mrsgriffin2u

Hi there, I haven't been on here in years, but this is truly the only place I have to turn. I don't know anyone else who has the band and I'm a little scared. I've had this pain on my left side, under my rib cage, for several months. It's now almost a daily thing. The only way to describe it is something similar to when you're running and your side hurts. It hurts usually when I eat, but not always. I've not ever had "acid reflux" so I'm not really sure what that is. I've had "heart burn" and I don't really have that problem right now. I'm not vomiting and I am able to eat (too much). I do feel uncomfortable when laying on my right side, almost like something is rubbing my rib cage. My port is located in the upper-middle portion of my abdomen, so it's not port pain. The only recent PB'ing or vomiting was on the Fourth of July this year, I attempted to eat a bite of an Italian beef sandwich - boy oh boy was that a bad idea! I vomited for about 6 hours. I had a baby last year and my band was loosened to accommodate my nutritional needs. My band is not tight right now and I have not been losing weight. I gained 35 pounds during pregnancy, and l've lost all but 5 pounds of that weight without having my band tightened. I don't eat right (I'm an emotional/stress eater) and have lots of room for improvement. I know I'm wrong, but my outlook right now is that I had Lap Band surgery, not brain surgery. I need to change my mind. I don't disagree that I make wrong food choices, but I'm so scared of being judged, that I've ignored this for too long. My question is this - does anyone else have this problem? Does this sound similar to anything any of you may have gone through? Is this even band related? I know I should go see the Surgeon, and I plan on doing so. I am just avoiding the "you suck at weight loss and should have never had this surgery" discussion. And yes, this is how they make me feel. I just wish I could find someone who has gone through something similar. Does anyone have any experience with this feeling or words of wisdom? Thanks in advance for your help.

I would definitely call your doctor and I've heard there is a nasty stomach bug going around. I agree that hot peppermint tea makes you feel much better - I keep it on hand for when I get stuck too.

It's definitely not too late. :tt2: My weight has been stalled for quite some time now and I too recently bought a Wii Fit Plus. Let me know how you like the Biggest Loser game.

I won't either... unless some miracle happens between now and the rest of my life! LOL :smile2: I did 1 mile on the treadmill, 3 on the bike, and 1 on the elliptical. I was also trying to do Couch to 5k but it is really messing with my right hip. Traditionally women in my family have very bad hips and the running is just to much impact I think. It got to where I could barely walk - I figure walking during everyday life is much more important than being able to run 3 miles. I didn't want to give up, but it was getting to be too much pain. I'll stick to the other cardio options.

Weighed in at 221 today - hoping to be under 220 by next week. I did 5 miles of cardio today in the gym. Hopefully my PMS'ing won't get the best of me. I WANT LOTS OF ICECREAM! LOL Good luck to all! :smile2:

I got it on Amazon. It's amazing! And yes, they have a whole section of veggie entrees, as well as seafood, poultry, desserts, appetizers, etc. I HIGHLY recommend it. :confused:

Hello all! I'm trying to get back on track with my healthy eating habits and thought I would share something I found recently. I purchased the South Beach Quick and Easy cookbook and it has tons of recipes for high protein, low carb meals. I know we aren't suppose to be "dieting" but it's just a cookbook that follows similar principles and has delicious recipes. I had shrimp stir fry last night and one serving has 38 grams of protein (but I cut that in half because one serving is 2 cups). Hope this helps those of you who struggle to get in protein. I also love the Atkins shakes for those of you who GAG when you drink traditional protein shake. Good luck! :confused:

Way to go girl! I don't have a scale at home (I'd obsess) and I couldn't make it to the gym today. I will give you a weight update tomorrow. I'm SUPER proud of you!! :wink:

I'm right there with you. LOL I set my goal really high. This was to motivate me but honestly, if I lose 10 or 20 lbs I'd still be happy with myself. Welcome to the challenge! :eek:

Those are yummy ideas! I am a huge ice cream lover too. It is my BIGGEST weakness. I'll have to try these this weekend. :cursing:

Of course it's not too late. Welcome!

Join me in the Couch to 5K program - and make sure you do atleast one day during the weekend.

It is certainly not too late! :biggrin: Please join us! I just started my Easter weight loss ticket - woot!

I would say you're fine, but understand that I'm not an expert. I can tell you, however, that most people are effected quite differently after surgery by alcohol. I drink only about 4 times per year but since being banded I get pretty tipsy after about 1/2 of a drink. I'm quite the light weight! LOL Have fun and be safe!

Trust me, I know it's very frustrating when things aren't happening as fast as you'd like. Please don't get filled too tight though - it will not help you. You'll be miserable (trust me, I know!). It won't help with weight loss in the long run. I've been off the wagon for awhile, but have decided to start eating more healthy. There's no diet here, just better food choices. I've also started Couch to 5K. It helps you get from walking at a brisk pace to running 3 miles in two months (or longer if you need). Exercise is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Feel free to join me in this program if you'd like. Don't give up and don't get filled too tight. Neither is going to work. Keep you head up - and I agree with the post above, counseling may be helpful as well. I'm in counseling too. :biggrin:

Exactly - any weight loss is better than none at all! I am aiming for 30 but if I get into Onederland by any amount I will be more than please. Shoot - I'm excited to get below 220! I haven't been below 220 since high school. :biggrin:

Maybe we can report our weight... so we can keep track on a weekly basis. We can also put in some things that helped us be successful during the week - food, exercise, etc. I just watched Biggest Loser for the first time in a long time the other day and it gave me some inspiration. I also walked/ran today and ended my workout on the elliptical. Woot! I was banded July 2008 and I'm also getting back on the wagon. I haven't gained any weight over the last year, but my weight loss significantly slowed down. Good luck! :biggrin:

My port flipped and I had no clue until my surgeon stuck me 50+ times trying to fill me. He then decided to try under fluro and that's when he discovered it was flipped... Hope all is well. I would talk to your surgeon and find out prior to them making multiple attempts to fill you. You'll be thankful for the lack of needle-poking.

Awesome! I haven't started a chart... I'll definintely look at Google. This is my first challenge, so please bare with me. I started Couch to 5K two days ago and it is awesome. My abs hurt almost as bad as the day after surgery from jogging - and while pain doesn't feel great I know I worked out! I'm stoked that we've gotten several responses! You guys want to check in every Monday?

:mad: I just started Couch to 5K today! It was invigorating!! I increased my jogging speed progressively and I also did 10 mins on the ellyptical and the stair stepper! Whoo! My husband also agreed to join a gym with me (I've been trying to get him to join for 10 years) so I'm feeling really good tonight.

Hello all! My weight loss has been stalled for awhile now and I am highly motivated by challenges. I wanted to see if anyone wanted to join me in losing weight by Easter. My goal is to lose 30 lbs. :thumbup: I'm currently at 221-223 depending on the day. It would be awesome to be in "Onederland." Easter is on 4/4/10 and I am eager to meet my goal. I'd love to have you all join in. Anyone with me?

I completely agree with the vomitting comments. It's funny because I try to talk to my family about it, but to them it's just too gross. LOL I can honestly say thought that I've been getting stuck daily on something. Some of it may due to my chewing, but it's become somewhat normal for me. I slime almost everyday. I have only vomitted about 5 times because of being stuck, but had one episode of being filled too tight and my port flipped which caused uncontrollable vomitting and an emergency surgery to fix. Needless to say, after that, I haven't gotten another fill... I have a huge fear of vomitting, but when you're stuck it's almost a relief. I don't make myself, but unlike viral vomitting, I don't avoid it either.

I am having the same issue, but haven't been to the Doctor yet. Sometimes this is accompanies by acid reflux. I haven't had any acid reflux until this pain started. Please keep me posted if you get any additional information. I fear my band may have slipped.

Hi everyone. I haven't been on here for awhile. I'm having some symptoms that are really scaring me and would like some advice. Let me give you some history - I was banded July 2, 2008. I have lost 65 lbs since my pre-op diet started. I haven't been filled in one year because I have been tight and can't even eat in the morning. I had emergency surgery to correct a flipped port after being filled way too tight. I was stuck over 100 times by the surgeon under fluro to avoid surgery. It was incredibly unsuccessful - I couldn't swallow my own saliva and was vomitting every few minutes until they put me under. They couldn't put me under until they gave me meds in my IV to stop all secretions (so I would stop vomitting). Given the difficulty I had, I'll be honest, I haven't really watched what I've eaten, but my portions of everything are very small. It's almost that the difficulty helped me give up. I haven't put on any weight. Over the last month I've had some anxiety issues with panic attacks. During this time I've been written out of work by my Doctor. I've been able to eat more frequently, but still very small portions. I've had acid reflux this month (never before) and mostly at night. This is accompanied by pain in my chest and around my back. It's hard to sometimes distinguish this pain from a panic attach. I'm starting to think, however, that this may be a slipped band. My surgeon is not exactly the nicest person on the planet so I have been avoiding him. I know that's not right and will be making an appointment, but would like to hear from some of you who have had a slipped band. Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!

I hate that I sounded like such a downer last night. It was a rough day. My surgeon told me it is normal to not be able to eat in the morning, that's why most people just have a shake. He said that overnight our organs swell and some people's organs take longer to go down. I have to sip liquids until around 11am - but I don't get up until around 9am. The problem with that is that I am forced to eat later in the day. I also work 2pm-11pm, which means I'm already eating later. This is when I really stopped losing weight. Where I'm confused about needing another fill is later in the day I can eat so much more. I have also recently been able to eat bread and cereal again, which were things I couldn't eat months ago when I was losing weight. Here's a duh moment - I still don't have to eat them! The good thing is that I haven't started gaining. It is frustrating because I haven't lost in about 5 months (well, no more than 5 lbs.). You guys are great. I haven't been on here for awhile and I could kick myself. I don't get much support so any support from my peers truly lifts me up.