thechatrooper

Need some major support as nobody in my life will understand. I was banded in 2006 and everything went smooth -- lost 120 lbs and went down to 140. Life was AMAZING, I had an amazing social life and I even worked as a promotional model for Heineken for several years (OH, the irony...) Around 2009ish, I started getting TERRIBLE acid reflux which progressed into frequent vomiting and eventually severe chest/abdominal pain. This progressed into bad complications - at some points, I couldn't even keep my own saliva down and I was vomiting several times per day. I visited my doctor and discovered that my lap band was essentially strangling my stomach and had my band unfilled. Even after the unfill, I still had terrible attacks of pain -- I would get a warning pain in my right jaw, then almost immediately afterwards would have a pain so bad in my chest that it would cause me to double over. After this experience I was TERRIFIED of the band -- I regretted ever getting it, I wanted it OUT of my body, and I became seriously depressed and had bad anxiety, mainly because I was (still am) uninsured and no doctor would do the full level of tests I needed to pinpoint the problem. Because I had gone from full-on starvation mode (barely being able to keep down liquids), I gained weight IMMEDIATELY. One thing led to another, my depression got worse from the weight gain, and I'm now back up to 230lbs. I'm frustrated with myself and I want my old life back -- I'm 28 years old and while I have a great job, I rarely go out anymore and I'm hesitant to date because of my weight gain. I really just want to feel "normal" again.... I'm terrified that I'm wasting what should be the best years of my life. That being said, I'm ready to tackle the lap band again -- I plan on calling my doctor tomorrow to get filled again --- and I'm TERRIFIED of going through the pain and complications again. Has anybody ever been through this?? I think I really just needed to vent this out to people who would understand... thank you for any support or encouragement you can share :-)

Out of curiosity, was Dr. H who did your surgery? I have the exact same issue... literally, EXACTLY. I was banded in 2006, got down to 140 lbs, had what you're going through now, had my band un-filled and promptly went back up to 230 -- much of the weight gain happened within the first few months of the unfill as my body went from starvation mode into normal eating as I couldn't even keep my own saliva down. Who did you see for your follow-up? I was seeing a doctor out in Joliet who was SO wonderful, but it's much too far for me as I live in Chicago. It's been 2 years, and I'm ready to tackle this again...

Hi All, I hate to be nosy, but does anyone know what's going on with Synchrony in Oakbrook, IL? I made an appointment with them for a fill after reading all the recommendations on here (I love my current Dr but he's much too far). They were able to squeeze me in for an appointment next week, however, today I received a phone call from one of their staff members saying that a "situation" has come up within the past few weeks and they will be closing down, however, if I'd like to keep my appointment they'll knock $100 off the cost of the fill. I'd like to keep my appointment, but that just makes me a bit nervous, especially since I have a VERY sensitive esophogus and haven't had a fill in 2 yrs because of it. Does anyone know what the situation is?

I was banded April 2005. I've been through A LOT since then... and I've lost 113 lbs! I've actually exceeded my goal... and I'm so, so happy! I'm 5'7... I started off at 260 and now I'm 147. My entire attitude towards food has changed... I HATE fast food now (that was my biggest vice before) and I only eat when I'm really hungry... some days I forget about food entirely. It feels good to go visit my parents and have my mom nag me to eat and tell me I'm getting too skinny, lol! Since the surgery I've become a stronger person. I ditched the people in my life that weren't making me happy... I've become close to two wonderful females who are now my best friends and who are nothing but positive and supportive! I even got the nerve to move to London for four months to go to school there! I traveled all around Western Europe and had the time of my life! That experience also changed my attitude towards food and health a LOT. I actually dropped about 40 pounds while in Europe - and I wasn't even watching what I was eating! My room mates and I ate Pasta, Desserts, etc. The difference was that all of it was FRESH. I truly believe that preservatives really sabotage a lot of our diets. Eating fresh food over there for 4 months straight was really benificial to me. I really hope everyone else out of the April group have been successful as well! Let us know how you're doing!

LADIES!!! I had to share this with people who would understand. I went shopping yesterday, and I am FINALLY - FINALLY - FINALLY ABLE TO SHOP AT NORMAL STORES!!! MY ASS CAN FIT INTO EXPRESS JEANS!!! YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am IN HEAVEN!! Can't stop smiling :heh: :clap2:

Wow - I can't believe it's been almost a year since my surgery. Where is the rest of the April '05 crew?? I'm down a little over 55lbs... started off at 255 and was around 198 last time I checked. ~Lisa

I switched Doctors... I have a new one who is awesome, and most of that 55 lbs has been lost through him in the past few months! I haven't been on here for a while for a few reasons... one of the main reasons being I'm trying to juggle full time work & school, and it's taking all my time up! =) Also, I've found that I'm more successful when I'm not comparing myself to others... I was getting too discouraged at times! I'm glad to hear it's worked out good for you too though - it seems like you're doing great!! =)

I need some advice! I had a fill today- my first fill in 3 months. I had not had much restriction at all. My Dr put 2 mm in... I noticed after I left the hospital that just a bit of Water filled me up. I got home around 6 and drank a juice glass full of milk (juice glass = very small). Ever since then, I've been having these annoying air-bubble (mini burps) like CRAZY, every few seconds. Every time I drink a little water, I burp more. I tried smoking a cigarette... poof... major burp attack. My burps have been going on for the past five hours, with a burp every few seconds. I don't have any pain or discomfort- aside from the fact that this constant burping is annoying. Is this a sign that I need to be unfilled a little?

Thanks! It finally got unbearable because the burping led into pain, then into vomiting, so my mom paged the doctor and he met us up there. I had to get 1.5ccs taken out to feel better. He said that some people are just really sensitive... and like you said Parvathi, I guess there's a fine line for me. At least I feel better now! =)

I wish I could get a good burp, lol. These are annoying little air bubbles in my throat. I don't know what else to call them, except mini burps. If I gag myself to burp, they stop for a few minutes, but come back. It just doesn't seem right that I'm having these miniburps literally every few seconds for 5 (going on 6) hours straight. =P

Ever since deciding to give my band another shot, I've been wracking my brain, trying to figure out why this isn't working for me. My dillema: I do seem to have restriction when eating, but I never feel "full" or "satisfied", just sick. Anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours later, I'll be hungry again. Backtracking a bit, I have NEVER, EVER been able to burp. I'm not sure why! As a child, my dad would make me laugh by burping really loud, and no matter how hard I tried and how much he explained how to burp, I could never, ever do it! I can only think of one single time in my life where I had a real burp. I get little airbubbles, but that's it. Usually the gas stays trapped and causes hiccups.. I get hiccups more than any human being should. I realized- the "sick" feeling I'm getting after eating ISN'T restriction- it's air! This is gross, but the only way I can make myself burp is to stick my finger down my throat (not to the point of vomiting, just enough to burp). After that I feel better and can continue my meal. If I get up during eating and continue to burp myself, I can finish my meal until I feel satisfied & full, and then I remain full for several hours. If I don't do this, I end up "grazing", which I know ISN'T reccommended for lap-banders. I know I know, this is weird,lol. Has anyone experienced this??? Does anyone know what I can do to aleviate the burping situation???

Like Anwyn said, the trapped burp sensation is way different than the restriction. When I need to burp, I get a lot of annoying gurgles (gross) and bubbles. Sometimes if I stop eating for about 5-10 minutes, I'll suddenly hear/feel a bubble going down from my pouch (the gas moving through) and then I'll feel relief. And like I said, if I burp myself (by gagging), I feel relief. There are times where I don't get this, and once my restriction hits, I notice a very different feeling in my stomach, and I feel full and don't want to eat any more, and remain full for hours. I've tried a lot of different things, and the only thing that works is gagging myself. I've tried taking really tiny bites, twisting, turning walking around, chewing everything super super thouroughly... Oh well.

Hey all! I've been gone for several months... but I'm back. I've decided to give this all another shot, as frustrated as I am. I'm not sure if you guys remember from previous posts, but I was having a lot of problems with my doctor. Basically, I was seriously mistreated and now have a $2,000 hospital bill because of it. This happened back around June or so. I've avoided going back for a fill since. I tried going back once, but I got such a horrible panic attack while pulling into the parking garage, that my mom refused to let me go in. This entire ordeal has been one bad situation after the other. I'm frustrated because I was a self-pay... I shelled out $15,000 and a lot of time, only to end up frustrated with hardly any weight loss. I figured I'd give this another go. Does anyone in the Chicago area have an AWESOME, INFORMATIVE, doctor who will COMMUNICATE and WORK WITH YOU that they'd recommend??

They seemed so nice at the Wish center and I really wish I would have gone through them in the first place. For one reason or another we didn't... I've tried calling them to see if I can be taken on as one of their fill patients, and unfortunately they said they won't accept anyone with a Van Guard band =(

I really don't want to go into too much detail as to what happened... if you're interested, check out my old postings... I deleted a few, but I know one or two are still up. I had one problem which landed me in the hospital, but I don't want to go into details. Aside from that, there is just a huge lack of information and communication. I made TONS of changes, and my band never worked for me. I think I have a leak (caused by one of his assistants sticking me with the fill needle for 20 minutes straight, & he broke 3 needles on me), but he refused to check for one. I would be willing to stick with him if the communication was there, but it isn't. Any time I try to talk to him, he doesn't answer my questions... instead he tries to flip things around and lecture me about things that I'm not even doing, rather than just giving me an answer to my questions. Whenever my mom comes with and tries to ask any questions, he talks down to her. My mom called to talk to the nurse about our problems, and he wrote false things in my file, probably trying to cover his ass just in case I try to take legal action. For instance, he claims in my file that I stated I eat peanut butter on a daily basis... wtf!?

No need to apologize! I ommited his name from everything, as I didn't want to be accused of "slandering" him or his office.... as my mother would say "Don't burn your bridges..." lol

Im going for fill # 5 tomorrow (or is it 6?) and I'm super nervous. I ended up in the hospital after the last fill.... so I'm feeling a bit uneasy. I don't feel like being yelled at by my Dr. for not losing enough weight =(

Off topic, but food names in Australia sound so much more interesting, lol. "...1 aero chocolate cup (LF), half a tin (400g tin) of mushie spag bolognase with melted LF cheese AND a LF chocolate custard cup..." lol... I've been sitting here trying to guess what all of that could be... Am I really that bored!? LOL... I'm assuming it's something like Chef Boyardie with melted cheese and a Jello pudding cup, in our terms lol. But I still haven't figured out what an Aero Chocoloate Cup could be... lol. Sounds like space food.. aero?

Sooo... my mom picked me up after my afternoon classes to head to my appointment. I tried to eat a few bites of my sandwich before my appointment, since I'd have to fast for 2 days and hadn't eaten all day. The closer we got to the office, the sicker and sicker I got. I was only able to eat 2 bites of my sandwich, and as soon as we pulled into the parking garage, I started vomiting like crazy and having a panic attack. My mom was like "I don't want you to go back here, and obviously you can't handle being here, so let's just leave" When we got home, she called his head nurse and told her what had happened, and that we weren't very happy, especially after my going to the hospital last time. The nurse (who has always been very nice to me) seemed really upset, but asked if I wanted to see the psychologist! WTF!? So I guess my lovely Dr. is going to be calling my mom on Monday to discuss things. I don't want to talk to him, because I'm a wimp and I hate confrontation... not that my mom is any better. I really wish ONE of us were better at handling these sorts of things. I'm really disappointed... I tried calling the Wish Center to see if they'd accept me as a patient, but apparently because I have the Van Guard band, they won't accept me. I really wish that wasn't the case, because when I went for the free seminar there, I really liked their Dr. He seemed very kind. I honestly wish I would have gotten my surgery done there in the first place... but because I was self-pay, it was cheaper where I got it done. I'm hoping this isn't the policy at most clinics and hospitals. I wonder if that's why they chose to use the Van Guard band? It forces loyalty to their clinic??

This is so sad. I feel so horrible for her and her poor family. I feel like an idiot for anything I've complained about... her story really puts things into perpective. She's inspired me to try to live my life healthier... to quit smoking, tanning, etc. To take my vitamins, drink my water, and eat my vegetables.

Hello Miss Lisa Marie C... MY name is Lisa Marie C too.. lol! Kinda random, Just thought I'd share =) I hope your surgery went smoothly!

I had a similar situation with my port & my band. Do you by any chance have a low profile port? One of the Drs thought my port was flipped as well, but it turned out that since it was a low profile port, the Drs were just having a harder time accessing it. I hope everything goes better for you!

I've been like that at times. Food can be like a drug and it can consume you. It sometimes seems like the more you focus on food and dieting, the harder being healthy becomes.

Hey all! I haven't been on here in a lonnggg time. I guess I've been trying to avoid even thinking about my band. So far, it's really been a huge disappointment for me. I've had 4 fills already. My fourth fill was the only fill that every worked- it worked for about 2 weeks and I lost 10 lbs, but then it stopped. I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm drinking slim fast for Breakfast and lunch, and eating Lean Cuisine for dinner. I also run 4 miles 5 times a week. I'm really pushing myself, but its resulted in much more weight loss in one month than this band has done for me in 4 months. I think a lot of the problem has to do with my Dr... I've been extremely disappointed with him. I don't want to go into details, but I was actually hospitalized a few hours after my last fill due to my doctor filling me too tight just to "prove a point". It was the worst experience I've ever had- I was in so much pain I literally thought I was going to die. I must have vomited a bucket full of saliva throughout that night. The Dr. refused to stop by the hospital and unfill me that night... he made me wait until the next morning. When he finally chose to see me, He showed no remorse- instead he lectured me. In the end, we got stuck with a $2,000 hospital bill. It's at the point where I'm really scared to go back to him for another fill even though I need one. Sooo... there's my update. Has anyone else experienced this?

I think it's more another Dr. at that office that I've been unhappy with more than the main Dr., with the exception of my over-fill situation. I don't want to call anyone out so I'd rather not bring up names. There is one particular person in that office that I really dislike. As far as the head Dr. goes, I don't doubt his skills at all. I've heard he's great at what he does and I wouldn't undermind that at all. I think I've just been really unhappy with the amount of support and information made available to me by the Doctors. Whenever I ask them a question, they really aren't too interested in answering it or explaining anything. THAT really bothers me. Part of a doctors job is consulting with their patients- esp. if those patients are paying them $15,000.