twiggysmiff

Hi hun....well all I can tell you is from my own personal experience, so of course it will be totally different than your own.

I had the band put in Feb. 12 '08 and I got pregnant July 4th. My daughter was born April 6th and is now 7 weeks old. Like you, we weren't preventing but we weren't really trying either. I never had my fill taken out but unfortunately I was able to eat pretty much like normal (normal as in not having the band...not normal as in what we should be eating) but just in smaller portions. I ended up gaining about 45 lbs total but 30 lbs of that was pure Fluid towards the end of my pregnancy (which I lost within 2 weeks of having her). So really, I guess you could say that I only gained 15lbs of fat (which is pretty good overall--or so I keep telling myself:tt2:).

Looking back though, I wish I had been more careful about the chances of getting pregnant b/c being overweight and pregnant just ain't all that fun..LOL Seriously though, my band was never an issue during pregnancy. I think it actually helped me from not gaining more "weight" (not fluid) than I did. But you might be completely different and have to have your fill taken out. It really all depends on how your body will do with pregnancy.

I'm not SOOOOO ready to get back on track and FINALLY LOSE ALL THIS NASTY WEIGHT ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!! I swore that I will NOT be overweight with my next pregnancy b/c I would like to actually have a baby belly!! LOL Good Luck to you and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

Yes, I had hoped to wait until I had lost more before getting PG. I have a 6 year old and was overweight when I had her. It was not fun and that's the part that I don't want to repeat, but I can't help that now. This will probably be our last baby, so I plan on enjoying it as much as I can.

Tina I would like to say to you Congrats! Now to get on with my message. You and I are the same. I too am newly banded and two weeks ago I found out that I am pregnant also. I am about 6 weeks and two day along. I am much older than you and I too thought I had PCOS still so we weren't stopping anything from happening. When I told my doctor about this he just told me oh well Shit happens, that is how he ended up with six, then he just laughed. He also told me that I will be just fine with the band and this should help me and you not to gain a lot of extra weight that we don't need. The band will help us control the portions. Just remember this and this came from my OB doctor, the baby is going to get the food that they need first. I had my ultrasound last tuesday and found out that I am having twins. My due date is on Jan. 14th, so I would think yours is about the same time mine is. We gotta stay in touch with each other for we were banded about the same time and now PG and due the about the same time. Best of luck.

Wow! We are practically the same! LOL I had my surgery 1/14 and I am 6 weeks pg today. My due date should be Jan 19. I have my ultrasound tomorrow to confirm, but I know when I ovulated. I realized the signs and took a test and it was positive and then I felt my ovary explode and then I just sat back to wait and see once I realized the timing ended up being perfect. As for twins, lets hope that this is where our similarities end! LOL I already have a 6 year old and I don't think I could handle 2 at once! During my last pregnancy, I actually lost weight and I wasn't even banded. OB said that the baby used my stores first and its not uncommon.

We will absolutely stay in touch!

Well, I just found out 2 weeks ago that I am pregnant. I will be 6 weeks tomorrow and am scheduled for my first ultrasound on Wednesday. Here's the thing...I only had my surgery in January, so its only been about 4 months. We weren't trying either. I have to admit, we weren't preventing it even though they warned us of improved fertility as I lost weight. I really thought we were safe because my weight was not the only thing standing in the way. My husband has his own issues and I also have endometriosis which has scarred me in addition to the PCOS issues. We were told it wouldn't be possible by ourselves at all! I called my surgeon's office a week ago and haven't heard back. I plan on calling again tomorrow.

Please don't lecture me about not doing birth control and how its too soon after surgery. The fact is that the baby is in there now and what's done is done. What should I know about being a pregnant bandster? Any advice? What about morning sickness, etc? What are the risks of being pregnant this soon?

I have been having an ongoing problem since I had a port revision in October. They did a fill and it was so tight I couldn't eat, or drink anything with out throwing it up. I also had lots of reflux. Lost lots of weight but was feeling so weak and sick. Had them take out 3cc's and gained 9 lbs in 1 month. Had them put back in 2cc's and gained 3 more pounds in a month. Had them put back in .5cc's and started throwing up again...took out .2cc's and am no better. My surgeon gave me a lecture about having Fluid put in and removed and saying it isn't good and could stretch out my pouch. So I am worried about what to do. I am once again having refux, and not able to eat much of anything. The thing that is so confusing is that I have less Fluid in my band than before the revision and was fine, now I can't seem to find a spot that has good restriction. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them?? Anyone have any ideas???

I don't have an answer, but I have to say that I hate the fact that your doctor is basically blaming you. Isn't it the doctor or his staff who decides how much fluid to put in? If they put too much in, what choice is there to take it out. My first idea is to give your doctor a lecture! Tell him that its his office that is routinely putting in too much fluid and causing problems and perhaps he needs to train his staff better instead of blaming the patient for these problems.....

I had my second fill yesterday. I had absolutely no restriction after the last one 4 weeks ago. I could have gone back in 2 weeks instead of waiting 4 weeks, but life got in the way. I've spent a lot of time in the hospital because my dad was having a lung biopsy and was diagnosed with Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma. I had a bit too much going on to worry about a fill during that time. I was making bad food choices and eating on the run most of the time. Since then, I've been under stress at work with after school meetings that made me have to reschedule my appts over and over. I finally was able to make it to the surgeon yesterday and was scared to get on the scale. I was surprised when I was down half a pound. Granted, I'm frustrated it was only half a pound, but I'm glad I didn't go up. It was my fault and all the stress that kept me from losing more. The Nurse prac said that she would give me a "whopper" of a fill and I think she put in 2.5, but I forgot to ask. I still only feel a little restriction, so I'll probably go back again in 2 weeks for another. I now have 4 ccs in a 10 cc band. I'm glad that I'm back on the band wagon! :thumbup:

I need some advice. I had my band placed on 2-24-09 and I am not scheduled for a fill until 4-13. I am hungry every hour on the hour now. I follow the high Protein meal plan and also utilize the Protein shakes. I am wondering should I request an early appointment for my fill, it is getting hard not to eat every hour on the hour. Please help with any suggestions :smile2: !!!!!!!!!

It never hurts to ask. My doctor will allow fills 4 weeks after surgery. Each doctor has their own guidelines though. Good luck!

Hey yall =)

I must have made my original post sound like I was hiding the fact that I was not using it from my doctors. However, that is far from the truth I flat out told him I was not going to use it. He said "of course you know I have to recommend that you do" and I told him I understood that. I told him I just wanted to go through the motions to be able to get the surgery.

You have to understand that I was COMPLETELY shocked by this diagnosis, I have no symptoms of Apnea, I just had to have the sleep study as part of the process my hospital requires. Also, my refuses to use the cpap is not out of defiance, it's the fact that I loose my mind when something comes in contact with me face. I was doing construction last summer and had to wear one of those white masks, within one minute my throat closed and I couldn't breathe I became nauses and had to take it off. I can't even sleep with the blankets near my face. All the time I'm in the car and if it even starts to get a tiny bit warm I start freaking out because I can't breathe and have to roll all the windows down lol. I know it sounds dramatic but that is exactly how it happens to me.

The night of the sleep study with the cpap I cried, literally balled myself to sleep and I had about 3 major anxiety attacks in the middle of the night ripping the thing off of my and throwing it across the room gasping for air. haha I really made that nurse work that night haha.

I can get over the embarasment of the mask.....but I don't know about the other part. I'm frazzled. :biggrin:

I can TOTALLY relate to this and I had a massive panic attack during my first sleep study. The little nasal pieces they put under your nose bothered me and I had a hard time with it. The second sleep study, my doctor gave me 2 Ambien to take. I didn't know a thing!!! LOL I was able to get used to the mask on my face and it did help me sleep, but it caused blood pressure issues and swelling, so I had to stop it.

As for you telling your doctor...you're now saying "I must have led you to believe I was hiding it", but I went back to the OP and you said, "My doctor requires it, but I plan on keeping it a secret and not using it." That sounds like you're not telling your doctor.....Which is the truth?

wow I never really imagined I would get so many responses!

Let me comment on a few things......first is, I am never tired I am awake all day and do not take naps. I sleep 8 hours each night and am ready to go the next day, I don't wake up with a headache or anything.

second, I did explain to my pulmonologist that I hated things on my face and would not wear this. I did tell him that I'd wear it the three weeks before surgery however, that was the only way I was going to get the surgery.

oh yea and the other thing is....he said I don't have the apnea while I sleep on my side with is 95% of the time. Sometimes I fall onto my back for a few minutes and that is when it happens. Then I'm back on my side and its all good again.

Thanks for your comments I appreciate them all and none of them have upset me so please feel free to continue your thoughts if youd like!

Sew a tennis ball into the back of your pj's so when you roll on your back, you'll roll back on your side immediately. :biggrin:

So I wanted to get some people's opinions on my situation..here it is....

They say I have sleep apnea lol I refuse to believe it. It's very minor is is caused by my weight. I have just recently developed it and even the pulmonologist said loose the weight and it will go away.

So I absolutely hate things on my face and WILL NOT use the cpap machine no matter what anyone says I will not use it. Plus I am just embarassed and will not let ANYONE see me with that horrid thing on. I got it through UPS the other day and it's still in its box, I have already addressed it to go back to where it came from. I intend to ship it back on the day of my surgery.

The only reason I got it in the first place is because my doctor requires you to use it for 3 weeks prior to surgery. I intend to keep it a seret that I am not using it.

So I guess my questions is.....did anyone else not use their machine prior to surgery or have a similar situation? I'd like comments to on what you think! Thanks!

Be careful. Most CPAP machines have a card in it that you take to the doctor's office and they can read the data from it (length of time used, how many nights you used it, how much pressure it used, etc). The doctor may ask you to bring in this card to be sure that you used it.

For what its worth, I have sleep apnea and can't use the CPAP machine. I am claustrophobic and I did manage to get past that and sleep with the machine. What happened next was bizarre. When I use the machine, I had a problem with severely high blood pressure and my ankles and legs swelled to the point of pain and I couldn't wear shoes. The doctors could not tell me why, but now, the machine is gathering dust on the floor next to my bed.

Good luck to you!

I got banded 1/19/09 and got my first fill about a month later, 3cc. I really felt no restriction. Then 2wks later they added 1.5cc for 4.5cc total. still no restriction, I did have to eat slower and chew longer however or things would get stuck. Then on Friday I got 1.2 cc more for a total of 5.7cc in a 10cc band. OMG! now I get the restriction thing. Things go down but much much slower than before. also I can only eat about a 1/4c total at any one time or I get that pain and struck feeling. I can even feel the Water I drink going down slowly. I am just starting to understand the whole thing. Prior to Friday I really did not understand restriction etc. So hang in there, you will need more fills to get to a point of restriction. Once you're there you will know it!!!!

I know what restriction feels like because the band by itself was tight. It wasn't surgery swelling, etc that was causing it. I know that most people need several fills to get to their first real restriction point. I expected that for myself, but was surprised when I actually got real restriction from the band. Since I have had restriction since day 1, I was hoping it wouldn't take much to get it back again. My analogy would be the difference between buying pants that were 6 sizes too big and getting it altered vs buying pants that are just a bit roomy and cinching the waist. My band should just be roomy now and should need the cinching of a little Fluid. Oh well....We'll see what happens when I go back in another week! :thumbup:

Well..as you lose wt your body changes and apparently that can make our restriction go south. So you have a double whammy on your hands: hardly anything in your band plus losing wt at a good pace.

Can't you ask for more?

I can go back to the doctor again in 2 weeks for another fill, so that is what I'm planning on doing. I'm allowing them to decide who much fill to put in because, after all, they are the experts and that's why they get paid the big bucks, right?? LOL

Well, I had my first fill on Thursday afternoon and 2 days later, I can feel NO DIFFERENCE. I had 1.5 ccs in a 10cc band. I had gone from January 14 to beginning of March with great restriction from just the band and lost 25 pounds. I lost restriction, started eating more and gained back a few pounds.

I know that most people get several fills before they get restriction, but I was hoping since I had restriction and lost it, it wouldn't take much to get it back.

Here are my questions...once you lose restriction, how many fills does it take to get it back again? Do you usually feel the restriction right after the fill or does it take a while to "kick in"? I've tried doing a search for old posts, I get hundreds of seemingly random posts that have nothing to do with my search! Thanks for your help!

My doctor's office will only let you come back for a fill every 2 weeks. I just had my 1st on Thursday and I'm not feeling any restriction. I may call and go back in.....

I was one of the lucky ones who had restriction from day one. Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed I've been able to eat more and more and now I'm almost back to my old habits. I would have gone in sooner, but I was really sick with bronchitis and then TOM appeared. I went in today and I've still lost weight and they were very pleased with my progress. I told them about my lost restriction and she filled me with 1.5 ccs. She numbed the site first with lidocaine and then put the needle in. She tried to draw out Fluid to see if there was any residual from before surgery when they tested it. There wasn't anything in it. I had to drink a little Water as she filled it and it went down fine. I'm on mushies until tomorrow, but so far, so good! I guess I didn't really have to feel as nervous as I was. :smile2: Now, let the weight come off! LOL

Congratulations! I can't wait until I can post the very same thing, but it will be a while for me! I'm still a 26!

Today is my 5th day post op. Even though I've been sleeping a lot, I still feel very tired and weak. I talked to the nurse earlier and she said that if I'm taking less than 30 gram of carbs I would feel weak. I went to check the Protein shake I've been taking. Max-protein only has 2 gram of carb per serving and unjury only has 1 gram of carb. The diet guide denotes that we could also have sugar free Jello. Hover, the sugar free jell-o only has 2 gram of carb as well. On the other hand, the sugar free pudding has 6 gram of carb, plus the carb from the skim-milk, I could increase my carb intake to the required amount. Since this is my day 5 post op, does anyone know if sugar free pudding is okay to eat? Thanks.

It was OK with my surgeon, but you should check with YOUR surgeon.....

Hi everyone, I was banded March 11th (doing very good) is it okay to sleep on our sides?

Thanks,

Sherry:unsure:

I'm a side/stomach sleeper and have had no problems. I first slept on my stomach at 3 days post op and been fine ever since!!

So, I feel like I shouldn't be doing this well.

I went to my doctor a week ago, he told me I could do soft Proteins since I was doing so well. I've been eating eggs, fat free hot dogs, and some other stuff. Actually, I can get down everything with no problems.

The initial gas went away. I haven't thrown up. I have regular bowel movements.

I've lost 27 pounds since Feb. 13th. I started the pre-op diet at 290. When I went into surgery, I was 277. Now I'm 263. I haven't stopped loosing at all.

I'm not in bandster hell. And because of that, I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I mean, the first few days after surgery were terrible, but now, I feel amazing.

Did anyone else have a similar experience? I was so prepared to gain some weight back and have problems digesting, but nothing. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't insane and that others had these flawless experiences.

ME!!! One of the first things that I remember my doctor saying to me when I was waking up from surgery was that he put on a 10cc band and it was pretty "snug". He said the same thing to my husband and mom, so I was hopeful that meant restriction. Apparently, it did. I've not been hungry, I've only been able to eat very little bits of food and have been losing steadily. I had a slight stall at around 20 pounds lost, but then it started moving again.

I had my surgery on 1/14. I was 282 then and I weighed this morning and I'm 257. I've lost 25 lbs in 8 1/2 weeks with NO FILLS. I've lost a total of 39 since the beginning of the pre-op 6 month diet thing. I've not had food get stuck, I've not had problems with food at all (there was one piece of chicken that I was afraid was going to get stuck and then it was OK). I'm only just now thinking of getting a fill because I'm able to eat more than I was at first, but still less than I used to. They told me I shouldn't be able to eat more than a Lean Cuisine entree and I'm able to eat a bit more than that. Some days I can eat more than others. I also get hungry at 3 hours instead of 5 hours so I'm having 3 meals and a small snack. Then again, if I'm doing this and not starving and I'm still losing, I should be OK. If its not broke, don't fix it! LOL I'm still holding out on the fill until the scale stops! I don't think anything is wrong. I'm just counting my lucky stars that I've not gone through the HELL that others have! :scared2:

no just got the blood draw taken yesterday. But i hadn't fasted i hope that won't cause i problem. i told the doc i was chuggin as much orange juice as possible. when she sent me to the lab. It scared me how bad i felt. I hear PB crackers are a great pick me up with OJ so tomorrow im gonna buy some. Im also gonna try a snack before bed, which i try to avoid because i worry about reflux, but im gonna try it tonight. Thanks

The problem with using juice to control sugar is that it is quickly used up by the body. It may make your blood sugar increase and do it quickly, but won't sustain it for long. You need to add a snack that has Protein and fat in it. It is the Protein and fat that keeps your blood sugar high. When I was pregnant, I had gestational diabetes and I was told that if I dropped too low while I was on insulin, to drink a regular soda or OJ to bring it up quick and then follow up with a snack like Peanut Butter and crackers to keep it up until meal time. You may want to do this right before bed so you don't wake up with low blood sugars. You may want to invest in a glucometer at home so you can test yourself. Many companies are even offering free glucometers through their sites. Good luck!! (PS...doesn't the acid in the OJ hurt your stomach if you are chugging it???)

I am in the middle of the first illness I have had since surgery. I'm battling a sinus infection, ear infection, strep and on top of it, I have a stomach virus that resulted in vomiting and dry heaves. I went to my regular doctor and he promptly gave me a script for phenergan to make me stop vomiting because of the band (it's working so far!!) and some antibiotics for the infections.

Here's my question...I am finding that I have to eat regularly (a small something every 2 hours or so) or my stomach will start rumbling and painfully telling me that it is hungry. It also gives me burning heartburn pains when it is empty. Any one else experience this with an illness? Either its the stomach virus making my stomach irritable or I've developed GERD and it's just coincidental. Any thoughts??

How would they check for nicotine...I asked my Dr.'s nurse about a blood test and she said that she had never heard of one...I want to quit, well I have to, but I want to wait until the day before surgery.

I'm not sure about blood test, but I remember when I was signing up for life insurance coverage, they did a cheek swab to test for nicotine. They had to confirm I was a non-smoker because of reduced rates. There ARE ways they can check to be sure you aren't smoking. My surgery group was one that said you had to quit for at least a month before and a month after or they wouldn't do the surgery. They were concerned about the ulcers on the stomach. Of course, their preference is that you never start back again.

It's also all of the hydration from the IV they give you. You get a lot of Water weight too.

Yes, they have flavorings, but they are not free (at least not around here). It's a minimal charge of $2-3 though. They have TONS of flavors. They can even add the flavoring to OTC liquids like cough syrups, etc.

That's cool! Dr. Oldham's partner Dr. Weiss was my hubbys surgeon and will be mine too.

It says that you are in Virginia. Are you driving back to Lexington for your surgery?

I wish the article told us a little bit more. It's possible that the surgeon was performing the TOGA procedure that is still in trials from my doc or maybe it's a similar procedure that another doctor invented. My doc says he can't be in on the trials since he invented it.

I think the newspaper might have been misinformed about the first one in the country, though. I know for sure that they've done a few already.

Apparently, when they start doing investigational stuff, they have to do it outside the US and then they come here for FDA approval.

I'd just love to see how these people are doing a few months out. My doc says it may be two years until FDA approval. Then, that's when people start fighting with their insurance companies. I'm sure the people that are getting it now (while it is in trials) get it at no cost.

Yes, I wish it had more information as well. I'm going to keep an eye on their website and our newspaper to get the pertinent details. I want to know what this procedure is called and who invented, how long its been in development, etc. I have a feeling we'll hear a lot of information in the coming weeks or months. :sneaky: