shellyj.

hey babs, its weird you mention the reflux. i got unfilled yesterday and lastnight after my light dinner i had the weirdest feeling in my stomach and my whole banded area (upper chest area) was SORE (like i had been wearing jeans that were so tight they were about to saw me in half and i finally took them off after a month.) after laying down for a while and really feeling the feelings i think i was feeling reflux-y. then all night long when i would wake up (normal) i was nauseated each time and felt reflux-ey. i didnt actually taste anything its more like i felt it in my stomache. i just dont feel 'right' everytime i drink something it feels weird when it hits my tummy. it will be nice to finally have these things looked at so we dont have to worry. i feel like whatever happens, living the 'adjusted' life with the band is over. i really hope that this doesnt hold true for you to babs. when is your next appt? did you take anything for the allergies (just in case the coughing was allergies) i buy liquid benadryl for kids. talk to ya soon babs! maryland and liz, thanks for the input. i do think stress plays a role in the bands tightness. if this were more an isolated occasion i would think it would be more stress related. this has been happenning for a long time (2 yrs) and doesnt seem to be stress related. in fact when i get fills i usually wait till my life has nothing major going on.

babs, we are in a frustrating place!!! one of the most crushing things about this is that i (we) got the band thinking how AWESOME it would be to have my band be ADJUSTABLE the rest of my life and now knowing that my esphogus is clucked up and i will not ever have restriction again. annie- i tell my dr how much and what i am eating. he makes the decision. emily- 2 yrs ago i got a small fill that was to tight and i had to get an unfill. from then until now i have gone back and forth to the dr and er for fills and unfills. i got them in the smallest increments to be safe and to avoid overfilling. each time i would gradually swell to the point where i couldnt get liquids down. the past 6-9 months worth of fill/unfills i also was having issues with liquids not going down but things like yogurt would make my band open and start allowing liquids. as far as PB'ing yes i definitally have. not much though and since i made this post i only PB'ed 1 other time. i hicuped and slimed sometimes for 45 minutes but avoided pb'ing at all costs! if you read this whole thread you'll see i am not the only one having these problems. several who were banded around the same time as me posted similiar problems. i got a total unfill today and am getting a upper gi and endo on the 11th and 13th.

leatha and babs, i am not through with the weight loss battle i am just through with my band and getting the fills/unfills. it will continue to do damage if the same thing keeps happening of the continual swelling and motility issues. i get an E for effort but now it's just over. i dont have the optimism i once had for the band. i am not going on a diet. i eat healthy, the most improtant things for me and my weight i think will be exercise and portion control. unfortunatly i suck at both. i will be content if i can stay my current size. i will aspire to lose more on my own. bettina, unfort. i dont think anyone will know how the newer bands are affecting the esophogus for a few more years. i would like to know how many people 2+ yrs out (we are all 3 yrs out) are having these atrophys. my drs both say they havent had anyone with problems like this. 1 has 2 yrs with lapband the other 4 yrs. i find it hard to believe that we are that select.

i am getting an unfill asap. my band has been getting tighter and tighter and now i am not getting my yogurt down (or drinking) till 2 in the afternoon. i am in constant misery all day with the pressure and the desire to have a GOSHDARNED DRINK OF ANYTHING WET. i am officially THROUGH with my band. i will be having it tested for erosion through a 'scope'. after that the dr will see if it has to be removed or can stay in me empty. i have lost 68% of my weight so i am considered a 'successful' lapband patient. i do not think i would recommend the band to others at this point. there needs to be more longterm studies. the esphogus doesnt seem to work the same after 2-3 years and now i am right back where i started as far as diet and exercise being my only tool for weight loss. michelle

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=Text12 align=middle bgColor=#ccd5e1></TD></TR><TR><TD class=Text12>Southern Bariatric Solutions Dr. Charles E. Morton </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><HR color=#ccd5e1 noShade SIZE=1><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" summary="Nashville, TN 37211" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=Text12>397 Wallace Road, Suite 414 Nashville , TN 37211 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> southern hills hospital i had surgery with dr charles morton 3 years ago. he has been doing lapbands for 4 years in nashville.

actually dr charles morton did my band in nashville,tn. my 2 concerns about mx dr's would be thier reputation and my aftercare. can i afford to go to mx for fills. do i have someone who will see me locally.

bright! hiya doll! i actually thought it sounded like you DEFINTALLY have SOME restriction! you said: I could eat a donut, but not two - chicken is very filling but Cookies go down smoothly (helpfully!)... well that IS restriction. maybe your not tight enough but you definitally sound CLOSE! i wonder how you would be if the dr had given you .5 to 1 cc more? can your local dr request info to learn how to give a fill/unfill? then he could try doing the omniplaque locally or even just a fill. michelle

hey lisa! its great to see you! if you hadnt come back soon it might have brought on a case of the vapor's for me! i hope life continues to treat you right! michelle

i think its a great idea! its a whole new ballgame to MAINTAIN weight. congrats! i cant wait to post on that forum!

lol thats funny! i dont think most people take the bible literally, heck i dont think a lot of people have READ the bible. i know after i read it i was CONVINCED it was nothing but a story, kinda like a fable. not something to base my life on or be afraid of! Wife listed among property Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. -- Exodus 20:17 (AV), The Tenth Commandment" Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. -- I Corinthians 14:34-35 (NIV) Beatings don't kill kids Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod [sceptre], he shall not die. -- Proverbs 23:13 (AV) Execute stubborn kids If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son ... Then shall his father and his mother ... bring him out unto the elders of his city ... And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die. -- Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (AV)

well since i never did post about my dr appt. ya'll have probably guessed that i didnt go. i was REALLY busy at work and decided i would see how things are when he gets back from vacation. i STILL havent PB'd since my original post. and i am SOOO pleased to report i am eating solids 1 meal a day. b: yogurt l: slimfast ll late lunch: cup of split pea Soup with ham pieces and carrots dinner: 4-6 oz piece of solid MEAT! and a veggie on the side. at lunch if i were to eat a mushy first i could techinically eat solids after i ate the mushy first. i feel that the slimfast gives me a little energy then the soup in the later afternoon gets me through till dinner but its pretty low cal. and low sodium since i made it at home. i went through a bad spell for about a week where i was 'overdoing' it with chocolate. i think i got a little depressed seeing so many others going through the same problem and realizing there isnt a *fix* just that we have to adjust our bodies and mind with whatever level of restriction we can get. anyway i ate a butload of chocolate, gained 5 lbs, THAT snapped me out of it (haha) and now another week later i have got of the smack...err chocolate and lost those 5. if anything changes, you know i will post about it!

thanks for all the insight! i do think you explained it very well! i am being EVER so careful since my last fill. its going to be interesting to see where the next year takes us. michelle

i have a taser - tazer! when i go ride my bike i freak myself out thinking there is a boogeyman around the corner. it makes me go faster. i only go during the busy time and in the popular spots so theres always someone close by. the kubaton looks cool i think i am gonna order some and give them as gifts for christmas! cheap and valuable! i would go check out the classes offered in your area and see who you would like better. ask if you can watch a few minutes of class. good luck!

i love and miss delarla too!

CONGRATS! happy bandiversary! your pictures are GREAT! you look RADIANT! michelle

hey robert, i have to self pay on fills so they arent under flouro unless the dr says i need it. usually after being to tight. i have paid 1200 a piece for 2 'swallow study /fills-unfill under flouro. the last i think 6 months ago. i am really trying to 'evaluate' my eating. obviously i struggle with this. i *know* how to eat healthy. i dont know portion control. i just want stable 'moderate' restriction! i would be sooo happy with that!

i dont like them either. i am going because i dont want to raise a fuss with family. I am going more for the company than the food usually its a family gathering or meeting. i would rather go pay $12-13 for an order of calamari at a fine rest. or bar!

banded bandit- you hijacker you! i appreciate all the info and conversation started. i am surprised at how many people there are banded when i was that are all having these similiar issues. vera- thats what i am trying to find now is my *happy medium* with the band!!

when you go see your dr i would, remind him that at 1.5cc you were to tight tell him the kinds of foods you are eating NOW at 1.25cc where you are to loose. *to me* if you were to tight at 1.5 then i would get a SMALL FILL around .1 that would bring you from 1.25 up to 1.35cc. when you are close (feeling some restriction but not quite enough) then the smallest amount can make ALL the difference. what kinds of foods are you eating? when the band is restricted *perfectly* its SOLIDS that fill you up. if you are eating things that are mushy or to saucey then you can eat unlimited amounts. it is very easy to eat around the band. you can be doing it without even knowing it. sometimes foods that are technically a solid, if cooked properly is really a mushy. or you would think of them as a solid but once you have chewed the heck out of it it goes down fine. yesterday my mil made 'chicken and gravy': chicken cooked on the bone, add a can of cream of mushroom then add 1/2 and 1/2 to make 'gravy'. we had fresh green Beans with bacon, bread for dippen your gravy in and a piece of peach pie for desert. this WHOLE meal is a mushy. the chicken was so tender that even without flooding your plate in gravy- it was a mushy. it was covered and cooked in the sauce. the green beans were fresh and the peaches we picked before dinner! i had: 1 small chicken thigh 1/2 spoon full of gravy .5 cup green beans with bacon pieces 1 slice of bread 1 smaller piece of peach pie with whip cream. since this food was mushy i ate quite a bit without even knowing, i finished only a few bites behind everyone. no drinking. this was at 3:00 in the afternoon so its not like i was open from it being 'night'. if i had been at home and ate solids it would have been more like todays: Breakfast - slimfast lunch (at 3:00)- 4 oz piece of breakfast quiche (size of deck of cards). i eat this cold and i do consider it a 'solid' food because it will take me an hour to eat since it has no 'sauce'. if i heated it up warm and gooey- it would be mushy for sure and if i started slowly i could eat a big ole piece.

Gorgeous!!!! What Thighs?????

i would say the docs do a good 'educated guess' as to what their fill increments are. if they are doing the fill under flouro (Xray) then you can see how much restriction you are having. when you get your next fill be sure to tell your dr the amounts and textures of the food you are eating...that will help him judge weather you need a small fill or larger one. blind faith i guess!

i happily pay 10-12$ to go to one of those places. my father in law is diabetic and cant eat spices so its the only place he can go. i have gone when i was so tight i pb broth from the chicken noodle in the bathroom. i paid with a smile. its all YOU can eat and if you cant eat that much- oh well! the people who can eat the largest amounts dont get charged a $2 service fee cause they can eat extra!

i did the atkins pre-op and lost 25 lbs and i did it post op combined with restriction and lost 90 lbs. sounds great. BUT here are the reasons i wont do atkins again and i wont diet again! #1 CONSTIPATION!!! i developed this SEVERELY and as a girl who never had to think about her poop going to one who thought about it DAILY...it really is a painful long lasting thing you can develop. i am someone who LOVES veggies and i tried to counteract the constipation by eating spinach salads etc. but it was to no avail. i have been off atkins for a YEAR and 2 months and finally my poop is normal and daily again! 2. the fatty foods that are 'allowed'. regardless of if you eat a pack of bacon a day and are losing weight or if a pack of bacon lasts you a week- you enjoy those foods and develop the abilitly to eat more of them. 3. the whole diet mentaltity. 'i am on a diet better break it'. i used to think folks who never wanted to diet again were crazy! why not lose the weight then figure out your 'normal eating style' later. well i for one 'broke' my diet all the time the mental ass whippin you take is not worth it. currently i do defintally eat lower carbs. i have learned the advantage of that. the sugars in proccessed white starches trigger my hunger and sweet cravings. i buy the low carb Pasta although the store i used to buy 'dreamfields pasta' at quit carrieing it. where are you getting it?!?! i use unbleached flours, eat unproccessed foods, lots of veggies and i eat leaner meats. i personnally try not to eat much out of a can, freezer ready or anything thats open and eat (except fruits). its good because you have to chew more to eat your food and i think eat less. especially for us banded folks- we have to chew the heck out of it to get the texture right! we typically indulge when we have people over for dinner. i only make as much as will be eaten, any leftovers get sent home with friends OR thrown away while STILL FULL! (that's imortant cause its easier to throw something away when you are full from it!) portion control remains my best way to lose weight! good luck either way!

banded bandit- we must be twins, i posted that last week and since then have been able to eat decently i havent had an unfill. but right now i am still working on my a.m. yogurt! *shrugs* my appt is for tommorrow then my dr goes out of town. i will see what he has to say....i am hoping he can order the test for hiatel hernia. i know he just loves it when i come in with all these ideas from *people on the internet* hehehe i dont know what i am gonna do but i know i do want to lose this last 50 lbs! i also have a call in to my original band dr, who has been doing bands 4 yrs to see if they are having folks with similiar problems and if so what are they doing.