June 2007 Bandsters

[Suzzzie. 3]

Stef, it is so good to see your face on here. :huh2:

I'm not moving to TX as I'd planned.. the economy came out of no where and bit my ass. So I"m struggling to pay my bills where I"m at. My mom has offered to help pay for my education so I can complete my RN (I'm an LPN now, so I need about 3 semesters of nursing courses to complete it.) So I figure the best thing to do is stay here so she can pay for that. Lol. TX is still in my plans, but has to be delayed for a while.

food diary? Calorie limit? Exercise? What are these things you speak of?

Thanks Insub. It really was hard to go back and 'face the music' about gaining weight back. Ugh... no one said it was going to be easy, huh?

[bigbaby 4]

Suzzie...I can't see what you aviator is...it looks interesting...what is it?

[Suzzzie. 3]

Suzzie...I can't see what you aviator is...it looks interesting...what is it?

:tongue_smilie: It's my puppy Tiki in his Santa hat! I posted some pics of him and my cats wearing the hat in my albums on my profile. Ya'll gotta go check them out! My babies are CUTE!

Haha!

[farmmomto2 0]

I hope this finds everyone recovering from their Christmas celebrations and moving into a wonderful New Year. May God Bless Each And Every One Of My Lapband Friends Today And Everyday To Come

Cindy:rolleyes:

[huntersmom 0]

Stef, I am so glad to see you back. It seems like everyone has missed you. I have not done well either. I need a good butt kicking also. I do not do a food journal. I have a very busy life and will start one and never even finish one day. We got Wii fit for Christmas. I am hoping that I will be able to use it often and get some exercise in.

[Suzzzie. 3]

Ohhh RHonda! I want a Wii Fit too!! I'm so jealous!

[captain danbo 0]

Hi everyone! I was just looking around the web and checking out my doc website and I saw a pic of me. If any of you wanted check it out here is the URL.

www.westernbariatric.com

I am on the top right "Daniel"

[bigbaby 4]

You're such a stud!!! Congrats on being a "celebrity"...SERIOUSLY...YOU LOOK GOOD!!!! Where are you now (geographically)?

[beckiet 0]

Hi, all. I want to thank everyone for their support this year 1/2. I go in tomorrow to remove my port. We discovered with a fill Friday that my port was eroded into my stomach. This is what has been causing my MRSA since at least Oct 2007. If it hadn't been for Mitch doing a barium swallow following my fill we'd never have known. The prior nurse practs didn't do barium swallows, only Water swallows not under fluro.

Best of luck to all and I hope to check back and keep in touch.

[bigbaby 4]

Sorry to hear that Beckit. May I asked what caused your port to errode into your stomach?

[beckiet 0]

Hi, Bigbaby! We don't know for sure. But I started having infections nearly right after my banding. I found a website on Lapband FAQ that says they think some or most are caused from too many or too tight of sutures at the time of band implantation. I've also read that ibuprofen can cause erosion as well. Don't think I'll ever know. But the good news is I'm home now. And I didn't need a feeding tube. When they say the color pics of the scans that I brought with me, rather than the fax they had, they said it was worse than they thought. But I'm doing well and I can only thank God for helping me thorugh this. I'm on Clear Liquids today and then I can incorporate other foods tomorrow, I'm mostly thinking pudding, Jello, crackers, and bland foods.

[Suzzzie. 3]

Beckie! I think cause we had the same surgeon on the same day I always read your posts with high interest and I worry so much about you! I do the whole "OMG, that could sooo easily be me!" thing... and while I"m grateful it's not me, I"m so sorry that it has to happen to you. Or anyone for that matter. I think what you've been through is my worst nightmare.

So. Was it your band or your port that was eroded? I though you just had your port replaced? Do you have anything in there now??

[Suzzzie. 3]

And Dan.... CONGRATS! YOu look fabulous!!!!!!

[beckiet 0]

Hi, Suz! Nothing in now at all. It was my band that eroded into my stomach. This is an answer from an FAQ I found by googling:

What is a Band erosion?

This is when the Band actually erodes into the stomach. It is a more serious problem, and generally requires removal of the Band. Band erosion is thought to be related to placing too many sutures (or too tight sutures) at the time of Band implantation. Surprisingly, Band erosion is often unnoticed. Occasionally the port will become infected if bacteria track along the catheter out to the port. Other times patients will stop losing weight. Diagnosis often requires an endoscopy.

So that explains all of my port infections. If Mitch hadn't have done the barium swallow after my fill Friday I never would have known. In some ways it has been a nightmare, but then I look at the weight I was able to lose and the energy I have for my kids and I know once I get healed back up that I will have even more energy for them. I plan on starting back on Weight Watchers in the next few weeks and attacking my workout videos with a vengeance. When warm weather hits, I'll be getting out to walk the football field track here. I'm not giving up, I will lose this weight. Lisa, the head OR nurse at our place, said "you know how to do it, you've learned the tools" and she's right. I know to eat less, to drink lots of Water, to get my Protein in...and I have the confidence now to do it.

I will keep checking back in. I want to see everyone's progress.

[ja9va 0]

Hello Everyone!!!

I went back to october, which is not enough to catch up on all your ups and downs, but from what I read, you are all still taking one day at a time and not giving up! that is a start.

Suzzie, you are brave to go in and have your band adjusted, how are you doing now?

Beckie T, did you get sick or have pain that brought you to the other tests? My doctors always tells me I will know if there is a problem, but I worry.

Dan,that is great to be highlighted on your surgeons website, how exciting. Where is home when you return to the states? are you back now?

Stef, I am so glad you are back and doing well. do you not have any Fluid in your band for good? did you have it removed? I recall a problem, but just thought they had to remove all the Fluid on a temporary basis? you are doing GREAT regardless.

well, an update on me. like some of you have been shairing, I too have been stuck for over 6 months, at 190-194. I was so frustrated, but also eating around my band not eating healthy and not exercising. but then in December( I wanted to get a jump on the New Years Resolution gym joiners) joined back at my gym. For what ever reason, I dropped out of the gym site. I use to be an avid gym goer, even when i was not losing weight. but for what ever mental block, I stopped going. then in the fall my DH and I started to walk and I was running too. I realized how much I missed working out. I have now reached under 190 to the mid 180's. I have seen a difference in my clothes and am setting my goal for 165! I will be the big 50 the end of March. I would be glad to be down another 20. I have had much restriction in my band. I don't go back to the doctor until February. I keep worrying if I have some taken out I will lose control, but then hate when I get food stuck and I am in pain. I don't know if I am tight or not chewing right. that is my biggest challenge now. Any ideas?

glad to be back and will try and keep logging in!!

Janine