Teachntots

Gee, I just reread my post. I guess I forgot to check the spelling mistakes and missed words. It's a wonder that anyone could understand that ramble! I had an endoscopy today. I saw the pictures of my stoma from the inside and it looks so good compared to the rage and angry looking pictures from a week and a half ago. Thank God!!!! I was really worried that I had done some major damage to myself. You know, it is really a strange sensation to have to deal with the mental issue of knowing that I hurt myself! My bleeping additction to food and overeating and slight fear of doctors has caused me to do damage to myself. I'm not sure if I'm getting the meaning across, but it is just so odd. I would never hurt myself on purpose. But by ignoring the symptoms for so long, I actually could have done permanent damage to my stomach. Thank God we are resillient creatures and can regenerate to heal ourselves. Anyway, my stomach is fine. Today is the first day that I have "pigged out". That means this is the first day in nearly 10 months that I have had real food. eggs, grits and oh so lovely toast for Breakfast. A few chips for a snack. Mac and cheese for lunch. A bit of Cereal for dinner. Can you tell I missed starches?! The toast was so good! Who knew that Waffle House made such good toast? I've been drinking coffee, sipping teas, having soups and warm slurry type foods for so long that I forgot the joy of crunchy things and chewing. Muscleband, you asked about my doctor. His name is Wilfred Aguila and he's been doing Lapbands for about 3 years (in Tampa, FL). His "mentoring doctor" is/was Dr. Grossbard of Zephyrhills, FL. Grossbard is an ego maniac, but I think he knows his stuff and he is actually a Lapband patient himself. Aguila is a nice nice nice man. He's caring and very knowledgeable. He's very patient with me and gives me a fatherly scolding when I don't come in as offen as he'd like. I've got an ideal situation with him. He's smart and has great people skills. He never seems to be in a rush. This hospitalization on Tuesday after Labor Day he was actually "on vacation" and stopped in the hospital on his way to Orlando with his family who had just come in from Spain. He even leaded up and came in to the X-ray room for the barium swallow. He did pawn off the actual surgery to one of his associates but the next day he came to visit me in the hospital (while on vacation). His family was hold up in his office building across the street...while he was talking to me and my mom for at least 45 minutes before my discharge from the hospital. He's a great guy. I'm not sure what kind of father or husband he is, but as a doctor he's top-notch. I suspect that he's a great father and husband though. He talks about his family a lot when I'm in his office. He's even introduced me to his wife one day when she was visiting his office and I was there for a fill. If you're from the area, its worth making an appointment with him. You had also mentioned that you didn't know if your band could be unbuckled and it can. It is another surgery. What they did was go in and just unhook or unbuckle it. The Lapband is still in my tummy but it is not in a circle around my stomach. It is still stitched on to my stoma but more in a line just hanging out. I was unaware that it could be unhooked but that was what my doctor wanted to do. I'm going to check my spelling now. Thanks for your kind words and caring thoughts. I really appreciate it. Please keep me updated on your progress.

I feel like I need to give a shout out for Dr. Aguila. He's very caring and patient. I've probably been one of his nightmare patients. I'm the type of person who only goes to the doctor when I'm sick. And I only define "sick" as near death. Dr. Aguilar keeps welcoming back with a warm smile and a little bit of advice about how open his coors are. In fact, he actually gave me his cell phone number so that I could call him if I had any further problems. His staff is wonderful too. Tina, his right hand gal, has been with him for over 10 years. She's also about 1 year out from her lap band surgery (that Dr. Aguila) did and she's lost over 100 lbs. If you are looking for a well qualified doctor and just a great all around guy...Dr. Aguila is the one.

OK folks...I've got the answer for your burning questions. I'm not sure if anyone is still monitoring this discussions but here goes. I've had the band for 2.5 years and since about 1 year out I've been feeling the same symptoms. I actually have been scoped, barium swallowed, MRIed, esophogeal manometried, etc, etc. I have just come home from an emergency surgery to unhook my band. I've been unfilled since the spring but I was still unable to swallow much. I got the same feeling you described. I just kept saying that I was NOT over eating. True. I wasn't and you're not. The solution to the problem is that you've got a spasm or stricture in your esophagus and all the throwing up has caused an unhealable slip. So, you're dealing with two or three things at the same time (not to mention the anxiety). The Tuesday after Labor Day I went to the ER with a panic attack and major stomach upset. Like I said, I've been unhooked. They went in and just unhooked the buckle of the band. So, now I have to let my stomach heal for 4 months and then I can have it rebuckled. Please learn from my mistake! I saw pictures of my poor stoma and it was force up through the unfilled band and due to throwing up it was red and swollen like a balloon about to pop. Let me know how your issues turn out.

Oh dear...this sounds a lot like me. I've been drinking with my meals and have not had a lot of good restriction...come to find out I have an over streched pouch, a slight slip, and possibly gall bladder problem. Let me know the outcome of your issue.

This is the nearly exact same thing I'm having. The Thursday before Easter I had a couple handfuls of potato chips and felt awful about 30 minutes after. I tried and tried to throw up...finger down the throat and all...nothing but a lot of wretching and foam. I haven't had a lot of pb's even though I've been banded since March 2006. I called my surgeon and asked him if this was just "pb gone wild" but with the nausea and sick feeling belly he felt that it was probably a stomach flu. I haven't felt great all week but OK enough to work and eat fine. Yesterday I had two poached eggs with Hollandaise for Breakfast, a slice of cheese for lunch, and then two forkfuls of sauted cabbage. About a half hour after the cabbage, I felt like I wanted to die. I suffered through the rest of the evening...thinking it would get better. I watched Sopranos and then I just couldn't get a grip on the pain. I was burping and burping and burping so I finally went to the ER. My surgeon ordered a barium swallow and it showed a slight slip but he's thinking I may have one of several problems...(a) a large pouch due to overeating, ( a slip due to wretching last week, © last week's wretching really was pb gone wild OR (d) a gall bladder attack. He's unfilled me and asked that I rest my stomach. Then he wants me to do that same gall bladder test. Let me know the outcome of yours.

I'm down 47 pounds since March 23rd. I'm one of the slow losers, I guess. I love the photos of Bridget! We have/had almost the exact same body shape. I totally studied those pictures. I can't see my near 50 pound loss on myself as clearly as I can on someone else. What a good idea. I wish I had thought to do that. I'm sure that if the camera was out and I was in a bathing suit, I'd have hidden far away. Now I love shopping for clothes and bathing suits in the regular department. No more "plus" or "womens" clothes for me. My greatest non-scale victory was taking TWO links out of my watch!!! Jennifer

I also just had my first pb experience. We were in the Bahamas and I was having a pina colada....it was melting fast so I ate the cherry fast (in order to save room before the Myer's floater ran down my hand). I stared off for a while and then decided to go to the restroom. I quite literally had a burp and up came the cherry. A little slime but no big deal. I went back to the bar, finished my drink and ate my lunch. I'm scared of the all day pbing the I've read about.

Donali, Are you currently with or without band? Tell me more about the erosion...what does it feel like? what happened? etc..

Try refinishing a door that hubby messed up...during Alberto! Now, that is my idea of Hell!

I'm a salt girl...loads of salts...garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt, Molly McCheese (near the salt in the grocery)....also it is good heated with sugar and cinnamon...I love cottage cheese. I'm in the clear liquid phase aftern my second fill and I'm surrently "cheating" with cottage cheese!

Since before I got the band I was wanting to do a seagull (my late sister was very inspired by Jonathan Livingston Seagull). I want to do it near or over my port site or the scar for my port. Anyone know about tattooing over or near a scar?

jas21r8, Dr. Grossbard was my assisting surgeon while my main surgeon, Dr. Aguila, did the surgery. I was banded in Tampa 3/23/06 and I'm down 30 pounds. I'm really not suffering (much)...no PB's etc. Get a lot of Malox before you come hoem from the surgery; it really helpswith the gas pains. Good luck!

I just take the sheets off, wash, put back. No folding required! We have more than one set, but only one set ever gets used. Same for the kids and guest room.