LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

I keep seeing posts with pb and don't know what it means... I'm assuming it's bad, maybe vomiting? Please inform...

I'm look for support in the Edmonton area? I'm in spruce grove, and being banded January 25/2013. Yay.

I am having surgery from Dr.Cobourn July 19 and I keep reading posts that some dr in Canada are still using the 4 cc band does anyone know what he uses ? I know he only uses allergen bands and I can't imagine he would use an outdated band but do any of you know ?

I seem to have a love hate relationship with my band....I am 3 years post op and I am now at 5.5 mls in my band.....I am staying around 13st 12lbs ( 194 lbs ) at 5ft 6 ....I was 173lbs at my lowest.....now my cholestreol has gone up to 6 and i suffer social anxiety when I eat out....I am afraid I will get sick when I am out.....does anyone have any advice....

Hey guys. Looking for feedback from anyone that has had issues with the following: band slip (including how/if it was fixed and costs involved), severe heartburn/acid reflux and conversion from band to sleeve. Any responses are much appreciated as this is difficult time for me with a lot of things in the air. My story so far.... Banded and loving it for over 6 years. Last fill was 4 years ago and it was perfect. Lost nearly 100 lbs total and maintained within 5 pounds the whole time. Over the past 6 months I have gone up in 5 lb increments. 205-210 was no longer the range when I hit the scale. It became 210-215, then 215-220. Also, I have been experiencing s…

Did anyone else experience diarrhea when you started eating food?

FINALLY started losing again...whew! Was becoming a little discouraged. Then this weekend I slipped in to size 12 capris and was ecstatic ! What an amazing feeling! My goal size is 7/8.....banded 8 months and down 75 pounds. My only regret: THAT I DIDN'T DO IT SOONER!!

What was the weight gain like for y'all in the days right before your period. I have gained four pounds. I was feeling so good about maybe being in the green zone with fill #3. In certainly feeling satisfied earlier and for way longer. But what the heck if I didn't gain 4 pound in 3 days!!!! Uggghhhh!!! Anyone else see this?? Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

In Sept I will be 4 years out from having my surgery. I went to see my dr yesterday and I am almost back to my starting weight. I was so disappointed in myself. I had to have my port replaced a few months ago and before that it was fill after fill with no restriction. I have had issues with the band and staying on track espeically when i wasnt feeling any restriction. I am just posting this forum for helpful ideas on getting back on track and motivational help. . I can't believe I am back to where I started! I had a fill yesterday and hopefully will feel some restriction after my 3 day liquid diet. I know what I need to do but there are times when I get so down on m…

I've seesawed back and forth after fills for the last year trying desperately to find my green zone . With having such a sensitive stomach, fills complicate my progress. I've gained and lost my last ten pounds atleast four times now and I'm so frustrated! I have 34 pounds to lose to my goal and it feel like 340! In October it will be two years til my Bandaversary , this is such a rolrollercoaster and I'm feeling discouraged.

So I will preface this post by saying I am a pretty big hypocondriac but I am stumped as to what could be going on with me so maybe you all could help! To start off I was banded on may 15 2012. I was 257 at my highest weight, 225 on my surery date and I am 180 now Here's what's going on. I am having this weird discomfort/pain on my left lower rib cage, pretty much right where the underwire of my bra is and extending that way towards my side/back. The weird thing that I have recently noticed is that my left rib cage is raised a decent amount higher than my right one. When I lay flat on my stomach or press down on both sides of my rib cage it is pretty obvious. But, I do…

I had not had a good fill in a while and recently went and got anther fill. Prior to this fill I was able to have dinner about 8 pm and go to sleep by 11 with no problem. Since my last fill, I find that I need to have dinner by 6 or so in order to not have and issues at night. I feel like I still have food in my pouch if I eat later on when I go to sleep. I was thinking that if it gets too late to eat dinner, it would be best to have a shake. I am just curious when others fell they need to stop eating at night.

Can someone tell me what the 5 day pouch test is and what is it used for? Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I was banded 7/26 and I'm still experiencing pain in between my shoulder blades, even when I breathe it hurts but it's almost unbearable when I sneeze cough or yawn. Is this normal.

It seems to me that ever since I made the decision to get my band (and has the insurance to cover it) I have been anxiously waiting and waiting to have my first surgical consult. I have gone to two different informational seminars (two different doctors) and now I am just waiting until the 12th when I meet with my surgeon for the first time. Only 10 days to go and my nerves are getting to me everyday. I am beyond ready to be banded and I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines when I take my daughter places and they cannot accommodate my 350lb body. I know it is going to be a tough journey but I'm ready to start this!!

Hello fellow Canuks, I have given up on having insurance help recover some of the costs so I am wondering if anyone has guidance on what to do/collect/save/copy so that I can at least try to claim the cost on mine or my husband's income tax. Feel free to reply in forum or private - any info would be appreciated.

Hey everyone, well my lap band baby is 8 months and I gained about 35 lbs during pregnancy. I had a lil trouble after the baby with tightness but it got better after going on liquids for a couple of days. Now I feel like I've totally lost control and have gained an additional 15 lbs since giving birth. This is my third so fitting in workouts is hard and squeezing them in at night is sometimes discouraging since I'm so off track. I can eat large portions and when I eat small portions I am hungry an hour later, if I eat the wrong things like bread I still pb. I am still nursing so I don't know if I should get a fill. Any advice on getting back on track, I feel like a total …

Anyone have any input on using Visalus shakes?

After my 2nd fill about five weeks ago everything changed and I am having a bit of difficulty with food. I am glad I have some restriction and I can only eat a few bites of food and I have a lot of PB (think I eat too fast, I do try to eat slowly). The thing is I am still hungry most of the time. Given what I have said would you still have a 3rd fill?

I am now two months (10 weeks) post surgery. I have had one fill and scheduled for a second in the next week. My clinic insists on 4 weeks between fills which I think is normal and safe. I don’t know the number of cc’s in my band, it isn’t something the clinic I have used concentrates on but I will ask on my next visit if I remember. I’m not feeling much of a restriction at all (if any) I lost weight during the fluid phase and the first couple of weeks on solids but have found myself at a stand still now. I do my best to limit my food to 1 cup to 1.5 cups per meal and eat all my protein first per my instructions. I just don’t feel any restriction at all and manag…

ok. I got my 6th fill on the 25th of July. Before I went in I had good restriction. If I ate anything the size of a quarter or nickel it would get super stuck. After my fill, no restriction. My stomach is getting full, but big bites and not chewing well are not bothering me. Sometimes I can feel my liquids coming back up. I don't understand why Im able to eat without getting stuck. Is this a case where my fill will kick in? Why was a tighter before my fill?

I had my surgery on July 26th and so far I feel great! Still on my liquid diet for a week, so after today I will get to move to the soft food phase. I lost 18lbs prior to surgery (2 week pre-op diet) and so far I am down 6 lbs in 6 days (since surgery). I know this will eventually slow down, but after my post op appointment and my first adjustment I plan to hit the pavement and walk-jog 5 fays a week. I am excited for the jourmey and I appreciate all of you who are here in support of this surgery! Any advice is appreciated!

This is my very first post! I have been following along reading about everyone else's struggles, questions and triumphs since I had my first visit with the weightloss center 5 weeks ago and here it is...TODAY. My husband and I will leave for the outpatient procedure in about 2 hours. No one but one band-buddy and my husband knows about my decision. I am so done with being fat and all that comes with that. Today is the most I will ever weigh again. It is the fattest I will ever be again. I am looking forward to my new group of friends and sharing our trials, but most of all...celebrating our triumphs!

Quick update - After my third fill (October 2012) I got stuck with everything I ate (7.2 cc in 14 cc band). I toughed it out for a while but then had 0.3 cc removed in December and 0.5 cc removed in March. I gained about 8 pounds back during this time. I was eating a lot of potato chips since they did not get stuck. Last week I got filled back up to 7.2, stopped buying and eating the chips and the scale shows 3 pounds lower this morning! I'm hoping my time in the wilderness is over. At the first information session the doctor talked about the addictive nature of food and how some bandsters end up substituting one addiction for another, mentioning alcohol. I never …

I've been banded for about 9 months and have recently hit a plateau. One of my problems recently has been eating even if I'm not hungry. Mostly it's at certain times when my brain thinks I'm supposed to be eating. More specifically at night when I'm cooking dinner for my family I think I have to eat even if I'm not hungry at all. What are some ways you guys have found to avoid eating at times when your brain is telling you that you are scheduled to eat even if you aren't hungry? Hopefully that makes sense.

So I have not yet had a lapband procedure, but was wandering how long do you have to be off work after the surgery? I am a custodian at an elementary school and am very active. How will this affect my work? I don't want to miss much work at all.

Hello everyone, I am still in the process of considering getting banded. I am allergic to artificial sweeteners, do you think it's possible for me to find enough foods to eat? Almost everything contains them.

Ok, before surgery I had very general instructions about diet protocol for week 1,2,3...ect and was told that when i saw the Dietitian he would make more specific recommendations for my particular diet. FYI: these general instructions were chaotic at best, not well defined... like a disorganized run on sentence that lasted 4-5 pages. So I could not wait to see the dietitian in hopes of really distinguishing parameters for my diet. So just before week two I had my apt with the dietitian. He told me in a few days I would be starting mushy's and named greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fish, egg whites, and tuna salad as examples of foods I could have. Ok, here is wher…

Does anyone else experience episodes of lengthy spasms at the port site? This happens regularly to me, it's not at all painful when it happens more annoying. I also every now and then, mainly when I twist or go from a sit to stand position to quickly get a little pain at the site, almost feels like it is pulling. Does anyone else experience this or am I just weird lol.

I know everyone is different but I'm just curious how many cc you have in your band to feel restriction?

Banded on May 21st 2013 (Weighed 330 2 weeks prior to surgery) today I'm 279. Got my second fill yesterday and I think I'm perfectly in the green zone. In my opinion the green zone is the place where you have to be conscious of chewing and if you eat too quickly you get the stuck feeling almost instantly. On average I can eat about 1 hamburger patty per meal. Feels great my goal is 120 pounds so I'm almost halfway there.

This came up on another thread and I thought I'd float it to the board... If you haven't read anything by Michael Pollan, he's amazing. His "food Rules" are so simple, and make such logical sense to me. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/michael-pollan-real-food-video_n_1167356.html

Hello my name is Isabel. Banded: March 15, 2013 Beginning weight: 276 Current weight: 242 My last visit was about 2 weeks ago, since my last visit I haven't been able to keep anything down. I'm not sure if that would be a good idea? I'm a little set where I want to be, if they un-fill I don't want to go back to my eating habits. Please help? Thank you

Had my first fill and it was super easy! Took all of 5 minutes. I have a little over 3cc's in my band. I was hungry when I got to the appointment, I'm not hungry at all now. Yay!

I LOVE mexi food, I mean totally love it. The problem with US mexi resturants is the food tends to be loaded with salt, which is why the hubs and I don't go often. A friend of mine who is married to a great guy from Mexico, gave me the following recipe for a healthy fajita meal. 1 large chicken breast cut into strips 1 large onion cut into strips 1 large pepper cut into strips 1 teaspoon of cumin dash of lime juice salt and pepper to taste In a skilled I put a little canola oil let it get warm, add the onion and peppers - sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. When the the onion has begun to turn transluncent move the veggies to one side and add the chicken t…

I don't know what it is but my band is NOT my friend today. This morning I tried to drink a protein shake and could barely drink it. It felt stuck. Since then I've been burping nonstop. Like not huge burping but little burps and then gurgling and my mouth gets all watery and feels like I'm going to throw up but I don't. Anyone have this before ? I think I might be too tight but I for my last fill almost a month ago so I don't know why now all of a sudden this is happening. I'm waiting for a call back from my doctor buts it's worrying me.

Was in Nashville for a dr's appt and afterwards mom and I made a quick stop at Stein Mart, woohoo, my fav, and what ya know I tried on a 2X top and it was too big so I then tried on the 1X and it fit, I bought it, yay. I couldn't believe it. A year ago I couldn't hardly wear anything from there I was growing out of their clothes I was getting so big, I mean my eating was out of control pre op that my weight was getting out of control on me. I was so excited, it was a good feeling. On another note, as some of you know my brother's cancer is back and today was suppose to start his aggressive chemo but they put it off till Friday so he went on and worked. He lives and …

I got a pair of size 22 ( I was so excited too) pair of denim capri's St John's Bay from JC Penney about 6 weeks ago, well now they are too loose and I dry them all the way. I buy my jeans from Walmart, not elastic band, ugh, gross, the regular jeans and size 24 is way too big and size 22 is a little too snug, guess cause they are cheap but I can't afford to go buy expensive clothes when I'm changing sizes left and right. My 1X Kim Rogers tee's I got a few weeks ago are loose, just waiting on fall to get here so that I can get some long sleeve stuff. I'm cold natured and wear 3/4 length sleeve anyway. I guess this is a good problem to have huh?

I don't know what it is but my band is NOT my friend today. This morning I tried to drink a protein shake and could barely drink it. It felt stuck. Since then I've been burping nonstop. Like not huge burping but little burps and then gurgling and my mouth gets all watery and feels like I'm going to throw up but I don't. Anyone have this before ? I think I might be too tight but I for my last fill almost a month ago so I don't know why now all of a sudden this is happening. I'm waiting for a call back from my doctor buts it's worrying me.

I went from 2.00 to 2.75 and feel like I have less restriction now. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Hi everyone. I was looking at a Chinese restaurant's menu on line and it listed Akai rice. Has anyone ever heard of it, tried it? Does it taste like normal rice? The menu said it is healthier and has more fiber. Thank you for the help.

I have my dr appt today. I am assuming I will get my first fill. Im 9 weeks post op. for some reason, I am so nervous.. don't know why but I am. from what I read here, its no big deal.

Good Morning to All! I like to stop in on this website time to time because i continue to learn something new every time. Last night i learned something new about myself with my sleeve. I believe i experienced a little of dumping syndrome. I had the sleeve May 1 and doing very well. I decided to try some ice cream due to a strong craving for something sweet in the moment. In time i found myself sweating, stomach was horribly bloated and i got a bit sick....no more sugar for me. I cannot imagine was someone goes through with that other surgery when there is severe dumping syndrome. It finally bypassed, but lesson learned the hard way..I am not mad at myself, i learned some…

I have my first fill tomorrow morning at 8am. I was curious if your docs allowed you to eat before your fill or not? I wasn't told not to eat, but I didn't ask either and now it is too late to call. Not sure what I should do

Hello I'm kari 29f and ill be banded August 30th! Looking for someone to either mentor me or be buddies with on this journey!!! Have a great day

How do you know you need a 1st fill ?

I am a 63-year old woman who had lap-band surgery 3 years ago. After my last fill, my ability to eat has been drastically altered. At this point, there are days I can eat barely anything, and I throw up multiple times a day. I am seeing the doctor next week, but he seems to be hesitant about loosening my band. I now weight 106 lbs, down from my high of 238 when I was banded. Does anybody have any advice about how to talk to the M.D. about loosening my band? I feel weak and am very unhappy about not being able to eat anything normally. I just want to get to the point where I can eat small portions of healthy foods. Isn't that what the band is supposed to do?

Hello, I've been trying to find where in settings i can add a photo to my profile but I can't find anything. Do you have to have a certain amount of posts before this feature is available? Thanks :-) Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using LapBandTalk

I went to see the doctor and he would not fill my band. I have not seen him I'm over a year and I'm ready to move forward. I gained the weight back. He said there is 4.5cc already. To watch my eating and come back in one to two months. I'm cash paying so that was a waist. Plus I went to him for help. If I could do it I would of. I want to change surgeon. I called office m anager and no reply. I'm ready to start asap. I bought my shakes and vitamins. Family supporting me. And dr. Denied me. WhY? I feel desperate.

I have has my band for 5 years with great success (-140) and very little problems. I haven't been to my doc in 3 years! (Didn't realize it had been that long). I have been struggling with burning stomach, some reflux, being able to eat too much, and weight gain ( about 20 lbs since November) I let all these things go for way too long I know! (Don't wait like me). I finally went in on Monday and they completely unfilled my band. She thinks I have just stretched my pouch. But I'm going in the morning for an upper gi to be sure. I'm hoping there is no major prob and a few weeks of unfill will fix it! Now I have to try to be a very good girl in the eating department. Tha…