lovatofish

Mine also seems to go in cycles. I have not had a fill for two months and everything was going well. (I have lost slowly over the past year and a half - 75#). I can eat a fairly good sized meal - but only in the evening. Then all of a sudden I started pbing and really having to work keeping thin fluids down. I contacted my Dr. office and it was explained to me that this may be from having something plug it. The tissue around the band then becomes irritated and swells. A liquid diet was suggested after PBing. This has worked to some extent but I think I am finding another reason for this cycle. For me, it seems to have everything to do with hydration! If I don't drink enough water for a day or two I start PBing! When I get to this point, I have to work very hard on sipping hot water all day before it will loosen up. Hopefully this will help someone else.

What exactly happens and how does it feel when a band "slips"? Does this mean it comes off the stomach and must then be removed? How long before it can be replaced? I am pbing on solid foods and occasionally on thick liquids. After my third fill, I can barely keep liquids down. Occasionally (about 3 times/week) I can eat solid foods & keep them down. I am losing great amounts of weight but my fill Dr. is 300 miles away. I am trying to be careful but the basic nutrition is not there. I have been hoping that with some major weight loss, the band would loosen and be less restricted. Does this happen? Or....do I need to get an unfill? I need some experienced advise! Thanks

Wheetsin - Thank you for your insight. It is difficult to get perspective when emotions are involved. So when did u get so smart??

This one is really tough for me and I have been struggling with it for a while now. I met a man on line and we chatted for about 4 months. He did see a face shot of me on line. (it was flattering) I had my band surgery & never mentioned it to him. We finally met and I could tell from the look on his face that he was disappointed but he was a gentleman and didn't mention size. We had a wonderful time and things went well for the next couple months. My weight loss has been quite slow and so he really never noticed much change in me. I finally did mention the surgery to him ( guess I purposely waited to see how he would react to the fat me) and he gave me a great big smile so I knew then it was important to him. We remained good friends and dated about once a month (cuz we live 200 miles apart). I made the mistake of point blank asking him if he was physically attracted to me. Before I ever ask that question again, I need to prepare myself for the answers! It was quite a shock to my ego when he gave me a very honest NO. Well, needless to say, that hurt like hell! I find him extremely attractive and he never really let on that the feeling wasn't mutual. He never once said it was because of my weight but he didn't really have to go there did he? If you have been fat all your life, U know! I frequently wonder if I should have just broken off our freindship with that but I didn't. We are still really good friends and he is very supportive of my weight loss. We have a blast when we are together & he genuinely seems happy to hear from me. We still date about once per month. So am I making a big mistake here? Is his character crummy because he isn't attracted to me while heavy? And.... there is no real guarantee that he will be attracted to me when I am slim. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and perhaps I need to be happy with his honesty?? It is hard on the old self esteem however to know he does not find me attractive - that's a tough one! I would really welcome some other's perspectives!

I have been thinking that maybe I don't really want a husband again. Just a friend with benefits??!! Kinda like grandkids. Send them home when your tired of them. Someone to share the fun times with and maybe a fishing buddy! This is really starting to sound better and better!

From a physical standpoint, I can't see how it could ever stay in place without being stitched. Things can really move quite freely around the body without being anchored somewhere. Interesting thought huh?

Yes, that was my understanding of the procedure. I thought this was standard procedure for all band placement. Did I miss something?

Hi bandiva, 1. They did put my band in place and they even consented to do a lateral hernia repair while in there for free (very nice guys - Dr Ortiz & Martinez). 2. I did get band info and cards and all of the instruction paperwork. Had labs, saw dietician and cardiologist there before surgery. Everyone spoke English. I did not get indepth surgery reports but I didn't ask for them either. They would propably give them to you. 3. I took off all my rings and gave them to my daughter who was with me. They may well ask you to because they use an electric grounding plate in all surgeries and it is possible you may receive burns around your ring site should something go wrong. But I have known hospitals to allow you to just tape them in place too. 4. They require you to return for your first fill. Dr Ortiz has trained many of the US Drs so he is helpful in assisting you in finding a stateside fill Dr. I found one on my own tho who is close by. U do need to ask around because many Drs won't take pts who have had their surgeries in Mexico. The whole primadona syndrome! My first fill was $100. My fill here for the first time with my fill Dr was $180 but subsequent fills are $80. Glad you are on your way!

I went to Mexico and paid $8500 up front. I saved the money up first. I worried a bit about having surgery in Mexico but it was a fantastic experience. I am an RN so questioned the medical procedures to death. They were all very excellent and in many ways better than many of our hospitals and Drs. I would recommend it to anyone.

Same problem here. Is there anything we can do to reverse the time frame so it will be tight at night and not during the morning? I can't even imagine how much and how fast I could lose if it was like that! My fill Dr. told me that if I didn't eat past 6:30 at night, then I wouldn't be so tight in the AM but that doesn't seem to work for me.

You're going to do very well! I had a hernia repair with my surgery and went shopping the day after and flew home from Mexico 2 days after. No problems! Have a Fabulous Christmas!!!

Hi, was wondering how often a person should get a fill. Had my surgery last Feb. I have only had 2 fills. One in March and one in September. Have only lost 40#. I am stuck now and have not lost anything for a month. So is this my indication for a fill??

I am brand new to this site. I was banded in Mexico by Dr. Ortiz (great experience) in Feb of 06. I am from a small town and have not had a support system. I have only lost 40#'s and have not lost anything in the past month. All of a sudden, over the last week I can't seem to stop eating! I have had two fills, the first one didn't seem to restrict anything and the last one was 2 1/2 months ago. This one was pretty good and gave me quite good restriction, sometimes too much and I couldn't eat at all but still didn't lose wt. It still restricts well until about 2 pm everyday. Then I go nuts. I am craving mostly sweets and carbs. I have gained 3#'s in the last week. :cry I am pretty bummed. I am starting to feel like I cannot do this and for some reason I am emotionally locked into being fat for life! I started to increase my exercise today to twice/day. Any suggestions? I also notice that my joints and muscles ache a bit for the past two weeks.:faint:

Hi leenerbups, This sounds exactly like mine. My problem is that I can eat almost anything in the evening and am usually hungry. Then there are days that I can eat almost anything I want, bread included and quite a large amount. Regular portion sizes. Is that normal??? Then I will be back to being too tight to eat anything but liquid. Sooooo, is this just the way it will be from now on??

Thanks I really appreciate your encouragement. If you have had yours for 6 years, you must be an expert at this!!! Very nice to meet you! I am better today and the cravings to eat have subsided somewhat. I haven't figured out what trigures that tho. Am curious how much you had to lose and how long it took you to get there. I know I am impatient but have seen others on here who have lost 100# in a year so I thought that would happen for me. It will be a year for me in February and so far only 40#. If I know it will come off, I can live with that. Is it always a constant struggle to keep it off?

Would you like another band / dating story? Well here goes: I met a very fun guy on line. I basically was only looking for a fishing buddy to have fun with because I was tired of grieving after losing my husband. We chatted on line for about 3 months. The weather got warmer and it was time for fishing so I asked him if we could meet on a camping/fishing date. We had a fantastic time and dated about 1-2 a month ( we live 200 miles apart). It came time for my second fill which was scheduled in the city he lives in. I spent the weekend with him but had never told him about my band. I got my fill and the next day we were headed for church (30 minute drive). There were no real liquid proteins in his house and I had come unprepared. So... I thought a little cottage cheese would be OK for breakfast. I ate about a 1/4 cup and we were off. I need to interject here that my first fill had basically no restriction to it so I had no idea what restriction felt like! Yea U guessed it, about 15 minutes into the trip, after fighting to work with & hide the slime, at a stop light, I open the door, but the light changes and we head around a corner. I tell him we must find a bathroom NOW. He pulls into a parking lot with some small bushes. I hop out in dress and heels and spew cottage cheese & slime full force! Now I ask you, how do you save this date??? Well........the answer is simple, "sorry, man but you've got to do something about your driving! Got car sick!" Whaaa Haaaa. In all honesty I did tell him the truth after church (guess he was sweatin there for awhile). I was pretty embarrassed tho! After all was said and done, he seemed genuinely happy for me and my choice for myself. There are nice guys out there, but we all come with baggage.