Iulizbug

We collect foreign beer bottles and mugs from different countries. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

Hi Chelley, I am currently going thru exactly what you are going thru. I have had to have a complete unfill for the last 3 weeks to let my stomach and espophagus heal from being too tight and irritated. i thought I had a slip but my fluro confirmed that my band was in perfect places still, thank goodness. My doc did say that if I didn't take some saline out though, it was very probable that my band could and would slip. I definately haven't lost any weight in these past few weeks, w/out restriction it is hard just to maintain. I am going in today for a fill and am hoping to start losing again this week. I am not going to be filled as tight as I was prior to my unfill. I was filled to 3.2/4cc and I am thinking somewhere b/w 2-2.5cc will be fine for me. I want to lose weight w/out PBing and sliming on every meal. I know my doc told me that i would probably gain 5-10 lbs b/c of not having any restriction but I tried my best not to gain. I am w/in the same 2-3 lbs as I was 3 weeks ago. I wouldn't worry about losing w/out any saline in--just give yourself time to heal and rest your band. You can get back on the wagon in a month or so and start losing again. Good luck to you~ ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

Leigh, I am so sorry you are going thru this. I, too was feeling exactly the same way you were for way too long and even though I was losing 12-15 lbs a month that was not the way I wanted to lose it. My stomach and esophagus got so irritated from the vicious cycle of PBing that my band eventually closed up and i couldn't swallow my own spit or any Water, let alone food. I went to the ER and got an emergency unfill and am now currently unfilled. Like Alex said, your health is not worth losing weight at a faster pace. I am going to get re-filled but probably about half of what I had in before. I want my band to last for a long time and I dont' want to be barfing all of the time and miserable. I know that you said you were looking for a fill doc in Florida. I go to Dr.Jessee in Largo Fl which is close to Tampa/st.Pete and she is awesome. I know that she takes Mexico patients, I am one too. If you want her info she is at SunCoastBariatrics.com. I don't know how close that is to you but she is well worth the price IMO. I do hope you can get some saline out and let your tummy heal. i have been unfilled for 3 weeks and feel WORLDS better from not puking or sliming at all. It has slowed down my WL but I haven't gained so I think it is worth it at this point. I hope you can feel better soon~ OH and BTW Congrats to you on a job well done on your WL, you have done fabulous!! :clap2: ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

Except for now b/c I have no saline in my band I ALWAYS have a spit cup on hand when I have eaten. I never know when I will need it and for me my food will not go down if i keep swallowing the extra saliva--it HAS to come out. It is gross but my boyfriend has gotten used to me getting a spit cup for my meal to have on hand when I am done. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

I used to be insanely hot all of the time when I was MO and now I am freezing most of the time. I remember when I was thin years ago I was naturally cold so I do think it is due to me shedding my extra layer of insulation. I much prefer being cold to hot. Last summer I was the only one in my office who had a huge fan blowing on me while everyone else was bundled up in jackets and blankets. We do have to compromise at home though b/c I always think it is 5% too cold and my bfriend thinks it is too hot. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

I agree this is a great idea for a thread. I will be 26 in a month. I sometimes feel a little bit out of the loop b/c everyone has kids and is married. Not there yet but will be soon. I was banded in March of this year and know it was the best thing I have done in my life for my health. I thought my weight was bad in college when I weighed 155-170 and now I know that it was just the tip of the iceberg then. Looking forward to meeting all of you guys-Welcome!! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/166/160 5'7''

Right now I am currently unfilled due to being dangerously too tight. I go back for a fill in a week. I was at 3.2cc up until two weeks ago and I was banded in March. I think perfect restriction for me is around 2.5ccs. I was filled to 2.7 and felt fine but once I got past 3ccs I started having problems keeping food down and was irritating my esophagus. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/166/160 5'7''

I have always wished that I could be one of those that could just go by how their clothes fit instead of weighing myself regularly to stay on track. Unfortunately for me I have a horrible way of convincing myself that I am losing or at least maintaining my weight when in reality I am gaining rapidly. It is a slippery slope when I lose control and start gaining. I gained 80 lbs in 2 yrs by not weighing myself every day so I guess I will stay a slave to my scale for now...:puke: ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

There is nothing scary about going to Mexico as long as you pick out an excellent surgeon. I was banded by Ortiz and have nothing but wonderful things to say about him but Rumbaut and Kuri are also very good too. As far as your aftercare each of those surgeons bariatric coordinator should be able to give you a list of docs in the US who will take you as a patient for fills. Or you could contact Inamed and they will help you. That is key to being banded in Mexico though, make sure you already have that straightened out before you go. *(Unless you live in Cali or close to Mexico where you can drive there). I don't know of any docs in the States for as cheap as 8K but I have heard the Wish Center doing it for 10k. I have also heard good things about Capital One for financing for surgery from others. I got a 0% credit card and put my expenses on that. $8500 was the total for Ortiz and it was worth every penny. Good luck on your upcoming surgery! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

I have always had the dreaded bat wings and I think that was the last thing to go on my body as I have lost weight. I still have them but they are much much better at this point. I didn't notice a difference at all with just regular cardio and diet until i started doing triceps and arm curls on the machines at the Y. My arms are much firmer now so I think it is working... ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

First thing I do after going to the bathroom is weigh myself before my shower naked. I only post my scales #'s b/c like most other ppl my doc's scale is usually 3-5 lbs heavier. The scale at the gym is about 3 lbs heavier, the one at Publix is the same as mine at home just like the scale at work. So of course I go with my scale and ignore my doctors. Something about doctor scales--they have ALWAYS weighed heavy. I think they are set up that way on purpose. Evil scales!!! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

I had this exact same pain since my last fill about two months ago and my band eventually tightened up last Wed to where I couldn't even drink Water w/out pain. I ended up in the ER for a complete unfill to let my stomach heal from the irritation. Take it from someone who just went thru it--this is NOT normal and you should be able to eat more w/out pain or vomiting. The pain in the ribcage I only had once I was filled too tight. I tried "living with it" thinking that some saline would naturally dissolve and I would be OK but instead my band got even more irritated and tightened up on me. It was very scary. I could of had a band slip but luckily after a fluro everything was OK I just have to remain unfilled for a month. If you don't want to get completely unfilled to let your band/stomach heal I would at least get some saline removed. Just my 2 cents though.. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/169/160 5'7''

I was able to get into a size 14 at around 200 lbs and I am 5'7 1/2''. Right now I am at 170 and am in mostly 10-12's with some occassional 8's. I was in 16's from 205-230 and started at an 18. Every person's body is different but I think you should be in a 14-16 by 200. I still need to lose 10 more lbs at least to be in a solid 8-10 instead of a 10-12. good luck to you. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/170/160 5'7''

I think its crazy when some people's bands slip when they never vomit or PB at all? What is up with that?? What causes their band to slip then? ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

From what i have heard being overfilled for too long and frequent PBing and sliming can cause it. I just got a complete unfill for that very reason after suddenly not being able to swallow Water almost 2 mos after my last fill. I don't know what caused me to tighten up but I know if I didn't get an unfill I could of had a slip. I will now wait a month and get filled again, but I won't dare go as tight as I was before. I was at 3.2/4cc and I am thinking 2.5 might be better for the long term. I was PBing quite often so I feel lucky that my band didn't slip. I am hungry right now and may gain some weight back but at least I am protecting my band which I have only had for 6 mos! Hopefully they will come out with a better method in suturing the band in to prevent slips. I am self pay and having to repair a slipped band would have been devastating. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''

Way to go Candice!! :clap2: You have done exceptional with your band--I am sure you will be at goal in no time at all!! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

I agree--for me the difference b/w 2.0 in my band and 2.7 was huge. At 2 ccs I could eat a whole sandwich, slowly but no way even a half at 2.7. Right now I am currently unfilled completely due to being too tight at 3.2 for a month and a half and I know I could eat two sandwiches if I wanted!! Not that I would......its crazy now that I am wide open I really arent' that hungry...I thought I would be ravenous but I guess I am just used to eating smaller portions from before. Its working so far. Not losing but not gaining either ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

Way to go Bridget on the weight loss! I am doing good. I had a brief scare where I suddenly wasnt' able to eat or drink even water for the past two days so I went to the ER this morning and got a complete unfill. I feel MUCH better and was so relieved to get a fluro done and find out that my band is still in perfect place and has not slipped at all. I am going to wing it and let my tummy and band heal for the next 2-3 weeks and then go for a smaller fill. I was fine on my last fill for almost 2 months and then all of the sudden it was way too much for me. But all in all, I do love my band. I will not get near as much fill in when I go back this time *(I was filled to 3.2cc/4cc) because I am almost at goal and don't want to risk being too tight and damaging my band like before. I got lucky that there were no problems. I am not going to take that chance again, I want my band for life! But I am down about 75 lbs so I have no complaints with the band at all! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/166/160 5'7''

Congrats on being banded James! I was banded by Ortiz in March and had a lovely experience as well. Thanks so much for sharing your story. Everything you said hit home for me--apparently not much as changed in TJ. Glad to hear that you are doing well...keep us posted on how you feel.:eek: ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/169/160 5'7''

Hi Bee, You can't worry about the what if's, but it is much easier said than done I must admit. Trust me I know what you are talking about b/c I was self-pay and have enormous debt now b/c of the surgery. That being said, I don't regret having it for one minute. I am so much happier and healthier and that is way more important to me than a little bit of debt which I know I will pay off in 2-3 yrs. As far as support groups go, I turn to LBT and other message boards for support. I could drive to some but I don't feel it is necessary. I get the information and help I need online but some ppl may benefit from more personal interaction. You have done awesome so far with your weight loss and are right where you should be. Get ready to watch the weight fall off of you! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/169/160 5'7''

Hi Lorrie, As long as you haven't noticed a dramatic change in your restriction, I am sure your band is fine. Usually with a slip (from what I have read..) ppl either arent' able to keep their own saliva down or swallow Water or they suddenly are able to eat everything in site whereas before they were tight. As far as not being able to eat meat and sticking to only soft foods I would be concerned. Not now b/c you are doing excellent and still losing but do you really want to be living on only soft foods forever? Once you get to your goal weight then will you still eat only the foods you can tolerate? Maybe you could get a little saline removed and that would help you get more meats and Proteins down. I do PB too from time to time and it does scare me that it will cause my band to slip BUT if I could never eat meats and other solids i would want to get a teeny tiny bit out to see if that helps. Sometimes just alittle bit can make all the difference in the world. But CONGRATS on your superb weight loss. If you are ok doing what you are doing then I would say keep it up b/c whatever it is it seems to be working great! ~Liz~ 241/169/160 5'7''

I am still working on that part (finding out which foods go down easily and which dont). My band is so fickle and changes in restriction from day to day.... ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

I think carbonation varies from person to person. For me, I feel no pain at all and I enjoy a nice cold beer fromt time to time :welldoneclap:. That being said, there are a lot of calories in alcohol so make sure you compensate for them in your calories for the day by cutting back or exercising more to keep from weight gain. I have lost over 70 lbs in the past 6 mos and have had alcohol in my life since the get go and do not plan on giving it up any time soon (I am only 25...) but it really is inidvidual. I have a friend that absolutely cannot stand carbonation, she says it causes intense pain. IMHO anything that causes pain you should avoid but for me there is none so I sip sip sip and i am fine. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

I go to Dr.Jessee in Largo and have to agree that she is awesome!! A bit pricey but worth the superb service. I got to my sweet spot in 3 fills and haven't had to go back. IMHO its worth it to pay a bit more $$ for excellent after care. ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/168/160 5'7''

From what I have heard, a sudden loss OR gain of restriction for no apparent reason could indicate a slip. Most ppl cannot swallow Water or their own saliva, becoming too tight and they know that something is wrong. But some ppl also become "wide open" after being very restricted and fairly tight for a good while. So any dramatic change would concern me.....Lets hope that we aren't in that 3% of ppl that have problems!! ~Liz~ 03/10/06 241/167/160 5'7''