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Thanks so much all! Dolittle also sent me some suggestions. But great to know that Dr. Altschuler is also recommended!

Hi all, My sister has the band too, and lives in San Francisco. She's never found a doc in SF who will see patients who were banded in Mexico, and has gone to the OCC for fills. At this point she's really wanting to find someone local. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions - thanks!! Susan

You know you're a bandster when it's Thanksgiving and you're going to be having squash soup for dinner (on liquids after revision surgery) but you don't mind because you're so happy to have a working band! Definitely something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Hi Margaret - this is indeed a great conversation you've started! I have definitely struggled with this issue myself, and it's always good for me to be reminded of it - keep it conscious, rather than let me sabotage myself unconsciously. As a child I experienced emotional and some physical abuse, and for me weight has served a lot of purposes emotionally. It helps me feel "big and strong" and invulnerable. And, as Lisa mentioned, pretty thin women are more of a threat, and can therefore not be as well liked. This also scares me. I'm more comfortable being the nice, non-threatening fat girl. I don't want to compete, I'm more comfortable on the sidelines. Except that means I don't get, so it's a problem... So while on the one hand most of the time I yearn for being the pretty girl who can wear fashionable clothes, and get more attention, there's another big part that finds that terrifying on many levels. Some things that help me a bit... In terms of the protection I feel by being big - I try to focus more on actual physical strength. I need to work out more actually, and this is a good reminder of that, but I try to focus on the fact that I'm actually physically stronger and more able the thinner I am. As far as all the other stuff goes, all I can do it try to stay conscious of it - keep aware of my fears, so when I feel a strong drive to eat, I can stop and look at what is really driving the behavior. Now that I'm in my 40s I think I also have a bit more confidence to assert my needs and like myself even if others don't - so that helps a great deal too. And of course the desire for food as comfort and reward is also huge and complicated - there are so many facets to the obesity battle. It's great that you're thinking about this stuff. Staying conscious is the best thing you can do. -Susan

Wow - that's some heavy stuff (no pun intended). I don't really know you, but I feel for what you're going through! That's a really hostile thing your husband said to you - that he wouldn't see himself with you, if not for the kids. If that's really true, and not just a stupid thing said in anger, then maybe you should consider moving on. Even if you lose weight and become more attractive to him, that's not enough of a connection to build a marriage on. I know the first few years after having kids are the hardest. Maybe you can both remember why you once fell in love. So sorry you're going through this. I hope either you and your husband can find or re-establish some real love/trust or you're able to find someone else who loves YOU - no matter what size you are.

Thanks so much for all the support! > Lisa - to clarify I am not (thank god) losing my band, just getting it repositioned/fixed. But I appreciate the support! jhawkchick - thank you, and you look amazing!!! Congratulations! bogiesmom - thanks for the info! I haven't heard about "bulging" but that makes sense. As far as my maintenance goes, I'll say that even without a fill the band still definitely helps me feel full sooner. I try to eat denser foods that slow passage through my band - like chicken and veggies. That helps a lot. I've had a lot of struggles all along with sugar, but when I've got a handle on sugar it helps me tremendously. When I'm in control of my sugar I have much less food cravings overall. I try to eat just one ounce of good chocolate every night after dinner. I have various other rules as well that help me stay on track. And with regard to the risks - you're totally right, and I really appreciate the reminder, that this kind of complication can happen to anyone - although it's only a small percentage - my NY doc says about 5% total - mostly to people who are too tight, but sometimes "it just happens". So i guess I'm just lucky. I've actually won two raffles in the last couple months. At least being in that minority few percent sometimes works in my favor! Good luck with your surgery! It's great that you're doing all the research and going in with all the info. Despite my complications I still heartily recommend the band - and the OCC. I could never have gotten this far in my weight loss without it, and I look forward to having it fixed again. If it turns out that the band doesn't work for me, I might consider revising to the sleeve, but only after VERY careful consideration. The band is the safest way to go and works well for a lot of people. My doc thinks it's unlikely that I'll have this problem again - hopefully she's right. Tootsielou - indeed, I feel very lucky in the end that I can get this fixed at home and without additional cost to bear myself. Thanks for the support! I'll keep you all posted. Good luck in your journeys as well. Best, Susan

Hi all, Haven't been here for a while - but everyone is looking great! Just wanted to give an update on my slip situation. Even though it was only a partial slip, it never fixed itself, even with a total unfill. I still have had severe acid problems - basically because my pouch hangs below my band, so acid collects and doesn't go through the band. I wanted to wait a bit to see if I could lose more with an unfilled band, and if my symptoms would improve, but, while I've maintained my loss I haven't been able to lose much more, and the symptoms have actually gotten worse rather than better. So I'm having revision surgery on Monday 11/16 - right here in NYC - a few blocks from where I live (with Dr. Christine Ren Fielding who is one of the best). The huge silver lining here is that my insurance is covering the revision - my symptoms make this a medical necessity. Phew!! But I have to say I'm SO not looking forward to going through all of this again. Of course because my band slipped once despite the fact that I've always followed the rules, and was never too tight (only PD'd about a dozen times total) I feel a bit paranoid that it will happen again. But I'll just be vigilant and hope for the best. Once I get through the liquids and all it will be amazing to actually have a functioning band again after about 6 months. I hope no one here ever needs to deal with this! But in the scheme of things it hasn't been too bad (knock on wood). If there is anything newsworthy to report after my revision surgery I'll let you all know. Best, Susan

Awesome!! Love it!! Your transformation still blows my mind - so very inspiring.

Haha - nice topic! I was banded with my sister too, in June of last year. We went back to the hotel the same day as our surgeries and walked about 15 laps around the block where the Lucerna hotel is - farting as we went. It really helped release the gas. I don't recall any issues on the flight home (and I had a 6-hour flight). Of course one can always make frequent trips to the rest room. I think you'll be just fine.

Just adding another "Wow!" I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through such an ordeal. It's great that you don't have a slip, so hopefully the swelling will go down and you'll get past this stage for good. I look forward to hearing that things are finally resolving for you!

Hi Vicky - I agree with Dawn as well. Even though I am not very tight at all right now I experience this phenomenon. Actually I just finished dinner and was very surprised to have a hard time eating a small meal that has been easy for me lately. This isn't really bad for me now, unless it indicates a problem with my band. But I think the issue is that for lunch I ate a big salad with lots of firm veggies - something most of you could NEVER do with a regularly tightened band, but for me right now is great because it helps me fill up, and I'm just trying to eat healthy. So I think I may have irritated my stomach around my band with all those veggies going through, and even though it was okay going down, between lunch and dinner it probably swelled a bit. I guess I overdid it. So maybe try to think about - not just the meal that you have a hard time with - but what you ate last, since the tightness may be a delayed reaction. Best, Susan

Wow - that sounds miserable to have had to sleep propped up through your whole pregnancy. I hope that it gets better after the liquids. If not, is there a fill center near you? Not sure how far you are from the OCC, but you could try posting to ask if anyone knows a good fill doctor in your area. There may be a good option out there. I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted. Susan

Hi Stormy - this doesn't sound to me like anything to worry about too much. Maybe just a bit of acid stomach. if it gets more troublesome maybe try some sort of antacid to see if it helps. Unfortunately heartburn does seem to be a common issue with bandsters. But at least there are lots of products out there to help - OTC and prescriptions. If it gets serious definitely talk to a doc. About how often to eat, I'm sure there are as many opinions about that as folks posting on this forum, but I generally don't go longer than 4-5 hours without having a meal or snack. But that's just me, after a few hours my blood sugar gets low and I get cranky and irrational, and I'm more likely to make bad food choices if I'm too hungry than if I've had a snack to keep me in control. I always keep luna bars at work and in my purse. Although I'm trying to wean off sugar, so I think I'll switch to nuts or some other portable food. Hope you feel better!

Hi there - I'm so glad I popped by tonight and caught your message! I'm doing okay-ish. I just got a fill last week for the first time since my total unfill in early June. I waited a little longer than planned because I went on vacation in mid-July and I didn't want problems to crop up while I was away. So I only have a .5cc fill right now. The first two nights after the fill I had the same issue with waking up choking, but that has stopped now, which is a huge relief. Mostly because of my vacation I've gotten off track with my eating and have been eating too many sweets. I was up two pounds at my fill appt. I am weaning myself back off the sweets though and the fill, small as it is, is helping a bit, so I'm hoping I'll be back on track with losing soon. I'm still concerned that problems will crop up again, and that I may need to have another surgery. But for now I'm going to hope for the best. My band is still helping me eat less and feel fuller sooner, so if I can stick to healthy foods - and fill up on fruits and veggies - maybe I'll be able to continue to lose even with a loose band. Anyway - if you're having the same problem with waking up choking you should definitely speak to your doc - if you went to the OCC give them a call. They're great about taking time with patients on the phone to sort through issues. This can really be a dangerous issue, so you don't want to ignore it. You may just need a small unfill. Did you get unfilled while pregnant? Good luck to you. Susan

You say you're in "extreme pain". That sounds scary to me. I'm sure that most likely you'll be just fine, but I would call the OCC (or your doctor if you were not banded at the OCC) and just check in to see what they think of your symptoms. I hope everything is fine and you feel better soon!