donali

That doesn't surprise me at all... I've seen your toes!!! ROTFLMAO!!!

I don't think it goes away - I just think we stop noticing how much we bend over when it doesn't feel like it's going to kill us... lol

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!! :) You have DROPSY?!?! Anyone else want to tell her what this means? I don't have the heart... :dead

I think she was overeating. That seems to be what causes that kind of thing.... lol

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DrLopez-AGBSupportGroup/?yguid=133984376

lol.... I think I'm in love....

Actually, memories are coming back to me. I know that bruises can get infected, and the skin does not have to be breached, so there must be some possibility that bacteria that lives in the body can cause infections when an injury presents itself. What do you think, Penni? Am I having false memories? Maybe I made that up.... I'm on a conference call (snore....) lol, so I'm a little distracted. Hopefully this post is actually written in English with verbs, subjects, and stuff like that...

Megan - lol I shouldn't let him get to me, I know what he's like. I'm more concerned that the more impressionable people will be formed into "blame the patient" "support" type people because of reading all of his posts, and possibly taking his opinions as gospel. I'm going to try and let it lie now, even though I doubt that my latest response will be allowed to be the last word on that subject. If I absolutely cannot resist responding to his next back pedaling post, I will try to limit my comment to "Whatever." Wish me luck!!! :)

Alexandra - ROTFLMAO!!!!!

That would be absolute heaven!! One day you're going to wake up and say "WTF?!?!?! Who's that huge naked woman in my pool?!?!?!"" lol

Hi Janie - What Alexandra says!!! You are doing GREAT. Can you find a bandster meeting to attend instead?

Excellent, Penni - I add just one clarification - "stoma" is the passage way between the pouch and the rest of the stomach - that's why the stoma size changes with the amount of fill.

Hi All - I wanted to post a reply I made on the SmartBandster board regarding someone's strongly stated opinion that band erosion is almost always the patient's fault. I think it is important to accept responsibility for our actions and their possible consequences. However, I also think it is equally important to be able to accept that certain outcomes of events may have not been under our control, or may have happened anyway. Perhaps my occasional overeating contributed to my band erosion (frankly, I was doing a lot of that in the past four weeks). HOWEVER... erosion is a possible complication for ALL implanted devices. ********** //It is actually the stomach that erodes or is damaged, not the band. Usually because the band is too tight or most often because the person is eating too much and trying to force too much through the band. Usually the fault of the banded person, and NOT the surgeon or the band itself.// Dan, I realize that it can be reassuring to think that WE have ALL the control over what happens to us and our bands - if you NEED to believe that to have peace of mind, then I leave you to it. However, if the erosion rates are indeed 1%-3%, I would be hard pressed to believe that only 1%-3% of bandsters ever eat too much. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of bandsters at least occasionally overeat. I mean, that IS our nature, after all. BUT, the vast majority of bandsters do not experience erosion. Do a google search on erosion of implanted device, and educate yourself on the realities of having a foreign object in your body, and what can happen to it. The following links cover products that range from heart implants to penile implants to ports - all of these devices list erosion through tissue walls as a possible complication. It is extremely unlikely that overeating (or patient behaviour, period) could be held responsible for these erosions. You know - sometimes it just happens. http://www.guidant.com/webapp/emarketing/compass/comp.jsp?lev1=prod&lev2=crtp_ifu http://www.clevelandclinic.org/urology/patients/rsurgery.htm http://www.medtronic.com/neuro/enterra/physician.html http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/mda/docs/p010020.html http://my.webmd.com/content/article/71/81224.htm?z=3199_65247_2010_00_10 http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/HTML/infusion_therapy/devbsc_vaxptpsv_ifu_us.html We should all try to avoid behaviours that increase our risk of erosion, but there are no guarantees that even if you do everything 100% correct that you will escape this particular complication. Sometimes bad things just happen. Donali Dr. Lopez, 1/23/03 303/204.5/135 Diagnosed with erosion 6/19/04 Band removal scheduled for 7/2/04

Yep.

Moana - Unfortunately, reflux is the bain of many long time bandsters. If you are already following the guidelines for reducing reflux then you need to see your doc for prescription antacid medication. It is critical that you do NOT leave this untreated, as stomach acid in the wrong places can cause severe damage, and create pre-cancerous conditions. Guidelines for reducing/avoiding reflux: 1. Do not lie down for three hours after eating. 2. Avoid acid producing foods like coffee, caffeine, chocolate, orange juice and spicy foods. 3. Raise the head of your bed. If these things do not help you, you must seek the care of your physician for additional help.

Congrats, Carmen!!! This is a phase of intense relearning of habits - go gently, and realize that now your band has been kicked into high gear and you may at times resent what a good job it's doing for you, but it's for your own good!! lol

Congrats, Cmore!! I thought the surgery hurt too, but the worst of it will be over by two weeks out. Take it easy, and try not to do too much. It's time to baby yourself!

Guamtab - I would not get a fill if you are having problems with solid food - it sounds like you have enough restriction as it is. Maybe that will change by 7/17. As far as the mid-band is concerned, I did ask Dr. Carmen if being rebanded with the mid-band would be a better option. The few stats I've been able to find seem to support that the incidence of erosion with the mid-band is less. Dr. Carmen said it wouldn't matter, that it is a possible complcation with all band types. I still think the mid-band probably does have a lower erosion rate, but 1%-3% is pretty low, too. After 6 months I should be healed enough to be rebanded, but at this point I'm pretty sure that I will not be rebanded as a self-pay. So that would pretty much leave the mid-band out of the running. I would also be concerned about finding a fill doc - I've heard many people having problems find a doc who could/would fill their mid-band. Then there's the re-erosion stats, which I have no scientific studies for, but so far the consensus seems to be that the possibility of erosion increases for a patient who has already experienced erosion. At this time I'm keeping my options open, but planning on trying to maintain my weight by employing my recently learned tools and acquired knowledge. I've been talking the talk - it is now time for me to walk the walk, and see how it goes...

Tammy, you may have indeed torn you port sutures, or at least tugged them a little too much. The fascia of the muscle where the port is sutured is very delicate. Take some liquid Tylenol, and you should be feeling much less pain in a few days. It is not necessary to have the port sutured down - many European docs do not suture it. As long as you become pain free in the next few days I wouldn't worry. Many people have flipped ports that aren't painful. I think mine turned sideways, because it sure hurt like a #(*$#Q(#$. Even after the initial healing of the tear itself, the port bothered me until I had it repositioned. Guamtab - your point is well taken. It does seem as though the mid-band presents with a lower erosion rate. How hard has it been for you to find a fill doc? I would be more worried about aftercare for the mid-band in the U.S.

Dorkies... lol... that is absolutely priceless, Anne.

Hey, Girl - So glad you're feeling better, and sassy as ever. Please don't forget to take me when you go skinny dipping - it is absolutely one of my favoritest things ever. (surprise, surprise - lol) Miss the slutty red glove - post another pic? Please? :devious

Francesca - If you are already PBing, you do NOT NOT NOT NOT need a fill! You are already too restricted! Or not eating properly! If you have no problems tolerating liquids, but cannot tolerate real food, then you must take teeny tiny teeny tiny bites, and chew them to smithereens so that they are LIKE liquid. Go SLOWLY. Put your fork down between tiny bites and count to 20 before taking another bite. Good luck, and whatever you do, you MUST find a way to stop vomiting. Really.

I so understand where you guys are coming from. I was always the same way - hence all my research on erosion! lol But now that I'm a statistic, I have to say that I have come to terms with this, and I am at peace. Yes, I was a wreck all weekend, bawling my eyes out, terrified that my future held my past. But after reading all the supportive messages from so many people, and having a few "coming to Jesus" talks with myself, I can honestly say that I no longer fear what my future holds. I am not the same person I was 17 months ago. I am not the same person I was 29 months ago. I have taken some very concrete steps in this obesity journey, and I have learned a LOT about myself and my eating addiction. There are no guarantees that I will be one of the few successful in maintaining my current loss (new low, today, by the way!! 104..5 - just 1.5 more to my century mark! My band's last gift to me!), but I am so much better equipped to succeed today than I was in December 2001. It is good to pay attention to your bodys and their signals - but it is not good to live in fear. Be mindful of your health, but know that if the worse happens you will deal with it. You all made educated decisions when you were banded, and you accepted the risks. It doesn't seem like the risks are that small when people you know start becoming statistics, but in reality the vast majority of people do not have these problems. My journey with the band has been embarassingly easy. The only thing I wish I had done differently would have been not to rely on the band so much for stopping my eating. I did pretty much let the band do all the hardest work. Now that I'll be flying solo once again, I realize that I did not try to break the habit of eating until I was too full. I knew that even if I was over full, the amount of food I was consuming was far less than pre-band, and the weight would still come off. That was true! But I missed the opportunity to learn a lesson the easy way. Now that I won't have the band to catch me when I fall, I think it will be more difficult to learn that fine line of "enough". One of the most important things I had to come to terms with in one of my "come to Jesus" meetings with myself was the fact that I let my constant hunger be my excuse for my poor choices. It is NOT about NOT eating pizza - it's about NOT eating a WHOLE large deep dish pizza to resolve my hunger. I cannot come up with one logical excuse for that CHOICE I made over and over again. I did not have to go hungry - I did not have to go without pizza - BUT... I DO have to go without using a less nutritious food to satisfy ALL of my hunger. I was whining earlier to myself that people without a weight problem, without a hunger problem, JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!! This is true - if a person does not suffer from overwhelming hunger all the time, they cannot possibly understand someone that does. But what they do understand is that eating a whole pizza is not a nutritious answer to any hunger, no matter how great. I dislike Dr. Phil intensely, and find his views on obesity offensive. When he said that overweight people CHOOSE to be fat I was incensed. Although I still do not agree with his approach, I have to humbly admit that although I did not CHOOSE to be fat (consciously, anyway), I DID choose to satisfy my overwhelming hunger with intensely fattening foods. The results were a no brainer, and might as well have been a direct choice on my part. I wandered away from the subject again - so sorry! To recap: Be mindful of your health, but do not waste your gift on needless worry. If you have problems, you will deal with them. You are growing, learning things you don't even realize. Take responsible steps for your band care, but other than that, forget about it and focus on enjoying and reaping all the benefits of this wonderful tool - your new lease on life! </end sermon>

Elizabeth - I am so sorry to hear your slip is a bigger deal than you initially thought. Is it beyond possibility that it would repair itself with your unfill? I know some can correct themselves that way. If not, you want to be especially mindful of how you are feeling - a slippage that doesn't fix itself can quickly turn into obstruction, particularly if you have a vomiting episode, or an irritation that results in swelling. Please go carefully. As far as possibly having the band removed, I don't think your re-slippage chances increase if you just have it fixed - and knowing what you do now, you can probably avoid the behaviours that helped it slip the first time. However, I do think that repair of slippage falls into Inamed's "revision" category, so your chance of erosion may be increased. If it were me, I probably would just have the slip repaired and keep my band, since it's in there already. If for whatever reason they are not able to repair it right then, but have to remove it to let the stomach recover before they reband you I'd have to think harder about that. If I could afford it, I probably would get rebanded, even with the possible increased risk of erosion. But these are all things you have to think about, and I wish you the best of luck in your decision.

Oh, you guys, you all make me weep with appreciation for your care and concern. Really, and truly, you have no idea how much your messages have meant to me. There are so many posts and emails I would like to respond to, but wouldn't you know that today I have a new person starting, and I have to train him, and I will have virtually no time at work to not work... And, my aunt and cousin are in town for the week from Ohio, so I have virtually no time to hang out on the boards after work this week, either. I just want you to know that right now, being here on lapbandtalk is the only place I want to be. But, duty calls, so I have to put this on hold temporarily. Please do not think I have gone into hiding, or anything like that. I will try to check in as much as possible, but it's not going to be every 5 minutes like usual... I am having "Come to Jesus" meetings with myself about my food addiction, and believe me, I will share with you everything I am thinking and feeling and planning in that regard - it's just going to be a little delayed. In the meantime I know I can count on all of you not only for your awesome support of me, but of all the others who are seeking support here that I would normally try and help. I will try and catch up with those posts, but you know how easy it is to lose a thread if you don't respond right away, and your cookie marks it as "read", and then it doesn't come up again. Megan - gosh... I am beyond flattered, and I am there with you - part of my "Come to Jesus" meetings with myself was the acknowledgement that I took my band for granted, and let it do for me a lot of the things I should have been doing for myself. That's great as long as you have a band!!! But I missed a lot of opportunities to grow myself by doing that. More on all this later. You guys totally rock.