paisleypea

Great post! Thanks for sharing! I'm 3 years out and agree with what you wrote whole heartedly! Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I had surgery June 2009 too! Started at 228 and am 15o now! Love it! Way to go everyone!

Another option are places that service women.......get them ready to go out and interview for jobs. Often they are women who have left abusive husbands and don't have clothes to work in. Sadly, many are overweight too. I felt good donating there. Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I've seen this mentioned here, but never heard of it before? Where do I find it? Thanks! Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I would think you need to count in the calories required to maintain your weight.........having only 400 net calories (1200 eating, less 800 burned) is too few and your body is in starvation mode. eat more! So you have a dietician or nutritionist? Ask! Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

Awesome! You are doing great! Congrats on the band! To everyone! I'm sort of on the same track........my band slipped and I was "fixed" on 6/6, so it's just like the first time, which was 3 years ago. The gas pains finally are gone today! They lasted forever! I am on liquids, full, 2 weeks! Eek! But back to the protein shakes. Thank God I like them again cuz 3 years ago I'd had enough! LOL My husband went to Whole Foods and they have sooooo many great soups they make in-house, and he asked them to strain one for me. The guy thought we were weird, but once we told him we wanted it put thru a colander and just to buy the liquids he did it for us. Yum! Sooooo much better than the canned stuff and of course better than plain broth. And why should I throw out the solids I want strained out? Better to buy all liquid. Good luck! Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I hear you! I couldn't eat from Friday June 1st, having gotten stuck! then starting on Monday, June 4, I couldn't eat or drink. Even water! Egads! By the way, I was originally banded 6/15/09, 3 years ago and am at goal weight. Anyway, Tuesday night I call my doctor, he sends me to the ER, says I need fluids. Long story...........they think my band slipped and was admitted to the hospital. My surgeon came by, got me into the ER at 11 the next morning, 06/06, Wednesday. Turns out the band stayed in its stitched place, but all the PBing/vomiting I did on Thursday night being stuck caused my (lower) stomach to come up through the band. He fixed it, made sure all was okay and I'm starting the journey all over again. It feels "new" except I have more knowledge this time. Ha! At least I'm ok with Protein shakes cuz 3 years ago I got too much of them! I'm on liquids for 2 weeks! Longer than last time, but probably cuz I need to heal my irritated stomach and esophagus. I was without food for a long time! And no liquids for 2.5 days And maybe that's why I was thankful for the liquids? Much more gas pain in the shoulder and neck this time and the chest pain. Ouch! And nauseau! I'm not liking that part. Horrible gas, and diarrhea. TMI sorry! I want some cheese so badly! I see my doctor on Friday June 22.

Well, my doctor (surgeon) said to me, "it was not actually a slip. The band has stayed in place, right where it has been stitched. But, your stomache, lower stomach, has come up through the band. Likely do to the excessive vomitting/PBing". Semantics.

Wow! I must agree with everything said here...........my story: I had a stuck episode on Thursday May 31st. Went to bed, hoping I'd be ok in the morning. I was okay with liquids, but not much food. Continued on thru Saturday I was able to eat some "easy" foods......Greek yogurt, soft babybel cheese etc. then Sunday night I took a bite of my husbands quesadilla, while on the phone with my sister and bam! Stuck! Ate way too fast, I know I did. Well, ended up not being able to eat OR drink the rest of the night. All night, had reflux. Then I couldn't eat or drink the next day Monday. I called and made an unfill appt with my surgeon. But then I was up all night that night Monday. Tuesday came and I just wanted to die! The horrible feeling of an elephant sitting on my chest (esophageal spasms), back pain too and now dehydration! I was starting to panic. My appointment wasn't until Thursday, his usual day in the office. Well, by 6 pm I realized I could not go another night, let alone 2 more. My husband was out of town/state for business and my kids were both at sports practice. I called my dad to come take me and then I called the surgeon. I left him a message on his cell phone. My dad lives 20 minutes from me and then I am 40 minutes to the hospital he is at. Doctor called me and said to go to ER, get IV fluids and he'd meet us there. I'd had a stuck episode before.....Nov 2010. The ER folks knew what to do, got me hooked up on IV fluids and called my doctor. This visit ...... NOT exactly the same. They didn't "have any experience with lap-band, not sure what to do". Seriously? I told them I needed IV fluids after 48 hours of not being able to drink or eat anything, even Water. They ended up running all kinds of tests.....EKG cuz I had "chest pains", even though I knew what they were, (and it was normal), a chest x-ray, then a barium swallow/IV contrast test. My nurse was thrilled I got down about 4 oz. of the bottle, and I was then "stuck" and my chest was killing me! But the tech doing the contrast thing kind of yelled at me about not drinking any. I explained it was now 50 hours without being able to swallow even water! I kept asking them to talk with my surgeon. He had called a few times the doctor running the ER. Well, they ER doc waited for results........and still NO pain medicine! I was furious. They gave me Diladad - and it made me nauseous and my head zoomy and never touched my pain. Ugh! Results came back - I had a slipped band. Dr wanted me admitted that night and a revision the next day. He would be by that night or next day. Finally I got morphine and into a room at 12:30 am! Had troubles, like the nignt doc put Diladad on my chart so I didn't get new pain meds until 9 am! Surgeon emptied my band of all saline left (4 cc) and that helped! Anyway, had revision surgery on Wednesday when a cancellation in the OR happened at 11 am. Turns out.......the band did NOT slip, but with all the PBing from Thursday before and on the next few days.......the stomach came up through the band, a hernia. But he was able to fix it all, plus keep my band inside me! Yay! My biggest fear was losing it! My original banding was 06/15/2009 and after 3 years I am down 88 pounds. I'm 5'8" and at 150. I cannot imagine life without the band. I'm finally "normal" and feel sexy-ier than ever before. So......I'm back at ground zero, starting over. No saline at all right now and he wants me on full liquids for 2 weeks. I'm determined not to blow this 2nd chance, so am back to reading my books on what to do, stages etc. Dr. says that being stuck and PBing, aggravates the esophagus and stomach. They swell and need time to go back down. But I kept trying and trying hoping it would work but it didn't and made it worse. And yes, stress is bad for it. And dehydration. Triple whammy baby! Also, doctor said reflux is a definite sign of being too tight. So........in my stubbornness to not get an unfill cuz I didn't want to gain, I will likely go 6 weeks with no fill! Ack! Hope to maintain. Lesson learned........don't mess around! If I have reflux.......go to the dr for a sleight unfill. If I have esophagus spasms, go to liquids only! And if more than a day, call the doctor! I came home on Thursday and realize I have lost a whole week to this! Wow! Off to find a Mix-1 Protein shake and I hope to keep my stomach from rumbling too loudly. Day 4 almost done!

I have lost 85 pounds, and have what you called the apron stomach. I call it my "shelf". I hate it! I'm wanting the body lift.

Hey everyone - I went to my first Support Group with Dr. Chae's office last Thursday and met quite a few of you. Several had not heard of this website, so I hope you have joined in. This is a place we can connect with each other! ---paisleypea aka Tobi-Lynn

Yes, all are true for me too. Although I was always a friendly and outgoing person, I find my outgoingness makes more of a difference now. People appreciate my taking time to say thank you - so they want attention too. I know many feel 'I am the same person I was 80 pounds ago' BUT, when I really look at myself, I'm not exactly the same. Yes, I weigh less, I am now "normal BMI", more attractive but also I'm more confident, feel more sexy and okay with myself so I assert more. Does that make sense? My own self confidence has increased with my weight changes, and I think it is received well and so I get treated better. Just some thoughts I've had.

Surgery 6/15/2009 My highest weight was 238 when I qualified for surgery. Lost some before surgery. Today I am 2 years and a month out from surgery and weigh 160. I have lost 78 pounds. My dream goal would be 141, the lowest in my 5'8" normal range, and an awesome goal is 150, but I am a normal BMI. So - I lost 33% of my total weight But of "excess" weight, which I count as my high 238 to 165, the highest normal weight is 107% or if excess is my dream goal I have lost 80% And to 150, I've lost 89% Happy? Glad I did it? Absolutely. Even with the hard parts, the tough parts, the painful parts - absolutely the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Hi all! Wow 2 years! How much our lives have changed. It is nice to take some time to reflect and share and see a 'big picture'. We all have our own journeys and I am no exception. I struggled to find the right lap band fill the first year, but did manage to lose 38 pounds from my highest. Then at 10.5 months out, my mom died, very unexpectedly, on May 2nd. It was awful! She was just 66 and it incurred I think as complications of her neck surgery and being sent home too soon, so she was back in the ER the next day and then admitted and a week later was gone. I had had a slight unfill a month earlier, but was going to go get a fill again when she ended up in the hospital. I didn't go in, which was best of course, but I ended up back with my old coping habits - food! I gained back 12 lbs and felt awful. After 6 weeks, and just a day after my one year bandiversary I went back for a fill. My surgeon was wonderfully encouraging and understanding. Then I started to lose again. Yay! I lost 52 pounds then the 2nd year, which gives me a total loss of 78 lbs. Wow do I feel different. I am active again! Not good at exercising much, but do walk and bike with my husband as often as I can. I am 5'8" and am now considered in the "normal" range at 160. I haven't been normal in 15 years! Yes, I would love to lose another 20, even 10........but I'm not wanting to work any harder. It is tough, but I enjoy life right now. Normal for my height is 141 - 165. So - I still mourn food, especially sandwiches! I still eat too fast or too much and get stuck, but.........I know what I did wrong and tell myself to try again. I ended up in the ER at Thanksgiving time when I couldn't even get liquid down for 3 days. Ugh! My surgeon came to meet me after his full day of surgery and unfilled me. Ugh! Embarrassing but painless. So - there is my update. How about the rest of you?

wow - you could be ME! I have lost 70 lbs exactly! I have 15-20 still to go. I just had a fill on Thursday and am on mushies/soft foods today. yep - was hungry yesterday for sure with just liquids. I also had problems --- had gotten so tight I could not drink Water and had to have an unfill. I am really unsure if I am even at a restriction point right now becuz he put in 1.5 cc's and I only had 1.5 cc's in after the unfill. BUT - it is my 2nd go around since I got super stuck at thanksgiving and had an unfill and rushed back in to get filled again too soon. (just over 2 weeks) so this time I waited to 4 to 5 weeks to go back. and was eating EVERYTHING ---- even bread went down. nothing stuck. anyway - I think for us we need to wait until we are on "solid food" to really test if it's "right" or not. The mushies are just sliding through. Drink more BEFORE your meal - will help not have to drink so much after and try to wait that whole hour after. It's hard - I know!

I see on this forum that several have had that happen, but how would I know this? What type of symptoms indicate it is a possibility? I have really struggled to keep anything down. Even right now, it is very tight to swallow my protein shake! (orange juice, vanilla BA High Protein Meal Replacement powder, 1/4 frozen fruit) i had this happen after the fill, but knew I was eating too fast and was not chewing my food near enough. I can get it to work sometimes, but lately the only things I can eat must be covered in a sauce or be a soft food. But even soft foods are giving me trouble now. I got stuck yesterday on lentil soup! how can that be?

Thanks for your reply and I hope you did not slip the band! I got in to my surgeon 2 days after I posted and he took out 1 cc of fluid. Wow - what a difference! I should have done that a long time ago! I fear it may be too loose now (I can even eat bread carefully) but he wanted me to give my band/stomach/pouch/esophagus a rest for a month and go back in. Hope things go well for you.

I so GET what you all are feeling --- and am glad to find some others who are in the same place I am. I got the band on June 15, 2009. I had 3 fills and lost 9 pounds pre-surgery and then have lost 31 pounds since then. However, my last fill was in October 2009 and it was kind of rough. But I decided to tough it out, that it would stretch out and I'd be fine. then life got crazy cuz in Nov we decided to sell our house and started working for 3 weeks to prepare it. Then we sold it in 12 days - just before Christmas! then the holidays and the frantic search for a house to buy. We moved in Feb. We went to Mexico 2 weeks ago for Spring Break. In all this time, it was easier to eat slider foods and make sure I had lots of sauce on my food. this week, back home - it began to really be hard to eat. 2 days I had nothing go down and even the Protein shake "hurt" going down. I knew I had to go back, but didn't want to. I have been this same weight since November! ugh! But I went back today and he took 1 cc out of my band. I'm a tiny bit scared that I'll overeat now cuz I can actually eat. I had to confess my coping with the band in not eating healthy at all. (potato chips in sour cream go down easy you know) He said to come back in a month but for now to jump-start my loss by going to a high protein, low carb diet of 800 - 1000 calories. oh I hope I can do this! Otherwise I'm going to have to meet with the nutritionist, who is an out-of-pocket expense of $50 and I "know" it already. I even stayed off the forums since Oct. as I struggled thru the winter. Glad I found ya'll. How are you doing?

Hey everyone - I have MIA for 5 months! wow! anyway - wondering if you all knew if someone replaced Susie? I just got an auto response to my email saying she no longer works for Dr. Chae. I need an unfill and called and it was still her on the answering machine so I was surprised by the email. I do still hope for quick answering to me though. Tobi-Lynn

Hi all, I just tried to call and schedule an unfill (I am miserable right now and have finally just owned up to the fact it is too tight. The past 4 days have let me know it's not working for sure) anyway, it was still Susie on the answering machine. I then sent an email message (hoping that with more contacts I would get a better response) and an automatic reply came back saying she no longer works for Dr. Chae and the National Bariatric Center. Is someone else there now? Is it still hard to get in touch with someone? I did leave a message but.........???

So glad to hear from ya'll! missed you TLCHealth! and missed you for the past few months Amber! Amber - I'd been trying to phone-tag with Susie and finally did what you suggested and used the e-mail. She responded right away then. I do think Dr. Chae needs to know ---- it's horrible that we all know how hard it is and how frustrating it is ---- he should know. I have a fill appt next Friday at 11.

yes - please ask - inquiring minds wants to know

hey there - glad to hear you both have fill appts. Yes Tiffany - it's recommended liquids for 1 or 2 days, then 2 days pureed, 2 days mush, then normal. After my first fill though I was to mush within 2 days. I'm in the Springs in Pine Creek, up north off Briargate Parkway. Support group meetings are the 2nd thursday of the month. 6:30 - 8:00

Curious - I've heard others say not to gulp or use a straw. WHY? I can still drink a fair amount of water at a time, but I'm not at my sweet spot either. Just curious....

Congrats! And thanks for posting your pics - you are doing GREAT! reminds me I need to TAKE a picture....... So - when I went for my 2nd fill I ended up at that same spot with having to SLOOOOOOW down and chew, chew, chew --- but now......I'm back to faster and bigger bites. I can still "feel" it a bit in the morning, but it has been 3 weeks and I'm thinking I'll probably need another fill to get to the "sweet spot"????? I'm in that spot you mentioned - I'm eating way less than I was......but......certainly more than the 6 to 8 oz. I'm just scared ---- I got nauseous every time I ate after the last fill --- and it took me a week to "get it" with eating slower and chewing better.