February 2006 bandsters unite!!

[cozzie 0]

I am the same as you - I have not lost any weight for a few weeks and when I think about all the food that I am NOT eating I thought the weight would fly off me - and like you I am not complaining because I am pleased with what I have lost - so I suppose it did take a long time to gain the weight so it should take a while to lose it all

[skbishop78 0]

Where is everyone?

[Dancer 0]

I keep wondering the same thing!

Don't we love each other any more????

[DonnaB 3]

I think that as time passes and people get more comfortable with their band and their new lifestyle, there is less and less need for a support group. It's sad. I miss everyone. But it's kinda to be expected.

I blame it on JanetC. She abandoned us! She was our driving force, our secretary of record, the leader of the pack! And now she's gone. Sing it with me: The leader of the pack, and now she's gone . . . The leader of the pack, and now she's gone . . . Gone, gone gone . . .

Kidding Janet. Love you.

Y'all want to hear my fill/unfill saga? It took a long time to write it so I'm gonna copy and paste it for you:

Re: too tight

Quote:

Originally Posted by christa94

donna,

you mentioned that you were losing before the fill. why did you have the fill? did you feel you were losing restriction? you mentioned that the fill is too tight. what makes you say that? are you still losing?

Hi Christa,

I got the fill because I had lost and regained the same pound four times over a two week period, which my doctor said is a sign you may need a fill. Additionally, I was at twelve weeks post op, by which time most bandsters are already on their 2nd or 3rd fill. LOL, I was afraid I was going to be left behind.

Let this be a lesson, listen to what your body says, not what other people are doing or saying. What I needed to do was reexamine my caloric intake and increase my activity level.

The other thing I did wrong was to try to be accomodating. I had my surgery in Mexico so I'm using a local surgeon's facilities for fills. I had already scheduled a fill and even though I had recently had a bad PB (my first) which caused swelling, I didn't want to cancel my appointment because I didn't want them to change their mind and not accept me as a patient - so I went for the fill. Big mistake.

Having a too tight fill is miserable. After the PB swelling and the fill (1.4cc) I had constant pressure/pain at my sternum front and back. In the morning it hurt even worse and it even hurt to breathe deeply when I first got out of bed. I couldn't eat anything until 1:00 in the afternoon usually. To complicate matters, by the time I got in to the Dr.'s office for an unfill, my PB swelling was finally going away and I was almost comfortable with my fill level, so I wasn't sure if I wanted/needed an unfill. This was my first fill, I wasn't sure what it was SUPPOSED to feel like. I was already at the Dr.'s office so I decided I'd just have them check my band to be absolutely sure it was still in the right place - of course it was, but you hear so many nightmare stories here on LBT . . . . The surgeon was doing fills on that Saturday (!?!) and insisted on checking the band by removing all the fill and putting it back in - I still don't know why he didn't just look at the band on the fluoroscope. I didn't really feel like I had any choice, so I went along. He was terrible at giving fills - I've only ever had one and even I could tell he wasn't good at it! - the Lydocaine shot HURT. My first fill Lydocaine shot didn't hurt at all. He pulled the fill out, checked it, and then SLAMMED it back in! I had excruciating pain in my sternum till he pulled back on the syringe a bit. I was laying on that F'ing table gasping it hurt so bad. I don't know what he was playing at, but when he put my original fill back in - HE ADDED .5cc's! I went for a possible unfill and he added .5cc's! WTF? To make it worse, he didn't tell me he added .5cc's, in fact, he told me there was only 1cc in the band. Since we've all heard that it's very common to lose some or all of a first fill, I wasn't alarmed by that and was actually grateful because I was finally getting comfortable again. When I left his office I felt tight but was able to swallow easily - I just thought the tightness was because of disturbing the stomach area again.

That was on a Saturday and by Saturday night I could barely swallow my own spit. I could only take in Water in sips amounting to the size of a pea. I tried to have LITTLE TINY slivers of sugar free, fat free, frozen yogurt which sounded soothing to my swollen, hungry belly - it caused me to slime for about 40 minutes before I was able to swallow my own spit again! Forget about eating. Not even soup! Not even clear broth!

Because that visit was on a Saturday, I had to wait until Monday when the doctor's office reopened before I could get in for an unfill - which irritated my stomach more. Fortunately, the surgeons fill nurse was there on Monday. She's awesome. When she pulled the fill out, sure enough there were 1.9cc's of fill in there. My original 1.4cc's PLUS the .5cc's that idiot of a surgeon added at the time of my SUPPOSED unfill! I was furious. I went the whole weekend in MISERY because this jerk-off thought he knew what was best for me - and didn't even inform me of what he was doing. I'm furious about it still. The fill nurse took my fill down to my current 1.2cc's and I'm beginning to feel better today but I'm still on liquids and will stay on them until this Sunday - 7 days of liquids just to be sure I don't cause another PB re-irritating my already irritated stomach!

This has been a horrible experience and I don't plan to have another fill until I can't lose another ounce no matter how much I restrict calories and increase my activity! I will never again compare my fills with anyone elses, nor will I agree to have fills on any kind of schedule. Needless to say, I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, let that surgeon touch my body ever again. If the fill nurse isn't there, I'll leave. Even if I have to pay for an office visit he'll never touch me again. I'd never use his facility again except that his fill nurse is wonderful (compassionate, careful, HONEST - pick whichever one you like, she's all of that and more), and, because I didn't have surgery in the U.S., I don't want to go around looking for another local who'll see me.

Here is my advise for anyone wanting to know about getting fills:

1) If/when you get a fill, do it in slow increments - more is not better, or even cheaper. It will cost you in the long run to need unfills and refills when you could have got to the same place COMFORTABLY by sneaking up on your sweet spot.

2) If you think you might be too tight, GO GET AN UNFILL! It's not worth the misery or the irritation and possible damage to your stomach to try to keep your fill in an attempt to lose weight faster. That's not what I was doing, but I see that on LBT frequently.

3) Make sure YOU call the shots - not some numb-nuts doctor who thinks he knows everything. Once again I must learn to trust my own instincts (a lesson I thought I had learned long ago) and listen to what MY body is telling ME!

Sorry to go on and on, but this is the first time I've written it all down and I'm still pretty steamed about it.

LOL - Um, what makes you ask?

Good luck with your band and weight loss journey.

[Sunta 4]

Hey guys!

I've been away for awhile but been thinking of everyone. My last fill was five weeks ago and the past three days I seem to have lost ALL restriction and am STARVING!!! Thank goodness I go for another fill next week! I'm worried that my band has slipped or something because I'm suddenly just so hungry all the time and food feels like it's going down weird, like I can feel it "plopping" into my large stomach! Can anyone else relate? I also posted this on the general discussion by only one person answered my post. Hopefully it's just that my fill has loosened up and I just need another fill. I only have 1cc in a 4cc band so maybe that's why. How is everyone else doing?

[Dancer 0]

DONNA!!!! You poor baby! That sounds so miserable! I feel so bad for you!

I keep thinking I need another fill, but then I eat something too fast and get that awful pain....THEN I read your story...I think I will WAIT for a fill!

Thanks for sharing, but I am sooo sorry that you had to go through all of that!

I hope you feel better soon!

[skbishop78 0]

Donna, hate to hear what you have been going through....YUCK!!! Thanks for the advice though! You need to treat yourself to a pedicure or something. You've had it rough!

Sunta, I have not had that feeling...but I doubt your band has slipped. have you thrown up alot?? My doc said that it is really uncommon with today's technology and our now educated patients for bands to slip..he has only had like 5 in 6 years and 800 bands. BUT...I would go get it checked out! IF you can feel your food plopping to your lower stomach it doesn't sound right...I would ask your doc when you go for a fill! Hope it gets better.

[Julie* 0]

Hi Everyone~

Donna: Wow, that is just awful. I have only had 1 fill too and plan on doing it slowly as well. I do not want to be overfilled. Ever since I had that one PB experience I don't ever ever want it to happen again. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Sunta: I sometimes feel food go through the band too but it's usually when I have taken too big of a bite or eaten too fast. It's a strange sensation isn't it?

It does seem like our group is slowing down- I know that I don't just don't seem to check in as much these days. It's more the fact that it's summer though and I am not on the computer as much. I'm usually outside chasing the kids around!

Julie

[lisanjason 0]

Sunta,

I had the same thing happen to me after my first fill.When I went back 4 weeks later the Dr found my band was empty! I got a second fill and 4 weeks after that went back and I had .5 less.He thought for sure I had a slow leak,he filled me again and told me to watch my restriction level,which didn't last and I ended up going in for a repair this Tuesday.I went through the whole surgery and they found I didn't have a leak but the tubing was twisted and kinked and all the Fluid was trapped in the kinked part of the tubing and not reaching the band.They fixed the kink and found 3.2cc in there! They put it all back in and now I have a good restriction.I just need to recover from this newly made port incision now,it's like starting from the beginning again,slowed down my walking that's for sure!

[gadgetlady 4]

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in a while as I've been very busy. It's hard to keep up with everything! I'm finally on a downward track again, losing a smidge every day, so I'm happy. My travelling is over for a few months, so I'm hoping to drop about 5-10 lbs a month until September, my next big trip.

I've had my third fill, but I'm a bit too tight. I'm going to call the dr on Monday and get an slight unfill.

[nanster 0]

Hi All!

Just had a birthday, so I indulged in birthday cake...several times!

My weight loss is still happening, but slower than I'd like. Hopefully, I've found my "sweet spot" with the 0.2cc unfill...I can eat solids, just small quantities.

I ate my first STEAK!! I cut a 1in x 2 in piece into about 15-20 TINY pieces and savored each one! Wow, when it comes to steak, I'm a CHEAP date!! I can't eat much, but if I keep pieces tiny, I'm able to eat almost anything I want. I STILL have not had ANY bread since surgery and plan to continue to avoid that. I can drink a coke from time to time, as long as I drink it on an empty stomach, by itself. I don't feel that it's "outsmarting" the band, it's just a way for me to have some of my favorite things, but have them in quantities that are acceptable/agreeable with weight loss.

I almost feel that I can eat TOO much, but I can't make the band do the work....it has to be partly my responsibility too! Decreased portions and smaller bites are the things the band provided to me...along with a feeling of fullness that I didn't have before. BUT, I have to be the one that changes my eating habits and exercises and eat more like I should. It's a partnership, me and my band!!!

Nanster

[Dancer 0]

Hi everyone!

Just checking in! Hope everyone is doing well!

[cozzie 0]

Hi Dancer,

I have just gone past 16 weeks - but I am finding that I really miss eating especially when I am sociallising with people - how do you feel about having the band now ? Do you sometimes wish you could undo it and try and eat normally

cozzie

[Tamyrn 0]

Hi gang!

Where is JanetC? Vacation?

Donna, Sorry you had such a rough time, but thanks for the advice. My two fills were probably too much each time, but I always feel like I should get all I can because I go to Mexico for them. Anyway, then I'm miserable for a week or two after I get home.

I saw a pic of my self at the Relay for Life the other night and almost cried, I kept looking at it and thinking,"I know her, I just haven't seen her in so long". I will get my husband to post a before and now pic for me (I am a bit of a techno-tard). I'm so close to onederland I can't wait!

[Dancer 0]

Hello again! Just got back from the dr...he said my B12 was low and so was my Iron. On supplements for both and got a B12 shot...here's hoping that helps my energy level!

Cozzie - There are times I wish I could eat normal, but eating "normal" scared me so much (b/c I was gaining so much weight) that I am really glad I have the band!

Tamyrn- I am with you...so close to wonderland! Can't wait to see the picture of you!

Ok, I am going to be brave and post a couple of pictures:

January 1, 2006 - One Month Pre Op

June 20, 2006 - Four Months Post Op