stormy

I got my band a long time ago and I haven't been on this site for a long time I've been using my band but the problem is I think I'm due for a full. here's the issue even though I'm holding my weight steady if I get another fill I won't be able to get the phlegm down. I end up throwing up. When I got my band I was 275 I think but I'm still 201 and I'm frustrated. I don't over eat but some times I don't eat at all. That's not good. I think I may have her put just a little bit in but the phelm is very thick. Does anyone take something for phelm to get it down. My goal is 170 I'm so close any advise would help thanks.

I went in today and had 1.4 CC's taken out of the band she said my stomach is very inflamed but everything else looks good no slip she suggest I take 30 days to let my stomach rest and then put the fluid back in she thinks its because I had the flu

I have Dr appt today they will do xray I hope it shows its OK since I can't afford to go to mexico.

how do you tell the difference between being sick with the flu or possible lap band slip. I have been sick now about a week body aches phlem. It is so thick I throw up. Now that have acid reflux. would i feel icky if the lap band has slipped or do I need to have some fluid taken out until this passes any ideas would be appreciated

Hey guys, I have been gone a while but I am back.. I have done very well with my band. Got under my first goal and headed to my finish line but here is what happened. I was snowmobiling yesterday and was thrown from machine. My port is sore..my whole body is sore but I don't feel tight anymore. Could I have broke the band? How long should I wait to check on it? They did ct but didn't say anything but maybe they wouldn't since I didn't get it here. I thought if I don't feel tight tomorrow morning that I will call the clinic in washington but I am so broke if they don't take care credit I am in big trouble,, has anyone had accident before? Was your band ok? How do you know if it is broke? Would I feel sick? This is what I get for being active again. Ug. Please any advise would help.

I think I need a slight unfill. The person I go to is not in town for the next two weeks. I can get some liquid down but it takes a long time. I think when I got something stuck it has caused me to be inflamed. I am not sure what to do. Is there anyone in Portland that can do this? I called the dr, she is in Eugene, she has not called me back yet. I wish this was something we could just do ourselves this is frustrating. Any ideas?

So hubby and I went for our two year evaluations. It turned out well. No problems with band. Pouch looks great but this is my question. They only found 1.6 in my band. That is the amount that I started with. They feel since I have been doing fills here in town, there should be more in there. I have been tracking on here and according to my notes, I should have 2.9 in my band. Maybe the unfills she did, she wrote down wrong. They gave me a small fill of 0.4 so now a total of 2.0 in band. Should I request her notes? I finally have restriction and feel like maybe this is why I have not been losing any weight in the last 6 months. I would hate to think that I have been paying for fills and got to much taken out at one time and that I was not benefiting from the band because of not being restricted enough. The good thing is the band looks great and both hubby and I have no issues. His band they did not do a fill and told him that he is at good restriction. He has a total of 6.cc in a 10 cc band. He is concerned because he has gained about 3 pounds. They talked to him about his eating habits. I think things will get better now. I am relieved that the bands look great. Once I get my paperwork together, they even did photos, I may send it down to OCC. Thank everyone for hanging in with us. The journey continues...

Yes I am in Oregon and get my fills here since I can not afford to go to TJ. I got a questionaire that said it is good idea to get 2 year check up. So I scheduled for 10/15/10 in Olympia Washington, they are going to check everything out for me. I hope things looks well.

I'm just curious as to why you feel a 2 year check up is needed?

I had never thought of this.

Are you getting fills done elsewhere?

Hubby and I are still here. We got our bands two years ago and now it is time to get them checked out, at least per the email I got. Cant come down to TJ so I am going to Olympia Washington and I will have to pay about $370 to get it checked. So total $740. I wish we had the time to just get on a plane to go down there, I would be more comfortable but this place seems ok. Pretty much the thing, I need to work on is chewing better. I get in a hurry and forget and then POW! Ouch. I have not gained or lost lately so it is time for fill. Hubby says he gained 8 pounds in last 3 months and he knows it is time for fill because he is able to eat more than what he should and he says he is having some issues keeping his medication level. I think that is what made him gain. He went to the dr and I think they have that worked out. Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know I am still here. I am also on facebook, if you give you a email message with your names or facebook page, I would love to add you for support, Thanks take care..

Stormy

aka Kim

The economy has hit us and hubby is now getting less hours and I am getting furlows. It has been a long time since our fills, I know we are due. My scale says I have not gained but I feel fat!! Should I say it again F. A. T. Fat. My belly feels like it is now hanging. I am embarrassed. I dont know if my body is just changing or what is going on but if I have not gained then why do I feel this way? I need a fill. The fills for me cost $170.00. We are behind on our bills. Not really behind, they are just due. Everything got paid last month and I was thankful but no money for fill. Hubby and I both need one and it is not fair for one of us to get one and the other not. I am not sure what to do. My friend did weight watchers and he came over to me the other day and let me know that he has lost 75 pounds. He looks great. Here I am, I spent all this money and I have lost 45 pounds. In Sept it will have been two years. Have I failed? I can't even afford to go back to my pole dancing class and that is what was really taking the weight off, along with my fills. Does anyone have any advise? What do you do to get the money for your fills? Should I just not pay my credit cards and just go get it done and not worry about my credit? There has got to be an answer somewhere..

Has anyone read this book or started using the ideas that are listed in there? I started reading it and from what she is saying she uses the ideas of filling up on fruits and vegies during the day. 10 + 10, 10 vegies, 10 fruits. I like the idea but I am very tight in the morning and have had problems getting any kind of fruit in there. Maybe I should try some type of smoothie. Anyway, just wondering if anyone is using this approach to move the weight loss along?

Where in Mexico do they do that, that is a good price. I would love to get my stomach done.

Can't wait to see photos too. In Mexico, the dr charges about 8-900 for the first area and 500 for aditional ones. He also will take the removed fat and put it in your butt, 3 ladies had had it done and it looked real good to me.

How many people on here have had a pregnany with their band? What is the risk factors? I am 42, my time is running out. I almost wonder if it is too late for me, but if I consider having another child, what is the risks that I would be facing? I know there are other risks like down syndrome and things like that but during a pregnany what happens to the band?

Me too, I claimed it all. This year I will only get to claim the fills I think or ya and mileage to the fill appointments. Last year we got $6,000 back. I am afraid this year we are going to owe, has me completely freaked out about filing. But I better get on it cause time it running out. I say claim it all!!! You pay for it, so why not. My friend had a fit that I did that, he called it elective surgery. I told him to go bite himself. He was just mad we got money back. Poo on him!

I always stick to that rule. I got my fill way before my cycle was coming. I think I will do liquids and then mushys, just to make sure I did not irritate anything. That webinar really helped me make a good decision. Thank you also for your input.

I am always tighter during that time of the month too. I also have read and follow the rule that you shouldn't schedule a fill the week before or during the time of month as you are swelling and may not get a good fill.

Good Luck!

I got my fill last month and was doing much better, started losing weight. Was eating my three meals a day, no problems. Now I started by cycle and I have got tight. Now I am having a problem. I have got food stuck twice now and today when I tried to have chicken noodle, I think I got a piece of chicken in there and it took a while to go down. I hate to think that I have to get some taken out because of my cycle. Do you think it would be bad to be back on liquids while I am on my menstral cycle? Does this happen to anyone else out there? I watched the webinar and he said that it is normal to get tight but he still mentioned three solid meals a day. Not sure if I can do that right now. I know that I get a lot of water retention during this time, I can see my stomach bloating out. I just want to make sure that this is something that I may have to plan for on a regular basis monthly until that change thing comes. Thanks

This is frustrating. Am I doing this right? I am stuck at 214. The scale is not moving. I guess I should be happy. I am down 32 pounds since surgery but it has been over a year. I know it is my fault because I put off my fill for 6 months, I am sure I would be further ahead if I would have done it earlier. But I got my fill over a month ago and it just dont seem to be moving. I am stuck. What am I doing wrong? I hardly eat at all. I have a banana or yogart for breakfast and then coffee. Then I have a salad for lunch or sometimes soup, then for snack maybe a yogart or some crackers. Then for dinner, I have a small piece of chicken, if I can keep it from getting stuck, or a yogart with cottage cheese or a small slice of hamburger. Could that be it, that I am not eating enough? Maybe I am not getting enough calories, but that just seems weird. I guess I need some food ideas because in the morning, I am tight. I seem to go for the things that wont get stuck, like soup. But I know that I am not overeating. This is really getting me down. I want to get back under 200, I did it before, but his 15 pounds will be the hardest to lose this time. UG, anyone got any ideas?

So I got my fill about one and 1/2 weeks ago and this feeling is very weird. I eat and I get a tightness in my chest. Obviously, telling me that I am full but my stomach feels empty. My mind gets confused and I want to eat more but I stop because I know I am full. What a weird game your mind plays on you. I chewed really well tonight and was able to get some pork down, so I am glad I got some protein in, as I have had no real meat since my fill. It was a very small peice but I wanted to try. I have done well with salad, I had a piece get a little lodged in there the other day but that was my own fault because I did not chew it enough, lesson learned. I hope I am not too tight. I can eat about 1 cup of food, maybe a touch more. I have lost about 4 pounds since my fill. This is probebly the best fill I have received so far as far as restriction. I realise now that I really had no restriction before and that is why I was able to eat like I was. I am very excited about the possiblities of losing weight again. This being full and feeling that tightness in your chest is really a feeling I have not felt since getting banded. Does anyone else get that feeling but your stomach is empty? Is there anything you can do before you eat to help the lower stomach feel satisfied? Any type of drink maybe? Is that a good idea?

Margie,

That is who I go to, isnt she a trip. She cracks me up and so far she has worked really well for me. Keep in touch.

I have had 1 fill at OCC and 2 w/Dr. Fitzpatrick in Oregon. I don't know how to do the vote thing for my information.

Margie

So I went and received my 4th fill. I was excited because I was hoping to have good restriction. I didnt really feel anything so at first I thought maybe I was not tight enough. I had some broth and went to bed. Then at 4 am I got thirsty so I grabbed a capri sun, drank it and went back to bed. I woke up at 8:00 am completely full of phelgm. She had warned me that citrus after a fill could cause mucous and swelling and she was not kidding. I could not even swollow my spit. I tried to drink hot water, thinking this would loosen me up, no go. I tried regular water, it was not going down either. So I called her. She had me come right in. I was disappointed to have to have some taken out. She asked me if I had something that was on the list of donts. I told her about the drink I had and she stated this is what got me. Now I feel better but I realise that everything in my house that I drink has citrus in it. What a weird thing. I never noticed before. At least I am only on clear liquids for one day and then I can go to soft. Hopefully that means I can go back to drinking what I want. I can't wait to start eating again. My mind is telling me I am hungry. I think all I really need is to chew on something. Maybe I will have some gum. HA! Anyway, watch out for this stuff after a fill if you are like me with that extra phelgm. Yuck!

Where ever you are getting your fills, please go somewhere else. That is crazy. Let me tell you what has happened with my fill dr. I went to see her today. It has been since June and I was worried that she was going to really come down on me. I explained to her that I could eat whatever I wanted and I was concerned that I had gained. She did not yell at me, she didnt come down on me. She talked to me about my choices, how I felt about my band and what my goal was. She agreed that it was obvious that I would gain weight since I did not have my tool assisting me, since I was so loose. I agreed that making decisions about when to get my fills and what I was eating was very important. I have this tool. I need to use it and ignoring my ability to eat like I was, was affecting my chances of real success. I felt very positive when I left her office. I feel like I am back on track and that she is very supportive of me making changes. If a fill dr makes you fill like crap about your progress and then gets you too tight, only to make you hate your band. That is not the dr I would want to see. I hope you dont go for the bypass, my friend got it and she is misrible and is sick alot because she dont get the vitamins she needs. I see her eating baby food to get her vitamins. Yuck. I dont know how long you have had your band but I would get a new dr and try to work with it more. We are here to support you through this, dont give up just yet.

So I go get a fill next Friday and I am a little embarrassed. It has been since June of last year and I checked the scale today, I have gained 5 pounds and I am not happy about it. I know better then to wait this long. I guess I got comfortable, figured I wasnt gaining and money was tight so I could put it off. Maybe a bit scarred too since it was too tight last time and had to get some taken out. But this is crazy. I feel like I am slipping into my old ways. I know I am not eating as much but I went a week without my exercise and I eat some chicken strips and fries and I have no idea why. That is not right. This is not what I want. Then today I got up and my right knee hurt, almost as if the 5 extra pounds was affecting it. Someone come down here and slap me please. I am going to tell the fill doctor that I have no idea why I am going the wrong way. What is freaking me out about this? My husband told me he feels the same way, that he felt like he was comfortable but he admits that he wants to keep losing. I think we have lost focus. I can hear my stomach growling even though I just ate. This is crazy. I have lost focus on what I really want and I dont want to be like this. I dont know what happened but I hope that next week with help from everyone I can stop whatever is going on. I DO want this, I DO. I feel a lot of shame in gaining. Tonight hubby and I are going to sit down, we need to take a serious look at our stress level, why are we not staying on task. It is completely unacceptable. I'm sorry I am rambling but I am frustrated and embarrassed. This has got to change.

Dont ever say you cant do something. This person is something else. She is showing that anything is possible. This makes me want to try even harder to use my body to my best ability. How sexy we all can be, no matter what our size.

My big one, of course lose at least 20 pounds this year. I would say more but I am scarred of failure. Dont want to aim too high. I wanted to see what other people have on their list, here is my top 10:

1. Lose 20 pounds by Sept 2010

2. Stop paying for storage shed, clean that puppy out!

3. Get house organized

4 Get new living room furniture (two chairs)

5. Get more exersise, more than 2 x a week

6. Save up for new bed, time for adjustable bed, yowser..

7. Get credit cards paid off by Sept 2010

8. Refinance lapband bill

9. Find babysitter once a month for hubby time.

10.Work on journeling progress.

I was on here freaking out before my surgery. I was scarred to death. I can totally understand what you are saying. What was really bad is one of my friends kept telling me that I would die in Mexico and no one would find my body. She was freaking me out. But it was because of the people on here that I trusted that I would be ok. The information that I received and the hope and success that I have seen on here, more than made up my mind. I started out my journey at over 265 pounds. I was not getting any smaller and my hopes of ever being healthy were fading away. Since my surgery I have lost 46 pounds. I am more flexable that I have ever been and I am still continuing on the road to success. Trust the people here, I did. You will never be alone. You dont have to face this journey without having someone by your side all the way. It is scarry, I wont lie to you, there are set backs, but with support and honesty within yourself you can do it. It is a daily struggle. There is a reason this happened. Part of the journey and learning why and working our way through it. I can't tell you enough how this has changed my life. I hope that you will give it a lot of thought and if you want to get more info, watch you tube videos, just type in lapband. There are people on there tracking their experience, it is good information.