I am still in lapband limbo (completely empty of fluid, still taking pills, and still having some regular issues with heartburn and a sore-throat sensation).
But I wanted to post because I saw my fill doctor at Chuck-E-Cheeses this weekend. I was there for a kid party, and it looked like he was attending one of his own.
One of the problems with keeping your band under wraps is that you don't want to raise any red flags. For me, I didn't want anyone who I was with to ask questions or guess I was a patient of a bariatric doctor (we don't live in a huge metropolis here, so ya never really know who knows whom or what).
It was REALLY uncomfortable the whole time because he chose to sit DIRECTLY across from me, and the birthday party he was attending was set up at the very next table! I was getting neck pains from turning around in my seat and pretending that I was completely enraptured by something super interesting on the wall behind me....and that was pretty much the only place in the whole restaurant/child mad house where nothing was happening.
I was also worried that he was noticing that I ate some cake, which may not be good for me what with the acid issues I'm having and, of course, the fact that I'm a bariatric patient. Of course, I noticed that he ate cake and pizza...but he isn't the patient after all.
I'm sure he wasn't super excited to talk to me either considering he was off work, but it just made for an uncomfortable situation. I got up from the table as soon as I could (and spent way too many tokens on the bowling game) to escape. Anyhow, I'm glad that is behind me!
As far as my continuing issues, I was wondering if any of you that have dealt with severe heartburn, etc. due to gastric issues have any specific diets you've followed? If so, what were they, how long did you follow them, and can you eat normally now?
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Update
I'm not completely back to normal yet. I am having some weird chest/stomach pains along with a sore throat feeling deep in my throat. I've never had much heartburn...and never had any other sorts of issues in this area. So this is all new to me.
I went back to the MD. I was really hoping that I could've walked away with an upper GI or some sort of test just to check things...no such luck. He said that they don't normally do that unless the patient can't tolerate water. :(
But I am still taking Carafate (well, it will be a cheaper substitute starting tomorrow) and AcipHex (also a substitute starting tomorrow) for reflux, heartburn, ulcer prevention, etc. I also had my scrips filled for the topical acne medications that Sarah mentioned (these meds are discussed in the comments section of my last blog if you are interested). I have already started treatment...and am very excited that I'm not having to go without treatment for acne because of the band! Thank you Sarah!
I hope you are all starting your weeks off well!
I went back to the MD. I was really hoping that I could've walked away with an upper GI or some sort of test just to check things...no such luck. He said that they don't normally do that unless the patient can't tolerate water. :(
But I am still taking Carafate (well, it will be a cheaper substitute starting tomorrow) and AcipHex (also a substitute starting tomorrow) for reflux, heartburn, ulcer prevention, etc. I also had my scrips filled for the topical acne medications that Sarah mentioned (these meds are discussed in the comments section of my last blog if you are interested). I have already started treatment...and am very excited that I'm not having to go without treatment for acne because of the band! Thank you Sarah!
I hope you are all starting your weeks off well!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
I've Got Nothin'
...nothin' in my band, that is. I got started last week on some doxycycline (an antibiotic in the tetracycline family). I have had some acne issues in the last couple of years, and some of my family members have used this antibiotic and cleared up nicely. But my band obviously doesn't tolerate it well. (***Do any of you have recommendations for acne treatments (that work well with the band)?***)
My restriction, which has been pretty great since the last time I was filled (October or November sometime), went into overdrive the day after taking the antibiotic. The doctor and I are pretty sure that the medication caused my problems. I became super tight. I threw up on Sunday but didn't chance any more solid food after that. Thankfully, I could still drink and have soup (unlike some of you all who have been overfilled). The pain was terrible though. And the reflux was incredible. I felt like my head was the princess in The Princess and the Pea, having to sleep on 400 pillows (and talk about neck pains and sleep issues). My throat became sore, and my esophagus didn't feel so hot either.
First, I called the doctor's office and was put on a two-day soup diet to see if I improved. That not working (after trying it for the two days), I called back, but I was told that the doctor wouldn't be in until Monday (this coming Monday). I looked online that (Thursday) evening after having increased pain in order to find out what I could about slips (and found some comments from Band Groupie :) ). That made me decide that I needed to get in to see a doctor. I called two other doctors in my area at 3:00 in the morning and left messages for them to request an emergency appointment. But they don't take other doctors' patients (it's frustrating to be in the WLS family sometimes). I called my doctors' office to ask if they could communicate with one of the other fill doctors. They said that my own doctor could be there at 12 yesterday.
When I saw him, he prescribed two different kinds of medication (anti-inflammatory and reflux meds). I have an appointment set for Monday just in case I'm not completely better then (and will get a barium swallow then if needed). And, like I mentioned, I got a complete unfill.
I feel so much better. I am worried about regain though. I have been overly sedentary working on the biggest paper I have ever written (when complete, it will be over 100 pages with a gillion sites and will include my own independent research) for my doctorate degree (started before law school). And on top of Iron Butt Syndrome (IBS for those of us who suffer with it), I don't plan to start exercising soon because I don't want to lose any momentum here (I have to operate in a one-track mindset to get this thing finished and defended). But anyhow, my fill doctor's policy is to put half back in in a month (I have an appointment for that) and close to what I was before a few weeks later. If this works out, it shouldn't be so bad--hopefully not anyway.
In better news, I had a Starbucks Skinny Latte last week for the first time. I know many of you have mentioned and recommended them. It was good. Yes, that's about the extent of my nonband-related adventures lately. Aren't you glad I haven't been posting much, or you'd all be bored out of your minds? :)
Oh...I do have something else...tomorrow is my birthday, so I'm celebrating the last day of being 30 today by going to a baby shower (hey, I'll take it--anything to get away from this dissertation!).
I hope you all have a great weekend...lots of love from Florida!
My restriction, which has been pretty great since the last time I was filled (October or November sometime), went into overdrive the day after taking the antibiotic. The doctor and I are pretty sure that the medication caused my problems. I became super tight. I threw up on Sunday but didn't chance any more solid food after that. Thankfully, I could still drink and have soup (unlike some of you all who have been overfilled). The pain was terrible though. And the reflux was incredible. I felt like my head was the princess in The Princess and the Pea, having to sleep on 400 pillows (and talk about neck pains and sleep issues). My throat became sore, and my esophagus didn't feel so hot either.
First, I called the doctor's office and was put on a two-day soup diet to see if I improved. That not working (after trying it for the two days), I called back, but I was told that the doctor wouldn't be in until Monday (this coming Monday). I looked online that (Thursday) evening after having increased pain in order to find out what I could about slips (and found some comments from Band Groupie :) ). That made me decide that I needed to get in to see a doctor. I called two other doctors in my area at 3:00 in the morning and left messages for them to request an emergency appointment. But they don't take other doctors' patients (it's frustrating to be in the WLS family sometimes). I called my doctors' office to ask if they could communicate with one of the other fill doctors. They said that my own doctor could be there at 12 yesterday.
When I saw him, he prescribed two different kinds of medication (anti-inflammatory and reflux meds). I have an appointment set for Monday just in case I'm not completely better then (and will get a barium swallow then if needed). And, like I mentioned, I got a complete unfill.
I feel so much better. I am worried about regain though. I have been overly sedentary working on the biggest paper I have ever written (when complete, it will be over 100 pages with a gillion sites and will include my own independent research) for my doctorate degree (started before law school). And on top of Iron Butt Syndrome (IBS for those of us who suffer with it), I don't plan to start exercising soon because I don't want to lose any momentum here (I have to operate in a one-track mindset to get this thing finished and defended). But anyhow, my fill doctor's policy is to put half back in in a month (I have an appointment for that) and close to what I was before a few weeks later. If this works out, it shouldn't be so bad--hopefully not anyway.
In better news, I had a Starbucks Skinny Latte last week for the first time. I know many of you have mentioned and recommended them. It was good. Yes, that's about the extent of my nonband-related adventures lately. Aren't you glad I haven't been posting much, or you'd all be bored out of your minds? :)
Oh...I do have something else...tomorrow is my birthday, so I'm celebrating the last day of being 30 today by going to a baby shower (hey, I'll take it--anything to get away from this dissertation!).
I hope you all have a great weekend...lots of love from Florida!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
I can't remember if anyone posted this last year or the year before, but I thought it was cute. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Meet the Devil
Nerds, that is....
It all started with Nerds...then there were Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. I have gorged myself on Halloween candy until my husband decided to hide it last night (it sounds mean, but I really had no complaints since I'd eaten all the Nerds in a huge pack of Nerds and a ton of Tootsie Rolls, etc....we had to buy another bag for the poor trick-or-treat kiddos from the damage I did). This is why I usually try not to keep junk food around...this is what happens...I really can't control myself at all! It's a sad situation.
There are a lot of blogs I've read lately about others needing fills. I am completely in that boat (not because of the Nerds and other candy, which I realize are sliders, but because I have been ravenous lately with everything...I have eaten burgers with the bun, sandwiches with bread, etc. without any restriction barring any type of food for a while now). I feel like I'm starving from the time I wake up until I go to sleep.
Early on in this process, my fill doctor described the band as a balloon...that like a balloon loses air, the band will lose a little fluid as time goes by. I know that I've lost some fluid previously between fills. But as long as I don't lose too much, I don't get too worried. I am wondering if that's why I'm needing a fill now...because of the natural loss of fluid. I guess I will see what the deal is when I can make my next appointment--see if I've lost any fluid since earlier this year (May or somewhere thereabouts was my last fill). Either way, I still need some fill since I am eating like a crazy person.
The problem is that my fill doctor has limited the days he gives fills, so there are less available appointments. Also, times are a little tight in the money department lately, and I'm totally self pay.
But I'm to the point where I just have to get a fill. I got the band for a reason, and I need to try to use it to it's potential (not that I don't have some mental work to do with the sliders--but part of that is just getting this candy out of the house...bring on the trick or treaters!).
It all started with Nerds...then there were Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. I have gorged myself on Halloween candy until my husband decided to hide it last night (it sounds mean, but I really had no complaints since I'd eaten all the Nerds in a huge pack of Nerds and a ton of Tootsie Rolls, etc....we had to buy another bag for the poor trick-or-treat kiddos from the damage I did). This is why I usually try not to keep junk food around...this is what happens...I really can't control myself at all! It's a sad situation.
There are a lot of blogs I've read lately about others needing fills. I am completely in that boat (not because of the Nerds and other candy, which I realize are sliders, but because I have been ravenous lately with everything...I have eaten burgers with the bun, sandwiches with bread, etc. without any restriction barring any type of food for a while now). I feel like I'm starving from the time I wake up until I go to sleep.
Early on in this process, my fill doctor described the band as a balloon...that like a balloon loses air, the band will lose a little fluid as time goes by. I know that I've lost some fluid previously between fills. But as long as I don't lose too much, I don't get too worried. I am wondering if that's why I'm needing a fill now...because of the natural loss of fluid. I guess I will see what the deal is when I can make my next appointment--see if I've lost any fluid since earlier this year (May or somewhere thereabouts was my last fill). Either way, I still need some fill since I am eating like a crazy person.
The problem is that my fill doctor has limited the days he gives fills, so there are less available appointments. Also, times are a little tight in the money department lately, and I'm totally self pay.
But I'm to the point where I just have to get a fill. I got the band for a reason, and I need to try to use it to it's potential (not that I don't have some mental work to do with the sliders--but part of that is just getting this candy out of the house...bring on the trick or treaters!).
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Biggest Loser Contestant With a Lapband?
I didn't know until tonight that one of TBL's contestants this season had the lapband. Does anyone know her story as far as why it didn't work? I copied her biography below.
THE BIGGEST LOSER
CONTESTANT
JESSICA DELFS
Age: 27
Height: 5'7"
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Occupation: Professional bridal consultant
Biography
Twenty-seven-year-old Jessica has no memory of ever being the same size as her friends. She says food was the center of everything in her life, good or bad, and she didn't know how to make healthy food choices. While Jessica was in high school, a rocky relationship with her mother contributed to her weight gain, and she continued to gain weight in college while pursuing her degree in social and behavioral sciences at the University of Arizona. She tried lap-band surgery in 2006, but it didn't solve the problem, and a "culmination of several low self-esteem moments" convinced her she needed to get healthy and change her life. Professionally, Jessica has had great success, starting her own wedding planning firm at the age of 23 called Top Shelf Bridal and Special Events. She hopes losing the weight will lead to a happier personal life, and give her the confidence to get out and meet new people and create a fun new life. Now at 282 pounds, Jessica says Season 5 winner and fellow Arizonian Ali Vincent has been an inspiration to her, and she looks forward to traveling and enjoying a more active social life once she loses weight.
THE BIGGEST LOSER
CONTESTANT
JESSICA DELFS
Age: 27
Height: 5'7"
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Occupation: Professional bridal consultant
Biography
Twenty-seven-year-old Jessica has no memory of ever being the same size as her friends. She says food was the center of everything in her life, good or bad, and she didn't know how to make healthy food choices. While Jessica was in high school, a rocky relationship with her mother contributed to her weight gain, and she continued to gain weight in college while pursuing her degree in social and behavioral sciences at the University of Arizona. She tried lap-band surgery in 2006, but it didn't solve the problem, and a "culmination of several low self-esteem moments" convinced her she needed to get healthy and change her life. Professionally, Jessica has had great success, starting her own wedding planning firm at the age of 23 called Top Shelf Bridal and Special Events. She hopes losing the weight will lead to a happier personal life, and give her the confidence to get out and meet new people and create a fun new life. Now at 282 pounds, Jessica says Season 5 winner and fellow Arizonian Ali Vincent has been an inspiration to her, and she looks forward to traveling and enjoying a more active social life once she loses weight.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Love My Bandster Friends!
I have had a really rough day. But I'm going to try not to go into all of that right now. I just wanted to say that I took a minute to go over some of your comments to my latest couple of blogs...and it really lifted up my spirits. You guys are so supportive and sweet and lovely. I am so thankful for you all. Even when I have bad days, stressful weeks, or even crazy months, I am so blessed to have this community to come to. I love you all!!!! And I am so thankful for everyone who reads my blog. When things slow down some, I am going to try to add followers to my reading list. I want to support you all like you support me.
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