tammyj

Thank you Flomatic78!

Jachut, I was lucky because I didn't have a lot of swelling. I am not sure why some swell alot while others don't. I drank pineapple juice which is supposed to reduce inflammation and I also took Bromelain which is the enzyme found in pineapples. Wear your compression garment 'round the clock to keep the swelling down. Also your daily activity affects how much you swell, but don't worry the swelling will get better it just takes time....up to 6 months for some people but it will go away.

I agree my veggie drink is a must especially now because it gives me the energy I need that I wasn't getting from just the high Protein. How do I get your newsletter Jean? Needless to say this past week has been really hard, but I'm sticking with it as much as I can. I went to a sportsbar with some friends yesterday to watch the Bulls game and had a few mozzerella sticks. And I'm not gonna beat myself up over it. My liver probably looks like a shriveled up prune by now...8 lbs down in 7 days. At this rate I will be very close to being underweight by the time the post-op liquid diet is over. This can't be healthy! I can stand to lose maybe ten more lbs but I really don't want to get too thin. I am 5'10" and will start to look like Olive Oyl if I lose too much weight...not a good look on me at all! Good news is I found a Protein shake I like. Most of the shakes that are allowed taste horrible because they have to have less than 5g of sugar, but the EAS Advantage shakes are not too bad. Sigh...one more week of this madness!!!

Good idea Jean! Unfortunately losing another 10lbs or so would still put me in the normal weight range :-( I guess I have no choice and will stick with it as much as possible. Funny thing is I also asked the dietician if I could use my juicer to make my green drink and she said no to that as well. I started juicing a few months ago and it has done wonders for me health wise. And based on research vegetable juicing is highly recommended for liver health so if the condition of the liver is the main concern then why not? As long as I drink the shakes for Protein as well. I can go on and on about why I think their rules on this is absurd probably because this hunger is really getting to me now...no energy, depressed, crabby, emotional! I feel sorry for my poor kids! Good luck with the sleeve procedure and I hope you get a surgery date soon!

Oh geez...I would be furious if they asked me to do any of the pre-op stuff I had to do the first time (i.e. support groups, nutrition classes, etc). I'm just ready to get this over with!!! Do you have a surgery date? Are you getting another band or going for the gastric sleeve?

Thanks Jean! It would be nice if the dietician would have explained that to me instead of just simply saying everyone has to do it. That does make sense (to make it less slippery) but I still don't understand why a full 2 weeks and why so strict? I was even allowed 4oz of meat each day during my first pre-op diet. I truly believe some of these surgeons just want to torture you LOL!

Well I am scheduled for revision surgery on Mon April 23rd and I have started the dreadful 2 week liquid diet! I am so iiritated because from what I understand the liquid diet is to shrink the liver because people who are obese tend to have large fatty livers. Duh...I have a normal BMI now hence a normal sized liver. I mentioned this to the dietician and her response what that everyone has to do the 2 week liquid diet. I get the feeling that we are all just put into a box and given the same rules regardless of the situation. Besides that I am on a very very strict liquid diet of only low carb Protein shakes, sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello, broth, and crystal light. I was allowed full liquids before my first surgery and everything went well so I don't understand why I have to go through this. This is a different surgeon so I guess everyone has their own rules but this is all so ridiculous if you ask me! Thanks for letting me vent!

Thanks flomatic78!!! My start weight was 279lbs

Lauren, I went through the same thing. I was so confused about my fills to the point that I even thought I had a leak. There were many discrepancies with my fill amounts that could not be explained. I came to the conclusion that the person doing my fills at the time was not pulling all the fluid out of my band either because she was in a rush or she didn't know what she was doing which lead to the amounts being wrong. My surgeon's PA does all the fills now. She takes her time and is very accurate.

Yes Jean that is exactly why. According to my surgeon waiting 3 months gives the stomach time to heal. It does make sense but those 3 months will definitely be a struggle.

OMG!!!! I just found out that my slipped band will be removed then I will have to wait 3 months to have a new one put in....I am sooo scared!!!!

Thank you and good luck to everyone having TT surgery soon...you will not regret it!!!!

Good Luck Elcee! Jean I haven't been very active on this site so I don't know who she is but I can recall one particular member awhile back who constantly make negative comments about everything. Those types of people are usually very miserable in their own personal lives.

Well I just returned from having having my second upper GI and my band is still in the wrong position so revision surgery is inevitable I am waiting for my surgeon to review the x-ray to make a final determination. I can't wait to talk to him to find out when, what, and how all this is going to happen. I am feeling a little anxious right now. I am not looking forward to having another surgery, but I know that everything will be okay afterward. Elcee I went through the same thing you are going through during my second year. My first year was perfect...no problems whatsoever. Then out of the blue I started having acid reflux at night. I would wake up out of my sleep choking on gross acidy saliva. I was fine during the day and could eat normally, but the acid reflux would happen every single night if I tried to lay down flat. I had not had a fill in almost a year when this started happening so I did not understand how I could possibly be too tight. My restriction level was perfect as it had been for the past year, but I still decided to have a slight unfill to see if it would fix the problem and so I could sleep like a normal person. The unfill stopped the acid reflux, but at the same time I had less restriction and therefore started gaining some weight back. After gaining back 20lbs and going back and forth to the doctor having fills and unfills trying to get back to the restriction that I needed to start losing again I got so frustrated and just gave up. I never went back for another fill. I still had 2cc in my band and left it at that. That was in Oct 2010. I lost the last 40lbs on my own so to speak by working out...HARD!!! Since I truly believe my ordeal was the works of a "slipping" not slipped band I advise you to please be careful. Another symptom to look out for is heartburn. Even though the acid reflux was resolved I started having occasional heartburn. Not often and not severe...I would take a prevacid once or twice a week to control the bouts, but since my band has been completely unfilled for the last 6 weeks the heartburn is completely gone. I really hope your issue gets resolved quickly. May I ask what kind/size band do you have? Jean who and why would anyone gloat about you having to revise?? Bayougirl I was given the okay to wear a stage 2 garment like Flexees or Spanx at my 2 week follow-up. I still wore my compression garment at night until about 4 weeks. Your PS will probably give you the okay soon.

Thank you ladies!!!

Thank you!

Jean your information has been very helpful...thanks so much!

Thanks so much everybody!!! Even though I dealing with a slipped band right now I have no regrets about having tt surgery. I am thrilled with my results...I do double takes in the mirror because I still can't believe that it's me!!!!

Thanks ladies I appreciate the support. Bayougirl, did your surgeon say why he needed to unfill your band for your tummytuck? My PS did not unfill my band before my tummy tuck surgery...he said it wasn't necessary. Since it is not clear as to what caused my band to slip I am wondering if the tt surgery had anything to do with it. My band slipped 4 months post tt surgery. My insurance will pay for the lapband revision so I am grateful for that. Thanks for sharing your experience Jean. Having more problems is what I am afraid of if I keep the same band. Is your dialated esophogus issue possibly related to the previous band slip? I understand your point about the 4cc band being too small for some people, but I actually thought it was the perfect size for me. I always thought the bigger bands would be too big for me. I have lots of questions for my surgeon regarding the different bands as well as the gastric sleeve procedure. I plan to have answers by the end of this week so I have some idea of how I want to proceed. Thanks again ladies!

My slip was detected on Feb 6th. I knew that something was wrong the day before that. I felt uncomfortable, could barely eat or drink anything, and felt what I thought was gas pains. When this happens I usually walk around for a little awhile until it passes, but this time it did not pass. After 24 hours I still felt horrible. What really alarmed me was a sharp pain on the left side near my port that would not go away. After being banded for 5 years I have become very familiar with my band and my reactions to it. I know what it feels like if I am too tight, if I overeat, if I am bloated, or if my stomach is just irritated. This was totally different so I waisted no time and high-tailed it to the doctor's office the next day. All the Fluid was taken out and the pain immediately went away...thank goodness, but something still didn't feel right. I was sent for X-ray and was not surprised when I was told that my band was not in the right position. I was also told that it was a significant slip that would most likely require surgery, but they would wait 6 weeks to do another upper GI. Luckily, I felt fine after the fluid was removed. Fast forward to the next 6 weeks...the first couple of weeks I felt like I still had restriction and experienced that unusual sharp pain again on my left side when eating solids, but after a couple of weeks all that went away. My appetite began to increase considerably and I could eat way too much for my liking. I feel like I am constantly thinking about food again and craving foods I haven't wanted in years. I do not want to live the life of a chronic dieter obsessing about my weight, but that's what it feels like now. This is why I know that I NEED my band!!!! My second upper GI is in two days. I am hoping that the unfill and 6 week rest has fixed the problem. At the same time I do believe that if my band has re-positioned itself and is filled again I will more than likely experience another slip. So In a way, I am ok with having a surgical revision as well. If anyone is curious, I have the small 4 cc band that is not made anymore. I had so may problems with fills and unfills that I just gave up having my band adjusted. I have not had a fill since Oct 2010 and I was filled to 2cc when my band slipped.

Thanks everyone! I feel great!!! 10 days post op and I already have most of my energy back. The first few days were tough but soooo worth it! Posting another pic taken today at 10 days post op.

Yes he did! Thanks Sue!

4 1/2 years later, I finally had my tummy tuck done on Oct 12th. I knew that eventually I would have a tummy tuck but I did not want to have it done until I was closer to my goal weight. The last 25lbs were the hardest to lose, but I made it! I am so happy with my tummy tuck results! I hope the pics post okay. Happy and Healing! :success1:

I did not have my band unfilled and I have not experienced any swelling or tightness around my band. I am only 9 days post-op so I could be talking to soon. I bought Bromelain, but I try to avoid swallowing pills if possible. I took the Bromelain one day, but the pineapple juice seemed to work just as well to help the swelling. Bromelain is in pineapple. Just make sure you get the 'not from concentrate' pineapple juice or eat fresh pineapples to get more of the nutrients. Good Luck with your upcoming surgery!