HELP please! I am so lost and worried,,, literary on the edge

[Holysaro87 0]

Hi All,

I was banded in 2011 and it was a move that everybody in my family was against, I started to lose the weight and was very happy, reached my ''initial'' goal within a year and was very happy... Had a little bit of extra skin as I was too scared to work out.

During this year, I was lucky enough to get my entire family living in the same city as myself, and we ALL enjoy food so much, so any gathering with parents, brother, and sister meant food, food, and more food.

I was eating good portions, and had started to take my band for granted, forgetting about the rules of of not eating too fast or drinking and eating at the same time

Anyways, my troubles started about 6 months ago, when I was under a tremendous amount of pressure at work, and at home as my husband had to travel and we'd be separated for a whole year... lots of stress and angry days and nights starting causing me pain the upper part of my stomach (which is normal for me even before the band)... Started getting stuck more often, but it would come and go as sometimes I would be able to eat very well, and other times it would be a hassle... didn't really do anything about it, then started to get acid reflex, and continued to ignore things..

Then I had a 1cc unfill, but the symptoms continued, and i continued to ignore them... things were getting worse, and i started to cough at night, eating became a nightmare, and I started resorting more to fluids thinking it is probably stress and will be better soon.

Lately things were way worse and I felt like i had it, so I went for an endoscopy (which is covered by my insurance) and was told that probably the pouch above the band is dilated and I must see my surgeon (whom I no longer live in the same country as)

Anyways, I went to the surgeon whom I was doing all the follow up with, and he jumped directly into conclusions saying I must remove the band..... I panicked and cried, so he said then you can do an xray.

The report of the xray Dr. came good, saying there is no slip and the band is ok, but the surgeon said that there IS a minor slip that the dr. missed and he unfilled me completely and asked me to go on a liquid diet for a month, then if the xray showed no improvement then I would have to remove the band.

I am completely shocked, and so so so so worried… I have paid for this from my own money and removing the band would cost a fortune, let alone the other factor which is weight gain… I am completely lost and feel like it is the literary the end of the world….

Any help or similar experiences or links to videos or articles would be AMAZING…. I can’t seem to find anything other than the horrible stories online.

I also need some thoughts on the liquid diet, can drink fruits and veggies smoothies? Grinded veggies and meat Soup? What are the things to stay away from (band safety wise not weight gain wise)? And would I be able to eat any mushies? Or is it liquids only?

Thank you so much for any help or reply that you might leave…. Appreciate it like you can’t imagine.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Holysaro87

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Hi there ! Okay, 1st, take a few deep breaths ......................... you can't make good decisions when you're upset, so calming yourself will help you alot. 2nd, I have nooooo experience in this , so I cant and won't offer advice. But 3rd, you might want to consider a 2nd opinion. Taking out the band may not have to happen, and the time and money you spend on a 2nd opinion may or may not be less time, money and trouble than getting the band removed. Just an idea. I always remember, the letters M.D, stand for "Medical Doctor, "

not '' I know everything ". Just sayin '. Good luck !

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@Holysaro87 I agree with the poster above. Take a deep breath and try to relax.

I am going to sound a little harsh with you for a moment here. When you FIRST had signs of something not right it was the time to go and see the Dr. Never mind how you were before your band. You are now a banded patient and vomiting no matter how small. food being stuck, acid reflux, night coughs all of these are signs of trouble and they are NOT normal. No one with a band should be throwing up after eating EVER if they can help it.

If you follow the proper band guidelines then you would not be having these issues AND if you are then you need to see a Dr. ASAP a Bariatric Dr. who specializes in the Lapband.

OK now all of that said....take another deep breath. I am on your side here.

One of the reasons your Dr. may be telling you take the band out is because you are not being compliant with the band rules. There are very specific rules to being a banded patient and you are not following them.

Yes we all get caught up with family and friends and food. I totally understand, BUT you must ALWAYS remember that you are a WLS patient and that you have a band around your stomach and it is there and it will not be overlooked and it will cause you trouble if you ignore it.

I am compliant in all ways with my band, all the time...? No not all the time, and that is how I learned to make sure that I am now ALL the time.

When I am full I stop eating, if I am stuck I pay the price and feel sick and learn that next time I need to cut and chew chew chew and then chew some more. I need to slow down and eat my food and not be stressed while eating.

A few months ago I had a mild pouch dilation and had all the Fluid removed from my band due to medications I was taking from being in a car accident that irritated my stomach.

I did the 4 week liquid diet and the dilation resolved itself and I am not back on track to getting fills and losing weight.

OK take another deep breath...

Ask yourself is this band something you want? Why do you have it if you are not going to use it and take care of it properly?

If you want to keep your band, follow the Dr.'s orders. Take the fill out, and start from band basics. Go back to the days of early banding. Get yourself some Protein powders and shakes and go from there. You will start to lose weight and you will feel better. Tell your family and friends you MUST be on this diet and not to derail you because doing so is going to cost you and you will ultimately have to have the band removed and worse you can cause permanent damage to your internal organs.

So make sure you are ready for this commitment and settle in for a month of liquids, and gaining your health back. You have to take time to put you and your band first. You are right now both at risk.