donali

Dawn - Is it possible that something has happened to your band? Yes. Is it likely? No. Your doc's office gave you the perfect advice. Whenever you PB, you should immediately stop eating, and do liquids for the remainder of the day. In a case where there is obvious pain, doing liquids for two days is not a bad thing. As always, if something feels wrong and it doesn't get better, off to the doc you should go. I would imagine that after a full day of liquids and a night of sleep you will feel like your old self. Symptoms of slippage include total obstruction (not being able to eat or drink), and it is often painful. Chances are you just did some irritation to the bottom of your esophogus. But definitely follow your doc's advice - if after 48 hours of liquids you are not back to your old self, go see them.

I emailed you the info to the address listed on your website. If that's not the correct email for you, email me and I'll resend. I'm hesitant about posting numbers and stuff in public forums.

I don't recall having diarrhea - just painful burps. Those went away by the end of week two for me. And except for the painful burps, I don't recall having gas... Either I didn't have it, or my CRS syndrome is acting up... (can't remember sh%t). That WAS over a year ago for me... I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for lunch yesterday...

Real sugar tends to flip me out... So if I'm going to have it, I want it in cake, Cookies, and candy... Preferrably chocolate... lol Lots of frosting... Hmmm... What the h$*!! am I drinking tea for?!?! Gonna get me a can of hot frosting... lol Caffeine-schmaffeine! Bring on the SUGAR!!! lol Uh oh... Here come the men with the little white coaa;sdlkf[pawogjal;ksjd asdf asd;f asdf a ?

Oh my goodness - are you a fainter, too?!?! I fainted once sitting on the toilet, reading a magazine article about varicose veins. My legs had gone to sleep, and apparently the article was very descriptive. My poor little mind couldn't handle it, and shut down. Lights out! Nite-nite! lol Woke up on the floor of the bathroom, my pants around my ankles, nose to nose with the baseboard. I must have created quite a crash, 'cause I heard Mom calling, "Are you alright in there?" lol I think there's a post somewhere around here about my last fill, and the concussion I got when I fainted from a standing position with the fill needle hanging out of my port... Hey - maybe I'm related to those cute little fainting goats?!?! lol

Breathe, breathe! I know it's freaky, but this drainage is not unusual. I didn't have it with my original surgery, but my port revision surgery drained horribly for about a week. There is an amazing amount of Fluid that can come out of there, so you may want to keep it covered with something absorbant to protect your clothing/sheets. My port site actually was sore, although not infected, and I found expressing the fluid out manually helped with that part. The fluid must have been building up inside a pocket. As long as it is clear (mostly clear, a clearish orange), there is no infection and not to worry. However, if the incision becomes hot, or the fluid starts to thicken-up and look more like pus, a visit to your doc is in order.

<rant> Okay, I'm sitting here, contemplating my caffeine addiction. I had been pretty much off of caffeine for many months - not a conscious effort to avoid caffeine, but a conscious effort to drink more Water and do herbal teas - the herbal teas I was choosing just happened to be caffeine-free. Anyway, the last several months of this fill I got in October I have gotten into the habit of drinking a big mug of hot tea with half-and-half and artificial sweetner first thing in the mornings, and that has snowballed into about 4-5 big mugs of hot tea each day that I am at work. My big mug holds two of those cardboard coffee cups worth. I am only using one teabag per mug, however the teabag sits in the mug until it's empty. So figure at least 4-5 teabags worth of caffeine each work day. Monday and this morning I woke up with a rip-roaring headache. Headaches are unusual for me. So I've been trying to figure out why, initially thinking it was a lack of sleep, but now I'm thinking it's overnight caffeine withdrawal. On to the rant. I have been sweetening my tea with a liquid sweetener called Huxol that I got from Germany. I like it a lot, and my friend brought me 4 bottles when she came to visit last year. I can't get it here in the U.S. because it contains saccharin. Remember saccharin? It's been banned in the U.S. for forever, it seems, after the FDA determined that it could cause cancer at very high doses (doses that seem impossible for a human being to consume each day for the length of time it would take to get that result). So, because of my caffeine addiction, I have been running through this sweetener like there is no tomorrow. I am now on my very last bottle, and I only have 2 inches left. I figure I am going through about .25 inches a day. My DBF has been tasked to get me some more, but he has been to 5 different stores in Germany, now, and has not seen hide nor hair of Huxol. I could ask my friend to send me some more, but she's on the German economy, and it would cost a fortune in postage, where as DBF can use the U.S. post through the military. I am starting to panic... without the Huxol, the tea will just not be the same with SweetnLow, or Equal. I cannot stand Splenda. I am facing.... (da da duuuuuh!!!!) the end of my caffeine habit as I know it. This displeases me (in spite of the suspect headaches :sick ). So, I'm pissing and moaning to myself about the fact that saccharine is no longer available in the states (sing along with Gilda Radner: "Goodbye, saccharine..."), thinking that I'm not that thrilled about being protected from myself and my bad habits by the FDA. And then it hits me - alcohol and cigarettes are legal, and cause waaaaay more damage everyday, at everyday usage level than saccharine ever did/could, and THEY are not illegal!!! (no offense to drinkers/smokers out there). Now I am doubly pissed! I could not possibly drink enough saccharine to be afflicted with the diseases those poor mice came down with. Does anyone else see the irony here? I think these caffeine withdrawals are making me downright mean and unreasonable... Caffeine should probably be banned, too.... shhhhhhh!!! Don't tell the FDA!!!! lol </rant>

You are waaay too kind. <blush> I'm not that photogenic, so finding a good replacement photo is going to be tough.

Hope you're feeling better this morning. Again, it was great to meet you and DH - I enjoyed our time together very much!!!

lol My BF told me about the "or worse" folks... "You could be killed. Or worse..." Be sure to say the "Or worse..." part in a hushed, awe-filled, terror-inspired whisper. That always cracked him up - in his opinion, being dead was the worse thing that could happen...

Congrats, Dorrie!!! Hard to believe that tomorrow you'll be "one of us", huh? Keep us posted, and sending you good wishes for a smooth experience.

"NSV" - non-scale victory. Probably the most important reward on our journey. If we learn to look to them MORE than to the scale for positive reinforcement, I think we get more reconnected to our lives and what we're really striving for. Congrats, Greta!!!

Candy - I am so sorry that you and your sister are experiencing this. NO - it is not supposed to be so hard. NO - the barium does NOT speed through the stoma with proper restriction. Even though I will be the first one to tell you that you cannot compare fill amounts because each person is different, I am a little concerned that your sister, at 2.2ccs, feels NO different. Is that really true? She has never felt the golfball feeling from not chewing well enough? She can honestly eat just as much/just as fast as before, with NO feelings of discomfort? It is hard for me to believe that at 2.2ccs NOTHING has changed. So, if that is indeed the case... I would hazard to guess that there really is NOT 2.2ccs in her band. I cannot believe that Shelly's experience is not but a freak occurence, but... Is it possible that the saline is not making it out of the port and into the band? Another possibility is that there is a kink in the tubing, and the saline is not passing the kink to fill the band. Another possibility is that the tubing is leaking. It is possible that both of you need extremely high fills, but I almost feel that would be less common than the other possibilities that I list. All I can say is how my doc does a fill - it is under fluoroscope, and he puts in enough saline to completely close me off. I drink some barium, and I can feel that it just sits there, and I cannot take even one more sip, and the doc can see that the stoma is full, and no barium is going through. Then he backs the fill off to let the barium go through to a point that he believes is slow enough to work, but not so slow that I cannot eat or drink anything. My doc has lots of experience, and all docs have their own way, but I get a video tape of the procedure, and I can physically see how it all works. If your doc is willing, ask him to close you off completely so that the both of you are 100% certain that the Fluid is actually making it into the band. Then have him back off so that the barium is going through at a reasonable pace - you should see a steady stream. Believe me, if you get closed off completely, you will feel it - it feels as though an elephant is sitting on your chest and you can't breathe, even though you can breathe just fine. Hang in there, girls. It really does work, honest. If your doc cannot give you fills that work, perhaps you can find someone who can?

Chantal - Apparently I missed this thread while I was out of town in April. Therapy can be very, very different. The counseling I went to in college was the kind most of us think of when we think of therapy - long, drawn-out emotional explorations of past experiences, with no real idea of what exactly is supposed to be accomplished, no structure, at the mercy of the therapist for some magical insight that will "fix" us, but only after years and years and years... UGH!!! Hogwash!! What a waste of time for me!! So after that experience, no wonder I was hesitant about seeking out further professional help - not because I didn't think I needed some sort of help, but because I KNEW I did not need simply an "educated confessor". The compulsive overeating counseling I went through was completely different. It did not try to discover the core of my problem - it made me develop tools to deal with my compulsion TODAY! There was structure, direction, and an END. I would recommend looking for a program like that - it was a godsend to me, and even though I still felt the need to be banded, the emotional/mental exercises I completed in my counseling help me get through every single day. It is not uncommon for people to self-sabotage. It is very scary to change, particularly when we are focusing on changing a COPING mechanism - what could be more scary than that? Taking away the one thing we turn to when the going gets rough? The important thing is that you recognize it. Once you recognize that it happens, you can take concrete steps to thwart your self-sabotage. Have you read this thread? Perhaps some of the exercises would help. http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=434

Good Heavens!!!! Is that normal intake for you? I can tell you right now that if that is an example of what you normally eat, it is no wonder that your hair is falling out. Listen, there is no doubt you have plenty of energy in storage, but if you do not eat healthily, in a healthy amount, your body does NOT only burn fat to get the calories it is missing to keep you alive - it is burning muscle, as well. Muscle is at the core of your metabolism - muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. The less muscle you have, the less calories you burn at rest. The slower your metabolism goes. Also, the heart is a muscle... You really DON'T want to lose muscle - that is why it is SO important to eat 50-60 grams of Protein a day if you are female. I don't think 1.5 chicken nuggets and 2 teaspoons of cottage cheese is going to give you enough protein for the day. I realize you still have dinner to go, but... that's a lot of protein to make up at one time! It doesn't sound as though you could possibly eat that much protein at one sitting. I hope you are taking some sort of Vitamin supplement as well, as you can't possibly be getting in your daily required nutrients. My dear fellow bandsters - we are not to be punished for having a satiety defect. Eating less does not mean eating nothing! This journey is not supposed to be so drastic - really, truly it is not. Please do not risk your health for weightloss - isn't that what we want, really? To be healthy? Isn't that really the main goal? To live a long and rich, rewarding life? We have the time to lose weight healthily. Be kind and gentle to yourselves - nourish your bodies, minds and spirits. Treat yourselves with no less love and care than you would the most cherished person in your life - because that is who you must be - the most cherished person in your life.

I wish - the numbers read like this: starting weight/current weight/goal weight So, I started at 303, have lost 96.5 pounds to get to 206.5, and still have 71.5 to go. No secrets here - I make nutritious choices 75-85% of the time, and very, very occasionally hit the gym or walk or something. I am not a shining example of speed, but I'm steady and healthy and happy and not feeling deprived. I could "work harder" at it, but then I'm afraid that once I stop "working at it" then it will come back. This way I am just being what I consider to be "normal" - not doing anything special, just eating less without hunger thanks to the band. So as long as I keep my current restriction, and keep doing the same thing, the 96.5 pounds should be gone forever. Those people who diet and exercise like crazy will keep their weight off, too - as long as they keep eating and exercising the same way they did to lose. Most people can't keep that up for the rest of their lives. I'm doing what I think I can do for the rest of my life. To lose more faster, I will have to "work harder" - either eat less, exercise more, or a combination of both. But as soon as I stop doing those things, the weight would creep back on. I want to see where I get by doing what I'm doing. Once I have stopped losing for a really, really, really long time, I will evaluate if I am willing/able to make further healthy changes that I will do "forever".

Birdee - I am sorry you are struggling. However, you really, really must drink your water! Water is what helps flush the fat from the cells and carries the waste of weightloss away, away, away. It could have been a coincidence that you felt less restricted when you were hydrated - restriction does fluctuate for most of us. Sounds like it is time for you to get back to the basics so you can figure out what's really going on. Track on www.fitday.com what you eat in a regular day for a couple of days, so you can have a realistic view of how many calories, and the types of calories you're consuming. Exercise does not have to be a big formal deal - make a deal with yourself to walk around the block once a day. Don't NOT do it because "That doesn't seem like very much - hardly worth doing." Just move - even a little bit. Once you get out there, maybe you'll decide to make it two or three times around, but you're only committed to doing once. Try and get your water in so your body has a way to flush out the byproducts of weightloss. Eat your Protein first, and then your veggies. Have as many veggies as you want to feel full. Stay away from the hyglycemic carbs, like white bread, potatos and white rice. Get a decent amount of sleep. Find ways to entertain yourself that do not involve food. Good luck, and hang in there. You're still down 40 pounds!!! Try lifting 40 pounds, and you'll feel like you've accomplished more. :cool:

Welcome, and good luck! Keep us posted!

I know I needed lots of naps during my recovery - as soon as I got home from work, I'd strip down and lay on the couch and promptly fall asleep. This is a common reaction to surgery, so don't feel as though you are suddenly being very lazy. Your body is using a ton of resources to heal, and sleeping frees up the energy needed to do more important things. Remember that animals have that innate knowledge of how to take care of themselves when they're hurt - they hide under the bed and sleep until they're better. I couldn't fit under my bed, so I settled for the couch... lol :cool:

Hopefully this will be one of the times when you look back and wonder "What was I so afraid of?" Thinking about you...

You may have to be willing to go to TJ. My doc does all fills under fluoroscopy, unless you request not. It's about $100 for the fluoro, and I'm not sure about the doc's fee - probably in the $50-$100 range. I believe they would be willing to fill a non-patient of theirs, although I would not swear to it. Email me off list for the office number if you're interested. There are also other Mexican docs there that may be willing to fill you, but I don't have numbers for them (I'm not pushing my doc's office, I just have their info.) If your doc stuck you 20 times, it's possible that he punctured your tubing and you have a leak, which would be an explanation for your lack of restriction at 2.0 cc. However, if they're able to draw that amount of Fluid back out, perhaps you have a similar problem to Shelly, and the fluid is hiding in some pocket in the port. Or maybe you just need a lot more fluid than others. I believe most people would feel a difference at 2.0, but not all, I suppose. Anyway, best of luck, and good for you to be pursuing an answer.

DeLarla - Your bandster friend gives good advice - this too, will pass. I was banded on a Thursday, went back to my desk job on Monday, sore but alive. Made the grave mistake of going to choir practice that Thursday night (it was JUST laproscopic surgery, no big deal. Right?!?! lol). Friday I was miserable, left work at noon, and thought I was going to die the rest of the weekend. Painful burps, nausea. I was certain something dreadful had gone wrong. I crashed on the couch and didn't move until Sunday night, when I forced myself to go to the store to replenish my liquids. Thought I was going to puke about 5 times, but didn't. Those few days were my very lowest moment. It just kept getting better after that. Hang in there, pamper yourself, don't try to do too much!! You'll be feeling better soon. :cool:

If you do better with very thinly sliced meats, you can have the deli at your local grocery store "shave" roast beef, chicken, turkey and ham for you from the whole meats in the case. The slices are super super thin - in many cases not even bonafide slices. I really like getting this shaved meat, and it seems to be a lot more and last a lot longer when it's so thin.

Surely they don't have time to ask questions before you have them doubled-over with laughter... :cool:

Did I sound critical or judgmental? :cool: I realize that docs are waaaay overworked, and my brain is waaaay too tiny to hold all the information that they must know as second nature, but I would like to think that there are some really bright guys and gals out there who would read these boards before they start learning the procedure, so they could: 1) recommend that their patients join for extra support 2) understand the procedure from the patient's point of view 3) be made aware of the problems patients face from the PATIENT's point of view, and think about how they as our weightloss partner could help minimize those frustrations/problems. Again, I can barely keep up with the few boards I read, so I realize this would be asking a lot, but really it could give them such a better overview of this procedure. And I should have mentioned in my previous post that I'm really glad you're aware of who wields the knife in this situation... :cool: