AngelaAnn

Yup--it happens. I also get it when I'm not eating. Sometimes at night when I swallow I get the gurgle in my throat and yes, others can hear it. I've had people look at me strangely in class on more than one occasion.

I wrote this--and in hindsight it makes me feel sad--as that gurgling was a sign that my band was too tight. After I realized this, a few weeks later I had to have an unfill and my band has never recovered from this.

Hi Yolanda,

I currently have a band, but I am scheduled for the plication procedure March 24th. I am also nervous because I don't know what they're going to find when they open me up, so to speak. At least as a "virgin" to weight loss surgery, yours will be much quicker! Also, I had my band with Dr. Ortiz, and they are really very good. My experience was like Lena's except I was so scared I almost said forget it. Then when they give you the "magic pill" under your tongue, you get so relaxed and the fear just evaporates--then you wake up and literally walk yourself to your room after surgery.

Hi Olivia,

I haven't had the plication revision yet, but I have a band and I remember the liquid diet! (And I'm not looking forward to it again.) I was okay the first week, but like you, I started getting hungry the second week. I had the foggy brain and lethargy, too. I remember my stomach making crazy noises!! I'm ashamed to admit, but I resorted to chewing and spitting in a cup a few times just to feel food in my mouth. It seemed to help with the head hunger a lot. Good luck and happy to hear you are doing well! 12 lbs. is a lot!

Hi

I had a sleeve revision, I had the same problem you do. I got my band in oct 08 got it repositioned in june 09 and had my gastric sleeve march 2010. I have lost about 110 lbs and I love my sleeve I wish I would of started with that. The hunger is nothing compared to before the only thing is that now I have to eat at certain times. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!!!

Thank you so much! I've read a few stories on here from others that have had the revision and weren't too happy with it. It's great to hear a positive story that weight can still be lost (and in your case huge amounts of it) with the revision. Do you portion out your food or is there a "way" to know when to stop with the sleeve? By the way, congratulations on your success!!

I guess $4,000 is better than what I would have to pay here. I am still trying to get my insurances answer on whether they will pay for it or not. It seems that the Dr's office here is in no hurry to help me. I know they see these things all the time, but it is really hard when you are the one only getting liquids down. I called the OCC last night as I left the ER and they said the doc would call back last night, but alas no call so I guess I will try again today.

Yup, as much as I have respect for what the doctors do down there--Mexico isn't exactly ever in a hurry to call you back or do things "on time." In my experiences, email is the best way to get an answer within a day, phone on the other hand...you may have to call for a few days before you finally get someone. When I went down for my 5 minute unfill appt., I had to wait almost two hours past my appt. time before they finally took me.

Hi Nicole,

I've been reading your story and I remember you on the band forum back when I was first banded. I'm scheduled for revision to plication at the end of March and I read that you're finding plication more challenging? Is it because of that "natural" full feeling that Dr. So was talking about instead of when something gets stuck as a sign to stop eating? How are you doing now?

Shari,

Would love to hear how you're doing now! Your story is so helpful! I'm due to go from band to plication on March 24th so it is great to read someone's story about revision! Thank you! Hope you are well!

Did you guys call the OCC coordinators or the OCC itself to try to find a solution?

One of the nurses there had the exact same thing and might be able to offer some advice. She is really helpful and nice and I just know that she would love to help both of you!

Good luck and let me know how that works for you!

K.

Yes, I went to the OCC last week and that's when they unfilled my band. I was just trying to find other bandsters that have had a sleeve or plication revision to see their experiences.

I feel your frustration! My lap band has slipped and is at my esphagus(sp?). I found a doc here that will see patients who went out of the country for surgery and he said it needs to come out. I am waiting on insurance to see if they will pay for it if not i don't know what i am going to do. My band was put in by Dr. Ortiz in April '08.

Hi Lynna,

Yeah, I live in San Diego so I've always gone to the OCC for fills and unfills since I got the band. It was like once it got too tight, that was it. Weight has been slowly creeping back ever since I had to get an unfill the first time. I slept sitting up for a whole month because of acid before I finally went down in April 2009 for the first unfill. The band has never been right since. When I went back last week, Dr. So filled it real tight under flouroscopy and showed me how my pouch slips up over the band when it's tight. So far, I'm in no real danger, but I had a complete unfill just the same. I guess the brand of band we have is prone to slips--the newer model has a lower slip rate. I'm self pay so, I'm scrambling around to get the money together. I know the OCC charges around $4000 just to remove the band--Dr. So mentioned that I might have good success with the plication. I like the idea of not having anything inside me anymore and he also mentioned that there's a more "natural" feeling of fullness with the plication. The only way I knew how to stop eating with the band was when something got stuck--then that generally lead to a PB'ing episode and inflammation in the band.

Hello All!

I'm sure I'm not the first on here, but I am looking into a Plication revision. I currently have an unfilled band due to a dynamic slip. I had my surgery at the OCC in August 2008 and the first 10 months were great. Lost 47 pounds and got down to 199 from 247. Well, my band got too tight in April 2009 and since then I have had numerous fills and unfills and have been unable to get back to "the sweet spot". I am currently back up to 228. I have scheduled my sleeve or plication surgery for March 24, 2011--but I would like to hear from anyone who has had the revision surgery from band? Weight loss? Difficulties? Love it? Hate it? Any information is much appreciated.

Hmmm...I'm not really restricted right now, but when I was I had the opposite problem--cold drinks were an issue. I learned to like my water at room temp. Hot drinks usually helped me when I was too tight.

Ok so I am intrigue with this Juice Plus...and I am willing to try the powder. Where is everyone buying this at? Can you only purchase them on line or do I need to check to see if they are at WalMart or health food stores? Please advise...

Thanks - Jazzy!!

Online or through someone (like Avon, I guess) who sells it. My sister gets it through someone.

How big are the pills...are they doable? Has anyone tried the powder - is it tasteless? I'd be interested in that!

I've taken the pills, too. They're not bad. About the size of a metamuscil capsule.

Has anyone heard of the supplement called Juice Plus?

Someone told me about it today and they said it is your day's requirements of fruits and vegetables in 4 pills. You take 2 fruit pills in the morning and 2 vegetable pills in the evening. She said she was anemic a couple of years ago and this was recommended to her and she feels it helped her overcome the anemia and has helped her feel much better ever since. Evidently they have a gummy version for children (that's me) as well as a powder version that can added to cereal, but my guess is that it could also be added to soup, pudding, etc. The doctor's office she goes to highly recommends it.

My older sister and everyone in her family has been using it for over a decade. She swears by it and she says if you can't get in all of your fruits and veggies, then it's perfect. I've tried the gummies...they're really good and taste like candy. Come to think of it, I think I'll order some for myself 'cause I think I haven't been getting enough of the veggies lately.

ALL tortillas are the DEVIL!!

Hello,

I'am a newbie will be in TJ 8/12 banding on 8/13 ready and happy to get a new me. Any one else banding then?

Funny! You're being banded on my one year bandiversary! Good luck!

So, since my first fill on July 6th.. I feel like I'm eating foods for the first time! Most foods go down fine with careful chewing but I'm shocked that some foods just won't cooperate! I even tried them again! And, yup! They got stuck and wouldn't pass without a fight!

So far here is what I cannot eat so far.

1. All Lean Cuisines (had 4 different kinds so far.. all 4 made me slime.)

2. LETTUCE!!!! NOOOOOO.. I tried iceberg, romaine, spinach... I love salad.

3. Noodles. Can only eat a bite or 2.

4. French fries

5. Very soft tortilla.. no chance.

Karen

TORTILLAS ARE THE DEVIL!!!! EVIL!!! (I also have problems with noodles of any kind and most breads.)

That's some hot sh*t!! I wish I could wear shoes like that! (But I'd probably hurt myself.)

Today marks a week of the low calorie phase and I'm down 8 pounds. Sometimes the diet is easy and sometimes it is very very hard, not because I am hungry necessarily but because there's very little variety of foods. I went to the grocery store yesterday and that was TOUGH being surrounded by all those foods that were off limits. When I got back I just couldn't stand it anymore and had a cup of cheerios. Then at weigh in this morning, guess what, no weight loss for the day. I'll just have to keep myself out of those situations where I'm tempted because it really takes very little to bring things to a halt. However, at this point I certainly feel it's all been worth it. I've lost more in the last week than I have in the last year.

On another note, I've fallen in love with Stevia. It tastes and feels like real sugar which is something Splenda just couldn't quite accomplish. I'm allowed the juice of 1 lemon per day and bought a bag of them from Costco so every night I make fresh squeezed lemonade out of lemon juice & Stevia and it is very refreshing.

I'll check back in in another week.

Congrats! 8 lbs. is amazing!

So, when I was at the OCC today, the fill doc told me that I should raise my goal weight. That anything under 170 would be "too skinny" (I didn't know there was such a thing as too skinny in America). I am 5'9 but all those BMI charts and such say I should weigh around 160.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks!

Congratulations - I think you will be there by the end of July, if not by the end of next week!

I really hope so. It's crazy I gain and lose the same 3 pounds for awhile before I finally drop it. Thank you for your well wishes!

Hi All,

Went to the OCC today and it's the first time I've been there where it has been dead in the waiting room, just me and my dad. Still made me wait 40 minutes though to see the fill doc.

Anyway, thank you flouroscopy and the peace of mind it brings. After my last episode with the partial unfill, I'm back in the game with 2.4 cc's and my almost stretched pouch and irritation are a thing of the past. My band is positioned well, and the liquid was flowing through the stoma well. Back on liquids for two days. I'm fine with it. I hope I get some restriction back, though I pray never to have acid reflux/heartburn like that again. Waking up in the middle of the night with a mouth full of acid is bad times. The fill doc said there's a fine line between "sweet spot" and overfilled so, I opted for less, but may have to shell out another $100 in a month for a top off. It's worth it.

So, I did gain 7 pounds during those four weeks, but maybe because I could actually eat food again (I didn't realize how many foods I was avoiding like the plague because of pbing), my body dropped it during the unfill and now I'm exactly back to where I was a month ago. 202 lbs. I would really like to get under 200 by my one year on August 13th. I think it's doable.

I've realized that I'm a slow loser, but it took me almost six months to break a lifetime of bad habits (I still battle with them occasionally) so I only lost the 21 lbs. that I had on post-op. I know this is for life and the body doesn't magically shed the weight overnight. Anyone who thinks that's going to happen needs to check themselves. When the people on this board say you have to work with your band, it's the truth. Learn it, Love it, take care of it like you would an infant.

Congrats Stormy! This is a big deal! I was 199.8 for a day, now I'm back up to 201. My body can't decide if it wants to be under 200. Going for a fill on Thursday, hopefully that will move things along. I'm so excited for you! You can do this--slow and steady is a good thing!!

I've organized one in San Diego, lil too far for ya tho

but if anyone is interested theres a thread on LBT in the so-cal area

We had our first meeting last wednesday

I might be interested in joining the SD group. Where do you all meet?

Congrats! I am so happy for you! 150 is a good weight. My ticker is set to 165 which I haven't weighed since about 5th grade, so we'll see...Out of curiosity, how much did you lose with the tummy tuck? I know I'll need probably a thight lift as well as an arm lift and a boob lift. Since I didn't carry the bulk of my weight in my stomach and I've had no kids, I'll probably just need some lipo there.

Once again, Congratulations! 80lbs is an Olsen twin!