LindaD

I've not had anything like that, but I will say that the band and apparatus for the port would all be up pretty high compared to your belly button. Still, many bariatric docs have the fluroscope machines right in their offices now so if you're worried, call and see - if they do, a quick look might put your mind at ease! Good luck.

That's OK, SW... anyone can play. Today, I have kept up my food-log. I have not had anything to drink with my meals. I had HALF of something for lunch. (Half is enough, but in the past I might have eaten the whole because it's something I love.)

One day at a time, right? I'm not going to stress about next week or next month. I'm going to focus on right now. Today, I went to the gym this morning and worked out for 2 1/2 hours. Today, I ate fewer than 1,400 calories. I'm not sure how tomorrow will go. Hopefully, I will stay true to my re-dedicated attitude. Maybe I'll go to the gym again if I can manage it. Maybe tomorrow I'll do even better, or maybe not. I'll worry about tomorrow when I wake up. But today, I did remember to act in a way consistent with my goals on this weight loss journey. How about you? What did you do right today?

Thanks for your kind words... it means a lot to have a place to come put my concerns out there and ask questions.

How you felt when you decided to pursue WLS? How you felt just before surgery? How you felt just after surgery? How you felt 6 months after surgery? How you felt a year after surgery? How you felt 2 years after surgery? How you feel right now? __________ Here are mine: How you felt when you decided to pursue WLS? Excited How you felt just before surgery? Scared How you felt just after surgery? Determined How you felt 6 months after surgery? ELATED How you felt a year after surgery? ELATED How you felt 2 years after surgery? Worried How you feel right now? Re-dedicated

Another one who misses the honeymoon period. <sigh> But I'm determined not to squander what I have achieved, and to continue on the path toward goal with or without a honeymoon. So I'm rededicating myself. The list, posted so long ago, is a good reminder. Over time, some of those things ebb away so I'm going back to the roots of the program.

The first 18 months were a dream! I've had some problems the past several months, but nothing that is insurmountable in my mind. I need to fix my ticker - I was at that for about 3 minutes but mostly I was hovering around 185. I'm now at 205 but I'm not losing hope - getting back on track. I'm still very happy to have 80+ pounds off and will reach my goal!

I'm back too. I lost over 100 and have put 20 back on due to circumstances explained in another thread here. I'm going back to the roots of what I did in 2009/2010 to get back on track and (hopefully) quickly lose the weight I've regained. Right now, I only have 1cc in my band due to the other problems and while it's a little restrictions, it's not what I had back before I got emptied. So here I am. I'm going to be accountable here and offer support back in return for the support I get.

Good luck! Check back and let us know how it goes!

I'm coming back too. I need accountability, I need to plug in to focus on making the best use of my band, I need to give and get support, I need to find my motivation again. I am up right now from where I was last year. I was in the 180s, had passed the 100-pound-loss mark and was happy as a lark. In January, I traveled out of the country on business and had an incident that would not resolve (I don't know if it was being stuck, seems like it was something more! I could not keep any food or liquid down and I could not lie down or sleep.) I had to get emergency treatment and they took all Fluid out of my band. My surgeon told me to let things heal for a month or so. It turned into 3 and 4 months. I thought I was doing well maintaining (and I WAS at first) and then things went nuts at work and stress levels through the roof and I started gaining. I'm at 205 now, from my low of 177 (I was only at 177 for about 3 minutes, mostly I was hovering around 185). It stops NOW. I did go back into my surgeon to start getting fills but they cannot get me past 1cc. My esophagus is stretched and twisted. I have to take some blame for this. So, I'm on a regimen of very small amounts of food multiple times a day and will go back in 2 months to see if things are back to normal so I can get more fluid in my band. I'm scared and panicking - I cannot let myself re-gain more weight! I have to get back below 200 quickly for my own sanity. So here I am and I will become active again and hopefully I can help others and others can help me. I want to get back to the normal I enjoyed in 2009 and 2010.

I've been Googling and I think I'm going to go on a period of liquids. My doctor said that for awhile I should stay with VERY small meals, several times a day. I'm blaming myself - one of the reasons for this is over-eating. However, it also says that those with a weak esophagus are prone to it and I have had some problems in the past (even before my band, I would occasionally get "stuck" and once even ended up in the ER for it - there is a medical name, but it's commonly referred to as Steakhouse Syndrome). So maybe it's because of that? Or both? I was doing so well until this ordeal when I was out of the country. It was the very day I flew in and I know that flying causes band tightness for many so maybe the flight and then the meal caused the first trouble and then all this has followed. I've done so well. I can't let it slip away. I need to get back on the route I was on prior to January. Thanks for the reply and good luck with your journey!

I had my surgery in May of 09 and I'm trying to get back to a highly-motivated state. I think I started taking things for granted a little. Back to my roots - what did I do in that first year as nearly 100 pounds slipped off? Well, I logged my food every day. (I don't anymore - going back to that.) I wore my GoWearFit armband to track my steps and I aimed for 10,000 a day. (I stopped wearing it and tracking - going back to that.) I've slacked on exercise - going back to taking walks during the work day. Re-affirming to the rules around drinking - Water well BEFORE my meals and not for an hour after. I hope you're doing OK since you posted this - if you want to check in, I'm listening. Coming back to the board to give and get support is part of my plan to do what I did in 2009 when I was losing.

My story: Hi, there. I came back to the board after a long absence because things in Band-Land aren't as hunkey-dory as they've been for 2 years past... I was banded in May of 2009 and the first year and a half were blissfully perfect. I lost fairly quickly at first and then it slowed down, but I was fine with that. I was feeling great - good energy and all. I lost over 100 pounds. In January of this year, I was traveling out of the country and something happened - we were out for Indian food and I don't know what happened, but it was more than just getting "stuck" - it wouldn't resolve. I couldn't sleep nor eat or drink. After it continued to the next day, I had to find emergency medical care and, ultimately, they completely emptied my band. My doctor here at home told me to let things heal for a month or more. I actually was doing fine maintaining my weight and exercising so I let it go for way longer than a month. But by June, the weight was creeping up so I went in to get filled having given my system plenty of "healing" time. My doctor started slow adding Fluid. We got to 1cc after 2 visits, but my last appointment, he tried to put more in and it watched on the scope as liquid didn't go through at all, so he took me back to 1cc. He told me I have a heital hernia, but that about 15% of band patients do and they are usually asymptomatic. Today I went in again and they tried to add .2cc (that's POINT 2) and same problem - liquid wouldn't pass so they pulled it back out. They told me my esophagus is stretched and sort of twisted (which, they said, likely has to do with it being stretched). So now I have to wait 2 months and be very careful not to overeat with the hope to shrink it back to normal so my band works right again. The band itself was in the proper position. Anyway, I have gained weight. I'm starting to get panicky about that. Has anyone experienced something similar? Have you come back from it? I love my band and I love the life I've had since my banding. I just want to get beyond this thing that is happening now and back to my Blissful Band-Land that I lived in for the first 18 months after my banding. I'm scared. I'm scared I'll keep gaining. I'm scared that once problems start they don't resolve. I have read all the bad stuff here - the people who got them removed and all that. I'm looking to see if there is another side - the stories of people who had problems and recovered back to a happy place. What was the process, how long did your recovery take? I have gained 20 pounds since my band was emptied. I am rededicated to stopping the gaining and actually losing. I don't have my band as a tool right now, so I have to do it myself so that I don't re-gain any more. I need to hear some success stories in this regard. Anyone out there have them??