AlanaH

So its been a long time since I've come on this site .... This is where it all started for me. Where I found Dr. Ortiz and this great community and .... where I've made some great friends. I can come here and not feel judged as we all have something in common. I was banded in August 2008 and lost some weight. In December 2008 I received the best Christmas present every -- a positive pregnancy test. A little leary of it, due to two miscarriages before - I had Kate in September 2009. Went in for a lap band fill a week after Kate was born and was down to my lowest weight I had been in years!! 219 pounds! That fill I had was my last with that Dr. I didn't feel comfortable with this doctor. His manner / attitude sucked and made me feel like crap that I hadn't lost more weight (70 pounds had gone).... Never went back ... and left with the fill he gave me. I've been trying ever since to lose the weight -- but its been sneaking up on me. Since I didn't like the fill Dr. here, I decided that on my most recent trip to Florida I would go and see a nurse there for a fill -- wow! What a treat to have a proper fill under fluro! She took out the fill that I had - me thinking I had about 2.5cc in my band only had about 1.5.... so the Dr. that did my fills previously didn't put that in! Ugh -- no wonder my restriction was never that great! She checked on my band & port - everything is in great position and nothing wrong! I left that fill appointment feeling rejuvenated ...a new me! I got my post fill instructions and have followed it ever since! My restriction is fantastic! The fill was March 1 - today, May 10 - was my first day that I have been actually hungry. I have not wanted to eat since I had my fill - I have literally had to force myself to eat food since that day. With that said --- the scale has only moved 6 pounds since the fill I find this depressing but I know that I have lost inches! I went from wearing a size 18 in Florida to a 16 before I left! My bras no longer fit me in the shoulders and fall off .... just tonight, I put on a new pair of underwear that fit! I have never been able to wear "nice" underwear - I like to stick to my granny panties! hahahaa But today it felt good to try them on and have them not "roll down" when worn! So I know I'm losing inches! Woohoo!!! The nurse told me while in Florida that I needed some blood work done. To check my thyroid. My levels have come back normal, but she really wanted me to check on the Reverse T3 levels cause that can also show that I'm hypo.... I have all of the symptoms but so far my bloodwork has come back normal and I'm just waiting to get the Reverse T3 done. I am definitely going to be traveling back to FL to get my band filled again! She was awesome and had so much knowledge. She told me that she has over 700 patients!! Today is May 10th .... I gained 7 pounds the night before last because I was constipated ... a couple of dulcolax tablets and I've lost 6 ... I felt "full". I feel much better now and tonight, decided to get on the elliptical for the first time since January! I haven't been hungry - I literally have to FORCE myself to eat food during the day. I have something for breakfast and its 2pm before I remember to eat. I do have a busy job, but even when people remind me that its lunch, I have no desire to eat! I'm low on iron - I take some wonderful iron pills each day. I have never once regretted getting the band .... I have thought about the sleeve. The band is a tool to help me lose weight and it won't do it for me. My mom is coming out on June 13th -- my goal is to lose 10 pounds before she comes out. 238 today ... .lets see what tomorrow brings!!

Lori! Congrats on the sleeve! I'm jealous! Giving it serious consideration to switching but afraid to make that move. I'm definitely going to be following your journey - I've had my band for almost three years and I screwed around the first two years (a crappy fill doctor, had a baby). I'm hoping that in the next 6 months I can lose weight and if not, you'll be hearing from me again about the sleeve (I had emailed while ago inquiring about the sleeve and you gave me all the info but now that you have it, I'll be checking in regularly!). All the best!!! Alana

Good morning all!! Its been ages since I have been to the forum and I'm not used to the "new look". Well for me its a new look - and I'm not sure the proper place to post this would be. If I should post elsewhere - just let me know! I haven't had a fill in just over two years (a week after my daughter was born was my last fill) and I'm wanting to get a new one. I do have a Dr. here in town but not too fond of his bedside manner and therefore don't care to go back to him. We are heading to Florida in February to be with my parents for a couple of weeks and I thought that while I was down there I would look at getting a fill .....Does anyone know of a Dr. who does fills (Fluoroscopy would be great) in the Naples area? Even if its not Naples but surrounding area -- we are heading up to Tampa as well ... so even there ..... Thanks everyone!! Alana

Hey all!!! Its been too long since I've been active on this forum but I need some help and advice! Its been almost 2 years since I've been banded, lost some weight but gained a baby instead! I only gained about 10 pounds (and 5lbs of that was Kate!) while pregnant and while I haven't seen the scale go down lately, my clothes are getting bigger so I know I'm losing inches. I don't want to go for another fill as I feel like its almost too full at the moment - I can get most foods down, others I can't. What does everyone do when they hit a plateau? I've started to exercise now that the snow has melted so Kate, Beans & I go out for a walk every day. I'm back to work early from Mat Leave and just find I don't have lots of time to exercise like I'd like. Do you decrease your food intake to kind of "jump start" the weight loss again? What I've just started to do is cut out all junk food (but I'm a sucker for a chocolate bar every now and then.... I know, its bad) and keep my calorie intake low but just wondering what people can tell me what to do to get off this plateau! I've also started counting calories on myfitnesspal.com which seems to be helping but I need some extra help and some support.... I've got 80 pounds left that I'd like to lose but would be happy with 60 ..... And I want it all gone before November when I head back to Florida for an early Christmas with the family! If anyone has any ideas how to get off the plateau I'd love to hear it! Thanks everyone! Alana

I also got reimbursed by the Province ..... I had OCC email me a copy of the OR Report & the receipt and I completed the Out of Country claim form and sent it all off. I got about $1700 back and then claimed the remainder on my Income Tax - which I got about $7000/$8000 back. I was asked by the Gov't of Canada for my documents (I knew it'd happen) and they reassessed my claim and I had to pay about $100 back to them because they capped the fill amounts. Also, if you can get your doctor to write you up a note stating its medically necessary you should be ok -- I didn't have one but in their letter they made mention of it. Keep your fill receipts! I claimed it in the fall of 2008 and income tax in April 2009 .... I honestly had no issues and the person I was in contact with the Gov't of AB was great to deal with! Oh they wanted a breakdown on the blood work that we had done at OCC but I didn't pursue it further ..... I didn't ask for it and just let it go - I was happy to get the $1700 back! ;0 Good luck! You can always call the Out of Country claims department with the gov't and see what else you need! Alana

Hey Amber ..... congrats!!! I was banded almost 2 years (August) ago at the OCC .... its been a slow process for losing weight as that December / January I got pregnant. I wouldn't change the band at all! And I definitely wouldn't change having Kate although in a weird sense, I was upset to find out I was pregnant because I wanted to lose the weight! 1. Did you get an un-fill? If so, was it a total un-fill or just partial? At what point did you refill the band? I didn't get an un-fill. I had a fill in November and thought about going back to get it un-filled but the restriction wasn't bothering me. I work at a hospital in the Operating Room and I my OBGYN works there too so if I ever had questions, I could just ask him. He wasn't concerned about my restrictions as long as I could still eat foods and get it down. Throughout my entire pregnancy I didn't have much of an appetite though and only gained 10 pounds. I had Kate on September 5th and 10 days after that I was back to the office for another fill -- I wanted to be aggressive! I really think it depends on you and how you are feeling. I definitely would have had a de-fill if I couldn't get foods down! 2. Did you feel that your band in any way hindered you ability to eat enough foods or to breastfeed, to push during labor, etc. (especially if you did NOT have all your fill removed) I did have some good restriction while pregnant, but I also didn't have much of an appetite -- perhaps it was related? I really don't know. I'm not much of a big eater, just chose the wrong foods to eat! I had tested positive for the Triple Screen test which indicates a possiblity of Spina Bifida in my baby....after being sent to the city for 2 ultrasounds with a Perinatologist it was determined that Kate was ok, but my obgyn was still concerned -- it could be an indication something could happen in labor to me. So he had me induced. And with alot of inductions --- a c-section is the result. So I never had to push ..... I had labor for a few hours but due to Kate's decrease in heart rate -- they did an emergency c-section. So I can't honestly tell you if it would hinder any ability to push while in labor. 3. Did you port give you problems as your belly got bigger with the baby? Did it become something that was visable or uncomfortable as more of your insides were filled up with the baby? My port started to hurt a bit at the end, but that was only the last couple of weeks .... I honestly had no complications with the band. I used to make my husband feel it all the time cause it would stick out a bit 4. Were you able to find an OBGYN who had experience with an expecting mother who had had the band or did you feel you had to do the educating of your doctor(s)? My obgyn may or may not have had experience with the band -- we never actually talked about it. Bad, I know .... but he never brought it up after the one conversation we had. In our town of 65,000+ we only have 2 obgyn's (I kid you not!) and I went with the best in town .... if he wasn't worried about my band, then either was I. Now, if I lived in Edmonton, then perhaps i would have found a doctor who had experience with the band. Kate was the best thing that happened to me - I didn't expect it to happen so quickly after getting banded, but I definitely don't regret the band or Kate! Hard to believe she'll be a year in September already ..... I often think that if it wasn't for the band, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant and stayed pregnant (I had 2 miscarriages before the band).... Good luck and enjoy every minute of being pregnant! Alana

I claimed in on my income tax ..... got a nice return and then as expected received a letter in the mail that I was being audited. I knew it was coming, I just hoped that they'd let me keep the money since it had already been spent! ;0 Well while I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago, a letter came and I have to pay about $85 back to them because I didn't include a doctor's note stating it was medically necessary (as if they couldn't tell by my initial weight???) and oh my fills were capped at $200 a year (I pay $75 a fill). I can pay that back, no biggie Good thing I kept everything together in my OCC folder! Hope everyone else gets some money back!!! Alana