RestlessMonkey

Yes it exists and is pretty serious. It's also called "gastroparesis"...a delayed emptying of stomach contents. I'd even guess (JUST A GUESS!!!) that had they known you had it before the band, they'd have recomnmended a differed WLS. There are drugs you can take to speed up the process and as long as your surgeon (and a gastroenterologist? endocrinologist?) are on it (it can mess with your blood sugar too) I'm sure you'll be fine. Glad you got the help you needed and are on the mend.

You might also throw in fear of harming your healing band site etc. (Many are already familiar with this litany! LOL) When you eat it causes peristalsis and your stomach churns. The churning action of your stomach CAN cause a slip or a tear in your sutures. So aside from fear of puking, don't eat because you might MIGHT do your band site some damage. Follow your post op diet scrupulously. If you are afraid you'll indulge, sit this holiday out. Really. :tongue2: You want the best band experience possible; there will be other barbecues.

The acidity in the carbonation won't corrode the band. The band is outside your stomach, not in where the carbonated beverage would be. However there are many reasons to avoid it. Ask your doc or nutritionist (in my office the doc calls the shots) WHY you can't have it, then decide if it's worth it for you.

Call your DOC! NOW! (before his office closes, not because you're likely to explode or something) Your problem is probably constipation...let HIM tell you what might be wrong and what to do! Seriously; they will prefer you call rather than let it get worse, ok? There is a holiday this weekend; don't delay and end up in the ER! Good luck; you probably just need a laxative/stool softener but your doc will tell you what he prefers you take, and it MAY be something else.

Since you've already called the doc! (yay you!) :tongue2: Yes get Mylanta or some tums. If you truly VOMITED (including stomach acid, which most PB's don't) you may have really irritated yourself and that's causing the burning. You may have some reflux or heartburn going on. Don't just suffer; mylanta or tums won't hurt you and should ease it some. And as you know, liquids only for a couple days until it calms down...but do stay hydrated. Have some Protein shakes if you can bear them. Good luck! Probably your "innards" are just upset and it won't be anything major, but you've totally done right by calling the doc.

Dr. Kirschenbaum in Denver is the least expensive I've read about. He doesn't take any insurance...and honestly the 9950 is probably what many docs get after insurance does it's price adjustment anyway! Just make sure if you pick ANY surgeon away from your local area that you have a plan for fills and after care. Will you fly back to Denver? Will a local surgeon take you on? (not all will) Is there a "Fill Center USA" near you? Get that aftercare lined up, ok? It's something a lot of us, focused on just GETTING the band, don't really pay attention to, and it is vital. Without it the band is just a big old pricey waste of money for most.

I don't think many (any?) of us get the band without trying the diet/exercise route. Some of us have done ALMOST every diet known to man. I had a WONDERFUL doc once (loved that man) give me a new perspective about 15 years ago when I was literally in tears at my weight (then 290) I said "I just feel like such a failure. I'm smart, I'm accomplished, but I can't ever seem to get a grip on my weight. What is wrong with me? I'm useless". He grabbed my shoulders (!) and looked me dead in the eye and said "You are in a war for your life. You're fighting your body, your chemistry, for your very existence. Nature is on the side of your body...BUT you have won many many skirmishes in the war and you must NEVER give up." WOW. The lap band, as I see it, is a tool. Would you berate yourself for losing weight "only if you diet"? NO. Would you berate yourself for exercising? NO. Would you say "But my friend never diets and exercises and SHE is skinny?" Maybe, but only to whine a little! LOL You wouldn't think you had be BE like her. SO you need the band. Big woo. Lots of people need it (or SOMETHING) and don't ever get it. You are smart. You are getting more weapons to put in your arsenal for this war you're in. Don't feel guilty. If diet and exercise worked (and the percentage who do lose and keep it off that way is excruciatingly small) no one would be fat.

Here's where I got the idea that the band holding 4cc is "old style" Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band If you look under versions, the 2001 style of lap band, called the 9.75/10, held 4ccs.

The 4cc band is, as far as I know, the older style of Lap Band. Currently they are producing the "AP" (for advanced platform) series which is sized: AP S holds 10 cc's, AP L holds 14 ccs. As far as I can tell from nosing around a very little bit (I have the AP L so it isn't a big personal concern for me, just a curiosity) the 4cc one is used most often still by surgeons practicing in Mexico. A few US surgeons still use it. THis is just what I've "gotten", again, from reading, it isn't hard science. However I think the 4cc band apparently produces results, because people have been successfully banded for years. In other words, what they "used" to use apparently works. And I may be wrong...it DOES happen! :tongue2:

Well, after a fill my doc (and many but not all others) recommend just being on fluids for 24 hours, then moving to mushies etc. So yes you can be swollen for a while. If you can get liquid down then just don't eat anything thicker until Fri but by Fri am, if it were me and I STILL felt like you do, I'd call the doc. (Since Sat is a holiday) We're all different of course...

I WISH I were in your shoes. I didn't get restriction until May of this year, banded last Aug. Took 7 fills or some such. You are WAY ahead of the curve. Patience; it's a process but it will happen for you!

I am not sure what question you're asking...but if you can't swallow your own saliva you are still too tight. Call the doc back.

I'm so HAPPY! for you! I'll do a happy dance! :redface: So glad it worked out and 6 more pounds is awesome! Hang in there and stay in touch, ok? :biggrin:

Worry about stretching the pouch is REALLY common after we first get the band because until it's tightened most of us CAN and do eat more than 1/2 cup (or whatever). Even the ones who "diet" until they get restricted worry about it if they occasionally overeat. ALWAYS check with your doc of course! AND pouches CAN stretch. But it's very rare and when it happens usually the treatment is an unfill...let it rest, then start over. :redface:

Cookiebaby: I just wanted you to know (in case you didn't) that I am laughing myself to death at the fool who TOLD you such a silly thing, not at you. Especially when we're new, we don't KNOW! I think you were smart to ask instead of just accept it at face value. Just wanted to be clear! :redface:

Until you have good restriction, there really isn't much of a pouch, so nothing much to stretch. Once the band is tightened and the "stoma" is small, then yes. You may "pouch pack" and stretch it but you have to work at it and abuse it over time. The stomach is sturdy stuff.

OMG! Good advice for those who "self-fill" :redface:

What IS your preop diet? That will inform what food you should take/have.

Pardon me while I ROFLMAO. Ok, no, she is nuts or at the least misinformed. Exploding bands are not a concern. :redface: Ok back to ROFLMAO.

Don't worry; it's the initial weight that will matter. You'll be fine.

I know that you aren't SUPPOSED to be full. You are supposed to be "satisfied". Big Difference. If you can eat a subway you probably can use more restriction. Pouches do stretch but not usually before you're well restricted. Just watch your portions, chew well, and quit when satisfied, not full. See if 3/4 of the 6" subway will do you next time, for example. Personally I can't eat "beyond" full now that I have good restriction. In fact that's my signal to stop. I'll be eating along and burp a time or two and then realize "Ok chickie, one more bite and it's coming back!" and I stop. That's usually at about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food. After I got the band but before I hit my sweet spot? I could eat a chick fil a and a regular fries...for example. (hate subway so can't compare there) In fact my last fill I told the doc "I can eat a hot dog w/bun; that's too much" He agreed. Now I can eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a hot dog/bun. Much better Watch it, hang in there, and let your surgeon know how much you can eat until "satisfied"...that can help him/her gage how much to fill you. OH and one other thing...I can eat all the bread but usually I just do Protein and a veggie...2 oz of steak will fill me up and last, and I lose well that way. I find I'm choosing things that have more "bang for the buck" if that makes sense! Your pouch should be fine!

What type band do you have if you don't mind? Just curious (monkeys are, you know! LOL) since I haven't until your post even heard of a band that holds 15 cc's... great loss, by the way!

My surgeon covered this in his preop seminar. I'll paraphrase here: Almost ALL my patients will start to lose hair, and lose hair, from about 3 to about 6 months post op. supplements like Protein or Biotin don't seem to effect it. NO ONE but a lady who owned a wig shop has "needed" a wig or toupee, and EVERYONE has had it grow back. It seems to be related to the trauma of surgery, as best we can tell. So don't let it bother you, buy pricey supplements if you think they'll make you feel better, and wait it out. It will pass. I could tell I was losing hair but my hairdresser (who is GREAT and been doing my hair 20 years) said it never got thinner where she could even tell. At almost 1 year out I'm back to "normal" anyway. So...hang in there. It will pass.

I didn't need Gas X...and they don't help at all with the pumped in gas that surgeons use to make the surgery easier. (And a GOOD surgeon can remove most of that; mine did) Gas X (simethecone) just breaks gas up so you can burp it out, and I had NO trouble burping! LOL but it helps some people. However I'd check with the doc to see if s/he recommends it first.

My surgeon is very skilled and yes, can do bypass reversals. The sleeve isn't because the stomach is removed...but bypass can largely be reversed if you have a great surgeon both times. You wouldn't GET it thinking you could just have it reversed, but in some instances it can be. If you aren't comfortable having part of your stomach removed then the sleeve isn't for you, no matter what anyone else may say to you. I don't know who's been confronting you but perhaps you could tell them to take a flying leap? LOL Ok maybe not...There's always someone somewhere who can tell you what you SHOULD do or what would've been better. I would just ignore them, personally.