mkmelissag

The same thing happened to me. After 3 difficult fill attempts under flouro, doc realized my port was flipped and there was a leak. It was frustrating, and I felt that I wasted 4 months. Keep the faith - it will get better! :thumbup: The port revision surgery was a breeze. It took three fills after the revision to get to really good restriction. Now the weight is coming off consistently, and I am so happy!! Don't let it get you down. Just keep moving forward. Good luck!

stl - You are not alone. After 3 difficult fills (under flouro) and my restriction fading so quickly, my surgeon suspected an issue. Sure enough, my band flipped, and all the poking around to access it caused a leak. It was late March by the time we figured this out, and because my ins changed Jan2010, I had to pay cash for my port revision. I was not able to get the revision until late May. So I, too, feel way behind the game. I so much wanted to be under 300 by this time, and can't seem to crack 320. Having to revise all my goals was so disheartening, I stopping logging/graphing my weight. It has been a slow go to "get back on the wagon", since I has essentially been living like I didn't have the band from March until my revision. I'm still re-learning the "rules." I'm due for a fill - definitely have some restriction, but not enough. I had my first EVER sliming/PB episode and i was so happy! :tongue_smilie:At least I know my band is working and I'm figuring out my limits. I read the posts occasionally for inspiration. I know I will get there eventually - and so will you!

My port revision was really easy. I had it done under "twilight" sedation and a local. I was up and about and felt great 30 mins after the surgery. It was strange to feel him tugging and messing around, listening to the surgeon and nurses chatting it up. Interesting experience. The "twilight' was kind of fun. I would say the soreness-wise, it was like after the initial surgery minus the first few days. I took the heavy duty painkillers and slept in the recliner for 2 days, and then just general soreness. The most painful part was paying for it! I had it done on a Tuesday, and I actually put in a few hours at work on Thursday and Friday. Best of luck, and let us know how it goes.

I'm not sure when my port "flipped". My first fill attempt was unsuccessful - couldn't access the port after going through 4 needles. (not fun, btw) My second and third fills were a challenge even under flouro. At my third fill appt, the doc injected dye to check for a leak in my tubing.(I never had much restriction and weight was yo-yoing) Sure enough, a leak - most likely from him poking around to find the port. I'm currently working with ins and the doctor figure out how to pay for the port revision. Did you have to go under general anesthetic or just a local with sedation?

Thank you Viv!

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. :thumbup: Today was a good news/bad news day. The good news is that I'm not crazy - there is a reason for my lack of restriction. The bad news is that I have a leak in the port tubing. :laugh: Went in for my fill - the last two were done under flouro b/c the doc had difficulty accessing the port. Today we went straight to radiology. Instead of saline, he injected dye into the port - sure enough, a small leak right where the tubing connects to the port. This totally explains why I feel initial restriction after a fill, lose well for a week, then after a week or two I end up gaining and losing the same couple of lbs. I suppose I could/should be angry. But, I was already prepared for a port revision because my port was flipped and sort of upside down. So, I guess its another surgery for me. I hear it is much less involved - going in only through the port incision, but still under general anesthesia. Keeping my fingers crossed that the ins approval goes through - and quickly! I am so glad my doc did not mess around and make me go though numerous fill before investigating for the leak. It's back to the "old fashioned" way for a bit. I am determined not to re-gain what I have lost.

You are not alone, Happy. I lurk here, but don't post much. I'll lose a few pounds right after a fill, and then spend a couple of weeks gaining and losing those same few pounds. I, too, have never PB'd, slimed or got stuck. (not that I really WANT to, LOL) I can eat whatever. Last week I ate 3 slices of pizza with absolutely no trouble. :cool: My net loss is about .5 lb per week avg. I know, a loss is a loss. I AM happy that I have lost some, but I know I could/should be doing way better. I have a heck of a lot to lose - at least 150 lbs. I thought because I am starting at such a high BMI the weight loss would be easy at first, THEN slow. Ugh. I'm behind in my fills, which I know is part of it. I may be looking at port revision soon - my port is at a funny angle and I have to have all my fills under flouro. My surgeon does not typically do the flouro, and he is not happy about it. I'm afraid my ins will not cover it. Anyway, I don't mean to be too negative. I do have hope and faith that this will work for me eventually.

My struggle with water has little to do with the band itself, other than the waiting a minimum of one hour after eating. I was terrible with drinking water before the band - it was not unusual for me to have my Grande Vanilla Latte in the morning and not drink anything more until late afternoon. Now, I have to make an effort to have my water bottle with me at all times. If it is not right next to me, I will completely forget to drink until it's mealtime, then it's too late. I have to say that I do notice a difference with the weight loss when I get my water in. It really does help.

Glad to hear it! :tt1:

Have you been able to get in for your fill yet? How are you doing? I just had my 2nd fill - flouro required again. Doc still saying after I lose 20-30 lbs, he may be able to access it better. But, he also said that if after 4 fills it is still difficult, he'll consider port revision surgery. I hope yours goes much better! :tt1:

Thank you so much, Eric. I really needed that today.

Whoa boy, I hope its a coincidence and not the beans!:sad: I'm not a big meat eater and I rely on beans for protein. Maybe try Beano? Good luck, and I hope everything goes well, and you can get back on track easily.

The same thing happened to me. Having it done under flouro should not be a problem - the surgeon will be able to see exactly how the port is sitting in you and should get it on the first try. My port is somewhat twisted - I have to lay on my side and the doc goes in at an angle. He told me that there was no way he could have found it without the flouro, but that surgery to correct it will not be required at this time. It may be required in the future, or with weightloss, the port may re-orient itself. Actually it was pretty cool to do the flouro thing... you can see your band, and he was able to do a really precise and aggressive fill, since you can see how quickly the pouch empties. Good luck - and keep us posted!

For me, this has been the greatest NSV! Before surgery, I was on 4 different BP meds, at really high dosages. I've been working with my cardiologist to wean off of them. As of today, 2.5 months after surgery and 40 lbs down from my highest (consultation) weight, I completely dropped one med (norvasc). Dosage for Metoprolol down to 50mg from 150mg. Diovan is down to 80mg from 360mg, hoping to lose that one at my next check in. Diazide unchanged. This is amazing to me since I still have over 150 lbs to lose! I most likely will never be completely free of meds due to non-obesity related heart issues, but I am ecstatic over how even a relatively small amount of weightloss has caused such amazing improvement! Oh yeah, my swollen ankles are gone too! :biggrin: I have had a couple of low readings, i.e. 100/58. I'm averaging 110s/65-75, and I have noticed that I get dizzy easier when getting up too fast or bending over. Re cuffs: I have a wrist cuff and my doc is OK with it. I bring it in with me to test it against theirs every so often, and its never more than a couple points off.

Coffee 6:30am B-fast: 7:30am -always egg and bacon, all protein in the morning keeps me fuller longer Lunch: I try to hold out as long a I can - 1:30-2 if I can make it. If I eat too early then I'm ravenous before dinner. I keep a protein shake at work for emergencies. Snacking mid afternoon gets me in trouble. Dinner: 6:30-7ish Post-dinner: If I feel the need, and can afford it :smile2:.....either a handful of dark chocolate covered almonds or a homemade protein smoothie.

I am self-pay for fills. :smile2: My surgery on 12/24/09 was totally covered by ins. My husband blabbed to his co-workers about my surgery, and sure enough - the new ins for 2010 specifically EXCLUDES all treatment for obesity - surgical or non-surgical. Yay me! Anyway, fills by my surgeon -no-flouro- would be $140 if I pay that day. $280 if they bill me later. Unfortunately, given the orientation of my port, I do need to have mine done under flouro. My surgeon's office is in a hospital, so I have to deal with the hospital for the x-ray fee. That's $504.00 if I pay that day, $650 if they bill me. So, my grand total is $644. Redskittles - I see Dr. Shayani in Bolingbrook. He actually does all the fills, not an assistant. I love him - he is so nice,and he gives all his patients his email address and he will respond if you email him. It is actually very rare for him to do fill under flouro - his staff had to ask how to write up the order! I don't know his policy on taking previous banded patients, but it's worth a shot. PM me if you want more info.

I know that is so frustrating. Once you've made the decision to go forward, you want it to happen NOW!:thumbup: It will go by faster than you realize. Trust me, the cardiac clearance is important - it delayed my surgery almost 3 months, but it saved my life. Good luck!

This is something I have to make a concerted effort to work on. It's hard to change after a lifetime of having certain negative beliefs about yourself. I truly believe that thoughts create reality. I've come to the realization that my negative thoughts have brought me to this place - being morbidly obese - and the really the only way to overcome it, along with the help of the band, is to change my thoughts. I'm not in therapy (probably should be), but have been reading a lot - Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson. Are you working on any concrete exercises to help change the habit? I'm seriously considering doing the rubber band around the wrist thing to literally "snap" myself out of it when I go to that negative place. LOL. I think the mental aspect of this journey is this most critical to success. The band removes the distraction of constantly thinking about food to allow us to get to the real nitty gritty.

I know what a bummer that is. The same thing happened to me. My doc only made me wait one week to come back though. He ended up doing it under in flouro, which was breeze. Actually, it was pretty cool to see the band, and watch the barium flow through. It turns out my port is a bit "twisted". I had to lay on my side and he went in at an angle. He said was just poking at the back side of it before, and there was no way he could have done it without the flouro. He also said, like your doc, that there is a good chance that as I lose weight it will correct itself. I've got a pretty thick "spare tire." I hope that's where I lose it first! LOL. Our stats are similar. My highest was 374, surgery 12/24 at 360, last week was 340. Good luck on your next appt and keep us posted! Sending good vibes your way.

My surgeon is the same - at my first fill attempt he wouldn't tell me even what size band I had - he said people worry about how much compared to others, etc. I was fine with that. This time (my first successful fill) I could see the needle and was surprised to see that it was 8 ccs. He kept adding in 2 cc increments until I was completely closed, then backed some out. It was really cool to see it on x-ray! After he was satisfied, he pulled all of it out to see how much was really in there. That's when I saw the 8 ccs. So I said to him "I assume I have the large band, then?" Yup. LOL. Whether its fill amounts, or the rate we lose, etc., our bodies all react differently. The bottom line is that everyone is different and while its tempting, it's a waste of time and energy to compare. I'm just happy to be on the downward slide! :frown:

Thanks for asking! I ended up having it done under flouro (which sucks b/c I'm self-pay). Turns out my port is a bit "twisted" and he had to go in at a weird angle. Once he could see it on the x-ray, it was a breeze. He gave me a decent amount - 8ccs - I have the large band. I am feeling some restriction for sure, but not too tight. It's perfect I think for me for now. I don't want to be too tight and have to rely on shakes. We'll see how long it lasts! :frown: From what I've read, most ppl need at least a few fills to get to that mythical "sweet spot".

I can so relate! I wish I could say it was just one meal... but I've screwed this whole week! Waiting on my first fill (tomorrow- yay!) + PMS + the week from hell at work = major cravings for everything bad! Damn that filet-o-fish and Shamrock shake! :confused: I broke my promise to never again do drive through today. I feel like i gained back 10 lbs! (and really hope I'm exaggerating- dreading the weigh-in tomorrow). Tomorrow is a new day.

I need some advice. I've read that restriction etc can change in relation to the friendly monthly visitor. Mine just arrived today and am totally bloated. I'm scheduled for a fill in 2 days - will hopefully be my first. (I say hopefully as I attempted to get my first fill last week, but the doc was unsuccessful in finding the port.) Do I bother going this week to have him try again? I'm self-pay, and want to avoid doing it under x-ray until its absolutley necessary. I guess my question is: are fills more difficult at that time of month? Would I be better off waiting until next week? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks! :thumbdown:

Thanks so much for the response! That was exactly what I suspected, but didn't know if I was being paranoid. I'll call and reschedule for next week. Thanks again!

Awesome! I hope I have as much luck on Friday!