Help one of our members out on FaceBook!

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

Do you use Facebook ?

Linda Walsh from Nutley, NJ just posted the following question on the recently launched BariatricPal FaceBook page:

Hi. I just returned home from losing my lap band due to severe slippage with a prolapse--the stomach had folded back over he band and twisted inside out. This was all due to a severe bout of the stomach flu twice last month. (I work in 12 Child Care Centers every week and am bombarded wth every virus you could imagine!) I could not hold anything inside me for a week. And of course I waited till I had things in control at home before seeking emergency care--of course it was a saturday. The Doctor said the stomach was very stretched out and battered--I had been vomiting blood and had bruised the top of the stomach badly. He refused to put in another band till it was totally healed. I agree, the pain and sickness it had caused me was not something I wanted to deal with before I got healed.

The recovery is 100 times harder this time. My whole belly is covered in dark purple and red bruises. I barely can walk. The swelling is huge. I had nothing like this with the Lap band insertion surgery..Pain inside and out as well--He had to stitch the stomach closed also.

Now what do I do? I didn't get a chance to think about what I would do in this instance. I am basically an emotional wreck, mourning the loss of this marvelous tool, and yet can't even think of putting myself through the agonly again.

In the 2 1/2 years I had the band I lost 139 lbs. Previously I had lost 54 lbs. pre op. My goal is 150lbs. Ironically the time of the surgery I had weighed in at 192. I had gone below 200 and didn;t know it--well the fact that I lost 10 lbs in a week but puking and not eating or drinking. I was super dehydrated, and this morning the 10 lbs Water was replaced. Back to where I was.

I have a goal of 150 (first goal weight) and know I am so close.

I do NOT want to go back. But with a 10lb Water weight gain in 2 days, how will I lose? I actually am not peeing enough still. I was seriously dehydrated!!!! Had to get potassium bags and 5 Fluid bags, and still very little pee. Dr said its my body absorbing again. I don't know. Im very depressed and very disgusted with myself for going through all the years of watching and measuring and hurting and not being able to get the right balance which destroyed my band and its usefulness.

Is it worth putting my body through agony just because I haed the first band fail..IS IT STILL WORTH IT?

Sorry for the rant but I.m feeling like a failure!

Thanks for listening,
Linda Walsh, Nutley NJ (Dr. Strom Montclair surgical associates)

Click here to respond to Linda's question on FaceBook.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Alex,

I'm not very FB savvy. When/if I respond to Linda's FB post, will my comments show up in the feed or whatever it is on the FB pages of everyone in the universe? If so, I'll need to phrase my response carefully in order to protect both my and Linda's medical privacy.

Thanks,

Jean

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

Alex,

I'm not very FB savvy. When/if I respond to Linda's FB post, will my comments show up in the feed or whatever it is on the FB pages of everyone in the universe? If so, I'll need to phrase my response carefully in order to protect both my and Linda's medical privacy.

Thanks,

Jean

That's a really good question!

Our Facebook page isn't private and all your friends and her friends could potentially see your response in their feed.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

OK, thanks, Alex. I'll phrase my response to Linda accordingly.

Jean

P.S. - Most of my friends know I had WLS, and some acquaintances probably wouldn't care, but there are a few, like my boss (who admits to trolling on FB for the scoop on current and potential employees), who don't deserve to know and can't be trusted with the knowledge. Why do I work for someone like that? That's a long story that could be answered if you'd like to come visit the county in TN with the highest unemployment rate in the state, plus listen to a very long tale of my own business career! And the pluses and minuses of living in a small town where gossip is king.

[kll724 3,055]

Responded to her.Karen, kll724

[terrydumont46 1,954]

i went straight to Facebook bariatric pal. my response doesnt show up on my personal facebook.

[parisshel 1,892]

I liked the page but I will not be responding on it. If a Facebook page is public, your comment is picked up and indexed on Google immediately when you post. If your own FB page is under your real name, which mine is, anytime anyone googles your name, your posts on ANY public FB page will show up. (I learned this the hard way after posting a criticism of an author's new book on a FB book group page.)

Also, when you like a page, the like will show up on all your friends' feed. So if you want to remain private about your WLS on Facebook, you may not wish to "like" any WLS-related pages.

Edited January 9, 2014 by parisshel

[kll724 3,055]

My response, also, did not show up on my Facebook page!