HeatherO

Congratulations and keep up the good work. You have come so far so fast. Happy melting!!!

I am sad to hear this happened as well and I feel terrible for her and her family. There are risks with any surgery, even if it is small. Even if there is less than a 1% chance of it happening, it means everything to the person who happens to fall on the wrong side of the statistic. I am especially surprised that the infection was missed since she was a doctor. It is just a reminder that it is very important to stay in contact with your doctors. Although forums are helpful for advice, everyones experience can be entirely different even if it sounds the same.

I am sorry to hear that you lost your band. I hope you have a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with you.

Hey, I don't mean to hijack your thread . . . but your threads are awesome. My January '08 threads are a little inactive and I like to read what is going on in peoples lives. You seem like such a cohesive and fun group. Is there any such thing as an honorary shrinkin violet???

I am not a doctor so my opinion must be taken with a grain of salt . . . but this doesn't sound healthy to me either. I am not sure that you are going to be feeling your best by the end of day 5. Your body has just gone through major surgery and Protein and healthy calories will help you to recover faster. I had Isopure clear pre-mixed Protein drinks and broths in the early days.

I was also somewhat lower BMI to start at a hair under 40. I am 33, married with 1 child (and 1 on the way). I was self pay and had surgery in Mexico with Dr. Corvala and I stayed in a hospital. Care was excellent, the hospital was very nice and follow-up has been easy too as in they are really responsive to emails and phone calls. I have a local fill doctor here in Ohio. I was surprised the the weight came off so quickly and I am now at about 100% excess weight loss and am at the top of a normal BMI at 25. I expected a slower more tedious loss as I got under a BMI of 30 . . . and although I definitely had to work harder for each pound loss, I could still keep losing.

My PCP was also not supportive at a BMI of 40. My PCP had seen me struggle through diets and my weight for 10 long, tedious, unhappy years . . . and he still wasnt convinced this was an appropriate choice for me given my age, lack of other health conditions, etc. A BMI of 40 is downright unpleasant regardless of lack of co-morbidities. It is not uncommon for this to happen. However, as a self-pay patient who meets the minimal criteria . . . your doctor really can't stop you from moving forward. I would like to go back to my prior PCP just to let him know how my life has changed and how I have lost 100% of my excess weight. However, I have switched doctors already to find someone a little more understanding of my health care choices. I could have understood him better if it had been something like the desire for a boob or nose job . . . but I was headed straight for my families diabetes and heart problems at the rate I was going. Why wait to be sick and less healthy for surgery options when you can fix it in advance??? It isn't a matter of sheer vanity.

Congratulations mini-me!!!! It just goes to show that banding works if you are in it for the long haul :0). You should be very pround of yourself.

I am also happier and I eat whole healthy foods, without trouble, 99% of the time. The band keeps me from being hungry. As long as I am filled to my sweet spot and not to tight, healthy foods go down without issue. I have lost my excess weight and live a healthy, normal lifestyle with food being something I need to keep going instead of a constant obsession. Really, I couldn't be happier with the band than I am right now.

I can't wait to hear how everything went wtih you. Please give us an update once you are back in the swing of things. I hope you have a speedy recovery and happy melting!!!

My acid reflux went away after pregnancy as well because I had a partial unfill. I have been sleeping easily and deeply (thank goodness because I have been extra tired lately). I am at 13 weeks and I haven't gained either. I guess we have something in common :0). I am with you on that 15 pounds. I would really like to keep it under 25 but 15 would be even better.

If you took them for the full month without missing doses you should be fine. My period would usually not come on the second day, it was usually the third or fourth when I had the inactive pills. Chances of getting pregnant are so small it is not worth worrying about. Also, depending on how much you are losing and how far along you are post banding, it can affect your periods as far as timing and intensity. I would give it another 2 days before even stressing about it.

Welcome to our happy little group!!! How long have you been banded and how are you doing with banded life? How has your pregnancy been so far . . . any symptoms?

For chewable vitamins, I don't need them but I like them better. They taste good and I never get the vitamin burps afterwards . . . that is why I still use chewables.

I was told I could take whole pills also . . . if they were big, split them in half. The only requirement was to drink a full cup of water immediately after to flush them through.

I have kept mine quiet up to goal. In all this time there has only been a couple of times where I have felt a little ill around someone who didn't know (only my husband knew). I just told people something disagreed with my stomach. I also never told people I had surgery either. I just took a couple of vacation days and that was that. This was fine for me because I am a private person. I was also scared in the beginning . . . because what if it didn't really work for me. I also didn't want people analyzing my every bite/activity. This worked best for me . . . however, if I knew someone struggling with their weight who asked me sincerely how I got it off I would say.

I went through Belite, Dr Corvala was my surgeon. I chose him because he was very experienced with good results. The hospital was definitely state of the art and they took excellent care of me. They have also been very responsive to follow-up questions that I had in the early days. I had my first fill done there as well under flouro. I would highly recommend it and the price was right. I am also happy to report that I am at goal with almost 100% of my excess weight loss putting me at he top of the "normal" BMI scale at 25 when I started at almost 40. I couldn't be happier that I made the plunge. I did not have one single negative experience while I was there . . . although my husband had a bit of a surprise. He went out for lunch on his own the next day and he ordered a salad with chicken on it. Can you believe that the chicken they put on the salad was chicken feet??? Needless to say, he couldn't eat it, lol. Best of luck on your decision.

Congratulatons on your surgery . . . you might even be in now. I hope everything goes perfectly and you recover well. Please let us know how it goes.

This is entirely too much food way too soon if you are less than two weeks out . . . and you culd be jeopardizing your band. Also rolls, cheeseburger, fries, chips are not healthy choices for bandsters. There is almost no nutritional value to these . . . and if you are eating limited quantities, your food choices should be nutritionally beneficial. Even if your doctor approved you to go on solids this early, foods should be band friendly choices. If you are in pain, go back to liquids/soups/mushies, etc. If you are not following your post-op diet plan, you should get back on it as soon as possible.

I had this happen before on two occasions - same food. It happened over the summer (6 months or more post banding), both were instances where we grilled out and I ate some corn on the cob (this was the only food I don't normally eat). I didn't pb/slime or anything but was uncomfortable after dinner and thought maybe I overate. For several days thereafter I was uncomfortable and nauseous. After being uncomfortable for a couple of days, I ended up going back to liquids/soups for a while and was OK again. The second time . . . I realized it was the same problem the next day and immediately went on liquids/soups. I don't eat corn on the cob anymore. It almost seem like as if it doesn't quite get stuck but maybe the harder pieces of the kernals don't go through my pouch. I agree with Jack on calling the doctor . . . that is always the safest route. My case was specific to me, but there are a number of issues that can make you feel this way. In the mean time, I would suggest going back to liquids while you are having pain. At least with liquids, you can do no additional harm . . . and if it is a minor issue your stomach can focus on getting better rather than digestion. Also if you do end up vomiting, liquid might pass easier through your band than anything more solid.

Any kind of unusual pain, especially in the chest area, should be reported to your doctor just to be cautious. You have been banded around a month now and are now probably moving towards more solid foods. It could just be an adjustment factor. Have you noticed it more after eating or is it just a dull ache in general? Have you had any pain in this area before? Did you start any new exercises or more strenuous activity in general?

I don't think hiccups can make your band slip. I get them more now that I did before banding. You can still drink Water, just a little more slowly. It should pass quickly :0)

I had surgery on Friday and was back at work on Tuesday. I was fine other than fatigue, the pain was no issue.

I said hiatal hernia repair as well. It is kind of a boring surgery in that there is nothing much for people to talk about. It is in the same location and no-one asked any more questions about it. Also, since it is stomach surgery, it makes sense you would be on a slightly modified diet. I never felt bad about saying this, because I did indeed have a hiatal hernia repaired. However, like the others said . . . you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I knew that if I didn't say anything it would cause people to ask even more question than they would otherwise.

My doctor said I had to get unfilled, and then we negotiated fo a parital fill . . . which is still kind of like being unfilled since I can eat anything. Every doctor is different, some want everything out and some say you can leave it all in as long as you are comfortable.