I'm worried

i had my lap band surgery in march of 07 i have lost weight either rapidly, steadily, or gradually throughout the whole process. untill january of this year. i went from 350 lbs to 200 lbs ,...from a size 32 to a size 14/16. now since january i have gained 25 lbs and am back up to a size 18/20. i have not changed my eating habits, as a matter of fact i may eat a little less now simply because i get a pain in my stomach every time i eat now. i am very worried, i called my surgeon Eldo Frezza in Lubbock tx just to find out that he is no longer there and no one took his place. the nurses there were very rude and uncarrimg about my situation. i have no insurance and no dr i dont know what to do i am worried i'd rather die than gain all that weight back

Honestly, i might say things that may be the wrong thing to say on these boards....but i will anyway. DO NOT let anything allow you gain that weight back! You have come so far to go back now. If you have to, take diet pills and drink energy drinks all day. I know it does not sound very reasonable to most people but neither does being fat. Hopefully you can get some help with the Dr. thing...did he go somewhere else? Call the medical review board to find out. Throw a fit in the office where the careless nurses work....dont give in.

If your are eating less maybe your not consuming enough calories. Drinking lots of water and exercise. I know you have heard all this before, but just dont let it come back! Fight with all that you are. Good luck Ma!

I hardly ever post on this board because I am fairly new post op, but I had to say SOMETHING. I am very saddended that you have told this OH member to take diet pills and energy drinks if she has to not to gain weight. That is quite ridiculous and you as well as everyone else on this board should know, THAT DOES NOT WORK.

What you need to do is find another doctor and meet with a nutritionist. I can imagine how difficult this would be with no insurance and I feel for you. But please do not fall into the trap of pills and drinks for the sake of not gaining weight back. I can't believe someone actually told you to do that up here.

Hi.  I;m sorry to hear that you are going through all this.  Maybe you need an unfill.  I was not losing weight at the beginning and the doctor had advised me to eat a little more.  My body was in starvation mode because I didn't eat for days, literally.  I would at first have maybe a bite of mashed potatoes in the morning then lots of liquids throughout the day and then a bit of more potatoes in the evening.  It wasnt until I started drinking Slim Fast three times a day did I see my weight go down.  My doctor explained that I still needed to try to get enough calories so my body would not think its starving.  Makes sense.

As far as your pain, please dont wait.  Find another doctor.  If you cant find one that will see you because of insurance purposes try calling my dr. Dr Ortiz, in Tijuana Mexico and see if he can see you even though you are not his patient.  dr. Ortiz hasbeen on Oprah and The Doctors.  He has a book out and also teaches the lap band procedure to many surgeons in the US.

Oh, another suggestion...try having only clear fluids for about a week to see if the pain goes away.  It could be that your stomach is inflamed. 

Good Luck!!!

If you are having pain in your stomach when you eat, you may have bigger problems.  Do you have any problems with liquids?  Can you keep your food down?  You need to find a new doctor and have a flouroscope done on your band or at least an exray to see what is going on,  May be you just need more fluid, or it could be that your band has repositioned.  Do not hestitate, find a new doctor.

Theresa

I would get on the computer and join (free) a site like Livestrong's Daily Plate and start charting my intake EVERY day.

Set a calorie goal, try to take in more lean protein than carbs and fat. Stay away from simple carbs. You know, white rice, pasta, white bread, potatoes, sugar, etc. You can do this. Get into planning your daily intake. You'd be amazed how much you CAN eat in a day if they choices are really good ones.

Drink all your water, try to at least walk if you're not exercising at all.

Chicken breast, tuna, salmon, cottage cheese, egg whites, low carb protein shakes
veggies... lots of them, some fruit. You can do this. There are even groups you can join and get ideas from on the livestrong site. Good luck to you!

Meg