hamltmom

Just an FYI. Be careful! I get sick a lot with my band. I've developed a bad case of Reflux since I was banded January 2010. I've had to have my band unfilled completely twice now and need to go back again for a slight unfill. At least I'm hoping it'll only be a slight unfill. The last unfill was because my band had "twisted" due to the retching (?) that I was doing. I just got my last fill about 3 weeks ago and have been trying to wait out this last bought. I know, not so smart because it makes my esophagus get so swollen that it just keeps getting worse and worse. Anyway, good luck and please try not to throw up if at all possible.

I was banded 1/18/10 and have lost a total of 90 lbs now. Have 40 to go.

Well, that's 3 nights in a row now that I have actually slept like a baby. I can't believe that I'm not waking up getting sick all night. I called my Dr. on Tues. and saw him on Wed. for a band un-fill. I'm back down to 1cc. My Dr. said that I definitely had been way too tight and that even .25cc can be too much when you're at your sweet spot. He's leaving me with just 1cc for 2 weeks, then we'll be starting all over again with fills. I was really upset having to start all over. I felt like I had failed. But, I had to take a new look at things. I'm down 65 lbs.total. Was banded 1/18/10. I'm looking at it more like taking a little break. I was so sick with the Reflux. I didn't even have a voice the majority of the time and my Dr. had tried doing .5cc un-fills, they weren't helping me to feel any better. I do now. I have energy again, a voice and I'm sleeping. My kids even like me better. Fleur, if you're having Reflux again, ask for a .25 un-fill. Or try taking Prilosec OTC. The Prilosec OTC didn't work for me, I got a RX for Nexium now. But, my dr started me out trying Prilosec first. Good Luck!:thumbup:

I just had to share: It occurred to me the other day that I actually weight less now than when I met my husband, about 16 years ago. I am still so excited about that. This also means that my daughters have never seen me this thin either. And yes, they keep telling me that. They are very good cheerleaders for Mom's weight loss journey. They are very encouraging to me and always anxious try new recipes with me. It's great to see them so excited as they notice me getting thinner. Thanks for letting me share!

I'm hoping that someone can help me put an end to this back pain. I've been hurting in my upper back, mid-section, just below the shoulder blades now for about 6 weeks or so. I have had it in the past as well, but lately, it's pretty constant. Initially, I was told that it was my feeling of over-full. But now, I'm hurting first thing in the morning after having just a couple sips of coffee. I was up to 6.5cc's in my10cc band. After the Dr. taking some off 2x's now, I'm down to 5cc's. He was loosening it, because my Reflux at night has been so very bad. I'm up to 2 Prilosec a day, plus a couple of Gaviscon during the night and still getting sick most of the night. Yes, that part if awful too. But, I can live with that much easier than I can the back pain. Can anyone help me out with this? I would so very much appreciate any advice or suggestions. My next appointment with my Dr. is June 3rd. Thanks for anything you can tell me!

Ok! I saw the Dr. yesterday. I had to. The liquid diet only took care of the problem the one night. After that, I was back to being sick all night, every night. Yesterday I saw the Dr. and he unfilled me back down to 1cc. I was about in tears. It felt like I had failed and was starting all over again. And yes, I kind of am. My Dr. said that he will give me another fill in 2 weeks. I know that it is for the best. I coulnd't exercise anymore. I was barely functioning, I was so extremely tired. Well, last night was great sleep and I'm expecting tonight and every night after this to be good sleeping as well. My Dr. also changed me from Prilosec OTC to Nexium. With the Reflux under control, I feel like I should be feeling- great and ready to exercise again. Take Care! And don't be afraid to tell your Dr. if Reflux is getting the best of you. Because if you don't get it under control, it will win. Good Night!

I'm sorry to say that I don't know if you are having an allergic reaction or not. It sound like yes, you are. But please don't feel like you've made a mistake. I promise you, it does get better. As many have told me, including my Dr., "Don't be afraid to call your Dr." That is what he is there for. He is the only one that can help you out with most problems. Like I said, I promise, it does get better. Hang in there and Good Luck!

Ok! Just thought I would let you all know, that the taking it light on the esophagus and going back to the liquid diet only helped out 1 night. I've been up most of every night since then. I finally called my Dr. yesterday and have to go in to see him today. I'm so tired and ache all over. My lungs hurt too. I'm sure that he's going to take some/ probably quite a bit out of my band. That stinks since I was pretty much at my sweet spot. But, this Reflux stinks worse. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.

The upper back pain they did tell me before that it was a sign that I had eaten too much. But on Friday, it was continuous the entire day after just a couple of sips of my morning coffee. But I think I now have it figured out. I think that it definately is this time, because of my Reflux having my esophagus swollen. I kept on a liquid diet yesterday all day and had very little back pain and slept better than I have in weeks. I'm going to stay mostly liquid again today and see what happens tonight. Thank God for the Protein Shakes. I hope that this helps others!

I have been having this problem for over 6 weeks now. I have had two band unfills now and am still getting sick. Last night was my first decent night of sleep that I have had in quite some time. I went back to a mostly liquid only diet yesterday. I figured that since everyone was saying that with the reflux your esophogus is swollen, it needs me to be gentle to it for a day or two. So I had protein drinks, water and broth yesterday. I had already been doing the not eating or drinking at least 4 hours before going to bed and up to 2 Prilosec a day and avoiding caffeine and spicy foods. I only woke up 2 x's last night and the getting sick was much more minimal than previous nights. The night before I had probably only slept about 2 hours total. I'm going to let myself have some soft stuff today and see how that goes. I hope that this helps you all out as well. Give it a try.

Ok! Today, my back feels much better. But, my breathing is terrible. The Reflux kept me up most of the night. I've already done 2 breathing treatments and now I can't stop shaking. I didn't have my cup of coffee this morning, and I think that I'm going to stick to liquid diet today. something has got to help. From what I've been reading, it sounds like my Reflux might be causing my esophogus to be swollen. I'm not sure, but maybe my stomach is swollen too. With this being the case, maybe the coffee and food are just causing more irritation than my stomach and esophogus can handle. Any ideas?

That's really exciting. I haven't gone to buy any new ones yet, just enjoying the way that the old ones are now fitting correctly and some are getting too big. I'll go buy some soon. When I do go shopping for them, one of the stores that I am going to go into is Victoria Secrets. I am going to make a point to say something to someone in there too. The last time that I went in there was just to look and dream about being able to where something in there and the little girl (Young & Small) was so rude, seeing my size, that I was extremely insulted. Don't know that I would ever buy anything from there ever, because of that. They are not the only sexy undy store around.

I don't know if you are still looking for books on lap-band, but one that I found very informative was Weight-Loss Surgery for Dummies. I couldn't believe how well it covered everything and broke down and compared the difference in the different types of weight loss surgeries. As far as recipe books, I really like Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery by Margaret M. Furtado and Lynette Schultz. It gives you the full Nutritional Analysis as well as when you are allowed to eat it post-op for each type of surgery. Good Luck to You!

That's right, dark meat chicken is more tender, but my nutritionist says to limit that too because it is fattier. Fish is a good idea or you can cook your chicken breast in the crock pot, that keeps it really tender. Even though, no matter how tender it is, I am still having troubles with chicken. Tonight I had something for supper that I haven't had in quite some time and it's really good, not to mention that my nutritionist said it would be okay to have. I use the crab meat, warm it in a skillet that's been sprayed with pam, add a little dry mustard and light Miracle Whip. That's it. It's really good. It was enough to fill me too. I'm at 5 1/2 cc in my 10cc band and I had about 1/2 cup. Just make sure you're getting about 60 grams of Protein in a day. If you have to, don't forget to use a Protein Drink. Good Luck!

You didn't say, are you getting enough liquids in? I too have a 10 cc band and am now at 6 cc's. I am having a rough time with it now. I spoke with my nutritionist today and she told me to go back to eating soft foods for a week or so. I just went up to the 6 cc's 1 1/2 weeks ago. I'm having back pain really bad, and we've decided that I must be overeating and that is my overly full feeling now. It's extremely uncomfortable. I was having troubles getting enough liquid in, but now that I've gone back to the soft foods, I feel like I'm getting closer to reaching my liquid intake goal. So if you're not getting enough liquids in, try to do so. It really does help to keep you feeling full. If you are getting enough liquids, then you probably do need another small fill. Good Luck!

I was banded on 1/18. My surgeon put in 1.5cc during surgery. Then when I went for my 2 week check, he put me at 4cc's. That helped a little, but I was also allowed to eat than and had very little restriction. So, at my 4 week post op check-up, he bumped me up to 5.5 cc's in my 10cc band. I now have a lot of restriction. Don't forget to keep drinking plenty of water. That too will help to fill you up. And, it's very hard to get in all of your liquid as it is. Just be sure to be patient. Each Dr. progresses each patient differently. You just have to trust your surgeon. You trusted him to do the surgery, now trust him to advance you at the pace he feels is best for you. Good Luck!:wink2:

I started wearing jeans about 3 weeks post-op. I hadn't worn them in a couple of years, because I refused to buy a larger size. So, when I tried on a pair that I used to wear and could fit into them comfortably, I wore them. It didn't bother my incisions or anything. I'm sure it's okay for you now, if you are comfortable in them. If they bother your incision AT ALL, DON'T DO IT YET. Go for it if you can.

I've eaten the FF refried beans from a can and had no problems at all. I believe I had 1/4 C as a side with 3 oz. of chicken, I've also had it with cottage cheese. I was full from that and had no problems. I did make some beans myself and mashed them. I don't know what the difference was, but I got very ill feeling from my own beans. My nutritionist had told me though, that it was ok to eat the ff canned refried beans. I also like to add a little salsa or taco sauce to them. Yum!

I too am having a bit of frustration with this. I am now down 33 lbs. But, I'm becoming obsessed with the scale because it isn't moving. I have been losing inches, because my clothes are smaller. I just had a fill this past Monday and lost about 5 lbs within 2 days. (I'm now at 5.5cc's in my 10cc band) I haven't lost anything since and am having a terrible time getting things down. I've had to switch back to mostly soft foods. I also had my first experience with getting sick on what I ate. I now know that bagels don't work for me anymore. That stinks too, because I love bagels. Keep up the exercising and I know that the scall will just drop all of a sudden.:thumbup:

I lost about 8 lbs before the liquid diet, about 15 lbs pre-op liquid diet and the rest since my band. Every Dr. is different with their "rules". From what I understand, they develope these rules due to experience. Of course, each patient is different too. I'm pleased with how my weight loss is going. However, I'm getting very anxious for the weight loss to get moving. I'm down now a total of 32 lbs with about 83 lbs to go. I'm going to start doing some light Pilates today. I'm at 3 weeks post-op today and my last visit, my Dr was still saying to keep walking more. he doesn't all exercising until 4-weeks post op. I don't think that light pilates will hurt me. But, if I feel any pulling or pain, I'll stop right away. Good Luck on your journey!

Hi all! I am wondering when am I allowed to start exercising? I am thinking that I was told a while back that my Dr. lets you start exercising at your 4 week follow-up. That's 8 days from now. I'm tired of just walking. I also am getting very anxious to see my weight to start to drop again. I had my first fill last week, but my weight isn't really budging much to talk of. I know that each Dr. is different, but thought someone might have an idea of when it would be safe to at least start doin Pilates again. Thanks for the help!

I just saw your post and am hoping that all is going well for you. I was just put on Stage II this past week as well. I was told just about the same as you, however, I was told no bread, vegetables or fruits (except apple sauce). Good Luck to you. I hope it's going well.

Yes! You will have restriction again. I was banded 1/18/10. My surgeon put in 1.5 or 2cc in surgery. When I saw him on my 2 week follow-up, I asked and received a fill. I'm now at 4cc's. I can't believe the difference. I was starving before and eating a lot that I shouldn't have eaten yet. Now, I'm having to be very careful. If I don't chew, chew, chew and then chew some more, it hurts like heck and I'm content on a much smaller amount of food. Everyone told me that I wouldn't get a fill at my 2-week visit, but I asked, and received. I was very excited because like I said, I was hungry. Do you know when you are supposed to get your first fill? Or have you received one yet? I hope this helps! Good Luck to you and don't forget to stop eating when you are content.

I am 8 days post op and it still is sore where my port is. It also hurts to try to bend over. Is this normal? If so, for how long will this last? Thanks for helping!:confused:

Thank You all so very much. I feel much better about it now. I will quit worrying about it now. God bless you all in your journey to better health through weight loss.