LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

I have just been scheduled for surgery on April 21...I am so excited. However, I had to go through Dr. Mally as Dr. Jessie Lopez (in Kansas) is not certified to perform the surgery and may not be until end of May (optimistcaly) which by the way, he had not told me until last week. I had already been in to see him and he had sent my letter and I ws approved. Never said a word until his nurse actually told me late Friday afternoon. Nontheless...Dr. Mally and his office steped in to get me in right away..can't wait! Thanks to all who have given encouragement and I am sure this is just the beginning!

OK this has gone on long enough. Where the heck are you? I know Bill came and posted that you were home and doing well, but enough is enough. You gotta come here and post so we KNOW for sure you are back to your old self. And besides I miss seeing your lovely face. HUGS SWEETIE!!!

Nothing's changed really. I still can't swallow liquids, including my own saliva. I've "thrown up" (I don't know if you call it a PB when it's only your own saliva, or a bit of water) well over 100 times now, and am scared that doing so might effect my band position, but my doctor says that it won't, since I'm not throwing up food. I weigh 306 lbs now. I was 327 on the morning of surgery, 4 days ago, and 340 lbs two weeks before that. Obviously, I've lost an unhealthy amount of Water. I spent 6 hours at home yesterday on an IV getting 2 liters of saline (one of the benefits of having an RN for a wife is not needed to spend those 6 hours at the doctor's office or ER…

I am getting ready for my first surgical consultation. A bit apprehensive and quite anxious. Just looking for advice on anything that you think will help. Im open to all suggestions. Also looking for a shoulder cause I'm really scared. I know that this has to be done because I have tried everything else.:Bunny I am located in the Portland Oregon/ Vancouver Washington area...

Hi everyone! This is my first post even though I am a frequent visitor. I was banded on February 28th, 2005. I have heard it said that you will lose quickly during your first 30 days and then things will slow down - and I have heard it said that any weight lost before your first fill is a bonus. I'm confused. So just curious what others lost during your "healing" period before your first fill? I'm due for my first fill on April 2nd and I'm really hoping that it's going to help me eat less - because I really don't feel it working much at this point. I'm hungry! Thanks! Jeanette

This morning I weighed myself and it seems I haven't lost anything in the last few weeks. I had a fill 2 weeks ago and I do feel a lot of restriction. I tract my calories and average about 600 cal a day and exercise 4 times a week for about 1 hour. What am I doing wrong? Did I have the wrong procedure? I feel like a failure all over again! Will it ever stop? Will I ever succeed.

Boy I wish it were. I think the realization (although I've always had the knowledge) that it's not a magic band finally hit me after my 2nd fill. I've got good restriction now. I can't overeat in a single meal, unless I *really* work at it. I joked around with someone at church yesterday that I could still binge, but it took a LOT of work. Well, it's not really a joke. What I find is that I'm eating most of the day, and all night. And even if I can't eat a lot at once, if I eat all continuously, I'm going to gain weight. If I make the wrong food choices, I'm going to gain weight. If I don't make any attempt to excercise, I'm going to gain weight. If eat more th…

I got home yesterday and I feel like hell. I know I'm not going to feel this way too long. I'm having a terrible time keeping liquids down. Since I'm not feeling all that well, I'm going to go. I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it ok and when I'm feeling a bit better, I'll let you all know a little more.

Okay, I have been lurking for a while because I was too lazy to register. I have had my bipolar band (that's my nickname for it since it has major mood swings) since 10/18/04. I do like it and appreciate it for it keeping me in line. I choose the band for one reason, and that was because I already had thin hair and I didn't want it to end up like my sister's hair after bi-pass (she had her surgery two months ahead of me). Well, I have a bald spot now and this is after a hair transplant (I am getting everything in, I go to a specialist and I use rogain adn yada yada.) Well, after all this I wish I had just had the bi-pass. The ONLY reason I am having this feeling is…

Hey everyone...Just a little currious. I am in need of a fill but the band is weird. I have to still eat slowly or I get that horrible pain, but after a few minutes it seems to just drop through and it seems like I could eat the world. I have to force myself to stop? Is this common when you need a fill? I am trying to hold out until May to see my Dr. but I don't know if I am going to make it. I am so paranoid about this not working. I actually still try on things before I iron them just incase they are too tight. My husband thinks I am nuts because he says I keep shrinking... but I have failed so many times before I am scared. I have all of these what ifs... What if I los…

I have weighed about 400 pounds for many years. I got the band on Feb. 14th. I lost 40 pounds before I left. I have lost no weight since. I DO have restriction, though its not much. Example.. I can eat a peice of pizza.. I used to eat two or three peices. I can drink about 12 ounces of milk at a sitting, i used to drink about 30 ounces or more. I just have to chew real well and eat slow. I havnt had a PB since the first day I was home. Sometimes I have felt alittle funny and knew immediately to stop. I am NOT a fan of pain of any kind. The Pb's I had in the hospital felt like horses trampling on my chest. The thing is, in the past 15 years, it has never …

I have been coughing so much lately. I was wondering if anybody could tell me how you know if your band has slipped. Can you feel it or are there other symptoms

When I left hospital on Wed. th 30th my nurse said that I could remove my dressing from the surgical wounds when in two days so I did this Friday. She said that after a shower, however they had to be replaced. So now it is Sunday and I am so sick of all of this tape and what not. It is the tape that is bugging the crap out of me and really tearing up my skin. Any idea when I can leave this stuff off for good? I don't want to take any chances. I still have steri strips on my 6 little holes tho and I know those shouldn't be removed at all. Any advice? I am going to call my dr tomorrow but just checking to see what yall think.

My band has been so fickle lately that I popped a Dayquil capsule down my throat. Within 30 seconds it was the worst PB yet. I never drank during a PB but started sipping Gatorade to help it, but that made it much worse. I was at the convenience store and had to run to the bathroom & scared the hell out of the staff. More slime than ever, worst pain yet. The pill never came up, but the slime was creepy red from the Gatorade & looked like blood which really freaked me out. But then I had one last lump of clear slime come up. I'm going to try my hardest to stick with mushies for three full days. I swear, it feels like I did damage this time. My sinuses a…

Hey there, Does anyone know anything about the effect of antibiotics 2 weeks pre op? I have had the last week off work sick with the flu and the doctor put me on a course of anitbiotics, however I am due to go into surgery in 2 weeks tomorrow, will they still operate? Or could it be too dangerous? I would appreciate any feedback on this, cause you guys are the experts! Thanks

only four more days..... woo hoo! Do you have everything ready for the trip???

If your could change one or two things about your Doctor & his staff what if any would they be? Currently I am thinking of changing my Doctor & I have yet to be banded. He just won't ever return phone calls. Either that or he isn't recieving the messages which is just has bad. So what would you have wanted to see done differently at your Doctor's business.

This is something Ive wondered for a long time... If you are diagnosed with erosion and your band is removed - after a length of time - can you get another band?

Well Im 23 Yrs Old, Im A Little Over 400 Lbs, So I Know I Will Meet The Criteria Especially Being Only 6ft. Anyways Where I Work Were Switching Insurances. Were Getting Blue Cross Blue Sheild, Or United Healthcare, So We'll See, Anyone Out There Wanna Share There Insurance Carriers That Covered This. Where I Used To Work, They Covered 80%, Why Did I Leave, Anyways, Thanks Yall!! Daniel

I was speaking with a friend who recently got banded, and she commented to me "Oscar (her boyfriend) acts sooo different towards me now! Just wait and see, your boyfriend will be all over you now... and he'll also get really possesive!" As much as I try to fight it, I can't help but be insecure. I've been with my boyfriend for several years, but when our relationship began, I was much smaller. Plus, we're both in our 20's... so I guess I feel unattractive compared to other females my age. I would almost feel upset if my boyfriend treated me differently after surgery & acted "more attracted" than before. I suppose it's a really good thing to increase attraction, b…

Hi, guys. I posted this on the spotlight board as well, as I wanted to get feedback from both of my favorite boards. After some months of increased problems that I believed were related to being (really very slightly) too tight, I decided to go in for an unfill. My surgeon's office has been unresponsive in the past and I let that delay my making an appointment for a couple months, but I also was grappling with the fact that some days things seemed okay and other days I was producing a huge amount of mucus and having trouble keeping things down. Since I have chronic allergies and sinus troubles, I honestly believed that was the underlying cause of the excess mucus and…

I'm looking at May 15-30th to be banded but I wish I could go now. I have my 2nd apt on May 2, 30 days from now and then will be place on the schedule for the band. I did a dumb thing by trying to gain weight before going in for my evaluation to insure I was right for this surgery. I went from 263 up to 280 and really cannot stand being this fat. I wish the 8 weeks of getting ready was not required. I guess I have no excuse for not dieting now just to be ahead of the game.

I'm a little confused....thats really nothing new, but anyway.. Where does the food get stuck? And what is the "stoma"? Do you fell the golf ball thing where your little tummy is? Your stomach acids are at the bottom, right. If so how is the food breaking down in the little pouch? Does your stomach make acid constantly? The whole acid reflux thing is really bothering me. I've had it twice, in the middle of the night, I burped and felt this burning and I couldnt breath. It really freaked me out.

I was just banded on Tuesday, March 29th. I have been very emotional these past few days. The day before surgery I broke out in tears over frustration with Kaiser who would not pay for the Lap Band (I paid $18,250 for my surgery) and then Kaiser had the nerves to charge me full price for the liquid pain medication. Nevertheless, I felt better on the day of surgery. All went well and I left the hospital the following morning (the hospital staff was fantastic - Chapman Medical Center in Orange, California). The next few days were marked with stomach pain, but only when I moved. Each day the pains got better. Saturday was the worst day...gas, diarrhea, and an emotiona…

Hi! I have a question.....I'm on mushies now and it's funny but absolutely everything I have tried to eat is going down fine. I'm hungry every 2-3 hours and I've been following the doctor's orders. Had some refried Beans yesterday and they were the BEST REFRIED beans I've ever had!!! Of course for the last day or so, everything I eat is the BEST I've ever had..... Is it normal not to be having any "problems" with what I'm eating? I even had a piece of toast with some chicken salad (open face) and the toast didn't bother me. I did find out from talking to the doctor that I'm a "gulper" when drinking. I called him when I was on the thick liquids because even 3oz…

Anybody out there been banded overthe passover holidays. It is coming up soon and I am terffied about two things, one that all that family gathering and huge meals will be too great a temptation and second what effect will all that Matzo have on a banded stomach, it already blocks up a normal stomah and digestive system.

I just signed on to that site--fitday.com--love it and it will be a great eye opener for me, since I eat when I am stressed, etc..... Hey--the question--how many calories am I supposed to be eating? I average about 1000-1200 depending on how close I drive to the darn Dairy Queen! (I swear the building has magnets on it and sucks my car off the road). how many gms of Protein, carbs etc...I am still eating waaay to many carbs. thanks kimberly

Oh, boy, am I going to regret this. Blech. I've been nibbling all day, and haven't been drinking at all. Bad, and bad. Then on my way home from work I gave in to a craving for a frozen-yogurt mix-in with Peanut Butter cups. Then I get home and proceed to eat 10 miniature peanut-butter cups left over from Easter. YUM. and YUCK! That's it for me. I'm done for the day. (Is there any Protein in peanut butter cups?) Part of me hopes I've made myself sick. Pooh.

Hello everyone, I had my first fill on the 22nd I think, and that day there was no restriction until the next morning at Breakfast. So then I thought I had some restriction and it would just take time to kick in. I guess I have it when I eat anything with bread, but other than that I am eating more than I should be. I am gaining weight. So I made an appointment for April 7th to go in for another fill. I only had 1cc the first time and with probably get a 1/2cc or something. My doctor is very strick on doing just a tiny bit at a time so that the risk of erosion increasing in minimal. I got out of bed at 11:50pm to have left over pizza. (thin crust of course)

This is Bill, Veras better half. Vera just got a new band today (Inamid 9.75 band) and she is doing fine. Just wanted to let ya all know because you guys really are her support. By the way ya all need to Party at our house soon. ;O)~

Not sure if this needs to be addressed or not, but... yesterday around 4pm, I ate 1/2 chicken breast (just the meat) from Wendy's. It was too dry, so I chunked the rest. Around 5ish I started feeling the urge to pb. I did - about 4 times in total... finally got rid of that dry chicken. Yuck! About an hour later, I drank 2 cups of my Int. coffee - eveything seemed fine. Later, I started feeling some discomfort, so I went to Walmart and picked up some prilosec... (Ive havent taken it for about a week, checking to see if I still needed it) I also bought a box of Cheese-It Hot N Spicy crackers and ate a handful on the way home. *I KNEW this was a mistake, but I…

Hey Everyone I was just doing some thinking and I was wondering, Honestly how many of you here are very happy and very satisfied with your "original" band surgeon and are satisfied with his or hers abilities and aftercare? Whether you went to Mexico or not

Got my second fill after having NO weight loss with the first....started out not able to get hardly anything down - even liquids. Now, I can get little tiny amounts of food and liquid down - very slowly - during the day. I have PB'd quite a few times. When I sleep, during the day for a nap or at night, I feel liquid come up my throat and it burns. It wakes me up and I cough and sometimes spit up. I'm so upset because I NEED restriction, but these things are concerning me. Should I keep giving it time???? or should I go in and have some taken out?

Hi all, I just wanted to share that I had my first post op visit yesterday and I am down 11.2 pounds in 2 weeks, can't believe it! I feel so good, the surgeon said my incisions are healing but the port incision is still a bit sore, that will take a little longer to heal. I have graduated to the mushy/baby food, so glad I can eat regular food. My next appt is Monday April 25th for my first fill.

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2788.htm is a doctor's written report with plenty of information about varicose veins, diagrams, and treatments. http://www.varicoseveinstreatment.com/whatis.jsp shows some treatment options. http://www.veindirectory.org/content/prevention.asp also lists some preventative measures and treatments. Endovenous Laser or Radiofrequency Ablation of the Sapenous Vein is covered by medical insurance when deemed medically necessary. The insurance code for this treatment is 37204.

I have just begun my journey. I have an appointment with the surgeon on April 19th and getting a little discouraged. A friend on mine had the lap band surgery and is doing well and has the same insurance that I have but since her surgery the doctors have seemed to changed their procedure....so I have to have a psych exam and attend on support group meeting. The support group meeting I have to pay for and I am in search of a psychiatrist who will accept my insurance. To be honest.......I have health care insurance and resent the fact that the psch dr. that the surgerons office referred me to wanted the $$$$ up front and they would bill my insurance. Anyone disgusted…

I am 9 days post-op. Right now I am allowed to have three Protein shakes a day, but I find that about 3:30 p.m. I am starting to get hungry. I was wondering if anyone out there made their lunch shake a few ounces larger than it should be so that it holds you up till dinner? Also, I can take quite a good sip of beverages at this point! I know that I should take tiny sips, but i can take one a little bit bigger than that. Eileen

Hey all you bandsters: I am going to be in town for a conference beginning April 20th through the 25th. I won't have much free time but I would love to meet some of you guys. Maybe dinner one night. I am staying at the Wyndham Peachtree Hotel. If interested in meeting send me a PM and we can plan something.

For any bandsters that had trouble with slippage or erosion just wanted to know what were your symptoms before you were diagnosed with the above problems just worried about having this problems and not knowing that it is happening.

Hello all, In your new spirit of nice posting, I will keep this nice. I know many of you sent me information and helped me greatly, thank you. I have been keeping track of our friend AnnMarie Tiesi. She now has a subsidiary of Belighter that does plastic surgery and she pictures herself all over it in her underwear. Access through Belighter.com. For those of you disgruntled with Belighter, this may be the reason you never get calls returned. She is too busy with her next project to help those that paid her money. Also, her husband Eric is still sending threats to me. If they come true, I'll have no eyes and be fat. Nice way to run a business huh? Teresa...if y…

I got my band on 2/28, and experienced those horrible first two weeks, then after I felt better, I had very little appetite. I thought, this is great, look how little I am eating. I have lost 27 lbs. (including weight lost on the one week liquid diet). I know that is outstanding and I am thrilled. My problem is that I am now hungry. I'm on soft foods and I think I'm eating way too much. This is what I've eaten today: Breakfast: one egg, a slice of chopped up kielbasa (polish sausage) Snack: yogurt Lunch: The insides of a subway tuna wrap (with lettuce, tomato, pepper) I also had two cups of coffee before Breakfast, and some Water in between! I chew everything…

I've read somewhere on here that different people have different full signals. I've noticed lately that when I eat I don't feel an automatic "I'm full" feeling...I just figure that I've eaten enough. Later on, my back has a dull ache and even the roof of my mouth and the back of my throat kinda have an achey sensation to them. This lasts for a couple of hours. If this is my "full" signal, it's very different from what I'm used to. It makes me feel groggy and lethargic. Today for Breakfast I had a half cup of raisin bran with skim milk and was fine. For lunch, I had a lettuce/tomato salad with some hard boiled eggs and turkey lunch meat cut up. I've been feeling t…

Can somebody please tell me how soon after surgery they were able to start abdominal exercises? Also, does anybody know of a really good tape/cd that features abdominal exercises. I am worried about sagging skin, so I hope that somebody has some ideas for me. Thanks!

I just had my surgery on Monday march 28th 2005. The first couple of days i just lounged around. Yesterday this pain right above my port started. Comes and goes almost like someone is pushing on my chest. Please tell me this is normal. Im on mushy foods already. Also when they were doing my surgery they found a hyrnia(spelled wrong). i do not know what this is its not unbareble but it is scary. Also i have lost 21 pounds since pre op started on march 14.

As I get closer and closer to my consultation and surgery date, I’m really starting to have all of these mixed emotions that I didn’t think I would be having. I started off feeling so happy about my decision. I was so elated that everything worked out- that my parents and friends approved of my decision, that I managed to come up with the finances to get this done, and that I found a close doctor that did it for a semi-affordable price. Suddenly, yesterday I started having mixed feelings. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sitting at home for the past week with nothing to do except think about the decision I’ve made. I started feeling so anxious and sad. What if I get t…

Hey everyone. Well, tomorrow is the big day. Yesterday, I had all my pre-op tests and now it seems I'm ready to go. It will probably be a couple of days before I'm back on. Just in case, I hope everyone with scheduled surgeries a very speedy recovery. I'm just a little nervous now, but really just ready to go ahead and get it over with. Wish me luck!!!

I'm doing that thing where I'm convinced my Band is broken or eroded again. For the past months I've barely had any restriction. Last week out of the blue it came back. I had a bad PB last week, and a really bad one yesterday. Today I feel like I just got a fill. I haven't lost an ounce in months, but I swear, if this restriction keeps up I could drop 10 pounds by May. I've always fluctuated, but this is cool. Where did it come from?

Hi everone!!! Just have a question for all you experienced bandsters. How come there are certain foods that go down real easy without getting stuck? And, these foods I can eat tons of and not feel like I am going to get ill? For example, the other night I ate 1/2 bag of popcorn and felt fine, I probably could've eaten more, but shared with my husband....I notice that some foods there is really no restriction on....

Hi all, I was banded 7/27/04 and so far have lost 111 lbs. I AM NOT MORBID OBESE :cheeky I AM JUST OBESE NOW:banana !!!!This is a goal I've had for a long time and I finally made it. That is great, and I am really trying hard to keep on track. I went to my Doctor to get a fill. He gave me .6, I finally found out I am now at 1.8 cc. and I think he said I have a 4 cc band?????(I can't remember 100 percent). I am SO HAPPY!!!! Now, I have changed jobs, and of course insurances, and I asked while I was there if Aenta will cover my fills. The lady at the desk said no way they don't pay for anything. So I asked how much, thinking that its just a office visit, so it shouldn't…

Just for your info, I inquired about the Swedish version at the FDA and here is the response: This is in response to your email below to the food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting information on the "Swedish Lap Band." If a device is under the FDA's review, it would be considered confidential and we are prohibited, by law, from releasing information on it. Only once a device has final FDA approval can we release information to the public. The manufacturer, however, is at liberty to release information on a pending device, should they choose to, therefore you may want to contact them directly for information. Currently, there is not a device wi…