LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

ive had bad news-seems i have a cardi infection in the muscles near my heart and my cardiologist says i must wait for banding at least 2 months-im so bummed!!!!!! i had to call the dr yesterday and ask them to give my surgery date to someone else-this felt like one of the hardest things ive ever had to do....i have been waiting, excitedly and now this.but as my dr said i must be in tip top shape or complications-which i do not need.i quess 2 more months will not make that much of a difference-but will fill like a lifetime to me!pleusiry sounds like something really old fashion huh? to all with surgery for this week good luck you all will be in my thoughts-wishing it was…

I have to laugh because today I remembered a time when I joined Weight Watchers years ago. I remember thinking, "I've hit the 200 mark. I never thought I'd weigh this much!" Now, as I'm getting my ducks in a row for banding, I'm thinking how weird it will be to say, "I've hit the 200 mark. I never thought I'd weigh this LITTLE!"

Went to the Cardiologist last week and was told they found something wrong with my heart. :think I have aortic valve leakage, which means blood is flowing back into my heart and the heart is working harder to pump the blood to the rest of my body. The dr said I will eventually need a valve replacement and will be on medication for the rest of my life. I have to go for a stress test before they will let me know if I can still go ahead with the lap band. Not only do I have to deal with the heart condition, but deal with the fact that I may not be able to get banded. Does anyone out there know of someone who has this condition and was able to still get banded?

Well, I learned something today. I've always known that Protein makes you feel full longer, but today's events really brought it home to me. Since today was Saturday and I didn't have to drink my Breakfast in the car, I passed on the Protein Drink and had a yogurt for breakfast. Then right before we left on our outing I had a small cup of tomato Soup. Feeling good! Now, on Saturdays my family often eats lunch out wherever we happen to be. Well, we ended up at a takeout grill place that had absolutely nothing mushy on the menu. But I was hungry so I committed the ultimate Bandster BooBoo and had a milkshake. Well, this filled me up just fine, for a while. A couple of…

Is there anyone out there from WA?

I received my call today and my surgery will be at or around 10AM on Tuesday morning, 9/2/03.

I had surgery yesterday and went home last night. I never could have imagined it would be so easy (at least so far). I had a few sharp pains when I stood up last night, but other than that it only feels like I've done a few too many stomach crunches. My sister drove me around doing errands today and I've only taken regular adult liquid tylenol. I have no appetite and my doctor told me to take advantage of it and not to worry about getting in calories or Protein right now as I have enough stores. I'm drinking plenty of Water and Crystal Light, though. Anyway, I read many people posting about how the surgery was pretty easy and I thought they must be very brave and t…

OK, those of you on the full-liquid stage, here's a question. How much Soup do you consume at a meal? How big are your Protein shakes? I've been consuming approximately 12-14 ozs of either soup or shake at a sitting, and get plenty full. That's only slightly less than the amount I'd have before banding; it seems like a serving to me. Am I nuts? Should I actually be stopping at 8 ozs. and saying "enough"? Then what do you do with the rest of the can?

well i had my surgery on monday 8-18 and today is friday 8-22 and i am back to work. this was my surgery experience... i went friday for pre-op testing they did a chest x ray, ekg, bloodwork, and i met with the anesthesiolist. it took about 2 hours. i did only clear liquids till sunday night. i went to bed at 9:00 pm and was up at 5:30 to get to the hospital by 6:30. wehn i got ther they put me in a recovery room until 10 i was given a shot for nausea and 2 pills. they took me down to surgery at 10 and started an IV then i went to sleep! i woke and everyone was telling me i made it and to breathe!! i was hot and sweaty but they took off my warming blanket i also felt like…

Anyone else have a difficult time getting a fill? Took a long time to find the spot to inject and then had a difficult time inserting the needle - bent 2 of them. Now I feel no restriction at all - just like I never had a fill at all. This was my first one. This was not a good experience. Anyone else have a similar experience?

Hey all .. I see some familiar names in here! Please disregard this post if you see it on another fourm I am 6 weeks out and I have some questions on food phases. I was advised to stay on full liquids for 3 weeks, which I did pretty much without a hitch (hard to believe, but I did it.) Now I'm halfway through my soft foods stage .. I haven't been perfect, but I am doing very well with Carnation Instant Breakfast, scrambled eggs, SF yogurt, tuna, baked fish, etc. I am getting in all of my Protein and most of my Water. My question's this. I don't have a problem eating soft foods for the remaining two weeks, but I am not really losing weight either. In fact, I …

How about all of the NJ'ers that come aboard this board agree to meet in January 2005 to celebrate our successes? I'm thinking that 8 of us could probably go the TGIF or something and order 4 Quesadilla's appetizers for $4 each and be full Anyone game??

Alright folks, sorry I haven't been on much, working really hard these days. Anyway, this will be the last time I log on today, so I am bidding fairwell for now, and you all will meet the new me probably Saturday or Sunday. Tomorrow morning is finally my date. My thanks go out ot everyone here who has provided me with so much info. THANKS!!

Hi--I had a GREAT loss my first week after banding....17.4 pounds!! Of course I went from probably 3000 calories a day to 300 calories a day with protein supplement. My first week was 100% liquid. Now that I've almost finished my 2nd week and am eating "mushies" for the most part, I've gained a pound back! I am truly eating SOOOO much less than pre-banding that this just doesn't make sense. Do you think it is because my metabolism came to a screeching halt after only getting fluids for a week and it will take awhile to jump-start it again? I am only weighing myself once a week, but today was VERY bummed! I feel good and clothes already feel a tad looser, but that s…

I was banded on 8/12/03 at Hamilton Medical Center Dalton Ga. and things couldn't have gone better. There was minimal discomfort and I believe the gas has been the worst of it. I could eat jello first day and liquids. Day 4 I was mobile as in driving. I have had many concerns but they have been whether I have been to pushy with eating solid foods which go down fine now after 8 days. I was 276 at 5ft7 and I truely believe this band will help many people includung me. On insurance. Don't give up. Obesity is a chronic desease and with DR. approval and a lot of persistance they will come through. I have Accordia and Blue Cross I had no problem . My cost was 2960.00 Anxie…

hey Coloradans! I'm in Boulder and would love some "in person" meetings (lunch, a hike, shopping, whatevah!) with other band-folk. I can drive to other areas (Fort Collins, Greeley, Denver) to help make this wish come true. Post here or email me at BandedMay03@aol.com. Enthusiastically yours, Annette

Hi I am in Boulder Creek off HWY 9. I havent been able to attend any support meetings in SFO or San Jose, travelling has proven problematical, but I would dearly love to be able to find a group or other people 'this' side of HWY 17 Anyone ?? I was banded 03/19/03 -50 Janie

Does anyone have this same problem: It sometimes takes me an HOUR to feel full. Supposedly it should take 20 minutes, plus or minus a few. But I can eat and never really feel full or satiated until about an hour later. It's difficult for me to tell when to stop because of this. If I stick to the 1/2 cup, it usually isn't enough, but I'm never sure how much more to eat without overfilling. I've always been this way, which is probably part of the reason I always overate. I could sit and eat a HUGE amount of food and not feel too full.......until it hit later, then I was miserable! I just had my first fill and I am NOT drinking during a meal. Any suggestions or anyo…

I was banded in May. I lost about 19 pounds in the first two weeks on the liquid diet...and then stalled, even gaining five pounds back. Very discouraging, since it seemed like many others who got banded at the same time I did were losing much more. So I had a fill four weeks ago, and it didn't seem to make that much of a difference in what I could eat...BUT I had a weigh-in today and discovered I've gone down another 11 pounds in the past month! Wow, 11 pounds gone with hardly any effort...that's a first for me. The net weight loss now stands at 25 pounds, which seems about right for three months post-op. It is so exciting and such a relief to finally see the scale goin…

I'm offically an August Bandster! I had my surgery yesterday, Tuesday, August 26th at 7:30 AM, with Dr. Erlich in Norwalk, CT. Things went very smoothly with the surgery and recovery, though I did have a rough night sleeping (Through miscommunication at the hospital, the nurses and PAs said my doctor told them I could not use my CPAP machine. I therefore had a terrible night. Turns out my doctor never told anyone that and was disturbed to hear it!) I had my barium x-ray this morning (Wednesday) and was discharged by 10 AM! I'm not in much pain at all, just very tired. Hopeing to get back my strength in the next day or two - and looking forward to all the new discoveries a…

just wondering if anyone has experienced chest pressure after the surgery and how long does it last and what is it????? My chest gets really tight for a few seconds and then it passes. They told me is was from them blowing me up during surgery. How long does it last for?? Thanks for any info!!

I finally got insurance approval, and I've got all my testing done, except the psyc evaluation. My surgeon only uses one psychiatrist and big surprise she doens't participate with my insurance. I have to pay $300 for the two visits with her, and I have to take some test that is supposed to tell everyone how I will react to having surgery and losing weight. I guess what upsets me is that I dont' believe some stupid test is going to tell anyone what I will be like when I lose weight. And who decides what the right reaction is! What if the test comes back and someone doesn't like the results, does that mean I don't get to have surgery? I'm just frustratated and I want …

I went for my 1 week post op and got my staples removed !!! Yeah!! Feel 100% better. My dr. told me I could start having mushy foods. I was able to eat 2 scrambled eggs with cheese. Is that too much for the first time? I didn't have the usual full you get before the band; it was more of a chest painpressure. Is that the full feeling?? Any info would help!!! I have lost 11 lbs!!!!

Come on, I can't believe that there is no one from the Buckeye State on here!! Where is everybody at!! We need to get this local support moving. Surely there's someone out there.

Yep, my surgery is on August 27 - that's the day after tomorrow, YIKES!!!!! :nervous I'm starting to get just a little nervous. What if I can't handle the adjustment, what if I'm one of the small percentage of people who don't lose weight with the band, what if, what if, what if. AACK!!!! I'll get through this and succeed, right?!

Hi Everyone, I'll be having my psych eval on 8/26. I was wondering what to expect. All I know about it is that it will take 2 hours (that's what the psychologist told me when I made the appointment)....I think I'm psychologically stable (I have my up's and down's like everyone else). I've only ever been for counseling once (when my brother committed suicide, 10 years ago). Any input would be appreciated! Marsha

Hi Everybody, When I was looking for a doctor to do my psych eval, one of them told me it would only take half an hour to an hour. In reading posts on different forums it sounds like 2-3 hours is more realistic. Anyone know what the difference is and does it really matter in the long run? I know there is a personality test that some docs require, but is it necessary?

I was banded on August 20, 2003!! Just one more to the growing list!!

i will not be able to post again until i return on thursday! i will give a full update when i return!!!!! i cant wait to be 'on the other side' good luck to those getting banded between now and when i return... i'am not nervous just having the butterflies in the stomach... SOOOOO EXITED!!!!!!! michelle 325-319-150

i was banded monday and at times i will get a pain just beneath where i belive my band to be. it feels like something is trying to get out! or sometimes when i am talking or move a certain way i feel EXTREME PRESSURE thats the only way i can think to describe it. i havent been able to burp except teeny ones that give no relief. i have taken 7 gas x since monday. should i call my doc? i am having no problems drinking Protein shakes, Jello, broth and Water. maybe the area is just so swollen it wont let anything come up? can you burp post op after you are healed on a day to day basis. not a PB just a normal burp? michelle

Hi there! I was just banded eight days ago, and I've been having major problems with keeping any liquid down at all. If I even drink more than a teaspon of water within a ten to fifteen minute span, I get unbearable pains in my stomach, and slightly nautious. But here comes the really bad part....I know my stomach can't handle more than a teaspoon, but I just get so dang thirsty, and that icy cold 'riptide rush' gatorade bottle is at my parched lips, and that teiny weiny little teaspoon of liquid just doesn't do it for me, so I tip the bottle back slowly and drink a little more (mabe only 1 & 1/2 teaspoon more), and as I'm doing this, I know dang well than in a second…

I HAVE NOTICE THAT FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS I BEEN REAL CONSTIPATED, ESPECIALLY IN THE EVENING, IN THE MORNINGS I TRY TO DRINK A LITTLE ORANGE JUICE AND THAT HELPS, BUT AT NIGHT I FEEL THAT I NEED TO GO AND I AM VERY CONSTIPATED, THE SUGGESTED DUCOLOX SUPPOSITORIES, I DO TAKE THEM BUT I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THEM EVERYNIGHT, I'LL TAKE THEM LIKE MAYBE 3X'S A WEEK, ANY SUGGESTIONS WHAT SHOULD I TAKE.....

I WAS TOLD TO TAKE 2 FLINSTONES VITAMINS A DAY, IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT OR SHOULD I INCREASE SINCE I AM 5 WKS POST-OP, OR IS THAT A GOOD AMOUNT EACH DAY?

I just had this procedure done on Monday 8/11/03 its now thursday and I am so uncomfertable. I cant sleep laying down, I have to sit up, my back and my shoulder hurt like hell. And my chest hurts everytime I take a sip of anything. And it also hurts when I breath in deeply. Is this all normal? Each day that has passed I have gotten a bit better, but I was just wondering when do I start feeling better? When do I stop feeling pain and discomfert?

I went to my first support group meeting today (I'm getting banded on the 27th) and it was great. This is a group that is just getting started and today was the first meeting so there were only 6 people there, but I feel more comfortable with a small group anyway. We are hoping the group will grow. Anyway, it was so encouraging. Three of the people there looked great - thin! Two others were still losing. There was a time when I was considering rny, had the surgery scheduled in fact. I went to an rny support group meeting and it scared the heck out of me. The lady next to me was 11 months post-op and said she was only beginning to feel OK. Many of the people l…

My husband and I went down to Burlingame, CA yesterday (about 65 miles from our home in Santa Rosa, CA) and met with Dr. Li for his initial consult. My hubby has been going back and forth between rny and lapband for a couple of months. Dr. Li laid all of the info out on both operations. I was sure Andrew (my husband) was going to choose the rny, but after a day to think everything over, he just called to tell me he has chosen to go the lapband route. I am so pleased. He knew I would support him either way, but deep-down I really wanted him to get the band. We have a friend who got a band a couple of years ago and has done a fantastic job of both losing the weight an…

I have two questions. I'm 5 days banded. How long was it til you noticed extra energy or the need for less sleep? The second question is the side of my tummy with the port is obviously larger than the side without? Is that normal?

i have been on these boards for about a month sometimes getting some really good info about the bands(i'm just now changing insur and doing research) and i thought that i would really get some good info from certain people(i will not name names) and put them on my buddie list and pm them from time to time with ?'s and to wish them good luck on their journey...well iv'e gotten no response from any of them....maybe they felt that i was bothering them...then i asked myself isn't what this board is about...sharing the experiences that u have had with newbies like me? I will go on record to say that if i do get to have this surgery i will help anyone i can whether they are a n…

Hi there, i have had my band 7 months now and the last couple of months have been very hard due to personal problems. I am an addmitted emotional eater, this is why i decided to have the surgery to help stop the loss of control when times got hard. However it seems that when i get emotional i still eat excessive amounts, the only thing different is that i can make my self throw it all up in the end. Sometimes this happens twice to three times a day. my best friend says that this could lead to bulimia, that scares me. Is there any one else who has experinced the same loss of control? Any help will be greatly appreciated.:think

So far I haven't told too many people about my lapband plans, because each time I have it's a huge ordeal. As soon as I mention "surgery" and "weight loss" in the same sentence the reaction is immediately negative. I have to explain 1) why I've concluded I need surgical assistance, 2) what a bypass actually is, and 3) what the Band is and--more importantly--what it is NOT. By the time I'm done my listener has come around, but it's hardly worth the effort required so I stopped bringing it up at all. But when I start losing weight, people are going to notice. When they ask how I'm doing it I don't want to say "surgery" because that will just start the whole q & a up a…

Help !!! I am stuck on a long plateau. I was banded on 12/12/02 and have lost 68 lbs. 8 months. In the first 5 months I lost 58 lbs. In a 3 month period I have only lost 10 lbs. I have had 3 fills. Can't remember the date of the first fill but it was appx. 6 weeks after surgery. The second fill was May 22 and the third just recently on August 6th. The second fill and the third were pretty bad. They had alot of trouble finding the port. I wondered (and still do) if they might have done something BUT all fills were done with xray (Dr said everything was great) and I have restriction. My appx daily food : Breakfast : Protein Drink 50 grams (sometimes added coffe…

Hi everyone, First, thanks to everyone for the support and kind thoughts! I'm sure y'all will understand if I don't respond immediately to PMs or e-mail--this is not going to be a big day for computer work. So everything went smoothly! I'm a bad patient, though, and can't stand the aftereffects of anaesthesia. That was the worst part, the fuzzy-headedness of yesterday. I was home by 2:00 p.m., and spent the rest of the day nodding off like a heroin addict. Yuck! I'm skipping the pain meds today, phooey. Surgery was the easy part, really. The crap they gave me to drink for the x-ray test afterward was pure poison--not barium but something safer. I almost barfed a…

Well I have a 5 yr old from my first relationship, and now me and my husband have been trying for the past 2yrs and nothing. My husband wants a baby since he has never had any kids. Well now that I am banded, I have been off birth control for the past 2yrs, and now being banded I was thinking of getting back on birth conrol, but my husband dosen't want me to, he says if I get pregnant that's so GREAT, since we have been trying for the past 2yrs, so I am so confused, I do want another baby bad, but the doctor suggest we wait 12-18mths, but like it was mentioned earlier, their has been people who has gotten pregnant after being banded 2mths and everything is good, so I don'…

I have GERD and IBS and will have to go to Mexico for the surgery so I am concerned about complications. Did any of you have similar circumstances before surgery and if so, how did it go? Anything unusual after surgery? Thx Much!

I am pre-banded, consut on 8/12/03 with Dr Geiss. I was wondering on average how often do you need to get a fill? I know that everyone is different, but was curious about how often I could expect to need one. Thanks.... :cry

I'm in Salt Lake City. There are currently 2 doctors I am aware of that do lap band surgery in Utah. Dr Hansen and Dr Alldredge at Alta View. The first Dr to do them in Utah was Dr. McKeen in Payson but he's recently moved out of Utah. To the best of my knowlege these dr.s are it. I was more than impressed with my experience. Both dr.s are very supportive and their office staff is top notch. Kuddos to both of them and extra kuddos to Charlene in their office. She sailed my info through my insurance company in less than two weeks. I started in Dr McKeens office and had been working through them for 5 months and Charlene got done in two weeks what Dr McKeens office…

I was wondering if anyone else was advised to have only Clear liquids for the first 4 weeks? I am not supposed to have soft foods until week 6 and then at week 9 I can start real food but I am only supposed to have 1 oz. (1/8 cup) 3 times a day. It has been driving me crazy! I want to chew!! But when I look at 1/8 cup it hardly seems worth it. I asked the patient advocate why the diet was so strick and she said they want to get the weight off as fast as possible to trick the body. Apparently the body realized it is starving and starts holding on to every little bit of weight it can. I should mention that I am drinking 3 Protein shakes a day and taking Vitamin a…

Have any of you experienced this? If so, how have you handled it? I'm pretty tight right now and if I'm not careful I'll eat something that is too easy to eat and not the best choice. I'm not too tight, some days are just perfect but it's the other days that I need support with! Thanks!

I had my 3 week post-op appointment today. It's already time for a fill! My dietician told me that occasionally, usually after about 3 fills, some people get TOO restricted and can't even drink liquids. At that point, I am to call the doctor immediately. I'll do that if necessary, but just wanted to know if anyone has actually experienced that? Scares me!! Hopefully my first fill will just restrict me enough that I can start a steady weight loss.

This was my second fill in less then a week. Normally the MD makes you wait a week before fills, but since I had no restriction and both of us are going on vacation he allowed me to come back today. This time I watched and learned some interesting facts. The MD inserted this long but thin needle into my port. The syringe was EMPTY. The way he knew that he hit the port was the Fluid in the port is UNDER PRESSURE. The instant he hit the port, the saline started to back into the syringe until it filled the syringe to 1cc (the amount that I had during my first fill.) Then the doctor removed the syringe and left the needle protruding from my stomach (you don't feel anyt…