nightart6

well i reached my goal! but unfortunately a terrible slip caused me to have the band removed in an emergency surgery this thursday. i also found out i'm pregnant the same day! bittersweet goodbye to the band! hello pregnant life!

well, the doctors didn't tell me much, as i was rushed into surgery following the barium swallow....but this is how it went.. the radiologist gave me a cup full of barium and had me take 4 sips at a time for about 3 minutes straight, at the end of this my throat was FULL of barium and the xrays clearly showed a huge white pouch (my stomach) sitting on top of my lapband. there was maybe a pea sized amount of the barium that passed through to the top of my intestines....but nothing could pass...i had to run straight to the bathroom and throw up the barium. my stomach was so irritated and inflammed, that it had swollen shut...didn't really matter 'where' the band was, obstruction can happen no matter where the band sits...just has to do with how swollen your stomach is, or how restricted your band is. does that make any sense? and in no way am i trying to scare you, every one is different, and my body just became more sensitive to the band this last year. just follow the rules and do the best you can do! that's what i did, and i just had to deal with the issues as they came! now i just have to trust myself...work out and not slip back into old ways, but after four years of successful eating i think i have myself trained pretty well thanks clarks! good luck to you both, success with the lap band is super super super achievable!

So I am scheduled for lapband removal tommorrow morning. After dysphagia for 2 weeks finally had a barium swallow....found my band was the most severe slip he'd ever seen...my whole stomach sat on top of my band. 3 years...113 lbs down. But there is good with the bad....Found out I'm pregnant today! The radiologist required preggo test and I'm 3 weeks in. can't wait to start my new pregnant life.

thank you maddysgram!! i appreciate it.

Thanks everyone! Sorry marketing dude, there was no major milestone. I've lost 113lbs with the band. I don't eat breads, I choose good foods, I'm not over zealous. It wasn't user error. After years of the band...it just didn't jive with my body anymore. I'm not exactly sure how long it had been slipped, all I know is it because obstructed recently. You can have a minor slip and still eat normally, but until it slips enough to obstruct, you may never notice any difference, like myself. When I first signed up for the lapband I rarely heard of slips....now I hear about more and more slips and removals. My stomach was in very bad shape after the removal, I had many adhesions and the doctor said my stomach looked "chronically inflammed". The original surgery was to try to save the band...but it was too far gone, and too dangerous to keep in. The lapband helped me lose the excess, but when it started to damage my organs...it was time to say bye bye.

thank you rita! good luck to you as well

well, surgery is over and i am in a LOT OF PAIN! first they had to use to smallest needles for my IV and bloodwork because i was so dehydrated they couldn't find a vein...they blew 6 veins trying to find one. they finally used one in my FOOT! my dad and fiancee came with me and waited in the waiting room while i was in surgery. the surgeon told them it would take 45 minutes to remove the band. it took 3 hours because I had so many adhesions and scar tissue. i am sooo sore. been in the hospital for a total of 5 days now. the JP drain emptied a bucket of blood it felt like. and i asked every nurse (i had about 5 different nurses) if the jp drain hurt to remove and everyone said OH NO! just feels wierd. YEAH RIGHT, that was the most horrible horrible thing about the whole ordeal! i screamed, jumped off the bed and started bawling and hyperventilating!!! and i have a high tolerance for pain! the removal while pregnant had to be done, i just hope i won't have a miscarriage. i'm so happy this stupid ordeal is over!

Exactly!!!! thanks ladies!!!

Hey girlie. I've been banded for almost 3 years now...and honestly this is considered normal for me. I never can drink liquids in the morning, and usually they aren't 'heavy' enough to go down without some food. I'm very tight in the morning anyway. So I usually just eat something semi mushi/easy to eat in the morning and liquids are fine...Been like this for me for as long as I can remember, and I'm not 'too tight'.

"> It's been almost three years! Slow and steady...haven't gained ANYTHING back!

only a few more pounds to go before i'm an official member of this thread!!!

hey guys. i've been having a very sharp pain when swallowing or breathing in deeply. i'm not stuck, it's been like this for 2 days. anyone have any idea? slippage? its keeping me awake at night as well...

heyyy thanks everybody!!! the egd test concluded i don't have an erosion!!! YAYYYY i just need to wait and take the fills easier well do fluro sometime this week! thanks everyone for thinking about me. i hope everyone is doing great.

well i guess no one had any insight for me. i went to the doctor today, spoke with the fill nurse about my dilemma. haven't been able to drink water for the past 3 days...told her about my throwing up dark brown acid tasting fluid...reflux in the middle of the night. she spoke with the dr, and he said i need to come in tommorrow morning for an emergency EGD scope test. he thinks i might have erosion . he prescribed be cerafate suspension ($260), and protonix($162). my appointment today cost $200, and the egd is gonna be over $1000. i was self pay, and i still don't have insurance. i'm a single college kid with 2 jobs. this is turning out to be the worst news ever! i hope i am not eroded...she took out all of my fluid today, i'm completely open...which is nice to be able to drink. i just can't afford a removal surgery. i hope this all works out.

180lbs!! 10 more to go!!

same thing here....for the last 5 days i have been trial and error on what i can tolerate. VERY different from what i could tolerate last week....

i'm a size 16 now...size 13 dress. and i am far, far more confident. the confidence is picked up and i am approached more and more.