lologard44

This is my biggest fear as well. I started using rogaine for women now so that if it does fall out then hopefully I should have more growing.

I just had a chat with my support people today and was advised that it takes about 1.5 - 2 weeks for the fill to take full effect. The nurse advised me that if I started to get any acid reflux, vomiting, excessive burping then the band is too tight. Maybe you might need a very small de-fill. This is not normal for the band. I've had it for a year I've had 3 fills and I've not encountered the things you are encountering. If the band tighten's because of stress you would be productive burping no vomit no heart burn. Since you can still drink fluids I would play around with it over the weekend like try taking smaller bites or drinking warm tea if this does not help I would contact your doctor's office and request a small de-fill.

Sounds like your stoma is irritated from all the regurgitation or vomiting. You need to go on all liquids for a day or two until the swelling is gone. If you don't, it will continue to get worse and that can lead to a slip.
When you start back on solids, you also need to examine your eating habits. Make sure you're not taking too big of a bite, make sure you're chewing well and don't swallow until you chew until about the consistency of applesauce.
You mentioned salad. salad is one thing I can eat but have to be very careful and slow or it causes problems.

My surgeon told me before surgery that if I didn't eat enough Protein daily (enough being 60 to 80 grams) that it would negatively affect my hair and nails. Having thin and fine hair to begin with, I took him seriously! I did experience some loss at around three months post-op and added the Biotin and haven't had any further problems.

Welcome to the hair loss club lolo. It's very common and I'm one of those who is also battling this problem. As other posters have said, add Biotin to your arsenal of Vitamins, add Protein to your diet....speak with your nutritionist and he/she will help you decide the best way to do that. I also take iron...again per the nutritionist. It's not an overnight cure...my hair is still very thin...but the hair loss has stabilized and I'm hoping it starts to grow back soon.

Biotin 5000mgs each day.

Nioxin brand hair products are wonderful for thinning hair...I have used it on many clients..and have been using it myself

Right after surgery last year I experienced brittle dry hair, I mean my hair looked fried. Several girls on here swore by this product and I bought it and it saved my hair. It's pricey but worth it. Moroccan oil from Isreal. www.moroccanoil.com Hydration mask. As far as the Hair loss I'm 15 mos out and still losing hair, my hair is so thin now, I just try and get enough Protein in. Hope this helps with your dry hair.
Donna

I had a fill last Wednesday so a week and a half ago. I have been doing really well until the last two days and barely can keep food down after the first go round. I tried to eat my salads for lunch and instantly get heart burn and then toss it all up. After about an hour I'm good and can eat a little. Also had trouble at supper but tossed it up then ate again. Weird! Am I too tight! Anyone else go through this? Not having any trouble with fluids though. Any suggestions?

The more Fluid you have in your band, the less it takes to tighten it.
I asked the same question to the nurse in my doctor's office. I was concerned, because I had about 3cc's at the time of surgery, and a month later got another 3.4cc's. I felt great; got me out of bandster hell, and I did very well for about 6 weeks. Then I got another .6cc, which brought me back to the level of restriction I felt after the first fill. I thought, if I'm already at 7 (based on the size of the first fill), I'm already close to the max. She explained that when there is more Fluid in the band, smaller fills tighten to a satisfactory level. I saw that happen with the second fill.

You can overfill bands. It's no big deal if you reach 9cc. I have over 14cc in my 14cc band. You might get to 7cc and be just fine or you might need over 9cc. Either way, you won't reach a point where they can't put more Fluid in and you're still not restricted enough.

Fills for me, are completely painless. There is at least a couple of different ways fills are given. Sometimes your doc will have you lay on a table, they will locate the port by looking/feeling for it, then insert a needle into the port. Some doc's will have you stand while inserting the needle and adjusting. Thats how they can "adjust" your band...by adding saline into the port, which provides that restriction level.
Some doctors adjust blindly, meaning they add a certain amount of saline depending on their experience, your timeline post banding, and talking with you about how you are progressing/hunger, etc. It may work fine, but it may not provide the best adjustment.
Then theres fills using Fluoroscopy...the gold standard in my opinion. Using the fluoro machine, your surgeon and you can SEE your restriction level as he/she adjusts your band. They can also see correct placement, "pouch" size, and other information. Some also find it easier to locate the port using this method. I'm a big fan and advocate for fills using Fluoro. Without it, I'd never have reached correct restriction.
http://www.hoab.org/...louis-missouri/