Taterbugsmom

I was just curious if anyone has had experience with a breech pregnancy post lap-band? I am currently 34 1/2 weeks and scheduled to be induced in 2 days due to preclampsia & gestational diabetes I've been in the hospital for 24 days now. At my ultrasound yesterday it was discovered my son has decided to flip into the breech position ughhhh My Dr.'s are planning to try and turn him tomorrow evening and am terrified this may damage my port! EEK!

I'm curious to know how your situation has been since your last post? I am 29 weeks along and have experienced the same issues with my port as you mentioned. At times it is excruciating to even cough! I have been wondering how this is going to feel while contracting & pushing during birth?

If it's any comfort, you did a lot better than me I have 11 weeks to go and have gained back 67 lbs SO FAR of the 88 lost post surgery. It's so depressing!!! I just have no control whatsoever over my eating without my "sweat spot". The only positive thus far is I don't have the high blood pressure issues I did with my previous pregnancies however I do have gestational diabetes again ughhh and will have to start insulin injections this week YUKK!!! I plan to breastfeed so not sure how long it will take for me to get back on track.... I'm hoping I'll be able to manage it a little better once I can get back for more fills! I struggled before to manage work, family & exercise and am just terrified of how I'll pull it off with a newborn EEK!

Hello.... I am 25 weeks pregnant and had surgery in July 10'. I had lost a total of 78 lbs when I discovered I was pregnant. I went through some terrible morning, noon & night sickness in the first few months so had to have a total unfill. I am now back up to 6 cc's in my band and feel very minimal restriction. I really want to go get more since I have a hard time restricting myself from overeating but with being pregnant my emotions are all over the place so I am afraid to get more because my band has a habit of getting tighter with the smallest amount of stress. Sadly, I have put back on over 40 lbs EEK but I try not to let it bother me since I know I got the weight off once... I have hope I'll do it again once the baby arrives. It's my understanding the baby doesn't interfere with your port however I have felt some weird movement of my port since I have been able to feel the baby moving around more frequently. I assume something internal is just shifting around it? It doesn't cause pain, just a weird feeling if that makes sense? It seems everyday my port pokes out a little more which has begun to be very comical with people touching my belly and assume it's the babies foot lol Hope that helps Best of luck to you!

Oh my am I glad I found this thread! Last week I discovered I was 8 weeks pregnant after an episode in the ER with kidney stones from dehydration. I had been vomiting for a few weeks but naively was thinking it was because of my food choices/chewing habits. I occasionally skip periods so the thought really hadn't crossed my mind. I also have a 17 year old that will be graduating high school this year so was definitely in denial also lol I seen my surgeon last Monday & he removed all 9 cc's out of my 11 cc band! OMG!!!! I have stopped vomiting but am constantly hungry! I'm sure it's all head hunger but it is driving me crazy, literally! I consumed the calories in the last few days that I would typically eat in a week! I have no doubt I will gain all 90+ lbs I've lost by the end of this pregnancy at this rate ughhhh I am calling my surgeon Monday and pleading with him to put some of the Fluid back in my band! I plan to try my best to keep bread out of my diet, since I tend to eat it uncontrollably without restriction but can anyone offer me any ideas to try and go at this the "old fashioned" way of dieting?

I do Zumba 2x a week at my Curves site. One night is 30 minutes that includes the curves circuit machines and the other is 60 minutes of all Zumba. I LOVE IT and it is an awesome cardio workout! I mainly joined at Curves to get the hang of it until I get a little more comfortable with the moves, I attended a class at a gym but it was all "skinny minnies" and I felt much to intimidated by it all.

I was banded 7/16/10 and have no problems sleeping on my belly or left side but it is very uncomfortable still to sleep on my right side, which is the side my port is on. I used my daughters pillow pet to prop my right side for several weeks after surgery to help me feel as though I was on my belly completely. It worked great!

I was banded 7/2010 and I am experiencing EXACTLY what you have described. My surgeon suggested I take a water pill also. I'm rather confused though on when I should start taking it??? I am going to give that a try this month & keeping everything crossed that works for me! I can't handle being this loose 3 1/2 weeks! I just don't have the willpower to not give into the cravings, which is why I was banded UGHHHH

Oh you so have my condolences! :huggie: I recently went through a tight episode and have now been a little too loose for 2 weeks.... OMG I didn't realize how much my band was really helping me curb my cravings. Thank god I am getting a slight fill Monday! I was never much of a sweets eater before my band and I swear sugar calls my name in the middle of the night now! It's insane! I have been terrible at not giving into temptations sadly I ate a bag of skittles earlier... I can't stand those things! WTH? I'm wondering if I need to do absolutely no carbs for a period to stop the insane cravings? Anyone have any suggestions?

I was steadily losing weight up until about 2 1/2 weeks ago when I got too tight. I have lost a total of 73 lbs, gaining 1 lb. back this week :hurt: I pray for NO MORE! I go in for another fill Monday but am near terrified of ending up to tight again EEK! Though I have daily struggles learning to work the band, I'm completely satisfied with the results! I have went from wearing size 22/24 pants to 12/14's. I seem to be carrying all of my weight on top. If only my arms could look as good as my legs Hopefully since the weather has made it impossible for me to (willingly) walk my normal 6-9 mi a day, I can spend more time working on my upper body. I joined Curves & am doing Zumba 2x a week.

Hang in there Amanda! I am definitely no expert, I was banded only a few weeks before you but I would think you need more of a fill since you aren't getting satisfied on soup that was loaded down with crackers. Crackers have been a real challenge for me. I would suggest your next fill be a tiny one though because you are probably close to your "sweet spot". Don't risk the misery of being too tight! I was at the spot you are now, got a 1 cc fill (took me to 6.75 cc's) and was too tight off & on for almost 2 weeks. That misery completely halted my weight loss! I finally had .5 cc's removed and know I need more put back in but postponed it until the 20th to make sure I am completely healed from all the pbing/sliming/vomiting I went through. Now I'm back to using willpower to not eat so much and sadly that's not going so well for me Best of luck to you!

I have an appointment Monday with my surgeon but thought I'd ask if anyone has any input (hopefully to put my worst fears at ease!) about this pain I've noticed at my port site the last few days whenever I cough hard. It feels almost like a burning/tear sensation that really hurts but goes away instantly. Has anyone else ever experienced anything similar?

Just wanted to toot my own horn a lil and give all you newbies out there struggling in Bandster Hell right now hope that it WILL GET BETTER! As of today (drum roll please:lol:) I have lost 68 lbs in 20 weeks, half way to my goal weight! Yes, I include the 2 week liquid diet love affair I was forced into . The first couple months after surgery were pure hell for me, I went through a bunch of self pity & questioned my decision to have the Lap Band but looking back now, every SECOND of my agony was worth THIS MOMENT! The Facts: I started my journey weighing 271 & am now down to 203. Onderland, here I come BABY! My size 22 jeans were literally leaving bruises on me & am now wearing a size 14/16. My shirt size has went from 2-3x to EXTRA LARGE and still comfortable! My shoe size (yeah I know CRAZY huh) has went from a 9 1/2 to an 8 1/2. My bra size has went for a 46 D to a 38 C.... keeping everything crossed that the C sticks around I know many others have had even more success than me & some are at a slower pace but I AM SO HAPPY with my results! I recently had my 5th fill and I think I may have finally hit that sweet spot, I just have to get my mind in motion to accept that 1/4-1/2 cup food for a meal really is all I need & I won't starve... It's getting easier everyday though. Anyhow, I really just wanted to give all you folks newly banded that are struggling such as I was, some hope to hang in there until your "tool" begins doing what it's suppose to. I'm definitely beginning to see it is getting easier though I know I will face many more struggles before reaching & maintaining my goal weight but at least there IS hope now! Good Luck to us all! :crying:

Glad to hear your Dr got you unfilled so quickly! I know EXACTLY what that relief feels like. I kept trying to convince myself it was something I ate wrong or not slow/small enough, never again will I let it go on that long before getting an unfill! I was able to move onto mushies today & everything went fine, can't wait for solids tomorrow :lunch: Yummmmm

Since last Wednesday I had experienced the exact same thing as you! Whether you're overfilled or just tight from the vomiting you need to have at least a slight unfill ASAP! Trust me, I put it off for over a week and every time I thought it was getting better, it got worse. I had .5 taken out yesterday & it has made a WORLD of difference. My Dr. said to give it 7 days & we'll decide if I need more put back in. I do have a habit of getting tighter the week before my TOM so we aren't sure if it was just that? Call your Dr ASAP! Don't put it off, you could risk damaging your band from the vomiting.

My surgeon recommended Flinestone chewables, saying they have enough of what I need? I take the gummy ones and must say I was a little disappointed when he told me to take one instead of 2 :hurt: They are rather tasty!

According to my surgeon (lord knows they all have different opinions on here), he says proper restriction is when you can go 3/4 hours between meals. I would think you aren't to tight and maybe just had a little "operator error"

Sounds like you had your first stuck episode, please accept my condolences! :huggie: I am working on this issue myself eek! The clear liquid is what is referred to as "sliming", from what I understand whenever food is stuck your body produces mucous to try & help clear the obstruction. I have yet to just "slime", it's always followed by a vomit. Chicken is tricky for me that's for sure. It takes some a long time to get to that point of restriction. So I guess, be thankful? Make sure the next time you eat that you are very aware of your bite sizes and to chew up your food WELL, if it happens again you most likely need a slight unfill. Best of luck to you!

I'm pretty sure, okay definitely sure I'm a little too tight and I have a call in to the Dr. for an appointment Monday (doc is only in Mon & Tues) to get some Fluid taken out. In the meantime can anyone offer me some advice to get through the weekend without vomiting or being as completely miserable as I am now? I can drink Water in very small sips and maybe a HALF bite of yogurt as a meal, but that's it! I attempted to eat some cod (unbreaded of course) I stopped eating after 4 teeny tiny bites and within 15 minutes I was miserable with pain & tightness in my chest. Went to the commode, coughed real hard it came back up very easily. I have vomited so much over the past 3 days that my throat is SOOOOO sore, I made me some hot tea to sip & that definitely brought some relief. AMEN! It's so weird, last Monday at my appointment I felt like I had hit that ever so sought after "sweet spot" and suggested I not come back for 4 weeks. I was losing good and feeling satisfied after minimal amounts of food. Did have 2 vomiting episodes the week before my appt. but assumed it was lack of chewing or breaks between bites. My doc suggested a slight unfill but I said ABSOLUTELY NOT! Up until the last 3 weeks ALL of my loss has been because of my madness for exercising because I didn't have good restriction & was struggling to make good food choices. Just as I'm sure most of us are, I am TERRIFIED to see the scale go back up! All I'm eating now are those 2 words!!!! If I have to resort to sipping water & tea for 2 days to not cause any damage to my band (hopefully I haven't already), I guess I have no choice but does anyone have anything other to suggest??? Thanks in advance!

Please accept my condolences! It's no picnic for sure to be so miserable. I would definitely suggest trying sipping warm tea, it brought me much needed relief. Hope you get to feeling better also!!!

Thank you so much everyone for your support and helpful advice!!!! I am feeling much better today! My throat is still a little sore but the awful tightness/pain in my chest is very minimal. I am beginning to wonder if maybe a stomach virus has been lurking around my house since my hubby (that isn't banded btw) has been vomiting all morning? Maybe it was his Mothers cooking :rofl: I should be nice, she did actually comment on how "skinny" I was looking at Thanksgiving lol So funny to hear people say how "skinny" I am when I weigh 198.... geesus I really looked that bad before! Anyhoot, I watered down a Protein shake and have been slowly sipping it for about the last 2 hours with no problems. No plans to try any food until I get into see my surgeon. Very surprised he never returned my call but who knows, life happens? Thanks again everyone, I just LOVE these forums!!!

In my experience of being stuck, which has been quite often here lately ughh, it can vary to slight tightness in your chest to the feeling of having the wind knocked out of you. You don't at all feel like you are choking though. If you've ever taken a big bite of food and swallowed real quick or taken to big a gulp of liquid, you get a sharp pain in your chest.... kinda like that just last MUCH LONGER! Start practicing on chewing your food to applesauce consistency and SLOWING down now to help prevent it from ever happening. No fun for sure!

As stupid as this sounds now.... by the time I had my appointment the pain had went away and I was so excited to have fell below 200 on the scale, that I completely forgot to ask DUHHHHH! I am assuming it was from me vomiting a few times a few days before my post???

I was a little thrown for a loop 4 weeks post op when my surgeon told me this also. I didn't ask questions but did stop them immediately. I asked him about the reasoning at my appt. last Monday and he said that not only do they slide right through so don't help you stay full long (though I never noticed this not being a morning eater?) but also the other function of the band is to get your stomach to the full spot to send a message to your brain to get your metabolism running.