LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Just wanted to let everyone know that my first fill has been scheduled for October 6th, the Monday after I come back from vacation!! I am very excited. Today is 5 weeks post-op and I have lost 15lbs. I can't wait to start really losing. How long do you normally go in between fills. I found out this week I have the 9.75 band. The doc said he will put in 1.5 for the first fill!! The other 2 ladies at the Doctor's office that did my surgery has a 10. Not really sure why we have different sizes; do any of ya'll??? Hope all is well with everyone!!!

I know since we are eating less our body is breaking down less food but it is normal to only go the bathroom every couple of days. Should I be eating more high Fiber or something? Im just wondering if this is normal. 340/260

So I have started my journey to having the lap band done. All my appointments have been scheduled: psych eval, dietician, phys therapy and consult with the doc. I even called my insurance today and just double checked with them that everything I am about to get done is actually covered! Luckily it is so that's the least of my concerns at this point. It's just eh whole process of getting to the actual surgery date that is bugging me. I wish I could just go to the doctor TODAY and have it done today. I can't WAIT to get this over and done with so I can start on my NEW journey of living life healther and with more enjoyment!!!!

I am hoping someone out there can give me a little bit of advice. I was banded 07/18 and I am down roughly 40 pounds give or take...(I continue to torture myself daily on the scale). My probem is PB'ing. I recognized I was in the "soft food" mode and have over the last few days made an effort not to eat soft food as to maximize the effectivness of the band. Well, I cant seem to tolerate alot without Pb'ing. I tried some steak tonight....very moist, cooked rare...and even had something to dip it in and still after my third bite brought it all back up. I chewed till it was mush! I guess this is why I have been eating softer/mushy stage type food...like egg salad, tun…

Hi all, I'm wondering where everyone gets their Fiber for the day? I don't want to eat Cereal because of the milk factor. I sometimes eat it dry, but it's only 4 grams. "They" say you need 25 grams a day. Any suggestions?

Hey guys. Day 6 and feeling much better. However, todays mystery for me is a weird lump feeling in my throat and chest area. It goes up and down. Its uncomfortable. It doesnt hurt but, it concerns me. I was watching a movie "Punch Drunk Love" and the beginning of the movie had a car accident in surround sound. Made me jump so high that I hurt myself. So I decided to take a pain pill to ease the soreness that I recreated. The Pill felt stuck and to this moment I still feel there is something stuck there in my throat. Could the pill still be there? I think it would be desolved by now. SO I really dont know what it might be. Did this feeling happen to anyone?

this is something i copied from another message board these both happened in the last month. please keep these folks in your prayers and thoughts. i am not trying to be negative by posting these, just want everyone to know the possabilities... I would have never thought I'd be included in those complication stats we all read about, but I was. Even though complication rates for this surgery are very low, complications are very possible as my experience demonstrates. I was banded 8/25 and all went well until my barium swallow test the next day. When the liquid wouldn't move, the radiologist suggested that my band may be too tight, but my surgeon decided to wait. Hours aft…

I am Scheduled for sugery 12/1/03 and so far have not heard about doing the liquid diet for the week before surgery. Is this in all cases or just some ? I ask because it's Thanksgiving week and I will be flying back east to see family. Thanks

Can someone tell me how long it takes for the swelling of your belly to go down? The doc told me that it can take for up to a year. I'm a little discouraged because I lost 20 lbs. (not discouraged about that!) and the jeans I wore pre op are a little tight on me. I thought with the 20 lbs. gone they would be a little loose. Thanks.

You guys have no idea. Lately I have had absolutely no restriction. Especially late in the day and at night. Mornings are fine. The other day I ordered an omellete and had about a quarter of it and I was fine. But now yesterday at night, I had a whole plate of food, and probably could've kept going had there been more. ARGHHH, it pisses me off, I am down now 20 lbs since 8-20 and I feel like I am gaining again. Everything otherwise feels great. No more port pain, nothing. Even my scars are practically disapearing by the day.

Hey do you have serious noise coming from your stomach? And did it hurt sometimes? If I could describe it, its like a hunger pain that growls down the center of my stomach, but its not hunger, and it hurts extremely more than a hunger pain. On a scale of 1 -10 for that pain, its a 5 or 6. Any comments?

What am I doing wrong? I am almost 4 weeks post-op and still on soft foods. I am eating small portions, 4 to 6 oz at the most and not eating between meals. Drinking only water and sugar free lemonade. I guess I am averaging around 500 calories a day, possibly even less some days and I have gained 2 pounds this week. I have not had a fill yet but I don't see how that will matter when I am eating the same amount that I would if filled. I am starting to regret getting the band. I lost better on Weight Watchers and Atkins and I was eating a ton of food on both. How is it physically possible to gain weight on such a small amount of food? Help!!!

I am 6 weeks post op and this morning I am experiencing sharp pain (almost like a pinch) in my port area. It occurs when I move a certain way and when I touch it. Any thoughts or similar experieince? I see my doctor this afternoon, but I am so worried. I am imaging the worst case scenario.... I need some support....

I finally got my fill. I have lost 3 lbs since the 17th. I am very restricted now. There has never been anything I couldn't eat and now there are a few things that won't go down. I have never vomitted but tonight I did. It was horrible and I can't figure out if it was the amount I ate, that I ate too fast, or if it was what I ate. I had refried beans with cheese and a mini-taco (home made). I am not sure....maybe it could have been the lettuce or the taco shell. Anyway, I will stay away from both anyhow. This was my first solid food since my fill. I hope the vomitting doesn't last, I don't know if I can handle that. I have the 11cm band and I had 4cc my first f…

I had my fourth fill last Friday...I now have 2.25cc's and for the first time I have restriction. I was banded on 7/9 and have never PB'd..that is until yesterday. I notice that I must eat much less...perhaps a cup of food...at a sitting. Now that won't take me from lunch all the way to dinner, so I usually have a snack (healthy) in the afternoon and evening. If the food is dry...forget about it. chicken breast just won't go down. Well yesterday was the first time that I really felt the restriction. I had a cup of chicken vegetable Soup and then I took the first bite of broiled salmon...and OOPS...it got stuck...felt like I had this GIANT burp that was stuck. I had …

Well, the healing is just about over and my first fill has not yet been scheduled. All the post-op swelling is gone and my scars are fading. I feel, most of the time, like I never had surgery. This is good...and bad. Yesterday was my older daughter's birthday, and I did a great job of avoiding the borthday goodies. Tonight it's much harder--picking at leftovers is my specialty and these are especially enticing. So I come to the computer room to get away from the table, and what happens? My younger daughter helpfully toddles in with a handful of brownie crumbs for me and a big smile on her face. How could I say no? Now it starts, the familiar refrain: I'm hungry...bu…

can u never drink with your meals? and if so why?:Bunny

my friend had lap band done in April of this year and she has lost 80lbs.......i am happy for her...but isn't that too much wt in a short amount of time?

I had my first fill yeterday, I can't tell how the restriction is cause doc told me to stay on liquids for 2 days, then mush ect. I have a problem though.. I am starving.. when I get hungry I get nausea.. has anyone went back to mush(yogart) before the 2nd day was up?

Well, I drove all the way to Nashville (3 hours) to have my second fill only to be told that the nurse in Dr. Morton's office could not do it. I had spoken to her twice on the phone and she told me if she could not find my port she would send me to the hospital to do it under x-ray. When I asked how much she told me she didn't know but the hospital would bill me. When I got there on Thursday she was delayed in surgery, they had already called and tried to reschedule and I refused because I had driven so far. She couldn't feel my port but I don't believe she tried or desired to. I can feel it when I lay down so I am sure she could have. She said it was too deep to d…

Do you need to get fills for the rest of your life after getting the band? or is it just for a certain time period after the surgery? I will most likely be self-pay in MX and want to budget for the fills. Then again, if you have that expense for the rest of your life it makes me question if it is worth it? I think it just might be.

Going for my second fill today. I have the 11cm band and my first fill was 3cc. It has been 3 months since that fill and I am long due another. Wouldn't have waited so long but it is so expensive here that I haven't had the extra money. I put back on most of the weight I had lost, which wasn't much since fill anyways. I have since lost it again but it has been very hard with no restrection. Wish me luck!

i know that everyone is different and the sweet spot varies but now that i am dealing with fills i am wondering what other people have!! i got my first fill moday of 1.6 cc and still nothing. well ok- a little teeny restiction! at the dr office i did a drinking test they said the Water might 'back up in my throat' but no- i was able to pretty much able chug 10 oz of water. thats where they left me though! they do fills evey 2 weeks till you hit the sweet spot!

Hi everyone. I went to a session with my counselor today and I had kind of a breakthrough in why I've gotten so obese. I never talk about my feelings with people. I like to talk about other people's feelings and what's going on in their lives, but I'm not very good at talking about myself. Apparently I'm afraid of being vunerable. Kind of a no-duh assessment, but for some reason it really hit home with all of this band stuff. I'm still pretty new to all of this, and even the idea of having the band has brought up so many new feelings and emotions than I ever thought I would have. I hope you don't mind if I share a few...it is one of my assignments for the next two…

I've been waiting months to post this! I'm having surgery on September 22nd !!!! I dont' know what time yet, the hospital will call me on Friday afternoon and tell me what time to be there. I'm so excited!

I just got home from my appointment with my PCP and she agreed to write the recommendation letter for me. WOO HOO!! I wasn't sure how she would feel about WLS but I went armed with info about lapband to leave for her to read and an example of a letter for her to write to the surgeon. She was pretty easy to convince. Just wanted to know why I chose lapband over the other WLS. Seemed like a no-brainer to me but I told her why anyway!! My initial consult with the surgeon (Dr. Duckett) is October 2. I am really ready to get this done and join the banded side. Patience has never been so hard for me!!

Had some problems with my account and could not post anything to these boards...Had to re-register with a new user name. I was "bandgirl" and will go back to using that if the administrators can fix the problem. Had my first post-op support group tonight...it was nice to meet you Tasha!!! It's great to see other people succeeding with the band! I can't wait to get a fill...right now I am having to rely way to much on my willpower to keep my portions small and make the right food choices. Obviously if I had great willpower I would not have needed the band in the first place! I am feeling no restriction what-so-ever. I feel like I could eat anything and everything, b…

This is Elma in Graham, WA. I was banded by Dr Rumbaut on 2/27/01. I organize the southend Soup nite meetings if anyone is interested - let me know. Fills are also available at Medical Imaging NW in Puyallup, WA (a couple of blocks from Good Smaritin Hosp). I've head good things about the staff and the procedure being done there. If anyone needs anything - let me know Elma in Graham, WA Banded 2/27/01 Dr Rumbaut 300/165/?? Size 28/ Size 10

i know you have probably had this thread a million times before but ive still not found out by anyone if fills hurt!! im no wimp and im certainly not scared of needles ( i have my ears,nose,eyebrow,labret,tongue,and navel pierced!) but still im a little concerned about getting a fill, im hoping for one when i see my surgeon in october, my port is inbetween my boobs (sternum) and you can really feel it underneath my skin, i can imagine it to hurt when they injected it, can anyone tell me if it will!!??? thank you!

I have my first fill on Tuesday. It is my understanding that they will do a flouroscopy to determine how much fill I need. So what exactly is it that they look for. I know I will be drinking the barium and they will see how big my stoma is and how much is going through. How do they determine how big is too big and how much is too much?

I was banded on 8-20; and per my Dr. I am on all foods as long as I chew, chew, chew. I can't ever tell when I am "full". The only thing that happens is my left ear and my upper back hurt extremely baddddd....I know, it is weird....Any suggestions or does this happen to any one else....

Well, I drove all the way to Nashville (3 hours) to have my second fill only to be told that the nurse in Dr. Morton's office could not do it. I had spoken to her twice on the phone and she told me if she could not find my port she would send me to the hospital to do it under x-ray. When I asked how much she told me she didn't know but the hospital would bill me. When I got there on Thursday she was delayed in surgery, they had already called and tried to reschedule and I refused because I had driven so far. She couldn't feel my port but I don't believe she tried or desired to. I can feel it when I lay down so I am sure she could have. She said it was too deep to d…

I am soon to be Banded, and the post-op diet is very strict: three weeks of Clear liquids (this includes the surgery week) then one week on full liquids,then two weeks on pureed foods, and finally starting soft foods. I am afraid of not getting enough Protein during the clear liquid phase. I have beeen trying to find supplements that will mix in smooth and clear. I have tried GNC Liquid Protein(punch flavor) mixed with Crystal-lite, and it's very good, but it is no longer see-through when I mix in a third of the serving size. Does anyone know of any protein supplements that will get me through this clear liquid stage? I am presently very sensitive to odd textures, so…

Can anyone please advise, I can drink full cup liquids at only 9 days post op, without a problem, but I keep reading only 1/2? at a time, but I really enjoy my coffee/water/juice at this time. Thank you Carol England

I'm 7 days post op. The first 2 weeks are suppose to be Clear liquids, followed by mushy foods for two weeks, then pureaed the next two. I havn't made it to week two yet, and I'm already hungry and wanting more. My doc. said the band is pretty lose right now. According to the discharge information, the clear liquid phase is to prevent neausea and vomiting. I don't feel even the slightest bit near neausea, and started adding some mushy foods, pudding and potatoe and a little fruit yesterday, with no trouble. Did anyone else experience the same? Also, all you people who've been banded a while, can you eat ANY bread of any kind? Just curious, my information says not…

This morning I hit a milestone that I hope will be permanent. 3.5 weeks out I'm 17 lbs down, which is great but I've heard much more dramatic losses in the early stages. The thing is, this morning the number on the scale was 300, which could be reached with the scale at 250 + 50 (you know, the big weight and the small weight on a doctor's scale?) as well as having the big weight at 300. It has been almost 10 years and two children since that number for me. I'm floored, thrilled, and a little nervous all at once. I don't want to put so much importance on a completely arbitrary point on a scale, but I can't help it. Jeans that have been stuck in a closet for six years a…

hi, ive lost 42lbs so far was banded on 4th june 03, im happy with the rate of loss so far but was wondering if i could speed things up a bit, ive noticed alot of people on here talking about protien and carbs etc, i actually dont eat that much different to before i was banded, of course i dont eat much junk food nor do i have snacks in between meals,but i eat normal meals just a lot less of it... but was interested to see if i ate more protien etc if it would make a difference to my loss, any advice would be appriciated!

BEEN HAVING FUN FINDING OTHER PEOPLES LINKS TO CERTAIN WEBSITES, OR WEBSITES OF THEIR OWN, SO I THOUGHT IF WE MAKE A THREAD UP ON THEM PEOPLE CAN POST THEIR FAVE LINKS, I LOVE THE FITDAY ONE AND JUST GETTING WEIGHT COMMANDER....OH DAM..JUST REALISED IM TYPING IN CAPS...SORRY GUYS, ACCIDENT!!! http://www.weightcommander.com/index.html http://www.fitday.com/

Anyone WI having surgey near sept 26 th.

Hi All, My doc (Richard Benavides) is moving from College Station to Grande Prairie. Was wondering if anyone knew of a fill doctor(s) in the North Houston (The Woodlands, Spring, Cypress, Cleveland, Kingwood, Humble) area? Also, are fills covered under insurance? Called my ins company and she wanted a procedure code. Guess I can get this from my doc. My surgeon hasn't charged me for any of my fills yet as they are covered under my follow-up care. But he is leaving his practice here and the doctor he is referring me to is not a contracted doctor with my ins company. Please reply. Mom2WJ 215/139/128 2/21/03

does anyone actually use the chat room? ive been in there several times to find im talking to myself...lol would love to chat 1-1 to someone!

hi everyone! Just wanted to share my excitement! I have made an appointment for my first consultation with a surgeon in Paris - Dr Marre (Sarah's surgeon if you've been following her posts!) and will see him on 26th Sept! Apparently he may give me my op date then (i'm hoping for the end of october) as I am self pay I shouldn't have to wait! And I get to go to Paris! Sarah is going to meet me and come with me - what an angel :kiss and even better, then we are going to IKEA ! Yay - I've been so down the last week or so and now I feel things are really moving again - best of all the surgery will only cost €4000 and I had initially budgeted for around €12,000 - Can u smel…

Hi Everyone, Well, I went today and had my psych eval done. I was in the doc's office from 10:15 until after 1:00. It was painless though. That 400 question questionnaire was something else altogether. Nothing difficult just very time consuming. Anyway, he said he has a new computer program that allows him to analyze the questionnaire much quicker than before and he should have the results to my surgeon in a couple of days. One step down.....many more to go. Sheila

I just read a journal article in Obesity Surgery that talks about the kind of "eater" you are and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about it. Obesity Surgery 12, 200 ...Sweet eating has been reported as the worst outcome predictor after surgery ...Binge eating has also frequently been denoted as a relative contraindication ...Nibbling style can compromise the band ...Gorging they don't talk about except to mention it as another behavior Any thoughts on this? The article title was "Role of Brief Strategic Therapy on Outcome of Gastric Banding" The conclusion of the article is : "the study shows that in patients who underwent Lap-Band, selection is…

AMI bandsters, I would love to know who of you have the AMI band (Vera, I know that you do) and why it was chosen or used vs. the lap-band. I am having a great deal of difficulty in getting anyone in upstate NY area to do a fill on this band. Thank you __________________ Barb

To all Baton Rouge bandsters and pre-bandsters and anyone else who wants to join us- Several of us will be meeting for lunch at Jason's Deli in the Citiplace shopping center on Corporate at 11:45 next Friday, September 19. If you want to come, e-me at Jbrody845@aol.com so that we can hook up!

I've been banded for two weeks and was supposed to start on mush today. I was extremely busy at work and only had time for two Protein shakes. No way could I have eaten slowly and carefully. This evening I tried my first meal of tuna salad. Took about four very small bites and felt a slight fullness in my chest and stopped. Did I stop too soon? I know I haven't taken in nearly enough calories or protein today. I'm just so afraid of pain or PBing, I guess I'm being super-conservative. This band thing is so weird. It's like learning to live with a new and temperamental body part. Nancy

Whos i out there from Louisiana? We need to get some action going here in the Louisiana forum!