Pascale

Certainly you must mention your discomfort/pain to your doctor! Thats what follow up appts are for. After lap band surgery gastritis, ulcers and gastro esophogeal reflux are more common. All can cause damage to the mucosa which can be prevented with medication or eradication of the h.pylori bacteria. They can also be signs of problems with the band itself but I am in no posiiton to speculate there. From the way you relate your symptoms to pregnancy and the feeling in your esophogus I suspect you are having some reflux but definately mention it to your doctor. I had terrible ulcer like pain immediately after banding and am on ulcer meds and now have tested positive for h. pylori. Not a friendly environment for healing. A stretched pouch is when you overeat ignoring the feeling of fullness and literally stretch the little stomach that has been created by banding. For some people, I gather this would be quite impossible because they would vomit or "productively" burb it up. I haven't even had my first fill so this is not first hand knowledge. A slipped band is when the band slips down from where it has been attached or the stomach can slide through it making a double loop which sounds like a real mess to me. I do believe that the two are related because over stretching the pouch can lead to a slipped band. I think it can put enough pressure on the pouch pulling down on it until one or the other gives, either the band detaches or the stomach slides into the pouch. I could have it all mixed up. Now if that isn't enough to make you afraid to overeat I don't know what would do it! Good luck at the doctors. Pascale

Cingulus; Sounds like you are in a committed relationship and one that is worth saving! You are right in worrying about your wife's feelings about your new weight loss. It could blow over with reassurance - after all there are lots and lots of slim men married to big women. But it could actually end up sabotaging your relationship. If your wife is jealous over you - which is sounds like she is - and you are a committed and loving husband I think that might be easy enough to handle. But for goodness sake don't take her everywhere you go! She has to trust you. What I would be more worried about is if she starts being ashamed of her own body in ways that she previously did not feel shame. It can manifest itself in her acting like she is rejecting you sexually when in fact she feels unattractive. Don't fall for the belief that she no longer is attracted to the new you when really she now feels fat and ugly with the new you. You might have to work pretty hard to make her feel sexy. Who knew loosing weight could be so hard on your sex life! Try and be sympathetic all of a sudden she feels fat and unmatched and threatened by competition. None of this was a problem when you were both big. I can really understand why a lot of women would prefer a big husband. I didn't stay married long after I gained weight and that with the birth of my daughter. Your wife is lucky to have you. Pascale

Hi everyone: Date of Surgery: Feb 10, 2009 Where: Tijuana Mexico, Dr. Lopez-Corvala Cost: around 7,000 Self pay Live in Ottawa, Canada Pre Surgery Weight: 198 Weight Today 186 Rate of loss 1.5 lbs. a day This forum has been my only form of surgical aftercare so far. I was banded in Tijuana Feb 10. All was fine but in the second week I developed increasingly severe ulcer like pain. I have stopped eating dairy but I am also taking ulcer medication and this has (almost) disappeared. Since there was little about this on the forum I went to my GP who has found me aftercare. It was intereresting to hear what NorthernMist has been eating because it has been exactly what I have been eating -cream of wheat with protein powder for one meal, and cream soup for the next. I am worried that I can eat up to two cups before I feel full and thats enough for me to gain weight. IN fact I have gained a few of the pounds I lost initially after surgery (15) I don't feel much restriction at all but can't eat solid food and I'm hungry. But I tried swallowing some soft macaroni and it seemed to get stuck in my esophogus or somewhere and it really really hurt before I could feel it slide down finally. I definately could not eat anything close to solid food. Whats that ? I notice that there are many people worried about failure. Interesting because I guess, like me, this surgery represents a bit of a desperate measure to lose weight. I too am afraid of failure. I hope so much to be slim and will be soooo disappointed if this fails. And, my personal experience with weight loss has been regardless of temporary successes, inevitable failure. But the evidence is that this works and it works for those of us who have not had success dieting so perhaps we can dare to think positively! Pascale

Hi; I too am a psych nurse, though I have never worked with anorexics I have studied the disease and worked as an addiction counseller and some of the behaviours are similar. Betsy gave you excellent advice. But just to reinterate; You are not to blame for your friend's relapse into her eating disorder though your healthy attitude toward changing your eating habits very likely did trigger her relapse it is not your fault. You mentioned how she was the only one who asked you if you were going to get "too" skinny when she was so very skinny herself. That was because she does not see herself correctly. Like body dysmorphic disorder. She sees herself as larger than she is. All part of the disease. For your friend's sake you must not enable her anorexic behaviour. So follow Betsy's advice and do not discuss HER dieting and though its too bad don't discuss yours either since it triggers her obsession with weight. In the meantime, congratulations on your progress and lets hope your friend gets the help she needs - her disease is life threatening. Pascale

Hi; I was banded on Feb 10 with Dr. Lopez-Corvala. I chose him after researching his credentials. I cannot say that I am 100% satisfied with my experience but that has nothing to do with Dr. Lopez himself but rather with the coordination of my surgery and aftercare. What little there was was not even given me as they rushed me off back home so early in the morning they even forgot to give me my prescriptions. I hope you had someone with you as I did not. A word of advice is to stick to the diet closely. I even kept on clear fluids longer than a week just to help things heal. Take some chewable gasX if you feel gas pain. Any pain for that matter because you may not recognize it as gas pain. Also, the pain medication that you are given should not be taken too long because it is in the same family as an NSAID and can be hard on your stomach which is something you want to avoid. Stop it as soon as you are able. I've probably gone past my word limit. I wish you the best of luck. Pascale in Ottawa.

Hi; from Pascale:thumbup: I was banded one week and three days ago. I keep my incision sites well bandaged so they are well protected, otherwise they would be tender. Try cotton gauze and tape to provide more protection. No heat, drainage or redness. Good. Did you go over your method of dressing change and cleaning solution with your doctor? You want to keep things clean and free of infection. I still don't like bending over and keep getting my daughter to do it. I can it doesn't hurt hurt but I'd rather not I feel it so you sound normal to me. As for your belly feeling swollen well we all heal differently and my belly sure felt like that the first four days or so. But part of it was GAS. Try getting chewable simethicone or GAS-X to make sure you still don't have gas that might help. Any signs of infection at your incision sites, don't hestitate to see your physician. Otherside try not to be too anxious it makes pain worse. Hope this helps.

Hi: I am also going to Mexico in less than a week and I am quite nervous. I am travelling - alone ( no one approves) and nervous about the trip back. It will be along flight from San Diego to Ottawa is the wrong side of the continent as well as way north. How did you feel post op? Who was your surgeon? I speak some French but no Spanish - how will I get along without Spanish? I tried to register and ask for advice on this forum but can't find my "Introduction" I hope you can answer me because I don't know anyone with a LAP-BAND® and don't know what to expect. I am female, 50 and 5'4'' and around 184 lbs. which gives me a BMI of 32 Thanks, Pascale