Rebeccalee

Another quote from Ryan. This one is about a dog-friend. It applies to him as well.

This is so very sad. Ryan is a special man and a wonderful friend. My heart goes out to Patty. He will be greatly missed. Thanks Greg. Becky

Sorry, I get the names mixed up. My doctor saw the dysmotility when he did a barium swallow. I had to eat barium paste to show it sticking on the xray. Then I had an endoscopy, with the tube down the throat. I did not have the manometry to measure the pressure. It was really evident with the other two.

Esophgeal dymotility is when the muscle contractions are weak and food is not pushed through effectively. It is diagnosed by esophagram. (That's the short answer. The reality is quite drawn out.)

I knew I was missing one! I was on Reglan first, like Becky L. My doctor does not want to attribute my dysmotility to the band, although I never had it before. It is one of the possible complications. If I cannot get to a fill level where I will stop gaining (I struggle to maintain) I will consider the gastic sleeve. Dr. Cirangle is my doctor and he is the leading surgeon doing it. For what it's worth, my dysmotility has improved a lot from being unfilled and is livable at this point. It was unbearable a year ago. (Hello and hugs back at ya, Leatha! You always bring a smile to my face. :confused: ) Becky (aka rebeccalee)

One of my doctors prescribed Imitrex which is used for migraines. I stopped taking it because it has some very serious side effects for some people. It helped a little, but not enough to risk the side effects. I also took Nexium for a long time to help heal my throat. My gastroenterologist (he did my esophagram) prescribed a very low dose of an antidepressant (maybe Effexor?) which is supposed to help in these cases. He also said that the dysmotility might go away. So far it has not. I have not heard of the surgery. I would not do it personally, for fear of upsetting the delicate balance in there. I think learning to cope with it is the best course of action for me. I get frustrated sometimes, but I am used to it. If you have other issues, like reflux, that would be a very different story. I don't have that and I know it can be serious if left untreated. Hope you find the best thing for you. Becky

How funny that I should look here today. I haven't been on LBT for a couple months -- and a year before that. I have esophageal dysmotility. It has been a long struggle. After the coughing and choking and getting things stuck in my throat, causing severe throat irritation, I had my band unfilled and went on liquids. I never had much of a fill, so that probably didn't do much either way. I tried a few medications but did not find total relief. I was on liquids for about 4 or 5 weeks. This allowed my throat to heal. I have to be very careful not to irritate my throat. There are tricks I've learned to keep things under control. First, I identified some foods that always stick. They are not what you would think. Peanut Butter is the worst. Anything that turns into the consistency of peanut butter -- heavy paste -- could stick. I have to use tiny sips of Water to wash down things that stick. If I eat too fast or too big a bite and irritate my throat, I have to go on liquids for the next meal or at least be very careful. I have also dealt with it mentally. The more I'm stressed, the tighter I get. This is one thing when it is the stoma that tightens, but a whole different thing when it is your esophagus and you feel like you're being strangled! I used to panic. Now I consciously try to relax my throat and my emotions. It really does help. At two years out, I started working toward tightening my band again, since I was gaining weight back. I started really small, with .5 cc. I waited 2 or 3 months and got .25 cc. When I hit 3 months I will have another .25 cc. I'll do this until the hunger is less. I will never be able to tolerate a tight fill. I still have to be careful and have my bad days. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like. Becky

Hi All! Anne -- Sorry to hear about your flipped port...and all those pokes! Ugh! It will all be set to rights soon. Donna -- I blamed everything on my band after I got it. Even after a motorcycle accident with major swelling in my shoulder/chest area, I wondered if my band was involved. I don't worry about it so much now, two years later, but it is still one of the options when something isn't quite right. It's good to keep it in mind, but that panicky feeling will probably fade over time. Patty, -- Welcome! People have successful weight loss with both surgeries. There are also people who don't lose like they want to with both surgeries. It comes down to personal choice. What do you feel most comfortable with for yourself? Best of luck with your surgery. I'm going back to using FitDay.com today. Darn it if I don't have to watch myself closely again. I'm determined that working out so hard is going to make a difference. I'm off to the gym. Today's my last day of work for the summer. Yee Haw! Maybe I'll get some hiking and bike riding in soon.

Darcy -- That frog is the cutest thing! What beautiful pictures, too. That certainly cheers me up. Eileen -- Thanks for the bandiversary wishes. I guess I just skipped it this year. <sigh> I hope your DD is feeling better. I love seeing all the great pictures. Sorry I haven't been posting, but I've been a bit discouraged. I have still been working out 5 days a week. No loss. I am going for another fill later this month. I'm hoping that will kick it in a bit. Hope everyone had a good Monday.

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I left town for a day and had a very nice family-centered weekend. Oh...and there was cake. Ugh! The good thing is that going to the gym has stopped the weight gain. Now I need to adjust the diet so there can actually be a loss. Darcy -- sorry about the leg pain. I hope it is getting better. And I hope your doc can tell you something about the heart palps, too. You are doing great with the exercise and I hope you can keep it up. I sure enjoy reading about all of your busy lives. It makes mine feel a little more sane. But it is time for me to hop off to work. Twelve more days of school and then the summer!

Well, I guess my habit is to check in every few days?? Anyway... Kat--glad to hear dh might only need a repair. Hang in there and hope for good news. Darcy -- Kicking it and taking names! So glad you found an E-place that you like. You are doing better than I am. Yeah! Oh, and Loverboy? You guys talking 'bout my husband again? LOL It sounds like everyone has been very busy! How you do the full-time work and family thing?! I work part-time and it stresses me out. (cough**lightweigt**cough) DH and I are still going to the gym. We aim at 6 days and make 5. I'm happy with that. I wish I was losing more, but I guess I'd have to eat less to do that. At least it's not gaining, and I am going down ounce by ounce. I canceled my weekend motorcycle trip, 'cause what I really want to do it just stay home and get my space organized...and knit...and go to the gym. I'm looking forward to it. I wish I could do all the personals, but hope you all will just take a nice big hug instead. (Man! That hug was hard to find. How many freaking dancing bananas are there anyway?! Sheesh!)

Hi all you Chickies! I got my fill, finally. Eight months unfilled and over 3 of that waiting for an appt. It went better than usual. So far so good. I have esophageal dysmotility (weak contractions in my throat next to the band) so I'll see if that acts up. If not, I will get more fill and cut this hunger back to normal. I'm hopeful. Kat -- my dad had open heart surgery last year. It went great. He recovered quickly. It's amazing how far this has come in my lifetime. There's a doc in San Francisco who does it without the bypass machine. It's a wonder! Hope your DH has as easy a time as my father's. Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Hi Everybody! Sherry -- I agree with Darcy, I don't want to be the jury for anyone. Sorry you had to go through a tough one like that. Darcy -- Yeah! You found a place you like. I'm really glad. I hope it works out. If it helps any, we're paying $58 for the two of us. I darn well better make it worthwhile! Donna -- PB on taters. Ugh! Potato is one of the foods that gets stuck in my throat, along with Peanut Butter. It doesn't lubricate like you'd think it does. Try some ketchup next time. :second: Glad it's better. Kat -- Still thinking of you and hubby. Mary -- Hope your irritation goes away soon. Otherwise get it checked. K? Hello to all...I still can't get to everyone or even remember all the names. I'm working on it. I think I'll make me a cheat sheet. Tomorrow is my band doctor appt. I hope he is in a good mood. I have gained 20 lbs. since I saw him last, eight months ago when he removed my little bit of fill. He told me I'd gain weight, just hope he remembers. I hope to get a fill now. At least I can tell him I'm exercising now.