dandi2005

What causes them to get infected? I bet that is very painful

A good reality check for me about the rush to lose weight ...the past few weeks I've stepped on and off the scale several times a day! lol Thank you for your post!

Thanks for the info....interesting how these things are so persnickety, and that you def DO have to be your own advocate with the medical folks many times! On my weight ticker, I just click on it (the weight ticker in my signature) and it takes me back to the website it was from, and I enter my new weight, and click next I believe. Keep us posted, and I will too...as I am trying to drop the 30 I gained from my unfill period!!!!

I also had the saline removed because the doctor wasn't sure if mine had slipped.(we treated it as such because I didn't have time nor desire to go have tests done) ..he indicated that many times the slippage corrects itself. I had been keeping my band too tight also, so I was spitting up almost everything that I tried to eat. My symptoms were: reflux, especially at night and severe pain in the area of the band (I thought I was having a heart attack, but it would go away finally after walking and burping alot) Along with removing the saline, I am on a daily dose of prevacid. (for any ulcer or erosion that may have occurred) I stayed unfilled for a month, and have had a fill now for over two weeks with no problems! Oh, and while unfilled, I was a bottomless pit! I had NO restriction at all and did gain weight!!!

I've had my band for almost 6 years and did have great success (lost down to about 165 from 350) I got comfortable and slowly started gaining weight (had port problem and was unfilled for awhile) I felt like that train had already left the station and that gaining weight for me was just inevitable! I finally got sick enough of my weight controlling me AGAIN and sucked it up, went to the doctor (did NOT get the lecture I was expecting, thankfully) and got a fill! I am so excited to be getting back on the right track now. Let me encourage you to go to the doctor....get that fill and you will get on the road to success!!!!! You got this band...USE it!

I believe you should see the doctor...I would be afraid that could be serious!

I definitely recall the port area being really sensitive after surgery...but..it gets better!!! Hang in there!

I saw my band and port on flouroscope .... and I don't see how anyone could feel the band..although ports are placed to be easy to find and access. My band was high up and it looked like my ribs were in over/around it...I was shocked that my stomach is actually so high...not at my bellybutton! lol Anyway....I know there is no way I could ever feel my band...but my port is totally easy to see and feel! (which makes for easy fills at least!!!)

That is awesome!!! Congrats!!

I can't imagine having to go through another surgery....it took a LOT of tweaking to get me to the "right" fill...and tiny amounts did make a noticeable difference. (I have a 4 cc band with 2.5 cc's in it) Maybe you could get your doctor to give you fills in small amounts to get you to a better place with your band before going through another surgery? Hang in there!

I had to have a port revision also when I was 4 years past the original surgery. My doc couldn't access the port, so over to the surgery center to look at it under flouroscope, and sure enough.....it was turned upside down, with the underside of the port "sunny side up"! I had a short surgery to reposition it, and voila! .... back in business! I guess it isn't that uncommon for them to flip? Too many people have that issue so too bad there isn't a better "anchoring" system!

When I'm not losing...I simply need a fill. I had reflux from being too tight so had all the saline removed to let all that settle down.....and..I gained some weight. My band is simple.....too loose, I can eat whatever (and I am still the same person that was obese so I tend to do just that...eat whatever) but, when my band is filled "just right" I can eat small amounts of food and lose weight. I've had this band for nearly 6 years and have lost over 150 pounds at one point.....and over the past two years have my weight has crept back up. But now that I've realized that I do NOT want the weight back I got a fill and am back on track with losing!! The band is meant to be a tool, but you do have to "work" it by keeping the amount of restriction that works for you. You can certainly "cheat" it by poking things in your mouth that 'slide" right thru, and most of us have...but, that is just sabotaging our goal to be healthy! I am betting that if you go to your doc and get a fill...you will begin to see some results!! Please keep us posted, and Good Luck!!

Why not go back for a small fill? Even a tiny amount makes a big difference in my band sometimes...even a fourth of a cc/mil. I'd get a little bit more restriction and see if the weight starts coming off! Good Luck to you.