abrenner

Thanks, Slimmap, for the support. I'm not really upset right now (because I feel SO much better already but can still feel the rawness in my esophagus), just worried that I won't be able to maintain my current weight. I can't work out or even walk or swim for exercise right now because I have this hernia that is in the way & bothering me. I'll try wearing double support garments & walking my dogs to see if that works, but usually I get too achy or in pain to go very far. Gaining more than a few pounds back is what I worry about. Last night I did ok with how I ate. Not perfect, but ok. Thanks again.

Well, had an interesting morning at the bariatric doctor's. Turns out that my band/opening is NOT obstructed, but the barium showed significant swelling of the esaphagus above the band, and swelling (although not significant) of the stomach below the band. His response to this was to UNfill me by 7cc for six weeks to give my body a chance to heal. Since this was a fast onset, we are hoping it isn't too late an that in six weeks I will be fine again and can start the process of band tightening once again. I'm bummed, but not devastated. I knew that there was a big problem and that it was recent, so needing to be unfilled some was no surprise. Unfilling me totally was. The trick for me will be to stay with the eating program so that I don't regain a significant amount of weight. I would be really upset if that would happen. I think (pray) that I'm far enough along to stick to my eating program. Wish me luck!!

Hi everyone! So here we are, another year out since our surgeries. Anyone want to check in? What are your plans to keep to your eating program for Pesach?? I am having a little problem that is indicating that I need to be UNfilled a little bit. Right in time if you ask me, LOL. Not that I plan to go wild on Pesach, but at least this year I might enjoy more. Especially erev Pesach after my kitchen is turned. I like to have salad with tuna in it for lunch (I do not eat matzah until after the first seder), and I was afraid I couldn't do that the way I've been feeling the last several weeks. I posted the whole saga (too much drama for my tastes, but that's the way it goes sometimes, yes?) in the general Fills board if you want to see what is up. Meantime, I wish you all a happy, healthy Pesach and as restful and restorative as it possibly can be.

I had my surgery quite a while ago, and have not had a fill in just over a year. My weight plateaued at 33 pounds last May and I was ok with that. I have a ventral hernia that is getting bigger, and I had to stop working out in the early fall. I'm now starting the process to get that fixed. Here's the weirdo thing. I had a head cold in February that resolved pretty easily. But about 10 days later I felt as if my band was tighter, and I wasn't able to eat as much and was PB'ing more. Then I went through a few days in real pain. Saw my PCP who said it sounded like gastritis, and I did two weeks on Prilosec (which I just completed on Sunday). I was remiss in going in for my one year post band checkup and getting my upper GI done. Things were ok and I really didn't have the time until now. I went in this morning and swallowed three relatively small sips of barium (not pleasant, but palatable if you hold your nose, LOL). The barium did not got through the band. So I needed to wait about 35 minutes and they checked me again. Still nothing. The radiology department called my bariatric doctor's office. They wanted me to come right in and get this taken care of, rush, rush, rush... And I've been living with this now for five weeks. The head surgeon, the lead on the team and the one who started the whole department, has made it crystal clear that he is the ONLY person authorized to fill or UNfill me because I have a compromised abdominal wall from many abdominal surgeries (ergo the ventral hernia - that is how you get them). I talked to the office and told them that I do not PB everything and not at every meal NOR am I uncomfortable all the time. I said that if I'd been allowed to take a sip of Water to thin out the barium it would've gone through. Bottom line - I go in on Thursday when the lead physician is in the office and he will take some saline out of my band. Have any of you heard or experienced anything where a lot of coughing or sneezing has forced saline in the tubing into the band, making it inflate more? That seems to be the current theory we are all operating under, because everything else is fine. Thanks for any and all ideas, responses, suggestions, etc.

Liquidblue, That is awesome!! Go girl! I wish everyone here all the best and another great year of using our tools wisely and healthfully. Here's hoping!

I think your 37 pounds is extraordinary! Some of us have a really hard time losing weight even with the tool of the band, and the fact that you've done so well shows that you are really working with your tools to reach your goals. Good for you! I keep telling myself (and now you by extension) that I didn't gain the weight in one year, so if it takes me three to get to my goal weight I can live with it! Even the 37 pounds you've lost probably feels great I'm guessing. Have you treated yourself to some flattering clothing to reflect your weight loss? Sometimes that helps a lot. All the best and good luck! You are all my inspiration and heroes. I couldn't do this without any of you there along the way.

Hi August Bandsters! Well, I can't compare with the weight many of you have lost over this last year, and man am I impressed with all of you!! You all have really supported and inspired me along the way, and it has certainly been a challenging year for me. After three months of plateau, I finally started to lose again, and am now down a full 31 pounds! Understand that it is extremely hard for me to lose weight, even with the band and exercising, so for me this is a very big accomplishment. I'm so pleased for everyone here as we round the corners of our anniversaries. I'm raising my virtual glass of champagne to everyone. You all have truly rocked my world. I thank each one of you for your courage and kindnesses along the way.

Hi Everyone, I don't post here often enough. I weigh myself each Monday. Today I was down another 2#! My weight didn't change much for the last two months but seems to be starting to move again. I've been sick and I don't know how much that has or hasn't impacted on the weight loss. I haven't been working out much either but that is due to my babying a pre-hernia that I'm trying to keep from needing to have fixed for a while yet. Anyway, as expected I don't lose weight easily, not even with the band. Just losing for the first time in years is a big accomplishment. It is very frustrating, but I keep telling myself that it will come off in time as long as I stick to the eating rules and do the little bit of working out that I can do. I'm so impressed with those of you who've lost such impressive amounts in what seems to be a short amount of time! You are all my heroes.

Hi everyone! I hope you all had wonderful, easy, PB free Pesachim and sederim. Mine was just wonderful through and through. Bonus - I only gained ONE pound the whole time! I'm amazed with all that I ate - I sure felt like I ate more and would've gained more back, but not according to my dear, darling digital scale. Go figure. So, how did you do? B'shalom,

Or should I say, my dirty NOT SO LITTLE secret? I was banded in August 2008. I just broke the 25 lb mark last week, finally - yay me! I think you might know I'm a tough case and have a really hard time with weight loss, ergo the choice to band. My dirty secret is that since I was banded I've had a serious condition that has zapped me of virtually any extra energy, and so the area that has suffered the most is my house. I've never, ever, ever lived in filth before - and believe me, this isn't just sloppiness anymore - there are true areas of filth now. I've been making myself nuts over how to get my kitchen cleaned up in advance of Pesach so that I can make my share of the two sedarim I'm attending. I mean literally making myself sick over this. I had to stay home from work this morning to give myself some extra time in bed, it's been that bad. The upside is that while I took my bath I came up with what I think is the solution for me. Let me start by saying I'm not shomer, but keep kosher - and to the point where most of you would probably be comfortable eating my food. I realized that the best use of my tax refund money, time, and what energy I have would be to go rent a place at one of those extended stay hotels near where I live, and there are about six to choose from, kasher THEIR kitchen (many have full sized fridges & stoves, some with ovens, some without), and do all my cooking there!! I can get my friend to help me shlep my K l' P utensils & cooking gear over for me and keep them in the room and closets. I can get them to be sure it is cleaned properly & then just kasher it all myself (I even have an electric teapot for doing the sink, and most places use stainless, which will be a help. It isn't hard for me to foil up burners or empty fridge shelves. I already did my full-sized freezer here at home, so I'm ready to go. This way I can start to do my cooking when I need to, and still get my own kitchen kashered in time for Wednesday morning, but the food for the seders will be done & stored for me by Tuesday night! That's my situation. I wish you all the very, very best this Pesach. I'm ready. I need the vacation, believe me. A zissen Pesach and chag sameach! Amy

I agree with you as well. It just burns me up when people speak so meanly about anyone who chooses a surgical option to their weight issues. NO ONE wants to be an out of control eater in my opinion. Seriously. Eating disorders aside, and I think overeating is as much a disorder as anorexia or bulemia, no one deserves to be judged for the decisions they have made. I think one thing that is going to help those who come after us (and perhaps ourselves) is to confront people who make offhand remarks or try to simplify our decisions and educate them on the seriousness with which all (or nearly all) gastric surgery patients treat their situations. I think educating people on the fact that you don't just call up a surgery center on a Tuesday and get banded that Friday needs to be stated LOUDLY and CLEARLY, both in the commercials for bands and from those of us who've been through the process. I take my hat off to everyone who has done this, whether you've been successful or not. I tell people who ask me that this is not for the faint hearted and that it takes a huge committment to make the decision to take a surgical weight loss option. Kudos to us all!

Hi and thanks again for all your support with this. I really am thrilled to have found someone who went through this (not that I would wish it on anyone). But you've helped me feel positive about recovery for the first time in almost six months. I still have to try the tennis ball thing, but I will. I have been on Diamox since early December. I was not on a sufficient dose at first, and am now on 1500 mg. a day. That is the maximum dosage I can take, apparently, and I must say I really did notice a big difference quite quickly. I started to feel like I was breaking through, though about three weeks later, so I'm now on just 20 mg. of generic Lasix per day. What that has been doing is helping with the headaches. I still get headaches, but I get a few hours of relief each day, and am starting to see that each day I'm getting a little more time without a headache as I stay on the protocol. The ONLY risk factor I had at all to cause this was the weight, so as I lose it can only help me. Why this didn't happen a year ago when I hit my top weight for the first time is a puzzle, but not something I can spend time thinking about. Now I spend my time trying to focus on being healthy. I follow my food rules, go to the gym (and if it isn't my best day I may only do cardio, but I try to pair one other group of exercise in with cardio each time I go, such as weight training that I did the other night, and tomorrow I will swim or do yoga, depending on how I feel). I can't wait to get all my energy back. I spend weekends resting, and my house shows it, believe me, LOL. Thanks again for the support. I can't tell you how helpful it has been to me. Best,

Thanks Barb. Good luck to your niece. I hope her journey leads her to a full and complete recovery with no further need for more than monitoring. May she live to be 120! Amy

Hi everyone! I love this site and have found it to be invaluable to me during my weight loss journey and the process. I am a tough loss and slow loss patient, and sometimes my patience wears thin, LOL. How's THAT for punny and ironic? Anyway, that isn't why I'm posting today. Here's my question. Before I go to the trouble of nagging my nurse at the bariatric center to let me photograph a Realize Band on a table empty, with 1 cc, 2 cc, 3 cc, etc. until it is full, I wondered whether anyone else has done or seen something like this. One thing that I know that helps many people, including me, is to have an idea visually of what I'm dealing with here. So when I'm told I have 7.5 cc in a 10 cc capacity band, what does that LOOK like in terms of diameter of the opening to my stomach. I haven't found anything out in cyber space that gives me this kind of information, so unless I am reinventing the wheel, I'll be taking photographs and posting them sometime in the second half of April most likely. That is when I have my next vacation and can take the time to set things up and do a pretty good job - I don't want this to be too cheesy and unprofessional looking. I may use my digital camera to set up the shots, but I'll use my regular, dependable Nikon SLR (oh do I wish I could afford the digital version) film camera and then have the film transferred into a digital format to upload. Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories, pain, joy, advice, honesty, concerns, and support. I don't think I could've done this without you.

I am so sad! I was planning to attend but got invited to a family Bat Mitzvah that weekend and will be tied up. I'm so disappointed - I'd wanted to meet other bandsters and hopefully get support, love, and tips! I'll be thinking of you all.