LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

HAVE ANY OF YOU SUFFERED WITH SLEEP APNEA? IF SO; HAVE YOU BEEN ON A CPAP MACHINE? HAVE ANY OF YOU RECOVERED FROM SLEEP APNEA AS A RESULT OF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, AND IF SO AT WHAT POINT DID THIS HAPPEN? THANKS.

Hi~ I live in Indiana and would love to chat with you about our Lapbands My surgery was on 10-08-03

A year ago right now I was recovering from surgery, trying to explain to my girls why they couldn't jump on Mommy. I'd made the decision to take this step so I could be there for them, but in the short term I had to push them away. Hey, they got over it. Things have always happened slowly in my life. I didn't learn to drive until I was 28, and got married at 33. My two children took their sweet time about coming, both at conception and delivery. (Can anyone say induced at 42 weeks? Twice? And in labor for 24 and 72 hours respectively??) It takes a long time for me to get numb in the dentist's chair and just as long for the feeling to come back. So when it took almost…

Hey all you bandsters, I need some advice. I will be banded in 1 month. Should I be changing my diet now (ie. weaning myself off carbonation, caffiene) or should I just blow it out since I only have a month left? What do you guys think?

I would love to know from some of you who have been really successful what you eat on an average day. Do you try to stick to a routine or do you mix it up? I think I would get really bored with a routine. I am wondering though what has worked best for you

It's finally here, my packet from the Doctor's. Boy, did I get jitters when I saw it. I want this so much, but the nerves sure did kick in. Now, I have to get it completed and sent back, then get the referal letter from my Doctor. I also want to make a list of questions that I want to ask. I am anxious and nervous and I haven't even been to the Doctor yet! Betty

hello I am from England and was lap baded 2 months ago, can any one tell me what I should now be eating in a day. I have not had a fill yet.:phanvan

Hey everyone!!! I just realized something........I have a neck!!! I work for a Time Warner Cable and we are always having special things going on. Today we have a rep from Showtime come in and had a race car driver with her. The driver was signing autographs and taking pictures with employees. So I decided to take a picture with him. Well when I got the picture I compared it to my wedding picture that I have on my desk. Lo and behold.....I have a NECK and have discovered what shoulder blades are!!!! Isn't it the funniest things that you notice when you start to loose weight??

Hi All, Sorry I have been a ghost again. I have been so busy with work and around the house, I haven't had a moment to even check in and see how everyone is doing. I hope you are all doing well. Me and Berpitha (A.K.A. - my beloved band) are off to surgery bright and early tomorrow morning. Once my doc got back from her vacation, she scheduled my LapBand replacement quickly. The folks at Inamed say that they have never had a case of LapBand leakage at the balloon site. All other leaks have been at the port site... So Berpitha may be the first!!! Unfortunately, she will have to go back to Inamed so that they can check her out. My insurance has approved …

I was just banded yesterday so I am sort of planning ahead, my question is how did you do with spice and things like tabasco. I love mexican and other really spicy foods I am just wondering if any of you had any problems eating these once banded? also my doctor said I could have a smoothie did any of you use yogurt or fruit in smoothie the first few days after surgery?

i had WLS, the lapband. in a year i have lost 103 pounds with the 25 i lost pre-op thats a total of 128!! :banana i have gone from size 30/32 to size 16 :banana i no longer have pain in my feet or back :banana i no longer obcess about food :banana i am proud of my accomplishments :banana i ended an unhealthy relationship :banana i put myself first for a change :banana i can shop at victorias secret!! :banana i have lost 73% of my excess body weight (based on a goal of losing 175 total and having lost 128) :banana i fear no seat with arms, booth, stairs, roller coaster etc. :banana i have recieved so much support and made great new friends on this site.…

Does anyone have heartburn? I used to get it frequently and badly before my surgery, but it stopped after I lost weight. Now it is back and really bothering me. Tums, etc does not help. It is a burning throat/chest sensation and not connected to eating or drinking. Help!

Well... some of you might remember i was pretty desperate a few weeks ago.Not only with my eating behaviour but also my personal life. I had a consultation with a therapist for my marriage/self esteem/stress/eating issues,went back on Effexor and also signed up for parenting classes to get new ideas on how to manage the stress kids come with!(love doesn't solve everything!) I have been taking the meds for 3 weeks now and the difference is astonishing.I used to wake up and wonder if i would have a 'black' day or a happy day...no in between! Now i feel like i am on an even keel and i can manage stress better than 3 weeks ago. I find the eating craziness has stopped a…

I am from england and belong to the WLSOINFO group there, the follwing is a posting that i submitted.......... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I THOUGHT I WOULD DRAW EVERY ONES ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING, I WAS ASKED TO CONTACT DOLAN PARK TO SPEAK TO THE NURSE, WHICH I HAVE JUST DONE, I WAS THEN TOLD BY THE NURSE THAT MR SUPER HAD SEEN MY POSTING ABOUT ME EATING chips AND THERE FOR HE HAS NOT HAPPY, THAT I HAD NOT STUCK TO THE BAND PROTOCOL AND IF I HAVE ANY BAND SLIPPAGE, HE WILL NOT TREAT ME.I SUBSQUENTLY WAS CALLED BY THE OBESITY COORDINATOR(A NON MEDICAL PERSON) WHO STATES SHE CAN DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT MY TREATMENT C…

Today I had the chance to have a photo taken in exactly the same place as one of my "before" pictures had been taken. You know how it goes--for years and years you don't let anyone take pictures of you, until you get a surgery date and suddenly realize you won't have any pictures to prove you did it. So last summer, at a birthday party for a cousin's child, I had someone take this picture of me and my girls (imagine trying to cross those legs!):

Hi everyone! I was banded on the 31st of July, lost 12 pounds during my liquid phase and then gained 5 pounds when I went into the mushy food stage. I know this is a time for healing, and I feel great, and feel some restriction. I'm finding that I can eat just about anything, but sometimes if I don't chew well enough, it catches up with me or that restriction in the chest will remind me to slow down, but no PBing. I'm drinking tons of Water and getting exercise in daily. I can't get a fill until the middle of September, so do you all have any ideas on how to get through this without completely feeling like a failure? Has this happened to any of you? HELP!!!

I was banded June 28, 2004. I received my first fill of 1.5cc on Aug. 9. My band holds 4 cc. I am very confused about the way my band is working. Sometimes I take my very first bite of food, chew exceptionally well as always, and I feel like I have a golf ball in my chest that won't go down. It takes me forever to eat a very small amount. Because I have been restricting myself to 4 oz. to 6 oz. of food at a time and counting calories, as my dietician recommends, I am finding this past week that when I come home from work and eat dinner I am suddenly shamefully famished and would binge all at once. The food seems to slide right down into a "bottomless pit" without t…

My mother is in the process of receiving "lap band" surgery. Her doctor informed her that she will only be able to eat 1oz. of food at a time for the rest of her life! ..as you can imagine this would bring up some concern. Can anyone enlighten us on this matter? Any information at all would is welcomed and appreciated! Thank you

Hello All, Just wanted to update everyone on my progress. I was banded 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I am just so happy those 2 weeks are over. I went to see my Doc. today I have lost 11 lbs. I was thrilled. I have also graduated to soft foods, oh I am so glad. I think the 3 weeks of liquids was worse than the surgery. Tonight I went out and celebrated with my husband. We went out for mexican and I ate about 1/2 cup of refried Beans and about 1 cup of salsa and I was thanksgiving day full. I couldn't beleive it. In the past I would have eaten a full basket of chips salsa and a full meal, then gone for ice cream. Not tonight, I just can't beleive how this band is working…

I have only had 1 fill, and am feeling quite a bit of restriction, but I'm finding I'm now getting hungry a lot sooner than I was, even within an hour. I can't imagine being more restricted I can't eat too much now without feeling the tightness, or God forbid, it coming back up - but's what's with the hunger? Do I need another fill? Thanks

What's the deal with compression stockings? Did you all have to wear them for surgery? How long do you have to wear them? Just for surgery? Or for how long after? Do you have to provide your own? Thanks !!

I don't know if it will be on nationally or just here in Houston, but the PBS channel here in Houston will be airing a half-hour program on WLS tonight at 9:00 Central Daylight Time. It will probably be just like all the others - focusing on bypass and on the negative. But I'm still going to watch it. Nancy

What's your screen name? For those of you that have AIM Instant Message, please add me to your Buddy List, my screen name is DeLarla. If you help me, I'll be here for you one day. All I need is people to chat with the second I get home from work (4:45 - 5:00 p.m.) Vegas time. That way I'll come home from work and be forced to log in to for some cheerleading before facing my kitchen - if I had my choice, I'd bash the walls in and install a gym. Why the heck do I need a kitchen? I'll take anything: subliminal messages, military commands, threats, cooing... anything to convince me that I can get back on track of small plates & small bites. Thanks!

Hi All - I'm new here (but I've been 'lurking' for quite a while!) Thank you all so much for sharing your victories (and disappointments). It has been very illuminating. I have sugery with Dr. Kuri in TJ scheduled for September 15th. I'm probably going about this all backwards, but I saw on a few threads folks who recommended making an appointment with your PCP prior to surgery - OK, I've done that. Now - what is it I'm supposed to ask my PCP? Or what are we supposed to discuss? Maybe she'll learn to do fills for me!!! Then everyone in the Denver Metro area who had surgery in Mexico could see her instead of having to go back every time they need a fill! Any…

Well, I feel like I've done the first major step...I sent an email directly to Dr. Rumbaut! I tried going through other ways on the web, but didn't get any replies. Wish me luck...I hope to hear from him or his office soon!

I cannot diet. I never have been able to--the minute I impose restrictions on what I can eat, or how much, I immediately have cravings I am unable to beat. It's been this way for years and years and the only way I was able to maintain my weight (high though it was) was to throw off the chains of self-denial. Well, I thought all that was behind me since now I have my lovely band to help control the impulses to eat whatever and whenever. And for a year I've been doing great, listening to my body and its cues and losing weight steadily at a great pace. I haven't been giving myself goals to meet or placing restrictions on myself, because that has never worked for me in the …

I am being bandedd the day after tomorrow (Aug 19th) by Dr. Ponce. What should I take along? My wife and I were hoping to get by with carry=ons so plane transfers would be simple. I know...loose shorts, sweats....what else? Dave

OK I need all you to pray for my daughter, her husband and my 16 yr old son that are in Orlando Area. I just got a call from her saying they are heading to her Mother in laws house cause the storm is supposed to hit in an hour. My daughter works at a vet's and saw a tornado outside their window about three miles away. IT did not touch down but they closed the office and told everyone to go home and be safe. It is a category 4 now. I am so worried about her. They predict the storm will last for at least 3 hours when it does slam them. So for the next 4 to 5 hours I will be on pins and needles. My daughter also told me that Disney and Orlando both were hit by to…

Today my husband and I were talking. I was telling him about something that happened at work and all of a sudden he stops me in mid sentence and says "Damn........you've lost a lot of weight." I was just so flabbergasted that I couldn't even finish my sentence and lost my train of thought. The reason it meant so much to me is that since I have had surgery my husband has never said ANYTHING to me. Although he supported me he was kind of against me having the band done.........said it was unhealthy and even when other people were saying they could see me loosing weight nothing from him. I am now 8 1/2 mos out and have lost about 65 lbs and he notices. That comment pr…

Welcome aboard... I've read your posts in various threads. I just wanted to mention that all the literature shows that the complication rate for the band drops exponentially once the surgeon has placed about 50 bands. The other benchmark is at about 30. So in your situation, I'd probably want the surgeon to have done AT LEAST thirty bands, preferably 50. The fill price seems very generously under the average. (Your $78 vs $700-1100 in my neighborhood.) Does that include flouro, or is he planning office fills done blindly? (Both are doable.) BTW, I was self pay, but my insurance (we think) will be paying for some of the follow up...so sometimes there is good new…

I was banded on 7/26/04. I am down 14 lbs. I am noticing now that it is taking longer to get full and I can eat larger amounts than last week. Any help? Thank You!!

Hi Everyone... I have been having pain for the past 4 days... and was literally pain free prior to this. I have not had any vomiting other than immediately post-op. I am now having constant discomfort and tenderness in the area just above my belly button. Whenever I eat or drink anything... the pain an bloating increases... I wake up in the morning feeling the same discomfort/ sensation. I guess I am in the hopes that this is a normal post-op (almost 5 wks) problem??? Darcy

I love, love, love reading all of everyone's posts. I'm kinda new to the board stuff though and haven't learned all the lingo. Could someone please tell me what NSV means? I'm assuming it's something good. BTW, I got my "self-pay packet" from Dr. Ponce's office today and as soon as I fax it in, I can schedule my surgery date. I am so excited. You guys are an awesome inspiration and a great source of REAL information (as well as some just for fun info). You can't live without that. Reading all these hilarious posts reminds me of my best friends and how we laugh so hard together that we wet our pants!

OK gotta question and need advice. I work in a very stressful environment. One of the things we all look forward to is lunch.... Well not a lot of people know that I am banded. I LIKE IT THAT WAY. I just didn't want people observing me like a guinea pig. Anyway, I find myself overindulging at lunch trying to eat normal. It's getting difficult, because I KNOW that I am heading down the wrong direction. I guess I am just wondering what you all do. I know the sensible thing would be to bring my lunch, but most days I really need to get away.... I am open to all opinions. Birdee

Fellow Florida Bandsters, Everyone stay safe. PD32 Fort Myers, FL

OOps, think this is where I want this. HI I am researching surgical weight loss. I have been to several presentations and was the most impressed with Dr Martin in Dayton, Oh. Was wondering if anyone else has heard anything about him? I was originaly going to have the Rou N Y but, I have somethings tht I am afraid will make that impossible. Would love to hear from informed members that have any input for me. I have a partially rotated bowel ( appendix up under rt. ribs, and I also take time released anti depressants and worried about problems with irritation and absorbtion.) Thanks Badger 2

Whooo Hooooo! Today the Surgeon's office called. They've gone over my application, called the insurance, and now they've set me up for an office visit with the surgeon. He'll do many of the tests himself, and answer any questions I have. I've gotta ask him if I'll be able to play the piano after the surgery. Of course, I can't play it now. Chuckle. I see him in two weeks, and I see the shrink on Sept. 16. She's a nice lady, and she says that I only have to do one profile. I was afraid they'd want one for each personality. Chuckle. Now I really feel like I'm on my way. Kinda scared, though. Kinda excited, too.

So this whole process started because under the advice of my Dr. I was told I needed to loose 100lbs to save my knees. I tried and tried and now that I have found my answer to the weight, I can't get my knee to cooperate. It is so swollen now that it looks deformed. In the past I just to the anti inflams and iced. That did the trick. Now I can only ice... It's not working. I want to workout and I can't. It's like God is testing me. I know I need to go back to Kaiser but my sports physician takes forever to get into and the regular Dr.s will give the exact opposite advice as My sports physician. They put me on crutches that do nothing but make your muscles weak...…

Hey my Dr. is having a group meeting in Dallas on the 12-14th of August. So I will be either staying with my brother in Waxahachi or down town near the meeting. Son if you want to holler at me while I am there email me or send a private message and I will give you my info.

Today I am starting to drink water all day for the first time, before id get like maybe 8 oz a day. after all of the "water talk" i am doing it. i have had 5 - 20 oz bottles so far today. can one get too much water? and i swear i have peed 15 times so far. im sure my co workers are getting annoyed!

I have had 2 fills so far. I am going for my first non flouro fill in 2 weeks. Has anyone done this? im kinda scared. But this is only 100.00 versus at the flouro place 150 to the Dr and 200 to the flouro peple. tell me whadda ya think?

Hi Everybody - I am scheduled to be banded August 16 (YIKES!). I am very scared, but also excited. This site has been a goldmine of information for me. Thanks to you all. My question is this: I remember from a while back someone suggesting items for a shopping list for when you come home from being banded... does this sound familiar to anyone? Anyway, would you mind repeating your shopping list? I think it had a gas relief medication on the list (but I can't remember which medication was recommended) and it also had a heating pad listed. Any other suggestions? I want to be totally prepared so that my journey is as easy as possible (and also I'm a little psycho …

What does it feel like to reach your "Sweet Spot"? I've had 3 fills. I'm at 3.cc I can still eat normally amounts as long as I eat slow and chew things up real well. I thinking after eating around a cup of food I should feel Full. Thats not the case. I can feel the food going down, thats why I have to eat slow. If I eat too fast or not chew well WOW that painful. But as long as I eat Slow and chew the food well I can eat my normal amount of food. Is this normal?

Hello, I was banded in Mexico but was wondering if anyone knows of a physician in Tennessee (preferrably Nashville) that would be willing to do adjustments. I do plan on going back to Mexico for my first adjustment, but would obviously like to find someone a little closer to home for future band adjustments. Thanks!

Hi Everyone, I just read this story, and although it's about the extremely invasive surgery "stomach stapling" we need to be aware of the potential risks that come with any bariatric surgery. Since this is an aftercare issue I thought it might be important for our members of child baring years to be aware of possible complications. Take care Love margret Deaths Raise Fears Over Stomach Stapling 1 hour, 1 minute ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo! By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer An obese Massachusetts woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after stomach-stapling surgery, an apparent first that is leading to w…

Anyone out there in the Chicago area? I have been reading about the Lap Band for a couple of years now, and finally am ready to take the plunge. I am considering the ILOST center in Mexico since I am Spanish-speaking, but I have not given up on Chicago doctors yet. Anyone have experience at Northwestern U. Hospital? There was an interesting post from someone in May, but no way to contact her off-list. Thanks.

well I got my ticket today I will be flying out on Thursday I was afraid I would get there to late on Friday so if there is anyone going early please let me know. I will probably try and see some of the city that night. I have a cousin there who i may try to see but i don't know for sure. I could'nt find the original vegas post. Anyway I am looking forward to seeing all of you there. Dr. Spegiel 4/19/04 199/275/130

Thanks to Cynthia, who posted a very helpful link on another board here, I found 3 surgeons who are in Portsmouth, NH. Dr. Cynthia N. Paciulli Dr. John P. Gens, Jr and Dr. Kevin G. Looser You can contact them at: 330 Berthwick Ave, # 308 Portsmouth, NH 03801 603-431-5242 If I find any others, I will post them. Going to my home doctor on Friday to discuss this more in details with him.

Okay, this subject was recently discussed when one of us had a wild night and thought she hurt her band. Is this possible? What about wearing really tight tight jeans all day? What about if you had wild sex in the morning then wore really tight jeans all day? Not that sweet lil ol me did that, but how come I feel an odd sensation under my left rib and I've got the burpies and feel super restricted? My Protein shake went down fine (SHUT UP DONALI CAUSE I'M TALKING ABOUT MILK AND PINEAPPLES IN THE BLENDER.) All my Water went down fine, too. But I do feel very odd and tight in my rib cage.

....I have something to add! After being banded for nine months now, I eventually have a tiny nugget of information to pass on to you guys! I have felt pretty impotent here without fill info, pain experience to share! Well - here it is (ta da!).... Does anyone remember me asking about shoulder pain? I was experiencing a LOT of pretty severe pain for AGES in my shoulder, just above my left breast - It left me pretty winded as it hurt when I breathed in deeply or coughed or even moved my arm... I was getting kinda worried about it and posted here - Donali (the big meanie...) suggested that I was overeating at meal times and the diaphragm was causing the gas-like pain. …