abercchic

He said that 99% of the time it's the port leaking not the band and that there was no real way to determine exactly where the leak was. But I've read several people on here that have had port leaks and have done a test where they inject dye in the port to see where the leak is but that was never presented as an option to me. My dr doesn't use the mesh that I know of but I will bring that up when I speak with him.

Ok I'm extremely frustrated right now and would like to know if anyone has had a similar experience. I was banded in Sept of 2009 and had several fills and all of a sudden this past December I lost restriction. I was supposed to have close to 9ccs in my band and when I went in for a fill I only had 2cc so they determined I had a leak. My Dr. just assumed the leak was in the port and didn't offer to do any testing to confirm it. So I went in for a port replacement 2 weeks ago and just had my follow up and fill appointment today. The PA was having problems finding my port so she had me stand up for an xray and then asked me if I had done anything strenuous. I replied no and she then told me my port was flipped!!! How in the world can I have a flipped port when the Dr. just put it in 2 weeks ago?! Furthermore, I am self pay so the replacement surgery cost me $2300 out of my pocket and I'll be damned if I'm paying for the same surgery AGAIN because I now have a flipped port instead of a leaking one. The most frustrating part is the weight gain. I've gained 10-15lbs since I lost restriction and was looking forward to getting back on track and now I'll have to get surgery all over again! I haven't had a chance to speak with my Dr. yet but I look forward to raising some hell when I do. I've been generally dissatisfied with him throughout this whole process as it is.

I'm not sure. When I had my last fill (which was just 3 days ago) I was told it should last me for a good while. So I was going to give it another week or so to see if anything changes. What is the pouch test and how do they do that?

Exactly, if I eat slowly I'm still able to eat a lot. Yeah I didn't really get much restriction until I had at least 8cc's in my band. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that needs a lot for restriction. So far the only thing I've gotten is "if it's getting stuck on your first bite then you're not chewing well enough and you need to eat slower and just because you can eat more than a cup doesn't mean you should." Well that's helpful considering I thought the whole point was to get fuller faster than before the band. Obviously we're not the best at self control in the amounts we eat or we wouldn't be here! I also need to work on not drinking while eating because I'm really bad about that since I drink a lot to get the food to go down.

Ok, I was banded in Sept 09 and have had 4 fills and am now at 9cc's in a 10cc band. I've had some restriction but I've definitely been able to eat more than a cup. After my last fill I've been getting things stuck a lot more often when I FIRST start eating so I guess I need to chew better and eat slower. I've been able to get the food to go down by taking a drink (which does hurt some of the time) but my problem is that even though it's getting stuck a lot, I'm still not full and can still eat a large amount of food after I get it to go down. I didn't think the whole point of this band was to deter you from eating because your food gets stuck. Just because it gets stuck doesn't mean I'm full/satisfied!! Is anyone else having this problem????

I feel the exact same way. I was banded on 9/8 and have had 2 fills and have 6ccs in right now. I've never had any stuck episodes or vomiting etc and I can eat all types of food. You would think that's a good thing but considering almost everyone has these problems at least once or twice I'm kind of concerned that I haven't. I also feel like I had more restriction before my 2nd fill which doesn't make sense. I noticed I had restriction for about 3 days after my 2nd fill and then I was back to eating normal portions. I'm definitely getting frustrated as well! Although i do drink with all my meals so I need to try and change that and see if that helps. I'm really hoping the next fill brings some restriction! UGH!

I'm the exact same! I'm about 5 wks post op and I haven't weighed since my 2 wk post op appt because I had only lost 5lbs and was really disappointed so I haven't weighed since then bc I don't want to get upset if I haven't lost as much as I think I should bc I will get really discouraged. I haven't had a fill yet so it's been really tough lately bc I can eat whatever I want and way more than I should. So I'm waiting until I get some restriction before I start weighing regularly bc I know I'll just be disappointed if I do it now.

We were banded on the same day TZN! Let me know how the fill goes, I still have 2 more weeks ugh!

Thanks so much everyone! It really helps to hear that most of you have "been there, done that." I really appreciate all the support! Time to suck it up and get back in diet mode until I get some restriction. I don't know why I thought that after the band all of a sudden years of bad eating habits would just disappear. Time to throw away the stupid cake!!

I'm 4 weeks post op and have realized I can pretty much eat anything with no problem and can definitely eat more than the recommended 1/2 cup. I was told to try to keep my calories around 800 which sounds really low to me so it has been hard. I have been journaling my food and keeping up with calories and doing pretty well until the past couple of days. My sister's birthday was this weekend so we went out to eat and I ate more than I should have and had birthday cake. Now I've eaten the left over birthday cake for 3 days in a row!!! I feel guilty everytime after I eat it yet that doesn't stop me from doing it again the next day! UGHHH! I'm so mad at myself and discouraged because I can't even seem to stay on track so early in my journey. I really REALLY don't want to fail at this. I don't get my first fill for another two weeks and I basically have no restriction so it's up to me and my will power for a while which is a scary thought seeing as how I haven't done so well these past few days. I just don't want to take any steps backwards and have to start over like I've had to so many times in the past. Anyway, just looking for some support and was wondering if anyone else is going through the same thing right now?

Ok I had my two week post op appt today and I've only lost 5 flippin lbs! How is that possible when I've been eating 600-900 cals a day and no real food?! Wtf?? I've seen that others have lost anywhere from 10-20lbs. It's just really frustrating when you've been starving yourself and have nothing to show for it! :tongue2: I also start mushy foods today and now I'm scared that I'll gain weight since I'll be eating more food. How many calories has everyone been eating while on the mushy stage? My nurse today told me to stay around 800 cals and to eat 1/2 a cup of food 3 times a day. That just doesn't seem like enough to me and how are you supposed to get in your Protein and everything with three measley 1/2 cups of food a day??? I also need some ideas for mushy food. Tonight I had refried Beans and the ready to eat chicken salad and didn't blenderize any of it. Do you have to put everything in the blender even if you don't have a problem getting it down how it is? Any insight on all of the above is much appreciated!!!

I too am a bit frustrated. I'm two weeks post-op and went for my follow-up today and have only lost 5lbs. I expected more so I'm a bit discouraged today. I'm basically starving myself and taking in only 600-900 cals a day for two weeks, so it's frustrating when you don't lose as much as you're hoping to. I'm starting mushy food today so now I'm scared I'm going to gain even though I haven't lost much in the first place. So I definitely know where you're coming from. But I looked at it this way, if I lose 5lbs every 2 weeks then that would be like 40 lbs of weight loss in the next three months which doesn't sound so bad :bored:

Didn't mean to offend you Renob. I deleted my list so as to not offend others. And I'm WELL aware that education does not equal intelligence. My own father owns a very successful company and only has a high school education. Again, I was merely pushing the buttons I knew would piss him off and was my mistake for publishing it here.

So I've constantly had the "pretty face" and just thought I'd share this little message I just received on a different website from a complete stranger and why it will be amazing when I don't have to deal with this stupidity and ignorance ever again. "oh my god.. another girl thats hot minus the bakery in the jeans ... how come all you hot girls are fat on this website??" I think I'll print it out and put it on my fridge

I was just wondering what the purpose of everything being sugar free was? I've been drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast shakes and I don't think it's the sugar free kind so is this going to be some sort of detriment to my weight loss etc? I mean I understand if you were to overdo it on the sugar and eat pies etc all day but what exactly is the point of avoiding all sugar with the band??

Thanks everyone! My dr allows me to go on full liquids the day after surgery and the info I was given basically recommends water, crystal light, and protein shakes only but I had read that others were eating soups, pudding, etc so just didn't know what "full liquids" meant exactly. I guess I'll stick with protein shakes and water for 2 weeks but I'm also concerned that I'm not getting enough calories. I've been getting around 3 shakes in and that just doesn't seem like enough. I'm only 2 days post op though so maybe I'll be able to get more in as the days pass. How many protein shakes were you guys able to get in during the post op liquid phase?

hey everyone! I was banded on 9/8/09 and my dr. wants me to be on liquids for two weeks. So far I've just been having water, crystal light, optifast shakes, and broth here and there. Is anyone eating actual soups or anything? What else is part of your full liquid phase?? Any help/suggestions is appreciated!!!

Thanks Jamie! I have been burping some but that hurts pretty bad too! And taking a deep breath is like torture! I am feeling a bit better today though so hopefully it continues to get better!

Hey everyone! I got banded today! Ok usually I'm pretty good with pain and not a wuss but CRAP I'm hurting! I woke up from surgery and automatically had back and shoulder pain and pain at the incision so they gave me demerol and I was doing pretty well (I thought) but it's gotten worse since being home and the liquid lortab does NOTHING for me. UGHHH! The most pain is in my mid back on the left side and the back of my left shoulder. Finding a comfortable position is extremely hard. I haven't had any problems getting my liquids down or had any nausea (knock on wood) but I feel like I got beat up with a crowbar! Oh and I have these big puffy light red circles around a few of my incisions, anyone else have that? Sorry about all the complaining! I guess misery loves company!

Thanks for the encouragement Boo! I'm trying to avoid gaining and just maintain until my pre op diet. I don't want to just dig myself deeper and be discouraged from having even more weight to lose! I'm on the lower end of the BMIers (35), so I have about 75lbs to lose. I was probably about 15 or 20lbs lighter in my profile pic. Plus I've learned to deceive the camera pretty well

Hey Jamie! I'm also scheduled to have my surgery done with Dr. Kim! I'm 25 and mine is scheduled for Sept 8th. I'm getting really nervous/scared too! I'm self pay so I haven't had to deal with any of the insurance stuff so I'm on the fast track and just went in for my first consult with Dr. Kim last week and they scheduled my surgery for Sept 8th! I've never even been to a seminar but I have to attend the educational class in a week so hopefully that will tell me A LOT! It's all very fast but I think I'm ready. I just know that if I had to wait any longer I'd just end up piling on more weight, especially since I've been in the "last supper" mode before I have to do my pre-op diet! Anyway just wanted to say hi and let you know I'm a Dr. Kim patient as well and in my twenties!

Hey everyone! I'm scheduled for Sept 8th and I'm getting nervous! My 7 day pre-op diet starts on Sept 1st and I've been in the binge/eat everything i see mentality! Most of the threads I read, everyone is losing weight before their pre-op diets and I'm pretty sure mine is piling on, ugh feel like a slacker already! I'm also self pay so I haven't had to lose any for insurance purposes etc. I'm ready for my pre op to start so I'll be forced to stop eating! I'm so ready to get my band and get this weight off! Just thought I'd introduce myself and looking forward to talking with you all!

Hey everyone! First time posting but have been browsing for a few days now. My surgery date is Sept 8th and I'm starting to get nervous and freak! I'm all "what if it doesn't work for me and I don't lose much weight or lose really slowly or gain everything back or have complications." Ahhhhhh! Plus the fact that I'm self-pay so paying thousands of dollars for something that may not work is SCARY. Not to mention the fact that I made the mistake of going to the "complications" forum and the "struggling with the band" forum. Great idea. Just great. I already need a xanax just thinking about it all! Anyone else freaking out like myself? I've also noticed while browsing the last couple of days that many of the success stories are within 2 years max of their surgery date. I'm sure there are some but it would be more comforting to know that 5+ years later the weight has stayed off. Anyway just wanted to see if others went through this freak out phase and how you got through it?