my_friend_amber

I've heard (and had myself) a lot of questions about vomiting after being banded. It's scary because if you think of how slowly you have to sip sip sip and chew chew chew to get food down, then stuff coming up seems like it would be horrid! Well, I got a flu-like bug over the Christmas holiday and ended up throwing up 5 or 6 times. The first few times, I would "vomit" but nothing could get up, and then I finally realized I had to try to relax so that I could get it out of me and I was able to actually throw up enough and then I was better. Afterward, I just stayed on liquids for the next day and half or so just to further calm my stomach and make sure my band was not overtaxed and it's just fine. That episode was about a week ago now and I feel just fine and have been able to return to eating solids with no damage to my band our pouch. I just thought I'd share since I know that getting sick was such a concern for me. I don't suggest doing it for fun (lol) but now I know I can puke and still be okay with my band at least!

I just had a thought... are you anxious about needles of fills? Are you freaking out on subsequent fills because you're afraid you have a leak? For me at least, stress or anxiety can bring on the feeling of being so very restricted. Is it possible that it's your anxiety making you feel the restriction and not the actual fill? Because if so, then it's possible that you've been having your port missed (for some people, a lot of scar tissue forms and it can feel like hitting the port when you're actually hitting the scar tissue) and haven't actually been getting fills at all. I have no idea if this is what is happening to you, but it's just a thought! Also, have you been going back to the OCC for these fills? I would go back there, even though it's expensive and time-consuming, just to let Dr. Ortiz and Dr. So, etc. check you out themselves. Thinking of you and wishing you the very best! ~Amber

What a fun post guys - I feel like I know so much more about everyone now! In the spirit of divulging, here ya go: 1. Name: Amber 2. Location: Arkadelphia, AR (kinda near Little Rock, for those of you saying, "huh!?") 3. Age: 30 4. Band Date: May 15th, 2008 5. Married: For 8 years as of TODAY to a stellar man 6. Children of the human or furry kind: 2 doggie girls - Piper and Zoey 7. Hobby(ies): reading, board games, movies (comedies, action/adventure, fantasy), working on my M.S. in Counseling, and hanging out w/ friends/family 8. Work: College Recruiter, which I love 9. What was the deciding factor(s) on getting banded: being 29 and having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome so badly I wasn't even having periods any more at all and wanting to start a family with my hubby 10. Interesting factoid: I used to be a plus-size model (at about a size 18) if you can believe that, I love really good teeth, and even as fat as I am, I can still bench press 175 lbs.

Kim, good for you friend! We live in a wonderful age when medical treatment has come so far and has gotten so (fairly) affordable that you don't have to be insanely insanely rich to do it. I too think that once you have done what you want you will feel like you are at a perfect size/weight. So excited for you!!!

Okay, so I am finding myself standing on the scale every single morning, and even sometimes at night after workouts. Am I nuts? I've heard some people say they weigh every day so that they can stay on top of whether they're losing steadily, standing still, or (lord forbid) gaining. Others it seems only weigh weekly, or maybe just when the mood strikes them to do so. What do you guys do? What seems to work best for you and why? Also, is anyone out there measuring? I think those initial measurements could be really encouraging (especially in those times when the scale just isn't showing you the love you deserve) but how often, if at all, are you guys measuring? Thanks in advance!!

Yum - that does sound good! Thanks for the tip!!

KUDOS to you my friend!!!

Red, I'm so glad you are doing well. Definitely keep us posted on how things go with you. I was a May surgery (May 15th) and I'm doing pretty well. I'm down to 290.5 from my pre-band decision weight of 333 and 321 on surgery day. I've had some troubles finding a good fill doctor and getting a good fill, but after going back to the OCC somewhat recently for a fill, I'm feeling good at 2.6 cc's. My scars are small and pretty light - the only one you can really see any more is the port scar, but it's only about an inch long, pink, and still slowly fading I think. Overall, I am feeling better than I have in the longest and have recently starting dragging items one-by-one out of my "this is too small for me" closet and relocating them to my "I can wear this now" closet...so yay!

Yeah, we are told to lay off ab exercises for a whole 3 months after surgery so that the stomach muscles around the port can fully heal, so I'm sure that anything that is very physically demanding will involve your core muscles (abs) - I'm sure everything will work out fine and that you're just very sore from the work, but do let us know! We all wish you the best!!

Honey, don't you let yourself feel badly for one minute - you are celebrating what we call a NSV - or Non-Scale Victory, meaning that something great has happened that's showing you your success, but that it's not coming in the form of the numbers on the scale. This time, it's coming to you in the form of a letter - M for Medium! Congrats and rock that jacket, sweetie!!

I just basically wanted to echo these other posts. Since being banded, I've gone through airport security at San Diego, Las Vegas, Little Rock, and Dallas/Fort Worth (one of the biggest airports ever!) and I've never had the band set off any security alarms. Also, the port is burried within the wall of the abdomen muscle itself, so unless you get so skinny and buff that you have "six pack abs" no one will ever be able to see your port.

Thanks to everyone! I cannot say how very, very relieved I am about everything. You guys are right - the OCC doctors are the best AND they are good looking! lol! Oh, and by the way, I hit the official 40 lb loss mark this morning. YAY for being banded!!

Hi Jeni - and welcome! I just wanted to say that I basically wasted my 20's being overweight and unhappy - those should have been the years where you feel free and beautiful and healthy and I weighed 333 at my May 2008 surgery consultation and I was 29 years old. 6 months later I am down 40 lbs and it hasn't all been fun and games, but it has absolutely been worth it. Do this for yourself if you feel it is right for you. Get a loan, sell your car, whatever you have to do. The decision is yours and you must live with it - no one else. You may decide lap band or the OCC is not right for you, but you just may - and we'll all be here to support you no matter what! All my best, Amber

Geez! Hate that, right!? Seriously though, congrats! That is amazing and I know you will make the goal you didn't have the faith to set and then some!! Way to go!

I am so happy to report that after going back to the OCC last week for my scheduled surgery to fix the port that I was told had been punctured by a terrible fill doctor, I am fine!! Dr. So (who is wonderful) filled my band all the way full (4 cc's) and left me that way for 30 minutes so that if there was a leak they could find it, and when that didn't show any leak, they filled me as full as they thought I could comfortably stand (2.6cc's) and told me to come back the next day. I went for 24 hours (on liquids) and then came back to the OCC and my band was still holding all 2.6!! I don't know what happened or how it happened, but somehow, even though the doctors at the Fill Centers location in Austin (who always use flouroscopy) said they could find no fill in my band and that I had a leak - I don't!! Hooray and halelujah! Thanks to everyone for your concern and well-wishes! If you can learn one thing from my ugly experience with all this it is this: be very careful who you let touch your band! It is precious and worth more to you than money, and you must protect it! I was less cautious in choosing a fill doctor than I was in choosing Dr. Ortiz and the OCC and that was a mistake - I should have realized the damage a poor fill doctor could to to me. Be careful out there bandsters! XOXO to you all! ~Amber

Guys thanks so much for the support and positive thoughts and prayers. I just wanted to let everyone know that a few months back I did post the name and location of the doctor who put me through this experience. That information, along with my original story, can be found here: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=7808 If this information helps even one person avoid the same issues I'm having right now, I will be so glad. Thanks again to you all, and will I be seeing any of you at the OCC on November 24th?

Michelle this is amazing! I don't know if you remember me or not, but you were at the OCC the same time I had my surgery in May and stopped in to say hi. You may have already read from my post a few minutes ago - but I am having to have another surgery to fix my band. It is so great to see your progress - it makes me feel that the band really does work and I need that right now! Way to go, friend!!

First of all - long time no see guys! I've been so bummed that I haven't been on this forum in forever, but I'm glad to be back. Big thanks to Allcdngrl and Luvmyboys for checking in on my during my hiatus - you guys are the best. Basically, you guys may (or may not) remember that I had surgery May 15th at the OCC and it went amazingly well. On July 31st I went for my first fill here in the states and had a terrible, terrible, horrible experience with the fill doctor. He poked me 9 times and the torture session lasted just over an hour - he kept "slipping off" my port and stabbing me in the stomach muscles down deep. It hurt so badly that I was literally just shaking all over and couldn't control myself. Well, to make a long story short, after 2 more visits to the Fill Center USA center in Austin TX where I had fills under flouroscopy, it became obvious that my band was not holding any fill and that I had a leak. Thus, I have had to schedule a surgery for November 24th (the Monday before Thanksgiving) to find out exactly what is wrong and how to fix it. If it is just the port that has been damaged, it will be removed and replaced. If it is the actual tubing that has been damaged, the whole band will have to be removed, I will have to keep it out for 9 months, and then go back to have it replaced. Yeah...so I'm hoping for it to just be the port. (Rene said 99% of the time it is just the port, so we'll see...) Anyway - that's what's going on with me. As you can imagine, I am beyond bummed about this. Has anyone else experienced this? If you can learn one thing from my experience it is this - go to a Fill Centers USA provider. IMHO, you are gambling with your band if you go to a doctor somewhere that does the fills. I honestly feel like my first fill doctor was a quack. He tried to tell me it was my fault that he was stabbing me because I had too much adipose tissue (which just means fat) under my skin. I'm like OF COURSE I have adipose tissue - who gets banded that doesn't!! The point is, learn from me: be careful who you let do your fills!!

Walk walk walk walk walk. It's the only thing I can suggest that will have zero negative repercussions and be 100% good for you! Best of luck -and it will be over soon!!

Holy wow!! CONGRATS!!!

Way to go Julie!!!! I am so proud of and for you!!

Good for you, Anita!! Can't wait to see your newest pic! Have fun visiting your sister, too!

Thank you guys a million times over for taking the time to answer my concerns and comfort me! I am so grateful for this forum! I will take your advice and schedule another fill under fluoro soon (well, reasonably soon anyway!) and if she can't pull any saline form the port this time, I'll know there's something wrong. I absolutely hate the idea of having to go into a lawsuit if doc #1 punctured my tubing, but after that horrible horrible experience, if he did puncture it he really does need to be the one to pay for it to be fixed I guess. I will definitely keep you guys posted. Again, thanks so much for the advice/support!

Still not feeling any restriction today. I know fills can be very tricky, so I'm working on not jumping to the worst conclusion, but I want to be prepared for the worst at the same time. Does anyone know what that thicker solution is called that they sometimes use on a leaky band and where you can get that kind of fill?

Hi guys - yeah, the fill centers USA doc did check to see how much was alredy in my 4cc band - the answer...nothing. So this could mean that the 1st yahoo just injected the saline into my stomach and not my band (which may very well have been the case, because as I said, he was hitting about an inch and a quarter higher than the 2nd fill doc did under fluoro) or it could be that he put some in there but it has leaked out now maybe. This 2nd fill, she put in 2.25 cc's (again, in a 4cc band.) Knowing this information, what are your thoughts? Also, I know Dr. O gave us his cell phone # when we got surgery, but I seem to have misplaced it - anyone have that?