LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Hey...Has anyone had to deal with deciding to have surgery first (waiting through 2 insurance companies and feeling like your not getting anywhere) or have a baby and hope to have surgery after. I'm in my mid twenties but my husband is twelve years older. He wants me to be healthy...but I'm ready for a baby yesterday. He would rather not wait but will if I want to. I know I would have to wait 18 months to two years to get pregnant after surgery. So does anyone have any advice. I'd really like to hear from anyone that has had a band and then became pregnant, but anyone's advice is welcomed. I'm almost 300 pounds and know what a pregnancy could do to my body-diabetes, pre-e…

Can someone help make me an avatar? I am the one on the end....obviously !!!

Well Im off to Colorado, to see my Dr. Most of you know that I have been having stomach pain.. more like under the skin pain next to my stomach.. Anyway it just keeps getting worse and worse... Also i figure since Im there I will get a fill. Maybe for once I can start losing more.. Just send me a prayer... about my stomach, Im sure its nothing bad.. just a cut nerve.. which couls be bad.. but, well, you know what I mean... hehe Anyway see you all Sunday!!!!

Well I'm back. My banding was yesterday. Everything went very well. It is quite painful around the port area. I know that it will pass. Dr. Snow and the entire staff at Specialy Surgery Center were awesome. I felt safe and comfortable. I am excited about the journey before me.

Hey Everyone, all went well im pretty sore around the left side of my tummy, and have pain in the left hand side of my shoulder. apart from that im feeling ok, not hungry at all but am sipping on Water all day long. Had some Soup last night and only ate 4 spoonfulls...WOW, i was shocked...lol. after i sip on the water i get this sharp pain going down my spine.Does this mean im drinking too fast??

Ok i have been banded for a few months now and im curious to know what is a normal meal for other bandsters? How much can you eat in a day? How many calories do you try to ingest? Kim thanx:)

Hello dear Bandsters friends would ya please suggest me some low calories for breakfast? i would like my breakfast to be untill 200 calories Thanks in advance!

Sometimes I think I make up problems, but this one threw me. Am I crazy? Is that my esophagus hurting? Sure seems to be. I am in disbelief. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Anybody know why it would? If you have been lurking here the last couple of days, you know that my first fill isn't taking place until Monday and I don’t have any restriction. But yet, here lurks the evidence that something is different. There must be a band there after all?! LOL In all seriousness, however, thought, ideas, concerns? Share share.

Hi, I have been band for over 2 years now and for the last week or so I have this funny taste in my mouth it taste like metal or tin? Sometimes I have a funny feeling in the back of my mouth. Hard to explain. I have not had anything coming up like acid or anything no problem laying down or anything like that. Has anyone had anything like that before?? IS IT ACID REFLUX?? I have a flipped port and Im in the process of getting that fixed my insurance has agreed to pay for part of the surgery but not all. I was a self pay in MX. Thank you Tracey

I have seen alot of people having band problems.How common is it.Band ersion, slipping.Is this that common.What do they do for these things.REMOVE the band.

My surgery was Nov 9th. When I woke up they told me they couldn't band me because I had an artery to my liver right where the band was supposed to be, and the surgeon decided it wouldn't be a good idea to chance cutting of blood supply to my liver. I am very upset. After all I went through, and I have all the pain, and the scars, and possibly a bladder infection too. I have no idea what I'm doing with this web site and the threads etc., but I need some support. The surgeon said that 1 in 300 people are the same as I am, but sometimes they can work around it. Any responses would be appreciated, nancy.

Was banded by Dr. Spiegel on Oct. 26, 2005, I was a good boy for 1 1/2 weeks, but I had to chew on some food. I did stay on the mushies however. But have been eating food. I have managed to lose 20 pounds however in the the last four weeks though, I get my first fill on November 22, 2005.............NO TURKEY FOR ME...........But it will be OK

I've already hit a bump in the road and I just started! Good grief. This whole process is NOT going to be fun and I can already tell. So, first thing I did this morning was call up my insurance company and ask them about lap band. My parents pay for the insurance we have [Anthem BC/BS] because they weren't satisfied with the insurance that is offered at their work places. So I get out my insurance card and call the customer service number on the back. The first guy told me that they didn't offer the surgery at all for the plan we are on because it's an individual plan instead of a group plan. Had we been on the group plan, then the surgery would be offered. So, th…

Just got home from my band surgery. I'm surprised that I'm not in tons of pain. It comes and goes. The soreness from the cuts does hurt. I also hate not being to lay down in bed. Guess that's just one of the early trade offs. I donw even want anything to eat. I do like the smell of food though! Thanks to those who offered support and encourgaement to me over the past few months. The deed is now done and the healing has begun. Looking forward to the next phase. Who knows, tomorrow I may feel like crap and my posts won't be quite so upbeat.

I HATE soup, absolutely 100% hate it so I had a chicken sandwinch (Applebees weight watcher one )today...surgery is on Friday. Before I tell myself that I would lose just as much weight if I gave my body something to munch on, or that I will not be able to eat it again and so that somehow justifies me eating it now and after I eat I regret it immediatly...and then that passes. I can't even adhear to the pre-op diet, what's life going to be like after surgery. *UGH*

I finally made it under the 300 lb. mark! I am at 299 lbs.!:banana

My husband surprised me last week with a cruise to Playa del Carmen which was terrific but the best thing was all the comments he made about me in my formal wear. So nice to feel sexy for the first time in your life. Thanks to the band!!!! Just had to share the a couple of pictures.

Well, this is my first NSV, I think. I was able to tighten the straps on my bra a little more! LOL! The "girls" are getting smaller... this is major for me, since I was a 44/DDD!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!! ~Pamela.

What are the "rules"? Someone said you could eat before a fill, others said empty stomach. After the fill my doc said "2 days liquids, 2 days mush". Is that standard?

I'm 21 years old and I've just recently started considering lap band surgery. I've battled my weight my whole life and even though I've succeeded in losing weight, it's always crept back up on me. It's incredibly frustrating and disheartening, and I feel as if there are too many other battles in life that are to be fought, and weight shouldn't be one of them. I'm considering getting a lap band procedure done this spring and have already picked out a handful of doctors. Now, it's butting heads with our insurance company that is going to be problems. I'm 265 pounds as of my last weigh in and I'm 5'8 or 5'9. My BMI is in the range of be considered for the surgery and I…

Ahh i'm nervous, excited and a bit scared about how life will be like after the band. It's insane! Happy thoughts!

Hey NC over achievers! I love that idea! I spoke with Loretta last night and we are hoping to find 2 or 3 more people who would be interested in group therapy with a professional counselor who has had WLS, (the slow way), and is a professional. If any of you are interested please let me know. As we all know this is a heart, mind and soul process. To learn from someone who has been trained to counsel, and has been where we are is truly a gift. This is in no way to replace our monthly meetings.

Hey everybody, You know that old saying about "assume" - when you do it, you make an ASS out of U and ME? Well that is what we are doing when we use all these acronyms. Let's be considerate of the new people (and a lot of the old folks!) who do not know what a pb is, or what an NSV is... know what I mean? It excludes the reader if he/she doesn't know that particular acronym. It might be fun to create a lap-band glossary where we can post all this cool info. Anybody interested in helping me with this? And can anybody tell me what the #!*^$! an NSV is?

Hi! I had my lapband surgery done in Foley by Dr. Caylor 5 weeks ago, and so far, everything is going great! Just wondered if there were any other Alabama people from this area on here?

She had more scar tissue than expected, so it took longer...but the surgery is done and she is now in recovery. Sue

How many of you folks saw a marked improvement in weight loss after only your first fill? If not, when did it start to happen for you? I have my first fill on Monday. I am very excited, but I am trying to temper my expectations. I am just wondering if I can get a feel for the norm here. Care to share your experience? THANKS!

my surgery date is approaching and i have been pigging out for a few weeks now. i feel so horrible and full and miserable, yuk... i guess i'm trying to subconciously trick myself into thinking i better eat everything i can get my hands on while i can. now i'm so miserable. i hate it when i do this. mariposa, i noticed you said you were a lightweight and that's why you went to mexico. i'm in the same boat. i'm way lighter than what the states require but i know i need help and i'll do what i have to to get it. i'll be in mexico on the 13th for surgery, as well as my mom, she's getting banded after me. we're both short and fat, and it's been a constant battle my whole…

I went back for another fill, thinking that I didn't have any restriction since my fill last week, and so I drove out to Miami again and got another .75cc's so I'm up to 2.75cc's. Well anyways, I don't feel like I'm too restricted but I made the mistake of eating posole (Any Mexicans out there will now what I'm talking about) its a shredded pork stew, with hominy corn that is really spicy cause of all the ancho & chilli peppers I put in it. It was really good, knowing that I had just been filled I ate the broth only, well I woke up in the middle of the night, with it coming back into my throat. It was so gross and hurt. I stayed up all night with this heartburn th…

Hi everyone: It's been awhile since I've posted...but I'm all caught up on everyone's progress, setbacks, frustrations and NSV's! A refresher: I had my band re-positioned earlier this year after a slip. My first fill was in June and I immediately had very bad reflux. I had reflux after my initial surgery, but it went away eventually. After that fill in June, the Dr. took out my fill to see if I had improvement. I didn't, even with Nexium and Rx Prevacid, so I went to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy. He didn't see anything unusual -- except that my "pouch" isn't emptying well and that's probably what's causing the reflux. What scares me is the drawing he gave me…

Just wanted to put this out i have trouble not snacking in between meals I am eating things like wheat stix cheddar nips pretzels ie. dry breads how do I stop also I drink regular please reply

I finally get to start mushies.......today! (Drooling!) My doctor gave me a rather abbreviated list of approved foods: Refried Beans Scrambled eggs Mashed potatoes Applesauce Yogurt Cottage cheese Cream of Wheat/ oatmeal pudding I'm wondering what other wonderful morsels you all have found to add to the above list that made this stage more enjoyable. I'm particularly interested in forms of Protein. I'm so excited..........I'm actually going to use a FORK!!!! LOL. Thanks! B

I'm an office manager at a RE/MAX office. I sit at the front desk and everyone notices what I do, what I eat, etc. The agents ask me where I'm going, or why I had to go to the doctor, etc. I recently had to have a conversation with my boss about some breast issues I've been having, so that he would understand why I had so many doctor appointments. I need some suggestions as to how to tell my boss I need off for 3 days in November. If I tell him it's for a personal medical reason, he'll wonder why I can't tell him (since I just told him every detail about my breast issues last week). I have to find coverage from our other office, so the girl I ask to cover me will wan…

Hi everyone. I have not been banded yet. My doctor says i must loose 12LBS before he will do surgery. I have no desire to go on another diet. Help me. Any suggestions are helpful.

Hi all- I am in Beaumont and, have been away a while, due to Hurricane Rita. My family doctor wrote out a paper today, saying that I have been working on weight loss for 8 years (to satisfy the 5 year requirement by BC/BS). My wife called Dr. Spiegel for me, but they said that he no longer accepts BC/BS. Is there a Lap Band Doctor in SE Texas that will accept my teacher's BC/BS ActiveCare? Thanks PS. I missed work today because my blood pressure is running wild. My doctor says I am knocking on the door of congestive heart failure. I am 37 years old.

Ok, so all-in-all it was no big deal. I drank a protein shake for breakfast. I check in at the doc, he looked thru an ultrasound at my port and then he stuck that needle in and out so quick I hardly felt a thing. I couldn't feel the band filling or anything. Then I got up and went and drank barium and saw the x-ray. He said I had had no restriction and I still don't have much but he didn't want to press it, especially the week before Thanksgiving. I got 1.6 cc's in a 4cc band. He told me liquiids for 2 days, mushies for 2 days, and then back to normal. I get another fill on Dec. 1st. He said 7 weeks was too long to go before the 1st fill and I should have had it 4 weeks …

Hello - My name is Tod Campbell and I have not lost any weight in the last 4 weeks. I was not frustraitied untill this morning, when I asked myself how long this stall could last. I still have over 120lbs to loose and have been banded for 3 1/2 months. I am at 8cc on my 10cc vanguard band and feel fair resriction. I am to go in Monday for another fill, but I don't know that I need it but probably will go ahead anyway becuase I'm not loosing any weight. Any suggestions to get the weight loss comming off again?

Hi! I got my first fill yesterday. I went to see Dr. Gonzales in Winston-Salem. $250.00 FYI I really liked him a lot. He said I was an "easy stick." Got me on the first shot and put in 2cc. I am not sure I have restriction - because I am on liquids & mushies - but here's hoping. He said it was unrealistic to try and achieve my goal weight. He says that banders lose 50% of their excess weight. There are overachievers at 80% and under acheivers at 30%. I told him I was gonna be an overacheiver. This was too darn expensive for anything else! BTW - I asked him why a clearly asian person had a mexican name. He told me that it was NOT a mexican name, it w…

Clearly this is a difficult post for me to write, because this is the sixth time I've wiped it out and started over. So forgive me for poorly constructed sentences, the occasional grammatical error, and even -- heaven forbid -- typos. I've always been the lazy perfectionist... if I can't do something perfectly, I don't want to do it at all, and since I can (very) rarely do something perfectly, I find myself not making the attempt all that often. Nonetheless, here I am. Again. I had surgery on January 31st, 2005. I thought I'd be done with this whole "weight loss thing" by now. And here I sit, only 44 lbs down from where I was, with about 100 lbs still to go. Wha…

I feel like I am doing so well in many respects, but have not lost for over 4 weeks. I feel like I have fair resriction with 8cc in my 10cc Vanguard band. I am going in monday for another fill, but honestly do not feel like I am eating to much. Any ideas to jump start my weight loss?

can i eat breakfast? what should i expect? i'm freaking out here!!! ahhhhhhhh

Hi I havent been on the forums much lately.Life has gotten quite busy and well,having lost this much I am feeling so energized that I cant sit stil for long..... After having my last fill I have experienced the strangest thing.I only needed a little top up as I could eat a little to much but still had some restriction..... Big trouble is after this fill I have the worse reflux ever.Night reflux for the first time,abdominal pain,back pain BUT I can eat ALMOST ANYTHING I WANT......The physician actually upped my Nexium to 40mg twice a day.....O,I actually had a temprature of 39 degrees for a few days after the fill but then I also had that for the first week after th…

Anyone have problems with thinning hair like with the RNY surgery? I already am getting 60-80 grams of protein in per day. And have started Niaxin for thinning hair. Maybe it's all in my head but my hair already seems thinner. Any info or suggestions much appreciated! Schel

Hi Everyone!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> I'm writing for the first time so bear with me. I feel like I know some of you because I've been following this web site for some time now. <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> I'm going under the knife first thing tomorrow morning. I'm scared. I'm scared because I have a wonderful husband and new baby boy and they mean everything in the whole world to me.....and if anything were to happen to me....well you know. <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Can I ask for your prayers? I need all of you pre- and post-op's to …

I am getting banded in St. LOuis by Dr. Waganer on Oct 6th, 05. I was wondering if anyone was told to fast seven days before the surgery and if you did or didn't and what the results are?

OOPs! i meant to post this post here instead of in the support forum!! my surgery date is aproaching and i'm a little worried about something. lipomas are little fatty tumors, they're begnine (sp?), and nothing to worry about but they can get bigger. i happen to have one right under where my left breast meets my ribs on the left side and i'm wonderin how close to the band that would be and if it's going to cause any problems during surgery. i'd hate to wake up and not be banded because of it. i've had two dr's palpate it and a friend who is an ultrasound tech scanned it and it is just fatty tissue BUT do you think it could be a problem during banding? it feels like it's…

If so, have you noticed any improvement since getting banded?? Thanks!

I am a little over 3 months out. All of my incisions have been closed since about 3-4 weeks out. I had a c-section in Oct. 2004 and didn't have this problem. Every now and then I have a pain around my port site, I figured it was just nerves growing back but in the past day or two I have noticed black dots appearing in the line of my incision. Sunday I went to a car show and was hurting most of the day. I know not to sunbath an incision during the first year even though it was sunny I naturally had my shirt on so it's not a sunburn. Kinda hard to describe I know...

Alright fellow bandsters Its time for Miss Kim to close my account and quit LBT. Many ask why? Well LBT has cause some issues in my personal life. And really fighting is never worth it. So i wish everyone great luck on there wieght loss journey! I know one day we will all be skinny chicks!!!! Peace out Kim

Well, I've lost fast enough to ensure that I'm not allowed entry into the slow loser club lol, but that doesn't mean I'm completely satisfied with the speed of my weight loss. Are any of us? lol ..its definitely slowed in the past few months anyway. In any event, I love the idea of keeping a NSV post, just to remind myself of what I've accomplished to date, so here goes. Hope this isn't stepping on any toes :/ I've went from a tight size 22 to a tight size 16. I put clothes on lay by, in sizes too small to fit me and when I pick them up 3 months later, they fit or are too big! heh (I used to buy stuff I liked that was too small, promising myself I'd get into it soon…

Had to cancel my fill for today!! I had 1cc of my 2.6cc fill removed two weeks ago (it was too tight) and was very excited to have some put back today ( as I can eat everything and have been!) but my babysitter is sick and cancelled. NOw I have to wait until after Thanksgiving! Oh I hope I can have control until then - it stinks not having restriction!