Solution To My Complications

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I have had the band since 2008. I ok first 6 months and lost 80lbs. However I did have some complications. I have dealt with practicaly every complication in the book, including a slip. More or less when I would some restriction, I would be fine for about 3 month then start suffering from acid reflux, severe change is restriction, a lot of vomiting or pbing, pain, coughing at night, etc. I could go from eating normally (pre-band) to not even begin able to get Water down.

I had to have all my fluids taken out, then I gained all the weight back. I have been in for fills, unfills, fills, unfills so many times I couldn't count. I switched Dr's because I felt that I wasn't geting any support with the issues. Previous Dr. never did fills under floro. New Dr. does. However, I still continued with the issues. About 8 months ago, I had a slip. Unfill and then started filling again. I was at the max the Dr. felt I needed. 1st 3 months I could eat just about anything, then month 3, little by little (within a couple weeks) Bam, can't eat anything. About a month ago, I was living on Soups and even having a hard time with getting that down. More or less from the time I woke up til about 6pm I was trying to get something down: morning not even water, noonish sometimes I could do soups, than in the evening I could just about eat anything.

Now, I feel this is how the band should been. What changed, why are my complications gone? I feel 3 key things have helped me.

1. (Solved my issues 80% of the time) I started taking Pantoprazole (perscription) for acid reflux. I was told before band by my dentistis that I had acid reflex, but I never felt it. Then I always read that after band you should haven't reflux unless you were too tight. I kept saying how can I be too tight if I sometimes I can eat a full meal? I talk it right before bed becuase that is when the reflux was the worse. I can go about 2 days until I see the complications coming back. Now I'm no Dr, however, I believe my stomach (or pouch) was full of acid that there was no were the food could go OR, the acid would make the band tighter. To me this explains why I was the tightest during the morning and then little by little the acid go down and then I was find.

2. All of the following I think helped with the acid refuls also. I have cut sodas (anything with fiz), artifical sweeteners, sugars out of my diet as much as possible. I know we shouldn't have sodas anyway, but I couldn't (and haven't 100%) cut it out. I still have a (diet) soda here and there, but usally a can and I could take all day to drink it. But I could say I've cut out 80% of it.

3. Get active. I sit from 8:00am to 6:00pm. I noticed that a lot of the time, my symptoms were worse during the week and almost non during th weekend. Why??, maybe because I don't sit all day during the weekend??? So I began trying to get up a litter earlier in the morning to go for a walk. I am working out a lot more now. However, I feel 1/2 hour brisk walk in the morning would help a lot. My goal right now is 40min cardio a minimim 5 days a week (However, I'm trying to fit in a dress for a wedding right after Christmas)

4. Water, water, water. When you done with that, more water. Honestly I'm really tired of drinking water. I will add some lime to it. I will break it up by the forbidden soda here and there. However, I get over the recomended amount.

5. (Maybe the hardest and still struggle with) I read some where that really changed how I look at the band. I was always tell the doctor but I can eat this amount. Its not how much I can eat, its how much you can eat and be satisfied. I know I continued to over eat with the band and still do to this day. It almost seems its worse with the band because its almost a challenge to see how much I can eat. However, when I started paying attention to calorie intake and trying to limit the amount that I eat, it has helped a lot. Now I don't measure my food (thought I probably should) I'm just trying to limit as much as I can.

I still can say that I don't feel I'm in the green zone. However, at this point, I feel I'm getting things under control. I was so ready a month ago to have this thing taken out. However, I've keept on trucking because I don't want to be fat. I got down within 10lbs of my ideal weight and I liked it and I'm not going to give up just yet.

Anyway, hopefully this will help someone. Again I would like to stress that I think the one thing that helped me the most was the Pantoprazole. I feel that acid reflux was the cause of my complications. Even though I didn't have reflux symptons when I was loose or recently filled, I think it the reflux just got worse and worse until I couldn't eat.

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Very insightful post. Thank you for sharing it, I hope many others will read it and learn from your experience as well as wise advice.