CaraDFW

Thanks for the replies, all. I finally got the aftercare center to do a barium swallow and found out... they were right, I had no restriction. BUT, I was also right-- there was something wrong. Turns out my port is leaking :-( I'm going to see my surgeon on Thursday to find out what needs to be done, but it looks like more surgery... sigh. At least I'm not worried about the dilation now-- I was really worried about that, but nothing is easy!

Fellow Bandy-types, I am having a serious problem. I've been banded for well over a year now, and I've been very lucky up until now, as I've had few problems. Last week, I had a vomiting episode that left me with (what I thought was) something stuck in my band-- so I went in an had my band unfilled and refilled. It seemed to fix the problem, but all of the sudden I had no restriction. And when I say I have no restriction, I mean NO restriction. I could probably eat an entire steak right now. I called and they told me to come in for a fill-- which I did. Pretty agressive fill for me-- .3cc in my 4cc band. Not only did it give me no additional restriction, things started to feel weird. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like everything is in the wrong place. I am still having these problems after 4 more days, and things are getting worse. I'm getting referred shoulder pain-- which I haven't had since I first had surgery. I'm having weird stabbing pains. And I'm still so non-restricted, it feels like my band is gone. NOBODY at my Dr.'s office will listen to me. They say that since I don't have reflux, I can't possibly have slipped/dilated/anything. I have called every day for a week (which I never do-- I'm not a complainer!), and they keep telling me I'm just not having good restriction and not to worry about it. I don't know how I know, but I KNOW that there is something seriously wrong here. I am always very aware of my band and how it's doing. I don't want anyone to think I'm an overreacting lunatic, but how can I get them to at least CHECK it? I've begged them to do a barium swallow just to see... but they won't do it. I keep getting this terrible fear that something terrible is going to happen because nobody will listen to me :-( Any ideas on what I can do?

You know, this was a fair question. Essentiallty, what copywronger was asking was whether his comfort/discomfort level was an indication of healing/readiness. I've wondered the same thing myself. No need for sarcasm, IMHO.

All, I had my surgery on Tuesday (everything went very well, btw)-- but I've had a migraine since last night. I usually take Imitrex for my migraines, but I've been told not to take anything larger than a baby aspirin (imitrex pills are not big, but are bigger than a baby aspirin). Everything I can find on them says not to cut or crush. I've got a call into my doctor about another pill, but I'm in pain now! :-) Any suggestions?

Thanks Jen... I ended up just trying the pill, and it went down fine (thank god), so I'm on the mend already. I'm still going to look into the injection for the future.

Hi All, I've been lurking for a few weeks, and have been utterly grateful for the information that I have gotten through your shared experiences, so thought I should go ahead and introduce myself. My name is Cara, I'm in Coppell, TX (near Dallas), and I'm going to be banded on 4/17. I've been trying to get approved for bariatric surgery for the past six years. This year, I decided it was going to happen no matter what, so I changed insurance from Aetna (fantastic coverage but they will NOT cover no matter what I do) to United HC (So-so coverage, but lots of approvals), and finally got approved. I'm very excited and apprehensive at the same time. I've been up and down the scale my entire life. I thought I had it licked two years ago when, with the help of Adipex, I lost over 100 pounds. Needless to say, despite all of my rantings about how "I'll never be like that again!" the pill eventually stopped working, and most of the weight is back and I'm miserable. Right now, it's all about my health-- I have migraines, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Asthma, sleep Apnea-- I just want to feel good again, and I know that losing this weight will help. Not that I won't love going into a department store and not having to head to the plus sized section. I am hoping to lose about 120 pounds, but I will be happy with anything over 60. My surgeon is Frank Felts at the Surgery Center of Richardson. I've been on my pre-op diet for a week (low fat, high protein) and though I am really tired of sweet shakes, I've already lost 10 pounds. That feels good! A couple of questions, if anyone has bothered to read this far :-D - Should I worry that I haven't met my surgeon yet? I've met his staff, his nurse practicioner, etc. but I don't think I'm scheduled to meet him until the morning of the surgery. I really like the place and the people and GOD KNOWS I don't want to wait anymore... but still, I thought I'd ask. - I have a fantastic, wonderful, loving hubby, who is very supportive of me doing this. But lately, he's been making jokes about how I'm going to get "skinny" (HA!) and leave him. I think he might be a little insecure-- anyone else experienced that? Wow, I've gone on and on. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any ideas you can offer.

Wow, this was awesome. I can't wait to get my band next week!

Thanks all, glad to hear I'm not the only one with a crazy hubby. And you're right-- I've taken 11 years getting him all broken-in, so there's no way I'd leave that investment behind And I'm going to call today to make sure that I am going to meet my doctor during the pre-op.

Thanks Rene, I'm glad to hear that. Overall, I have a really good feeling about everything, so I'm not going to let it hold me back. The staff over there has been a dream to work with.