Kayford

I had to fly home to KC from Tijuana Mexico 2 days post op and I did fine.

I went to Dr. Ortiz and found a doc in KC to do my fills. Try looking at Dr. Ortiz's website as I think it lists a group of docs that do fills. It is called Fill America or something like that. Kay

:clap2: DR C, My endocrinologist just took me off insulin. YAHOO! We did start me on some Byetta injections, Avandamet and Avandaryl. So far the Byetta seems to be helping me lose. I have lost 9 lbs since my last fill on Sept 11 and I usually only snail along at a pound a week. Have you heard of any contra-indications for Byetta and the lapband? Kay St Jo Mo

I have actually kept the slime and food in my mouth,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,when it comes up until I can get to the ladies room. Now that is a terrible feeling. My body brings it up not me. Occasionally something will stick and I will hurt awhile and finally say this is enough and usually all I have to do is bend over and it starts coming up. I am glad you can relate to this as it helps to go thru this together. I am waiting on a fill right now. I have slight restriction at lunch. Hardly any at dinner, but with some food at dinner it is a no go. Usually it is my meat that even hangs up at dinner time. I don't even try bread as I know better. Hang in there.

Dr. Stephen Malley and it is $250 for the first and $100 for each fill after that. Hope this info helps you.

I have your same issues. I had an unfill May 08 as I had ketosis (diabetic related due to not being able to eat properly) and dehydration. They unfilled me as I had to have IV's twice and now take B-12 shots. I figured better too loose than too tight and let my band slip. Besides I needed to heal up and be able to eat some real nutrients. Just like you.............it is either too tight and I am miserable or too loose. I keep praying to hit my sweet spot with the next fill. It is scheduled for Aug 13 and I have been loose since May 08. I have gained probably 10 pounds in 9 weeks. Now I will have to work hard to get it off again. What is up with us? Why can't we eat 3 small meals like they told us at seminar? Frustrated to the Hilton!

Did he ask you to lose some weight prior to surgery? He does my fills but I was banded in Tijuana MEXICO. I was on a preop diet of slimfast for a week prior to shrink the liver. Did they ask you to diet at all before the procedure? Interesting..............sorry you had to go thru this.

One of the girls banded with me in Tijuana could not get soup down when we got to the Hotel Lucerna. They did a barium swallow and I think she had the same issue as you. However, the swelling did go down and I think she has done the best with her weight loss of all of us banded that day. So there is HOPE.

I have been a slow loser but seemed to get about 50 off and now it seems I am either too loose to lose or too tight and get ill and need IV's. Any of you have this issue?

There are some good docs out there. Dr. Stephen Malley in Mission Ks (suburb of Kansas City) takes us Mexican patients for a $250 eval and 1st fill and then it is $100 per fill. I do know he even has patients that drive from Dallas to see him and that is probably an 8-10 hour drive.

I wish we knew what makes us swell and why some of us are to tight to eat breakfast, soup for lunch and then can get something down for dinner. I swell after every single fill almost. My bp meds have a diuretic in them and that does not seem to make any difference with me. My doc has me swigging 2 teas of carafate suspension before meals and at bedtime if I have swelling. If you all know what causes the swelling then post it for sure!!!!!

You do need an unfill. If you can't get real food down at all you need an unfill. Trust me, don't wait until you are dehydrated, vitamin deficient and sick as a dog like I did. I ended up with IV's. As much as I hate to get unfills it is waaaay safer also. Too tight can cause a slip. Good luck.

Sure sounds freaky and why wouldn't we have heard about it if there is medical data to support it?

I agree you need a little unfill. Better safe than sorry.

Elizabeth, I was actually scared as I was so weak. I was not nauseated but just had no zip. I would just want to lay down and if l laid down then I would sleep and then when I would get up my band would be too tight to eat anything. It was terrible.

I was recently super sick and my PCP said he could smell keytones in my breath. This is a byproduct created when you are burning up fat and muscle. I ended up getting 2 IV's in the office and had to go to HRMC for a magnesium infusion again. I was so lethargic. Had zero energy. Got my band unfilled .4 cc! I am diabetic so that complicates it some but I wonder if you were throwing off keytones. On the Atkin's diet they want you in ketosis but my kidneys can't handle the stress of ketosis. Just an idea you might want to run by your doc. I had lost 12 lbs in 4 weeks and could not eat Breakfast and it was just Soup for lunch. I could only get some dinner down. Now I can overeat so am trying to just get my health back and trying to eat reasonably. :hungry:

Hi I am from St. Joseph MO and glad to hear from you. Heck, the post op time is for healing. I actually gained as I was not "filled" for 8 weeks. Dr. Ortiz did my surg in Tijuana and Dr. Malley does my fills. Dr. Ortiz said wait and heal for 8 weeks so that is what we did. Now I do think Dr. Malley normally fills his own patients at 4 weeks post op. So I got a slow start and dealt with it and you will start losing soon enough so don't freak out just yet! Healing is important.

I had a large hiatal hernia and was surprised also. Dr. Ortiz fixed it the same day prior to placing the lapband. Afterwards I realized I had lots of reflux but before the surgery I told him oh........maybe a little. Well AFTER-- what a difference. Now I never have reflux even when I eat spicy things.

Write to us and tell us what is going on? How can we help?

I do have more issues when I get stressed. So sometimes when I slime and know something is coming back up I don't handle it well. So I think stress can play into it. I do better if I go to a quiet room and calm down until it goes thru or comes back up. However, if my band is just too tight, then it does not matter if I am stressed or not. It just won't go. My nephew calls my band surgically induced bulimia and for some reason when he is around, everything gets stuck. We sure have more problemes than they tell you about at seminar, huh?

Jack, I am so much like banded bandit. Here is a typical day. Coffee when I get to work at 8. Bowl of soup, today it was the broth off bean soup for lunch. Dinner last night was a can of vienna sausages and a few cheezits. I know this is not good as I can't have much energy if I don't get to eat my real meal until evening. Meat just does not like to go. So I eat turkey Spam or anything super processed.

We are very much alike. I can usually get popcorn or chips down. But meat does not want to go and YES some days what I could eat the day before will not go the next day at the very same time!!! It is frustrating....................!!! I have had an unfill for all my fills except 2 !!! I do think if we emptied out my band I could probably eat just like the old days. When we loosened it to let things calm down I could pretty good and gained immediately. I am not ready to give up so will keep living and struggling with my band.

I totally understand. I am not as desperate as you yet but have my own battles. I got some weight off yet was fatigued so my PCP decided it was low magnesium. I've had 3 infusions and one was after my lapbanddoc took some of my fill out. I gained weight as soon as we loosened the band. Now I have got the weight I gained back off and my band has to be tight in the morning and at noon to get proper restriction for dinner. Then dinner is still a nightmare as a lot of the meats won't go. Today I saw my endocrinologist and have to go back on insulin and he says I have a vitamin-mineral deficiency. I am anemic and low on B-12 so he ordered a liquid supplement for me to try. I already take a magnesium supplement. So if this does not give me some energy we will try B-12 shots. I feel your pain. When I can get food down it is not always healthy. Last night I got a can of vienna sausages down for my protein and few Cheeze it crackers. Not too healthy, right? I do supplement with some protein puddings. But you are right, they don't tell you about all this craziness. I would still do it all over and will stay persistent. But I want you to know you are not alone. :eek:

We are so lucky to have some surgeons that post on this site and help us out. Dr. Pleatman why do you think one gets a slip? I am self pay and banded by Dr. Ortiz. Is it always the patient's fault? I wish we understood more about "WHY" a band slips. I have no reflux but do have some pb's on meat occasionally.

Cal, Do you notice you do more burping and gurgling in the a.m.? I have to be tight in the a.m. to have restriction in the evening. So I just deal with the morning tightness. Just wondered if you do that morning and evening or more in the mornings like me?