jahair

I had my LAP-BAND® placed in August 2006 and after 9 months had only managed to lose 25-30 lb. The other issue besides being a slow loser was severe restriction with only the most minimal amount of fill. The first fill was 1 cc and I had to come back and have half removed. Over the next few months I moved back up to 1 cc. with an ambulance ride to the ER for being stuck. They basically stared at me and kept insisting that I must have food poisoning since my vitals were going haywire and I couldn't stop vomiting; and boy were they amazed when the food moved down into the stomach, the pain stopped and my vitals stabilized like magic. Nevertheless I persevered and when I went for the next fill I wanted 1.5 cc but they urged me to go to 2 cc. The result, severe tightness and even with tiny amounts and extreme chewing, I found most Protein unless "blenderized" resulting in stuck episodes, the last one resulting in another emergency room visit. This time I went to the "home" hospital of Dr. Spivak, thinking they would be more knowledgeable about LAP-BAND® issues and more supportive/useful. Alas, they were just as uniformed and stared at me until the food passed into the stomach on its own and the pain magically stopped. At the doctor's office the next day they removed all the fill and told me to come back when I had lost another 10 lb on my own . I haven't gone back. I still have trouble with meat protein and get stuck about once every 1-2 weeks but throwing up seems to take care of the issue. Needless to say the weight has returned and brought its friends. I could blame the recession and job loss as well as stress from an intense family issue and an unwanted but economically essential home move as factors for increased appetite but I know I could have made better choices. Question: Has anyone had this problem and what did you do? I'm pretty certain the port has flipped and there is no money for band removal surgery. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Pelo, things are getting better and better. Jo Ann

Dr.C thanks for posting the picture, but I realized I've never seen a picture of the band properly placed and so I'm guessing where the slipped area is. Could you possibly post a "normal" and a "slipped" side by side? Thanks, Jo Ann

Hi everyone, I've been absent for a while. I've been overwhelmed with my travel schedule, school out for the summer, etc. But I thought I'd share a story that happened about two weeks ago with you. Since my last fill, I had good restriction for a while and the scale numbers were beginning to get moving. Then I noticed that more meals were resulting in PBs, especially when chicken was involved. I had read somewhere on LBT about bending forward at the waist whenever something was stuck instead of trying to vomit it up. It often dislodged the stuck piece of food. Either a complete bend over in the rest room, or my new trick was to pretend there was something on the floor and I could bend over my knee. So far so good. Then lunch with my daughter - salad with grilled chicken just like shoe leather. The evil genie told me to eat it, so I tried. After just a few bites, I was leaning over my shoes with no luck, visiting the bathroom for a full bend -- a little bit of relief, but not much. This one is good and stuck. Finally, as the afternoon wore on, the pain and vomiting were out of control and I asked my husband to call the ambulance. When I got to the ER and told my story, they all nodded wisely and said, "food poisoning" because it began at a restaurant at lunchtime - and I kept saying "blockage." Dr. Spivak returned my page and told me my options for getting an unfill; wait until morning and come to the office or get myself admitted to Park Plaza and get an immediate unfill. Meanwhile, the ER staff is standing around watching me thrash in pain. The pain really peaked in intensity for a moment, and then I felt the blockage pass. When I tell them it passed, they all nodded wisely and said, "Ah, blockage." After all the vitals stabilized, I was released. The next morning I got a total unfill and returned after the weekend for a part fill. I'm told to wait 2 weeks and return. The unfill felt great, but also released my appetite (not so great!) Next week I'll finish the refill and we'll go from there. And the beat goes on......

I haven't made it there yet myself, but I picked up a flyer last time I was in the office and there's lot's going on. It looks stellar to me. If you want better info, look for the thread with Dr. Spivak's patients. Jo Ann

I use the unflavored in my banana yogurt smoothies. No problem! Jo Ann

Any Tylenol product is fine for you. The docs just ask us to avoid aspirin and Ibuprofen (Advil) because they can cause irritation of the pouch. And I've found that swallowing capsules is no big deal; just turn them lengthwise and let 'er slide down with a gulp of Water. Good luck, Jo Ann

Hey Funny Bone, Missed your post and the opportunity to wish you well before your surgery. Hopefully things went well and it was just a breeze. There are several of us here in Sugar Land, I think. Maybe when you are more mobile, we can meet for soup! :confused: Jo Ann

Best of luck, Jo Ann

Anon, I don't have an answer to your question about whether your restriction will increase, but I suspect not. We see all the time on the board that restrictions can kick in some time after fills. Your Doc's has the best answer about that. I would question your statement that you only had a small first fill of 2.75 cc. That seems very aggressive to me. Anyway, you might give the band a rest today with a liquid/very mushie diet and see how tomorrow or the next day goes. Unfills are very quick if needed. It's surprising how just a tiny amount of unfill can make all the difference. Good luck, Jo Ann

Jimcy, What city are you located in? Why not put out a request to lap-banders in your town to tell you their experiences about seeing their surgeon and whether anyone has used the surgeon that is recommending the by-pass? Here are two resources you can look at for more information. Click here: www.bariatricedge.com Click here: http://www.lapbandsolutions.com/94829E_LB_Patient_Book.pdf Good luck! Jo Ann

How about, "Mommy has decided to be more healthy in what she eats, so I'll be eating a little differently sometimes, mainly I'll be eating less. Sometimes I might just have something to drink. But I will still take care of you and make good food to eat that you like." A tip I learned during the mushie stage. I found I could put most of what the family was eating in the blender all at once with a little hot Water or broth and turn it into a mushie. The trick is to pour it into a mug that can't be seen through and spoon happily away. If you kids can see into it -- it is a good time to teach that good manners means we never say someone else's food looks yuccky or gross! Hope this helps. Jo Ann

Hi Anniejo and :welcome: to LBT! Congratulations on your surgery date and we wish you the best. I'm not a personal friend of Bill Wilson, but I have friends who are. Hang in there, they will get in touch soon, Jo Ann

To the contrary. Both Taurus and Libra are ruled by Venus and have a lot in common. Both are interested in security, having access to seeing and owning things of beauty, as well as being very romantic. IN fact these two signs are very complementary. Jo Ann

Foodstampchamp, You have done a wonderful service in telling your story so that we can learn from your experience. He's a beautiful little boy. I hope you've been able to help your daughter let go some of her guilt for leaving the pills out where he could reach them. She's carrying as big a burden of guilt as you are, I'll bet. A while back,. I was priviledged to do some research for a program that has kid safety as its mission. The research was to talk to relatives and grandparents of small children who may see them or watch them a couple of hours a week. The purpose of the campaign when developed will be to alert these people to the risks of having pills in your purse or other places where little ones can get them, having pills that look like candy and vice versa, having the little ones imitate an older relative taking insulin, etc. Here's a link to the web site. Jo Ann Click here: Safe Kids USA: Preventing accidental injury.

Joyful1, I represent the other side of the coin. I have Hashimoto's syndrome; have had 1/2 my thyroid removed and am on Synthyroid and Cytomel daily. As far as symptoms go, I feel pretty well managed. However, the weight has been very slow to come off. Of course, you have to factor in the anti-depressant cocktail I take daily and give it a lot of credit for slow weight loss too.:faint: Jo Ann

No wonder we've had so many problems with the scale all these years!! Jo Ann This is great...........I've been doing this wrong for years! Hmmm! I wonder if my doctor will buy this one? How to weigh yourself I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years. We must get the word out.

Hello all! I've gone missing for a while and it's great to see the thread still alive and kicking. I've had a really hectic work schedule in recent times, and I think I needed a break form the board. I was getting so frustrated at my sloooooow pace of losing, (Pelo -- you have nothing to worry about!!) that I felt I needed to be thinking about something else. Anyway, I'm over myself and back. Has anybody heard anything from Faybie lately? Jo Ann

Schexy, Doctors really appreciate straight talk. Something like, "you know Doc. I've not been feeling like myself for a while and think I'm depressed. Could we talk about this?" This gives the doctor a place to start the conversation and then he/she will probably ask you a series of questions designed to give an overall impression of your emotional mood level. Good luck and let us know what the doc says. Jo Ann

At the risk of TMI (too much information)here's a link to a website that provides a forum for more personal reports about many medications we take for emotional or neurological conditions. Be prepared for some VERY blunt talk. Click here: Crazy Meds! The Good, The Bad & The Funny of Neurological Medications Jo Ann

I'm on the Lexapro along with a whole cocktail of antideppressants. Each one reaches some specific area of the brain, I guess. My husband only takes Lexapro and he and I are fine about using itl Pay attention to your body....you'll know. And if you can, get outside and move around in the sunlight. It can help. Jo Ann

Something else that might help is a website called "My Virtual Model" You can create a model with your dimensions and look and see what that is like. Then you can create the ideal weight and see what the difference would be, or take a look at any weight you like. This will help give you a visual reference. Click here: My Virtual Model - Go Shopping Write and let us know if any of these methods are good for you and what you are looking for. PS. I don't know any adult females with Asperger's. My 17 year old daughter was diagnosed in 10th grade. There are so many questions I have about the coming years and no one to ask! If you are willing to carry this conversation further off-line, why not send me a PM and we can continue the conversation. Jo Ann

Your life sounds exactly like mine! Only for me it is Effexor, Lexapro, Wellbutrin and Trazadone. Otherwise, ditto! Jo Ann

I kept a box of Gas-X thin strips (the ones that melt on your tongue) in my car and at my desk for those times. Eventually the gas went away. Jo Ann