tellie

Ok, this is what wont let me sleep lately and I hope someone can help me with this. As I posted last week my band apparently moved and the doc shrugged and said " what do you want to do about it?" if you can eat with some restriction and drink, then it doesnt matter" ( gave me medicine for the acid reflux that happened after the band -maybe-moved). So I have been having waking nightmares now about my band, attached to my stomach/esophagus just floating around inside me! ( i think i can actually feel it shifting sides when I do same in bed!) and when I eat I feel the pull of the weight of the food on the back of my throat, like the skin on the palate stretching. Is this possible? Am I delusional? paranoid? losing the plot? ( I have convinced myself that my tonsils have actually moved back, but then again.....how can I be sure if this is even possible, sounds so ridiculous, even to me ) Anatomically speaking, is the banded stomach attached to some tissue to keep things in place? or is the weight of the band negligible and its just lose inside and i just hadn't noticed it before? My feeling of restriction "migrated" at least 10 cms south.... so I think it got unstuck from wherever it was? Thank you oh wise ones..... tellie

Hi again, I agree Leatha, that doctors can't really know whats going on inside the patient once they stitch us up! I just wonder why aren't they more curious to learn, by listening to what we have to say. Maybe it is a disease that affects doctors everywhere? I like that you have a name for it NH. I hate to be treated like im stupid or something. I always blamed it on socialised medicine though (not my stupidity, mind you). I guess its just a doctor thing. Thank you Nancy, I have been coming here, hysterically mostly, for almost a year now, and have never been dissappointed. Everyone is so friendly, caring and reassuring. It's a wonderful site. cheers, Tellie ps, still weird inside but eating and drinking

sorry Have had a few bad weeks, but I wont make excuses. I did lose the plot. I am getting used to whatever it is that happened inside me. And yes, I have restriction, and can eat and drink, so the rest musn't be so important. The Australian system in general (medical as well) is not service oriented. Doctors here ( Gp's even, specialists even more) don't really feel the need to waste time explaining things to the patients who, after all, are probably not capable of understanding anyway. Very frustrating when you like to know exactly what goes on with your body.... I am sorry I was hysterical yesterday. Thank you for your replies. tellie

Sorry if what I say is too obvious Are you drinking enough water? as in clear liquids? I know that helps me. Maybe have a big glass in early afternoon, before headache hits? Since your food consumption has been dramatically reduced maybe your body needs to get used to it. Make sure your caloric intake is adecuate. And finally, and this might be a stretch here but it happens to me, does it happens after you eat? I get this very specific headache when I eat something small enough that doesnt get stuck but too big for a banded size esophagus, and as it goes down, it gives me what i like to call the stretchy headache; an extension of the pain inside, climbing up from the neck to the temples until it finally goes when the food gets down safely. Ok, as you can tell I am of no help, but I really hope your headaches ( and Teresa's) get better soon. cheers tellie

Hey guys.... hope you are all well, I just got to the fart discussion while reading abour Darcy and Lisa's ordeals so I need to ask, what has happened since? hope both of you are better and the complaints sent. I was hoping to come here and just share my horrible week with you. My baby was in hospital ( ok, she is almost 3 but still my baby). Was a horrible experience. Feeling so helpless! ( she was there for 2 nights, but we waited in the ER for 8 hrs before she was seen, from 11 pm so I count that as the 3rd night.) She is fine now, happy and eating well, and drinking, and really angry, and throwing horrible tantrums, and well, i guess expressing her frustration the only way she can.... But now I have to pick your brains once more..... The last night in the hospital I started having really bad acid reflux, similar to what i had when i became too tight and had some fill out. But I can still eat and drink no problem. The usual pain I used to get if i ate too fast or too big, on the left side of my chest ( just above the boob), has gone for good and was replaced by a bit of pain, and stretchy feeling right in the middle of the abdomen, behind the sternum, at the level where the ribs end. So, has my band moved? Its the only thing that makes sense to me. Unless someone wiser and more experienced tells me otherwise you can tell me that if it had moved i couldnt eat or drink for example.... maybe my acid is just stress? ( woke up choking in acid when i tried to sleep last night, backache from couch today) And I also have this weird hiccups that wake up the neighbourhood and hurt a bit, if i stand up suddenly or pick up something or take out the trash.... and constant burping the brings up the acid again, yuck..... thanks guys..... tellie

Hello, and thank you both for your replies. I did go see my doctor yesterday. He is an amazing surgeon, and a very nice person, but didnt feel so reassured, maybe its not his fault but mine! Basically he said something might indeed have moved, but since I am still eating with restriction, and drinking... it doesnt really matter. Things are working the way they are supposed to, and if they moved or not is, apparently, not relevant. He gave me some pills to test for the reflux, and said to ask my GP for a prescription if they work..... I will just be extra careful for the next 6 weeks (he is going to spain on holidays) and hope for the best, and hope he knows whats going on with me. Thanks again, hope you are well. Tellie

Hi jennye, sorry to hear about your friend. Stay strong. all the best. tellie

Oh Alex, that is great! Thank you for sharing ... it feels so good to read, to know, that it is happening for you ( and many others in here I am sure). I have been convinced for over a decade, that there is no way of getting there permanently, and now this HUGE door opened into a place where it CAN. Like a different reality! cheers telli

Hi Audrey and Cathy, Thanx for your replies. Aud! Scotland huh? I feel so scottish these days. I dinna ken why. Just sounds so beautiful.... the place, the language, and the people I am sure. Cathy, good point with the flamability.... my pants are flamable most likely aswell, so I wont do that.... about my reading.... I read the outlander series ( by Diana Gabaldon) 3 years ago when I was pregnant because my husband gave me the first book, Crosstitch, and I had to read it despite the fact that it is not what I would have chosen myself. Well, I got hooked on the story and went out to buy the rest of the series within a week. And enjoyed every minute of it! 3 years on I have been recomending the book to people so i decided to read it again before I continue saying thats what I like to read, because well, it was unusual. So... it is bit more romancy than I remembered but still the plot and characters have me hooked once more. A bit historical too. With the pant, I ended up doing the only sensible thing.... sort of.... I bought another pair. My wallet hurts but my bum looks nice.... still very large, but nice cheers telli

or almost! See, it is related to losing weight in that I bought a pant ( lost 2 sizes!) verra pretty ( sorry, I am reading this books with some scottish caracters and I canna help myself!) cream colour..... and managed to spill red nail varnish all over them!!! well, not all over, just the front of both legs.... ARGH!!!!!! ( all my other pants are big and baggie ) I deserved the sexy pants..... the irony of it all is.... i bite my nails so I really didn't need to paint them! Anybody knows if it can come off? dry cleaners? soaking in v. remover? I read somewhere a hot iron and a wet towel would work but i thought that was for wax..... I will appreciate suggestions tellie

Hi guys, just sharing some thoughts. Last week 60 mins australia did a piece on weight loss surgery on children (as young as 12). Of course the slant of the show wasn't very favourable to any of it. And as usual, it wasn;t very informative. They interviewed an aussie doctor ( who is banded himself, sadly not as elocuent as I would have hoped) who works here and in the US. Yet, all the kids interviewd had had a gastric bypass not a lap band and only made a brief reference to the fact that it's not the same thing. They ended the piece with a 15 year old, 4 week post op, crying in pain and asking her mother how could she have let her do this to herself. *sigh* The reporter and most experts emphasized how this procedures were a way of out of doing the work, the effort to lose weight, and a dangerous one at that. Which at least answered my husbands question of why I wont tell anyone I had my surgery. Tellie

???? what are you all taking about! 21 days to break a habit? 30 days? I was thinking about that not long ago, praying and hoping that maybe in say, 20 or 30 years i will be strong enough ( or at least forced for too long to change) to live w/o depending on my band being full! I was very restricted for 8 weeks in a row, and yes, I stopped making the bad choices, because I had no choice . As soon as I was unfilled, took 3 days to become my old self. I am terribly dissapointed with myself, and angry, and frustrated.... and yet, I had cake and ice cream for breakfast because I could today and probably wont be able to tomorrow ( fill in 4 hrs, thank God!).... And the more food I eat, I get more depressed, and eat more.... just back to being my old self....

Dear Lisa, 2 jobs, stress, surgeries and complications, limited caloric intake, years of insomnia and, well, age in some cases, not yours I am sure , all promote a general sense of iwannastayinbeditis..... solutions, let me think.... well, i'd say, if you must stay in bed, just make sure you are not alone in there... was going to suggest shopping, but I see you are already following that course of treatment.... or Have you tried Vitamin b? ( all the b group) my mom used to get shots every month for a while..... ( i know you are already taking many other things, so i dunno! ) cheer up and have more fun, that always helps. Take a holiday.... come visit australia! cheers tellie

wow! congrats! you look great! tellie

I havent actually tried this... ( I am actually sooo slow, I have been blaming my hair loss on the hair colouring I used a few months ago.....) anyway, some of my friends swear that herbalife shakes completely stopped their hair loss when they were breast feeding. I, personally, cant stand the taste ( even the 'new and improved one -yuck) since my mom made me go on the herbalife program every few months when I was young ( didn't work of course so i guess basically its about nutrition..... cheers tellie ps, teresa, I like that theory!

wow! I just read four pages worth of posts and cant remember where this started.... restriction I believe! Well Lisa, is it back? I believe its hormones, its the weather, is the food you eat, is the vibe.... sometimes you can enjoy a binge for a couple of days, and just as you are getting worried that you cant control it, you start getting the chest pains again ( hopefully not heartattack). At my most restricted ( before my latest unfill) I still managed twice ( funnily enough on saturday nights eating at friend's places) to eat full size dinners. Is it mind over matter? ( as in being terrified that people will notice I dont eat as much as I used to? I dont know). We took our child to the aquarium a few weeks ago, where we saw some HUGE lobsters. My fist thought was YUM! So I guess I have no trouble with screaming carrots.... cheers everyone

Well.... after vomiting once again on saturday ( after 3 perfect weeks when band and I were working as a loving team) I have been experiencing the usual problems, but they dont seem to go away, so I am getting worried (I am usually ok after 24 hrs). Sunday I had only liquids, tuesday i tried solids, but was too painful so I stayed on liquids. But even liquids are going down very slowly if at all, I have the constant feeling of acid ( or liquid I just drank maybe?) going up and down my esophagus, which had made it imposible to sleep for 3 days. I have taken many antiacids, but the acid is still there. I fell asleep last night for a couple of minutes, and woke up choking on acid.... not fun. I am beyong hungry ( which is the point where i dont care for food anymore) but I doubt I can get beyond tired ( with no sleep and a 2 year old). My question is, could this still be just swelling? tellie

Alexandra! Congratulations! I am not ready to face the BMI yet.... I cant even remember what it was to start with. Talk about selective memory. But above anything, congratulations on going to the gym and doing the work! I am very impressed! Lisa, I am sorry things are not going so well. I hope you feel better soon. What can we do? is it painful to laugh? I guess it would be so jokes are out of the question, unless they are really bad...... hmmmmmm I'll try to think of something. In the meantime I'm sending my super talented guardian angel your way. Hope he helps. Donali, where are you? how are you? cheers tellie

wow! Thanks for that Megan. I had been wondering why I could have soup ( and ice cream for that matter) but water was so painful. I will stay on soups for 3 more days just in case. Thanx everyone! tellie

Just had 1 ml. removed. I called the Doctor's lapband office because he works there thursdays, and they told me he wasnt there today but to go in immediatly for another doctor to unfill me, and to schedule x rays!!!! I paniked of course, I dont want x rays ever again ( trying to get pregnant) so instead I called my docs other office and they told me he would be in for a couple of hours, so I went. I think he is a brilliant surgeon, he certainly is a very nice man, but I worry he is too relaxed, he barely let me explain my problem, said hop on the table, he removed the liquid in 2 seconds ( he is so good!), looked shocked at the mention of x rays, and told me to relax, and come back when i wanted more in. So I will chose to follow that advice and see how I go, although I can feel my esophagus is very irritated, and I hope its only that ( from days of acid burn). I bought aloe vera juice (yuck) see if that helps. And will continue the liquids for a couple of days, since I am used to that now.... Thank you so much for your advice, its funny how denial takes over. I just wanted things to be like last week..... but this thing does what it does I guess. tellie

Thank you for that. I know it is true, I just wish it was not. I havent had a fill in 8 weeks, so I dont understand why I am suddenly so impossibly restricted. I will call the doc, and will have some removed, I just hope its just that. Last night I took some gaviscon, for the acid. Turns out I am allergic to that stuff.... broke out in hives all over, the swelling was very scary, took an antihystamine ( thank god the pills are TINY) and they make me sleep! This hasn't been a good week so far. I'll call the doctor and make an appointment. Thanx.

Sorry penni, When I started writing i couldnt stop! Its way too long so I will edit and try to add a couple of funny things Its just when I start writing, I get very dramatic! will email them soon thanx tellie

I know when I have eaten the wrong thing because I get a headache. both temples, feels like my skull is stretching too....thats the first sign, painfully subtle. If I insist on eating after that ( and lets face it, I do.... I have always eaten to try and get rid of pain, physical, emotional, or whatever) then the rest of the fun begins....... golfball, slime, etc..... Now, when things are going down.....I know, because I get a small burp with each bite.... you have no idea how annoying and embarrassing it can get. ( unless you get it too? is this normal>?) At least it keeps me from eating in public..... I have been back on liquids for 3 days, because I started having horrible heartburn, woke up choking on acid a few nights ago. I was afraid I moved something, but liquids go down ok.....so it should be ok right? I am seeing doc on monday and will refuse a fill, which he has been pushing for the last 8 weeks. How can I want a fill when I cant master the art of eating solids slowly and succesfully? tellie

I saw the doc on monday. He was so excited with my weight loss. Sneaky man! I had been avoiding restriction for the better part of the year, I decided I wanted to take it easy and NOT experience full restriction and ugly side effects... ever! So 7 weeks ago when I went for a fill, he told me he was giving me .5 ml. ( which would take me to 2 ml.), but I remember thinking it looked like a lot. Two days later I went back for an unfill, since I could barely drink, and he took out half a ml. Have been very restricted since, eating very little and with all the horrible side effects of not knowing how to chew many times or take small bites. So I have had to learn the ugly way. Still learning. He was very happy with the 8 kilos I lost in the 7 weeks. Now I am scared because I want more again, and I hate going into diet mode which i was trying to avoid. All I wanted was portion control, now I want to lose 15 more kilos by september..... So he tricked me! I am at full restriction now, and I didnt even know! And obsessed again..... The acid got better by going on liquids for a couple of days, and started eating again very slowly, plus some mylanta every night. The burps still happen, specially a big one every morning when i get up! Sorry this is so long! Had to share what the sneaky doc did to me! tellie

what a great idea! yes yes yes! tellie