bandster_1007

ok, i'm better, i went in yesterday and had 1 cc removed.

nettie, thank you for your concerns, i am doing so much better. it was really hard and it still is at times. i think the hardest thing is that i did it naturally so i still have the pregnancy hormones and it is not complete yet, so i have suprises when i think it is all over.

i had strawberry seeds that were gummed up and blocking my stoma. so they opened me up. now i'm definately not tight enough. i can drink and drink fast first thing in the morning. but man oh man..water never tasted so good.

i called, they want me to come in this afternoon for an unfill. see i had a strawberry slush yesterday and it apparantly has me blocked, because this morning i was throwing up what looked like pink coffee grounds...and i haven't eaten anything this morning at all.

ok, i called and left a message they open at 9. it's not quite 9 yet. even if i could ride this out, i don't want too, i don't think. i am thirsty..and i need to drink. i haven't felt the need to urinate yet today (i know tmi), and that is not normal after a full nights sleep.

is it supposed to hurt when you take a sip right after a fill? i've been tight before, and i've felt my drinks go through my stomach, but never any pain. and it seems to just stay there.

ok, i'll try to summarize in as few words as possible. i was banded in october, finally started losing weight in february (30 lbs), found out i was pregnant in March, had a 2 cc unfill (down to 6.2 cc's), able to eat very normal ...including drinking with meals. found out i miscarried beginning of april, gone through natural miscarriage, through april, still going through it.

i went and had a fill on Wednesday. They gave me 3 cc's, up to 8.2 cc's. i passed the sip sip sip gurgle test, and went home. i was fine that night. i had Soup at hand Tomato for dinner and no problems. then yesterday, i was able to drink about 1/8 can of slim fast for Breakfast, and chew on ice until lunch. during lunch i tried chilli (4 bites, equivelant to 1 normal bite), i threw it up, so i settled for a fudgsicle, it stayed down ( i was hungry).

then i went and got a strawberry slush, i thought it was doing well until i had to walk across the bank, then all of a sudden i'm spitting up in a cup constantly for 3 hours, i finally throw up..a lot of spit...but hurt real bad, then i don't drink any more, but i continue to throw up my spit for the rest of the night. when i was washing my face in the sink, i just kept "spitting up" in the sink. i could not bend over at all with out it coming out. then i try to go to bed, and when i lie down, my stomach hurts like hell, and i cann't keep the "spit" from flowing back up into my mouth. so i elevate the head of my pillow, throw up a couple more times, and go to sleep with no more problems. so i had nothing to eat or drink past 2 p.m yesterday.

now this morning, it seems like things are going down, but i can't really tell, and everytime i take a teeny tiny sip i feel it sit there before it goes down, and it hurts. now i feel the need to burp, and when i do the tiny bit of coffee seems to be coming up.

I AM SO THIRSTY. this is the first time, i have ever had problems with liquids. before my unfill when i was tight i had trouble with drinking too fast, but that was it. now it seems like my stomach is hurting a lot and i'm having trouble.

question is, do i need to ride this tight fill our, or is an unfill in order?

please advise.

do you guys have tight days where you have problems with liquids.

Hi Linda,

I know it's easy to get discouraged - I've been there myself. I was banded 5 days before you and I'm only down 20 pounds and mine too was during the mushy stage.

I had a 5cc fill on March 26th and I still feel no restriction and I haven't lost any weight from it. I am going back next week for a 2nd fill and hopefully this will help me to make progress.

My doctor said I am not feeling the restriction because I am a lower BMI bandster and my stomach is smaller. He said that most people, by the time they get to where I'm at now, have higher fill levels and that I just need to get to that point. He said it will work if I just give it the time necessary to get the proper adjustments.

I hope this helps a little - keep your chin up sweetie, you'll get there.

xxx

that is what my doctor told me verbatim...i have 8.2cc's in my band now, and i just got a 3 cc fill yesterday, it takes longer to get me the restriction that i need, becuase i have less of a "fat pad" around my stomach.

i stopped having periods due to the decrease in calories from the surgery. still got pregnant without a period...but miscarried.

i have had 2 pregnancies, and i have one child, each time that i got pregnant i did not have periods. you can ovulate without menstration. though rare, it is possible.

doctor told me that you are EXTREMELY fertile while losing weight, because loss of fat cells increases your estrogen levels.

i know that doesn't help with your exact question, but it does give hope that loss of fat cells increases fertility.

at some point you may find that "Thanksgiving full" feeling a sign that you will be sick soon. i rarely get that full feeling when i am at restriction. actually, when i was close to restriction, i was hungry every 2 hours, but i could eat very little at a time, i lost that full feeling, it was more of a feeling of disgust at the thought of another bite..not that comfortable feeling. i've been pigging out lately (had a pregnancy-miscarriage over the last few months, i've been unfilled). i'm going to try to get that feeling of disgust back today..lol

you will be in my prayers, hopefully the surgery through the nose is going to be an option, that way you won't have to shave your head and recover from that type of surgery.

it sounds like you are being very optimistic and actually handling it well (seeing as how you are actually able to worry about weight gain at this point ). most people would do good to have a pitty party for a month...you are a strong woman. keep looking at it in such a good light, and keep us updated.

..take this from someone who has screamed loud and proud on this forum that i "hated my band"..it gets better. do not expect miracles with your first fill, maybe not even your second third or fourth.

my doctor put it to me like this, because i was very frustrated and losing very little, "i can either knock you over the head with a 2 x 4..and you'll end up in the E.R., or i can tap you on the shoulder several times, and you will adjust mentally along with your stomach". -----thus his reasoning for not being overly aggressive with fills. he was right, after my 4th fill, i lost 30 lbs in one month. ...and it was easy, and i still was in need of another small fill.

do not pay attention to my ticker, because i was even more recently pregnant, unfilled, miscarried, and ceased weight loss.

once it starts to work, it will be so much easier, but it doesn't happen as soon as we may like. don't be too hard on yourself, and be happy with what loss you have had. you will lose, as long as you follow the rules and stay on top of your fills.

and as for me, when i hit proper restriction, i was not consumed by cravings for bad food, because i only had enough room to eat the stuff that i needed, and that is what i would crave, meat, veggies.

some people do not have the same experience, but for me, my cravings eased up. then i got an unfill and went straight back to eating oatmeal cream pies on a daily basis :coolgleamA:, and i am at the same cc's as i was on my 3rd fill...lol...i can eat a lot. ..but i'm getting refilled today, so i'll be feeling like you for a few days...as my emotions and my body adjust again.

..sorry for rambling...

what exactly is this neti pot, and can 7 year olds use it?

here in arkansas allergies are a big problem also, i personally do not suffer, but my 7 year old has been tested and is allergic to all the good stuff, weeds, grass, etc. they have a liquid zyrtec now, that i give him regularly, and then as for the decongestant you can always use a nose spray.

i know that the claritin and zyrtec pills are small, but when i am at my right fill (recently unfilled), i cannot even keep down a birth control pill, comes right back up...so i'm slowly educating myself on all the alternative medications.

i think you need an unfill, if you cannot even keep your liquid Vitamins down, that is a really bad sign. i mean, two meals in two weeks, that is no way to live.

you need an unfil, imho, but probably not ALL of it, just some.

if you have pb'd before you will know the difference between it and vomiting. i have done both. a pb, is just literally a burp with food, sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't. when you throw up, you do the same wretching and stomach contractions that you do before. in me it is WAY worse than throwing up pre band because it takes even longer for my body to "work" the food up past the band. so, there is a lot of heavin before any production, but it comes eventually.

throwing up is bad, but sometimes it is unpreventable.

I got something really cute at Walmart last year. I hate most plus size swimwear but this was actually really cute, pretty flattering, and comfortable. I don't like having my picture taken, so these are the best shots I have of it. It's like a dress but not your typical granny swim dress. Cute fabric, just long enough without being too long, and it sucked me in all over. It covered the top of the thigh ick. I was a little skinnier in these shots.

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME SUIT--love it!! got lots of compliments, had brown sandals and hat to match. totally hurt my boobs though and under my arm, gotta get a new one for this year.

..and you look GREAT in it..i looked horried, cottage cheesy and white as this screen.

calories definately get you faster than fat grams, and Cereal adds up. i would watch your calories and see if that helps.

i felt the same way as you, recording my food made me feel obsessed, but the fact is, i lose when i record, and i was astounded at how many calories i actually eat (and am eating right now because of my unfill).

i am unfilled a little at the moment because of a pregnancy that i after miscarriaged, but when i had a fill i was pretty restricted, i could eat about 1/2 cup at a time, i had a hard time getting in my 700 calories, and i was losing weight like crazy.

...now i can eat 3 pieces of pizza.

well...i stuck with the wait and see approach, and i started bleeding on saturday, had horrible contractions, ended up in the er sunday night for a demerol shot,went back home, shot wore off, and finally at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, i was having contractions, full, that were 3 minutes apart, and i passed a clot the size of a grapefruit, then body continues with contractions for a couple of hours. i should have went to the er that night. that is the most excruciating pain i have ever been through. then i keep hurting and bleeding, i go to the doctor yesterday and i have PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. well, it HURTS LIKE HELL. should've had a d&c, i will if this ever happens again, it is simply too much to go through.

To play devil's advocate, it could have been a retarded comment from a lame person just trying to point out that miscarriages do frequently happen. *shrug* On the other hand, if he or she ever does relate it concretely to you being overweight, go right to your HR department and do not compromise.

i'm shrugging it off as ignorant people who really don't know what to say..although she did add "because of your health" to it. which irritated me, but hwatever. she is talking about being overweight and all the things that go along with it, although all of my comorbidities have been obselete since losing 15 lbs (bp, blood sugar, etc.).

i'm really feeling better emotionally. i'm been sitting aroudn the house for 36 hours in a lot of pain in my back and shoulders. not sure if it has to do with the pregnancy or not. no bleeding, no sign of mucus thinning, nothing.... so i wait.... today they call to confirm that the blood work says the pregnancy is in fact lost. i know i should hold out hope, but i am even though i know that it is only going to cause me to go through this again. i can't help but hold on to the idea, that maybe just maybe she was wrong. i mean, the embryo measured 6 weeks and according to my research it is not a given that the heartbeat would be seen at such a time. i'm also hoping that maybe she was looking at my last period date of october to base her diagnosis, although i told her there was no way i could be that far along. the last 2 times i've gotten pregnant i got pregnant during a period where i was not having any periods. weird..i know.

i will let you guys know the results ....even though we all probably know what they are.

this forum has been more help for me that i could have ever imagined. people who have to see you in their day to day lives have a harder time dealing with it.

funny thing, my husband has this one friend, and a brother, and a dad, who have been particularly worried about me. each one of them has came by the house every day to see if i need anything. his friend came by and tried to get me out of the house to go get something to eat. amazing, the men, i figured would be the ones to avoid it all completely, instead they are the one worried about it. and they don't mind talking abotu it. they ask me what i'm going to do, if i'm going to have surgery, if losing the baby is painful (you know they dno't know). it's amazing to me. i have friends that have just told me they can't talk about it because they don't know what to say. but i was really shocked to find the men in my husband's life to be the ones who are openly supportive and curious. ( my mom is too of course, she calls constantly, but she lives a little while away).

my step sister has been a great help through all of this too. she delivered her stillborn baby at 7 months a year ago. she knew her baby was going to die, and she walked around for 3 months waiting for it to happen. i felt guilty at first talking to her about it, because it is just causing her to relive the whole situation, but it seems to be quite therapeutic for her too. things that she would not tell me then because she did not think i would understand, she tells me now. i feel like my pain is nothing in comparison to her, but she assures me that it is all the same.

ok, i'm rambling, trying to avoid crying again, so i'm going back to bed, where i have been staying...in the dark.. :biggrin: i'm giving myself time to be depressed...

thank you guys. i am feeling better emotionally. i thought i was beginning to miscarry yesterday as i had really bad pelvic pressure in my back and awful back and shoulder pain, but i wasn't.

i wanted this baby so bad. my husband and i have a 7 year old together and the only way i'm going to get pregnant is if it happens by accident. so we were both super excited, but now dh says he wants to wait 3 or 4 years. although i agree with him, i don't want my children that far apart. it was going to be a struggle on us financially but we were going to make it. so, i think that is what makes me sad. dh is going to be being extra careful, and i'm not. i want a baby, i want to heal completely from this first, but i want a baby.

i am counting my blessings though, i have a step sister that delivered a 6 month old baby after she died. she knew her baby was going to die and just walked around every day waiting for it to happen. i would rather it happen this way than that. i also know that we have one child, and that is more than a lot of people. and having lost this one, it makes you remember how special your own child is, as it is easy to get caught up in the every day stuff.

i truly believe that god has a plan and everything happens for a reason, although i may not understand it now, i know something good will come of this.

i am depressed and withdrawn. granted it has only been a few days, but i don't want to go anywhere, and the fact that i'm walking around wondering when i'm going to start bleeding puts a great damper on things.

thank you.

thank you.

i do know the risks of the d&C, i even have had one when i was 12. i remember it being painful, but i had a laproscopic surgery for endometriosis at the same time.

i want to do it naturally, but i don't know how long i can walk around with a dead baby in me. it seems like mental torment, you know....if the doctor is right and the embryo is measuring 6 weeks without a heartbeat then i've already been walking around this way for a few weeks, and my pcp says miscarriage usually happens within 72 hours. well, apparantely i had a missed miscarriage.

kat, you are right, i do feel so alone. my husband is just as upset as i am, but he is managing to at least act like he is doing ok. my boss had the gall to tell me that i had to have known this was a possibility, i guess because i am fat. i can't help but blame myself even though i know there is probably nothing that i could do. it just doesnt' all seem real yet...you know..i keep forgetting that i'm not really pregnant anymore.

hey, i recently found out i was pregnant about a month ago. yesterday the doctor did a vaginal ultrasound and there was no heartbeat. she is estimating that i have been pregnant for about 2.5 months but the baby died at 6 weeks. now i have to decide if i want to wait and let the baby pass or have a d & c. ( i know it is not really a baby, but it was a very real baby to me).

any advise from anyone that has gone through this would really help. i'm having a particularly hard time with it, i can't stop crying, and i don't want to get out of bed. it just doesn't seem real, and the fact that i'm walking around still pregnant i believe is causing me more mental torment. my doctor says natural is best, but i don't know if i can wait for that, it has already been several weeks and there has been no sign of starting to miscarry.

i am approximately 2.5 months pregnant, but my embryo died at 6 weeks. we found out yesterday via an vaginal ultrasound that the embryo does not have a heartbeat. i find out thursday if my blood work confirms it. (my hcg levels have to be going down).

i'm devastated. i never knew it would be this hard, but now i have another decision to make. my doctor wants me to decide if i want a d & c or if i want to wait for it to pass. i don't know if i can walk around every day waiting for it to happen. it's hard enough now because i know it is still in there. it's already been several weeks and no sign of miscarriage.

my doctor's office will allow you to walk in a just get the blood drawn. no appointment, no co pay. all you have to do is call and ask.

i had my blood work done 1/14 and it was negative. the blood can pick up 2-14 days and apparantely i was too early. i took 5 dollar general test before, one positive 4 negative.

i was pregnant.

i don't know how far along i am, but i am starting to show, and you can see a visible "lump" where my port is. it used to be smooth but it is beginning to stick out...and i'm barely showing..so i'm sure, it is going to be popping out big time.