samomom

My surgeon created a small flap to prevent heartburn. He does surgeries just for heartburn patients so he knows what he is doing. I had a bad bout of heartburn one night because of an antibiotic. I quit the antibiotic and having had any heartburn at all.

Read this- No Aleergan bias in this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421324/ High Lapband Failure rates!!!

Definitley the gylcerine suppositories. Not fun shoving something up where it shoudl be coming out, but you will feel a hundred times better. Just had to do this last night myself. Glad I did.

The lapband is a piece of crap! I wish I would have known more about the sleeve and had that done two years ago and never introduced that evil thing to my body.I just had the revision done July 9th, just over two weeks ago. The pain was far less that with the band, I have lost 14 pounds in two weeks, I don't slime, throw up, have heartburn (because my surgeon created a flap to prevent it), no pain, nothing. I didn't even feel the need to stay at the surgery center overnight, but it was manditory. I only took my liquid Lortab(Vicodin) three times, and that was just to sleep. I have had 4 knee surgeries over the past twenty years, two kids, one with a failed epidural, and by far this sleeve was the easiest to deal with. I feel that the mental stress is far less than with the band. For some reason I was a wreck after the band for weeks and weeks. I'm totally fine now. I'm so thrilled that when I do get hungry I can eat whatever soft Proteins I want in small amounts and I am full physically and my body is satisfied. I don't have the carb craving whatsoever. That didn't happen with the band. I have even stopped drinking Vitamin Water Zero. I can't stand sweet right now. You shoudn't need anyone at home to help you. My husband picked me up early morining from the surgery center and stayed home until about lunchtime when he had to get back to work. My two kids, 9 and 12, were home, but they didn't have to do a thing for me. I was just chilling on the couch on the laptop or sleeping. One suggestion I have is to ask your surgeon to use power assisted titanium staples and over stitch you to prevent leaks. My surgeon is one of the best on the West Coast, if not in the US, and he doesn't mess around with your stomach when it comes to sewing it back up. Good luck!

Go for the sleeve! It has been easier for me since I had my band removed Monday and the sleeve done. Everyone at some point in their life will need the band removed. It was not meant to be left in anyone for life. Melissa

I just had revision surgery on Monday. I hated the band. It sucked. I only lost 32 pounds in 5 months and then gained back 12 no matter what I did. I am happy with my choice. The pain was nothing comapred to the band. I stayed at the surgery center overnight, but honestly, I could have gone home after a few extra hours stay after mysurgery. I had 90% less gas trapped in my body afterwards. I took my Lortab(liquid Vicodin) maybe twice and that was more to sleep. I am finding it hard to get enough fluids in, but that will subside with time. Am I tired? Sure, but I was miserable and an emotional wreck at this point after being banded. I would hit the mall tomorrow if it wasn't the weekend and so busy. I'm bored! My sister had the sleeve(no band ever) in March and has lost 60 pounds in 4 months. I am hopeful that I can loose 80 total. It will require a lot of exercise and watching what little food I eat, but this has to work! I am so freakin' happy to never have to go for a fill or unfill again!!!!! Melissa

I was in the same boat from early on. I had the band from Sept 2010 until this past Monday. I ditched the f*&^ing thing and had the Gastric Sleeve. My sister had the sleeve done in March and has lost 60 pounds in 4 months. I can't wait to see what happens.The post op pain was less, the recovery has been easier and I am not miserable so far. I never found that the band did much good for me. I lost 32 with it in 5 months and then it came to a grinding halt. I slimed and threw up more that I ever care to remember. The ER visit for dehydration was not fun either. The band isn't for everyone. Never did I find the 'sweet spot' for my band. I had that damn thing filled and unfilled 20 times at least. If you are doing everything you shoud be and it's still not working, get rid of the band!!! Melissa

Look at it this way- You are going on a cruise, not to an all you can eat hotel. Sure, you have to eat, but that isn't why you paid to go on the cruise. If you fall into a good eating pattern, you aren't going to care about the buffet, or 5 course meals. You will eat what is healthy and band friendly and move on. Trust me, by the time you have lost some weight before the cruise and are looking good, the last thing you are going to want to do is stuff yourself. Right now I am down 25 pounds since Sept 28th. I can't nor do I have the desire to even try to pig out. I physically can't do it because food gets stuck or I throw up and my size smaller pants are sliding off my butt. I have such a different attitude and taste for food now. Don't let the food dictate your vacation.

That does seem a bit odd. I had to get two unfills in the past week and a half because I was throwing up so much and I only had 4.2 in my band. Everyone is different though, so maybe you just need a lot more that some.

I've driven in TJ for years and it's busy, but that never bothered me that much. Its the hours long wait to cross the border that pisses me off. Why don't you just park or take the trolley to San Ysidro and walk across then just take a taxi. You can't let yourself get dehydrated if you are throwing up everything. Take it from me, I lost 4 1/2 pounds in 4 days by being too tight. When my doctor saw that on the scale he was surprised then said he wouldn't even record it because he knew I was dehydrated. He pulled out 2cc's and made me drink a huge glass of water before slowing putting back some of the fluid just so I could get something in me. The past week my goal has been to pee clear! Sad, but true!

Thankfully you have made the step to not follow in the footsteps of those who have passed. I can't tell you how sorry I am that you have been hit with so many passings in such a short time. Live your life to the fullest.

Just so you know, I took a class years ago with a woman who was a chef and nutritionist and she said that the calorie info on packaged foods are allowed to be off by up to 20% according to the FDA rules. So that 280 calorie Lean Cusine can actually be 336 calories, etc. Sounds like maybe you actually need to increase your calories a bit. Our bodies aren't perfect machines. It sounds odd to need to eat more to lose weight, but I know for me it works. And as someone else mentioned, the treadmill calorie counters are always off. Unless you are hooked up to monitors, no machine can accurately tell how many calories each individual has burned. Someone who is very overweight with a slow metabolism won't burn the same calories in 20 minutes as a fit lean person, but the treadmill has no way of knowing that.

I would go back to straight protein as well. Soup is yummy, but unless it's thick and full of meat, it's not going to last you. Plus you have to remember that there are going to be days where you are just damn hungry. I was last night and I let myself eat a bit more. I didn't slip on anything bad, some extra pot roast and a few granola crisps. Don't beat yourself up. If you are really hungry then your body is telling you that you need to eat. Try nuts, cheese, meats, edamame, thinks like that.

Why won't you go to TJ by yourself? You really need to get unfilled. I posted to you last week about what happened to me. My doctor was mad that I let it go for just 4 days. Don't risk your health. The more you throw up the more chance to risk of band slippage.

By the way, don't think that my previous post was meant to be negative in any way! I think that it's great you are down 19 pounds. Just know that we've all had our rapid, but brief weight loss and then it tapers into real fat loss and not just water. If you are already noticing your stomach smaller by all means you should celebrate! Like I said, I lost 10 pounds in the forst 7 days and then it was really slow going for awhile. Now that I had my 3rd fill(and 1 emergency Saturday morning unfill) I am droping pounds like mad. Keep up the good work.

Santa Monica here!

You probably lost a lot of Fluid even if you are properly hydrated. It would be impossible to lose 19 pounds of fat in 5 days! That is 66,500 calories burned. I lost 10 in the first 7 days, but I also knew that it was mostly Water. I then went 5 weeks and only lost 3 1/2 pounds. Now I am losing a bunch rapidly and it is fat because my pants are falling off my butt. You will lose in waves so don't get frustrated if you don't see consistant weight loss. It will happen! Keep up the good work.

Everyone has their own issues. I think that a chat with a therapist who SPECIFICALLY deals with food would be in order. He/She will hopefully be able to help you with your trigger foods and breakdowns. Also, you aren't on a diet. You have changed your way of eating. Diet are short term and never work.

My attitude toward those who have nothing nice to say is Fuck em'!!! Sorry to be so blunt, but those who are quick to criticize ought to look in the mirror at their own imperfections and think about how they would like others to point them out. Maybe it's their looks, their lack of education, their attitude, poor financial skills, whatever. Who cares what anyone else thinks. When you are the one strutting your ass in a skinny pair of jeans looking good then what do they have to say to that??

No No No!! Don't wait. I posted last week about being too tight and I had to have my doctor come in to his office on a Saturday to unfil me. He said it is dangerous to be too tight and lectured me on waiting the 4 days that I did. I was throwing up nearly everything. No matter what I put into my mouth, it hurt going down. Water was especially hard. I would throw it up with in 30 seconds of drinking. Then on Friday night I was up all night with chest and back pain and regurgitating. I wanted to go to the ER to get unfilled, but I held out and called him at 9:45 Saturday morning. I asked which ER to go to and he told me no, becuase he doesnt trust anyone to mess with the port. An hour later I got slightly unfilled and the pain has gone about 90%. You can't wait that long. Please tell him that this is painful and he needs to see you or if you have to, go to the ER and get some help.

I need some help quick. I received my 3rd fill Tuesday, just two weeks after my 2nd. I was able to eat more than I should and have only lost 3.5 pounds in 5 weeks(which is the time since of my first fill) so I felt it was time. I don't eat carbs, junk, sugar, etc. I really am being very good with food(for once!). So Tuesday I get my fil of .8cc's which brings me up to 4.3cc's. I was on liquids Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Ever since the fill I have had pain with virtually every sip and bite and I am sliming and throwing up all the time. The only things I have totally kept down in 4 days in yogurt, Protein shakes, Soup, and tiny bites of chicken(which I then threw up this afternoon). Throwing up Water is concerning me because I am drinking so little this week which is not normal for me. I am a huge water drinker and now I am hardly getting any in at all. Why does it hurt with each bite? I chew well, choose 'safe' foods, don't drink while eating. Ugh! This just sucks. I was in tears last night because I couldn't lay down until my damn water quit causing me pain going down. This morning I though I got a repreive with my Muscle Milk. No problems at all. Then later on I threw up some chicken, and a bunch of water.. Am I way too tight or do I need to head back to liquids for a few days and let my stomach adjust? I'm all for rapid weight loss, but this isn't the way to do it. It's taking a toll on me as well because I am tired, feel weak, and even my neighbor asked if I was ok because she said I didn't look so well. Thanks, Melissa

Get a cheap pill cutter. I had to cut my blood pressure meeds in half dose wise so I wasn't going to throw out 3 months of meds that I had just picked up so I bought the cutter and extended my 3 month supply to 6 and they are smaller too.

Call the hospital and complain. In CA it is against the law to refuse or ignore pain medication. That sounds like one messed up hospital. I'd be all over them. Tell them that you will also be contacting the state medical board to file an official complaint and really follow through with it. Then you need to grill your surgeon as to why he left you in inept hands and never followed up with you. Tell him that you are disappointed on all ends and you find it totally unprofessional that you were never told that your liver was cut. How did that happen any ways?

Well after an agonizing sleepless night of chest pain, regurgitation, noises from the depths of my stomach, I called my doctor at 9:45 this morning. I asked which ER I should go to. He said no, that he doesn't trust anyone and that he would meet me at the office in an hour. He had to take care of his kids and then drove 20 minutes to unfill me. He took out 2 cc's while I drank a a bunch of water to hydrate me and then put back 1.6 cc's. What a difference that makes! I only lost .4 cc's, but the horrible pain when I drank or tried to eat has gone away. He said that there is a very thin line for me to be in the green zone. I guess so.I lost 4.5 pounds in 4 days, but he said he isn't going to record that weight because he thinks I am really dehydrated. He is probably right. I still can't drink like I used to, but that is something I'll have to work on. For the first time in about a week I got really hungry. I guess that is a good sign. He said that all of the burping and gurgling that I have is a sign of good restriction. Lesson learned. I'll never let myself get that bad again.

Try some OTC acid releif like Pepcid and elevate yourself slightly at night. Tell your doctor at your next visit too. Melissa