AngelWhisper

I'm not sure if this is band related or not but I figured I'd ask here and see if it happened to anyone else. I had my 2nd fill about a week and a half ago and everything has been great, still have little restriction. Over the last 2 days I've gotten stuck a few times because of my own stupidity in not chewing well enough but it passed right through after about 2 minutes with no problems. Yesterday and tonight I've had what feels like muscular pain in my chest. It's located right around my sternum. It hurts sometimes when I breathe in and when I move around and when I sneeze. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else and could be band related or if I just pulled something maybe? Thanks for the help!

I feel like I need to talk to other banded people about my situation. Nobody seems to get it, even my mother who had gastric bypass. For starters, I lost my grandmother in December exactly a month before my surgery. She was my rock. I've had depression, anxiety, and social anxiety for years. I have one good and true friend that's very supportive. When I got the band for the first 3 weeks I thought it was the worst mistake of my life. I had so many problems. Now, I can eat whatever I want and I have one fill. I realize that's normal, but I can't seem to make the right choices. All I do is sit at home and eat crap. My mom yells about how I'm going to get fatter and shouldn't be able to eat bad stuff because I'll get "dumping syndrome". I've told her and the surgeon has told her this is NOT the case at all. A couple weeks ago, I fell on ice at the mall. I sprained the hell out of my knee. I can't do anything with that knee now and probably have to see a specialist. I have chronic open wounds in my skin folds that keep popping open and draining. So all the exercise I had planned on doing has gone out the window. I'm terrified to join a gym because people will see me and make fun of me. I've always felt like a failure, and now the band seems to be one more thing that's proving my point. I'm already getting the "shouldn't you have lost more by now?" comments. I'm definitely going back to therapy, I just don't know if I'm ever going to be able to deal with this.

Thanks! I feel better actually seeing banded people's opinions. My mom and aunt had bypass so everyone is on my butt for not getting that. All I hear now is blah blah slow losing blah blah should've gotten bypass blah blah BLAH! My next fill is tomorrow and I was banded January this year, in my head I know 45 lbs is a great start but now that I've hit a plateau for the last few weeks everyone's on my butt. I think I'm just going to start telling people to mind their own business and I'll mind mine. We'll all be happier that way.

I tend to agree. I would be looking for another doctor. 700 dollars for a fill is absolutely outrageous. I hope your situation gets better!

This is very true. My dad had a routine blood test done for a physical and had elevated prostate specific antogen levels and NOBODY from the Dr's office called. He found out 3 months later when he went to the Dr. for an upper respiratory infection. I've seen so much stuff just like that working in a pharmacy. People really have to be proactive with a Dr's office. They don't always follow up the way people hope they will.

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea long before I ever considered a lapband. When they tried CPAP it made it worse. I get a lot of post nasal drip with allergies and stuff and the machine blew all that crap into my throat and I choked on it in the hospital. It was DISGUSTING. I'd never use a CPAP.

Yeah, it does. Just not for very long. It's driving me CRAZY! Especially when I'm sitting in class and dry heave and people look at me like I have 2 heads. Ever notice you always dry heave or pb or whatever your band does to you in the worst possible places?

I forgot to ask my surgeon this question at my first fill yesterday. Why do they put you back on liquids for 2 days and mushies for 2 days following a fill?

I'm hypoglycemic. They did test for diabetes and I didn't have it, but I have a massive family history of diabetes and hypoglycemia. My surgeon knows about it and the post op diet was ROUGH. I was pretty much not eating and living on phenergan until she allowed me to try mushies. Even with mushies I would constantly dry heave. My surgeon did another barium swallow and ct scan to be sure the band was still fine, it was. Once I started solids it all went away. I ate a couple tiny bites of grilled chicken tonight and immediately felt better, but now I'm sick again. I've tried glucerna and boost, neither of them help at all. I guess it's just something I'll have to tough out.

That makes sense. I was just wondering because I had my first fill friday and being on liquids for that long throws my blood sugar off and makes me dry heave all day, even with the nasty protein bullets.

Honestly, after working in a pharmacy for 4 years and hearing people ask over and over if the supplements work, I'd say no. I've never heard a pharmacist actually endorse any of these products. I've heard exactly the opposite.

I was told to wait a month before swimming. I'd call the office and see what they say.

I just want to add that I started dry heaving a few weeks after my surgery. Turns out it was my blood sugar getting too low (I've always been hypoglycemic). Once I was able to start eating a normal diet again I haven't dry heaved since unless I wait too long between meals or take a really hot shower. The band takes a lot of getting used to in terms of new sensations and everything.

They have no way of knowing until they actually go in. The 2 week or however long liquid diet or high protein no carb diet is to shrink the liver so the chances of it being too big are a lot less.

I brought my ipod, my cell phone, my own pajamas, and my own socks/underwear. I'd had general before and then couldn't sleep for a day afterwards so I brought some books too just in case, but the pain medicine in the pain pump knocked me out. You should bring something to take your anger out on too because they will bug you to death all day and night long!

Once I started solids I stopped losing too. I've been bouncing back and forth between the same 2 lbs for a couple weeks. My Dr. is IMPOSSIBLE to get into without waiting at least a month for an appointment so my first fill is Friday. I'm hoping I'll get at least a tiny bit of restriction. Right now I can eat just as normal as I used to. I freaked out once because I forgot to chew and swallowed this huge bite, nothing happened. I don't get stuck or anything. Hang in there! You'll start losing again!

If you had general anesthesia before you definitely had a breathing tube. You don't feel it or remember any of it. Don't worry!

To get shingles you have to have had chicken pox once. It's just one of those incredibly uncomfortable things that happen. Contact your dr. and get an antiviral medication like valtrex if they'll allow it.

I get hiccups all the time since surgery regardless of if I'm eating or not. They pop up randomly through the whole day. Highly annoying.

I had diarrhea for about 2 weeks after surgery. I also got dehydrated and had to be readmitted to the hospital a few days after surgery. They freaked me out by telling me I was only allowed to drink an ounce an hour. When I told my surgeon this she laughed and said that was only supposed to be for the one day in the hospital. I've been drinking like I normally would ever since and haven't had problems. I think as long as you're not chugging it down then you should be fine.

LOL don't feel bad. I discovered it by total accident. I dropped the instruction booklet on the floor and when I picked it up it said make sure it's facing away from the tv and I was like OOPS! and spun it back around.

I couldn't get it all in either and my surgeon really wasn't that concerned with it. And RM is right, the stress over it did me a lot more harm than good, I ended up back in the hospital twice. I'm 2 months out now though and can eat pretty much whatever I want, just a little less. Hopefully with my first fill next week I can eat even less. Don't stress! You'll get there!

Do you have the power button on the balance board facing away from the tv? If not that might be why you're backwards.

Maybe you should try getting a little unfill and see what happens? From what I've read and been told if all you can really get down is ice cream and junk foods like that you're a little too tight. Can't hurt to try!

I haven't taken any food away from myself yet. I have my first fill next week and I'm hoping that I'll still be able to eat what I want to, just a lot less of it. My surgeon doesn't think anyone should ever eat bread and wants to fill you so tight that you can't, but I will not allow her to do that. I don't believe in banning yourself from eating certain foods as long as you don't overdo it.