Getting Back To The "Green Zone" After Complete Unfill?

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@maygoddess I had to read through all the posts from the last year as I must have missed your initial post. When I was first banded and just getting to that green zone or so I thought I had some issues with medication from a car accident I was in and had the same circumstances and my "pouch" was dilated. Basically the area above the band not the esophagus was hanging over the band which meant it had expanded to hold the extra food/drink in it while things slowly went through the stoma of the band. To remedy this situation the Dr.'s called for complete unfill of my band for 3 months or more.

Yeah so I was VERY careful during that time as I didn't want to gain back any of the weight I had lost and was/am still pretty far from my goal weight. I gained all of 10 pounds during that time mostly by eating nothing drinking shakes and going to the gym constantly. As the fills started again...well starting with 5cc's wasn't doing diddly. By the time I was feeling that green zone again it was months and months later and it was pretty darn hard to keep up that diet of liquids and exercise, your body just can't survive on that intake and output and I got sick often through out. My surgeon retired and I was on the hunt for new one.....

Of course the new Dr. was unimpressed with my weight loss to date but you know I never really got to even experience what being banded was! However I also think that more research needs to be done before patients choose their own WLS. When Dr.'s tell you that things like pressure from travel or changes in temperature or having a cold or flu don't affect your band just tells me they have NO understanding of it at all. Heck the barometric pressure affects me every single day! Today the dew point in the air is so high that breathing is difficult for me because I have COPD, and it's not a weight related issue it's a my father smoked too dam much and it affected my lungs since I was a child issue.

The air quality is bad, the barometric pressure is high and I have a headache, I'm tired, dizzy and all because my oxygen saturation is low...so if all that is affected by the "air" and atmosphere of course my band is affected in a similar way.

Sometimes I can eat a spicy food or too much lactose or take a medication I take every day and it will irritate my stomach and cause the stoma to swell and close up tighter. It's not rocket science, it's common sense. The same goes for a cold or flu where you produce an excess amount of mucus that plugs up the stoma and irritates it to boot causing it to be blocked or swollen chicken is not going to make it through when our own body fluids don't.

I am 2 years out from band surgery, and honestly feel like I am still just learning what it's like to be banded and how to work with my band. The numbers on the scale finally started moving again though slowly, and I don't sweat it as life has too much going on to sweat that stuff. I make it to the gym most of the time, and I have lost in inches and toned nicely though there are days when I'm just too pooped and I'm sure medical conditions don't help it...but I am 100% healthier than I was and I will keep working it.

I have a 5k coming up in Aug. so I'm back to the gym to get some training in...and hopefully we can get that weight off both of us!!!

[parisshel 1,892]

This is a thread that should be read by band doctors (if there any out there that are still putting in bands!).

Like the OP, I'm convinced that once an unfill is performed, it is unlikely that a refill back to the same level of original fill will provide the bandster with the same, good level of restriction and feeling of satiety. My sense is that you have to go up and over the original fill level to find, if it is even possible, the green zone again. So many on this board never find a sustainable green zone again after an unfill.

What all pre ops should know, and what all banding surgeons should tell them, is to take the utmost care of their bands, working them to the max in the first year of banding. That's where we all see the most weight loss...motivation is at its highest, and the band and the banded area is pristine. Barring a surgery screw-up or medical issue, no unfills should have to happen in the first year if the patient is compliant with the post op way of eating.

There are a couple of well-known bandster bloggers who just had unfills followed by refills and are now struggling with weight gain (small, but gains nonetheless). Anyone read Chronicles from Bandland or Lapband Gal? Both are star bloggers, longtime bandsters with perfect track records for compliance. Both lost massive amounts of weight and got to goal in their first year. Now, five years out (more or less) both have had issues and have had to get slight unfills. LBG got refilled but her weight is up a bit, and CfB has gained a bit and can't get it off, even with restricted calories and lots of sport.

The minute the band gets tinkered with, weight will seek to return...even if we are eating the same amount of calories as before. It's an area that really should be studied but of course won't be because you can't control the study unless you lock up the patients and control their caloric intake. But damn I wish a medical team would look at this and figure out why it happens! And then find a way to stop it from happening!

[maygoddess 53]

Hi all! Thank you to everyone who posted recently. Been a crazy month since my last post! As I mentioned, I dropped weight on the heartbreak diet as my boyfriend decided to leave. We have since reconciled and I will be moving down to central coast of calif with him..so currently in transition with location, job situation, etc. I have since gained back some of the heartbreak weight..dammit! But that was me just not being as diligent as I had been with calories. I don't think I want to get any more fill as I think I may wind up stretching my esophagus again. The hunger definitely subsided. I think I have enough restriction. I just choose to ignore it and want to eat more than I should. After seeing a picture of me this past weekend..I am just disgusted with this 50lbs. I am going to try and rejoin the gym for the next month or so before I move just so I get some exercise in..that wasn't seeming to help much before..but wouldn't hurt to just get some muscle strength back. My poor body is just confused on a daily basis. I get into food ruts. With my boyfriend already down south, I am not really wanting to cook for one.

I think the "green zone" is a fantasy after an unfill. This is going to be hard work to get this weight off. But my goal as always is to keep it off and stay at the weight I have been for years before the unfill!

We shall see..will come back and report when I get settled down south! Hoping that happens in next two months.

[tresosos 0]

That's sounds just like me. I had the liquid removed in April 2015. I have put in 62 pounds as of today. Did things work out?

[2babutterfly 483]

I had mine removed and have slowly found green again. And it didn't take as much to get there.

[maygoddess 53]

That's sounds just like me. I had the liquid removed in April 2015. I have put in 62 pounds as of today. Did things work out?

Hi!! Sorry to hear about your gain. Why did you have it removed? Same issue as mine?

So I decided that I wanted more fill afterall so made an appt with the band doctor at Kaiser. Well..in order to get a fill, you have to first talk to their dietician gal. Well I did a phone call with her and told her my struggle. All she wants to know is what I eat because she still assumes I am eating the wrong foods..not eating foods to keep me full, etc. I told her that I was diligently watching calories and any normal person would have been losing or at least maintaing. I told her the hunger is back again. They are just "by the book" band doctor and staff. They don't get it! I had an appt 3 days later already scheduled with the doctor. She told me to bring him a food diary for those 2 days before the appt. uggh..I didn't because I didn't eat that much. Had not been feeling well. Anyway..after him lecturing me on solid food choices AGAIN, he refused to do a fill. He said to schedule another appt in 2 weeks with the dietician and give her a food diary. Then we'll see. He proceeded to SHOW me what .50cc looks like which is what would take me ALMOSt back to where I was..I don't want to be too tight again. I really just wanted .25cc/No..if you look at it in a syringe it is not much, but even that last .25cc was enough to help that hunger signal go away. When I was originally filled, Dr Kuri only filled me in .50cc increments as I didn't need much. How f'n condescending that was to how me what it looks like. I was PISSED I did not get a fill. I took off early from work and drove over an hour each way.

I really do not think doing a food diary will help. What makes them think I couldn't make up the perfect food diary to show them what they said I should be eating. I DO!! For god sakes, I told her I was eating some tritip and was hungry while eating it!!!

I am supposed to do the phone appt with the dietician this Friday but will probably just cancel it at this point and give up on getting a fill from these folks. These doctors and their staff need to learn more about the band when unfilled and no we are not eating all the high calorie foods we couldn't while filled. Something happens once I unfilled that takes us out of the abnormal state we are put in the first place. Gaining 50lbs in 3-4 months even if I indulged daily on high fat, high calorie foods 24/7 would be barely possible for a normal human.;

So I struggle with my weight. I am at least stabilized at 196-198 depending on the day. I desperately want back to my old 150. I am a moose at this weight!! Once my life stabilizes and I am moved, I will have to right to get this weight off..the fill is just not going to happen!!

[cb0828 5]

Happy to know that I am not along. I was banded 7/31/2009. My original weight was 293 and I got down to 205 in 2013. I didn't see my doctor for 2 years and decided to go for a fill in February of this year. I immediately began to lose weight and by July I was down to 152 until I fainted a work, hitting my head in the process, therefore i received 5 stitches. I was hospitalized for a week and unfilled.. I have been eating like a cow and now weigh 187.. When I went for a full last week, I was told my port had flipped and need revision.. This is frustrating!!! I can not afford to gain another pound......

[happybandit5678 4]

Thanks for sharing your story. I hope that you have been able to get back down after the refill. I too gained weight after an unfill that I had when diagnosed with cancer. I was soooo happy that I was able to eliminate my restriction during that time, as I didn't need any assistance in keeping weight stable. I left myself restriction free for four years following muy cancer treatments because my tongue cancer surgery left me limited in what I could eat. Unfortunately, my diet consisted mostly of ice cream for quite some time, and I gained 50 pounds. I've now returned to restriction and am losing weight quickly. I'm also taking a low dose of phentermine to cope with the hunger, which is still very strong. Have you considered that?

[oui1213 29]

I was unfilled prob 8 months ago from a slip (completely my fault). Then started going back up slowly. My dr saaid once u have had an unfill it will take more to get u back at the same place asu were before the unfill. We filled up soooo slowly it was miserable. I wanted to eat everything. Now in the last 2 months i have hit my green zone losing 5-8 pounds per month. I have just now been diagnosed with very high thyroid. Dr wants me to start taking anti thyroid meds. But i am scared of gaining weight. Apparently 5% of people with hyperthyroid are overweight. I guess i am one of unlucky few. Hope u all find ur green zone again (78 lb lost in 1 yr????)

[Thias38 8]

Thank you for your post o have been banded since August of 2015 and I have a feeling my band is too tight at times I feel like it takes to look mg for my food to go down and may be packing up. I have an appt Wed and plan to have some Fluid removed.

[maygoddess 53]

Time for an update! It has been awhile and has been a bit of a rollercoaster since!!! So last I posted, I had gone to the Kaiser doctor up in Nor Cal and had refused me a fill because I didn't supply a food diary. Whatever. I was preparing to move down to Central Coast and was coming close to losing my Kaiser insurance but didn't have time to mess around with this doctor and dietician. Also, in September while down on the central coast and chasing my new puppy on the beach..a few days later had knee pain and thought I tore ligaments. I was wearing knee braces and sleeves, had one session of PT at Kaiser before I moved..this went on through March of this year when I went to the massage therapist at the motorcycle track and she did a 20 minute session on my leg..stretching my IT band..and completely got rid of pain! After 7 months thinking it was torn ligaments or strained tendons..turns out it was most likely IT Band syndrome and that torqued my knee and caused all the pain. This prevented any excercise for months..other than going up and down stairs while packing and moving! Uggh..

Anyway...back to band. So after my unsuccessull fill in September, I moved to the central coast on November 1st. I started a new job and just made it through the busy new job, new area, new place and a new puppy. My weight stayed at around 198-200 during this time. I quit my job in January and a few weeks later decided to go get a fill at the doctor that I went to a few times back in 2008-2009 after I stopped going to Mexico for fills. This other doctor had a secondary office a few hours away when I lived up north. Now I was a few hours away from his primary office. Since they only do fills weekdays and I now was not working, I had the time to go. I didn't bother telling them all the recent history. I didn't want all the Kaiser drama to effect me getting a fill. I just told them I had not been filled in awhile and it was time to get back on track. I know..should have given the backstory..but I was desperate for a fill. So this was first time I was filled by a non surgeon. This was a nurse there that I saw. I gave her most of my band history. She pulled out the Fluid and we agreed to add an extra .5cc. This would take me close to where I was before but not there since that was too tight. I figured that would be all I need to get back to the "green zone" again hopefully and be done with this weight! Wellllllll.......

This was February 6th..I stayed on liquids 24 hours..and then my boyfriend and I drove up the coast a few days later. It was 80 miles each way on twisty road. We had lunch and I just had a drink, some Soup, 1/2 burger..just the meat..and literally a few of his fries. Nothing too complicated or I thought over eating. Felt fine after meal..and we started our journey home. AS we got closer to home, I was feeling pain in my stomach. It reminded me of the feeling when i did overeat and you would get that referring pain up to your shoulder and that "pulling" feeling as the stitches would pull on my stomach. It got worse as we got closer to home. I went to bed and the next day could barely get out of bed and stand up straight from the pain. I can only describe it as it felt like my stomach had dropped and to walk around I had to hold my stomach. I could barely move from the pain. Unfortunately at the time, because I just left my job and was not yet back on Obamacare..and would now qualify for medical, I was between insurance. I also was scared and didn't want to think my band had eroded or I slipped. I still was feeling the same restriction I had a few days ago. I was not running a fever. I could get food down. And even if I called the surgeon's office I went to for a fill..they are over 2 hours away and there was no way I could get in a car for a few minutes..never mind a few hours. I did manage to get on medical quickly thanks to a local county health worker who was worried about me. I was feeling better so I waited it out. The pain had subsided quite a bit by then and my restriction felt the same, so I waited. Decided since I was still have slight pain I would go to local ER to get checked out. I was thinking that perhaps my port had become unstitched and if they did an xray at minimum could see if everything looked ok. Unfortunately I went to a local hospital where there is no bariatric surgeon on staff and the ER doc was not familiar enough with it. He opted to do a CT scan. I wish I had seen it, but he said the technician looked at it and said the band was in place..he could see the upper pouch, band was perfect..lower stomach ok. Everything to him looked normal.unexplained what the pain was. Doc just sent me home to rest...sighhh.. I called the surgeon's office to let them know what had happened. The nurse who did my fill was a little abrupt on the phone. She said for me to come down to the office..I told her I was over 2 hours away and what would coming in do unless they could do a flouro right there. All she said is "ports never move"..but not much she could do unless I come see her. I went to ER end of February. So most of March, I did okay...only a little discomfort. I headed to Los Angeles for Easter weekend to see my parents and decided to call the surgeon's office and see if they could see me on my way back since we have to pass by their town on my way home. I told them I think the port had moved and perhaps THAT was causing the discomfort. So on our way home, I stopped there and was there about 10 minutes with the same nurse. Explained all the pain..she poked around a bit..she didn't think port had moved but was just perhaps some trauma from the fill...or the pain I had and the inflammation would need time to subside. She was not really worried because I had no redness, swelling and restriction was fine. So that was a waste of time..but whatever. So that was end of March.

April went by and I don't recall having too much pain. Perhaps the nurse was right..just needed time for whatever inflammation happened to subside. Given that this NEVER happened with the three different surgeons who each performed numerous fills on me each..I should have been more diligent...but the insurance issue and unemployment at the time was also guiding my decisions. As May weny by, I noticed now at my waistline, I had a hard lump. I thought for sure now my port had indeed become unstitched and finally migrated upwards and was sitting at my waistline. The pain from it sitting at my waist as I bent over or sat down was getting worse. It felt like a sharp hard edge of the band was sticking up towards me and was in the worst place possible. I finally decided that it was time to stop messing around with doctors and insurance issues and call Dr Kuri's office. Now that I lived 4 hours closer to Mexico, it would not be much of a hassle to head down there at minimum for a flouro. Dr Kuri was thinking perhaps a port replacement and/or tubing issue so some minor surgery under local may be needed and quoted me price for that. The plan was to get there early Friday morning, do a flouro and then we would know more. If we needed to do anything, he would immediately do the procedure.

So last Friday, I was in Tijuana for my 8am flouro with Dr Kuri. He did the flouro and showed my port and tubing were in tact. He pulled out the fill to make sure was still there and put back in. Weird thing when I asked how much was there he said 1.2cc...but should have been more. I also swear he squirted some out on the floor or me..so I am thinking I now have less restriction than I did going in..BUT I think I may have been too tight after the last fill but with all this pain going on, was hard to tell. I was not going to argue..anyway...Dr Kuri had me do barium swallow and the restriction looked good..fluid passed through nicely.no problems with esophagus..everything was as it should be..great..BUT now about this pain at my waist that I thought was the port. He swears it had not moved. I told him the port was ALWAYS below my belly button. SOMETHING was now at my waist. He argued that it "changes" position with weight loss BUT since I gained 50lbs..there was no explaining this. He said he would put me under local, small incision and move the port so it was not at my waist...OR SO WE THOUGHT!!

This is where the "fun" began. They had made the incision right where the "port" now was and it turns out to be a nasty infection right there instead. I have no clue what it looked like..but since I was just under local and awake..Dr Kuri was nice about the "uh ohs"...making sure not to alarm me..but told me there was an infection there and the other doctor assisting him was busy cleaning it up while Dr Kuri explained to me that this infection could mean that my band had eroded into my stomach. An erosion can present as a port infection because the band and tubing is connected and infection can travel to the port. Yikes!! He calmly told me that they would stitch me after cleaning out infection and do an immediate endoscopy to confirm the erosion. From there, I would have to schedule full band removal for a later date. I was fully prepared to be leaving there that day with a surgery scheduled. Uggh...

Thankfully, the endoscopy confirmed I did NOT have an erosion. WHEW!!! So leaving that out, why was my port infected. He is thinking my last fill may have been the problem. No way to know, but given all the pain and weirdness after the fill.what else could it be?? SO I left Tijuana with one incision, a prescription for Cipro and a huge sigh of relief I had not eroded. I think Dr Kuri may have been surprised too! I think he figured after 14 years...could be likely!!

So I am just 3 days post surgery and back home. That huge "port" at my waistline is now gone. Of course that pain is replaced by the incision pain which is not that bad. At least I don't have 5 incisions like post band placement with tons of air in my tummy. I am tender around the area so have to wait to start pressing around to see if my port is really where it should be. I don't feel it..so hopefully that infection being gone now, I can feel the port better.

I will have to see about my restriction once I am all healed. I think I am back to where I was before I went down for this last fill. Perhaps karmic revenge for not telling them about the last few years drama..but for now on, I am not messing around with U.S. surgeons..only going back to Dr Kuri..for more regular checkups..and if fill is needed. I am down to about 190. I had dropped about 8-9lbs just after that fill in February but was probably when I was in pain and not eating as much. Before I mess around with more restriction, I really need to listen to my body..watch what I eat and if I get this knee back in shape..move a bit more!! Lessons learned!!

I forgot to ask Dr Kuri about band erosion statistics. He did tell me HIS statistics are low..less the .001% of his patients have eroded..he has done 5500 bands to date. I was 300 something back in 2002. But I would be curious to know amongst all the eroded patients to date, how long they had the band before they eroded. I wonder if statistically, you erode if prone to..but if you have not eroded by now..you are less likely. Sheesh you would think in 14 years, I would have by now if I was going to..I have seen some here that erode quickly..so who knows!! I hate to think I have a ticking time bomb in me..but I guess that goes with being banded and having a device in your body!

WIll post updates here more frequently!!

Edited May 16, 2016 by maygoddess

[maygoddess 53]

The latest update if anyone is still reading along. After my initial visit back to TJ May 7th for the infection clean up. I was on Cipro for 6 days from Dr Kuri. After I finished that dose, it didnt seem to be clearing up..I was still getting some oozing that was turning yellowish and creamy. Dr Kuri told me to get more antibiotics locally if I could since sending from Mexico would take a few days. Well..since you cannot just call up a doctor randomly and ask for meds, my only choice was head to local ER. Only reason I did not go to an Urgent Care is that I was on MediCal because I was recently unemployed and you can only go to ER with it. But probably better anyway as the doc there wanted to do a CT scan with contrast to see how deep an infection I had. He already swabbed the oozing stuff and determined I still had infection. The CT scan was relatively inconclusive..fluid present but could just be post surgery OR could be infection..They basically just put me on 10 days of TWO antiobiotics now..CIPRO and Clindamycin. About 5 days in, Dr Kuri calls me to follow up. I had been keeping his office abreast of my ER visit and new meds. I told Kuri after 5 days nothing looked different..still oozing a bit and color had not changed. His concern was that my body may be treating the port itself as a foreign body to get rid of along with the infection. He suggested I get back down there for a port removal..let me body heal and come back for port replacement. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but we booked surgery for the next day. My birthday! Since it was memorial day when he called in the morning, we just packed up and headed down to Los Angeles and stayed with my parents overnight and drove to TJ in the morning. Dr Kuri's new office and hospital are literally less than 2 miles in from the border so was easy to cross and get in to his office.

They opened me up and removed the port. He said the infection was not that bad, but erring on side of caution to remove the band and heal up. Not really looking forward to yet another procedure but better safe than sorry. Dr Kuri topped off my fill just before he removed the port and sent me on my way with more antibiotics. I am just a few days out from the surgery..wound is still draining out and hopefully with another 7 days of this new antibiotic, I will be on my way to being healed up and can get the rest of this extra weight off. I cannot believe I have had 14 years with this band already. I am thrilled to have lost 130lbs total. Not happy I had to gain 50lbs back through all this mess..have 40 still on to lose. I figure it will be a tough battle to get it off but hopefully the band will do its job of keeping it off..just like it used to...sigh...what a crazy two years it has been!

I will update again with the latest!

[Goal&Unfilled 1]

MayGoddess!

Thank you sooooo much for taking the time each time you have posted to record your experiences. I was completely unfilled on December 15th 2017 and now it is April 1st, 2018...so that was....3 1/2 months ago. I have gained about 40 pounds. I have been researching and reading non-stop since having an unfill...just to find similar stories or some insight into what is happening to me.

And then I read your post.

EVERYTHING that I was experiencing before my unfill including my attitude to food, the band and my glorious body (size 8) was the same as yours. You completely wrote down my story. Thank you so much. Finally I feel like I'm not loosing my mind, thinking I'm gaining weight by breathing. I gained 11 pounds in the first 5 days. How is that even possible? I was 'dieting'!!

Anyway...I'm keen to know where you are at now. I have had 3 barium swallows (what we call it here in Australia) and each of them showed gradual improvement...so much so that it seems I MAY get my first fill this Friday. I am so excited. Like you, I miss the way I had no interest in food. My food thoughts are outta control these days and I want the respite from it. I, like you, also feel weird and uncomfortable in this new chubby body- a body that transformed into a size 10/12 so rapidly!! Tomorrow I am back on Optifast to give my oesophagus a final break before this next barium swallow...and then we'll see. My Band Dr has introduced discussion on converting to a Sleeve, I've done heaps of research on that but I would SO much prefer to just have my band working like it was before (sans the 'too tight' amount of fill).

I've noticed your profile suggests you've had a gastric sleeve? I would so much appreciate an update on whether or not you lost the 40 lbs...whether you still have your band...what amount of fill you have compared to your 'too tight 2mls'...whether the infection was addressed (and how?!?) and whether you converted to a sleeve...(?)...ANNND whether you are still with your boyfriend! See...? I was listening intently!!

So....I'd love it if you could fill me in. And I'll keep you posted too.

Thank you again. You've really made my day just even listening to your story.

Cheers,

Elle

[maygoddess 53]

On 4/1/2018 at 5:35 AM, Goal&Unfilled said:

MayGoddess!

Thank you sooooo much for taking the time each time you have posted to record your experiences. I was completely unfilled on December 15th 2017 and now it is April 1st, 2018...so that was....3 1/2 months ago. I have gained about 40 pounds. I have been researching and reading non-stop since having an unfill...just to find similar stories or some insight into what is happening to me.

And then I read your post.

EVERYTHING that I was experiencing before my unfill including my attitude to food, the band and my glorious body (size 8) was the same as yours. You completely wrote down my story. Thank you so much. Finally I feel like I'm not loosing my mind, thinking I'm gaining weight by breathing. I gained 11 pounds in the first 5 days. How is that even possible? I was 'dieting'!!

Anyway...I'm keen to know where you are at now. I have had 3 barium swallows (what we call it here in Australia) and each of them showed gradual improvement...so much so that it seems I MAY get my first fill this Friday. I am so excited. Like you, I miss the way I had no interest in food. My food thoughts are outta control these days and I want the respite from it. I, like you, also feel weird and uncomfortable in this new chubby body- a body that transformed into a size 10/12 so rapidly!! Tomorrow I am back on Optifast to give my oesophagus a final break before this next barium swallow...and then we'll see. My Band Dr has introduced discussion on converting to a Sleeve, I've done heaps of research on that but I would SO much prefer to just have my band working like it was before (sans the 'too tight' amount of fill).

I've noticed your profile suggests you've had a gastric sleeve? I would so much appreciate an update on whether or not you lost the 40 lbs...whether you still have your band...what amount of fill you have compared to your 'too tight 2mls'...whether the infection was addressed (and how?!?) and whether you converted to a sleeve...(?)...ANNND whether you are still with your boyfriend! See...? I was listening intently!!

So....I'd love it if you could fill me in. And I'll keep you posted too.

Thank you again. You've really made my day just even listening to your story.

Cheers,

Elle

Hi elle!!

I literally just got back from Mexico yesterday from my band removal and sleeve conversion. I was fine since my removal of the port and tubing in May of 2016..my band was filled. I didn't manage to lose the weight during that time. I managed to stay at a steady weight, so that band WAS doing its job of keeping off what was already lost, but not helpful in getting off the extra 50 I had gained after the complete unfill. Can't totally blame the band as I did not always watch my diet and had a lot going on as well.

So fast forward to last month. I was sick most of the month with a bad flu..worst I ever had..by week 3 was diagnosed with strep, had a yeast infection, ear infection and then developed some pain in my abdomen under the incision site from the port removal 2 years ago..had no idea what was going on. Went to ER and had a CT scan and a local bariatric surgeon was consulted and he didn't really see anything but suggested we just remove the band sight unseen. I was not really thrilled with him at all. But I had to decide between totally free removal and eventually a revision with insurance here OR go back to my surgeon in Mexico and pay out of pocket for both. The problem here with insurance is that they would never allow the removal and revision at same time. I would have to do removal and then go through same process as a brand new surgical patient..psychological counseling, dietary evaluation, etc etc. So stupid for someone banded for 16 years. So I decided to take a chance and go back to Mexico and see if he could do both at same time. We didn't know if band was eroded or not until time of surgery. He performed an endoscopy and found the band was fine. It turned out from what I understand what was left of the tubing got infected somehow and that what was causing the pain..so he successfully removed and did the sleeve revision at same time. I was thrilled I made the decision to take a chance and go to Mexico.

So I really don't know where this journey goes from here. I am just 4 days post op dealing with clear liquids for a few more days. I am hoping I can get this 50lbs off and back to where I was. Was not really prepared for all this at last minute so really don't know success rates for band revision patients vs someone starting brand new. We shall see!

And as for boyfriend...funny you ask..he decided a month ago to leave me but was not leaving right away..which I guess was good given the unexpected surgery..he stayed to take care of the animals and left the day after I returned from surgery. Bad timing, but like the band going away..I am sure it is all for the best once I get past all this!! Such is life.