Painter

It has been a year and a half since my surgery and I wanted to share my story. You know the old saying if you can’t be a shining example then be a terrible warning, lol. When I went to OCC I had a wonderful experience but I ran into some trouble that I think would be relatively uncommon yet I wanted to share in case any of you end up in the same situation. My first mistake was to wait too long for a first fill. I had it done about 9 weeks after my surgery and since the doctor was local and new at the procedure I received a somewhat conservative fill of 1.0. My next fill about 8 weeks later was .6. After that I went to TJ to the OCC and got sick immediately upon arrival. I mean I was SICK! I believe I had food poisoning from the airport in Colorado. I was on my back for 2 days and couldn’t keep anything in my system until the end of the second day. The fill doctor at OCC was very kind prescribing drugs to settle my system and he thought he could do a fill for me on day 3 since I was flying back the next morning. He gave me 1.5 which put me at 3.1 in a 4cc band. That day I felt pretty good but I was totally unaware that I was majorly dehydrated from being sick. I got on the plane and flew home to Canada and by the time I arrived back home I was in major trouble. I couldn’t keep water down. Needless to say OCC was too far away to help me so I contacted my local fill doctor. He was out of town for 3 days. I barely managed to keep myself hydrated until I could get an unfill. I had lost 15 pounds in 5 days. He removed 1.0 and after that for about 8 months I choked on everything I ate but was determined to leave the fill as it was. That was an unfortunate choice. When I learned that I could be harming my band I went and had .2 removed. I was very concerned that .2 wouldn’t make a difference (I was now at approximately 1.9) but it did. Now after a year and a half I have not lost weight because of my own poor choices. In the time I was overfilled I got in the habit of eating all the wrong foods. This week I started on Weight Watchers with my fill of 1.9 and hallelujah I feel full on a small amount of HEALTHY food. Please don’t be in a rush to get big fills and don’t wait too long if you are overfilled. Please do eat healthy no matter what and if you are choking on veggies and protein don’t eat unhealthy high fat food and leave the fill where it is. Get some removed and take your time. I lost a year and a half. If I had gotten an unfill earlier I would be farther ahead. Please remember your body changes constantly and the doctors at the OCC and fill centers do the best they can but it is up to you to stand up and say “something’s wrong”. I am still not sorry I had the band put in. I have not gained weight so I am ahead by what I know I would have gained and I still have a great tool which now should work for me. So let me be a terrible example for now but I plan to be a shining example down the road.

Blessed relief!!! I can drink water! I even ate an egg and a slice of toast. Dr. Descouteaux removed a full cc and I feel much better. Thank you so much to all of you for your support. He removed 2.5 but his syringe was full so we don't know what was in there in total. He put back 1.5 so I suspect I have around 2.0 in there now. He wasn't surprised that being sick could cause an overfill. Right now he is my hero. What a kind man. Natalie, are you feeling any better? I am really worried for you. Let me know how you're doing. Cheryl

Still too tight. I get in to see my fill doc tomorrow at 3:00 pm. I'm counting the hours. I choked on 2 tsp water this am but managed almost a whole gatorade later throughout the day so am less concerned about dehydration. Currently I can'tget anything else down. No food has crossed these lips since I tried to eat on Sunday. I have a theory about all of this. I think that I was so dehydrated from being sick that it appeared I could tolerate that big fill no problem. When the doctor at OCC withdrew what was in my band he said there was only 1 cc. I had been told they put in .6 on the second fill and I already had 1 from the first. I should have had 1.6. If they loaded up another 1.5 I probably have 3 or more in my band. It is a 4cc band which means I am really full. I'm hoping the doctor will remove it all to see what is in there. Who knows what dehydration can cause; when they tried to check what was in there perhaps that's all that they could draw. I plan to write to OCC just to let them know what happened in case they have another patient who has been ill. They may not have thought that I was that depleted or they may not have had this particular set of circumstances happen before. I'll try to email tomorrow and update you all on how it goes.

Thank you Julie! I was hoping you would be online and answer. I just talked to the fill doctor's nurse here (there's only one who will take Mexico patients) and he's out of town till Wednesday. I will see him then. Meanwhile I have managed about 6 ounces of water today and the spitting up has stopped except when I tried 2 Tablespoons of orange juice, not a good idea. I really appreciate your input. I tried calling the OCC last night but Dr. Ortiz' answering service was full and not taking any messages. I couldn't get any of the other numbers to work. Not much point in calling them now as I am too far away for them to do anything for me. That was my last Mexico fill. Think I`ll stay up here where I can get help when I need it. Cheryl

Sorry to hear you aren't well Natalie, No one ever told me I couldn't vomit after this surgery so I was pretty distressed too. It did pass eventually but what you are going through sounds different. You might want to see a doctor. Even if it is just for anti-nausea meds. They gave me something in Mexico that worked for me but I had to crush it up and sip it to get it down. Hope you feel better. I think I'll call the local fill doctor tomorrow and beg him for help. He's tough to get in to see but I hope that he will understand this is an emergency. I might try your heating pad and see if it causes my stomach to relax some.

Anyone out there have any advice besides going to the hospital? I was supposed to get a fill on Friday but had food poisoning so had my fill on Saturday. I was fine eating that day now I am pb'ing saliva. I tried to eat 4.5 hours ago and am still spitting up the little bit that went down (less than half of a scrambled egg). I can't drink or anything. I am starting to feel desperate because I can't even lay down. I've been up since 3:00 am for the trip home today.

Going for a fill October 17th.

Please reassure your family that Dr. Ortiz is the best and that his being in Mexico does not mean substandard care. My sister is an RN in Oregon and she was impressed. Both she and her daughter (16) went and had it done. Cheryl

Well thank you for posting. I still don't have any restriction by the sounds of it. I do occasionally get something stuck if I don't chew enough but I can eat as much as I want without ever feeling full. No wonder my band isn't helping me any. I am dieting but doing about as well at it as I did pre-band. I am getting another fill with a local doctor on the 19th of September and then going to OCC on October 17th. I hope this will be the charm. I have considered eliminating the September fill but I suspect it will be very small anyway and might help somewhat until I can get to OCC. Your post means a lot to me because I had started thinking I would be the one that failed with the band. Now I know I just need more fill. That gives me hope and maybe even a little more willpower to keep on truckin' until I get to my sweet spot. Cheryl

That's an interesting question. I found I was extremely moody but I am also going through menopause so I wasn't sure if that was what was causing it or not. You could get some counseling either via professional or perhaps read a book or two to get some extra coping strategies. Someone a while back posted on this website that they were going to get some personal counseling and I thought it was a great idea. Having said all that I haven't done it myself yet but I plan to. I do eat to manage my frustrations so I need to find a healthy way to deal with things. Some of the folks here use exercise which is of course one of the very best options. Good luck kiddo, I am sure you will do just fine.

Thanks Jenn for having the courage to step up to the plate and do what needed to be done. If it weren't for you and Cassie's willingness to stick your necks out and tell your story my neice would never have gotten the surgery and I am so thrilled for her. She just went down last weekend and both she and her mom were banded. You have been kind enough to support her on the teens forum (her name is Kelsey). Thanks again. It really helps and thanks to all of you who responded to her post, it made me cry when I saw all the support that she got. That is so important especially at her age cause as you know it is a huge leap of faith to try one more thing to lose weight. She is a wonderful sweet person. I think she is beautiful now but I can't wait to see her blossom when she becomes thinner. Cheryl

Hi Jessica, I am getting another fill soon. I was really late getting the first one because of my son's wedding in July. My first fill was at around 10 weeks. The doctor suggested I wait for 2 to 4 weeks so I am going to call today to see if they can get me in in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the encouragement. Cheryl

That is really a hard thing to deal with. I would guess that your hubby was just embarrassed. Deep down he probably knows you are right and was somewhat relieved that he didn't eat the pie. Just tell him that you love him and are trying to help. It's hard to argue with that. Cheryl

Thanks Kim, sometimes I feel kind of invisible on this board. It really helps to get some feedback! Cheryl

Okay in light of all the angry posts on here I know I am really sticking my neck out but here goes. Yes I admit it I am a cheater. I am no good at low calorie diets and never have been. I know my band is a tool but at present I don't have enough restriction to do much good (1cc in a 4cc band). I finally went to low carb. Yes I know it's another diet but I had to get the sugar out of my system. Since I am in my 50's I lose slow to begin with but my weight had started to go up and I was very discouraged. I love hearing the success stories on here but sometimes I wonder if I am the only one that can't seem to get it right so yes it is a comfort to know I'm not alone. Anyway on the up side I lost 2.5 pounds in less than a week by banishing the carbs in my diet. Hallelujah! Yes I know alot of it is water but I couldn't seem to lose before plus my cravings have stopped (and I am PMS'ing). It occurred to me that Dr. Miranda had more or less encouraged a low carb diet in the first place as those with restriction often seem to say that by the time they eat their veggies and protein there is no room for carbs so I figured, what the heck why not give it a try. For those of you that are struggling like me it might be worth a try. Of course it helps if you have an MD that is supportive of that (mine is) as you should be monitored. I am doing the Atkins 20 carb a day induction plan at the moment. Feel free to email me privately if you like, it will remain private! Hugs to all of you, Cheryl