Darkangel321

Hi all! It has been a while since I posted. had some issues after my Surgery on Sept 10th. Port flipped had to have a revision and just had my first fill Dec 3rd! So here goes....got questions out the wazoo!!

I cant eat anything that isnt soft like mashed taters or Soup. If I do I always get what I call slimers where I throw up almost a mucus substance then the food will come up. After that I can eat whatever i was eating. Carrots are a big trigger with me and I have to eat a baby carrot in like 4 or 5 sections!! At First I thought I was not chewing well enough or that I was eating too fast. I have been very mindful of that and made a special note to eat even slower and teeny tiny bites (Pencil eraser size). Still' date=' ill get pain where my diaphram is and will end up throwing up after a bite or two. After that I can eat a LOT - like a childs plate of food. I also will get the pain going down my back (and im not sure if anyone else can relate), but it reminds me if you didnt chew a piece of a hard potato chip or something and swallowed a sharp or hard piece..kinda that dragging down your back thing. I dunno, maybe I am weird. Also, I find that if i stand up..I can eat a LITTLE better but sitting..Illstart burping on the first bite...and then on it goes.

has anyone had any thing like this going on? I really thought that it was adjustment after the fill but after a month of this I am going to see the Surgeon in the AM to see what is going on. I just would kind of like to be a little informed if anyone has had this kind of experience before.

I have a large band and he wasnt sure how much he put in during the second surgery, but then he added 2 cc on the 3rd and I thought I was swallowing ok then. Oh ya and my weight has been going up and down in like a 5 lbs range for weeks now, so no major loss. I would expect that I would lose since I am living on basically nothing.

Oh ya and grapes suck now

Thoughts, Suggestions, similar experiences?[/quote']

Surg 9/7/12, went in for frst fill and my port was flipped. I had lost a little weight with alot of willpower. Finally had a frst fill 10 or 11 wks after original surg. I understand everything you are saying. Just last week I had my frst "stuck & vomit". Scared the hell out of me. I started thinking about the same things...chew more, smaller bites, eat slower. Since then the "stuck" has happened several more times. The mucus is produced by your body to help the food that is stuck slide. I've realized that now if chicken is not extremely moist, dark meat or white meat, it doesn't matter how much I chew or how small my bites, or how slow I eat that it is going to get stuck. On the rare occasion I eat bread the inside has to be soft or I get "stuck". I can have toast without a problem. My first stuck was a Filet-o-Fish on a very hard unfresh bun.

I had never heard of a port flip until it happened to me. Mine flipped 180 degrees.

Well its been a little over 3 months since surgery and I'm down 93lbs!!! 1 more pound and I'll be In onderland! Crossing my fingers that at weigh in tomorrow I'll be under 200 (I haven't weighed in a week) my size 12 jeans are getting to big and I just started wearing them last week. It feels so good to be a successful bander.. Here is a photo from last weekend at ny company xmas party and it felt amazing for everyone coming up to me complimenting me and telling me how amazing I'm looking and how awesome I'm doing and the best comment of all was omg you look like a model ) ok I'm done gloating I'm just so excited at how well I'm doing and how successful I've been!

Fantastic! You should do before & after pics. You really look great. Congrats girl! Hope you share your program and disciplines.

DA you are always so diplomatic. That's why I luv you!

XOXOXO lmao!

Smkeller' date=' you sound like you have an axe to grind, don't grind it on the Big Book. I have it, and although I have not read the whole thing, it is very informative and not out of date. If you don't like it here, no one is forcing you to stay. Alex started this site as a help for others and probably to keep himself on track. We are self-help group, but always, advise to seek medical attention. I am not sure where you receive your information. Good luck, to you. karen[/quote']

I'm not familiar with either one of you. I only wish to say that there is a way to say anything to anyone. I appreciate the way you addressed your response to Smkeller. It was very respectful at the same time transparent in what you were feeling.

I never judge people but I must say I would've sent that criticism in a private message to Alex. Then addressed my same concerns a bit more delicately but direct in my post.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I think if you want people to really hear and understand it you must choose your words carefully.

I too am starting over.. I got the lapband my insurance at work paid for it..right after the surgery I was laid off...so I never went back for a fill and it took me 8 months to find a job. I only lost 13 lbs and was completely upset I though this would solve my problems with weightloss...I ate small meals but often did not really follow rules and recently I just took a hard look at myself and realized I was not thinking about it as I should. Lapband is a tool to help with weightloss not the solution...the solution was I had to want to lose it.. So I ended my pity party and pulled up my big girl panties and started over it was hard at first and I also got a fill and went back to my regular doctor yesterday got complete blood work and going to give this a go again. For me I have to just move forward no longer beat myself up for my failures but congratulate myself for starting over...Good luck!!!!

GOOD FOR YOU! Sorry for what you went through but very glad you finally found your way out of it. From experience, I know how hard it is to have the band without a fill. You are absolutely right...Your band is there to assist you achive your goal. Just taking the step to finally get the band in the first place was a huge achievement.

Good luck on the rest of your journey. I have no doubt you will succeed.

Many more people here than I initially found. Going to try and add you guys. Just in case, please add me: Darkangel321 And please, please, please share your food diary.

Before you tell people is this is what you need to do. But do your research and talk to us as we have all been there and all had differant experiances. Im going in fir my second band on friday 30th and my other boss was fishing for what surgery i was having i just said it was a female issue and id prefer not to say

You say you are having your second band...did you look into the Sleeve? If I could do it again I would do the sleeve instead, knowing what I know now. I thought I needed the choice of removal. That's why I chose the band over the sleeve. I hope your surgery goes well.

I was told not to by my nutritionist. I have not had caffeine or any carbonation in 9 weeks. After about 4-5 weeks I was craving a diet dr pepper soooo bad. Saturday I was really thirsty and my mom had a coke zero which i used to love. I tried one sip. It burned my tongue and tasted like dirt. So i think i am ok not drinking them anymore

I miss the burn of an ice cold Coke. I was also missing the flavors of my favorite ice cream sodas. I often have my favorite diet soda, flat, mixed with a vanilla Protein Shake. No way I can drink flat soda and I don't like plain vanilla Protein Shakes. Together they rock! I always have several open diet sodas in my fridge. I keep them open to make sure the carbonation is totally gone when i'm ready to use it.

Hey all' date=' my first lapband i saw the fantastic results my boss had. I think more than 50kg and i talked to her and was fantastic for advice. I told most at work but i was in a close knit ICU. I did alot of research before and found the main complication that was rare was infection or slow healing of the wound. But we all know its so not the easy way out!!!! Except we cant do tradition sit ups cos of were the port sits. If we eat too much we end up throwing up and still have to eat right and excerise. But after the inital pay out its cheaper cos of less food especially buy in bulk and cook big amounts then measure them abd freeze. This works really well when your on mushies! I got it taken out 2 years ago but im getting it put back in 30th november cos i miss the feeling of saity cos im sure im not the only one even though i had eaten a big meal i would eat more and go looking for food were as a lapband you dont have those feelings which is the main reson i gained most of the weight back. Im in Australia and have moved states, i talked with my parents and they agreed and could see how unhappy i was now. At work i have told some but the others i have just told them im having 2 weeks off. Just dont listen to the bad comments, in 6 months when your losing weight they will be the ones commenting in your weight loss. Hang in there and we are all here for you![/quote']

You are not alone in overeating when you're not hungry. Whether it's emotional, hormonal, or just plain addiction we need help. The most important things I found is dealing with emotional stress eating and what I call "brain hunger". I also do my best to stay away from judgemental and truly overall negative people. Only 2 friends of mine know. One had the surgery the other is my childhood friend that is also a registered nurse. Whatever it takes to help you succeed is what you do!

Thanks for the reply.

I have a bad experience with my surgery. I had my lap band surgery on 2009 and I had 5 fills since then. And the last time Drs were able to access the port was in nov 2010 to remove some Fluid so I can eat because I couldn't eat anything other than chocolate and shakes. Until that time I was losing weight but not as I was hoping (I know it's my fault because I am addicted to chocolates)

After they remove some Fluid from the band I was able to eat and I didn't try to do any adjustment until the beginning of 2012 when I gain all the weight that I lost. I went to a new dr because I moved to another city' date=' he told me he will not do any adjustment until I change my life style. And he asked me to stop smoking which I couldn't, so I went to another dr and he was ok with that but when he tried to find the port, without poking, he told me that the port was flipped and I need to do another surgery. I was so scared and I visited 2 other Drs. for a second opinion, I did CT scan and swallow X-ray and they say the same thing. One of them was able to give me a fill with the x-ray but I didn't feel any restriction. And all that time I had a constant pain in the port site, almost everyday. Finally, I went back to the dr who told me the first time about the flipped port and I did the corrective surgery on 11/13.

I did the surgery under general Anastasia and returned home couple of hours later. My dr told me that it was totally flipped and he was surprised how the other dr was able to give me a fill while it is totally flipped. Post-op pain was much more than the initial lap band surgery itself. But I stopped meds 2 days after the surgery. However, the nausea didn't go away, it is less than the first week but I still have it. The good thing is that I didn't vomit.

Also, the dr told me that he put a small fill to the band but I didn't feel any restriction.

I am new to the forum and I just found about it yesterday. I am so happy to be able to share my story with other people who have the same interest.

[/quote']

Three years later it flipped? WOW! I don't know what I would do. I also had more pain after this than after the original surgery. I can't figure how the dr gave you a fill on a full flip, even using your x-ray.

The dr that refused you until you changed did the right thing. We can't rely on the band alone. It really should only be to assist while we are changing our mental, physical, and emotional lives. Learning to incorporate regular physical activity and learning to think differently about food has to be done. Also we must rethink how we deal with our triggers. I started to work on it once I decided to get the band. I was trying to ween my way into it. By biggest problem is the emotional stress issue. I have an enormous amount of stress i'm trying to handle. There is no unhealthy food or drink in my home. But when it takes over me I will get in my car and get something bad to eat. I do it alot less than before the band, but I recently fell off the wagon BIG TIME! No excuses, but if I saw someone else in my exact situation I would totally understand.

I hope you find the support here that you need to help you succeec in this journey. It's a lifestyle you know you will benefit from. And congrats on kicking the nicotine! Please come check out My Fitness Pal for more support in a different format...add me if you like it.

Hi' date='

I had my port flip too. On /11/13/2012, I had my corrective surgery and since then I have nausea everyday. After 3 days of the surgery, my Dr said it's normal to have nausea due to pain killer. However, I am 10 days post-op and I stopped the pain killer from the second day of surgery and still have nausea. Did you feel the same thing after surgery?[/quote']

No. I can't recall ever having nausea since i've been banded. Only in hosp when I got my band I had a lil nausea. I also stopped pain meds 2 days post op. I am terrified of vomiting with this band. Even when eating badly I tread lightly with the possibility of vomiting. How are you doing now? Did you find out your port flipped when you went to get your first fill?

mORE AND MORE FILLS ARE NOT THE ANSWER. iT HAS TO DO WITH WHAT WE EAT!

I know this. And I know exactly what I should and should not eat. I've known that for well over 20yrs. I have a long and ugly story i'm not going to get into right now. You don't know the history. I know exactly what I need. If I didn't need HELP from the band I would not have gone through the surgery. I'm believe you have possibly had more than one fill in your band history and know what it's like to have restrictions and certain eating limitations afterwards. One small fill 10 weeks post op, for many reasons, does not work for me.

Be careful when directing a response to someone here in all caps as it can be taken with a very negative connotation behind it. If you want to understand why someone believes they need a fill for whatever the reason, ASK.

Well...I finally had my first fill 11/19/12, 3.2 cc. I got down to 216, then back up to 222. Since the fill I am 219.2. I don't really feel restriction yet. I will give it a week. If I don't feel it i'm going in for another fill. o__0

Me too! I told my mom yesterday. She had gastric bypass 8 years ago so she knows how I feel. I don't want to have gastric. Besides her and my dad- my husband is the only one I want to know. I'm embarrassed that I can't do it on my own.

Don't be embarrassed. Think of how many things in your life you were unable to do on your own...Consider the band the training wheels on your bicycles. Before the training wheels you would wobble and fall over and over again. Just couldn't get your balance. The training wheels are on now. They have to be tweeked while you are learning. The band is helping you permanently change your physical and emotional health. We all need help sometimes.

It's refreshing that you are strong enough to admit you can't do it on your own. Together you and your band will meet your goals. Best wishes to you.

Question: if there is no port' date=' how do you still have the band? It's all 1 unit... Did they just cut the port and tuning and leave the band? Sounds odd....[/quote']

I still had a port. The needle goes in the top to fill. While healing, my port turned completely upside down. The bottom was facing up so the needle was unable to get in to fill the band. Port has a hose that connects to the band. I had a useless band only because of an inaccessible port. The port was removed from the muscle, relocated and resecured to a different muscle to reheal. The band was never touched nor was it ever filled. The band and port are separated by the tube. The same way a band can "slip" when there is no problem with the port, the port can "flip" when there is no problem with the band.

Hopes that helps you better understand what i'm going through. If it doesn't, ask your surgeon to explain "Port Flipping 180 Degrees". O:-)

Does anyone use unflavored Protein powders to boost your Protein intake through out the day? Can anyone recommend me a great unflavored protein so I can add to my recipes that are lacking protein?

ABSOLUTELY! unjury Unflavored Protein. Can use it hot or cold. I even add it to pre-made shakes to boost the protein. My Favorite is adding it to Trop 50 Orange juice. Makes it taste like whole juice.< /p>

So if you complete your food diary entry the next morning it doesn't show up in the news feed? i think that is what just happened to me. i guess I should make sure I complete my food diary each day before midnight? Does this sound right?

You have to "Finish Logging" before it posts on the news feed. It will post wherever you "Finish" it. It will post the day you "Finish" it but will be for the date of the diary. If you just "Finished" Mondays diary at 5pm today, it would post on news feed at 5pm for diary of 11/12/12, Mondays date.

Hope that helps.

So if you complete your food diary entry the next morning it doesn't show up in the news feed? i think that is what just happened to me. i guess I should make sure I complete my food diary each day before midnight? Does this sound right?

Hey everyone just an update.

3 days in and I have lost my first kilo (2.2lbs)

I am eating about 1000 calories a day without any restriction (as my lapband does not have Fluid in it) and burning 950 calories a day from exercise.

So pretty happy with all that. It feels a lot easier this time around' date=' not sure why.

Partner has lost 3kilos and he has been dieting for a week (bit longer than me). He doesn't have the lapband and I'm trying to tell him how amazing that is to lose so much in one week without changing much (yet) but he isn't as excited as me about it haha.

Still no money for an appointment to get a fill though. Will see how I go without Fluid and hopefully I can last a month without it [/quote']

You are doing damn good lady! Doesnt sound like a failure to me. Stay on this path until you can get a fill, you will get there. You may have a few weak moments before you get it, but it's ok. Its obvious you can jump right back in strong. GOOD FOR YOU!

My port is flipped also. Not to the extent of a 180. He has to go in from the side and it hurts like crazy.

My dr said it was common...mostly at 45-90 degrees. Said he would not need to correct that. Of course mine had to go totally overboard...UGH. Worse thing about it is not being filled yet. Been banded since 9/7/12. Soon I hope.

I didn't have a band slip, but I had a port flip. Banded 9/7/12, went for first fill and found my port did a 180...totally upside down. Went back in hosp, dr went in, repositioned and reanchored my port. Still on full food.< /p>

Hopefully he will do my first fill 11/19/12...finally. Tired of gaining weigh as hard as I had been working.

First of all you guys are not failures. WE fell off the wagon. WE need to shake it up and keep moving.

Let's all touch bases on My Fitness Pal and get back on track together. Let's do it together, Let's do it now! No reason to procrastinate. We can support each other and have some accountability. Request me, Darkangel321, and put "Back on the Wagon" on the subject line. We will go from there. Seriously. Im asking for help to get back on track and i'm offering help to those that want to get back on track.

Add me I'm ldstancil

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Add me I'm ldstancil

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I love MFP. User ID is the same as here if anyone wants to add me! I need some friends to be accountable to!

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