shanna

Paula - DH looks so much like his birthmom and 1 of his 1/2 brothers. It was amazing to see them together. Also, my daughter looks so much like her new cousin who is only 5 months older than her. It was funny after our BBQ on Wednesday with the whole family my daughter said it was weird looking at Stephanie because she looked like her and my son said "wow, that was fun. It was kind of like a big family reunion; but with people you don't know" As far as MIL - my husband has decided not to tell her (at least not yet) She's 74 years old and my husband thinks she would be crushed. She's always been VERY proud of the fact that she knows nothing about the birth parents and he is THEIR child. He doesn't think she would handle it well physically. Maybe later...I hope so. HarleyNana - That's exactly what we're doing - 1 day at a time. It can be a bit overwhelming when you start to think, "Oh, what about birthdays? Christmas? etc." so we decided to not worry about any of that - we'll see how it goes. Tricia - It was out of the blue that my husband called her. He had had the # for years and then all of a sudden one day at work he called me and said "Guess what I just did..." Your husband will be ready in his own time. Burnsun - ya, it was a bit strange at first sitting with them, but conversation started and we're gonna take baby steps. I hope your friend's child contacts her someday. That's what we wanted for my husband's birth mother-to tell her that all was good and she made the best choice for him. Thanks! J.S. What a great story. I'm so happy for your family and that you're having such a good time with them. Family is so important and it looks like you've got it made... Thanks everyone! Have an awesome day!

I'm so sorry for your loss. O was a beautiful cat - like a little Garfield. Our pets bring out so much good in us and they are missed so greatly when they're gone. I'll be praying for your family and good luck on that new job.

mwillis, Are you getting in your protein shakes? and vitamins? Those are the things I can think of. Also, walking about 10-15 minutes a day helped me a lot. I'm so sorry you're not feeling strong. Keep in touch with your doctor if it doesn't get better. I'll be thinking about you,

Thanks everyone! I'm gonna try to be a good "bandlesster" and try to keep eating that way. Wish me luck... Kelly, I don't know if I'll be rebanded later. I guess it depends on how I do without the band. I really struggled with complications and I don't want to go back to that BUT if I start regaining I would sure consider it. I never regret for a moment having my band. And I know what you mean about Penni - she's been a lifesaver for me, too. What a lady! And thank you so much for your offer to pm you, too. I'm sure I will. Have a great day everyone! Love,

I did have summer plans for Walt Disney World for 10 days, but now I'm starting my own business because I found out my job is ending in June. Oh well, maybe next year... Good luck finding something fun to do. Vegas is always a blast for a few days (during the week) - oh ya Lisa's party IS in Vegas, oh well. How about San Diego - we've got the zoo and Sea World and a lot of free things to see. We have a spare bedroom we could rent out to ya.

JoLynn, I'm so proud of you! You're an amazing inspiration - keep up the good work!

Gallergirl - thank you for the compliments. Even if I don't lose 1 more pound it will have been worth it. I just want to maintain and maybe lose a little more in the future. Dody - I did have an EKG before surgery. It is a requirement by Dr. Kuri. My heart is fine, so don't worry. It was the band slippage that caused my problems. Thanks for your concern. Thanks to everyone with there well-wishes. My stomach is not sour any more (thank God) and my nausea is gone (yea). Except for the surgery pain, I'm feeling much better.

Healing vibes being sent your way. Take care of yourself! We're thinking about you...

Gosh, darn it! I was looking for an easy way out now that I'm "bandless". Grrrr. It does sound too good to be true ...."The Gastric Bypass Pill". I think I'll try a bottle. I'll also try the Metamucil before meals - that was good advice. Thanks Ira!

Thanks you to you all for your well-wishes and prayers. I'll try to answer all your questions. If I forget something - just ask again or pm me and I'll try to get back to you. Xann - What caused it? He doesn't know - I think I had been slowly slipping (if that's possible) through the last few months, because I've had a lot of unfills January/March - look at my signature. Then I think it completely slipped. That's when I got so nauseous I thought I had a stomach flu - but it ended up being the slip that caused the nauseousness, throwing up, inability to eat/drink. Paula - Ya, you're correct. 59 lbs would have been totally impossible without the band for me. I had yo-yo'd so much through the years. I'm gonna try to keep the ball rolling... Mayra - I emailed you Diane - I think I answered most of your questons in Xann's note. I think your port pain was associated with moving things - your port is sewn into muscle so you probably pulled a muscle while working. Nothing to be concerned about. Yes, your dr. will be able to see everything clearly on fluoroscopy. Singer1 - I'm so sorry you're having such problems. I don't know anything about what you're going through. Maybe post your questions on a new thread under lapband complications and see if anyone there knows what's going on with you. I'll be thinking about you and praying all goes well for you. Penni - Thanks so much for your encouragement and pm. Your a doll! Laura - that's so funny - just stop eating. The problem is I'm so hungry because I haven't eaten without pain in litterally 3 months! I'm just going to concentrate on not trying to "make up for lost time"

I've been in your shoes many times. Having to go back and forth for more and more unfills is horrible. But it is very important to take care of your body and get that fill out if you can't eat/drink. Being too tight can cause real problems. I went back and forth with being too tight for 3 months now I don't have a band at all because it slipped. So take good care of yourself - you should not be in constant pain with this band. You may need a large unfill for 2 weeks - then go back in for a good fill you can work with. I'll be thinking about you... Good luck!

Jenna, How'd it go last night? I hope you're feeling better and the procedure was not complicated. Let us know...

Well, I'm back at home now recovering from band removal yesterday afternoon. Dr. Kuri was not able to fix the slip - he had to take it out completely. I guess there were too many adhesions around my stomach to successfull replace the band. I can't tell tell you how sad I am - I guess I'm in mourning. I just don't know how I'm going to make it without my best friend. She kept me in check every day and helped me to make good choices. She spanked my hand when I made poor choices and I learned a great deal from her. I can't believe she's gone... Back to sleep for me-I'm getting emotional again. Love ya,

Anne, Oh, I'm so glad your reflux went away. Isn't that the worst? Thanks so much for your pm and I'm so glad to have learned of your excellent recovery. I'm actually starting to look forward to surgery - I guess that's what pain does to ya. Thanks again! You've been a blessing!

I have been where you are - be very careful with being too tight. I've had a difficult time since January of being too tight and suffering like you are now. I just wanted to live through it - let it loosen with time. But it didn't. For a lot of people going on liquids for a few days does the trick but not for me. I had a series of unfills in January, then again in March. I think I swell more than most people. Anyway, it has caught up with me. I now have to have surgery on Monday for a slip and I'm in constant pain. Please take care of yourself and if going on liquids doesn't work - please, please, please get to your doctor for an unfill. It's not worth risking slippage OR being in constant pain like you are now. Good luck - I'll be thinking about you and praying that all goes well!

DH was adopted at birth. His parents have been wonderful! His dad passed away 6 years ago but his mom is doing well. He has always been told he was adopted so it's always been part of his life but he's had no information about them or pictures or medical history. He has had the medical records that record her name and her father's name so he was able to track down her father (years ago but never did anything with it). Well, a couple of weeks ago he finally got up the courage to call his birth mother (he's 36 years old). They spoke on the phone (she lives in Idaho)- it went well. He also was able to get the name of his birth father. He and Anne (birth mom) began sending emails with pictures and information. DH was not ready yet to call his birth father - all of this seemed so surreal and he wasn't sure what to expect so he's put it off for later, but out of the blue last week got a call from Allen (birth father). They talked for 2 hours. He's really been holding a lot of guilt this whole time. We went to dinner with Anne on Wednesday - then had a BBQ at her son's house yesterday with the whole family. She's got 2 other sons and they have 5 kids between them. It's really wierd. My son after we got back in the car said, "that was fun, it was kind of like a family reunion but with people you don't know". I guess it's a little confusing for all of us at this point. Allen will be coming out in a couple weeks to see DH (he lives in Minnesota-we're in California). Where do we go from here? I don't know - none of us do. We'll just have to see. But it has been a relief to let them know that they did the best for him - he had excellent parents and a wonderful life and as a mother myself it was important to me that they know that. Sorry such a long post...

Anne, How are you doing? I am so glad you got to keep your band and your surgery was easier than the original. I am having revision surgery on Monday for a slip. Did your reflux go away altogether - right away? The last few nights have been AWFUL. I wake up constantly with a burning stomach. Sometimes I can throw up and relieve the burning and sometimes I can't and have to get up for a while. Thank you,

4:15 a.m. and can't sleep-my tummy hurts and is nauseous and burning. I'm just so tired of being in pain all the time. I go in on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. for surgery and I'm scared, but relieved that maybe this will fix all the problems I've been having. I think the slip may have been gradual at first because I've pretty much been in pain since January. I had a series of unfills then - then again in March. Things just haven't felt "right". So maybe it's a good thing it slipped completely - giving me the chance to get "fixed". Even through all this I am glad to have my band - How crazy does that sound? Is losing weight really that important that I'm willing to be in constant pain? Yep! I think I need a brain transfusion while I'm there.... Thanks again for all you good thoughts - they are appreciated very much! It's so nice to have someone to talk to at 4 a.m.

I saw this, too. If you click on the blue dot in the center of the screen- the one that says Allergan-Inamed, it will take you to "obesity solutions". They've just redone their website it seems. Good luck!

I'm so sorry y'all are going through this. Stories like yours really put things into perspective. My little complaints and problems just seem so unimportant when there are others hurting so bad. Your family is in my prayers.

Y'all bring tears to my eyes. Thanks so much for your concern, well wishes and prayers - I need them all! I thought I was doing better yesterday after the dr. unfilled me completely - the nausea was better and I was able to drink a bit in the evening but about an hour after going to bed it all came back up. Dr. Kuri called me this morning to see how I was doing and I let him know what was going on - he said that if things aren't better by this afternoon I'll need to go into the hospital today to be put on fluids before he can do surgery either tomorrow afternoon or Monday morning. Keep those prayers a-coming! Lots of love,

Thanks for all your well-wishes. I appreciate each one. Roberta, No. The dr's not sure. Either I had a stomach bug that caused a lot of vomiting then that caused me to slip OR the slip itself caused all the nausea and vomitting. I think it was the latter because I haven't had any other symptoms. Thanks so much for your concern.

Well, I've had a rough week. I thought I had a stomach bug - couldn't stop throwing up. Went to my regular dr and he gave me an injection but that didn't help, neither did the liquid stomach emptier, nor anti-nausea supositories. Ugh! So I finally called my band doc and he said to come in right away to have it checked out - and yep, it's a slip. He took out all my fill and said we'll see over the next day or two how I'm doing. If I can get liquids in they'll leave it and see if it will correct itself - if I keep throwing up I've got to go back in tomorrow or Sunday for surgery on Monday. I'm so, so sad. Surgery isn't easy for me. I'm a big baby - I don't come out of anesthesia well, nor handle pain well. Oh well, it's better than losing my band altogether. Thanks for listening - you guys are the best listeners in the world when no one else quite understands.

It's amazing how many calories you can get in on liquids (not clear liquids, but blended liquids). During the liquid post-op days I didn't gain or lose. Just maintained, which was good. I didn't have any weakness during that time. But, if you ever become too tight and can't get down solids or liquids THAT is when you get weak. The past few weeks have been a reminder to me - if you become so tight that you can't eat solids and can drink few liquids get an unfill immediately because it does not get better with time. Only worse. Even during the "too tight" times I have continued my exercise program-just took it easier. I didn't want to get out of the routine. Good luck!

I did it just last week. I had been waaaay too tight for about a week and had not eaten any solid food. My daughter had made brownies and I was sooo hungry so I ate a WHOLE brownie (spitting out every bite). I thought it would be more satisfying than it really was.