TulipStar

I fly every week and have never had a problem with security (and I still wear all my jewelry). I also have not had a problem with pressure. In fact, I think I can eat more on a plane. I know a lot of people say they can't eat on a plane. I have also been on 4 long flights since being banded (over 10 hours).

After I was first banded I slept sleeping in a recliner with my husband right next to me on the couch. My bed is really high, so I was not able to get up and in it without severe pain. When I finally was able to get in bed I slept on my back with pillows under my knees and my back/head elevated. This was really hard for me bc I am a stomach/side sleeper.

I have had PCOS for 17 years. I know how frustrtaing the facial hair is. I haven't found anything that works for it except for waxing. Sorry you are feeling down. Cheer up! (((hugs)))

In her November O magazine she wrote an article about her thyroid problem and how she put on 20lbs bc of it. With all that she has had going on this year, it's amazing it's only 20lbs. Her dog died by choking on a plastic toy, her school scandals and her thyroid problem. Like most, I have followed her weight over the years. Just like mine, up and down....

My port pain lasted over 2 weeks. I think it eased up at week 3. I started walking on day 7po for 30 minutes every day. Then I started going back to the gym during week 3 po.

Thanks for everyone's input. I thought it was an interesting topic and I didn't see another like it on here. I doubt that I will become anorexic or bulimic again...It might help to know that I was just fresh out of surgery when I posted this topic and had a lot of drugs in my system :confused: For those who "doubt" I had these eating disorders.... I did. I was diagnosed by a Dr and I was hospitalized briefly. The classic symptoms indicate a person who is very underweight but bc of my genes or whatever, I was never underweight but I suffered from the age of 11-20 with eating disorders. I stopped when I was 20 bc I started dating my now husband when I was 19 and he loved me for me and encouraged me to not be so obsessed with my weight. I think the lapband will actually make me healthier. Because of exercising and eating right, it makes me want to eat healthy meals. So, no eating disorders for me...it's all healthy lifestyle from here on out!

Robin, I can tell you that I had my appt. with Marsden on Nov 15 and that's when he told me that he was going to stop using dissolvable sutures. You should be fine...it was just a fluke and I am unlucky

Chiquita, There would be symptoms if the band needed to be replaced. Like no restriction, possibly vomiting, etc.

I love IronTek by EAS in chocolate. It only has 3 grams of carbs and 120 calories. It is delicious!! Tastes like a chocolate milkshake!

I knew I was too tight when liquids couldn't go down. I got a fill and then liquids came right back up anytime I tried to drink.

WOWSA!! Congratulations. what a milestone. I am so proud of you!!!

Hi all, I suffered from Anorexia in my teen years. I was still overweight then, but would not eat for 5-13 days at a time, starving myself, then I would binge. When I got into my 20's it was just too hard to do...I was too hungry to starve myself, plus I was living in the real world with a job and school, so I had to eat. Now that I have the band, I find it easier for these feelings of being able to deny myself food and not eat. It gives me the same feeling of "control" that I used to have when I was an anorexic. For example, I just had revision surgery 2 days ago and I haven't eaten anything yet. I am afraid to eat, because sometimes once you start eating, the hunger comes back. I am not on a post-op diet (not required by dr) but I am choosing to not eat mainly because I want to lose weight. These port problems have set me back on my progress and I am desperate to make this work! I did have a Protein shake yesterday though, bc I figure I need to protein to heal. Just wondering if anyone has struggled with these same feelings?

My port flipped so I can tell you what I know: 1. If you exercise too soon after surgery and do crunches or ab work. That could cause your port to come unstitched. 2. Freak of nature and it comes unstitched 3. The type of sutures your dr. uses are not stable. My dr. used dissolvable sutures and they came undone.

I have been fat all my life and have called myself that. I tend to use the word "chubby" or "big girl". I am what I am....

I have never found relief with the man hair on my face, but retin a helped with the acne.

The pinapple juice is a good idea. I will have to try that next time.

My surgeon suspects that it was because he used dissolvable sutures. He used to use regular but recently switched to dissolvable bc he read somewhere that it was the new best practive. However, since he switched to dissolvable, I am the 2nd one to flip. so, he said he was going back to regular sutures from now on.

I actually had to go in today for an un-fill at SCOR. The woman was very nice and immediately put me under x-ray to do the fill. I just had revision surgery yesterday and my surgeon filled me too much (7cc's and I couldn't even drink water!!!), so she understood that I didn't want anyone pushing around on my stomach to try to find the port. I felt bad for the whole staff at SCOR bc I started crying once they took me back to the room. I had bad memories of what happened 3 weeks ago when I was there. The poor guy who took my BP was like..why r u crying?? All I could say is that I don't want to have to go through this again after what happened last time when they couldn't find the port and it being a day after surgery, I am still in a lot of pain. They were really nice this time though...the fill staff was completely different, I had never seen any of them before--weird.

He is a really nice doctor. I am starting to wonder about him though. I went in for my revision surgery yesterday to flip my port back over and re-stitch it to my muscle. while I was under, he filled my band. He said he put in 6cc's total but when I got home I couldn't take a tblsp of the liquid hydrocodone and I couldn't keep Water down..it just came right back up. I called his office and they told me to go to either SCOR or SCOH and have Fluid removed. I was like whta the heck! I just had surgery yesterday...you think that he would have cheked to make sure I didn't have too much?? so, here I am 1 day po and have to have my hubby take me to SCOR and they said that I had a total of 7cc's. Dr. Marsden said he put in 6... 7cc's in reality plus the swelling from the surgery I was completely cut off and my salivia wouldn't even go down. You know the last thing I wanted to do after surgery is having someone press around on my stomach to try to find the port to stick a needle in it to unfill me. It makes me wonder about him....I thought he was the best but I have had too many problems back to back with him. I don't understand why an experienced dr would fill me the wrong amount and then not check to see if I could swallow before I left the hospital.

Another update...he put 7cc in total and I WAS too tight. I couldn't keep the liquid painkiller or water down. I had to go and have 3 cc removed!!! It seems like this will never work for me!

Hi all, I just wanted to give you an update. Yesterday I had my revision surgery to flip my port back over and stitch it back to the muscle. Everything went ok and thankfully the pain is not nearly as bad as it was the first time around. Don't get me wrong...it's still there, but not as bad. The dr filled me up to 6 cc's and I can really feel it. Just take 1 tbls of my liquid painkiller is giving me problems and trying to come back up. I wonder if I am too tight.

Yeah, I think we all have it. I called it "last supper syndrome" and trust me...I had it bad. I gained 23lbs in the 2 months leading up to my surgery. Of course I was on a diet the week before and lost 7 lbs. I am mad that I did that, bc now that is just more weight for me to lose. Also, I have had some problems and have been unfilled for 2 weeks. My eating has not been the best, but I haven't gained any weight...but I haven't lost either. Try to gradually ease off of some of the foods. Trust me, you will be able to eat all of the same food, if you choose to. It will just be smaller portions.

Everyone is different. I returned to the work 6 days later, but still had a lot of pain. I ended up working from home for days 7 and 8.

I get my fills at SCOR. But i have only had 1 fill...the 2nd time didn't work. And yes, they poke around blindly. ouch. I don't know any better bc the 1st fill was great, she found the port right away and that was it. The 2nd time the lady didn't know what she was doing and I ended up crying bc they freaked me out. The last time I was thinking to myself, would I have had this surgery if it was going to be like this??

I have one called "Life is hard, food is easy" by Linda Spangle. It tells how to recognize emotional eating by the types of food you eat and how to deal with the emotions instead of eating them. It's great!