JimR915

Hi Tom, Can you please send the document to me. russell915@gmail.com thank you jim

There are a lot of reasons not to drink soda (diet or otherwise), as pointed out by othere here. The pouch stretching thing is debunked more often than confirmed from sources that I read. I'm no authority, but I've gone as far as talking with 3 or 4 bariatric surgeons, my dietician, and the nutritionist at the hospital when I had my band replaced. I was concerned about another slip, so I asked them about carbonation. All of them stated that no amount of carbonation would cause permanent stretching or a slip. Take it for what it's worth.

Good to hear you are back on track Bayougirl. It certainly is a struggle. Liquid diet with nothing in your band is the worst. Start mushies on Saturday.! That's when I'll have to make sure I listen to my band and stay on the straight and narrow. Funny how easy it is to revert back to old habits if you're not careful.

Well, tomorrow is the day. After being diagnosed with a slipped band right after thanksgiving and having surgery to remove it, I am finally scheduled to have my band put back in. Tomorrow is the day. I can't wait. I did really well with controlling my portions. At least up until last week when I decided to have a little "fun" before getting the band put back in. I gained about 15lbs back very quickly, but then leveled off. I attribute that to being totally dehydrated and malnurished due to the slipped band. It's surprising to me how many people asked me why I was putting the band back in. They feel like since I already lost all of my weight I should just try to go without out it. I explained to them that, for the first time in my life, I found a tool that helped me lose the weight and keep it off. Why would I want to give that up? I'll post how everything goes tomorrow. Happy Holiday's everyone!

I don't want to frighten you, but you may want to ask your doctor about a slip, or at least suggest to him to do an upper GI to check. I just had my band removed and a new one put in because of a slip. I was too tight for months, throwing up/PB'ing after nearly every meal, no bile. After a while, I could eat larger portions faster. It was a subtle change that I hardly noticed....but because I was throwing up, I justified it as the only way to get the nutrients into my body that I needed. AND...besides, I was loosing weight at the same time. It felt good. Over time, however, I began having problems with even liquids getting stuck. I asked my doctor about it and got into a cycle of several months of fills and unfills. In hindsight, I wish I had been more forceful with my doctor about ordering an upper GI sooner. If caught soon, a slip can often be corrected without surgery. Slips are rare, but from what I learned, they happen and its better to be safe than sorry. Good luck to you!

I am in that stage after having my band removed and re-installed (following a slip). Not a lot of good options out there unfortunately. For me, I try to vary my tastes as much during a meal as possible: Strained tomato soup (there are some good gourmet choices out there....just make sure there are no chunks) Protein Drink (I like the GNC Lean Shake....low cal, lactose free, 170 cals., and 25g protien) Flavored sugar-free Jello Wish there were more options out there....but thankfully, this phase only lasts for a week or 2

I have these types of exchanges with family and friends all the time, with and without my wife present. It honestly makes me feel good, and my wife and I are secure enough in our marriage that we treat it as the hogwash that it is. If my wife is present, I'll sometimes joke that she married way below her station, and this is just my way of catching up a little. Probably more truth to that than even I want to admit Put it into perspective, enjoy the compliments, and just make sure that your husband is secure in knowing what you posted here. Good luck to you!

Very helpful. Thank you for posting.

Just a quick update. I had surgery to replace my band on Friday, 12/21 (supposed Doomsday.... ). Everything went well. I stayed at the hospital overnight and was released early Saturday. So far, recovery seems easier than the first time around. Some pain, but not the bad shoulder pain that I had the first time around. Perhaps part of it was that I knew what to expect. The hardest part is returning to "banders hell" over Christmas with all of the great foods around. liquids only this week and then onto mushys. The good news is that I have already lost 10 lbs of the almost 20 that I gained while unbanded. Truth be told, I wasn't overly tempted anyway. One thing that I learned while without my band is that I have adjusted mentally to this lifestyle.... I kept portion sizes small and, with a few exceptions, ate food that was good for me. Thanks again to all that wished me well.

Thanks All for the well wishes. I can't say that I've been the poster child for the perfect bandster, but 120lbs lost and my williingness to continue the band lifestyle has to speak somewhat to my commitment. Having a little "fun" is a relative thing in my world. I wasn't swallowing down Subway footlongs and dripping cheeseburgers for sure. What I'll do better this time around is to listen to my band. When it tells me that I'm too tight, I won't suffer through the stuck episodes and PB'ing/vomiting hoping it will get better or loosen up. I'll be quicker to get the unfill. Thanks again and Happy Holidays to you all!!!

Almost a week since my band was removed from having slipped and I am having the worst time trying to stick to small portions, and the right foods. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pigging out on cheeseburgers or anything. Just find that my portions are definitely getting larger. I've gained about 12 lbs since having my band out. Most of that was from rehydrating since it had been some time since I could eat or drink anything of substance. I can't wait until I get my new surgery date to have the band put back in. This time, I'm going to listen a little closer to my body and pay more attention to how tight the band is, and make adjustments when I sense something isn't right.

Thank you for the well wishes. And I hope I can provide insight for people who are wondering about band slippage and perhaps prevent it from happening to others. While I don't know for sure, all indications are that my insurance company will pay to have the band put back in. Assuming that happens in the next week or so, I am hoping to have the surgery before the end of the year. That way, I won't have to satisfy a second deductable.

CONGRATULATIONS on your 1 year anniversary. 96lbs lost is a tremendous achievement! Keep up the great work.

I was sometimes frustrated that no one, including my surgeon, came out and just said "do this" or "do that" Band vs. sleeve vs. bypass. They all pretty much left it up to me. But I understand now why they did this. There is no right or wrong answer for any individual. It is a personal choice and a personal comfort level with one over the other. I agree with previous posters on this. I went band figuring I would do the least intrusive, and keep the sleeve/bypass as an option if the band didn't work. My band slipped, but I attribute it to things that I did to cause it (being too tight, not handling the issue sooner). But I am still going back to the band as soon as my insurance company gives me the ok to have it put back in.

Hi and Happy Early Thanksgiving everyone! I'm looking for a bit of guidance. I have an appointment scheduled with my surgeon tomorrow morning to discuss this, but I wanted to see if anyone had any similar experiences or insights. I was banded on 8/12/11, and have done very well losing weight. I hit my target weight on my year anniversary, which I was ecstatic about. Since then, however, I have had a lot of problems with increased "stuck" episodes. Even Water tends to sit in my pouch for prolonged periods (hours). I have had 3 LARGE unfills of 2 or 3 units at a time. Each time the same thing happens: 1. I'm good for about a week or so 2. I start having more stuck episodes 3. I start throwing up more and more, I'm sure irritating my band 4. Finally nothing will pass, not even fluids 5. Return for another unfill 6. Repeat This last time, I was feeling good and loose, so I had him add about 1.5 back into my band, but the same thing has happened. Now I'm on my way back to the office tomorrow for an unfill again. My questions are Am I really fighting myself here? Am I just eating too fast, getting stuck and irritating the band, while not giving it time to heal before eating again/throwing up? Could something more serious be going on? Could my band have slipped, causing these symptoms? Should I insist on an XRay to just take a look at things and perhaps put my mind at ease, or diagnose what is going on? Could it just be that this is my "new normal" and is just the way it should feel. When I eat throughout the day right now, pressure builds up with liquid and food until I just have to expel it (sorry for the graphic description)? I'm hoping that the doctor will set me straight tomorrow, but he's been a bit stumped to this point. I plan on really pushing him to do something tomorrow. This is for the birds. I suspect I know what the answer is, but I have been unwilling to do it. I think I just need to go back on fluids for a while, but hard to do when not even fluids will go down. Sorry for the long winded questions. Thank you for your time. jimr

I had a pretty bad slip. For me, I could not eat or drink anything. It was relieved temporarily by significant unfills, but eventually went back to full blockage. I also had reflux and regurgitation at night. My band was taken out on Saturday as they could not reposition. I am waiting for my stomach to heal, and I will have the band put back in in a few weeks.

Definitely sounds like you are too tight. Get an unfill before something more serious happens. Reflux will, at least, irritate your band site and it will only get worse. At worst, it could cause a slip.

I had the exact same symptoms for months. My doctor kept unfilling me and told me that slips are extraordinarily rare. I finally convinced my doctor to do a barium swallow or upper GI, which was done last Friday. He found that my lapband had, indeed, slipped and had been that way for a while. I was scheduled for emergency surgery that same day, and my band was removed. Bottom line is that the possibility of a slip is nothing to take lightly. If you are not eating or drinking, you are likely dehydrated and/or malnutritioned. You are not getting the nutrients you need. I would insist on an upper GI if your Dr hasn't done one yet.

So...here's the scoop. Upper GI showed a "major league" slip (doctor's words). No Fluid passed through the band for more than 15 minutes. I was admitted on Friday for emergency surgery. Surgery was postponed, but then performed on Saturday morning. My band was removed and now I am in healing mode. I am scheduled to have a new band put in between Christmas and New Years. The doctor said that, while a slip is a rare complication (about 2 - 3% of cases), they most often happen after a person has lost a lot of weight. My issue, I think, was that I had lost a lot of weight, band was too tight. I started vomiting, which agitated the band/stoma. Doctor failed to diagnose it multiple times and kept unfilling me. I kept telling him that the unfills were doing no good, but he waited almost 6 months to schedule an upper GI. I can't blame him though. I simply wasn't forceful enough about him scheduling an upper GI. I'm on the mend, but my advice to people, after having gone through what I've gone through over the past 6 months, is to be firm with your doctor. If you are having problems swallowing/keeping liquids and solids down after a significant unfill, insist on an upper GI. My understanding is that the sooner a slip is diagnosed, the better chance that it can be corrected without surgery.

Thank you for the responses. I'm sure it could be any one of these things, but I am certainly hoping it doesn't boil down to a slip. I saw my surgeon this morning. He took more Fluid out and is scheduling an upper GI. Hopefully that will shed some light. Thanks again

Lost 121 lbs in 15 months with little to no exercise. I'm not proud of the fact and realize that I should get back into an exercise regimen. Maybe since my New Year's resolution this year won't involve losing weight as in years past, I will resolve to exercise more. No problems with saggy skin. But my wife complains that too many of my bones are showing (LOL). Might have to bulk up some muscle.

121 lbs lost after 15 mos.

I had the surgery on Friday and was back to work on Monday. I have a desk job, but do have to get up and walk around throughout the day. I made sure to fill out the FMLA paperwork prior to my surgery just in case I needed to take advantage of it. But everything went well. Best of luck to you

I recently plateaued for about 2 months. I am 10-mos post-op and have lost 96 lbs. I'm approaching my target weight.....but I was discouraged that I was stopped just short. (14 lbs left to go) I got a fill last week and have lost 3 lbs. Maybe that's all that is needed.

For the last couple of days, I have been having similar pains to the ones you describe. Also very gurgley/gassy. I would write it off to a regular stomach ailment and let it run its course, except I had a fill about a week ago, and am now wondering if I am too tight. I've been too tight before, and had an unfill. This does not feel like that. No heartburn/coughing to speak of. Just general stomach ache. Sometimes, the pain radiates up into the center of my chest. I'm a man, so it is obviously not pregnency related Anyone have any similar pains. I'm hoping my band is not slipped....although, while uncomfortable. I am able to keep food down. I guess I am going to wait a few more days to see if the pain subsides and then go to my DR. if I still have problems. Any thoughts? thanks