La_madam

Could it be Asthma? Have they ran tests to rule that out. Sounds like Asthma to me..and yes those steroids will makeyou eat! (Sorry) but its the truth on the other hand they should open you up to help you breathe. Never heard of weight being an issue to block your airways..I know being overweight can causeshortness of breath. Ask aboutthe ASthma if you havent all ready..I hope you get answers soon Hang in there!

Hi Janie Welcome back....seems like you were gone forever! Glad to see you hear again.

Way to go Leatha!!! I'm hopin for a loss this week also..got off the carb machine too since the Holidays are now over and drinking my gallon of Water every day this week... Congratulations..watch out 170's here she comes !

No Better reason to stay away then being in LOVE! Loved your inspiring post. I can hear your voice as I read it! Thanks for all of the enouraging words So happy to hear you are doing so well & don't be such a stranger..you have been missed

I'm a smoker and did not quit prior to surgery. One of the main reasons they want you to quit prior to surgery is so you will heal faster and better. Actually my nutritionalist told me not to try and quit smoking if Iam going to try and lose weight, she said trying to quit 2 addictions at once will be difficult. After surgery I had no desire to soke while I was swollen and al lgassy..it was 3 weeks later that I felt like smoking..I know I know, why did I start back up again after going 3 weeks without it..I'm asking myself the same thing. I tried to quit New Years day and had a neating frenzt like a pack of wolves..so I decided I'd rather smoke then eat right now, atleast until I get to goal then I will re-evaluate

Kelli I'm sorry to hear of all of this but glad to hear you are on the mend..dont fret about what you are eating right now, the main thing is to get well and get your strength back up..I remember when I had esophagitis and did not eat for 2 weeks, when I felt good enough to eat..I ATE and did not care what I was eating, I just wanted to feel better. A bit of advice for us bandsters so Northener tell your Doctor this Ask your PCP to give you a prescription of Phenergen suppositories to keep on hand in your medicine cabinent in the event you get the flu..they work great .It's what I did and am greatful I did.

Northerner, goodfor you to arrange a Dr. in the event of an emergency. Dr. Ortiz & Martinez are fabulous on answering their cell phones and answereing any questions you may have once you get home. Never once in 8 months was I not able to get ahold of them, if not directly I would leave a message and get a call back within minutes...but it is wise to have something lined up close to home in the event of an emergency. Where do you live?? Maybe someone here on the board knows of a Dr. in your area who takes patients banded in Mexico that can offer some help.

AMEN to what Leatha and Betty said.. I regret not doing it sooner. This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself and would do it over again in a heartbeat!

Heather..you look fabulous. What an inspiration..I am in need of that these days! Thanks for posting the pics. Congratulations to you!

Do you have a Dr. in mind? Where do you live? Will your insurnace cover it or will you go to Mexico?

Good Luck to you, Tell Dr. Martinez & Ortiz I said hello I will be down there on the 17th for my 3rd fill.. Dr. Ortiz's anathesiologist uses a mask and not a tube like other surgoens do to put you under. You come out of it much quicker that way and have no irritation in your throat from the tube being in there. Where do you live ? Who will do your aftercare? Will you go back to TJ for fills and aftercare? If not have you lined up aftercare in your area ahead of time. That is important. Dr. Ortiz wil lgive you some names of Dr.'s who he knows in your area but that does not mean they wil lsee you. Many Dr.'s in the US will not touch a patient banded in Mexico and the ones that do charge a fortune. So I would reccomend calling a few Dr's in your area prior to surgery. WWW.lap-band.com is the Inamed site where you can click on surgeon locator at the top of the page and that will give you a list of Inamed Dr's in your area then start calling! However there are 2 women I had surgery with, one lives in Indiana and one lives in PA and they both fly back to Dr. Ortiz for their fills becasue after researching and finding a Dr. in their area they realized it would be cheaper to fly back to Ortiz for fills, but on the other hand if there is an emergency then that is a different story, you should really have a Dr. local arranged for that. I am fortunate I live so close to the border so driving to TJ for fills, aftercare or an emergency is not an issue for me.

Melissa, Lisa had a seroma and I believe she posted a pic of it. I have to agree wit PamRN, it looks like form the pic you posted that something is pushing against your skin. A seroma is on the outside if Iam not mistaken. Atleast go to your PCP and see if he thinks it is a seroma, he will know if it is a seroma, he may not know if it is the tubing from the band wanting top push through your skin but he will no a seroma when he sees one. If it is not a seroma then you need to go to a band Dr.I do not mean to sound negative but I would still want to be seen,.you have a foriegn object inside your body.. When I had my esophagitis, Dr. Martinez told me over the phone what he thought it was and what to do but I did not feel comfortable with that so that is why I drove to TJ the next morning to have him see me and use the flouro to make sure my band and port were ok.

Paula, how do you know it is the same Dr.? Midniteblue does not give a name of a Dr. in her post.

I got to TJ and the price Ortiz charges is 100 that is for the use of the fluoro machine, but he was working on a new system last time I saw him for my esophagitis.... if a patient refers a patient to him he will give a free fill to the patient who referred them and the patient who was referred will save 500 on the cost of surgery. I just sent a referral who will be having surgery on 1/5/05, so we will see if I get charged on the 17th when I go for my 3rd fill

Ok Paula..I just finsihed my gallon of Water for the day.. I have to say I went all day today with no junk food. First time in 3 weeks..I think it was from all thewater and all the peeing I was doing just did not have time I will do it again tomorrow with you..great idea! NO JUNK FOOD! Rebecca, funny you should mention the Crystal Light irritating your throat..it had the same affect on me today but not until I was at the 2nd half of my gallon. I use 1 of those little plastic containers of crystal light which makes 2 quarts for the entire gallon so it is not so sweet..

Hi Donali..Welcome Back How have you been doing? Update us all PLEASE!

I had no problem bringing back the meds I got for my esophagitis when I went to TJ..I just showed them the perscription Dr. Ortiz wrote for it and the medicine and along I went. The pharmacies will give you the prescription back to take across the border with you. Honesty is the best policy is how I see it...what if you lied and got caught? Then what? To me it is not worth it, the worst they can do is take away the meds.

Today I am kicking the water in the BUTT..I filled up a gallon jug added a little crystal light , just enough to give it a little flavor, it makes it a whole lot easier to get all of it down that way ..and my goal today is to drink the whole gallon..I'm half way done so far.

I bumped this post Lisa, for Melissa. She is having problems with her port. From the picture she posted it looks like yours did with the tubing bunching and wanting to come through.

repeated PB's 1-3 x's a week can cause slippage, I was told that is the main reason for slippage.

Good Luck tomorrow Samy Let us know how is goes when you are home and feel up to it.

Could be something going around, my 13yr ols son is experiencong the exact same thing right now and isstaying home from school today becasue of his stomach pain

Monday Jan 3rd Up 1/2 lb, first time since banding I have had a gain.. I'm mad and on a mission!!! GRRRR.. Today is a New Week and a New year! I have set 3 daily goals to follow to help me get back on the losing trend..and a fill is in the making.

Sheryl You took the first step and realized it and came here for support. That is half the battle. I think many of us have struggled lately with the Holidays. I know I have but today is a new day and a New Year and I feel confident I can get this monkey off my back and start losing again. I have made some simple goals to follow one day at a time. Support has been key to my success..so maybe coming here more often and posting will help you, getting involved in the m,any challenges this board has..We have an exercise challenge, Water challenge and a weekly scale challenge.....Give them a try!

Today is Monday and a New Year..I think all of us have been struggling, you are not alone. I also think many of us are starting today with a frsh clean slate... Today I have set goals,one day at a time ... one of them is WATER , a gallon a day. Im going to fill up my gallon jug and my goal is to drink it all today! Second goal, 20 minutes of cardio today. Third goal, better food choices. Dont be down, just set a few easy goals and stick to them one day at a time. You can do this!