mamaj

Hello Nov. 2010 fellow bandsters, I am struggling with my band and posting here, in case anyone has gone through a similar experience. I would welcome your help and suggestions/advice. Got my band 23 months ago now, Nov, 2010 and lost weight to goal within 6 months but struggled with frequent "issues". Kept getting unfills until a band slip in July 2011. All saline out and seemed to get better, but never got back to feeling the food pass through my band. Finally, in January of this year, had such major problems (couldn't get anything down besides liquids) so revision surgery was in order. Had band re-positioned and sutured in place, plus a hiatal hernia found and repaired. Did ok for a month or two, then started having frequent pain and discomfort even with a tiny bit of saline in my band, so all saline taken out in May 2012. Since then, nearly constant burping, reflux (especially bad at night), frequent stabbing pain between shoulder blades, general discomfort practically all the time. Upper GI (barium swallow) showed a bit of pouch dilation, some esophagus narrowing, but a properly positioned and fully open band. However, still suffering lots of discomfort all the time. Have kept at my goal weight, but am miserable from lack of sleep and nearly constant pain or discomfort. Tested for H. Pylori which came back positive, so did the antibiotic treatment, and suspected an ulcer, but no significant improvement after the medications were done. Family doctor has me on prescription meds for GERD, but it doesn't help much. Surgeon wants to try another surgical "repair". I know you aren't doctors, but I am hoping someone can relate and offer assistance. What finally solved the problems if you experienced something similar? Is it possible that a third surgery in less than two years will actually fix this or should I be pushing for band removal? Thank you in advance for any help.

Hi all, It is nice to hear updates on everyone. I was banded Nov. 16/10 and have had a few problems, but overall everything is going wonderfully well. Started with 3.5 cc's in a 10 cc band right from surgery day and had pretty decent restriction right from the start. After four weeks, was getting hungry every two to three hours so I had 0.5 cc added and felt a bit more restriction once again. Slowly the hunger was coming back again so had another 0.25 cc's added which ended up being too much. At 4.25 cc's, I was getting stuck a lot. Got 0.2 cc's taken out, which was better but still a bit too tight. Finally last week had another 0.1cc taken out. So, I am now at 3.95 cc's and feeling really good. Not getting hungry all that often, so can go four to five hours between meals, and eating the right size "Bandster" portions leaves me feeling satisfied. Also keeping track of calories in and out by wearing a BodyBugg and tracking everything I eat and drink really conscientiously. Sticking to 1,000 calories per day, making sure I am getting 60 grams of lean protein, and drinking 64 oz of water. I do fine MOST of the time, and that is good enough to make me happy and to be losing steadily. So far, so good! Keep up the good work everyone! Cindy (Mamaj)

Hi BB, First of all, just want to wish you all the best and hope your surgery and recovery are smooth and simple. As far as suggestions go, don't buy too much, you won't be very hungry the first week(s). Your surgeon will probably give you advice on what he/she would like you to eat and for how long. Follow your surgeons guidance as best you can, he/she is the expert and has your best interest in success at heart. My surgeon wanted me on liquids for the first week following surgery and mushies for the second week. Then I was told to start solids. For the liquid phase, I drank a lot of apple juice (found it real soothing and refreshing), cranberry, blueberry, etc., low sodium vegetable juice, tomato Soup, EAS AdvantEDGE low carb Protein shakes (those were my staple, and my favorite flavour was the Cafe Caramel), and I also really enjoyed sugar-free popsicles (again a soothing treat, with practically no calories). I liked having warm soup, but it had to be very runny with no chunks in it, and I bought low sodium vegetable, chicken and beef broth, but it was rather bland, to be honest. I have heard some people suggest that you buy the regular chicken noodle soup and strain out the bits and enjoy the broth on its own. I missed out on that. And, for the mushy stage, there are all sorts of puddings and Jello (no sugar added varieties, if you wish or your doctor suggests) and I made runny mashed potatoes, pureed cooked cauliflower (that was a real treat) and practically any soft food that you puree will work fine. I LOVED having mashed sweet potatoe as by the time you have gone a few weeks of pre-op and liquid diet, anything with some taste and even a bit of substance is a nice treat. I am sure people will have other suggestions, but the time does fly fairly quickly and you will not be hungry much at all the first two weeks. It was almost necessary that I reminded myself that I need to eat and I only ate a tiny portion of all the food I bought, so I advise you not to go overboard on the shopping. You will definitely be eating A LOT less than before! Cindy

Hi Sadli, I can honestly say that I am feeling better than I ever thought I could, really! I was nervous, as most people are, and I did SO much prep and reading, but nothing can really prepare you fully and everyone's experience varies. What I have found is a lot of support at this site and elsewhere and it seems that no matter what issues may have come up for me, there is a solution, usually a very easy one, and there is so much support from fellow bandsters that nothing has been "too hard" at all to date. I did make sure that I had a great surgeon and team and I was and still am VERY determined to do exactly what they asked of me. I did not "test" myself or the band and I am incredibly careful with what I chose to eat. That said, the holidays were a bit hard in that the temptations were everywhere and there were just way too many "celebratory meals" with various family members, etc., most of whom have no idea I was banded. This made it a bit hard and twice I ended up stuck in the last two months, both times during a big family meal. In both cases, I had taken something to eat that I had not tried before, I probably took too large a bite, and I did not chew it properly enough and could feel right away that it would be a problem. I simply excused myself and retreated to the washroom. I can tell you that the feeling is NOT comfortable to have something stuck and I really don't want to do it again, if I can help it. However, nobody even noticed that I had been gone from the table for five minutes or so, and I was able to go back to my place, resume a pleasant evening and then simply removed the rest of my plate to the kitchen and quickly disposed of the rest of the food that I no longer wished to eat. It has only happened twice and both times it was a learning experience, and NOT insurmountable by any means. I did not panic like I thought I might and had lots of warning that a problem was at hand, and time to deal with it! ALL the rest of my meals have been pleasant. I eat from small plates, use tiny utensils at home to remind myself to take small bites, chew, chew, chew and enjoy! I get a lot more pleasure out of the taste of food than I ever have. I am actually savoring and enjoying my meals instead of just chomping down and stuffing my face like I used to. I was one of the fastest eaters I have ever met and really worried that it would be a problem for me. The band makes eating a totally different experience, but a more rewarding one than in the past. I think that I eat for longer now than I used to, even though I am probably eating 20% the volume that I used to. If I can answer any of your questions that you may have or offer any other advice, please feel free to write me directly if you wish. My e-mail address is mamaj@hotmail.ca and I check it several times a day. I don't log in to this website anywhere as often as I used to, but I am happy to help if I can. All the best to you! Cindy

(sorry, accidentally hit "post" twice and now can't seem to remove this duplication) oops! :-)

Hi Sadli, Sorry, I am not from Saskatchewan but live in the Vancouver, BC, area, so I don't know the answers to your questions, but also want to encourage you to give them a call if they are the best in your area. I shopped around quite a bit and did A LOT of reading, learning and investigating before I made the decision to get banded. And, I researched like mad at who was experienced with the procedure and would be close enough and supportive for the continued care one needs afterwards. I can totally relate to how you feel right now as I have been there before too. It is hard to get motivated to make changes when you are stuck in a rut and feeling down. I hope you will find the strength to investigate the band a lot and learn all you can about what is involved for it to be a successful tool for you. I spent hundreds of hours reading posts at this site and others before I was ready. The Lapband really is an amazing tool if you know what to expect on this journey AND you are ready to make some changes. I was banded on Nov 16th, 2010, and can't believe how much better I feel already, in less than two months! I can already feel that my head is in a totally different place, a much healthier and happier one, and I know that you can do it too. Wishing you all the best in your journey to a thinner, happier and healthier you! Cindy

Hi Amy, Doing ok, considering it has only been two days. The surgery itself and immediate post-op went really smoothly, so I couldn't have been happier about that. Recovery since is fine, but the weird sensations, lack of appetite, gas movement, etc. are all strange. Hope it will pass soon and I'll be feeling like new again. Doing lots of walking, but still need to take the pain meds (though minimal dose and only every six hours or so). Wishing all of us here a speedy recovery! Thanks for checking in on me :-) You doing ok? Cindy

Hi All, I am pleased to be joining you all on this side of the site, "post-op"! Had my surgery yesterday. Went in at 6:00 am, in the operating room at 7:00 am, awake at 8:20 am, out the door at 11:30 am! Rather quick and much less painful than I anticipated. Now, second day, has been quite good. I have been taking my pain meds, doing LOTS of walking, and using a heating pad on my shoulder when I get that stabbing gas pain. It seems to help a lot. Hoping everyone else who is already banded this month is doing well and wishing all the best to all of those still waiting for the surgery. It can go smoothly too. I guess I have been real lucky so far. But I know to take it one day at a time! Cindy

Hi All, I was banded yesterday and everything is going smoother and with less pain than I imagined, so I am a "happy camper". I had my surgery at 7:00 am and was out at 11:30 am. As soon as I feel pain coming on (3/10 on a pain scale of 1 to 10), I take 10 mils of the hydrocodone (Lortab) and within a few minutes, the pain is down to 1/10. Taking it approx every four hours. I have a heating pad and I have been placing it on my shoulder and it seems to help a lot for the shoulder pain. Glad to be banded and looking forward to this journey. I guess it is time to move over to the post-band of the Nov. 2010 group.

Hello Dodie63 and Canadagirl33, Thank you both for your well-wishes for today. I could not ask for better results, so I am very pleased. Iexpect that day two and three may be worse than today due to the pain meds I was given, but I am feeling really great! Or maybe it was due to all of your well-wishes :-) I totally understand that it is hard to please everyone, so you don't need to make any changes on my behalf. If you are considering a poll, I can make it any evening EXCEPT Tuesdays and Wednesday. If daytime is better, I can make it then too, but I understand that most folks work 9-5. Thanks again for all of your support thus far. You are both very inspirational! Cindy (mamaj)

Hello again Doddie63, Thank you for your well-wishes! I need to get through today without stressing too much so I am well prepared for "B-day" (banding) tomorrow! Thursday evenings are great for me, but obviously, you can't please everyone. I'm sure someone else will have an issue with it, but thanks for trying! Cindy (mamaj)

Hi Patricia, Great to hear from you and congrats on your four year bandiversary! We will have the same bandiversary dates as everything went well at NWWLS and I am being banded tomorrow morning! Yikes!! :-) Feeling excited, anxious, eager, nervous.... quite a bit of emotion at the moment, but overall, I am totally ready to go! Wish very much that I could join your group but I am not able to make it to the North Shore on Wednesday evenings :-( If you hear from or know anyone else who is local and looking for a band-buddy, I would be very pleased if you keep me in mind. I know there is A LOT to learn and that this whole process involves a very long and steep learning curve. I appreciate all of the support that is out there for newbies like me. Thank you everyone for posting about your experiences and I hope to be able to pay it forwards one day myself. Regards, Cindy (mamaj)