2008 Junies and Friends

well spoke too soon blardy thing packed it in again. I am sooooo tired from no sleep and lack of food that I am fed up with my band.



I rang the doctor this morning and he told me he wants me to keep on the liquids for 2 more days but add into it a couple of cans of full sugar coke and sip it a teaspoon at a time...let it go down gurgle and sit, then if its no better by Wednesday come in and he will ultrasound me with a good chance of being admited on Friday for a revision or removal.

I was up the street with my daughter when I rang him and we went for a coffee and I ordered a coke in a can ( have not drank real full sugar coke in 20 years, it felt soooo naughty but sooooo very good!) at first it frothed when it hit bottom but I held it in then it hurt like a sharp deep hurt then gurgled through...the rest of the sips were less dramatic and just gurgled.. I could only finish a half of the can because it was so sweet it was giving me head spins.



Touch wood after that I feel a thousand percent better. I went into Woolies and bought a small pack of the mini cans ( big enough for me) and am half way though one which is doing less gurgling and more pouring through than the last one.



I have my fingers crossed it was just a plugged up bung. Weird though because I was not in any pain just refluxing acid and anything I ate and sometimes drank during the night. I felt over full all day so have not wanted to eat and when I did get hungry if I tried to eat it felt like a lump in my throat like something was stuck in there.



Will keep you all posted... such is life now that my existance revolves around a frigging small peice of silicon filled with a tiddy bit of water... but just as it is I have to suffer it. I bought it now I gotta deal with it.

Hope all you other sausages are feeling much better today... spose at least the sun is shining

Well done



I am trying to balance the bridge books. What a bloody nightmare. Of course it doesn't help that I changed banks as well.

yeah we make a sucky bunch of advocates for the band dont we... mind you I remember other long time bandits from the old forum being somewhat jaded so perhaps it comes to us all. I have come a long way from that baby bandit who was full of fire and hope.



Perhaps get your fill out over Christmas Linda and see what happens... why suffer like you are through the festive season and be even more miserble at a time when you should feel joy.

Sticking to the protein and the salads should keep you on track and you will still have a little restriction even with an unfilled band to make sure you dont totally fall off the wagon.



I have been unfilled twice and not gained sticking to this principle. The beauty of an unfilled band is you CAN get down salad and meat all be it in small portions and I have to tell you it is blardy good... in fact I found I could even lose weight with out fill because I didnt need to eat higher carb easy slide food.



Dont be afraid of it Linda worst that can happen is you make another appointment and get some fill put back in.... I think you need a holiday from your band.



Still feeling good, no irritation or pain. Had a few spoonfulls of yogurt a half hour ago, it gurgled slightly but went down with no issue... so I will stick to it for the two weeks then slowly add mushies in. I did opti for 6 months solid before the band to get weight off and prepare, so I am sure I can do it for a couple of weeks.

Maybe it will sort itself out with fluids only. Fingers crossed for you. I don't see how we can not do any of those things and I feel like they are just coming up with excuses for the band.

My band is pretty tight at the moment. I think the rocking makes it tighter and worrying about getting food down makes the rocking worse. I can hardly sit down and have a meal without burping and gulping and going for a walk.

When I went on that holiday 2 years ago and had fluid out of the band the rocking went away. I know the holiday had a bearing on it but am wondering if having fluid out will help. I am gaining weight anyway. Nothing fits or looks like shit on me. I will reappraise after christmas. Just wondering if I should make an appointment in case. Probably a good idea. Just not a happy camper at the moment. I can't imagine what you feel like zips.

from what I have researched on both band sites and medical sites this situation is very common for the banded after 2 or 3 years and the incidence of it occuring are extremely high some where in the 80% mark.

It comes about from long term pressure on the valve at the top of the stomach. It is easy done with that one more bite or too large a drink on a firm band or simply packing.... which is eating till you get the full or enough signals ( which we all do for goodness sake...who eats and stops while they are still hungry.) It can also happen with eating too fast...drinking too fast ...taking too large a bites...

In other words one has to be so consiouce of how they eat ....eat under the half to one cup and take the full half hour to eat...as we were all told but as time we dont quite do.



I find it socially impossible to eat a 1/2 of a cup when out and to be honest with all the mirth and chatting it probably excedes that to about a cup because I am side tracked.



snacking, getting things stuck or fizzy drinks can also cause it and if I add that all up it means eating and drinking full stop can lead to this.



I have been diligent, chewed well at the no more than a cup full and never drank anything fizzy or with my food....ever...however I must have done something because this is an absolute bitch to live with.



I understood the rules and abided by them... so when I say this farking sux I mean it. I wish ...truely wish I had had this side effect and the high percentage of it happening explained to me before I handed over the cash..... ah but then does a car salesman warn you about engine malfunctions or just sprook the cars high performance. It was a sales pitch to sell the band. To be honest I probably would still have bought it but I would have been forwarned, I was desperate and yes I am grateful to have lost 70 kilos buuuuuut my goodness it will be hard to let it go...not to mention humiliating.



Ah well ...it sux to be me right now...ya get that on the big jobs I spose...on ward and upward they say... I say Fark it all Im going to lay down and feel sorry for myself, at least for a while

Not good, Zip. I'm pleased you had a better night though. It does make such a difference to have uninterrupted sleep.

I suppose in some ways it's like you're right back at the beginning, in terms of fluids etc. Remember the Optifast before surgery? I recall doing it for a month, and I think the only time I strayed was a couple days before surgery when I had an approved (by the doc) diversion. Not sure I'd have the willpower to return to it.

Wouldn't it be great if it all just settled and you don't have to make that choice? Keeping my fingers crossed for you, whatever the outcome. All we really want is to live a near-normal life without the hassles.

afteer a full day of small doses of liquids regularly I feel normal this morning and had a full nights sleep last night with no reflux... awesom feeling.



I have been researching on the net and the americans do 2 weeks of full fluids in a case like this and not just the 2 or 3 days my doc told me to do so I will do 2 weeks of liquids and see if I can get the swelling etc to subside...if not I will go back and I guess go through a barage of tests followed by a gastoscopy and fixing of the band or removal.



I would imagine that in the months after removal it will indeed sort me out as to getting rebanded or sleeved or just doing nothing.

I read in a forward the other day that tossing a coin helps you make up your mind...not when the heads or tails turns up but when its in the air and you have that hope as to which side will flip....so perhaps I should throw a twenty cent peice in the air and for band or sleeve and see which I choose.

Part of me feels that the devil you know is kinder than the one you dont, sadly I never though I would have to consider something like this...oh well it was 3 years and 3 grand... a thousand dollars a year to be thinner for a period....hmmmm sobering isnt it

That really sux. I hope you see the doc soon.

not great linda still struggling have reverted to just fluids till I can get in to see quack... dunno whats going on to be honest but I feel horrid... I think its a lack of sustinance. I am fine with the fluids but to be honest I am cranky and bitchy to be around at the moment because I want to chew and swallow something.

Drinking a ton of water ...having soup and shakes so getting goodness into me ...just not chewable stuff and its driving me nuts.

How are you today zips?

Hey Tara,

Yes - you have had your share of ups and downs too. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure banding is and has been a reasonable solution for some people, just not everyone. Unfortunately it is still relatively new in terms of surgical options, and I agree with you that other forms of WLS are probably in the same category - that is, relatively new, and long-term they are ALL unproven. I do know of some people who have had their bands for 10 years or so and seem to cope relatively well. However, it seems that for many many people the first two years or so are definitely the honeymoon period, during which most or all of their weight is lost. After that, it seems lots of people have issues and they remain unresolved.

As Linda mentioned, a few years ago the band was relatively new and there were no long-term bandits around to tell us what their experiences were.

My own disappointment comes from thinking this would be a partial solution to a more than forty year battle with weight and that the volume restriction I would obtain would assist me in losing weight and keeping it off. I wasn't so ignorant to think that no effort would be required by me. But . . . . . . the only thing I really wanted (volume restriction) never became part of the deal for me. Oh well, I took the risk, and on this occasion it didn't pay off.

C'est la vie!

Hiya Zippidie doo dah,

Firstly --- dude that sucks about your band.

I was in soooo much pain (and OMG the reflux - well you know.) when my band slipped I just wanted to rip the bloody thing out thru my throat.

I was totally blessed that my man dragged me in that night and did emergency surgery to replace the band the next morning.

Anyway to the point of my message .. I found that lying flat on the floor on top of a heat pack (positioned between my shoulder blades) with an ice pack on my sternum between the boobs bought me some relief when I could stand it no longer.
Admittedly, the lying flat was not ideal for the black exorcist reflux but it did take the pain away for 10 mins or so.

Gosh the more I read and the more I know these damn bands are not a long term option. (Mind you neither are any of the other WLS it seems.)

I keep deluding myself that because I've had one slip and 2 bands already that it won't happen again or that this "new" band and I will walk off happily together into the sunset ... I seriously doubt that will be so.

Hey Losin it - I'm like you, I often wonder (cynically it is sad to say) about that 50 Kilos gone FOREVER woman.
Thank you for posting your experiences - I believe we all need to know it's not all sunshine, happiness and raindrops out there as we were promised.

Cheers,
Tara

me neither however repositioning reuses the band you have so the heavy dollars arent involved. If I remember correctly most of the op money was paying for the little bit of silicon they inserted and the rest I could claim.

Still feel crappy and the only thing that appeases me is iced water with heaps of ice cubes...it feels so good on my tummy

Bloody hell, Zip. Let's hope the reflux settles soon and you don't have to consider other options.

Personally, I would probably just opt to have it removed rather than repositioned. Easy to say when I don't have to face the reality of I guess. I know my current health cover would not refund me for any band-related surgery. You may recall not long after I had my band, a lot of the health insurers changed their covers so that banding was only covered by a top fund. Given that I'd already had my surgery, I decided to take the risk and stick with the cover I had. I really can't justify spending more.

Well Im back on solids but can only eat small amounts and still have the reflux. Will give it a week to settle then go back to band doc.

Spose at least Im not ravinously hungry however I do suspect a slip, because I have never felt like this before with no fill...now what to do if it is...does one reposition or haul it out and seek advice from another doc more willing to discuss options....decisions ....decisions!

I've been back on the wine since the runs episode. At least I feel normal then. I am going to cut back or out for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference. I am also going to get out and walk whether rocking or not. No use sitting here all day feeling a victim.

Oh Zippy what a pain in the rear end. So you are at the other end with no fill, and my Band is so tight I can only have Fluids and mashed food. God if I have any fill out I will be ravenous. Isn' life so unfair. So what do we do? A good stiff drink and thats what I am having this arvy

Westy

Here's a thought: if we all lived a bit closer to each other, do you reckon we could make a booking and get a group discount for removal of said offending item?

Nah - it wouldn't work. You'd both have me in stitches (or out of stitches, as the case may be) and I'd never heal. :-)

Spot on, Linda - we can cop it! Damn fortunate for me, I must say, as it seems to be the only thing I do on here lately (or perhaps ever), and I haven't been abandoned by my friends so far.

I'll agree with the slowed metabolism, and in my case (at the moment) add to that the low thyroid function and it's no wonder I have gained a heap of weight. Mind you, my eating habits this year have been pretty crappy, although the last few weeks have come into check a bit. I do wonder if the desire for less food has come about partly from an increase in the medication. It hasn't done a lot else for me at this stage, but I know it's not something that is corrected overnight. I must say the joints are somewhat better, though nowhere near where they should be.

Hey Linda, I'm not trying to stir the pot, but how are you going with the wine (not whine!) these days?

whinge away we can cop it.

ahhhh divorcing the band, is that an option.... I dont know.

I am so scared of regaining a large amount of my weight that I am scared to eat. Not that its an issue right now because Im supposed to do fluids for 3 days...

As for the secretary having a band, I remember about 12 months ago she started whinging about it, then 6 months later abruptly left the practice. Dont know what happend but at that stage she was 3 years into her band life and was becoming quite unsettled with it. She never shared what it was about the band that had changed for her but she was most disgruntled with it..

I dont know what I am going to do, at this point I am sitting in the gutter trying to gather my barings. From what I can see at this point, the only option at hand is to try very hard to diet and exercise to keep it in check. The thing that scares me is the fact that after eating such a reduced amount with the band, our metabolisms are basically farked and slowed so it will be a difficult job not to regain...and before aaaaany one jumps down my throat for that statement, the info comes from a dietician so I am quoting her.

So thats it ladies. I am still having reflux though reduced. Which himself said would happen because my stoma will take a few days to settle down its swelling. At moment I am not hungry due to the swelling but when it goes down and an unfilled band type hunger kicks in I just hope and pray I can control it.

I will most probably be in here in whinge mode ladies, I hope you dont mind but I feel very lonely and abandoned right now. I have not felt like this since before I was banded and I dont like it.

Sorry to hear that Zippy. I remember my surgeons nurse telling me that they had been to a seminar and it is more normal to have issues with the band than to not. Unfortunately when I got my band 5 years ago I couldn't find any long term bandits. Everyone was still in love and in the honeymoon period. Now they are all getting or have been divorced.

Well this is very interesting. Zippy I think you have had your fair share (and more) of issues with the band. Now I know there are many who have had worse (infections, replacement of port blah blah blah) but you're right: how much of what is happening a few years down the track did we hear of in the beginning? Linda mentioned not long ago after (I think) lunching with some other bandits that most of them had some sort of problem years into the 'blissful abode'. Now step up, banding surgeons - how many patients have issues a few years in?

The truth is, maybe some of them don't even know how many issues there are, because if other patients are anything like me, and feel like a failure, then they just can't face up to going back and being given a lecture on how we must be doing something wrong. Yeah, well you'd be the experts, surgeons and helpers . . . . . . . I mean how many of them have actually GOT a band? l know in your situation, Zip, the receptionist does actually have one. I'll never forget the time I went back and had put on 6 kgs in a very short time and I was told I must be doing something wrong. I fiercely denied it, but just wasn't believed. In fact, I had been doing everything right (and more) - eating very small amounts, exercising vigorously, and yet I had put on weight. It turned out - of course - to be massive fluid retention, but the doctor would have none of it. Bloody ignoramus. I remember her telling me that she'd had one patient put on 10 kgs in a week, to which I replied "yes, but it wouldn't have been FAT, that's physically impossible, it must have been fluid". That's right, me once again telling a medical 'professional' what reality was.

Aaaahhh - I'm just fed up with the whole lot. Those rosy-tinted glasses from earlier days have certainly been fogged up, actually I think they've been lost.

Often wonder how the "50 kgs gone FOREVER" woman from the other forum is faring.

I figure the sleeve would not be any better for me. Fortunately I have not had the reflux issues, but I do think that for many of us who resort to banding, when it comes down to it and it doesn't live up to our expectations or what has been promised, we just have to face the reality that the only way we will lose weight is the tried and true method: eat less, move more, and do that for perpetuity. Easy!

Oh and go on ask me how much weight I lost in that farking week of no food just water and 1 low fat skinny hot choc a day.... go on I dare ya!



I lost ...wait for it...drum roll..so exciting isnt it, can you feel the anticipation.........I lost.... nuthin...not an ounce...narda..zip... not even after a good solid poop......*sigh*

Well I will make it the three amigos here.. my band started to tighten for no reason a week ago and was getting increasingly worse to the point where all I was having was hot chocolate ( light soy skim milk one) for breakfast and when I went to bed at night it would reflux back up.... by yesterday my spit was refluxing in the morning so rang the doc got him out of surgery to syphon the lot out.... I only had 1 mil in he told me...pffft.



He said I had to settle myself with the idea that I cant have any fill in my band ....a matter that is common in most bandits after 2 years...for some reason with pouch increase which naturally happens no matter how careful you are and eosophigal stress ....also inevidable over time it all comes to a point after the 2 years...maybe 3 or 4 that the situation with the reflux, the feeling that nothing will go down, acid wash or over eating means that the fill must be permenantly removed.



Now my question is ... what happened to the forever story I was sold... I dont ever remember being told any of this shit... and what freaking good is the bastard to me.

I asked about the sleeve and he said he could take my money and do it but the same problems will eventually arise...soooooooooo what now? well he said learn to diet quick smart and learn to be happy with it.



Gee thanks... personally I feel like cutting a hole in my gut and hacking it out.