LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

I am having a desire for a pumpkin or sweet potatoe pie but I want it to be healthy. It does not have to be a pie becuae you can put anything on crushed graham crackers or nuts. Does anyone have an easy recipe?

I Went To Seminar In Port Huron And Was Very Impressed With Dr. Bouht. It Seems Like The Band Is The Way To Go, But Just Cant Seem To Make Up My Mind. I'm Sure There Are Other People Feeling The Same Way.any Suggestions.

She Is Fine. But Will Not Have Electric Till Around Nov 22 Nd. She Wanted To Let Everyone On The Board Know.lets Keep Her In Our Prayers.

Well, tomorrow will be my 1st day back to work since I was banded on the 19th. I would have been back sooner, but came down with pneumonia. For some reason, I have been weepy all day when I think about going back to work. Sometimes my job can be stressful, but I have a good support system there, so I don't know why I feel this way. I just don't understand this...it's like the 1st day of school or something... Have any of you experienced this same feeling? ~Pamela.

Ok, here goes. I have been banded for almost 2 years. I started at 210 pounds, lost 50, gained 10 back. I am now 170ish. Here is my problem. I cannot eat during the day( Nothing goes down, I feel very restricted and end up spitting up), therefore, I eat icecream..yes icecream. This is how I gained the 10 pounds back. Come 8:00 at night, I am able to eat like a horse. What is this about? Am I too restricted? Even on those rare times when I can eat, I never feel "full". My "full" feeling is when food gets stuck. I am considering going to the doctor to get some saline removed. Maybe I am too tight? Maybe my band slipped. Anyone else have this issue?

Hi my name is Renee, I am trying to get my lap band done here in Dallas with DR. Barker. Having a hard time with getting a date for it. I was wondering if there is anyone how knows about meetings or support groups here in Dallas. I really feel like I need to talk to people. I am not from here and I only know about two people so it's very hard. Sorry is I sound like a whiner.. I am a self pay so I it's taken me one year of my life to save this mucha nd i want to do it right. Any help woudl be great.. I am thinking of getting it done on the 23rd of nov.. then bad to work on that next monday.. If I had to do it on a friday would I be well enough to work on a …

Hello everyone, I got home from the hospital today and Im doing ok... I have a little pain here and there but the pain meds takes it away... I am so glad I went through this and Im on my way to a better life... Christina

I am so excited:p I was coming back from lunch today and it was the Dr B's office calling to tell me that the medical director from Cigna had called her and told her my denial was approved! I can hardley believe it. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of me.

Myths and Facts of Gastric Bypass Myth 1 Gastric Bypass patients end up streching their stomachs back to the size they started with. Fact 1 Unfortunately it is true that some weight loss surgery (WLS) patients do regain their weight after losing it. What isn’t true is that they stretch their stomachs back to pre-surgical size. At best, a post gastric bypass stomach will expand from a capacity of 2 tablespoons to one-cup capacity. This is expected and part of the reason gastric bypass is successful. In the phase of rapid weight loss the patient cannot eat more than once ounce of food at a time. As the stomach heals and the weight loss stabilizes the stomach can e…

Hi All, Tomorrow moring at 6 am I will be introduced to my new buddy and tool, the Lapband. I am both terrified and excited. We are going to stay nearby in our motorhome (the hospital is a bit far away) so getting to the hospital won't be a huge hassle. I will update everyone after I get back. Was everyone as scared as I feel? Part of me wants this so bad and the other wants to run screaming the other way. :cry I hope all goes well so everyone cross a body part for me. Fingers, legs, arms, eyes. Hey if you got two of them, cross them for me. :cross-eye Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Janet:D

I woke up this AM and weighed myself . just did it again which I know is bad and I am up 5 LBS how can that happen . it almosts seems unreal .I know I did not eat that much today and 5 pounds in 12 hours ??????????? help . feeling lost

It is with great sadness that I am reporting on the behalf of one of our members here at LBT ( Francesca, she asked me to post on her behalf) that her band has eroded and she will be having it removed. She went to Tj this week to get a fill with Dr. Ortiz & Martinez and during the barium swallow, the barium was flowing over the band instead of through the band which gave Dr. Martinez an indication of possible erosion, an endoscopy validated what he thought I spoke with Francesca this afternoon and she is devastated and very saddened by all of this, she really needs our support right now. She was banded on May 6th 2004 and has lost 120 lbs so far , she is grateful to …

I have to tell you all that ive been having a real rough time. I'm almost 6 weeks post-op and i haven't weighed myself since 4 weeks ago. I can tell that ive gained some if not all my weight back. I know that this is a "recovery period", but im so depressed and ashamed of myself that i can't control myself. I have NO restriction, im waiting for my first fill on Nov. 7th. I called the head nurse and i told her im really struggling and she said "OH NO, i hope you didn't gain any weight back? Just drink water when your hungry". I was like..."HUH"? If i could DO THAT i wouldn't have done this SURGERY!!!! Anyway, don't get me wrong i love my band so far, but im freaking out ab…

I was thinking it would be cool to do a "then" and "now" about the portions of food we eat to see the progress all of us have made in changing our eating patterns. I'll start it off. Then: 4-course meal at a restaurant (salad, appetizer, main course, dessert) Now: I'm doing good if I make it through the salad. Then: ate out for lunch EVERY day Now: carry a healthy lunch from home Then: fast food 4-5 times per week Now: Mc Who? Then: 12" Subway with all the fixin's, huge bag of chips, 1 liter Coke Now: I won't even touch bread or chips or soda

Hi I'm back from being banded on Monday the 24th. Not much to report yet. Had to stay an extra day in the hospital as my band was too tight to allow the swallow test. Thankfully it was b/c I had been sick to my stomach and my stomach was enlarged. If it was that the band itself was too tight it would have required another surgery to pull some tissue away from the band. Since no other symptoms developed in 24hrs and I tolerated water & CIB, they let me go. Still pretty loopy on pain meds & sleeping alot but I wanted to see if any of my banded pals fromt he 24th are back yet???????? How'd we do kids?

2.2 cc in my 4cc band... yey me... hopefully this will put me in the right direction with weightloss. The last 3 weeks I have stalled and not lost anything... Very discouraging, but I realize that without a fill, I had no help in losing weight. Now I have the help I need to control my hunger!!!

Hi all, I was just banded one week ago in Mexico and I am looking for a Doctor in the Nashville, TN area for follow-up and fills down the road. Can anyone help?? Thanks, Rick

I went to a support group at my doctors office this week. It's led by a nutritionist and a nurse. Everyone was talking and the question came up about how much we should be eating. The nurse that leads the group said that the pouch hold about an "egg" size amount of food. She gave cc's and all that, I thought that we could eat 1/2 to 1 cup at a sitting. If the pouch is only the size of an egg, it seems unlikely that we could get enough into our systems. I am confused. I can eat more that an egg sized amount of food, I feel satisfied, but am not losing that quickly. Should I be getting another fill and eating less? I wonder if I am eating too much or perhaps my pouch is too…

I’m just curious, for those who are banded, was it your first procedure? I know the band would be a good decision for me, but I’ve never had any kind of operation before, so every now and then it hits me that this is major surgery and I sort of freak out. Anyone else in the same boat?

We all know how many grams of protein we should have. What about carbs? What is a good amount and what are they?

As of this morning, I am no longer Morbidly Obese, I am simply Obese!

Oh yea....Not a good way to start the morning. I ate my usual eggs and sausage.....and i got half the egg down, and half the sausage down, and I was in my car eatting....DUH....well, I ended up having to pull off the side of the road and slime slime slime and the breakfast ended up on the floor~ This fill is getting harder and harder to get use to. This is my second episode since getting the fill. Maybe I am not chewing good enough? Second episode in two weeks. Im getting concerned that if I dont get a handle on this my doctor will suggest a slight unfil, which is something I would rather avoid. Common eggs and sausage isn't a hard food to process........Im backing i…

Since our pb's arent mixed with stomach acid (food stops at the pouch) has anyone heard of pbing causing tooth/peridontal problems?

CORNY but cute Why did the vampire go to the orthodontist? To improve his bite... What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? Frostbite... Why do witches use brooms to fly on? Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy... How do witches keep their hair in place while flying? With scare spray... What do you get when you cross a werewolf and a vampire? A fur coat that fangs around your neck... Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers? No, they eat the fingers separately... Why don't skeletons ever go out on the town? Because they don't have any body to go out with... What do ghosts add to their morning Cereal? Booberries... What is a vampi…

Well I had to go get a small unfill on Monday. The Doc removed .25 cc. I am now at 1.25 cc instead of 1.50 cc. I had been Pbing to often for my taste. About every three days. Penni can attest all too well to that :0) I was very scared that it still wouldn't be enough restriction & am still not sure. However, I already Pbed today & its only Wednesday. It was brocolli-raw & Humous too fast. So I am still learning after all this time ( 5 mnths Nov 3rd)- I need to slow down. I need to know I will never have an actually HOT meal again ( at least not after the 3rd bite) I also need to still realize I can get full & not die if I only eat a tiny bit. …

Hi! I have been checking out the info. on this site and have found it very inspirational. I am scheduled for the lap band 1/3/06. Can't wait!!!!! How much weight do you generally lose each month? Does your starting weight make a difference in how fast you lose? In other words, is it true that the smaller you are, the slower you will lose? Thank you.

I have a date! November 30! at BIMC!

A friend and I were discussing what things we had done because we were ashamed of our weight and eating habits. Hopefully I'll never do any of these now that I am banded! Anyways, here's a few of mine to start out: 1. Shopped at Lane Bryant and turned the bag inside out so I didn't have to carry the bad around the mall and have everyone know I was plus size (like they can't tell anyways.....) 2. Order fast food to take home or to the office and get more and eat it in the car and throw away the wrapper so when you get to home or office it looks like you are only eating a "normal" amount. 3. trying to be really quiet when opening the fridge or a wrapper so noone will …

I went to day and got my second fill. I am now at 3.1cc. At both fills the Dr. has had me drink the white stuff that taste like chalk (guessing this is a barium swallow) and he always does the fill with fluoro. What I'm wondering is if there was a problem with the band, eroson, slip etc. Would he be able to see it with the barium swallow and fluoro?

Guide to Behavior Change http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/behavior.htm This is from the US Dept of Health and Human Services website, the National Heart, Lung and Blood, and part of the Obesity Education Itiative. Please follow the link for the full article. I highly recommend this article to everyone, and no, you don't have to submit a paragraph or two detailing what you got out of the artile. Over the past few years it has become clear that weight is an important health issue. Being overweight is a risk factor for health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, arthritis, gall bl…

Has anybody heard anything?

Ok, so I have been stuck at the same weight for weeks now. I have been working out, walking the causeway for 50 minutes, watching what I eat, blah, blah, blah--- no weight loss. So, I said screw it, if I'm not lossing, I may as well eat whatever and I've slacked off on exercise this week. When what to my wondering eyes appears but 3 pounds lost in the past week. It just makes no sense. Anyone else have something which makes no sense?

Does anyone know drs in France or S. Africa that do fills/unfills? I am going to be traveling to both places soon and want to make sure I have a dr name in case something happens. I contacted Inamed and they told me they don't keep names of non-US surgeons and drs. They told me to contact local distributors in the countries. How in the heck am I supposed to find that if they don't give it to me!! Just needed to whine and I feel better now.

Time for some investigative reporting. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a "skinny" friend about her weight maintenence. I said, "I'm always interested in how people who don't struggle with their weight, like I do, think about food, diet, exercise and how they go about keeping their figures. How do you do that?" I have been considering her replies for weeks now and wondered what the LBT family of friends could come up with. So, put on your Geraldo investigative reporter hats (or hairdos) and ask your skinny friends, family, and co-workers how they do it. I think we can come up with some really good "mantras" to get us through our weight loss struggles, may…

I know I remember seeing another post about this question some time ago, but I can't seem to find it using Search. How long did it take you to start feeling restriction after your fill? I'm a week out from my 1st fill, and while I eat FAR less than what I used to, I don't get that full sensation in the chest area. I have just been eating until I feel satisfied; I haven't tried to push my band to the limit.

Hi all, I am one week into being banded and just found this site! I worked this entire week so I am sure I would have felt better if I had stayed home and rested but I did not want to blow a week vacation. I had the surgery in Mexico so I am curious if there is anyone out there who also went to Mexico. I am also curious if there are anyone in the Nashville area who has been banded and on this forum - I am looking for a Doctor in Nashville for follow-up and fills. I look forward to getting your responses and sharing my experience with everyone, Rick

Okay, I posted this on the reflux poll but wasn't getting any responses so I thought I'd ask it in a new thread: I just recently started to have reflux again. I had 1 cc put in the other day for the first time. The nurse didn't want to put in the "rest" because of my reflux. I can eat quite a bit, about 2 cups, so I'm not too tight. The doctor and nurses were perplexed that I'm having it all of a sudden. I didn't have any reflux the first 4 weeks after my surgery. I don't understand. The doc said I didn't have any hernias. Could I have an ulcer? Anyone have any ideas?

i'm 8 months out.. should i still be having a problem with losing hair?...its not coming out in clumps anymore...but its still coming out. is this normal???

Hi I have a friend that had the bypass in August. She has lost some weight (about 45 lbs) but I have been noticing that she eats everything (chips, cake, pizza). How is this possible?? We were out to dinner and she had chips, salsa, guacamole, a margarita and then she finished her whole dinner (a big steak salad) I don't want to say anything to her but I concerned

I have 5 questions for anybody who has time. 1)How much of a fill you all got the first visit? 2)What size and brand of band? 3)Did your Dr. use floro or not for this first visit? 4)How much did you get on your second fill? 5)How long before you NEEDED (not got it, but needed it) your second fill? I'm finally getting a fill on the 4th! Thanks soooo much!

Do you follow a specific diet (i.e. atkins, south beach) or do you eat whatever you want (per your band), but in smaller portions?

My port area has always been sensitive, but for the last 3 days if i bend over just a little or turn i feel this sharp pain near my belly button !!! It's a sharp pain and it's freaking me out. Has anyone had pain like this before? Please help me out here. I called my doc and he said it could be scar tissue healing, but if it persists i should go to emergency. I just want to hear other opinions. Thanks, RUBINA

Hi All, This is my first post on the topic. I have had a very successful procedure (July 7) and now in early Sept, I am still not exactly where I want to be in the fill process but I have another appt. scheduled for next week and I think that will do it. Reason being is that they used the newer larger band on me. Don't know much about it, but I am told it is considerably larger than the normal band most lap band people have? I have 4.5cc in there now and I still have quite abit of freedom in my eating style....which does NOT help me much in the diet process! Thankfully I have followed a Protein high diet and that has allowed me at least 2 lbs a week loss....but I k…

how many fills does a size 10 band need for good restriction? does anyone know?

Can anyone recommend a physician in the St. Louis area? Thanks, Kerry

I know lbt"ers don't eat alot any way but! Have you tryed eatting all your food off a Sauce plate to help control your food intake...Its working for me. Just a thought Hope it help's........ Hope you are all meeting your weight loss goal's! JOHNQ PS HOW DO YOU CHANGE YOUR TICKER?

Hi all!! This might sound like a dumb question... but when do you actually begin to "feel" the band?? I'm 2 weeks post-op, just beginning soft foods, and don't feel any sort of restriction. I'm just wondering when I will begin to realize it's really there and working?? It's kind of surreal at the moment, I mean, I saw the x-ray and all, I know it's there, and I can feel the port... but other than that I have to remind myself that it's there and one day (soon, I hope!!) I will know it... Thanks much, Laura

Hey all.....This is a funny story Im sure you all will appreciate~ eheheheh I dont know if you call it an NSV or what...but I saw a woman in town that I haven't seen in quite some time, and she said to me "Hope, you are loosing A LOT of weight...........................Are you sick?" ahahahahahahahahh I can't stop laughing..... I can hear it in my head!!! Eheheheheheheheheheh AAAAAHHHHHHHHH If she only knew....And quite honestly that is a loaded question too...am I sick?? MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Well I had to share with you guys!!! I had my first weigh in today at my post-op visit (was banded 10/20). They took my bandages off of my suture sites as well (gross) So I started at 365 on the day of the operation Weigh in today: 342! 23lbs Baby! I'm stoked, I had figured on 8 and my wife said 10 but neither of us expected 23! I know it will slow down and most of that is probably water weight, but still! what a great start! to top it all off, I finally am able to burp!!! let out about 5 really good ones and relieved a ton of pressure Also, they graduated me to the Puree stage of the diet - where I'm to stay for 2 more weeks. I'm going to add in excersize …

I went and seen my band Dr today and explained my restriction waning over the last 6 weeks...plus I have put on 2 kgs in the last couple of weeks. He told me it was time for a top up since it had been a few months and I had lost a bit since then. He put .7mls in...so now I am at 9.6 mls. I know we shouldnt think about it but all day I have worried myself sick with the thought of what if I dont get good lasting restriction and end with 10mls. What do I have to work with for the next however long while losing weight. I dont know, I am so early in my journey and have such a topped up band and I really havent felt alot of difference since the fill, but I do know mine usually …