and the frustration goes on

Jul 21, 2011

Well I just had my 3 month check up and having gained 16 lbs Dr Nease definitely wanted to give me a fill. However because I am close to the fill level that I last had a major complication at, esophagus dilation, he is worried about giving me too much fill and thus causing another esophagus dilation. So he added .25cc to give me a current fill total of 5.75cc. The aforementioned esophagus dilation occurred at 6.0 ccs in October 2010. The obstruction which I had in Oct 2009 was at 7.5ccs. I will have to fight to get back down to 180. My personal goal is 170 at which I would still be considered overweight, I would have to be below 160 to be considered "normal" weight. I don't think that is even possible. At almost three years post-op, I have still not reached goal and feel like I might never get there.
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Is it Spring yet?

Apr 19, 2011

Well my follow up upper GI was normal. I also learned Blue Cross will not cover the sleeve for anyone with a BMI under 55. My BMI wasn't even that high prior to my first surgery. Anyway no re-surgery in my immediate future. I am very healthy and have been in the same 15 pound weight range for over a year, so much so that I no longer care about a 2-3 pound change and do not stress over it. I vomit an average of once per week although I am trying to be careful of what I eat and how quickly I eat it. Trigger foods for vomiting seem to be rice and brocoli. At 2 & 1/2 years post-op I can tolerate just about anything including some types of bread. I recently discovered bagel thins, which are 100 cals and I top with fat free dressing, meat & cheese and eat like an openfaced andwich. I feel I am getting away with murder being able to eat bread like that but is a meal around 345 calories and very filling.
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2 complications in 2 years

Feb 21, 2011

Sorry for the extreme gap in time line, allow me to summarize. I was feeling pretty restricted and having a lot of vomiting in Aug-Oct 2010. I was afraid I might have an obstruction again, like I had experienced in Oct 2009. After being sent for the upper GI, I was told I had a dilation of the esophagus above the band. 1.5 ccs were removed from my band in mid October. I returned to the Dr in early January 2011. Another xray confirmed the dilation had gone down, but during this time I had gained 15 pounds. Dr Nease put 1 cc back in the band which I believe brings my current fill level to 5.5 or 6 ccs. I have been exercising religiously and not eating after 7 or 8 pm. I have since lost almost 10 pounds of the regain. I am currently at 185 which is exactly 100 pounds below surgery weight and 123 below my highest recorded weight. At the January appointment it was discussed that if the dilation returns (there will be an xray in April to check) the band will have to be removed and some other WLS would replace it. At first this sounded like the worst possible thing in the world. But I have since been reading posts and info on VSG aka "the sleeve" and it sounds like a really good option. I don't want to have another surgery, but if I do I have decided I want the sleeve. My biggest concern is if insurance will be a problem. Blue Cross covered the first surgery at 80%. It can be medically proven that the band needs to be removed, but what about the second surgery. I am no longer morbidly obese and have no medical problems, would I have to regain weight to qualify or is it considered necessary when removing the band?
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70% in 19 months

May 18, 2010

Hello everyone,
  Sorry it has been so long since I posted. It seemed like winter was never going to end and I have no tolerance for cold because my blubber is all gone!!! I went to see my surgeon Dr. Nease on Fri May 14 and he was totally excited. I am 19 months post-op and have lost 70% of my excess body weight. My BMI is 28.6 and I have since that appointment, (4 days ago) broke into the 170s. According to my doctor, the normal weightloss for band patients is 50% after 2 years. I haven't even got to the 2 years yet!!! Total loss to date is 130 pounds from a starting weight of 308. I am so excited and need to take new pics for my profile.   -----Mary Kay
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My obstruction

Oct 27, 2009

Well I post this hoping that someone will not have to repeat what I experienced. After six weeks of gradually losing my ability to keep down solid foods and eventually I couldn't even keep down liquids, I finally called for help. When I explained the situation I was scheduled for an upper GI and an appt w/ Dr. Nease. The upper GI showed that only a trickle of liquid was getting through my pouch. So Dr. Nease removed 6.5 ccs from my band to allow the obstruction to pass. The obstruction was believed to be sinus drainage which had encaptured food bits. Anyway, the obstruction passed and a week later I went back to get my saline put back in. During this one week of no restriction I gained 17 pounds. I believe this was due to 1. my bowels were completely empty prior to this week, and 2. my body was in starvation mode with very little calories for the four weks prior, so when calories were introduced it held onto them. Now since having my band partially refilled, currently at 5 ccs (prior was 7.5) I have already in 5 days lost 5 pounds. So I am not as upset about the gaining of 17 pounds as one might think. I know the weight will come back off and I am headed for my goal. My overall lose even with the regain is 115 pounds. This leaves about 40 pounds to goal. The moral of this story is DO NOT wait 6 weeks if you are having a problem, call your doctor asap.
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A rough month

Sep 25, 2009

Well I have lost 10 pounds since my last post, and it wasn't fun. I have been sick, throwing up multiple times per day, almost everyday for three weeks. I have sinus problems that are causing drainage. This very thick mucus in the back of my throat is catching the food. It is a feeling similar to heartburn when this happens. The good news is these throwing up episodes aren't nearly as violent as the ones I endured last spring. I have gone back to basics as far as food is concerned. I am now eating tomato soup, mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding all of which I can tolerate without getting sick. I have also switched to chewable centrum and chewable calcium, since taking the pills was painful and a few times I puked them up, along with the water. I am taking very small sips of liquid, even water.
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Holy Sh*t

Sep 04, 2009

Ok, yesterday was my one year aniverary. I have lost 100 pounds from my highest recorded weight, that would be 23 pre-op and 77 post op. I find it highly amusing that I reached the 100 pound mark on my aniversary. I am feeling really good about the way I look and I have a new boyfriend. I am trying to be very smart about buying clothes. My Mom just gave me a batch of clothes that will get me through the winter and into spring with minimal shopping. I just gave away all but 2 pairs of my summer shorts because they were too big, but I was determined not to buy any more, because next year they would be no good anyway.
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Slowly, but surely

Apr 05, 2009

I believe I am making progress, today I was 231 and I am wearing my 14s exclusively, My 16s fall off. I have some personal news. My boyfriend of eight years broke up with me, to date someone else. I am moving to Morgantown to a 1 bedroom apartment, very close to my work. I find it ironic that after losing 75, then he breaks up with me. It was a mutual break-up although he initiated it. I am trying to look at this as a chance to move forward in my life and be independent again. I am uncomfortable with the idea of dating someone new while my body is still in transition, but I can't imagine waiting another year and half. I do feel good about my body, but see flaws when I look at myself: stretch marks, scars ...  Anyway that's all for now.
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Finally some good news

Feb 16, 2009

I finally broke through my yo-yo plateau, I believe. I broke into the 230 range and am currently about 236-238. I am very excited to see progress and am trying to get in at least 30min of exercise per day. I am now wearing my 16Ws with a belt and starting to consider I may have to buy 14Ws. I had a Dr. Nease appt. last Friday and now have 7.75 cc in my band. There is a definitive difference and I think I will be having much smaller meals now. I am still on 3 days of phase 3, but I am already feeling restiction.

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Sorry it has been awhile

Feb 05, 2009

Well there isn't a whole lot to report. I have stayed within the same 5 pound range for 3 full months now. I go up and down 2 or 3 pounds at a time but there is no overall  progress. I have started treadmilling again and have improved so that I can run a mile in 18 min 20 sec, down from more than 24 minutes right after surgery. I am five months out and have lost about 40 pounds since surgery. My total loss in one year (feb 08 to feb 09) is 63 pounds. I am now wearing 16W in pants down from 26-28W last February. I have an appt with Dr. Nease on 2/13 and will definitely get another fill.
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About Me
Morgantown, WV
Location
32.4
BMI
Surgery
09/03/2008
Surgery Date
Oct 15, 2008
Member Since

Friends 8

Latest Blog 13

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