Baba Wawa

Have your family wipe down every surface in your house with Clorox wipes, confine the sickies to one area of the house and keep them, their trash and all the potentially infectious stuff away from you. If all else fails, go to a friend or relatives house till this passes.

Lifetime partner???

That's too bad, but it is a very fixable problem. I'm sure it will be fine now that it's fixed. I've heard of people needing the entire band replaced because of a leak or other defect. I hope you heal quickly and are back on track soon!

In a couple more days if its still bothering you, you can scrub it off with one of those facial scrubby things that have loofa on one side. Check with your doctor first, but I had an allergic reaction to the adhesive that drove me nuts with itching and my doctor gave me the ok to gently scrub it off in the shower.

Benefiber comes in single serving packets at costco, dissolves completely in coffee, tea or just water...2-3 per day adds about 10gr fiber. Getting your Water in also helps with either problem.

I'm going to throw my $.02 in here...a very loose band is more susceptible to slipping according to my band doctor. At my last Esophogram a couple of weeks ago, as the barium literally dumped into my stomach, the band was just bobbing around, up and down as the Fluid settled down. The radiologist and PA were both concerned that under certain circumstances, my lower stomach could prolapse up through the loose band and get caught. When I had a complete unfill last June, I was also warned that loose bands are more easily slipped. I don't believe it's a huge risk, but just thought I'd share.

I cut it into 1/4 in slices and it goes down fine.

I wouldn't recommend the band after experiencing severe complications despite keeping my band loose and and being completely compliant. Here is my history with the band, copied and pasted from my blog.

May 2010 Realize Band implanted, hiatal hernia repair, uneventful recovery

Aug 2010 fill 3 cc

March 2011 fill .5 cc

Summer 2011 began to have epigastric pain at night.

Sept 2011 stomach virus

Sept 2011 pain upper right quadrant, duration 2-5 hours increasing, then subside quickly

Oct 2011 barium swallow, band fine, slow esophageal emptying

Oct 2011 upper abdominal ultrasound positive for gallstones

Oct 2011 gallbladder removal

Feb-May 2012 increasing GERD symptoms, nighttime epigastric pain radiating to shoulder, neck, jaw, back. Palpitations gradually increasing in frequency

May 2012 had cardiac work up, stress test, echocardiogram, negative for heart disease. BP was elevated, so new drug Rx, resolved palpitations/hypertension. Epigastric pain persisted.

June 2012 upper GI with barium shows stoma at band is nearly closed. Barium drips through, but no stream. Barium is backed up into esophagus. PA removes all saline (3.5 cc confirmed, clear, no sign of infection). Under flouro, barium is still in esophagus, emptying slowly. PA and Radiologist are concerned, but decide after I drink 8 oz Water to schedule me for follow up 5 @ weeks.

July 2012 follow up, lost 4 lb. still having problems eating anything fibrous, but able to eat, at least. Barium swallow shows smaller than expected stream thru band, but also shows slow esophogeal motility, but not so slow as to require follow up. PA states that since I'm tolerating food, losing and have a bit of a motility issue, she won't fill me, but cautions me to stay on the band diet and if I'm able to eat everything and quantity increases over 1 cup, to come in for another evaluation.

Oct-Dec 2012 In early October, became very intolerant to most foods and started having nighttime pain again, GERD symptoms. Symptoms subsided for two weeks, then returned. Taking PPIs for GERD, Probiotics and experiencing extreme Constipation. BMs only every 8-10 days. Bloated miserable, having pain, feeling like food is stuck. November, saw GI doctor and he ordered EGD, soft low Fiber diet. December EGD negative for Hpylori, celiac, erosion, Barrett's. Prescribed Amitiza for constipation. Antispasmodic for GI spasms.

Symptoms improved.

Feb symptoms (intolerance of meals, feeling stuck, etc) returned. Consult with GI doc, schedules GES. Results normal gastric emptying times, but abnormal esophageal retention. GI doctor follow up in 2 weeks.

March 2013: barium swallow:Dx achalasia, severe esophageal dilation due to LES failure to open in response to swallowing. Discussed options for removal/revision and further testing.

High weight 290 lb

Surgery weight 281.5

Band emptying weight 225

Current weight 202

Goal weight 170

At all times my PCP, Gastroenterologist, Cardiologist and Bariatric Surgeon were in communication. Procedures, records and test findings were shared.

Preexisting IBSd. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, GERD.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction/Spinal Stenosis

Left knee osteoarthritis-replacement recommended

Still taking all medications I was taking pre-band + amitiza, antispasmodic and additional hypertensive drug

That's great to hear! Will continue to pursue VSG revision.

It sounds like you're retaining food in your esophagus. Need a barium swallow to check the status of your band and esophageal function. I've been experiencing exactly what you describe...what I found out is my band is very loose, but the sphincter at the bottom of my esophagus fails to open when I eat. I'm having a manometry test next week to determine next steps.

I'm interested in how this works out. I'm almost 3 yrs out with band, lost 90 lb. I developed esophageal dilation, achalasia and a general GI Motility disorder over the last year. My UGI showed the LES did not open in response to swallowing, so the barium distended the esophagus. The esophagus spasmed trying to push the barium through and it could be seen sloshing around in there. When I eat, I have to eat very slowly, eat half a band portion. I sometimes regurgitate food eaten days before.

I only had 3.5 cc in my 11 cc band and had it all removed last June, because nothing would pass through the band. After removing the Fluid and allowing the stomach/esophagus to heal a bit, the UGI showed normal function, other than a bit slow in emptying. No dilation, slip, spasms. 9 months later its another story.

I've had a gastric emptying study, showing mild gastroparesis, endoscopy with negative biopsies, and I'm scheduled for manometry testing next week. I want to revise to sleeve, but have been told it could exacerbate my motility problems.

I'm working with my GI, Lapband and PCP doctors with this.

The other significant issue is that I often have palpitations when eating due to the close proximity of the heart to the esophagus and the violent spasms I experience. I've had a full cardiac work up that was negative for any cardiovascular disease.

I'm not a candidate for RNY for other medical reasons.

Good to know!

Sodium came it at about 600mg per serving. I don't do artificial sweeteners, so Splenda won't work for me. I would opt to reduce the brown sugar by half, which would = Splenda brown sugar.

I entered this on my fitness pal, thinking it would be sky high in carbs (entered regular brown sugar), and was pleasantly surprised that it was only 16.6 carbs and has 25 gr protein! I wonder if reducing the brown sugar would affect the flavor??

I agree, see a nutritionist. You probably can increase your Protein and healthy carb calories and start to lose. When I first saw my nutritionist, I was eating 1400 cal. She upped me to 1800 and had me cut out the "white" calories. I lost weight.

As a person who didn't drink for 30 minutes following meals and now has been told to drink with meals because of GI dismotility, I have experienced no difference in the amount I can eat, nor in satiety. I still go 4, 5 or even 6 hours without feeling hungry and can eat 1 cup of food, max. My band is empty.

You were throwing up before you started the Prilosec? Why did you start taking it? Were you having heartburn or other symptoms besides vomiting? Did you start Prilosec because your doctor recommended it?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's impossible to give relevant advice without more information. If you haven't called your doctor for the vomiting, you should ASAP.

Ask you doctor.

If you are having chest pain, you should call your doctor.

Josh, if you're not feeling hunger, that is restriction. When a fill is given without considering satiety there is a risk of causing damage. It's better to be a bit cautious with fills, fully understand how the band works with your body. Many people are too aggressive with fills because they think restriction is the band stopping them from overeating or eating the wrong foods. When I go to my band doctor they ask me the following questions:

How much can you comfortably eat? (1/2 to 1 cup)

How long are you taking to finish your meal? (20-30 min, stop at 30 even if there is food left)

How long after eating do you feel hunger?(4-5 hours)

Do you find yourself looking for food? (Head Hunger)

Are you drinking at least 64 oz Water per day? (I drink about 90 oz Water per day)

This is how my doctor determines the need for a fill, along with weight loss. If I'm losing a pound per week, no fill is needed. I don't exercise and due to band complications, all my fill was removed last June. I still eat band friendly foods to the extent my motility disorder allows and per my GI doctor's instructions and I'm still losing slowly.

First bite syndrome has nothing to do with the band itself. It's an irritated LES that spasms the lower part of the esophagus closed. When it relaxes, you can eat. My doctors are finding a correlation between first bite syndrome and later esophageal issues. The first bite is retained in the esophagus, feeling a lot like food isn't passing thru the band...it hasn't even reached the band. Just my $.02

Sure, blame skiing! I started at 30, when we lived in an area close to ski areas. I learned weighing about 200 lb, chasing my 7 and 11 year olds down the advanced ski runs. When I crashed, it was spectacular. I played catcher for almost 20 years on our jack and Jill softball team, going undefeated, lol. My first injury to my left knee, was from skateboarding...I went to junior prom with an ace bandage around it and a dislocated thumb. That thumb is very arthritic today.

My back is a mystery, but about a year before it went ballistic, I slipped and fell hard on ice, landing on my right hip. SIJoint Disfunction is very common in women, since the cartilage there becomes soft with pregnancy to allow the baby to pass thru the pelvis. The stenosis is congenital.

I can walk a mile on the treadmill but the bikes and elliptical kill the back. My knee and back pain range from a low of 4 to 7-9 on a bad day. If I walk more than I should, the chondral lesion on my knee gets going. I had the injections of synovial Fluid several years ago after arthroscopic surgery to remove torn miniscus.

Your situation sounds a lot like mine...you take care too!

There are many factors that impact obesity. There are genetic predispositions (nature), environmental influences (nurture), poor diet, lack of exercise, pre and peri-natal conditions, such as mother's diabetes, abuse, etc.

The problem with doctors is that they lump all of us under one umbrella of diet and exercise. After gaining 30 lbs when I became disabled due to spinal stenosis/SI Joint dysfunction, my spine doctor sent me to another back specialist to get a second opinion. After I was weighed (285 lb) he pronounced loudly that my problem was easily managed by diet and exercise! "Get off the couch and onto a treadmill!" Was his advice. I asked if he had any normal BMI patients with my problems and he said he had several. I challenged him to treat me the same as them and his answer was to get to a normal BMI and he'd be glad to.

What he didn't know, was that 3 months earlier, I couldn't lift my right foot to put it in a shoe, couldn't walk without help, couldn't dress without assistance. In 3 months, I'd been going to PT 3 times a week to get back some mobility and independence. I left his office in tears, determined that I would find a way to lose and I have. I still have spinal stenosis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction, a knee that needs replaced (injured in sports, I played softball and downhill skied until I was almost 50).

The doctors don't get to know us, because they don't have time, they don't care or they aren't educated in the area of nutrition, childhood abuse and the impact of poverty on our population.

While our food chain is also to blame, the general perception that obese = lazy glutton by our medical professionals contributes to the guilt, self-loathing and depression that makes us want those over processed, carb loaded foods. I hope for the sake of my grandkids, this changes.

An interesting factor in our family, is that my son takes after his father, maintains his ideal weight pretty easily and his kids all have normal BMI. My daughter, who like her brother is very athletic, has struggled with her weight all her adult life; all her children are slightly obese. I had gestational diabetes during her pregnancy, not with my son. My daughter had it with her pregnancies, delivering a 9 lb boy at term and 27 months later, identical 31w6d triplet girls weighing a total of 9lb12oz at birth. Coincidence, I don't think so.

Just my thoughts for today...

Our family has eaten quinoa for years. I toast it in a tiny bit of oil, add broth (1c quinoa:2 c broth), cover, cook 15 min on med heat and serve with a dollop of ff Greek yogurt as a side dish. I've made muffin cups with it, eggs, chicken Italian sausage, broccoli and cheese. They end up being about 15 gr Protein each.

There are tons of recipes on Pinterest.

A port infection can be a sign of more serious band problems. An infection of this duration and resistance should have been cultured long ago and dealt with aggressively. I would insist on being seen by a different band doctor, since yours doesn't seem to be alarmed by your situation. If your band doctor isn't cooperative, get your PCP/OB doctors involved, since this is an issue of overall health of you and your baby. Surgery to deal with this is a lot easier now than it will be in another month, when the uterus reaches the umbilicus.

Best of luck, please keep us posted.

I started taking anti-inflammatories for a back injury that has gotten progressively worse over the years.. Apparently they make your system produce more acid. Not to mention I was trying to be good and up my Water intake but neglected to remember lemons are highly acidic and should not have added then to my water, Esp after 6pm ... Needless to say, I won't be doing that again and have started taking prevacid... Thanks ladies! Xoxo

Are you saying you've been taking NSAIDs? Ibuprofen, aleve, even aspirin are NSAID medications and they cause a thinning of the protective lining of the stomach which can lead to erosion. Best to get yourself checked out, ASAP.