything was okay. I remember how good it felt to get the gas out. I couldn't even stand up straight for a few days there because the gas was so bad. I still did a lot of walking though -- crouched over like I was 100 years old and grimacing. You are going to be okay. What you are going through is HORRIBLE, but it's going to get much better very soon. Hang in there, and don't let the turkeys get you down.

Thanks for starting this thread. I didn't realize that anyone else had this problem. I really didn't expect to, but here I am. Before getting the surgery I was 70 lbs overweight. (I'm six feet tall too and female too, by the way!) I was banded in July 2008. I lost 25 lbs. prior to my surgery, and then lost about 10 more over the following three months. Yay! I was half way to my goal, but then something bad happened: I started to plateau. A month later something even worse happened: I started to GAIN! At my last visit to my surgeon I was humiliated to see that I now only weight about 3 lbs less than when I was banded. So, I've not only not lost anything since September, I've gained nearly 7 lbs. Like you, Tablithan, I paid way too much for these kind of results. I was in denial for a while, and now I'm back to doing what's helped me lose in the past. I know this is weird for a bandster, but I joined Weight Watchers Online. I really need to get a grip on how much I'm eating, and I thought the tools there (which also work well on my cell phone) would keep me going. I'm only 3 days in, so I have no results to boast about, but I'm following the plan, and eshewing Cookies and ice cream. I also went back to the gym this week. When I've been successful at weight loss before I worked out. Hard. At least three times a week. Since I've been banded, I've just been walking -- and not even every day. As hard as it is to admit that I've been lax WRT food and exercise, it's kind of empowering to realize that I do have control over what's happening with my weight. Everyone told me, and I even repeated the mantra -- "the band is only a tool that helps you do the hard work." I guess I thought it would do most of the work for me. *sigh* I'm back in reality now, and I miss my bad habits a little, but I want to make this work. Thanks to all of you who have been honest about their failures. It's good to know I'm not alone. It makes me feel like less of a lost cause.

I'd like to echo those who like the Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal. My doctor actually suggested to me because I love oatmeal for breakfast but had been avoiding it since I try to make protein the center of each meal, but honestly I love carbs. The Weight Control Oatmeal is the best of both worlds, and it actually does keep me energetic and full all morning.

My port turns sideways and sticks out sometimes. My surgeon thinks that a stick must have loosened. I can still get fills because I can actually hold the port between my fingers and turn it the right direction. It feels gross, but it doesn't hurt. My surgeon says he's never seen this happen before. He seemed somewhat fascinated, even. I have the option of having another surgery to reattach the port so that it stays put and doesn't poke out. I am wondering how major the surgery is. If you've had port revision surgery please let me know what it was like. Did you have to go in the hospital for a full day? Do you go under general anesthesia? Did your tummy scars get worse? How much did it cost? ( I am self-pay :-( ). Any information you can provide me with would be fabulous. Thanks.

I can move my port around a little. It turns to the side, but I can flip it the right direction with my fingers. My surgeon says that it's harmless, but he can go in and fix it. I'm wondering if you actually have to be admitted to the hospital and go through something similar to the initial band surgery to repair it. Can those of you who have been through port repositioning surgery tell me about your experience. I'd be most grateful. Thanks!

My port flips too -- well it's more accurate to say it turns to the side. The problematic part for me is that the port pokes out when its sideways. I can flip it though. I can actually turn it back and forth without any pain -- just a weird feeling. My surgeon has done hundreds of lap-bands and he says I'm unique in having a port I can manually flip. One of my stitches came out I guess. It's still held in pace on one side though. My surgeon told me today that it's harmless, but that he can go in again and sew it in place so that it doesn't poke out oddly. I'm in no rush to get surgery again, but I think I'll get it fixed someday --especially if I ever want to wear a bikini.

I too felt short of breath after I was banded. I'm still not fully sure why, but the best explanation I heard was that there was still gas inside my thorax and abdomen (not my stomach). To do the surgery laparoscopically, they've got to inflate you with some gas so that they can see what they're doing inside. Your surgical team does their best to deflate you before sewing you up, but it's never 100%. The gas that's left inside can be really painful. The good news is that (if it's larpro-gas) it will go away within a week (tops.) Your body absorbs the gas over time, thus easing the discomfort. I hear that walking around makes it go away faster. I walked around a lot, but still had some pretty wretched intermittent pain for four days after the surgery. To be safe, I'd call your surgeon tomorrow morning. The peace of mind will be priceless over the weekend. Good luck and hang in there.

I believe that it's safe to get pregnant with the band (they can totally deflate it so you can eat a lot. Also, if you lose weight it's easier to get pregnant. One other benefit is that you can use your band to control your weight during pregnancy, you know, if you started to gain way too much weight as I hear some pregnant women who are prone to obesity do. It's better to wait until you are really stable with the band. My surgeon required me sign a statement that I wouldn't get pregnant for 2 years from my surgery date. I am 34 and don't have any kids yet so waiting until I'm 36 is a bummer, but I truly believe I'll have a healthier pregnancy (and a healthier baby) if I'm at a healthy BMI before I get pregnant.

I have gotten stuck on scrambled eggs that were too dry. (I like my eggs very well cooked -- or should I say I used to like them tat way.) I can get stuck on anything if I'm not paying attention to my eating. Sometimes even having a lively conversation is enough for me to go into autopilot and take a too-big bite or fail to chew properly. I once tried to eat a large hard pretzel while driving. (Stupid, I know.) Good lord, did that hurt. I had to pull over, and my mouth felt really wet. It lasted about 10 minutes. Then it was fine. I have never thrown up from getting "stuck." I agree that walking around slowly helps. It also helps me to relax as much as I can, once something is caught. I focus on breathing slowly. One last tip: DO NOT drink Water to help move the stuck item along. It a natural instinct to want to take a sip of water to push them item through, but once you have a band, drinking something only makes it worse. It actually puts more pressure on the stuck item and severely increases the discomfort. Having something stuck hasn't been the end of the world for me, but it definitely gets my attention. On the up side, it really kills the appetite. Silver lining?

Hang in there, new2me. It will get markedly improved in the next 3 days, if your experience is anything like mine. fleminid, expect to feel crappy for about 5 days. You may may not feel bad, though. Some band patients brag about being able to cha-cha around town the night after surgery, but that wasn't my experience. On days 2 & 3, I was in so much pain from gas, that I got really depressed and felt I'd made a huge mistake. I tell you this, not to scare you, but just so you'll know that you might feel bad at first. (It will get better though.) I didn't feel prepared for how uncomfortable I was. Everyone seemed to think that simply taking walks would reduce the problem. I walked a lot, and I'm sorry to say that it didn't really help me. Also, I'm not sure exactly why, but when I weighed myself the day after surgery, the scale said I weighed 7 lbs MORE than I had before surgery despite the fact that I had less than 400 calories per day. Talk about depressing! I think it must have been Fluid retention for the IV fluids, and it actually reversed and four days post surgery I had lost all of that weight and then some. Some other things you might expect - Engaging my abs hurt pretty bad for about a week. Getting in and out of bed was the most painful part -- especially if I didn't move slowly and carefully. The actual incisions didn't hurt me too much. They felt like scratches, though they looked icky until the glue-like dressings came off 3 weeks later. The Protein shakes were hard to swallow and made me super gassy. (My doc thinks I may have developed lactose intolerance because of the surgery. Apparently, it's not uncommon.) At first, it's even hard to drink Clear liquids. I'm a perfectionist and tried so hard to do everything but the book, so I was disappointed when I felt really horrible right after surgery despite following all of the doctor's orders. The good news is that it gets better. The first 3 days lasted forever for me, but on day four I turned a corner and felt far closer to normal. I was able to tool around down, and almost get back to life as normal. It's less than a month since my surgery, and honestly I have to think hard to even recall how horrible I felt at first. I was kind of tired for a couple of weeks. I even took naps for the first few days after surgery. This is probably because of the anesthesia. Good luck! You are going to be fine. Just go easy on yourself and make sure you have somebody to help you out for the first few days. Cheers, Eve