Unfill

[Sultana 0]

Hi All,

I did see Dr. K yesterday after I had an upper GI. I watched it on the screen as my esophogus did its peritalsis thing trying to get the barium through the band, but NOTHING was going through. It was in the morning, however. My doctor said the band was in the right place and my pouch looked okay, but that my esophogus looked...stretched??? (can't remember the term she used). I was at 3.2, and she removed .3 so I am now at 2.9. I am still not sure if it is enough, but I will see. She told me to let things heal by eating liquids and mushies for the next few days, and to continue taking the Previcid for 2 weeks. An upside is that I lost 14 pounds just short of 2 months, but it was a heck of price to pay with all the reflux and PBing. I did not reflux last night, but I did not eat or drink for hours before bed time. Time will tell, I guess. I was sure that I would have a dialated pouch and that she would need to remove LOTS of fill.

Has anyone heard from or about Michelle? I know she was having problems, and since I have been mired in mine, I have not been here in a while. Let me know, okay! Thanks for all your encouragement (as usual).

Sultana

[Alexandra 55]

Sultana, that's great news! I'm so glad you were able to find out that nothing major is wrong. That's the best that could have happened!!

Take it easy now, and perhaps this will be the magic point at which you'll be comfortable AND be able to lose weight. Good luck!!

I'm going back for another swallow test in two weeks, to see what effect my being unfilled has had on my band position. On the 23rd I'll either be told it's OK to adjust it a little tighter, which is what I want to hear; we should leave things the way they are because any tighter and I run the risk of enlarging the pouch or esophagus--which I could live with but would prefer not; or the band has slipped further and surgery is needed. That's what I DON'T want to hear, but better to know than not know is my feeling so I'm going in for the test.

So glad for you!!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Sultana - I am glad to hear you are doing better. Hopefully you will be able to stay at this restriction and it will be good to you!

[nightingale2u 42]

Sultana... I'm glad everything looked okay and hope that the partial unfill will stop the reflux for good! It would definitely be better to have a little less restriction than rishk the complications that accompany longterm reflux.

Darcy

[La_madam 20]

Hi Sultana

Thanks for asking about me..I am doing much better..I still have one or two esophagus spasms a day but not nearly as painful and nearly as frequent. I'm still taking my prevacid and like you lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks, not fun though! I'm glad you went and saw your Dr., it is such a peace of mind huh? It is amazing what little amount removing can do in the way of relief, .3 seems like so little but is so big in the scheme of things going on with your band. Hope this does the trick for you and you feel better and better each day

[Sultana 0]

Hi All,

Thanks for your responses. I am feeling so much better--have had no reflux today, and I drank lots of Water. I guess the real test will be when I start eating chewy solid food in a few days.

Alex, I will keep thinking of you and hope you get the news you want. The GI Dr. indicated that I did have some dialation, but called it moderate, and Dr. K looked at the films herself and did not seem concerned. I have to trust her call here; she is the expert. I would think that if my dialation was a problem she would have removed more fill. I think she was reassured that the band was right where it should be. At any rate, I'll bet your news will be good. Have you had trouble keeping the weight off with less restriction? Damn those chocolates anyway!!

Michelle, what is causing your spasms? I also had great pain when eating (particularly the first few bites). I think it was my esophogus unsuccessfully trying to move the food through the too-tight band. Is that what it is with you? I am glad your symptoms have abated some.

This is some journey, eh? Keep in touch.

[Alexandra 55]

Sultana, I think my doctor is very conservative. I mean, he gave me an unfill with only a hint of a potential problem down the road. He wants as much as I do for me to keep my band and be safe with it. He's not much of a cheerleader with regard to weight loss--he's a surgeon, not a social worker--and he mentioned that I might be in a "gray zone" meaning no more adjustments will be possible without risk. I'm OK with that assessment, because keeping my band is my primary concern. I realize if/when I lose more weight it will be because of what I do, not what my band does.

I'm glad to hear Dr. Kurian is not concerned with a "moderate" dilatation. She's nothing if not experienced and her perspective comforts me.

I have not had trouble keeping the weight off with this level of fill, which is why I'll be OK with it if that's all there is for me. I fluctuate between 243 and 248--and though that may not sound so amazing, it's a whole lot better than fluctuating between 335 and 340, which is where I was in 2002!!

I know I bear responsibility for my caloric intake, and if I want to make the scales move again I'll have to kick my ice cream addiction. And skip dessert more often than not. But with my band I have an invaluable assistant to help me keep all the portions down to a reasonable size all the time, and that's the most I can ask.

[La_madam 20]

Hi Sultana

My problems arose from an almost PB epsiode. I ate a piece of bread that got stuck for about 15 minutes I had all the sypmtoms of a PB..slime..watering mouth and horrible golf ball pain in my chest but the bite finally passed through my band..unfortunately I did not do liquids the following day like I should have and ate like normal( well bandster normal) for 2 days and doing that aggravated my esophagus to the point of terrible pain and spasms. My Dr. said I should of treated it as a PB and done the reccomended 24 hours of liquids. My esophaguis went through a major workout passing that bite of bread through. I went to the Dr. he did a barium test under flouro to see my restriction level and to see if my band had slipped or if there were any signs of erosion..none of the above were going on. I had no reflux or heartburn just bad bab pain and spasms..I asked if I needed some fill removed and he told me NO, he was suprised to see my weight loss of 70lbs in 8 months with the little bit of fill and restriction I had...I went on liquids for about 4 days and soft foods for 2 days then onto solids..I hope you feel a diufference once you start eating again. I know this is not fun regardless of the weight loss...& Yes Damn those chocolates!

[Sultana 0]

Hi Alex,

I too LOVE ice cream. If there were a decree that we all had to choose only one food to subsist on forever, I would choose ice cream. I do NOT eat it often because I can only eat premium ice cream (Haagen Das, etc.) because I am allergic to corn products which are found in many lesser ice creams. It makes the low fat, low sugar ones choices I cannot make.

I guess that my doctor's lack of concern about my pouch makes me nervous about long range problems. I thought of that before you told me about your doctor's conservative view. I was very surprised that she removed so little fill--maybe she feels that a few days of mushies in conjunction with the unfill will do the trick? Like I said, she did look at the films herself. She is so very busy, and while I trust and respect her, I sometimes feel very rushed and flustered because she has one foot out the door; that happened yesterday. I must say that she did squeeze me in, so I'm sure that was a factor yesterday.

You know, I agree that food choices are definitely a factor that we can control, and I work on that constantly and conscientiously. It does help, however, if the band prohibits me from eating too much of any food that I might choose. My band is certainly not consistent in that matter.

Another interesting thing that I did not mention earlier is that my doctor thinks that the reason that my band all of sudden got too tight when I have been at this fill for a while, is because of post nasal drip clogging things up!! I have a long history of allergic problems, and here on the east coast, this is my worst season because I am allergic to mold. All the leaves and rain make the mold count very high. Has anyone ever heard anything like that???

Years ago my allergist told me that I was "wired funny", and I must admit that I do feel like a freak. I am hoping that like Leatha (?) said, I will just hit my stride late and start really losing. Many other bandsters must have the same food problems and demons that I do, and yet they loose way faster. It can't just be because they stick to a strict diet....why would they NEED the band? Well, enough philosophy. I will keep on keeping on and abiding by all the best banding tenets. I am ever hopeful....at least today!

[New Hope 37]

Sultana, I've heard that allergies and congestion can affect you. Can you take anything like Allegra? I had an unfill 2 weeks ago for reflux, supposed to wait 2 months, then go back to dr. I've gained back 3 pounds. Do you sleep with your headboard elevated about 4"? That will help w/night time reflux. Hope you get to feeling better soon! Please don't get discouraged! You've done great!

[Sultana 0]

Hi,

I do use Nasalcrom--a steroidal nasal spray and I most often sleep sitting up--not for reflux, but (geez, I am about to sound like a health disaster here) for a jaw problem. I was in close lock with TMJ a few years ago and had both sides of my jaw operated on. The disks are shot and cannot be fixed, but the pain is minimal as long as I do not lay on my jaw too long. I have learned to live with it. When we stay in hotels, we put bedspreads, phone books, etc. under my side of the bed for head elevation. If I lay on my jaw too long I get extreme vertigo, and sleeping flat on my back all night is not doable. You would think that with my food allergies and my jaw problem that I wouldn't even be able to eat!!! Some obstacles are easier to overcome than others! :laugh The up side of the food allergy is that I eat very few processed foods because most have corn Syrup, corn oil, corn starch, dextrose, sorbitol....or any of the other corn words that I know so well! It also greatly limits sweets, which is a good thing too. Enough about my farcical existence! Thanks for all your encouragement; happy holidays to all.