rjo132

Hey I know your post is over a year old, but may I ask how they diagnosed it was your band catching on the diaphragm causing Vagus nerve reaction? My band is actually sutured to my diaphragm. I have this off and on excruciating pain at my lowest rib and somewhat up under it on my left side. I can push up and under my rib with my fingertips and get some relief. I’m just wondering how they diagnosed this for you?

May 2006, infilled for 18 mos now due to pouching, Maintaining 40 lb loss, initial loss was 65lbs at 5 yrs in. Still a daily battle. Only slight restriction at times. Need to get my head back on track.

I’m still out here, actually just back recently. May 2006! Basically my band had been infilled for 18mos now and maintaining but always fighting the food battle. Terrible reflux without my pantoprazole but trying to find something else that won’t deteriorate my bones!

Thank y’all for your responses. It’s nice to know how I’m seen by other ladies. I guess it is how we feel about ourselves. Like catwoman7, I’ve been big busted all my life and genetically have big arms from my mom’s side of women. I just always felt that I looked bigger than I was because of my bustline and always having to buy my clothes to fit “them.”

Anybody here more than 15 yrs out and still have their band? I’m at yr 13. It has been infilled for a yr due to pouching. My weight is stable but still would like to lose 20 yo be at my ideal weight.

Yeah here’s what they really look like

Please look my pics over and tell me what you think or would do. I want to have another breast reduction(2010-I think all I got was a lift. I had no cup size change) and a brachioplasty. I’ve always been top heavy and thought it makes one look bigger all over. And my arms disgust me. But I don’t know if I have body dysmorphia. Do y’all think I would feel better about the way I look if I do this. I feel like I would look somewhat altogether smaller if my breasts weren’t the focal point. I’m a 6 on bottom and a large/12 on top. Has anybody had a brachioplasty that regretted it?

Hey sorry ladies I abandoned y'all! I got serious with portion control and have lost 17 lbs in 4 weeks. I went thru a chiropractor and am doing this program called Chirothin. There's another called ShapeReclaim that's very similar. If y'all are serious, you need to ck it out. I look at it like this, we already invested the risks of surgery, the out of pocket $$ and still have the struggle after all these years. So, I bit the bullet and invested more $$. BUT I'm back on track, my weird stomach issues are now non existent and I'm losing. And it has nothing to do with my band. Still glad I have it, just found this program to help me gain control again. Good luck ladies. I'm so happy with this that I'm actually going to delete my acct here. I am closer to my goal than I've been in 6 years. And I'll make it this time. Already back in my size 6's! What a feeling!

Het you two! Glad to hear from you both! I think checking in frequently is the thing to do to help us all out! It's a daily struggle at this point for a lot of us banders. Ilene glad you have your cruise to look forward too. Sometimes that can be a motivator. Keep walking like you're doing. Sahm I'm with you on the exercising. I wish God would have given me that gene that makes people think about exercising like I think about brushing my teeth! lol (I'm a Dental Hygienist) I did good today on the eats and water/diluted green tea. Now if I can get on the treadmill for another 15 mins or so! Ughh! Tomorrow's another day! Nite

Well today was much better (except for the speeding ticket I got traveling back to my home state of MO.). I have a Health O Meter-stand up sliding kind. I invested in it nearly 20 years ago. Always on target with my docs though they've all gone digital now. Anyway have a great weekend ladies. I know I'll do alright this weekend. I always do better when I'm away from home! Ha!

Well my day was a disaster. I got up and fixed my protein shake and put it in my work bag like I usually do (Just a tervis tumbler with a snap on lid and straw hole with a straw.) I drink my coffe on the way and have my shake during our morning meeting. I put my bag in the back seat today, I don't usually do that. On the way to work, some dude tried to meet me head-on on a near one lane bridge. Anyway, slamming on my brakes shifted my bag and my entire shake dripped out into the bottom of my bag. So no breakfast and by 1 pm I was hungry. Got out a lil late for lunch so ran thru Arby's and got a kids ham melt and a diet coke. So no toooo bad. Got home from work and I've eat all night. Had 1 ounce of chips then later a single French bread supreme pizza-half at a time and just now 4 cookies and a cup of milk. All that spread over 5 hours! I know.....to me it doesn't seem like much but I know it's the wrong kind of food and the wrong way to eat. And I didn't do any walking. Just seems like my shake misshap set my day. On the positive, my Vera Bradley work bag washed up ok and is hang drying now. Headed to bed. Off tomorrow and will start anew!

Ok, I'm with ya! I'm going back to counting calories and logging my exercise with My Fitness Pal. I've got a treadmill and elliptical-I've got to use them and get this under control. My first goal is these 6 holiday pounds! 2 weeks! My exercise goal to start will be walking 20 mins 3 X week and 30 mins 2 X week. Go!

Hey you two, I'll help! Maybe the 3 of us could be accountable to each other. I'm nearly 9 yrs out with my band and I'm struggling. In '09 I was 5 lbs from my goal wt (70 lbs) and lost my sweet spot from an unfollow and have not found it again. My lowest wt was 137 and I'm struggling to hold 160 now. I'm ready to help!

Just an update. Since my last posting, I've had xrays, a gallbladder ultrasound and an upper GI again. Everything still looks good they said. My band position was still at the proper placement from nearly 9 years ago. My heartburn is unbearable, even with just a protein shake. Ranitidine helps but it's only 2 doses per 24 hours. I feel like I need it every time something goes down my throat. There are times when I feel like I'm gonna pass out from not being able to get a deep enough breath and the chest pain makes me worry that it's my heart! Seriously, this past year, sometimes I think I'm really in bad shape to only be nearly 56. And to have had the stamina and strength I had before getting the lap band and losing the 65 lbs that I lost. *note here-I've gained back 20. I guess I'm just out of shape aerobically! On a positive, the pain under my left rib is much better. Honestly it's bearable right now. I don't even think about it. Oh it flares up on occasion but it's very strange how it has settled down. It may be coincidental, but I've been on a 3 month regimen of oral Lamisil (one big toenail that was getting numb from a fungal infection that I couldn't get cleared up to save my life!) But it does make me wonder if my intestines could have been over run by candida??? I've got 2 weeks left. I'm anxious to see if the pain returns after a period of time off the Lamisil. I need to investigate a diet that will deter intestinal yeast growth. I know the Lamisil is hard on your liver. Anyway, I've rambled but that's it. I did let my doc take 1/2 cc out to see if that would help my heartburn/chest situation. It hasn't. I had gained 6 lbs over the holidays and I'm having heck getting it off. Uggggh! Hang in there everybody! We have to be our own advocate! Peace and blessings!

Hey thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions. I found a new GI doc and he cked me from the outside in. CT scan and repeat colonoscopy were normal. He, like my other GI, does not think it involves my band. Gave me a couple meds 1) Glycopyrrolate for stomach acids and hyoscamine. The Glycopyrrolate is to reduce stomach acids, slow movement and peptic ulcers. The glyco seems to have helped but it's side effects are as "almost" as bad as my stomach pain. I take it awhile, then I bk off. Anyway, I'm gonna hang in there with my band. Started my walking program again and gonna do my best to get these 15-20 pounds off, and pray this pain is gonna stay under control. I'll post if anything new develops! Prayers to everybody struggling. It's a constant battle, it seems. Even with this "tool."