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Hi! I've had my band for a year (today!), but just recently found this forum. I would get the band again in a heartbeat, but have had a couple of complications and am looking to learn more about others' experiences.

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Jeanne

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Welcome...what kind of complications have you experienced? I have had my band for a little over seven months and have experienced nothing but glory. I would love to hear about you. Are you doing alright now?

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how much did you weight when you started the band and how much have you lost?

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I'm really glad to be here. My lap band journey has also been an exciting one, but it hasn't been all that easy. Immediately after being banded I developed a penicillin resistant staph infection in my port incision. After weeks of daily trips to my doctor's office for packing and various antibiotics, I finally had to have it removed. It was replaced about a month later, so I didn't get my first fill until about 12 weeks after being banded. It wasn't that big of a deal in the long run, and I really viewed it as a minor bump in the road. My second fill was very uneventful, but my third fill was pretty rough. I ended up with horrible reflux and had to have an unfill a couple of days later. Then my next fill was difficult as well. I threw up pretty violently 5 days after my fill after eating too fast and not chewing well enough. After that, pretty much everything that went in my mouth caused unbelievable pain. I got another unfill and was told to come back for an upper GI in a month. That was yesterday. Unfortunately, the x-rays showed my band had slipped. I was completely unfilled and will be going back in another two weeks for another set of x-rays. Hopefully things will be back to normal by then and I'll be able to start getting Fluid added again.

The weird thing is, I realize that if you read the previous paragraph you would think I was miserable with the Band. It couldn't be farther from the truth! The band has changed my life in so many ways, and I still strongly believe it was the best decision for both my physical and mental health I could have ever made. Even if I had to go through 10 times as much, I would still do it again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the slippage will be just another small bump, and that the band will continue to be the awesome tool for me that it has been for the past year. :)

Thanks again for the nice welcome.

Jeanne

12/3/06

247/234/170/150???

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Are they hopeing that the slippage will correct itself by removing the Fluid? I was under the impression that if your band slips it needs to be fixed surgically, and if it does, do you have to go through the whole liquid diet/mushies/soft food progression again like with initial post-op?

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pta2007 -

Apparently it *can* correct itself if the band is emptied. In fact, I just ran into a friend who had the exact same thing happen and hers did correct itself within 2 weeks. My doctor told me that it probably would, and if it didn't we would either give it more time (if it looked like it was at least starting to get better) or correct it surgically. I assume if I have surgery I would have to go through the whole liquids/mushies thing, since as I understand it, that's primarily to let the swelling from surgery go down. It wouldn't be fun, but if I could do it once, I could do it again!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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