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Saturday, June 9, 2012

What Happened at My Band Adjustment Appointment OR Where Can I Buy Myself Some Tiny Purple Panties?

OK, finally.

I've carved out some time to tell you all bout my adjustment or Lap-Band "fill" appointment on Thursday morning.  

If you can please invent a 30-hour day I'll be your bestie.  OK?

Before we get down to it, let's talk about stairs.  

My surgeon's office is located on the third floor.  

Yep, I used to ALWAYS avoid stairs. No matter where I was, the elevator was my friend. 

If I did take the stairs, I'd get hot and red-faced. I'd get all sweaty. I'd get all huffy puffy and out of breath.  That was no fun.

When I was going through the pre-op process, I made myself a promise that once I had surgery, I would never take that elevator at my surgeon's office.  Ever.  

Well, I've kept up that promise to myself.  Even when I was six days post-op and my tummy felt like I'd just ton 40 gajillion sit-ups, I slowly took those stairs. One by one.
Made it to the top and I'm not sweaty mess.
Onwards to the waiting room.
I LOVE how my surgeon's office is very accommodating to all sized patients.  Check out their chairs in the waiting room.  They get it.  They get the concept of how tiny, unsteady, plastic chairs with arms can be scary to some patients. Yay for sturdy, wide, wood chairs.
I checked in with the front desk and they gave me their standard questionnaire.
How would you answer these questions?
They haven't changed these questions.  Ever.

At least no new questions or changes in almost three years.

I could answer these questions in my sleep.

One of these days, they should secretly insert a surprise question like "What is the square root of pi?" or "If you were a color, what color would you be?"

Here are my answers:
Does your surgeon make you answer a questionnaire before a fill?
I got called back to the exam room and there were all the lovely tools that make a Lap-Band fill possible all laid out all pretty on the counter:
Oh, look what's on the wall. Some reading fun while I wait.  It's an old-school Lap-Band poster.
I want to get some tiny purple panties.
After discussing with my Nurse Practitioner my recent labs (all looked great!) and my recent hunger issues, she asked me how much fill I wanted.  Yep, that's how she rolls.  She trusts me to know my body, my band, and judge where my hunger is at.

I replied with, "0.2 ccs."

She the reminded me that may be too much and would take me up to 7.8 ccs in my 10 cc band and that was way too much fill when we tried 7.8 ccs last September.  But I told her that I would like to give it a try.  So she put in the .2 ccs.  I drank some water, it went down ok, and off I went back to work.

As I drove back to work, I was drinking my water and noticed that I could really feel it slowly moving through my band.  Hmm..  I started to doubt myself and my decision of the .2 ccs.

But I pushed on.  I started on 24 hour liquids (my surgeon's rule after a fill).

That evening when swallowing my tiny pills/meds, they got stuck and came back up.  I've never been stuck on real food.  Just pills.  This was the third time I've ever been stuck and PB'd.

The next morning, I took one of my high blood pressure pills and it went down ok.  Maybe everything was calming down?

My morning yogurt went down very slowly too.  8 oz took about 25 minutes to eat.  This got me thinking that maybe this is what a properly adjusted band is supposed to feel like?

I had Taco Bell for lunch and it went down slowly too, but nothing got stuck.

So my question to you is:

How often do you get stuck, PB, and why do you think that it happens to you?  I wanna know.

16 comments:

  1. That questionnaire looks great. My clinic just ask you what you eat and then make their minds up from that.

    I have only ever PB'd down to user error. My most common mistake is trying to talk and eat. So far getting stuck generally results in PB's. They tend to come in batches too (several one week and then nothing for ages) fitting the whole letting the swelling go down theory. Hope this fill works well for you. x

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  2. My dr. always has me fill out a questionnaire as well.. Not real sure I've ever seen my P. A look at it though.. I don't really get any PB.. I only have 2.5 cc in so I can eat and drink pretty easy.. If I do take to large of a bite then I can feel it, but that doesn't happen to often.. WHen it does happen I just stop, sit back and allow it to take it's journey down, takes about 15 mins then done..

    P.S. I promised myself the same thing about the stairs too..

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  3. My clinic (australia) has never asked to fill out a questionnaire. It would actually be a good idea if they did though. Definitely makes you think!

    I've been stuck several times...but that's because I clearly wasn't following band rules! Eating too much, Eating too fast, not chewing, forcing down a slice of bread when I knew I couldn't eat it!!

    Since I've been paying attention to how and what I eat, I haven't had a PB/stuck episode, despite my band being the tightest it has ever been so far!

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  4. I like the questionnaire. very cool actually. I guess they ask most of those questions, but on the spot you answer and then later you think, oh crap, i could've have said some other stuff. I get stuck on stuff regularly, but it is pretty unpredictable. I can eat a tin of tuna one day and the next, it won't go down. I think it relies heavily on exercising - I rarely get stuck if I eat and then exercise (must get things moving or something). Sliming always occurs when I drink too soon after eating.

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    Replies
    1. What an interesting idea about exercise and restriction. Never thought about it that way. Thanks!

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    2. when i am stuck or PB'ing, I go walk on my treadmill at home. Sometimes it's the ONLY thing that will help loosen the band up a bit.

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  5. OK, so here's a silly question, LOL. In your post title you asked about purple panties...what does that have to do with a fill? Just curious. Hahahaa! And by the way, it is such a fickle little place to find the right tightness. A constant moving target. So I have no wisdom to offer on that point. Just gotta try a fill level on for size and see how it goes.

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  6. I didn't understand the purple pantie thins either, I had to re-read :) Funny girl!!!!

    I may need to make the stair thing a promise to myself as well. I have had one appointment, took the elevator.

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    Replies
    1. Good for you! The stairs is where are the cool bandsters are hangin' out. HA HA. :) Seriously, all those little bits of extra exercise through out the day do add up. :)

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  7. Haven't gotten stuck or PB'd ever! Thought I could have been the other day, but it was just that I ate to fast I think because I just had what felt like a gas spasm under my left rib. Currently I have 8.5cc in a 14cc band. Thinking I am getting very very close to finally getting restriction maybe. Perhaps .5cc more... here's hoping!

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    Replies
    1. That's awesome. If I were you, I would enjoy your no stuck/PB time as long as possible. It hurts. :(

      Good luck with that next fill

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  8. I have the sleeve not the lapband, but I have to fill out a questionnaire whenever I have an appointment with my surgeon. It isn't as detailed as yours though.

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    Replies
    1. I had no idea that VSG'ers had to do questionnaires too. What kind of questions does it ask?

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  9. Ok so now I have to weight in here.

    You are right; the questionnaire has not changed in the last few years, because the questions that need answering have not changed either. As soon as knowing what your favorite color is (I think yours is purple) or calculating non-relevant math facts becomes relevant to knowing when you need fluid changed to your band, I will put that on the questionnaire :0) Promise!

    It also sounds like many of your fellow bandsters have questionnaire envy.

    And, finally (because I really did not intend to comment on the questionnaire), what you do not see about the questionnaire, is all the relevant stuff I write in the margins based on conversations with my band patients. That little questionnaire becomes my notes to myself which I look back on over time.

    Now, is yogurt really going down slowly? I am not thrilled with this. Yogurt, being a soft food should generally go down almost as easily as water. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules, 2 big ones being: how cold is the yogurt (very cold could cause contracting of the stomach muscle thus slowing passage) and what time of day are you eating said yogurt (many bandsters have increased restriction in the morning).

    I trust you will let me know one way or the other.

    Because I care,
    Reeger C., FNP-C

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Reeger so much for your comment.

      You are so right, lots of bandster envy of such a GREAT questionnaire.

      I am always telling other bandsters how lucky I am to have such AWESOME after care. I know that I am in good hands with SOBC. :)

      I eat the thick Fage Greek yogurt around 9am. It takes about 20 mins to eat. And it's straight out of the fridge. I will contact you if I have any issues/concerns with my restriction level.

      Thanks Again! :)

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  10. That is so cool that your nurse commented. What service!!! :)

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