bloom

I have had the band since 2008. I ok first 6 months and lost 80lbs. However I did have some complications. I have dealt with practicaly every complication in the book, including a slip. More or less when I would some restriction, I would be fine for about 3 month then start suffering from acid reflux, severe change is restriction, a lot of vomiting or pbing, pain, coughing at night, etc. I could go from eating normally (pre-band) to not even begin able to get Water down. I had to have all my fluids taken out, then I gained all the weight back. I have been in for fills, unfills, fills, unfills so many times I couldn't count. I switched Dr's because I felt that I wasn't geting any support with the issues. Previous Dr. never did fills under floro. New Dr. does. However, I still continued with the issues. About 8 months ago, I had a slip. Unfill and then started filling again. I was at the max the Dr. felt I needed. 1st 3 months I could eat just about anything, then month 3, little by little (within a couple weeks) Bam, can't eat anything. About a month ago, I was living on Soups and even having a hard time with getting that down. More or less from the time I woke up til about 6pm I was trying to get something down: morning not even water, noonish sometimes I could do soups, than in the evening I could just about eat anything. Now, I feel this is how the band should been. What changed, why are my complications gone? I feel 3 key things have helped me. 1. (Solved my issues 80% of the time) I started taking Pantoprazole (perscription) for acid reflux. I was told before band by my dentistis that I had acid reflex, but I never felt it. Then I always read that after band you should haven't reflux unless you were too tight. I kept saying how can I be too tight if I sometimes I can eat a full meal? I talk it right before bed becuase that is when the reflux was the worse. I can go about 2 days until I see the complications coming back. Now I'm no Dr, however, I believe my stomach (or pouch) was full of acid that there was no were the food could go OR, the acid would make the band tighter. To me this explains why I was the tightest during the morning and then little by little the acid go down and then I was find. 2. All of the following I think helped with the acid refuls also. I have cut sodas (anything with fiz), artifical sweeteners, sugars out of my diet as much as possible. I know we shouldn't have sodas anyway, but I couldn't (and haven't 100%) cut it out. I still have a (diet) soda here and there, but usally a can and I could take all day to drink it. But I could say I've cut out 80% of it. 3. Get active. I sit from 8:00am to 6:00pm. I noticed that a lot of the time, my symptoms were worse during the week and almost non during th weekend. Why??, maybe because I don't sit all day during the weekend??? So I began trying to get up a litter earlier in the morning to go for a walk. I am working out a lot more now. However, I feel 1/2 hour brisk walk in the morning would help a lot. My goal right now is 40min cardio a minimim 5 days a week (However, I'm trying to fit in a dress for a wedding right after Christmas) 4. Water, water, water. When you done with that, more water. Honestly I'm really tired of drinking water. I will add some lime to it. I will break it up by the forbidden soda here and there. However, I get over the recomended amount. 5. (Maybe the hardest and still struggle with) I read some where that really changed how I look at the band. I was always tell the doctor but I can eat this amount. Its not how much I can eat, its how much you can eat and be satisfied. I know I continued to over eat with the band and still do to this day. It almost seems its worse with the band because its almost a challenge to see how much I can eat. However, when I started paying attention to calorie intake and trying to limit the amount that I eat, it has helped a lot. Now I don't measure my food (thought I probably should) I'm just trying to limit as much as I can. I still can say that I don't feel I'm in the green zone. However, at this point, I feel I'm getting things under control. I was so ready a month ago to have this thing taken out. However, I've keept on trucking because I don't want to be fat. I got down within 10lbs of my ideal weight and I liked it and I'm not going to give up just yet. Anyway, hopefully this will help someone. Again I would like to stress that I think the one thing that helped me the most was the Pantoprazole. I feel that acid reflux was the cause of my complications. Even though I didn't have reflux symptons when I was loose or recently filled, I think it the reflux just got worse and worse until I couldn't eat.

Thanks guys for your advice. My appointment is tomorrow. I wil talk to the dr. I just hope he doesn't refuse to fill me because I don't want to gain 100lbs with this pregnancy and I could possibly on the track to that. And just so I don't get yelled at, I don't want to starve myself either. I am in my 7th week and I have gained almost 20lbs since my last fill which was 2 months ago.

I just found out that I'm pregnant. I'm guessing that I'm around 5 weeks. I was banded last September. I'm soo excited and I know I need to do some reading on how do manage the band and the pregnancy. Currently I only have 2cc's in my band because I was having problems and they did a complete unfill and I just got 2 cc's in a few weeks back. My next appointment is July 1st and I'm trying to decide either to cancel it, schedule it a little later, or just going and talk to the Dr. I want more put in because I have no restriction an don't want to gain a lot more back. Those that are pregnant, or were pregnant with the band, did you have to have unfill, you stayed where you were at?

I would like to hear others comments on what the nurse said. Do you think that makes sense??

I am going to start eating pineapple. I will try anything. I am completely unfilled right now, but I go back next week to be filled. But I know my problems are from gas and I will try anything. I posted this in another post, but the nurse that unfilled me said what is happening with the gas that it get up into the stomach flat that they use to hold the band in place and it pushes on the band and can change the restriction. Also, since its in that flap its really hard to get rid of.

I have been having a lot of problems since really I began getting filled. I had surgery Sept 4 08. First fill a month later and was over filled. Since then, I was yo-yoing back and forth fill, unfill, fill etc. I was having a problem with very large changes in restriction (of course without being filled or unfilled). I was able to from eating a regular size restaurant meal one day not not even able to get down water/soup/broth a few days later. I have problems with constipation, heart burn, a lot of pb'ing, side pains, shoulder pains. In the last 2 months I had went through 3 episodes of almost flu like symptoms: Vomiting, stomach pains when I ate, chest hurt, felt like I could n't breath. This last round started last Thursday and I wasn't able to eat anything, thurs through sat. Sunday, Monday I was fine and then Tuesday it started in again. The times tha I went in before, they kept telling me that I am full of gas. The gas is what is causing my problems. I have tried every type gas of medicine possible. I've tried taking Fiber and it would make the gas worse. I've stayed away from foods that cause gas. I would take beano before I ate. They kept telling me that I just need to find something to control the gas. So, I went to the Dr yesterday and saw one of the nurse. She took a look of the band under fluro and it was fine no slip. The nurse told me that the flap that they fold over to hold the band in place so it doesn't slip. Sometimes you can get gas up into that flap and it almost impossible to get that gas out with medications. I guess the more gas that gets up into that flap, that will push on the band and make it tighter. So anyway the nurse said what happend a lot of time when people have complications that we baby step them back by unfilling a little at a time and sometimes that doesn't work. We have to completly unfil the band and give you a rest from it, let you digestive system get back to normal and them start filling about little by little. Anyway, just wanted to share. Now I have to be really careful not to gain a lot of weight this next month.

To keep it short. I really don't want to get into a discussion about my problems because I have been reading a lot in the complications area and have posted issues that I have. I have around 6 cc's in my band. I have went for several unfills during the 3/4 months. I go from one day being able to eat a whole restaurant meal to not even getting down Soup and Water the next day. Chest pains, shoulder pains, a pain in my lower left side, lot of pb'ing, constipation, excessive gas and bloating, heart burn, etc. This has been going on since November. I have only seen my Dr once since the problems started and he was kind of like well lets just see how it goes. I've only seen the NP and really don't feel that she is taking it seriously. I'm almost to point that I want this band to be taken out but I don't want to give up because I don't want to gain back the weight that I have lost. I have an appointment with my sugeron the 1st part of June and if I don't get anywhere than I am going to see someone else. I actually just called the office to see if I can come in today and I thinki I am going to ask for a complete unfill.

I had the lap bad back in September. Since my 1st fill, I have had a lot of issues. I have been to the Dr office several times and seen both the Dr and the NP, but I don't feel like they are taking me serious. I have an appointment at the beginning of June with my Surgeon to try to get things under control. If I don't get somewhere in the appointment, I am going to go somewhere else. Therefore, I am looking for a someone that has complications and feel that their Dr really listened to them and gave more than just suggestions on ways to correct the complications. Thanks.

I lost track with how much I have in it, but I would say I am aroun 6cc in a 10cc band. Lately I have had a burning sensation at the bottom of my throat. It is usually when I am taking some meds. The only medication I took before the band was prolosect. I've started taking that again, I take constant gas medications, I'm staking stool softeners/laxatives. I've tried to take Fiber pills but can't get them down. Uggg. I get a side ache when the gas is bad. But I dont' sit around and fart or burp a lot. So I guess that is my problem, that the gas is not passing. I've read up on the gas medicine and it doesn't relieve the gas, I guess it make all the little tiny gas bubbles into one big gas bubble so it is to make it easier to pass it. I don't think that works for me though. I don't know. I don't want to have a complete unfil, but I'm thinking I need it. I was hoping that it would get better. I actually have been doing better since my last until which I believe it was alost 2 months ago, but this last week has been bad.

I have been trying to get pregnant since the begining of this year. I am really starting to get frustrated becuase I didn't think that it would be this hard. I have a 4 year old and I swear I got pregnant the 1st time we tried. Just wondering if anyone had a harder time getting pregnant after having the band. I haven't been on any type of birth conrtol for over 5 years. Any suggestions?? I think I am going to bo buy one of those ovulation kits to see if that helps.