prettyinpink

A couple more things...some of the big mistakes I made were: 1.) Thinking that tighter was better and that it would get the weight off quicker 2.) Drinking during/after eating (this causes pouch enlargement and esophagus distention), 3.) Drinking carbonated beverages (my nurse practitoner now says "no pop!!"), and 4.) Not following the basic guidelines (eating meat first, then veggies, and very little carbs/starches. I would eat things that passed through easily (cheetos, Cookies, mashed potatoes, etc), therefore, I didn't have the feeling of being full.

Thanks to all of you for the support! I'd love to be starting over buddies! The circumstances were: I had a slip 5 1/2 months out...from being too tight and getting some Ibuprofen caplets stuck. I vomited about 5 times in a 2 day period and that was enough to slip my band (although they told me it typically takes WEEKS of violent vomiting to slip a band..... that is not so!!! It can happen very easily - I'm the proof!) I then had a revision surgery and I did ok for a while, but around November of last year I started having acid reflux, coughing all night, having to sleep in the recliner, being able to eat too much, weight gain, etc. My Dr. ordered an upper GI and it was discovered that I was (again) too tight. This time, instead of feeling uncomfortable or feeling like vomiting after eating too much, the food was not passing through my band at all and was accumulating in my pouch and in my esophagus, causing my esophagus to stretch out to three times it's normal size. I could not figure out why I was able to eat normal sized portions and why I was gaining weight. I could not tell that the food was not going through. It felt normal the whole time, except for the terrible heartburn anytime I layed down. I kept going in for fills telling them I needed to be tighter (hence, making the problem worse). Also, I was drinking a lot of diet pop, which my Dr. allows (I know some Dr's say don't drink it, but mine always said he didn't think it mattered). The treatment for a distended esophagus is a complete unfill for several months to allow the esophagus to return to normal size. That meant even more weight gain. If I was able to control what I eat, I wouldn't have needed a LAP-BAND®, right?! LOL
I went for my first fill yesterday and have already lost 2 pounds!! I just didn't know all these things could happen. I am a Registered Nurse who researched the LAP-BAND® for nearly a year prior to having it done! I considered myself to be the most likely person to succeed, with all the knowlege I thought I had. I see people on here with the exact same problems I have faced. I joined this site right after my initial surgery, but for some reason I never got on here. I think I was scared...I didn't want to hear about complications because I wasn't planning on having any! As I said before, I think a lot of my problems could have been avoided if I had learned from others ahead of time. Let's all keep in touch!