miznonny

Hi, I guess I'm a poor example, as I am :hungry: hungry...down in the :cry dumps, and haven't lost a SINGLE lb. ! I was actually SUPPOSED to have the Gastric ByPass, because my "downfall" has always been my major addiction to sweets, and ICE-CREAM, in particular. Then...lo and behold, when the Dr. noticed that I hadn't written down all of my meds. on the sheets I had filled out, (I left a little note there, saying "Too numerous to write down! Ask me in person!") he said, "Ok...what gives with the meds?" I pulled out a HUGE cosmetic bag full of meds. and once he started checking all the labels, he sighed, leaned back in his chair.....and said, "Ooops! :opps2: I think we have a problem." Due to the fact that most of my meds need real gastric juices, from the actual STOMACH, to be absorbed, properly....there was no way I could utilize these meds, with a Gastric ByPass. And, since most of them, were meds I could not just STOP, "cold turkey"....but were, in fact...not only necessary to my well-being, but also pills that if I WERE to stop, would require a l-o-n-g period of time...in order be "weaned" off of them! So, if by some miracle, my primary physician COULD find a suitable alternative, I would, none-the-less, have to be weaned from the current Rx's.....v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. And, again, it would have to be a substitute, which did exactly the same thing, the ORIGINAL meds did, but which would NOT need the stomach's gastric juices, to get the job done! Arranging all the bottles, into little groups, on his desk....Dr. Rumbart finally said, "In your case, we both know, that with your sweets and ice-cream addictions, the IDEAL surgery for you, and the only one I can guarantee will work, would be the Gastric Bypass. He went on to say, "This is because, with the lap band, you will still be able to eat those things, which caused your problem with obesity, if your will-power should fail you." I looked at him as though he were crazy;:eek: "WILL-POWER???" And, before I could continue, he said, "Yes. I know. You are thinking...since will-power has NEVER worked for you in the past...why would it work for you THIS time???" We just looked at each other :paranoid , across his desk....for what seemed a very long time. I could see the empathy in HIS eyes, and I know, that he could tell how I was feeling, since he could obviously SEE the tears begin to spill out of my eyes and down my cheeks.:think He was so nice...as we continued to talk...and as I TRIED to regain my composure. After we had talked for a long, long time...about the pro's and cons.....he could see that I was totally frantic...and so :noidea: undecided. So, finally he told me to think about it, really, really hard...overnight, because my although surgery was already scheduled for the next morning, he would be more than willing to change the date. Did I think that I could really AVOID eating sweets and ice-cream, egg-nog and cheese-cake, forever and for always....all by myself:ban: ? Because, he hated to do a procedure that he just wasn't sure would be effective, for me ;ie: the lap-band. My mind just continued to race; I had traveled :plane: so far. I had :blah: BEGGED :hail: my husband, to provide the funds, for what I considered to be my "last and ONLY chance" at losing the weight that had been plaguing me for years. We couldn't afford to do it, in the States...as we are retired and on :money: fixed incomes. And, truth be told, even having it done in Mexico, was not something we could really afford, either. His first reaction, was to :rant: rant and rave, and tell me, I must be :der: crazy. He was really, really :mad2: angry...that I would even think :confused: of such a "selfish" thing, and especially :flame: angry when I told him that I had been :phone: checking this out, working out all the details, without talking to him first! But, I :argue: argued that if I hadn't done the :typing: research, first...with facts and figures, to show to him, I wouldn't have stood a chance! He would have just said, "NO!", and that would have been the end of it! Finally, after much :hail: pleading, on MY part...and then a few days of not speaking to me:zip:, on HIS part, I summoned up the courage :yield: to ask, again. To my total surprise, my husband finally agreed to give me this "Last Chance", and spring for the GBP. "On one condition", he said. "You have to PROMISE me, that you will die, :rip: on the operating table!" (You know....there's ALWAYS a "catch" :doh: with him!! Although, that wasn't exactly, the response I'd hoped for :ohwell: ....I thought, "Hey...whatever works for YOU; whatever gets the job, DONE!" :peace: :amen: ! Now, I was faced with returning home, with NOTHING having been done....OR, taking the wild leap into the daunting "Will-Power" Zone, again. A place, which for me, has ALWAYS been fraught with failure.:phanvan My wonderful Dr. had a friend of his, a psyciatrist, talk with me for several hours. (This would NEVER happen in the states!) I finally decided...to change the plan, and take a gigantic leap of faith....(in myself) and switch to the lap-band. Have I been eating a healthy meal-plan, since my operation on the 22nd of Mar.? Nooooo. :spider: I've been existing on sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles, Isopure, and sugar-free Popsicle Brand Fudgesicles. Can't have broth, because it seems as though all of them have too much sodium, which is a killer for me, since I have severe lymphedema. I have also had at least one of those little YoPlait, low-fat bottles of yogurt, as a treat each day. Maybe the lack of weight-loss, is due to the fact that my new sugar-free popsicle addiction, means I eat about a dozen of them, a day! Not good. Not good. I spend hours trying to keep my mind off of eating....but am finding myself, too weak to really excersize. I do try, but only last about 15 minutes, before I just "poop out"!:notagree Also, I have severe balance issues. I tend to topple over, quite often...and so, have been in a wheelchair, for some time, now. Well, as luck would have it, on my 2nd or 3rd day home, I took a rather nasty:faint: fall, as I was trying to go down the stairs. Not Good. I can no longer feel my port, and my Dr. here, could not find it....even on x-ray. Anyway, that's my story...thus far. I'm pretty down in the dumps, about the whole thing....and am honestly wishing, I had just gone ahead and had the Gastric ByPass....and worried about the medication problem, later. But, I took my shot, and now I just HAVE to make this work. :help: I would sure appreciate, any words of inspiration...or advice...from anyone out there. Hope to hear from some of you, long-time bandsters....or even better, maybe from those of you who are just starting out, like I am. Did I mention that I was banded on the 22Mar2006? Thanks for listening.... Nonny

Oh, Jana....what an experience, for you! I am so happy that your Dr. was there, and could fix the problem, immediately! Did your Dr. give you an x-ray, first? Or, an ultra-sound? I didn't reach Dr. Rumbart, but his associate, called. He said not to worry; that most people don't EVER feel their port. He said, "Stop probing for it!" You may never feel it, again. But I'm sure everything is fine." Hmmmm....I still think something is wrong, since for 6 days, prior to my fall, my port was right under my skin, round and flat, and I knew exactly where it was. I MUST have injured it, in some way.....because right after the 1st fall, is when it went "on edge" ....and then after the 2nd fall, it disappeared. So, I am taking it upon myself, and have made an appointment, with our little clinic, up here in the mountains. My Dr. is going to x-ray, the area....to see just WHERE the port really IS. You see, it makes no sense to me; Dr. Rumbaut, said it was stitched, with four secure stitches. ...and even if one stitch was injured....torn or whatever, the other 3 stitches would still hold it securely in place. Yet his associate, said, last night....that ports move around ALL the time. Which to me, is in direct opposition to what Dr. Rumbart said. After the x-ray, I will call Dr. Rumbart; only this time I will call his cell phone, so I can talk directly to him. Good plan? What do YOU think, Jana? And, I'm so curious as to what made your DR. do the surgery?

OK, you must think I'm the most stupid person in the world. Der-da-der! But...I don't know, I just thought that maybe it would suddenly appear, again....as quickly as it disappeared. And, I did talk to him, after I fell the first time, and he told me that I had probably pulled or torn a stitch. And, that it just "seemed" to be standing "on edge", but that it was probably due to the swelling that occurred when I fell and pulled or tore that stitch. Anyway, I took your advice, and called his office. Of course he is in surgery all day, today, but they offered to page him, so that he could call me BETWEEN surgeries. I told them "NO, wait until he's all done, and then page him to call me." So, he should be calling in a couple of hours, I think. I don't know WHY I'm so terrified. I just am. But, I'll let you know what he tells me, and again....thanks for the input! My best..... Nonny

Hi DeLarla, Thanks for your interest! I had my lap-band put in on Mar 22, 2006. I had it done in Mexico, by the most wonderful Dr. His name is Dr Roberto Rumbart. I left for home, a day earlier than most people do, because I made a mistake, when I made my airline reservations. At any rate, all the way home, I kept sneaking my fingers inside my sweater, just to feel for the port. It was placed high, next to and a bit to the right of the center incision. (That's if you're looking At me) On me, looking toward you, it would be just to the right of my heart.) I kept thinking, "Gee...I've been told that our fill center, is run by a woman who is not that experienced, as it is a brand new center, here." And, as I felt the flat, round port, I wondered, "Hmmm. What if she pokes too hard, and hits my heart?" Ok, here is the problem; I took a very hard fall,:faint: about two days after coming home. I landed face down, arms stretched out, right on my belly! Let me tell you, I screamed so loud :hurt that neighbors across the road must have heard me! Once my husband got me up off of the floor, (which was no easy task, because everything he did, to try and get me up, sent me into orbit! :ban: ) I felt for my port, the moment I was finally on my feet, and I was totally freaked when I no longer felt my lovely, flat, round port! Instead, I felt something which I can only discribe as an object (like a quarter) standing on edge. And, boy...did it hurt! I called my "Patient Co-ordinator" and she urged me to call the Dr., immediately. I was afraid to call, because it was around 9pm....but she reminded me, that Dr. Rumbart takes every call 24/7....and doesn't mind doing so. So, I did call. Dr Rumbart asked me if my center incision was ok, and I said, "Well it hurts like crazy, but I think it's ok". He told me to take the pain medication he had given me, and assured me that I had either fallen so hard that I may have torn a stitch, and the feeling of the port standing on edge, was caused by the trauma of the fall, which created swelling under the port. Then, he said.."Please call me, if anything changes, or you are still concerned about anything." As luck would have it, I tripped on a throw rug, and did the exact same thing; I fell flat :faint: on my belly, AGAIN!! Yesterday I woke up, and immediately felt for my port. I was shocked to find, that I couldn't feel it at ALL! I kept feeling for it and feeling for it, and I ended up with a horrible migraine headache because I was so stressed about it. I took my medication, and slept :notagree through most of the day. This morning I woke up....and probed and probed. All I can feel is a rather large lump right under the center incision. Pressing on it, makes it :omg: hurt. But, I pressed on all my other incisions, and they have lumps under them, as well....however unlike the larger CENTER incision, they do not hurt at all! I hate to call the Dr. again, but I'm thinking that I probably should. Oh, worra worra! I'm so scared! What do YOU think?

Good Morning To All! I hope this post goes through, because I posted for the first time, last night, and at the end, when I entered it, the forum said I was NOT logged in! :faint: Oddly enough, I WAS logged in. Sooo, this is a test message to see if I'm doing this correctly. Stand by...for news! Nonny