band blues

LadyDvine · 05-18-2008, 06:50 PM

I don't mind all the things I have given up for my band, it has totally been worth it. I get the LAP-BAND^® blues when I can't eat anything at all, espicially after I know I have tried to do everything right.

For the last 3 months I have been filled/unfilled and in March I thought we got it right, but here lately I have not been able to get much down since since Sunday. Monday and Tues anything I ate I had to "Pb" so On Wednesday -Friday I put myself on liquids and I tried to eat something on Sat, I got the first bite down andI felt the tightness in my chest. In order to get liquids down I have to take very very very small sips or I get an airbubble. Thats another thing I get lots of airbubbles when I eat or drink and I end up burping alot and then I get painful hiccups. Can anyone relate?

salsa1877 · 05-18-2008, 08:10 PM

Yep...I am totallly unfilled now because I just had a harder and harder time handling the fills. My bet is that you would still have good/decent restriction with minimal fill...if any. Sometimes the band tightens up for no good reason...stress, change in workout, time of the month. Because this was so sudden I would definetly see the doc. Do they do your fills under fluoro? Even without a fill I have lost 10 pounds in a month which is really good considering that I am at goal...so you could do it to. I have found that I have needed less and less of a fill as I have lost weight. That is not normal, but not unheard of. My band gives me pretty good restriction by just being there. In fact I pb'd on chicken the other day when I ate too quickly!

Good luck, but I would definetly contact your doctor.

aubrie · 05-19-2008, 10:21 AM

I have gotten the blues recently. I was bummed and gloomy all weekend. I don't know what's wrong with me. For 6 months I've been so good, and now I'm starting this crap. I've been eating my and my band hurts. I've been getting stuck more often, but still haven't PBd. Thank God. My hair is falling out. I'm stressed out, not sleeping, getting headaches, my bones and joints ache, I just feel crappy. What is up with that. I'm so down too.

salsa1877 · 05-19-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aubrie

I have gotten the blues recently. I was bummed and gloomy all weekend. I don't know what's wrong with me. For 6 months I've been so good, and now I'm starting this crap. I've been eating my and my band hurts. I've been getting stuck more often, but still haven't PBd. Thank God. My hair is falling out. I'm stressed out, not sleeping, getting headaches, my bones and joints ache, I just feel crappy. What is up with that. I'm so down too.

You may need a slight unfill...your band can (for some unknown reason) get tighter. I had to have more and more taken out as I lost weight. Even now being completely unfilled I have still pb'd. Stress and anxiety seem to compound the problem! Also if you are too tight (which in my opinion you are) then you are not get enough nutrients which is causing the other complications, which is stressing you out and hence causing a tighter band! I would really see your doctor. I am a firm believer that being too tight is a BAD thing. I personally would rather be loose and change my lifestyle through food choices and exercise that have it be so tight that it HURTS to eat. The band is about changing your life, not being so tight that you are miserable. I think that both of you are way too tight and it is hurting you physically and mentally. I wish I could give both of you a big hug! I know how miserable and hopeless it feels when you can't eat without pain.

Good luck and please contact your respective doctors. They are there to help.

LadyDvine · 05-19-2008, 01:16 PM

Its nice to know I'm not alone, I called the doctor and I'm going in tomorrow to have some taken out. I have been soo weak and tired due to lack of food. I can wait to feel better tomorrow.

Thanks
Vine

salsa1877 · 05-19-2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyDvine

Its nice to know I'm not alone, I called the doctor and I'm going in tomorrow to have some taken out. I have been soo weak and tired due to lack of food. I can wait to feel better tomorrow.

Thanks
Vine

I am very glad to hear that you are going in. I really do think it will be worth it.

juliegeraci · 05-19-2008, 01:49 PM

This happened to me too. The doctor said that sometimes the stomach lining with thicken and give you more restriction. I would start with an unfill of .3 and go from there. Good luck.

LadyDvine · 05-20-2008, 07:42 PM

Well The Dr said I had Band Dilation, or pouch stretched I'm looking up to see what that really means. They said it was bad probably from the congestion cloging up the opening but they removed 2.0 CC out and want me to come back in one week. So thats scary cause it not usual, but I will follow their directions of 3 day liquids and 3 day mushies.

On a good note I lost 14 more pounds

salsa1877 · 05-20-2008, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyDvine

Well The Dr said I had Band Dilation, or pouch stretched I'm looking up to see what that really means. They said it was bad probably from the congestion cloging up the opening but they removed 2.0 CC out and want me to come back in one week. So thats scary cause it not usual, but I will follow their directions of 3 day liquids and 3 day mushies.

On a good note I lost 14 more pounds

I am really glad that you went to the doctor. Just make sure to follow the directions and it should go back to normal. I know this is one of the things my doc warned me about early, but did say that it can usually be fixed by unfilling and staying on liquids. Good luck and keep us up to date. Congrats on the weightloss...always have to find the silver lining!

singingkim · 05-21-2008, 07:30 AM

Don't get too down about the dilation-it happened to me too! I had a complete unfull one week ago to let my esophagus and pouch heal. I had eaten popcorn (MOJOR bandster no-no) and paid for it by getting stuck for 2 days. I feel great now and am not going get the same fill level I had before, it was just too tight. I actually do still feel some restriction even with no fill. You'll be fine!!

aubrie · 05-22-2008, 04:47 PM

I don't feel like I'm to tight, but I think I have other issues going on here. They are inter-related, and as one gets worse so do all the others. I'm losing body fat. Body fat stores thyroid hormones and estrogen. So with the fat missing, so are the hormones. they are tinkering with my thyroid doses. I'm already MAJOR stressed at work, and the missing or lowered hormone levels aren't helping. With that in mind, my hair is falling out and I'm not sleeping. The lack of sleep is making me cranky, and making me fatigued and achey. The achey is causing me to slow down on my exercise because it hurts, which slows down my metabolism. I get depressed and cranky, and my band tightens. When I'm tight, it hurts and I don't eat as much. the change in food intake causes me to be irregular, which makes me feel bad, which makes me more depressed. It just goes on and on and on and on.... Where the hell do you start to try and fix the spiral???? I'm going to my regular doc on the 4th and my surgeon on the 13th. SOMETHING has got to give. I'm exhausted.