Yes, I have been away again. It's feast or famine over here, I'm tellin ya!
In early April, shortly after my last post, I took my daughter to Illinois to visit her future college. My oldest is graduating this year. Scary stuff. Then we had prom, that was a big to-do! Then I was having more problems with my band!
UGH! I'm so frustrated. Back in 2013, when I was doing fantastic with my band, I had to have a surgery that left me inactive for about 6 weeks. OK No problem, but, towards the 4th week, I couldn't swallow, anything! Water was getting stuck.
No worries, off to the doctors, for an unfill. Bummer....
4 weeks later we head back for a refill.....ok no problem for about 2 months. Then again, back to the doctor for an unfill.....ok lets try again.... still doing ok....and then March 2014 rolls around....too tight again....what the heck? How can I be fine for months, and then suddenly not be fine? So time for an upper GI....Welcome to my stomach! Now, I had never seen this before. Fascinating!
This basically shows my band is too tight. So another unfill!
Anyway, fast forward, this last year has been a series of fills and unfills. My last fill was sometime in November 2014. I was sitting around 6.25 cc's of fluid in my band, and then suddenly about 3 weeks ago I started getting stuck, vomiting and having bad heartburn. Now I have had mild heartburn basically not stop since November, but it consistently got worse. So I broke down and went to the doctors. The result....
An unfill of 3 cc's. After not being able to eat much of anything I can now eat virtually anything. I have felt over the last 1 1/2 years that something is wrong with my band. I would go to the doctor and they would take fluid out and send me on my way. I would ask questions and not really get answers.
The last time I went in, they told me that fluid can get into my band and make it fuller. WHAT?!?!? Totally felt blown off at this point. SO.....
I found a new doctor. Saw him today. He is sending me for another upper GI. I am in the process of discussing a revision to a gastric sleeve with him. Now don't get me wrong, I have loved my band. No regrets. But the vomiting and heartburn aren't going to work for me. If the revision gets refused then I will continue to go see this doctor.
I told him what the previous nurse said on my last visit that fluid can seep into the band and he looked at me funny and said, "That's a new one, haven't heard of that before but ok".
In the meantime, he did give me a fill of 1.3 cc's which should leave me sitting somewhere around 4.25 and 4.5 cc's. My previous doctor did not keep good records.
Funny thing is, I am NEVER hungry! I am eating because I know I have to. I drink water and feel full for hours. Even at this current fill level.....
OK I have to run, my youngest has a doctors appointment I have to run her to now. Constant I tell ya!
I will try to post again soon. My life is just so crazy busy right now.... And frankly, there is some stuff going on that has be depressed.....
But, enough about that.....See y'all soon!
~Chris
So glad you found another doctor and stood up for yourself! My revision is the best thing I've done for myself, and I had to fight hard as hell for it. I do kind of regret that I got the sleeve instead of RNY, but I'm sure the RNY would complicate my pregnancy now if that had been the route I took. You're in my thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHi Hollee, Thanks for the encouragement. Why would you rather the RNY? Congrats on the pregnancy! How exciting! I am at the very start of the revision discussion. I am just hoping the insurance approves it.
ReplyDeleteThe Acid Reflux with VSG is pretty bad. I do take a daily H1/H2 Inhibitor, but it still rears it's ugly head sometimes...even before getting pregnant.
DeletePlus, there was a lapband-->RNY revision the week before me (a girl I know from instagram) and her weight loss has been INSANE. All the lapband-->sleeve revisions I've seen have been slow and steady wins the race. Which might be good in the end, but I'm envious of the RNY revision difference.