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on 5/29/18 12:37 pm
I had my lapband removed 6+ months ago
ever since I've been complaining of stomach pain and acid reflux. They did a barium and it showed a sliding hiatus hernia (I knew I had it and surgeon didn't fix it prior to inserting the band). I've also had a colonoscopy which is clear. If you see my tummy and I can post pics it looks like a balloon. It doesn't look like a fat tummy but rather a ballon. Im having acid and tummy pain and I feel like food is sitting In my chest. What should I do?
Hi Tiffany,
Don't be embarrassed, your not the first and won't be the last. You know what is best for you, but if there is not a medical reason for the regain you might want to try to get back on track again by getting back to the basics. It won't be easy, but you may want to try.
You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal losing 70 pounds of regain. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!! Our tool works if we work the tool and get back to the basics.Planning/Preparing
Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.
Journaling
Get back to journaling. This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband. It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food. Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL
Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.
Goals/Rewards
Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.
Food
In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).
Water
Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea? I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.
MOVE!
I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving. If I could not go to the gym I would walk. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back. So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.
Support
If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.
Keep me posted on how you are doing.
HW:330 - GW:150 - MW:118-125
RW:190 - CW:130
Hello all. I'm brand new here and very glad I found this forum!!! I've had at least 3 marginal ulcers since 2012. The first healed quickly and wasn't a big deal. The second (early 2017) and third (August 2017) landed me in the hospital ICU. With the third I nearly bled to death with B/P dropping to 40/0. I'm now having really bad abdominal pain and reflux when I shouldn't be. I can't lie down because my stomach pain becomes unbearable. I'm fairly certain I have another ulcer and am scheduling an EGD Tuesday. Has anyone here ever had this issue and had to undergo a bypass revision? That's pretty much what I'm looking at with the recurring ulcers always in the same area. And quite honestly, it really scares me. I've not really had a very good experience with my RnY since about 2011. Thank you.
Susan (Amboline)
I might have missed it but I don't see any reference to your weight. Did you lose weight originally? Have you had regain?
Sometimes with ulcers and stomach distress we can gain weight because food that help our tummies tend towards simple carbs like crackers and such. I imagine your current weight and your track record of controlling it postop would also be a consideration, but that's speculation on my part. It would be helpful to know where you're at with that and to have your doc's opinion.
Just seeing this today, and I'm sorry you are having such trouble with ulcers.
I have had severe issues. My RnY is actually a near-total gastrectomy with the RnY intestinal rerouting. In my case the preop ulcers would either not heal, or they would heal over and create scar tissue. My pyloric valve was constantly blocked and I spent way too much time in the hospital on an ENG tube.
It's been almost ten years since my WLS. I've struggled with many things but ulcers have not been one of them. There have been episodes that worry me a bit in the last year or so but I double down on making sure my stomach is taken care of (take my meds, extra fluids, etc) as soon as I feel any discomfort and it has worked for me. My life is a million times better.
Just some personal experience for you to consider. Losing most of your stomach tissue and knowing that you can't get that back to a surgery that may or may not help are some big dice to roll. For me though - I didn't think twice. The pain of the constant ulcers compounded by weighing 347 pounds was making life rapidly less livable.
You've got some serious decisions to make. My advice would be to research like crazy, make your decision and not waste time looking back. Come here to talk and ask questions and vent. You'll get more response if you post to the main boards. I hope you'll get the best possible outcome.
I had VSG done in 2012, lost most of expected weight, years went by and life got difficult, long story short I not only gained all my weight back but added an extra 100 lbs! I started seeking a revision, but was very doubtful but desperate. Throughout the 1 year of meeting with a Registered Dietician, doing diet pills, and pretty much whatever they asked I was FINALLY approved to see a wls. They then sent me on another 6 months of the same dieting, exercise, etc. After 1 and a half years of jumping thru hoops and giving it my all, I was blessed to have ENT last week!! I will say that the wait was long, the work was hard, and I lost 120 lbs PRE OP, but it was what my surgeon needed to see that I was dedicated to saving my life! You CAN do this! Make a choice to just do ur best, don't try to play the game just give it your all and I promise you will be rewarded! I thought for sure they'd tell me since I lost 120 lbs that I didn't need it, but just the opposite. Revision is last resort. They need to know you are seriois...anyways blessings to you and good luck!
So basically if I jump through all the hoops (again), this is a thing that could happen!
Good morning, Alicia and Tiffany:
This is what happened to me, too! Surgery was the best decision I ever made for myself, and I definitely succeeded! But, like you, after 5 years of eating healthy, small meals, I slowly started adding the sugars, starches, larger amounts of food, and drinking fluids with my meal...all things my healthy lifestyle avoided. Needless to say, I'm almost back to my weight before the surgery, and it is very discouraging. I now write out my day of what I'm going to eat, I pack my lunch/snacks the night before work, and I TRY to get in at least 20 minutes of walking, stretching, etc. daily. I feel better! Just take a deep breath, and change back to healthy. Don't beat yourself up, just learn from your experience. Great job for recognizing you're human and you sometimes slip. Take one day at a time, and enjoy your life! Blessings of strength and health to you both!!
Cindy
Sorry amiesue that was intended for you... DH
Tiffany,
I was also 59 in April, and am 5'5".
You can do this... go back to your rules.
No eating and drinking at the same time... separate the two activities by at least 30 min...that will prevent further streatching of your tool.
If your pouch is over stretched reducing the amounts you put in it will help it be able to return to something closer to what the Dr intended.
Be sure to include a heavy protein meal for breakfast, with light carbs.it will help to cut your cravings for the day to be full.. We now have laying hens so my heavy protein is eggs, and one serving (ADA.) of bread.
.Sometimes I will boil sausage( in a saucepan ) then brown in a dry skillet. This makes it very firm and most fas can be pressed out with a paper towel press. I use a half teaspoon( or less) of coconut oil on a papertowel to polish the pan with...for my eggs.
Track all foods and fluids. Go back to your orig. Protein and carb goals. Mine were 90 gram protein and less than 50 carbs/day. Yours may be different even higher. The first three days of cutting carbs are always hardest for me. To jumpstart weight loss that has stopped, cutting carbs to 25, usually gets it going again.
I have a goal of a minimum of 30 grams protein at each meal.. If I am running short on protein for day, I will include an extra boiled egg somewhere in the eveing for a snack... sometimes I have a carb of bread/potato/root veg, (only half of an ADA serving for noon /night meal).If you are able to digest cheese, yugurt, greek yugurt, lettuce, cabbage... broccoli, these are good choices for you... I don't tolerate full servings of any of these, even with extra enzymes and probiotics.
Hope that some of this can help you to have hope and courage to get back on this track for healthy living.
Hi Tiffany ,
I just read your post and all the replies in the thread and I am in the same place . I had a Gastric Bypass RNY in August 2011 weighing 438 lbs. My Dr. said without the surgery I would not live another year when I had decided to not have the surgery at the last minute due to fear. After hearing I would not live another year without the surgery I had it done because I have family and a new Grandson was on the way and I wanted to see him born and grow. I lost 100 lbs fast and got down to 270 lbs but have got back up to 334 lbs again and need to get back on a plan and would love to join you ladies and form a support group with you all. It would be wonderful to be able to talk to women who know what we have all been through and still going through. I just turned 59 in April and I'm 5'8" tall. I'm thinking of starting a 10 day detox to clean out my system starting tomorrow and then go low carb after that. Has anyone heard of shrinking your pouch ? I have read somewhere about it before and was wondering if anyone has tried it. I never reached my goal and very upset that I never did it but would like to give it another try. Hoping to try it with you and your group of ladies here for support. Hugs, Amie
