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Sounds like what happened to me! Some of the clamps holding down one side of my port came loose. It wasn't noticeable when I had more weight to lose, but man did it become noticeable after a while! http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_4888.jpg Here's some posts on my blog about different options for putting the port back on... http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/248 http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/1942 http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/248 Hope that helps a little bit! If you have any questions, just holler.

Anume -- You can survive anything for 10 days! It'll be challenging, but at least there's an end date in sight. The surgery is so worth it in the end! Every time it becomes a challenge, just remember all the reasons why you want to go through with this. Write those reasons down and carry with them in your pocket if you need a reminder.

What was your original instructions from your doctor? I was only allowed to do the Medifast shakes -- no solid foods at all. I think some people combine shakes + 1 small meal a day. Are you overeating? Consuming too many calories, too big of portions? Are you drinking more shakes than you were prescribed?

I know my doctor had different prices for self-pay patients, so I KNOW that they would talk to you when it comes to payment options. However, your BMI is pretty low...they required me to have a BMI of 40. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a consultation. It'll be a 2 hour drive for you to come to Schenectady. Talk to Ellis Bariatric Hospital: http://www.ellishospital.org/bariatrics/our-bariatric-surgeons.aspx

Yes! I was successful after a bad start! I didn't lose a single pound for about 6 months following surgery. It turns out my dumbassed Physician's Assistant wasn't actually injecting the saline into my band, so I wasn't getting restriction. For those 6 months I felt like the biggest failure, like I made the biggest mistake in the world! I then demanded to see my surgeon (I received my fills directly from him afterwards) and then started to see results slowly. It took me a total of 2 years to lose the weight after surgery, but I made it to my goal weight eventually! Hang in there and be patient! If you get frustrated, be honest and talk to your doctor about it.

I think your doctor can also give you a novacaine (localized anesthetic) shot in the stomach before going at you with the big needle. I had that done once, but found the novacaine needle was more painful than the big needle, but perhaps you'd feel differently.

I agree with what the others said -- it depends on your doctor. I have a friend that got her band done in Mexico. She got a HUGE fill pretty soon after her surgery, and she only had to get it tweaked once after that. I suppose that works out well because Mexico is a long way to go for a fill from New York. (This was when the surgery was new and there weren't many doctors doing them in the USA.) On the other hand, I went in for a bajillion little fills during my journey. I can't imagine my surgeon ever agreeing to giving a BIG fill if he has the option. So yeah...I think it just depends on your surgeon and circumstances and whatnot. Talk to your doctor about it -- the worst thing that can happen is he'll tell you "no."

The adderall could be causing the band to feel tighter if the adderall causes you to retain water. The gastric band is absorptive and can actually absorb water--causing it to feel tighter. That's why a lot of people find that the band is tighter in the morning or when you have PMS. So when you're taking adderall, be sure to drink some extra water to flush any "bloat" out of your system. And make sure you're not eating salty foods. If the tightness continues, you should ask your doctor about it.

Don't worry! Your doctor will be able to find it. In the begginning stages of the band, it'll be a little bit more guess-work for your doctor to find it. He'll have the general location in mind, but he'll need to "jab" around a little bit with the needle to find the exact center of the port. (I remember my doctor jabbing around, which was uncomfortable but didn't actually hurt unless he jabbed my abs. THAT hurt. The rest of the time it was just weird.) As you lose weight, the port will become easier to feel, easier to find, and perhaps eventually able to be seen through the skin. (You can see my skin bulge ever so slightly where my port is.)

http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/gastric_banding_incisions.jpg You can't even see the scars on me, really, without really looking: http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Port2.jpg You can see the largest of the scars here: http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_5098.jpg

My blog reader Kris was able to link me to an article explaining why our gastric bands feel tighter when we are stressed (or PMSing). How very interesting! The article can be found here. The answer is that the gastric band is a semi-permeable membrane that actually can absorb fluids in the body! Often times patients will come in because their Lap-band feels too tight. They find more difficulty with some foods, and are uncomfortable. They ask me “does stress cause the band to tighten?” The answer is, yes, it does. The biology of stress is this: when you have stress, be it physical stress (like an illness) or mental stress (like your mother-in-law coming by for a short two week visit)…the body reacts by retaining fluid. You may notice that wedding rings are tighter, and there is more swelling in the legs at night. The balloon of the adjustable Lap-band is a semi-permeable membrane, meaning it is osmotically active. In plain English: the more water you retain, some is transmitted to the band, so it swells. If a patient has 5.5 cc in their band (we measure it) and they come in and it feels tighter, we find they have 6 cc in the band. Where did the ½ cc come from? That is from the extra water the body is carrying. Since the balloon on the band is semi-permeable it will retain more water also. This is the same reason that most people find the Lap-band to be tighter in the morning. In the evening you may notice you have some swelling of your ankles – by gravity your body water has gone down to the legs. In the morning that swelling is gone, and the water has gone back to the central compartment of the body where the band is. If we measure the band in the morning it can have 0.25 to 0.5 cc more in it (which can make a difference). This is also why we don’t like bands being too tight. People need room for stress – of all kinds. Leaving room in the band to allow for this, means that patients will have fewer difficulties. Upon further web searching, I see that there are several scientific studies that have been performed that have verified this claim, such as this one here. This knowledge makes me realize two things: (1) When your band is too tight or too loose, don’t go running to your doctor to get it fixed right away. Give it a little time to see if the saline levels balance themselves back out. Also, (2) If you experience a “looser” band, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your band is leaking or is broken. First try increasing your fluid consumption and see if that fixes the problem. If there is a noticeable decrease in “restrictive feeling,” then go see your doctor.

I don't think that the band has any correlation to hemmeroids or kidney pain (I know that I haven't experienced that), but that's definitely a question for your doctor! Get that checked out! And as for tightness in the morning...yes! That's a common thing. The reason is because gastric band is a semi-permeable membrane that actually can absorb fluids in the body! There's an interesting article about it here: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-surgery-support-science/notes-from-Dr-Terry-Simpson/Lap-band-Stress/Lap-band-Stress.html

For me...soup of all kinds! (Except soup with Pasta in it.) Tomato soup especially! Beans of all kinds has been invaluable. Baked beans, bean soup, bean dip, hummus, etc. cheese has been a great help. So has almonds! (Portion control is key with both foods though.) And yogurt!

If you are in the capital district (Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga) area, then start by attending an introductory seminar that the Ellis Bariatric Center puts on. It gives and overview of the surgery, the pros and cons of it, etc. It will be a good place to get started. http://www.ellismedicine.org/Specialties/WeightLoss.aspx

I'm not 100% sure, Ginny, but you certainly have the right to ask your doctor for the statistics about side-effects and port problems for the Lap-Band. You can also contact the Lap-Band manufacturer directly to ask them for statistics. This is just my own personal opinion...but this port detachment is annoying mostly. I would completely go through the surgery again--INCLUDING the port problems--for all the benefit it has given me in my life. It has been completely and utterly worth it. Of course, everyone has their own opinion and tolerance with side-effects and potential problems. You should certainly educate yourself to know what the potential problems and side-effects are so you are not going into the surgery "blind" so to speak, and so you can make an educated opinion whether they are worth the risk or not. For me...it totally was worth everything.