I would like to introduce myself. My name is Liana, and I live in Alpharetta, GA. I was banded December 11th, 2008. I am 23 years old and currently weigh 233 lbs. I currently suffer from depression, panick attacks, social anxiety, and IBS. :thumbdown:As a teen I began to experience nausea, diarrhea, depression, and anxiety attacks. I believe they are all linked together somehow. I had my gallbladder taken out when I was 17 due to stones. I was very nauseous before I got banded, and was throwing up quite often. The doctor told me I had a hiatal hernia (which may be the cause of vomiting), and he would fix it when he put the band in. :scared2:I had my first fill in Jan. 2009. I felt restriction for maybe 1 day, and that was all. I fell back into my old habits between having the surgery and getting my first fill. I just had my second fill March 10th, 2009. I feel a difference with this one. I have a HUGE problem of drinking while I am eating! I can't seem to shake this off, since I have been doing it since I was a baby. So, I drink with all my meals and feel the food slipping through the band. It feels like it gets stuck and I wait a few seconds and it passes. Thats a weird feeling. For the past couple of weeks, my nausea has gotten worse. It is a daily occurence and I feel like vomiting constantly. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I can't seem to vomit with the lapband. Its like the band prevents the stuff from coming back up. I told my doctor this, and he says it does happen sometimes. You would think this would be a good thing, cause who wants to vomit. BUT, sometimes I would just rather get the nausea over with by vomiting. I can pretty much eat anything I choose, and not have problems. The only thing I can't do is drink soda. This is a VERY good thing for me, because I used to drink soda with every meal. I drink sweet tea, and no it does not have a sugar substitute. Those artificial sweeteners make me nauseous. When I was dealing with the gallbladder thing as a teen, I would live off of Promethazine (Phenergan) and would have to take it everyday like clockwork. I just got accepted into nursing school, and am excited but extremely nervous. Like I said earlier the nausea is bad. Its everyday almost all day. It seems to be worse when I wake up in the morning or after a nap. And its bad if I go several hours without eating. I don’t want to have to live off of Promethazine again, and try not to take it. But it keeps me from doing things I like. I don’t want to go out in public, fearing I may faint or vomit. I just want to stay at home and be a hermit, avoiding all the funs things ppl my age do. I am a major sissy when it comes to vomiting! I hate it, and it scares me. I don’t know what to do anymore. And as if that’s not enough, diarrhea is pretty frequent as well. I don’t know if my IBS is flaring up badly this time, and I can’t get it under control. Or if its nerves from starting school. Or stress from home and health life. I am also insulin resistant, and take Metformin for that. I also take Wellbutrin SR 150mg 2x's a day, Prozac 20mg, and a women's daily multi-vitamin. I cry because I can’t take the sickness anymore and want to just be NORMAL!! I know this is a lot to read. But I am hoping someone out there knows what I am going through and can help me through this. Sorry it’s a bit much and full of scattered details. I am just at my wits end. :frown:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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Thanks for caring,<o:p></o:p>

Liana <o:p></o:p>

I am so sorry you are going through all of this. In addition to talking in detail with your surgeon I would suggest your mental health professional too. When starting out I was told that the band is a tool that can really help you lose weight but it is not a magic bullet. In order to feel well and be successful you must follow the rules. One is no drinking with meals. This was very hard for me too but it is a must. If really necessary just take a sip. You could be feeling sick because you are eating and drinking too much. I have dry heaved twice since being banded. One time was after the gym when I downed a bottle of water in minutes. Finally after an hour I dry heaved. It took a couple of hours to feel better. The second time was when I went out for dinner. I know I ate too much and did not chew well ( and yes that is a very important rule, chew chew chew and than chew some more !) I felt terrible for hours. Please try weaning yourself off the sweet tea. Calories do count. Perhaps you could cut back and dilute it little by little. I was very addicted to diet soda and had to give it up cold turkey because of the carbonation. Now I don't miss it. In fact the other day I took a few sips and didn't like it. I drink water with lemon and Ice tea with sweetnlow. Also remember your protein. Eat your protein first. It helps you feel fuller longer. I wish you good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Yea, I need to work on several things. Its like learning a whole new life, and I know you know how it feels. Thank you for the tips and support.