LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

I hope I will be banded in Houston, Texas by Dr. Hadar Spivak! My predetermination letter has just been sent to my ins. co and the ins. lady said it's sitting in front of her right this minute! I wonder if she likes candy? I have fought the weight battle hard all my life! Some times I've even won... But most times I lose, I think the life time battle is finally taking me from me! I am so tired of the loneliness I always feel, even in a room full of people! I can't wait to be on the other side! You all have so much information and such inspiring stories! I look forward to sharing my own success stories! Thanks for all…

I've heard others discuss this phenomenon but being the optimist that I am I dismissed it as not being likely to happen to me. Well, I think I was wrong. I'm 18 days out now and am just about to start incorporating solid foods into my diet. But it's a mixed blessing. Prior to this point I could cling to my doctor's post-op instructions to help me make my food decisions. Now I'm about to re-enter the world of normal people faced with normal temptations each and every waking minute. I'm frankly unnerved by the prospect of being physically unable to indulge in a large serving of anything if I feel the desire. Obviously my rational brain knows that's exactly why I got ban…

to my profile: My before and now pic !!! I can finally see the difference for myself and I love it. I love my band!!!!!!!!...........friday I have it 6 weeks and having my first fill.Wish I got it sooner!! (((hugs))) Jeunesse

well today i tried to get a appointment with a dr. only 30 min away and i was told he is not in my insurence plan..the helper was very nice and she tried but they denied even a meeting. so my other choice is a dr.in dade city, florida, dr. grossburg, thats about 110 miles away! they are having a meeting tomorrow night that if i want to get a appiontment i must go to this first. this is going to be a challenge i have a 4 y/o that i cant get a sitter for all night i wont be back till 1am so i am tring not to get fustrated ..and just try to let him have a sleepover with friends.. anyway i also heard united is only covering the lapband till the end of this year so i an even m…

My mind is taking over. I am 4 weeks banded and up until this week have been feeling great. I am now sick each day. I am starting to think my band has slipped. I go back to the doc this Thurs(11). Can anyone discribe to me what the symptoms are for slippage. I gag terriably about an hr after each meal. Have not actually thrown up. PLEASE HELP!!!!!:think

I've heard some people talk about some kind of card they can take to restaurants that will allow them to eat off the child's menu or get smaller portions. Anyone heard of this, and where can I get one (for future reference, when I'm back on solid foods! )?

for about 5-6 weeks post-op? I'm just curious as to whether to expect that, or if it's possible that my surgeon might let it go if I'm still losing weight at that point.

http://www.pbase.com/leo728/09042003_first_fill_in_tijuana

I didn't think I would be this nervous. How much pain were you all in one week post op? Were you able to get out and drive or travel? Was anyone on a special diet the day before surgery?

I was just wondering if anyone had a hiatal hernia and if it prevented them from being banded, if they had to get it fixed, etc. I was tested for something else several years ago and the radiologist said I had a small one- with no symptoms. Now I'm worried that it may affect this surgery if I have it. Any info would be very appreciated! Thanks, Megan

Posted this on the Spotlight board, but thought I'd add it here too. This is now one of my favorites! I really like chicken, but have had trouble with it on several occasions. So, I decided to experiment today. My idea was to feed my family shredded chicken tacos and I wanted chicken taco salad. Here's how I did it. Put the desired amount of chicken in the crockpot. I used 4 drumsticks and 4 breasts, with the skin removed. Add 1 can of chicken broth and 1 envelope of taco seasoning. (I was afraid the spices would be too strong, so I added Water until the chicken was covered.) Cook for 6-7 hours. Strain and retain about a cup of the juice as you'll need it. Debone the…

Hi Everyone, I need help. First week I lost 7lbs. second week 4, 3rd week ZERO!!!!! I am trying hard not to get depressed but losing the fight. I am eating ok, nothing that I feel guilty about. I have been listening to my body and as soon as I feel satisfied I stop (mainly because I hate to throw up). I eat more than 1/2 cup so I don't know if that's the problem or not. Has anyone else experienced this? For the women out there, do you notice a difference when you have your menstral cycle? I can use all the support I can get. Mary:(

Hi all, I have the 11cm band and had my first fill yesterday! I was told that it had a capacity of 9cc and was filled to 4cc when I had the surgery. After 5 weeks I lost about 20 lbs but was feeling hungry most of the time. The surgeon put 2cc's in but, after that I couldn't swallow Water properly - lots of burps and I felt as if my stomach was being strangled. The doctor waited about 30 minutes and then decided to take out 1cc. At the time, this felt like the right thing to do. However, today I don't feel the restriction as much and have been able to eat solid food with no problems - and probably more than the 100 grammes he recommended. I'm wondering if my stomac…

Hey ya'll -- I've moved right along from liquids only to mushy and have been trying a few other foods here and there. Since its only been 10 days, I have no restriction. I've had a few things not go down well and obviously stop eating whatever it is. Tonight I was at a friends and had some tortilla chips and cheese dip plus a few chocolates. Chewed very well. Obviously, not good food choices for long-term success and don't plan to make a habit out of it. Don't feel great (duh) now...in addition to guilt, have some tightness in/above the stomach area. Now I'm worried I've messed up the healing process for my stomach. What do you think? Am I pushing it? I was…

I am here in Tennessee! If anyone knows of a support group in Nashville Tennessee. Please let me know! Birdee:D

Hello everyone! I was banded on Aug 12th, I have lost 26 lbs.. very excited about that. I was feeling great the week after my surgery, I could not have felt better, well that did not last to long.. I know I am in need for a fill, just becuase of the hunger pains I get now but my doc will not do this for another 2 weeks.. anyway I am trying not to over eat so I am eating weight watchers meals.. I feel full after I eat them, but then about an hr later I am nausea.. can anyone tell me why this could be happening.. I litterily have to hold back a gag. I am willing to try any sugestions. Thanks Laura

For those of you having a difficult time getting insurance approvals from your insurance co and newbies who want more info and for everyone else who wants detailed info about the lapband: Hi Everyone, I was looking around at some stuff on the the internet about the Lapband. I found the coolest home study and certification course for surgical nurses that are members of the AORN, which was published in May this year about the lapband. It is by far the most accurate information I have found including pre op, post op and the operation and how it is performed. The link is: www.aorn.org/journal/homestudy/may03a.pdf This information might be useful for people trying to…

When I went and talked to Dr. Hamn about the surgery, I asked him if it would be ok to follow the Atkins diet. He told me flat out NO. When I asked why he said that ketosis was too dangerous. I personally disagree with that. I think Ketosis is a perfectly natural state and when i am in it, I am not hungry in the least. I once lost 50 lbs on it in 5 months with out cheating once. Then the stress of everything got to me and I started eating again. Eating all the wrong kinds of food anyways and lots and lots of it. I seem to be rambling now. Anyway, my point is that he told me no right? well when I asked him what I should eat he said Protein first then veggies and by then i …

I just wondered if this was OK to eat right now - I've had a little and haven't had any problems, and thought maybe I should check before I ate much more. (If I were really worried, I'd have checked first, huh? )

Well everyone, I made it through surgery. Everything seems to be going good. I am soooo excited! I'M A BANDSTER! I worried so much before surgery its a wonder I'm not bald. I just got home and I'm taking it easy. I sure am glad to be home, the hospital was miserable. Thanks for the support and prayers. Going to lay down and rest, will post again soon.

Does anyone else have the 11cm band? I had surgery in Mexico and this is the one I choose. My first fill was 3cc and I had good restriction for about a month. I am now scheduled for my second fill on 9-11. I was just wondering if anyone has this size band and how much their second fill was. I drive a long way to get a fill and do not want to have to go back in a few weeks. I was thinking about 2 or 3 cc's but I am not sure. Also has any heard of having something other that saline put into the bigger bands. I am assuming she was refering to the solution they use in the Swiss band. She said sometimes the saline difusses out of the larger bands so the sometimes use …

Hi, I was just curious if any of you started trying to lose weight before your band was in place? My surgery is set for Sept 25th and I figure by then I could possibly lose a few pounds. You know to kinda get the ball rolling....I'm really good at losing on the Atkins diet, the only thing is I can't seem to make a life time eating habit out of it. Or maybe I should try the liquid diet thing for the next 20 days....Anyways, just wondering if it's a good idea or not. I want this surgery done yesterday!

Hi, yesterday I went to a University hospital for a treatment for Meniere's Disease. This treatment requires me to lay on my stomach on what looks like a Dentist's chair while I have an object connected to my head............Anyways while I was on my stomach, I felt something "pinch" where my port is and since then my port area has been very sore. Has anyone ever pinched their port and do you think that I should get checked under flouro next Wednesday when I go for my first fill? Thanks, Barb:confused:

Ok I just found out yesterday that I was approved. I don't have a date set right now but was needing to know if some of you can give me a visual idea of different things like, How big of a bite will I be able to have when I get on solid foods? And exactly how big is the hole that the food goes through? Should I eat bites that I would cut up for a 1 yr old and chew, chew, chew or is that going to be too big or too small. I'm really excited and I have been trying to start already with the small bites and chewing so that I'll be use to it. Also if you could tell me the what day you have your surgery and what day you went back to work. thanks and sorry it's so long but …

Is anyone else experiencing weird dreams. I'm not on any pain meds so I don't think that's it, but I've been having the weirdest dreams lately. Can you think of some other reason I'd be having these?

I am trying to read/learn as much as I can about the lap band before surgery - and I'm getting worried about my sweet tooth. Like a lot of obese people I reckon I'm an emotional eater - I don't drink, smoke, drink tea or coffee but I reach for sweet things or carbs when I'm stressed etc. I have been trying high protein diet for the past week or so and I am completely miserable - I'm not keen on meats or eggs! Also some of the european lap band websites I am on, say if you eat a lot of sweet things you are not suitable for a band!!!! I know I will have to eat less, and up the protein for health reasons - i love fish and tofu but does anyone else out there find they ca…

Hey guys, Bergan county here. I was banded in Staten Island NY on 8/12/03. Dr. Ferzli. Down 26, but now hungry all the time.. looking forward to my first fill in 2 weeks.

Hey everyone, I'm 2 days post-op today & just had my 1st few sips of my Protein shake. Although it went down OK, I've been spitting up a lot of saliva for the past hour. I'm thinking perhaps I swallowed the shake too fast. I just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this. Also, the Dr says I have really good restriction now w/out the fill. I probably won't need a fill for a good while. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

The TJ bash is now a beautiful memory for all those who were lucky enough to attend. If you were unable to go, you may be looking at the post bash photos and posts with unbridled envy. Don't burn with frustration! Relief is in sight! Attend the Florida Bash, October 10-12. Come and hear a phenomenal group of speakers discuss such important and relevant topics as the emotional aspects of weight loss, plastic surgery following weight loss, and planning the right nutrition for weight loss surgery patients. If you haven't had the surgery yet, we have two local and talented Lap Band surgeons speaking about their successes with this tool. Bring the support person in your …

The TJ bash is now a beautiful memory for all those who were lucky enough to attend. If you were unable to go, you may be looking at the post bash photos and posts with unbridled envy. Don't burn with frustration! Relief is in sight! Attend the Florida Bash, October 10-12. Come and hear a phenomenal group of speakers discuss such important and relevant topics as the emotional aspects of weight loss, plastic surgery following weight loss, and planning the right nutrition for weight loss surgery patients. If you haven't had the surgery yet, we have two local and talented Lap Band surgeons speaking about their successes with this tool. Bring the support person in your …

did anyone attend the bandster retreat in Tijuana? Was it mostly Dr. Sanchez people? It sound like fun.

Hi, I am in Guymon, in the Oklahoma Panhandle, and I wondered if there were any fellow bandsters nearby? I belong to the following group, follow the link to the discussion board: www.oklabandsters.com

I'm one week post-op, and down 15 pounds according to my scale. While I'm very excited to see the numbers go down so quickly, I know that drop will slow (or even stop for a bit) once I start getting real food back into my diet. So when did you start "counting" your weight loss as pounds you'd officially lost - did you wait until after your first post-op appointment, or until you started solid food, or did you start counting it right away? (And am I nuts for even asking this?! )

I know we're not supposed to drink before or after meals for a certain time period (my doc said 15 minutes before, 1 hour after). My question is this: do we consider protein shakes a food or a drink? :ermm

........................program on my computer. It's called weightcommander and I love it. Maybe it's something people here might like. I also use the fitday website. Here's the website for weightcommander. http://www.weightcommander.com/index.html Here's a preview of weightcommander. http://www.weightcommander.com/screen1.html Hope you like it as much as I do.

Tonight a wave of nausea overcame me, and I freaked. I sure didn't want to throw up, but then, I wasn't too keen on using the Phenergan suppositories my doc prescribed in case of nausea! I walked around a bit and the feeling passed, but it keeps kind of coming and going. I'm not sure if it's truly nausea from overdoing it (I don't think so - all I've had over the course of the day is a Protein shake, 8 oz. of yogurt and about 3/4 cup of Soup [1/2 cup potato and 1/4 cup very finely pureed chicken and broth with pesto]) or if it's that hunger pain that's so bad it almost makes you feel like you're sick. So now I can't decide if I should try to eat anything else, or drin…

Hey everyone, I know I don't post much, but I sure read alot. I am to leave for the hospital in 5 hours. (I guess i should get some sleep.) I am just full of so many emotions it is unreal. I am excited, scared, worried and nervous. I am sure everything will be just fine, I have had laproscopic surgery before with no problems. It's just pre-surgey jitters. (Hoping to wake up from the anastesia (sp?)!) Anyway, I just wanted to vent some feelings to people who know where I'm at, and ask for a couple of prayers. Thanks for the vent time. I will post when I return as a BANDSTER. YEAHHH!!!

I am having my first fill on Tuesday. The local Dr. I am using charges $350.00 for first appt. They request that you stay in the office for about an hour and will do any adjustments for free while you wait. After you leave the office you have 48 hours to let them know if you think you need an adjustment. If you call within that 48 hour period they will schedule you for another visit approximately 10 days later and it will only be $100.00. If you do not call within the 48 hours you start over with another $350.00 fill. So here's my question. What will be the indicators to look for in those first 48 hours? Will the restriction loosen up like it did after surgery? …

I heard that if you have significant reflux prior to surgery, they wont band me, but they will offer the rny insteady because this surgery "cures" it. I don't want the rny. Anyone else have reflux and still get banded, any problems after?

hi everyone, I am still in the researching stage of banding, but really looking forward to having surgery before the end of this year. I am avidly reading as much of the posts as I can, and am getting worried about all the talk about exercise! I am currently about 310 lbs (5'8") and am so exhausted all the time. By the time I have cleaned up around the house, taken care of the kids, cooking etc, I am ready for bed again! My question is, how do you all find the energy, just after surgery, surviving only on liquids, and then mushy food, to go for mile long walks, and swimming and all the other things I am reading about? I am scared that I'll be shattered after the op…

If you haven't heard yet, come join us October 10-12 on the sands of Clearwater Beach for the 2003 Florida Bandster Bash. This will be a mix of fun and education, (stress on the fuN!!!!) and everyone is welcome to join us. Our website is www.floridabandsterbash.com and I am looking forward to meeting many of you there! Donna Valdes 2/21/03 Dr. Grossbard

I'm 2 weeks post-op and down 20 lbs. I thought I'd try some mush foods. I'v been drinking more than enough fluids. So I had about 4 tlbs of mashed potatoes slowly...got the Hiccups, I thought "I'm not suppose-to drink with meals", finally they passed. Then the next day I tried some cream-chicken soup, got the hiccups again this time I drank some water. The part thats wierd is the hiccups feel deep down my throat, I guess I'm alittle scared. As you guess I'm not going to eat today. But I'm wondering how normal is this. Thought I'd ask this forum before calling the doc. Vera

My husband is from Canada and we are thinking about moving there in a few months. I need to find a dr to do fills etc in Southern Alberta - we will be living in Lethbridge or Calgary - does anyone have any information? Even Montana would be OK because we would not be too far from the US border. I appreciate any help. Thanks Glenda

Does anyone have some favorite foods that tend to stay in the pouch longer before passing through the band? I've learned that the mushy food really DOES pass through faster and I get hungry faster as well. I'd love to hear what some of you eat that really makes you feel full and KEEPS you that way longer. I know the "protein first" rule and do my best to follow it. Just wanting to know what others have experienced once they are eating "normal" food. I'm still having trouble staying full for very long and want to be sure I'm eating what will help me keep that full feeling the longest. Thanks for your help!!!

I'm just wondering if anyone has any insights on something I'm thinking about. What if I do get approved for surgery by my insurance, and at some point down the road I need surgery to fix something like a slippage problem at a point where I'm at what the insurance company considers a normal weight? Would they typically cover a repair of a lap-band even though I no longer met any of their BMI type requirements? Thanks! Bob

I have been eating more than 3 meals a day because i spread them out over the day and eat smaller amounts. I know we are not supposed to do this but is it really bad to do? For Breakfast I had a hard boiled egg. For lunch today I had a few chicken strips with ranch. Then after about 3 hours I just had another hard boiled egg and will have dinner later on. Plus i try to get my sugar free pudding in at night. I am still not meeting my calorie requirements for the day although my Protein is great. Any ideas anyone on what your doing to keep yourself full during the day? Maybe I just need a 2nd fill.

Hey everybody, I am back and banded. I was supposed to be home yesterday, but when they did the upper GI, nothing was going through the band. They had me wait another day and try liquids to see how it went. Well, liquids go through but very slowly. I get extremely full on 2 ounces, and the doc said he didn't fill my band at all. Well, I'll tell you this isn't easy right now. I thought I'd be able to drink at least, but that is hard in itself. It's gonna take some getting used to BUT I know I am going to lose major weight these next 3 weeks. I can only have Clear Liquids and Protein shakes until then. I am drinking the original MetRx, chocolate and peanutbutter…

Everything went well... Great experience as far as Dr. McKernan and Advanced Surgery Center (suburban Atlanta) go. I was a little hesitant about not being in a hospital, but it was wonderful! I guess this means I'm officially on the "other side?!!" Thanks to those who have come before me, no big surprises -- pain is pretty much as expected -- left side and when I breathe... no terrible nausea because I kept seeing the words in my mind: baby sips! Going back to bed. Thanks for all your support. Elizabeth

If you've had your psych eval, what was it like? I've got mine coming up in a couple of weeks, and though I'm not worried about it (my husband thinks I should be! ), I'm really curious about it. What was it like? What kind of stuff did you discuss? My hubby and I were talking about how the appointment is three hours long, and I told him, "Wow! Three hours! That's a LOT of inkblots!" LOL