June 2007 Bandsters

[wombat712 2]

awesome pictures - the ride through Lancaster looks really pretty (except for the hills!)

Hope you didn't get any damage from these storms. Again, it didn't do much at my place but it was every where else around us; we had a lot of rain, wind, and a tiny bit of hail.

[o2bthin 0]

Congrats Suzz on getting into Twoterville! You're doing so great! Soon your pic will be on the LapBandTalk.com header!

Beckie, I'm so sorry about your 2nd mom and her untimely passing. My mom died that way 4 weeks after her hysterectomy. She's only been gone 1 1/2 years, and I still have not been able to deal with how she died...senseless. She was also my best friend and a force to be reckoned with for sure. Only time will ease your pain so be patient with yourself.

[TexasFire 84]

Okay...been dealing with rather large band issues for a while now, and got SOME finality around it today. So it's time to share, I guess.

I've been having issues since my last fill, which you already know. I had a slight unfill, which you also already know. However, problems started back up. Trouble eating anything at different times, different days....no real pattern, and very annoying. I just dealt with it. Got VERY stuck late Monday night...lasted hours and hours. Dry heaving, trying to PB...nothing helped for many hours. Since then, nothing goes down well. Even Water gurgles and makes me burp for an hour. So today I get fed up and call at the last minute to talk to my NP. After giving her the scoop, she gets me in right away.

Sure enough. My pouch has stretched. We believe it occured from Monday night, as my flouro pics from a few weeks ago showed my band/pouch were top notch. So I had to make a decision.

I had them remove all Fluid from my band. I go back May 15th to check it under flouro again. If the pouch is healed, they can start putting fluid back in my band. They said it usually takes two fills to get all my original fill back. If its not healed, they will wait one more month. If at that point it isnt healed, I go back to my doc to discuss redoing the surgery from scratch.

HOWEVER, this could be an ideal opportunity for me. With no fill, I will see how much of my loss has been band and how much willpower I really have. If I can swing it, and manage to lose even five pounds by May 15th, I will likely never bother with any of this. I will leave my band unfilled.

Here's hoping....

[wombat712 2]

Oh Stef - I'm sorry you are having to go through this!!

I'll be praying that you heal successfully!

With all the changes you've made to your lifestyle and your new found love of exercising, it would not surprise me at all that you have conquered the food demons!

{{HUGS}} to you!

Gen

[Suzzzie. 3]

I KNEW there was a reason (other than weather) that Stef was avoiding these threads!!! Bad bad Stef!

Of course, you know that you would have gotten the 'go to your doc' lectures (the same one that you were giving ME when I had indigestion for a week!). You're so bad.

I am glad you got to the NP though. Glad you got your unfill. Sorry that you have to go through it all though.

And you are so brave for considering not getting a fill again!! Every now and then I think about getting an unfil or something and the first thing I think I"d do without this restriction is go out to all my fave places and eat large plates of food. I have no will power. Food tastes too good to me.

BUT I think that YOU could do it. And even if you can't do it 100% on your own, no shame. You can always go back and fill that band up again!! HUGS!

[o2bthin 0]

Oh Stef, I'm sorry to hear about your band problems...never fun to not even be able to drink Water comfortably...BTDT....so I can feel for you there. I went to a support group meeting after my fill Wednesday, and this issue was discussed at length, several people experiencing the overfilling, and talking about having to be unfilled...resisting that....putting our lives at risk, what we will do to lose....becoming basically bulimic-aneorexics is the truth of it! Wow, what a revelation to me. Getting our fills right is only a part of the battle I'm finding out. Loving myself, controlling my emotional eating, following guidelines for this little beast is more but not all of it. Anywho, I'm glad it will only take you two fills to get your restriction back if you choose to do that. I think it would take me about 10, going at the rate I do, and my swelling sensitivity. Whether you do or not, the band is there for you. It is interesting that this happened to you so near your goal...actually you look like you're *at goal right now. With your working out you may likely be able to maintain if you can steer clear of bad eating habits. I'm wishing you all the luck in the world, and continued good vibes being sent...keep your support system in place (us being #1 of course!!) and I think you'll do well. Heck, we'll hold you accountable!

Edited April 18, 2008 by o2bthin

[TexasFire 84]

Awww....thanks, guys! I'm seriously tearing up right now...that's hard to do! I love it here! And yes, Suze...that's why I've been scarce lately, outside of the weather.

Which is really happening! Wombat knows! We are still dealing with it all over town. There is a family about ten blocks from me that had an enormous oak tree fall diagonally across their home. This tree is HUGE...about 80 feet tall and probably measures ten feet around. Their home was absolutely destroyed, the worst I've seen so far, but there is mayhem all over. Thank goodness, I have not heard about a single injury, much less deaths. It's truly a miracle. Then last nights storms brought the wildest hailstorm I've ever seen...I thought it would break through the windows on my house! The entire ground what white with quarter to golf ball sized hail. Is the end of the world coming, or what?!?!? Then today was so gorgeous and sunny that I'm running around in shorts, tank top and sandals! Go figure!

But I digress...the important thing here is that I really appreciate you guys. I hope that I can go unfilled with your help and support. This will be my true test, but I will have no shame about getting it refilled if I need it, trust me! I want twenty more pounds gone and I'm done. I'm at a point that I think my body will start dropping it from my legs....my worst enemy. Hereditary. UGH. At 145, my legs should be as lean as my arms. Right now they are Thunder Thighs! :cry_smile: LOL

[joeygirl 0]

Stef, I am curious. How did you stretch your pouch.

Seems to me if you can't eat than it would be hard to stretch. Explain what happened.

Thanks

[TexasFire 84]

They asked this on one of my other threads, too...so here is a copy of what I answered:

Yeah, I know...no one knew about it, really. As long as I didn't acknowledge it here, it wasn't really happening, right? Jeez, I can be dumb! LOL Anyhow...yes, I knew when it happened, but was powerless to stop it. When I was stuck Monday night, it got so bad that it wasn't just an attempt at a PB, it was all-out nausea-caused dry heaving. Sorry to be gross. To your band, this is vomiting whether it is productive or not. The stomach contractions caused the pouch to stretch up and over the band. Not very much, but enough to put the band at such an angle that it was like folding your garden hose in half to stop the flow of water...and nothing was going in or out without significant effort and discomfort. When they took all fill out and I drank that "lovely" barium, it was such a relief when it went right on through! Before they took all the fill out, I had drank some of it and under flouro, it was verified that even liquids weren't really going anywhere anytime soon. As soon as she pulled on the syringe and took out the fill, the barium went swishing through!

All in all, I'm feeling pretty darn good tonight. I can eat, I'm fine with my regular small portions so far, and no misery with eating or drinking.

[bigbaby 4]

Stef--I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. Gosh....if anyone can weather this "storm". You can do it!!!! As someone said before, you have made such drastic "LIFESTYLE CHANGES" you will have no problems. You are in my prayers. I pray that all will go well--that your pouch will heal quickly and without any other challenges. I pray that you will receive relief from any pain. I pray that your family and friends will be supportive during this time when you're unfilled and won't try to tempt you into doing things that are not beneficial for your health. I ask God to help you maintain discipline in your eating and exercise and when you don't feel disciplined may the power of the Holy Spirit take over and give you the necessary strenghth needed to last until a decision has to be made. I know that everything will turn out alright and you will not have to have your band removed. In Jesus' name...Amen!!!!

I know you're a believer!!!!

[Suzzzie. 3]

Hang in there Stef. You can do it!!

[TexasFire 84]

Yes, I am a believer, BigBaby (though a hedonistic/bratty one, at times) and thank you! Thank you, too, Suze! Thank you everyone!

It will all be okay...I have complete peace with all of this now. I'm not worried in the least.

I don't know if I will be successful at staying unfilled, but I WILL get to goal!

[Suzzzie. 3]

I need a few minutes to whine... and no one understands me like ya'll do.

So, TMI or not... when I'm on my period my band gets tighter. And today we had a huge dinner for my Gramps' 83rd birthday. I ate a few bites of a veggie cassarole I made and then a few bites of mashed potatoes. It took me just as long to eat that as it did for most of my family to eat entire plates full of meat loaf and salad and whatever else there was. I kept looking at their plates and wanted to cry. People take huge bites of things like dinner rolls and salad, and I can't eat these things at ALL.

If you remember, NO one in my family knows about my band. I'm always paranoid that people will try to push me to eat more... we're all 'feeders', but no one has really said anything to me today. A few people who did see my plate were like, "is that all you're eating?" I mostly stood in a corner to eat, so most people couldn't see what I was or wasn't eating.

And the whole period thing... it's basically new to me. This is 3 months in a row now. That has NEVER happened to me before. I got my first one when I was 12, and then I think a few months later I had another... I'd read that in the begining a young girl may not have a regular cycle for a year or more, so I never thought anything about it. After a few years, I did some more research and just kinda figured that the absence of a menstral cycle was a blessing. Lol. Ok, seriously, I just attributed it to my weight. I've been over 300 pounds since I was about 16 years old.

In my early 20s I learned about PCOS, and figured that is what the problem was. I still wasn't upset about it. The few times I'd had a period I hated it. And now that it's been here for 3 months in a row I'm really hating it. Even more weird though... I go about 5 weeks between cycles... so it's still not regulated.

Losing 100 pounds has been great... don't get me wrong... but on days like today all I can see is how far I still have to go... the wrinkling and sagging skin I have on my arms, thighs, belly, and flat droopy boobs... and having to bleed every month is certainly no reward.

Woe is me...

[karla 0]

Steph~ Hang in there, everything will be okay. If anyone can make it unfilled you can.

Suzzzie I completely understand your dislike of the TOM. I too get very tight. Especially when I ovulate (which is very painful for me). I'm considering having everything pulled out. I'm to the point that mine last 10-14 days. It just isn't normal anymore. I could only hope for every 5 weeks. I feel like I get a 1 week break and it starts all over again. The only bad part is I'd no longer have an excuse when the hubby wants to fool around and I'm not in the mood.

[TexasFire 84]

Suzzzie - I had no idea about your TOM situation...but then, why would I?!?!? LOL You are not used to the emotional changes that it can bring, I understand. Believe it or not, I can totally relate: until I had kids, I had MAYBE three periods a year. Then I was regular as clockwork, damn it! All that emotional stuff generally goes away in a few days, though. Watching everyone eat what you can't just made things worse...you poor thing! I can't bear the thought of you standing in the corner with your veggie casserole! Big hug-hug-hugs to you!

I think you may be right about the weight loss beginning to regulate your cycle, though. Not quite the reward you were looking for, I'm sure...but you are a nurse and you know it's a good thing, even if it's not fun.

You are doing so incredibly well, so don't dispair! Look at your before pics and take solace from your success until these few days pass. And remember I love you, you penguin hat wearing goofball! (Maybe that's a "curse", too...but you are stuck with me nonetheless! :tongue_smilie:)