LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Anyone here know how I can find out about the correlation between autoimmune diseases and the band? I'm curious because I'm sure I read somewhere that the band may not be good for someone with autoimmune disease(s). I have autoimmune thyroiditis, my immune system is attacking my thyroid and trying to destroy it. I'm seeing a specialist and getting my levels in the right range. I'm wondering though, would having the band placed make my immune system attack IT? Since it is a foreign object in my body, I wonder if that would happen. I don't know how to find out. I haven't consulted with a physician yet about the band, still doing my research. If anyone can help...…

Well im heading to Houston next Tuesday surgery Wed morning. I asked my doctor if he though I was making the right choice choosing the band.He said that he would not do RNY becuse my BMI is 35. So I guess the band and I are ment to be.My daughter will not be going to get banded with me. She got turned down. We will appeal after she turns 18 next month.That was the reason that she got turned down.I am all stocked up.I have my chewable gas x my heating pad.Two big containers of protien powder.I have been cooking and freezing broths. I have purchased some canned stuff (NASTY).Got my Flinstones .Six cases of fruit 2 0, Popcicles. Can you guys suggest anything else?????? Reme…

LUNCH: whole sandwhich(2 slices white bread,lean turkey,lettuce,cheddar(1oz)mustard and mayo and a soup and a bag of baked lays. (Bowl of chicken noodle soup.) Do you think i need a fill or should i not eat the soup with the sandwich all at the same time? I ate it all and feel just full but not overfull. opinions please... thanks

I was banded on sept 20th and I am only down 22 lbs . I just starting working out . I eat very little and I try to eat the right foods . I was filled about 2 weeks ago and lost 2 lbs since then . I am really getting concerned I feel I should have lost more weight by now .I have been thinking of going back to a liquid diet cause it seems that is where I lost my weight . is this normal am I doing something wrong . please help me . I am trying and I failed at every other diet I have baffeled weight watchers and doc's I am so confused am I just a lost cause . thanks in advanced for any advice . Happy Thanksgiving to you all

Once you had the surgery, how long did it take you to recover and get back to school? if my surgery approves it, i will want to get mine during the Xmas or spring break holiday.

I was denised by united health care for my bmi being at a 39.1. I am going to get weighed again and cross my fingers that they will approve me. Has anyone out there had this problem and was the outcome a good one? Discouraged

:cry Hi everyone, I just wanted to give everyone an update on my band removal. I talked to my surgeon here where I live, and he has agreed to take my band out.. well, so far so good.. he is going to have my records faxed to him and then he will decide if he can do it.. I am thrilled about this.. and my insurance will cover the surgery. yahooooooooo Don't get me wrong, I am very bummed about this whole band erosion thing, but I am glad to be saving thousands of dollars... Well, thanks again for everyone's support!!! EROSION IS HELL ON EARTH !!! For no particular reason, my husband has asked me to add this photo to my post:

Well here's an NSV I would never have thought about before....I noticed today coming out of the shower that, and I can't believe this....my bath towel wraps all the way around me and the edges actually overlap. I mean...I can tuck in the corner and have it cover ALL of me! Granted, it is a big bath sheet, but that doesn't matter.....it didn't wrap all the way around me before. Now it does. :does a spastic happy dance outside the shower....being careful of the wet floor: In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I absolutely freaking adore my band. Her name is Katrinka and she is my best friend!!!!

Keri!!! Banded for Life (Keri in Tx) lost a whopping 30 pounds in the Fall Weight Loss Challenge. She started at 255 and is now down to 225. Way to Go, Keri!! Her Before/After pics are here!! We are so proud of you! 11 people have signed off on the 10 week Challenge and our stats are as follows: Pavarathi 207/184 -23 pounds!! Holly 350/330 -20 pounds! Anwyn 255.5/236.5 -19 pounds! Molly 262/244 -18 pounds! gordonfamily3 271/254.8 -16.2 pounds! Debby-do 198/183 -16 pounds! PinkMary 229/215 -14 pounds! Shailin 226/215 -11 pounds! Porclndoll 223/215 -8 pounds! the best me 198/191.6 -6.4 pounds! Thanks Corinne, for starting the Challenge. It's been a good o…

I'm going for my first fill on Monday. (I've been banded for three months - it's a slow process with my doctor). I've just read about someone else in my position, who quite legitimately asked what to expect from their first fill. Most people replied "You don't get much restriction after your first fill", or "Don't get your hopes up", or "It took a couple of fills to find the sweet spot". One even replied with "I still have to rely on dieting". So what was the point? I'm starting to look like a bit of an arse with friends/family... Can I expect to become pleasantly full a lot quicker after my first fill? The fill will be done with the aid of an x-ray/barium meal…

can people tell me what there average weight loss is in a week mine has been .5 I am not perfect with the diet I know it is my fault but just wanted to get a feel with other people see how there weight loss is going

I saw Dr. Deol on 11/15 and was VERY impressed. If you are someone who wants a surgeon who will take control she is the type of doc you want and need. She told me what she expected before, during, and after banding. She gave me step by step directions and a check list to follow. The list had names and numbers of docs to call and how far out she expected these appointments to happen. Right now I am gladly in the process of jumping through necessary hoops Dr. Deol has asked me to jump though:PCP clearance, psych eval, nutritionist, xrays, and blood work. She says all of this takes about six-weeks, but right now I am way ahead of the game. I am hoping for a Feb 20 band date…

The good news: I've lost about 33 pounds since Sept 6th. The bad news: I had my first fill on Oct. 25th but I have not lost any weight since...actually gained 3 pounds! Do you think it's too early to ask for another fill? My restriction does not feel any different than after my surgery and I've actually started getting the I'm hungry now! sensation which scares me to death! I don't want to go back to that! Any advice welcome, pam

I just read on the internet that if you have a sweet tooth, the doctor could tell you that he won't do the surgery because you won't be successful. Does anyone believe that? I'm quite surprised about that statement. I have a sweet tooth, but because I'm forever on the diet wagon, I don't indulge in sweets. I maybe have something like a cookie or whatever maybe once per week. I was on Atkins for almost 2 years and never had anything sweet, in fact the taste of sugar was horrible after not having it. So do you think it's true that someone who likes sweets will fail?

Yesterday was okay, today was okay but tonight i feel very very BLEH to put it mildy. How many days did it take you until you significantly better?

I received a verbal approval from UHC for surgery, however, it's for RNY. I called Wednesday to ask dr b's office to cancel my request for surgery and refund the credit balance I had. The lady was not so nice to me. So, I placed this request and called UHC. Well, low and behold, the girl congratulated me and told me I was approved. The main diagnosis was uncontrolled hypertension. This works for me. Everything was shocking at this moment, plus I was so tired I really shouldn't have been making phone calls. I called back dr b's and spoke with the not so nice lady. Explained myself and she was still not so nice. I told her I made a mistake and that I do want su…

I have to get up at 4 a.m. in the morning to get ready to see Dr. Bauman. My appt. is at 8:15. I have had the physical, pap, 8 vials of blood taken, sleep apnea test and a psych eval all last week. I only think I lack is an upper GI and seeing the nutrtionist. I hope he will look at all this and be able to see how serious I am abut having this surgery. Is there anyone on here that is having surgery in December by Dr. Bauman? Thank you for the support. I hope I have good news soon.

Greetings fellow bandsters and bandland visitors, I have been keeping a daily log of my food intake and found that it has been very helpful to me. Also, after reading so many questions from would be bandsters, I have decided to share my daily food intake for 30 days. Hopefully this diary will be beneficial to others as it will surely help keep me accountable. I am carefully measuring my food on a digital scale and the ammount of calories burned at the gym is based on my F12 Polar HR monitor. I was banded in May of '05 and have had three fills. Thanks! I am a 26 year old male, weighing 240 lbs. November 14, 2005 12:00 Split pea Soup, 16 oz. 240 cals & 16g Pr…

Went to breakfast with my daughter this morning and the place with packed, so we had to give our name and wait. I usually (had) to ask for a table as opposed to a booth....could not fit!!! Anyway, my daughter says, "oh, we need a table"...and I then said bravely, "oh, it doesn't matter, a booth is fine." Well, we got a booth....AND I FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

Hello! I was wondering if anyone has tried the low carb slim fast shakes? If so how do they taste compaired to regular slim fast? I was going to buy them today but I thought I'd check with you guys in case I'm wasting my money! thanks alot!

hurry, it started at 9pm EST , called "super obese"

This article was on yahoo today and I thought it was very interesting. ~Mandy http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/fatfood_1.html

Do you have to take protein drinks, vitamins, and what not for energy after the band or does the little food that you are able to eat suffice?

I just wanted to share the good news with everyone. I was banded the 7th and have felt a little uneasy about whether or not I was making the right decisions at this stage in the game (my Dr. has given me a lot of freedom with food choices already, etc.). Well, I just weighed and I am down 20.5 lbs since surgery day. Woohoo!!!! I am really excited and hope the others that have been recently banded are having great successes as well.

Can Anyone Tell Me Where I Can Purchase Optifast? I Was Told That This Is Excellent In Immediate Weightloss. I Need To Loose 12lbs Before Surgery

Hi, My name is Tina, and I was banded on Nov. 10, 2005. It has been 9 days since my surgery and I keep bleeding from my incisitions on my left side. Did anyone else experience this after their surgery? I'm starting to get a little worried about this. Thank you for any advise you have to share.

I have a "refill" appointment for Tuesday the 22nd. My doctor has always done fills in his office without flouroscopy, and has never had any sort of diet restriction before or after the fill. I'm having this one done at the surgery center where I had surgery, under flouroscopy, and they have dietary restrictions. I guess I'll be on "soft foods only" through Thanksgiving, which is just fine with me. Anyway, I'm really hoping that since they're doing this under flouroscopy that it will be a good fill =) Anything I should know or ask as a "first timer"? Jonathan

Yesterday was a really bad bad day for me. I'm a wee bit stressed at the moment, as my daughter left two days ago with my hubby, bound for the US. I'm really tragic when it comes to being alone. She'll be staying there with my parents for a month. Longest I've ever been away from her. So anyway, they had a 24 hour layover in Tokyo. Earthquake (7.2) hit Tokyo yesterday morning, so me, being the over protective worry wart, freaked out lol. Got myself all worked up for nothing. They were fine and Jaz thought it was "way cool". In the midst of all this though, I didnt realize that I was hungry all day yesterday. I had Breakfast (which I never do), lunch (and was ab…

Hi All, Well I have a question...I have lost 154 lbs since July 04, and I went from 351 to 197. The question I have is I can notice on my thighs the wrinkly skin, which to me says extra skin, but my abdomin (belly) doesn't have that wrinkly skin look. It looks more like fat, which it is. My husband says it is extra skin, but in my mind there is no extra skin, it's all fat. I try to work on it by doing crunches, but I know it will never go away. I would like to get a TT done, but I would like to get to my goal of 160 lbs. I have been losing real slow, even though I am filled good, and I don't eat bad, but I know it will be coming off much slower I don't know if I w…

God I feel awful. I was in a car accident tonight. I was going almost 70, slammed on my brakes for suddenly stopped traffic, and rear ended a car on the freeway. The car I hit was a husband and wife...she is seven months pregnant. They luckily drive a Volvo and have very little damage. We called the police and they blocked the freeway with two firetrucks, an ambulance, and five police cars. I have never been so scared in all my life! In fact, it happened three hours ago and I am still shaking and crying. I just called the hospital and I spoke with her husband. They are releasing her and she and the baby are fine. But I am sooo freaked out over this whole thing. My car has…

I've been invited to a gathering of ladies and we're each to bring 6 dozen home made Christmas Cookies. The contest part is the presentation and of course the best tasting cookie. I've never made cookies from scratch, EVER. I need ideas and recipes, then again, I'm sure all LBT members would probably enjoy sharing and trying the recipes. Would love any suggestions for an unusual presentation as well. Come on ladies, I know this is a natural for most of you, but for me, it's a challenge. Anyone ever heard of a praline Christmas cookie?

Is anyone here taking Glucophage or Metformin after being banded? I've been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance and am considering going back on it to even out my hormone levels but am concerned that with them being horse pills they will be impossible to get down...any thoughts?

Hi, I'm new here. Am considering the band and am in the research phase. At this point, my biggest fear is the concept of PB/vomiting. I'm wondering what foods have caused this for those of you who are banded? I know all experiences are different and not everyone seems to have a different food they avoid. But just thought I'd ask...

Just wondering if this is something of concern... Yesterday afternoon I ate bites if food #1. Had Water here and there afterwards, everything went down well. About 2 hours later we had supper (food #2). I could feel the food going through my stoma. Then the flow of food was stopped! After several different attempts of trying to get my food to "pass" I ended up having to pb. Here's the strange thing... I pb'd particles of food #1. Some of food #2 came back up, but not all. Anyone else experience this?

How are you doing???

I am really suprised at how easy this all has been. I am sore in the stomach area but that is all. I was able take water immediately (in fact was dying for some), breath in that STUPID tube thing , and walk pretty easily and now just waiting for everything to heal up. Tonight has been a long night though, I can't sleep for more than an hour or two at time. Bleh. Question: Do you have to sleep on your back? Does a heating pad help more than an icepack?

I'm day 3 post op, and I just can't find anything to do with myself! I've done 5 loads of laundry since I came home. I tried to watch TV, then a commercial came on about some kitchen cleaner with a lady cleaning her kitchen counters- so I decide my counters need cleaning! I can hardly sit still enough to type this out. I'm dying here... my attention span is all of 3 seconds! On top of that, I can hardly sleep. I just think about things that need to be done. What in the world is wrong with me? Did anyone else feel this way?

Hello everyone! I recently have been banded (Thursday), and I can't seem to find the info I'm looking for re: bandage care. I know it probably differs doctor-to-doctor, but can someone give me some general care instructions? Do I leave the bandaids on? Change them daily? If so, for how many days? When can I leave them off? Thanks in advance

Hello! I am scheduled to be banded on November 22nd and they told me at first that I will not be able to tolerate high fiber foods. I do love my fresh fruit and salads, will I ever be able to eat these things again? If so how far down the road? Thanks, Schel

Is it a lack of nutrition? Not eating enough? Wouldn't vitamins help that? I'm somewhat concerned about that. Another question, (though perhaps not tasteful) for some reason during my liquid diet phase my urine has been darker than usual...does anyone have an answer for this?

Tomorrow I start real food, no mushies, no pureed, real food. I gotta say, I am afraid. I'm afraid of eating to fast, to much, I'm afraid of something getting stuck. I know dry ckn can be a probem, bread and stuff like that so I don't intend on going in that direction. I guess bottom line is... I'm afraid of gaining weight back, especially after struggling these past few weeks. I'm looking forward to biting into something but scared poopless. Thanks for listening. Hugs !!!

I am a new bandster, as of 11/15/05. I will be needing advise and encouragement, I'm sure. For one thing, this shoulder pain is killing me. It occurs just after I drink (I'm still on clear liquids) something. GasX and a good heating pad seem to help. Any other suggestions? Also, what do you do for headaches etc. Tylenol doesn't help. Can I take Excedrin?

...as a treatment for cellulite? And if so, did it work? Would you do it again? Were you happy with the results? My gym offers this and I've thought about giving it a go. Just wanted to hear other opinions on it first...

Hello everybody! Just had a question if anyone had their gallbladder out at the same time the band was placed. I had a CT of my abdomen and am scheduled to have my gallbladder out also at the same time I have my band placed. Did anyone else have both done at the same time and if you did, did you have any complications? Or did everything go ok? Were you told of any risks involved with it? Schel

Well I had surgery over three months ago. Everyday since surgery I've been telling my self to go join a gym, and start exercising. I did it today. I joined the gym. Now I just have to make myself go and exercise

As most of you all know, I'm really new to this. I've read several different sites and have done lots of research over the past few weeks. However, if I ask something stupid, then just bare with me - because there are still some things that I'm confused about and some questions that I have. So, here goes... - How do they do the fills? I have one person tell me that they put you under an x-ray machine in order to find the port, numb you, and then stick a looonnnngggg needle in your skin and that's how they do it. But just recently someone told me that you have an open spot on the side of your body and the port is there and once you get to your desired weight, the…

I need some advice! I had a fill today- my first fill in 3 months. I had not had much restriction at all. My Dr put 2 mm in... I noticed after I left the hospital that just a bit of Water filled me up. I got home around 6 and drank a juice glass full of milk (juice glass = very small). Ever since then, I've been having these annoying air-bubble (mini burps) like CRAZY, every few seconds. Every time I drink a little water, I burp more. I tried smoking a cigarette... poof... major burp attack. My burps have been going on for the past five hours, with a burp every few seconds. I don't have any pain or discomfort- aside from the fact that this constant burping is an…

I went into surgery yesterday and woke with people freaking around me ..Apparently something raised my bp allot it was at one point 242 over 120. And to top if off my Dr discovered a hernia and had to remove it before he could put the band on(cant wait to see what thats going to cost me). I did my upper gi everything is working so long story shot i have my band i am in a little pain but not to bad.

Well, just wanted to update everyone. I had my Endo Monday morning and I am happy to say that I do not have any erosion which is what they were checking for since I am filled to 4.2 cc's in my 4 cc band. I just have some gastritis which is what is causing me some minor heartburn and the doc prescribed some Prevacid for that. Everything is in order so my weight loss problem is all on me. As far as the 4.2 cc fill, I guess I am just "special". What I did need from the doc was a swift kick to get back on the band wagon.

I went to the lab where I had the lab tests my surgeon wanted my Primary Care doctor to order. Some results are still pending. But GLUCOSE = 242 when normal is listed as 65-105. It's probably been 5 years since I had it tested. I recall years ago being told I needed to be careful because of family history, etc. I stopped at a pharmacy to ask the pharmacist to verify that GLU stood for glucose. When I showed her the labs she asked if I was on medications. I sensed that the level is at the medication stage. Thus more reason to get the weight down. Is this really, really hight?