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Any One Up For an Exercise Challenge?
DeLarla replied to live2canoe's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
No, I don't have a bug. I feel like that every day. I watched my friend wake up one morning, and she's the same way, but she has Lupus. I wonder if it's my autoimmune disease. I think my Vet needs to put me down. -
I do have an autoimmune disease called Sarkoidosis, which could make healing difficult. But why are the rest of my incisions looking so good. I have to be very careful about the wound center though, because I could almost guarantee that my insurance would want me to have the whole band removed. It's the tube that is keeping the incision from closing. At least I have the Cat Scan out of the way. My surgeon wouldn't see me till I got it. Maybe the surgeon can get me an endoscopy. I'm surprisingly handling it pretty well mentally. It's become part of my daily routine to change the bandages. I'm lucky that I live by the "everything happens for a reason" motto, otherwise I'd be a basket case. If they want my band, they're gonna have to fight me over it. Penni my love, Dr. Billy already said he'd take care of me, but Kuri is half as much. I still owe Kuri $400 for the last operation. Plus, Kuri doesn't make me pay till I have the money - can't beat that deal! At least I don't have a huge cyst like I thought I did. I'm actually a little more like everyone else than I though. Ha Ha, I still have my tube!
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Good to know. I have an autoimmune disease called Sarkoidosis. I don't know much about it, but I think I'm quite sure I'll suffer from osteoarthritis. I should start taking GC now. I had my dog on it for awhile, so maybe we'll both share.
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Anne, last night I stayed on line chatting with Penni till I went to bed. I was actually able to eat a yummy salad for dinner, and I chewed really well, then I didn't eat for the rest of the night. So once again, I have one really good band-day under my belt. Yesterday was kind of hard at night. Once we get into the binge cycle, it's hard to stop. Last week I made a committment to call someone every night. My phone bill is gonna be huge, but it kept me from eating. I have a confession that I've talked about before, but I drink too much on the weekends, either on Friday or Saturday night. I've been contemplating going to AA to quit altogether, but something's been holding me back. I really enjoy going out to party, and we only live once, and I'm not getting any younger. It's not like I'll be hitting the dance floor at my local bar in another decade, so I suddenly came up with a plan. Geeze, it's so simple that I can't believe I thought of it before. I'm allowing myself a 3 drink minimum per weekend.. Why quit when I only drink a couple times a month? It's just one more thing I really don't want to give up. I drink responsibly - I never drive, I don't go to dangerous places, and I'm careful with my money. The goofiest thing is that this is something I can live with, but it just never occured to me that I can place a limit on myself instead of quitting. Getting the band was enough for me. I'm not allowed to smoke because I have an autoimmune disease that affects my lungs, I'm not allowed to binge, I don't do drugs. Hell, I even gave up getting my nails and lawn done so I can pay for the band. So there, I said it. I'm a lush! But wooo hoo for me, no more feeling bad about it because I'm a party girl and I know it! And as far as the extra calories, I always drink double my daily water before going out, I walk extra, and I dance a lot. Plus I skip dinner and just pick at some of Chris's food. I think this is gonna be a good end of 2004 for all of us... I kinda feel it in the air. Anne, hang in there. A fill does us no good if we can't control our binges (I'm a living example.) I'm doing whatever it takes to quit binging... one little day at a time. I DID IT, I have one good day again! And I decided that only posting my weight once a month isn't enough. Weekly is too much. I'm gonna post today - maybe posting my weight twice a month will be my sweet spot! Rock on, everyone!
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Marie, good post, but I'm not going to read it because I gave up all artificial sweetners after being diagnosed with a lung disease. I have an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis, which was diagnosed by accident after an abdominal scan related to my band. The radiologist saw a mass on my lungs in the corner of my abdominal films, so my doc ordered a chest MRI. There's no known cause for Sarcoidosis, but I've read reports that believe Aspertame could be one of the culprits. Now I have a lung disease. So I use plain old sugar now. Just a spoon in my morning decaf. And I occasionally endulge in tea with honey. No more artivicial crap for me.
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Certain autoimmune disorders are contraindications, as well, as it affects healing. Here's a list put out by http://www.lap-band-surgery.org/LAP-BAND-Contraindications.cfm : LAP BAND Contraindications The LAP BAND System is not right for you if: You have an inflammatory disease or condition of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers, severe esophagitis, or Crohn's disease. You have severe heart or lung disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have some other disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have a problem that could cause bleeding in the esophagus or stomach. That might include esophageal or gastric varices (a dilated vein). It might also be something such as congenital or acquired intestinal telangiectasia (dilation of a small blood vessel). You have portal hypertension. Your esophagus, stomach, or intestine is not normal (congenital or acquired). For instance you might have a narrowed opening. You have/experience an intra-operative gastric injury, such as a gastric perforation at or near the location of the intended band placement. You have cirrhosis. You have chronic pancreatitis. You are pregnant. (If you become pregnant after the LAP BAND System has been placed, the band may need to be deflated. The same is true if you need more nutrition for any other reason, such as becoming seriously ill. In rare cases, removal may be needed.) You are addicted to alcohol or drugs. You are under 18 years of age. You have an infection anywhere in your body or one that could contaminate the surgical area. You are on chronic, long-term steroid treatment. You cannot or do not want to follow the dietary rules that come with this procedure. You might be allergic to materials in the device. You cannot tolerate pain from an implanted device. You or someone in you family has an autoimmune connective tissue disease. That might be a disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. The same is true if you have symptoms of one of these diseases.
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Leo, last time I put Neosporin under a bandage, when I removed it there were little red Water blisters under the entire area... I'm thinkin' Neosporin allergy. It's not the actual incision that's infected though. The incision closes over and heals fine, but then the liquid from under the skin forms like a huge blister that needs to be lanced and drained. The liquid is slowing down, and at the moment the scar is mostly flat... I just hope it stays flat and doesn't poof out again. Alex, I've had a few surgeries before. One was horrifying, and they never figured out what went wrong (radial kerototomy to correct my vision.) That was 5 years ago. The doctor that did the surgery was so worried about me because I couldn't open my eyes for over 6 months witout being in sheer agony, that he spent his own money to fly me to San Diego to see other specialists. Nobody ever figured it out, but now that I have the sarcoid diagnosis, that was probably my eye surgery. I had back surgery 20 years ago, but maybe that's before I got the sarcoid? No problem there. Same with tonsils and wisdom teeth, cyst removal, small stuff. I've been suspicious of the sarcoid all along. The scary thing is that I told Dr. Lopez of that I had Sarcoid Disease before my surgery. I know he acknowledged it because when I said it, Carmen looked at me quizically, so Dr. Lopez told her "Sarcoidosis." However, I was never offered any Inamed information. I did not know that there could be a problem due to my autoimmune disease. Dr. Lopez fluffed over my Sarcoidosis like it was nothing. That's the reason I worry so much about my band. People with certain auto immune diseases aren't allowed to have the band. However, there's not enough info about Sarcoid to know if this is one of them. From what I understand, it effects the lungs and eyes but people have told me not to worry about my stomach. I know that I have a hard time getting rid of colds or bronchitis, which I avoid like the plague.
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Actually no...I am not banded. My wife is scheduled to be banded this Monday. I have been heavily researching this procedure for her, and doing so from a review of the scientific literature as well as reading as many personal accounts of the procedure as I can find. This board is the first one I have found that seems devoid of all the politics, blatant dis- and mis-information, or "ads" for credit and crap. I have read journal articles and literature reviews of this procedure going back for about 3-4 years...and have based my opinions on that, along with taking personal accounts and considering their post-op behavior and expectations. I have read so much and asked so many questions of the surgeon my wife will be using that I probably am bordering on being a pest...but this is still surgery and I want to be completely satisfied with the choice we have made as she is the most important thing in my life next to our son and I had to be sure of all the details. I am completely comfortable with this procedure and we both understand the risks and rewards. As for my work, I direct a clinical trials laboratory that provides esoteric testing and development for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, focusing mainly on the immunologic impacts of their targeted therapeutics. Most are involved in monoclonal antibody or small molecule based therapeutics in the oncology and autoimmune disease corridors. So yes...I am a science geek...just look at my photo over to the left...
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I have systemic lupus and have been banded for one year. I don't know if that's good or bad, however, I also had a history of dvt/pe and my weight was surely not helping that situation. My weight loss has been slow and I've recently found out I have 'slippage'. I do not think my autoimmune disease had anything to do with that, but I know I'm far more healthy than I was at 250lbs. I wish you luck with your current issues. Leatha
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Thanks, Penni. I had my current doc on the phone last night but had so many questions that I decided to leave this one till next time. I heard that people with autoimmune diseases have problems fighting infection. I wonder if Sarcoid is the same. They found masses on my lungs. My lung specialists said they don't treat it since it's laying dormant, but I heard that getting banded could actually wake up the disease. That would be the end of the line for me since the only treatment is Prednisone, which would bloat me up bigger than the Incredible Hulk. Thanks again.
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Lisa: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/other/sarcoidosis/sarcoid.pdf Here is an article that describes Sarcoidosis and how it affects the body and what organs it can attack. In the article it does not mention the Gastrointestinal system as one of the systems it affects. On page 8 of the document it states: "Some organs are affected more often than others. Sarcoidosis occurs most often n the lungs. It also most commonly affects the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, and liver. Less commonly, it affects the spleen, brain, nerves, heart, tear glands, salivary glands, and bones and joints. Rarely, it affects other organs, such as the thyroid gland, breasts, kidneys, and male and female reproductive organs." I can only speculate that Lopez banded you knowing about your autoimmune disease thinking that it would not affect your recovery since it does not attack the G.I. system. Other autoimmune diseases would be a major concern in that respect. Again this is only speculation on my part. The person to ask of course is Dr. Lopez or your current doc. Hope this helped.
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I was told people with autoimmune diseases should not be banded. But I just read what the literature actually says, which is Contraindication #18: "people with autoimmune connective tissue disease such as lupus" should not be banded. Who is our autoimmune expert around here? Penni, Nightengale, Sandy... are you there? I have Sarcoid Disease aka Sarcoidosis. Dr. Lopez knew I had this before implanting the band. How can I find out if my autoimmune disease falls in this category? Why would Lopez give me a band if he knew I had an autoimmune disease? Did I max my quota of posts for the day? Love you!
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Did I read correctly? You were having caffeine-free, then switched back to regular, of which you consume 5 cups per day? Is that accurate? Regular tea has 55 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Five cups equals 275 milligrams of caffeine daily. You also said you keep the tea-bag in the cup, so you're getting even more caffeine. coffee has 125-185 milligrams (depending on strength.) So you're consuming the equivalent of 2 pretty strong cups of coffee daily. Addiction is weird. I used to be a coffee & Diet Pepsi addict. It got so out of control that I challenged myself to quit. I quit cold-turkey for about six months. But then I started again. However, once I started up again, my body wasn't able to tolerate the caffeine. Two cups of strong black coffee in one day is enough to raise my blood pressure from all the anxiety the caffeine gives me. I'm not familiar with the sweetener that you're hooked on, but I know that I was hooked on artificial sweeteners as well. During my Diet Pepsi days, I would rather go without than drink a regular sugar Pepsi, because I needed the chemical fix. However, a few months ago I was diagnosed with Sarcoid Disease (Sarkoidosis) which is an autoimmune disease. They found granuolas (or granola or some weird mass) on my lungs. It's one of those diseases that lay dormant, so maybe I'll never get sick again, but maybe it will come back with a vengeance. Nobody knows the exact cause of Sarcoidosis, but I recently read a study that said I could have gotten it from Aspartame (Equal.) As of that day, I decided to use plain old Sugar - tried and true since the beginning of time, and at 41 years old, I finally have an excuse to use the damn stuff guilt-free. However, Donali, I agree. The world is full of ridiculous hypocrisies. Is anyone familiar Alcoholics Anonymous or "AA"? Since AA began, they've given birth to the same meetings for other addictions: Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, etc. I've gone to many AA & OA meetings. During AA meetings, the "sober" alcoholics suck down packs of cigarettes while drinking pots of coffee and eating piles of candy and sugar goodies (replacing the sugar they crave from the alcohol.) Could you imagine if I sat in an Overeaters Anonymous meeting while drinking a bottle of tequila and snorting a plate of cocaine? Did I just babble all that without making a point?
