Dame J

Humm I wonder if I will still be allowed to get my fill. I had a REALLY BAD experience last night. Totally freaked me out and unfortunatly also freaked out my mom. Anyway had dinner but after felt stuck, really stuck. I walked around a bit and just tried to burp but nothing. Then had this crazy pain like someone was holding my stoma in thier first and stabbing me. Not cool. I was writhing in pain on the floor for an hour before it came up. Gross foamy and slimmy. anyway in that time my mom called the Dr's office cause she has never seen me in pain before. The nurses weren't there but they are supposed to call me today to see if things are fine. I just worry that now they will hesitate to give me a fill. I am not tight at all cause obviously I have never had a fill I think it was the food... dry turkey and raw carrots. Not a good choice harder to make sure they are chewed up well. Thought I did a good job at the time... found out not a good enough job.

Hey Yasmina I had a stitch poking out too but when I went to the Dr's for a follow up they just snip it right off and whatever stitches are in the incision just dissolve. Did you get a Dr. to snip your stitch at the follow up?

Wow Andrew I would be so pissed. I am pissed just reading your post. Wow!!! honestly I am glad that the only people I told were my parents, and they have told no one. It is hard sometimes not letting others in on what you are doing, especailly when you let them in on everything else, but I have said it before and I will say it again, when it comes to weight loss surgery people are just way too judgemental. I didn't want people in my business, making judgements, and monitoring everything I do so I decided early not to tell people. It's hard but then again I use this forum for all the support, and venting that I need to express on the subject. :biggrin1:

Funny that you mention this topic, I was thinking along the same lines this morning. I love food and have loved food for years, it was a comfort for me but it was also like a hobby. Although I have only had the band for 6 weeks I can already sense my relationship with food changing. Now that I can no longer thoughtlessly throw food down my throat and now that I have to chew chew chew food it just not as a welcoming comfort as it once was. Don’t get me wrong I still crave food and want all the wrong things, but I feel like food is no longer the same. I haven’t been turning to it like I used to. This does not upset me. My relation to food was very unhealthy one might say Morbidly so. Susan I hope when you are banded it provides the intervention that you are looking for as well. PS just say no to drugs... and food :biggrin1:

Louise I hope your fill goes well too. Yoda I think I got it but then again I could be wrong and it could be something else. Hard to tell and it hurts to keep poking around. :welldoneclap: And before you say it, yes I am aware of how stupid I sound. :heh:

Seriously Yoda maybe it is just that I don't recognise this thing in my body but I honestly don't feel it. HAHA I am sitting here in my office with my top up poking around my scar. Hope the boss doesn't walk in. Not a pretty picture. :biggrin1: when I go for the fill I will have to remember where exactly they stick the needle

I have been hungry probably since I started the full stage of solids so I guess a week now. I was banded on the 9th of Feb and this Friday will be my 6th week. I was supposed to go for the fill on Friday but I have too many meetings that day so next wed it is. :biggrin1:

:heh: :heh: :heh: Okay that is too funny. Not quite my HS Prom experience but still very funny. anyway Susan congrats on the surgery date it will be here before you know it. Good luck!

Mandi you are lookin' great. You have done an amazing job with the band. You should be proud of how far you have come :clap2: You give me great hope. :biggrin1:

Congrats on making the appointment. :clap2: I am sure you will love Dr. Cobourn. I have nothing but great things to say about him and his staff. Good Luck!

Sorry to hear about your grandmother Mandi. Yoda is right it is always hard to loose someone.

Yoda true enough. I have heard that it can take a few fills to get the right restriction. I just want to get my first one over with. I called to set up an appointment but so far no call back. The good thing is now that the weight is coming off slower and I am more hungry I am more inclined to work it off like Andrew is doing. I am getting back into a walking routine and will hopefully be running again by end of summer, or at least able to run as I am not fit enough right now. I even signed up for a 5k walk with some friends. Should keep me on track till the sweet spot.

Wow am I ever learing (the hard way) of the importance to chew chew chew! I have been eating softs for over a week and have been slowly intaking solids in my meals for the last few days. What a crazy (and bad) feeling when you don't pay attention and don't chew like crazy. I am hoping that I get to a point where I don't have to remind myself to chew my food to nothing. Please tell me this comes with time. I also can't seem to eat scrambled eggs any more. They just don't seem to agree. They always get stuck. I made the mistake of drinking some Water when they stuck and that just seemed to make the whole process worse. Don't get me wrong I have no regrets. I love that I have to take my time to eat, now I don't feel like such a glutton when I eat. I eat my small meals and take my time and sit up super straight (maybe it is just me but food feels better going down when I am ramrod straight). Damn but my Grandmother would be so proud of the lady I present at meal time.

Sorry Cloe couldn't help myself :heh:

Mandi I see your problem. I would for sure check the website first. Now if you really want this persons help I would maybe print another income tax form from the CRA website and fill it in like your last one but without the lap bad just have MEDICAL and leave her guessing. Seems like a lot of work I guess, but then again I go to crazy lengths to keep my stuff private. :paranoid

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them later in the day. Because scrambled eggs did not go so well I have been reluctant to try the hard boiled but I think this weekend I might give it a try. Hummmm... all of a sudden I am craving an egg salad sandwich :hungry:

Yes I know what you mean Doddie. The weight is not falling off the way it was. Can't wait for the fill I am making the appointment today! I am still not eating a lot and I am still eating better than I used to but I it still feels like I can keep on eating. I have been curbing that because I don't want to get into old habits but I hope the fill will help.

Hey Dave congrats on making your appointment. So far I am still in the early stages but I have been pretty happy with the choice I have made. Good luck!

Hey Yasmina welcome back!!! I'm glad you had a good trip. You held up okay with the new band? Can't wait to hear about your trip

Oh Cloe how I wish bitching was a way to lose those pounds. I would probably be as skinny as Kate Moss. I thought I had an old bell cell phone but it's broken as well. The whole process of trying to talk to real people at Bell is hell, and then once you get them it is hardly worth it.

Globe and Mail - Tues March 13th, 2007 There's a downside to obesity surgery SHERYL UBELACKER Canadian Press TORONTO — When people with obesity have surgery to help them lose weight, they can also lose something else — the ability to properly absorb certain nutrients, in particular Vitamin B1. And that deficiency can potentially lead to permanent brain damage if left untreated, researchers say. In a review of the medical literature, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found 32 cases of bariatric surgery patients who developed symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy, a condition marked by memory loss and confusion, an inability to co-ordinate movements and rapid eye movement. Wernicke's is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B1, also called thiamine, and these classic symptoms are usually seen in alcoholics, said lead author Dr. Sonal Singh, an internal medicine specialist at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “But interesting to our study, we found that these people also had other symptoms, like hearing loss, convulsions and tingling and numbness of the arms and legs — symptoms that have not been previously described with Wernicke's,” Dr. Singh said in an interview. That made the researchers wonder if these bariatric surgery patients were suffering from more than just a B1 deficiency and may have been experiencing a deficit of other critical nutrients or had developed immunological problems. Strangely, almost half of the patients with the neurological symptoms showed no brain lesions when given an MRI scan, said Dr. Singh, whose study is published Tuesday in the journal Neurology. Of the 32 patients — who had one of four weight-loss surgeries, including gastric bypass and gastric banding — 13 made a full recovery. Eighteen others were left with various levels of dysfunction and one patient, a 33-year-old woman, died. Most had experienced vomiting prior to onset of the neurological symptoms, said Dr. Singh, noting that patients ranged in age from 23 to 55, and 27 of the 32 were women. (In the United States, 75 per cent of bariatric surgery patients are women, he said.) The vomiting could have been caused by any of several factors, including the anatomical changes created by the surgery; blockages caused by swelling around the surgical area; and ulcerations or other erosions of the stomach developed following the operation. “When people who have had weight-loss surgery start experiencing any of these symptoms, they need to see a doctor right away,” stressed Dr. Singh. “Doctors should consider vitamin B1 deficiency and Wernicke encephalopathy when they see patients with these types of neurological complications after weight-loss surgery. If treated promptly, the outlook is usually good.” The average point at which patients began exhibiting Wernicke's symptoms was four to 12 weeks after surgery, although one patient developed problems two weeks after the operation and another 18 months later. Dr. Singh said his study could not determine how common Wernicke's encephalopathy is among people who have surgery to help them lose weight, and he said studies that follow patients are needed to establish how often it occurs. While some doctors prescribe thiamine supplementation after bariatric surgery as a matter of course, Dr. Singh believes national standards should be set for physicians to follow. “This is an emerging risk which is going to become more important in the future as more people get surgery,” he said.

Doddie from one Newbie to another don't take it personally. I have been reading posts on this site since last summer and let me tell you it has changed a ton, and with the amount of posts coming on here these days it is hard to keep track. So I understand why the "Old Farts" :heh: want to have a special place to keep it straight. It is not trying to keep you out. In fact I think this is a great idea. I can contiune to read what the "elders" are going through while learning from their issues, and I am sure that if I did have a question for them (as they have more experience) I can ask it here instead of posting on all of their different threads. Don't take it personally. This is really just a thread for some to keep track of one another that won't get cluttered up by all the new stuff that is going on. continue to read and learn and be inspired. I know I will be

Happy belated birthday Maria! :happybday2:

Mandi knew you could do it! :clap2:

Hey Yoda I'm a little slow on the news but congrats. Onederland!!! You are doing amazing!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: