Hi, Angie - please have your doc test you for the very common H Pylori stomach bacteria. We now know that more than 60-70% of all those going for WLS have it, and it causes a constant gastritis, and can lead to ulcers and stomach cancer. IMO, this is a big reason for many of the fill-related problems of bandsters.

Many US docs now test for, and treat, the bacteria before banding, and IMO ALL should. If we have not gotten the est, everyone should. 80% of people with it have NO symptoms, but there is ongoing problems.

It is a simple blood test, and requires 2 weeks of antibiotics - be sure to use liquid or crushed ones, as all meds need to be smaller than an aspirin.

Also be sure you are having no reflux, as this can cause stomach and esophagus damage.

Esophagus spasms don't cause stomach pain.

Email me or ask on the Band board about dilations, reflux, and spasms - we'll re post the periodic teaching documents again.

Sandy R, BSN, MN
band educator
at goal 5+ yrs
banded 6 yrs - today

Recognize that your body has gone through a traumatic change and so your hormones and practically everything else is a little off. As you start eating more and getting back to a more normal lifestyle you'll feel better and you will definitely love the way you look. I wish you all the best and hope you feel better soon

It will get better....  they told me that I might feel that way... but think of this way you have made this far ... and you know I am just on my journey ... thank you for your support ... I want to help as much as I can in return.. keep your head up ... think about how healthy you will be and the things you can do with your kids that you cant do now ...  like you told me one day at a time ... call me anytime or text me anytime ... THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!!!!   HERE IS A BIG .... KEEP YOUR CHIN UP .... Deena

OMG im feeling that way after 2 weeks. I looked into this surgery for about 4 years and it is not all i thought it was im not happy at all. I wish i never did this. My twin sister had it and she is loving it and im not i dont know what to do. Did you find anyone to help u

I don't hear anyone complaining when someone says they are a nurse, teacher, or whatever. Maybe there'd be a little grief if someone declared, "I'm a doctor...." (Then again, maybe not.)
BTW, I'm a writer and editor, speaker, and occasionally a TV and radio guest. I guess I shouldn't have said so.

These  WLS procedures provide people who have never been able to control their weight with a second chance at life. How dare anyone here ridicule another WLS patient! So what if he's an actor? Actors, by virtue of their profession, tend to "announce" themselves when they enter any stage, and "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...sans everything."

Okay, here's the skinny on WLS: it works. Sometimes the people who have the surgery don't like that it works because they weren't really as ready to change their lives as they thought. All I have to say about that is to give it time. Make a note to ask yourself if you like it when you've lost 106 pounds, as I have since 7/8/08. The first few weeks are indeed alarming at times. It is scary.

I remember feeling lost. Whatever am I going to do with myself now? I wanted to eat, but my new pouch couldn't even hold enough to nourish a baby. That's when I started to think of myself as newly born. The pouch became a "baby" to me, and I cared for it like one. The protein shakes are a bit like making bottles, aren't they? Even the liquid vitamins smelled like baby vitamins to me.  Sometimes I cried like a baby.

Now, nine months out, I can eat virtually anything I like. The difference is that the things I like now are foods I developed a taste for when I was a "baby." Cottage cheese with pineapple, baked beans, protein shakes, and all the other healthful foods I raised me on. I just don't have the overwhelming urge to eat until I'm half-comatose! The "baby" doesn't hold more than a few ounces at a time. And that does me just fine.

Best to you all,
Mary Ellen