BandaCat

I get SUPER tight when I fly and it takes a few days to get back to normal and by then I'm flying home and another few days of tightness. I'm going on a trip at the end of the month so I'm curious to see how it goes now that I have a complete unfill.

Dr. Kuri's office in Tijuana is awesome! I can call them for anything. In September I had appendicitis and thought it was a band problem. I called Dr. Kuri at 9pm and it rang through to his home. He talked me through it and told me to call him back if the doctors at the hospital needed him for anything. I haven't ever gotten that kind of care from one of my doctors in the states. The whole team is great! I do have to add that I only live 25 minutes from the border and can drive down to the office at any time. Also, I grew up camping in Mexico so I am not afraid of it. I'm sure that's a factor for some people. The only bummer is the border wait. I have to plan a whole afternoon to go down there because you can never know what the border wait will be.

Things got really bad over the holidays. I've learned that my band gets REALLY tight when I fly and doesn't get better for a few days. I got a complete unfill at the end of December. The doctor recommended not getting filled again until after my wedding which was in February. It's May now and I still am unfilled. I've struggled with gaining weight but the vomiting has drastically improved!!! (I've gained about 5 lbs. Not terrible but I get really nervous watching the scale go up instead of down.) I have struggled with reflux still but not nearly as bad as in the past. My chiropractor put me on some vitamins that started helping immediately and I can almost say that I'm free of the reflux now! It's awesome. The vitamins help to strengthen my diaphragm which she thinks has gotten all out of whack from all the vomiting and that's where the reflux has come from. Well she must be right because I feel sooooo much better! I am thinking about getting a small fill again to start losing weight again. But we are flying at the end of the month and I know that doesn't work well for me so I will wait until after we get back. So anyways, that's the update. I don't feel like a bulimic anymore. My family still doesn't like the band, but they aren't as concerned as before. I'm still hoping for positive results. For now I just want to get back into Onederland!!

Thanks for the replies! I've lost 5 lbs this week. It's the first week I've known I was pregnant and it made me nervous. I'm definitely not dieting so I will just let my body do what it needs to do and be grateful.

I've been banded for 17 months. My doctor said he just wants me to stay unfilled for the entire pregnancy and everything should go just fine. I never tried to get pregnant pre-band. But it only took us 2 months to get pregnant once we started trying! Super fast I know.

I'm just newly pregnant and have started losing weight after being on a plateau for a long time. I have no restriction (complete unfill due to acid reflux a few months ago.) I have absolutely no appetite, but I haven't started any nausea or morning sickness. I have been trying to read every post about weight and pregnant bandsters. A part of me is excited to be losing again, but I'm also concerned for the health of my baby. I still am about 50 lbs from goal weight so it's not like I don't have it to lose. But can it be ok for me to lose while pregnant? I feel like it's such a catch 22! Anyone have info. from their doctors about this? I want to be able to pass on any info to my midwife.

I know it's exciting to finally feel like you have restriction, but be very careful about figuring out how to stop vomiting. Because I let the daily vomiting go for too long, I now am struggling with severe acid reflux and had to have my band almost totally unfilled. People warned me that it was going to cause problems but I didn't listen because I was happy to be losing weight. Now I have gained back 15 lbs because I had to get unfilled due to the excessive vomiting. I haven't been able to get another fill because my body has such a quick vomit response that I still struggle with it even unfilled. Break the habit now so you don't end up in the same boat as me!!! Best wishes!

My family just did an intervention on me today. They are very concerned that since getting the LapBand I have become bulimic. I can't say I completely disagree. I'm writing this post because I searched for others in the same situation and mostly just found people who were justifying all the PBing and vomiting. Maybe there are others in my same situation? Here's my LapBand journey: Banded 10/05/06 at 252lbs. By May 07 was at 192lbs. I spent most of March and all of April and May throwing up daily. Living off of spoonfuls of mayo and chocolate. The only things that would stay down. I knew I needed an unfill but my life was soooooo super busy I didn't choose to see my doctor until June. June 07 I had most of my fill taken out and spent the whole summer enjoying and maintaining. I had immediately gained back 10lbs once I was able to start eating again. But I didn't care because I was feeling so much better. I maintained at 203 all summer. Only occasional vomiting. August 07 got engaged and the stress/excitement made me super tight. Vomiting and Reflux for 5 days. Went straight to doctor for complete unfill. November 07 Got a little fill again and was immediately back to my old ways of vomiting regularly. I kept ignoring it because I knew it was my fault for not following the rules and was certain my band wasn't too tight. December 07 Reflux started again really bad. Started vomiting blood. That's when I really knew I was going to have to do something serious to get ahold of the vomiting. I've been on liquids and mushies for 5 days. I haven't vomited for 3 days. Good progress, but I'm gaining weight from the mushies. So here's what I know: *I have spent the majority of my 14 months banded vomiting. *I still eat too fast, overeat, and use food to deal with things. *My body is getting the effects as if I were bulimic because of all the vomiting. *I'm not binging and purging on purpose. But I've vomited so much that my body does it without me trying. I'm not ready to give up on myself with the band, but my family wants me to get it taken out. I've agreed to go to counseling because obviously there are somethings that are keeping me in this destructive behavior. I still have at least 50lbs to lose and I really want to get there. Hopefully the counseling will help me use the band correctly and get through the emotional stuff that is keeping me stuck. By the way.... I've been on every diet you can imagine since age 8 but NEVER did anything close to bulimia before being banded. Anyways, just wanted to share. Maybe there are others out there who have felt the same???

I got engaged a couple months ago. I was thrilled and super excited, but immediately there were a million questions and decisions that needed to be made. I was sooooooooo sick with acid reflux because my band basically closed. My doctor ended up removing everything but .1cc. Now I have virtually no restriction. The stress has definitely calmed down and unfortunately I've gained some weight since then. I want to get a fill again because the wedding is in February and want to enjoy the pictures. But, I have some MAJOR changes going on in my business life. So I'm nervous to get a fill knowing that the stress may get worse again. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

Good news: It's been 6 months and I've lost 44 lbs. Slow but steady is working for me. Met an amazing man, pretty sure he's the ONE. My new office is going great. It's been a very positive 6 months. Bad news: About a week ago I started being rudely awaken at 4-5am in the morning with terrible chest pains. I have to rub my chest, walk around, and burp repeatedly to feel better. What's that all about???? Is it something I'm eating? Am I eating too late? It hasn't happened every night but enough to make me wonder what's going on. Anyone else have this issue? All my gas pains from surgery have been long gone. This seems to be something new! Any ideas?

I've learned not to expect to get much down in the morning. And when it's that time of the month FORGET IT! I'm locked tight for 3 days.

Oct. 5/ 28lbs/ 2 fills (second one due to getting really sick, dr. said all the vomiting moved my stomach just enough to need a fill.) I've been on a plateau since early Dec. No exercise so I guess I can't really complain.

my doctor told me that I am too tight in the morning because I am eating too much at night. she said my body gets inflamed because it's irritated from processing too much food. she recommended a couple days of liquid to get it back to normal and then make lunch my biggest meal of the day. then try to keep dinner small and soft. It's worked for me.

I can barely eat during TOM. Even liquids are difficult. I spend at least 3 days on liquids and preferably hot liquids like tea, coffee, and soup. My doctor said it's due to water retention. That's why for many it's recommended NOT to get a fill during TOM because when the water retention goes away the fill won't feel as tight.

Dr. Kuri's team is great! I would recommend them to anyone. I was banded 3 months ago and have been very pleased with my care during surgery and for fills.

Today is my 3 month anniversary of my band. I think I've just had my most profound NSV to date. I was just spooning some cole slaw into a tiny 1/2 cup tupperware and had the thought.... "Wow that's ALOT of cole slaw!" Are you kidding me? I never would have believed it until it happened. Sure during my first week of recovery it took me 3 hours to eat 1/2 cup of Jello. But not now! Seriously I'm floored. Talk about a change in self-talk. I may be just slowly ticking away at the weight, but this moment shows me that alot more is changing than just my size. Woo hoo!!!!

I've just started doing something similar. I PB almost everyday, but since I've started my new plan it has almost stopped. (except when I forget my new rules) 1. Start day with hot liquid (tea or coffee) 2. Liquids until lunch. (protein shake) 3. Soft lunch (soup, yogurt, Pasta, etc.) 4. Early dinner (4:30ish) Sip hot water/tea when feel golfballs 5. Hot liquid before bed. I've also learned that my band doesn't like potatoes unless they are creamy mashed potatoes.

You were banded almost 3 weeks after me and have lost almost 10lbs more than me. You're progress is great. I look at it this way... Could I have lost this much weight pre-band? No way! So the band is working great! It may not be fast, but it's steady! Woo hoo! Take a look at what you're eating. I find that I'm hungrier on the days that I don't get enough protein. Now I'm starting my days with a protein shake and that really helps.

My New Year's Resolution is to only eat chocolate for medical reasons (i.e. my period). That means a couple days out of every month I can have chocolate. Other than that, NONE!

Chew and Spit is a very common bulimic behavior. I think as long as you don't make a habit of it and you're not doing it to avoid calories then it's probably no big deal. I found myself doing it too much for awhile there and realized it was my way to still binge with the band. So I had to stop doing it. Just something to be aware of.

I had a really bad episode a couple weeks ago (food poisoning/flu??). Violent vomiting for 6 hours. It definitely made me have less restriction. My doctor got me in right away to do a flouroscopy because he was concerned about slippage. No slip but I guess all the movement made the band adjust alittle bit and made me need a small fill. I'm very happy that I went to get it checked. They also recommended staying on liquids for a few days to give my stomach time to recuperate from the vomiting.

i've had two fills and noticed they got much tighter after a week.

I PB almost every day. I've been banded for almost 3 months now. I've had 2 fills. I'm at 1.3 in a 4cc band. It doesn't seem like much of a fill but it definitely is for me. I fear people will think I'm bulimic too. Sometimes I wonder if I am. I definitely have developed some bulimic behaviors, like chewing and spitting or binging and purging. But I am also learning what types of foods and behaviors trigger my PBing. Here's what I've learned: 1. Fast food=PB 99% of the time. 2. Some foods are triggers: tortillas, scrambled eggs, bagels, crackers 3. Eating in the car=PB 4. Warm drinks loosen, cold drinks tighten 5. Extreme restriction during my period 6. I never PB on sweets which is why I think my loss has slowed. My bad habits and compulsive behaviors are the real root of this problem. I'm hoping that as I acknowledge what is happening I'll start making better choices. PBing all the time is not a way to live!

I got the Bullet right before surgery. It was a godsend to get me thru the first month. Now I use it less often, but I still love how easy it easy to clean up and create individual shakes. For me, it's way easier than a traditional blender.

Monday night I got very bad food poisoning. I was vomiting for 8 hours. Not PBing but hard core vomiting. I was terrified that my band had slipped because afterwards I had almost no restriction. I did have fine restriction before then. I stayed on mostly liquids for a couple of days but still noticed less restriction. And my whole tummy has been very sore. Today I went to my doctor to get a flouroscopy. They weren't taking appts today, but they made an exception because they were very concerned about the possible slippage. That of course made me more worried because they took it so seriously that they stayed late into the beginning of their holiday vacation. Thank goodness the band is still in place. But he said that the loss of restriction is probably due to the band being jostled around during that long night of food poisoning. He said it's not a slip just an adjustment. So I got a fill and he sent me on my merry way. I just wanted to share my story in case anyone else gets food poisoning or the flu and ends up with a tough night like I had. Definitely get it checked out. My doctors took it very seriously. And apparently it also can effect your restriction level even if it doesn't slip, which is just as important to know. My tummy is still really sore and the fill was difficult because I'm so tender right now. But I'm relieved that my band didn't slip. It was worth it to make the trip down to Mexico to have it all checked. Now I can continue my holidays without worries AND with proper restriction.