LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

nicky we all stumble and fall but you need to get right back up!when i made this choice a few months ago i did some drastic lifestyle changes-gave up those cokes and desserts which is still really hard for me and i have lost over 40 lbs-i love to eat and eat massive amounts but i knew i must prepare myself and so far the battle has been a struggle but im overcoming it.im set for september 11- and counting the days -yipeeeeeeee-im so nervous but i have to do this.im sure this tool will help me so much more!thank god for this site it helps me so much to overcome the nerves and fears.i love it and hopefully will make tons of new friends!im so sorry for all your troubles lat…

Hi everyone, Well let's just say that for me the last few weeks have been a nightmare. My uni is stuffing me around in regards to enrollment and marks (still working on that one), my marriage was really rocky there for a while (I wonder if this has to do with the band?) but we went to counselling for that one which helped. I had a huge falling out with someone and from that have lost a group of what I thought was close friends (but am kind of over that one) and this time last Thursday my beautiful Molly dog drowned and died. As I'm a mood eater how do you not binge? Now I've had a fill today so that should make some difference. But I have been bad and have been eating…

Last week, I went to my doctors office for my first fill. After a 2 hour plus wait, he finally saw me. Apparently everyone in the office was scheduled at the same time. After 6+ attempts, my doc was not able to do the fill and I am scheduled to go to the hospital this week to have it done with flouroscopy. I am a little bit frightened since the in-office thing was done without pain killer or numbing agents. I was sweating bullets through the whole visit! Will they give me numbing at the hospital?. They are only giving me 1.25 CC. I have no restriction now whatsover, so I guess I was wondering if this would even give me any restriction at all. So many questions!!! -35 an…

I have been trying to get in as much Protein as I've been told. I do drink my Protein shake in the morning which has 20 grams and then I've been trying to do the chicken salad or some type like that. I keep getting yelled at that im still in this mushy food phase but I really have a hard time eating chicken lately. I don't like fish so that's not an option. I post on the other board and they tell me im stuck in the mushy food phase and I need to eat more solid protein, but it truly makes me pb within a few minutes of eating it, even if i chew well. I've been doing chilli for lunch but they say that is too liquidy (not a word) as well. Help people I am eating things that i…

Hi, i just wanted to share a very delicious brand of soymilk it's from the company http://www.vitasoy-usa.com/ethnic/ you can buy in most asian markets. It's really really tasty and very popular with us chinese.

So far so good - I am still on liquids, with a few well chewed crackers thrown in. My doctor, the only one in Western Canada doing lapband surgery, is very strict and expects his patients to stay on Clear Liquids for 40 days! I am following a modified version of that - I have all of the clear liquids I want, a yoghurt a day and crackers (saltines). The first few days were easy - everything hurt so hunger wasn't an issue. But now...I never realized how many commercials, billboards and magazine ads were food related! I have slipped a little here and there and even had a PB with melba toast. Actually, I was freaked but happy - it meant that there really is a band in there!…

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6393607.htm The Miami Herald put this article out which really upset me. The way they portray the band makes me understand why insurance companies dont want to cover the procedure and whay some people believe it does not work....I mean, if the paper says this, it must be the truth....right? They should really do some real research before they make such a negative portrayl of something that could be so valuable. Anyway, just wanted to vent. Thanks! ~Dawn (preband, still researching) ....if I were at the beginning of research, an article like this would have steered me in the bypass lane.

Hi all from Madison, Wisconsin. I am so happy to have found this site and am learning so much.

I had my first fill today of 1cc. I didn't look and I didn't feel anything. Nothing. Didn't even know when it was over. My port is very close to the skin and you can easily feel it with your fingers. I didn't have any anesthetic. The doctor told me to have liquids for a day. But when I got home, without thinking (of course) I reached for a string cheese and ate it without any problem and didn't even think about it until after I ate it. I don't think I have any restriction. The good news is that my MD will allow me to get a fill every week until I reach that SWEET SPOT! He will be on vacation next week so he will allow me to come this Friday (5 days) for another fill…

I have read a few posts about the saline and where does it go so... The tube and the tube in the band are all one long tube. If 1cc goes in the port it is all throughout the entire band. Not just the small part that goes around the band. So a fill of 1.5cc is always in the whole tube not just the diameter of the band. The fill size is talking about the whole tube. Susan

My surgery date is just under 4 weeks away, and this is finally starting to seem real. For the last year I've never had a single doubt that this is the right step to take, and I still feel that way--in daylight hours. And yet... Sometimes when I can't sleep unwelcome thoughts occur. For example, I haven't had any surgery in the last 19 years and the very idea of general anesthesia scares me. The picture of my abdomen being inflated by gas I will later have to expel is unappealing, to say the least. My DH has now come around, but when I started researching WLS he thought I was nuts for considering going under the knife for anything less than a life-or-death scenario. …

just wondering if any of you have done adtkins post op??? since the dr.'s say to get protien then veggies then carbs i would imagine that it would be an easy diet to follow. i have been doing adtkins pre op and my main problem is the quantity it takes to keep me full. i am sick of meat and cheese and especially eggs. but i think if i am only able to eat a 1/2 cup of food it wont be as hard. i get my surgery date TOMMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am so exited. it should only be 3 weeks or less according to the dr's office! my first goal will be to lose 50 pounds by christmas? thanks is advance! michelle

i have benn newly banded 4 days ago every thing is fine on the liquid diet and am drinking plenty of fluids, but my mouth stays really dry adn at night time it makes me cough and that doesnt feel too good any suggestions thanks lisaru2

I was just wondering if anyone knows of any new studies done on the lapband that I can get to online? Whenever someone quotes statistics about the band, it is always from the FDA clinical studies that were a fiasco. I know there are other studies done worldwide, but I don't have links to them... Thanks!

Clothes swap for Colorado WLS patients!

On Saturday, August 16th, I'll be attending a lunch in Castle Rock for folks who have had (or are interested in) WLS. There will be RNY-ers, DS-ers, and I'm interested in increasing the number of Lap Banders so I don't get teased too much Email me if you want to carpool (BandedMay03@aol.com) or just show up, okay? Where: Pegasus on Plum Creek 313 Jerry Street, Castle Rock (303) 688-6746 When : noon on Saturday, August 16, 2003 :banana

I'm a counselor and I am interested in hearing where everyone is emotionally. I found myself the week before banding saying goodbye to all the things I love to eat. I was kind of sad. Since surgery I have this anxiety that it is not going to work, even though it is working. I wonder if it is the years of disappointing diet attempts and all the feelings of failure that I stuffed away with food while I looked for a new diet. Feedback?

Does anyone know of a list of fill doctors in Florida? Who do you use in the Tampa area? Im in Central FL and was banded in Mexico. Im early into the process but was just looking for info for the future. I do wish I were closer, so I could take advantage of your support groups! Thanks!

What was the hardest thing you had to adjust to after you were banded? I am in the very early stages of trying to get approved for the band so it is all I can think about.

Dear Bandster friends, I went to my doctor for my first fill today. My doc tried 6x to fill with 1.25 cc with no success. Said I would have to go to hospital for him to do it there with flouroscopy. I was so depressed.....Waaaaaah! Although my progress has been good, 31 lb in 7 weeks, it has been based solely on willpower and exercise since I have no restriction whatsoever. ANy suggestion on what I can do til fill time. I am getting hungrier and hungrier!:think :sick :sick :think :straight :cry

hey everyone! i have a wonderful idea for making sugar free slushies...it stems from me at home i make regular koolaide but instead of using sugar to sweeten i use splenda... 1. take 1 package of koolaide and add 1 1/2 quarts of Water. mix well. (the ice you add will make up for the water you are leaving out!) 2. get out your blender and ice and blend make as thick or runny as you like! sweeten with splenda or other sweetner! 3. pour and enjoy! this works best if you make as much as you will drink in 1 - 2 servings. since koolaide is so cheap you can pour out what you dont drink or if you have kids share! michelle

Can you have coffee or tea "on the other side?" Haven't had the dietary consultation yet, and I'm really curious about this. Thanx!

I WILL BE BANDED ON AUGUST 18!!!!!! YAHOO!! THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE EVER POSTED AND CONTINUE TO. THE PERSONNAL STORIES YOU ALL HAVE SHARED HAVE HELPED ME TREMENDOUSLY! MICHELLE

I've been reading lots of posts here and elsewhere from people who say they've "hit a wall" and "need to get back on the program," and who sound frustrated and angry at themselves. I say to those people: stop beating yourself up!! Active weight-loss mode is not a normal state of being for the human body, and I think your body is telling you something when this happens. It's saying "slow down, take a break, let me recover." Of course I may feel differently about this when it happens to me , but part of getting banded for me is that I hope to be able to counteract negative feelings by realizing that I've got a new plan of attack this time. The cool thing about the band …

I am researching the lap band surgery in CT. Has anyone used Dr. Barba or Dr. Valin??? What was your experience like? Any good or bad about either physician or hospital they use?? Thank you.

Another quickie! My drs office said it will take 2 weeks to get his letter dictated and sent to the ins co. and then surg will be scheduled if all is well up to 6mo ahead! How much badgering on my part is usually needed:) Or should I just let them do their thing? Seanmama

Banded on 7/1/03 and first fill not scheduled until 8/12/03. Wedding in Sept and have to respond with food choice now. I have no idea what I' ll be able to eat or not. My choices are prime rib, chicken cor don bleau(?sp), stuffed baked scrod, and eggplant parmesarin(?sp) I'm leaning toward to the fish-what do you think?

I just discovered that my surgeon's post-op instructions suggest a way of making my own liquid Protein supplement. It's essentially Egg Beaters and milk mixed with ice that can be flavored with juice concentrate. This sounds pretty good to me, actually--sort of a takeoff on the old Orange Julius--and I was wondering if anyone has tried it? For those of us with thyroid conditions it might be a great alternative to powdered protein supplements, which seem to be mostly soy-based. If I'm to be the first guinea pig I'll let you know how it goes!

I am not a big pork and bean person...never bought them other than to make calico beans....tonight I was sitting here hungry after working 14 hours on my girls outside bamboo fort and chicken plugged me up today....cheese plugged me....I had no time to make anything else....and as I am sitting her I am sooo hungry for something...but want protein! So....you pork n bean peoples....what brand is the bomb as far as p n b's can be?? And oh yea...can they be froozen??? Thanks~! Dawn

Hi all, My husband had the Lap-band surgery 8/02/03, 9 days ago. He told me last night that the port site was "warm". It indeed is. Not hot or red, but warmer than the rest of his stomach. Anyone else have this occur? He doesn't have a fever or pain. Thanks for any input.

Please email me if you are interested in a Birmingham fill doctor. gypsyqueen1968@yahoo.com

Yesterday I had an experience that caused me very real hurt and anger. Here's what happened: I recd a letter from my father-in -law who lives in another state and who is single and fairly elderly. It was just a note to tell me about something rather inconsequential; at the end there was a PS saying "good luck with your operation". Well, since I don't plan on any surgery other than lapbanding, I concluded that this is what he meant. However, I had no plans to anounce my surgery to anyone other than my very closest family and friends and certainly NOT my Father in Law! I suspected that my husband had told him.(I confronted him the second he walked thru the door upon get…

had lap band surgery last oct at nyu am living in west palm beach now and would like to find a doctor in area for fills and follow up if necessary so i don't have to go to nycity as often it is easiest to cantact me directly at ritalbc@aol.com as i'm a little confused on how to use this website it seems great but a little technical for me i don't understand some of the codes and terms regards to all my fellow bandsters!!!! it's slow but steady!!!

Can anyone tell me where their ports are and can you request a certain area? I heard some are near the sternum and others are near the abdomen. Thanks

Does anyone know of a support group formed in upstate NY? I live between Rochester and Syracuse, NY, but don't know of anyone in my area to meet with or discuss things with or have a support system with. Help! Barb Dr. Sanchez 8/1/03 249/238/140

Goodmorning to all This A.M. Protein drink in hand I sit here reading the forums. I kept reading about something called pd's. I guess I am just not understanding what that means except that it does not sound good. The reason I ask is that I have these crazy hiccups I get when I eat , usually right at this time I know I am done. I even hiccup drinking liquid sometimes. My family says it is my sign that I am full. I spoke with my doctor about this (can be embarrassing when you are out) and he said it was fine. Nothing comes up, no pain, nothing. Just 3 to 4 strong, loud hiccups, then they just stop. Can this be the pd's ? and something I need to be concerned …

menstrual cycle? I used to take 3 tylenol gel tablets, or 2 midols, Can we take midols or what is best to take during this time?

I do not know if I can make it back to Mexico for a fill. Too busy at work. Anyone know of fills docs within driving distance of New York? Thanks, Susan

I just checked out our chat function, and it seems pretty simple. I've only used chat rooms before on occasion, so I'm no expert. One other board I'm on has an open one all the time, and when someone is in there he or she posts a note on the general board so others can see and chat if they like. Does that sound like a good idea? I don't mean that we should set specific chat times--although that can work too, of course--but that if anyone is online and wants to start a chat they should post a notice to that effect and then stay available in the chat room for the next ten minutes or so to give others a chance to join. I'll get the ball rolling, I guess. SO: I'm in the…

Help, I mean it. I really need your help. You know I'm 12 days banded and I mentioned that my left side is quite a bit bigger than my right. I went to the Dr on the 9th day. He looked at it and didn't think it was a big deal. Swelling from the surgery. Every day it seems to get bigger and bigger. It's to the point where it looks like I'm pregnant on one side. I can press on the right side of my tummy and it's soft a squishy just like normal but the left side has a big softball sized hard lump in it. Did anyone else experience this or should I be on the phone to my surgeon 1st thing in the morning? What do ya think?

To anyone who has used these doctors-----any info, advice, suggestions, tidbits...anything would be greatly appreciated! I know that you have to pay upfront at the OMC. I have requested info. Just looking for experienced info =)! Thanks ~Dawn

I hear a lot about how it's easy to "eat around" the band and therefore defeat its purpose. But from where I sit, eating around the band sounds like more work than just not eating at all. If understand it correctly (and please, let me know if I'm getting this wrong), when the band is properly restricted eating too much too fast leads to PAIN and DISCOMFORT. OK, so a milkshake might go down better than a burger or lasagna, but what if I don't WANT a milkshake? I'm not going to go make or buy one just because I know it's going to go down. I may be sad about the burger or lasagna I can no longer wolf down, but that's not necessarily going to make a liquid dessert sound goo…

I recently heard about Zonegran, a new drug that may help with weight loss. Here's an article about it and another drug called Axokine that makes it sound promising: http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/63/71964.htm Now obviously, these weight loss drugs are still too new to be sure if they will be useful to MO patients. I'm surely glad I got the band! But such developments give me hope that in 5 or 10 years there may be some amazing advances in curing obesity without surgery. Perhaps something that will make it easier than it is with the band. If that is the case, I will be grateful that I chose the band instead of the RNY or DS. If some easier method of weight con…

I am so looking forward to my fill on Friday. This week I started on normal foods and I've put back on about 3 and a half pounds. From surgery I have lost just over 13 pounds so I don't feel too bad. Well I do but am focusing on the loss I have made. Got to keep on that bright side! Anyway am really just venting and blabbing away.

I was banded on 7/28/03. My Dr. has done over 600 lap bands. I was doing very well for the first 4 days on the liquid. But on the 5th 6th and 7th day I have eaten soft solids chewed very well but to day is my 7 th day after banded and I don't feel the same restriction as I did on the first few days. I have been drinking lots of water with and in between meals I believe I'm emptyin my pouch to soon I also chew my food to a puree and then sawallow. I am not due for and fill for another 3 to 5 weeks. Has anyone out who truthfully ate some solids during the lidquid phase and Once you got your fill you had restriction again? I don't beleieve I strechted my pouch but i a…

I know we are supposed to stay away from carbonated drinks, especially non-diet ones, but it is so hard not to drink a diet coke every once in awhile. I was wondering if any of you still drink them. Has your doctor given you a reason why he/she does not approve of them? I think I read once about the carbonation swelling the pouch or something, but I wondered what everyone else thought. I was banded at the end of April and have lost about 30 pounds. I had virtually no restriction, and had a 1/2 cc fill yesterday. I do notice a difference. Thanks for your input! Wendy:)

Hi Everyone, I just got my 3rd fill and am up to 2.2cc in my 4cc band. Tonight for dinner I ate a hamburger patty with cheese, two slices of tomato and 4 slices of canned peaches. Is this a good amount to be eating? I am wondering if I am at my sweet spot- although I know I won't know until I see if I start losing weight at about 2 lbs per week. Just wondered what everyone else was eating. Can you give me examples and amounts? Thanks! Shannon

The nurse at my doctor's office told me that I may not be able to have the band done as I have had several ab surgeries before. I have the class on August 19th then will have my appointment with the surgeon within the next two weeks after. I plan to have surgery, if insurance approves, in October or November. The nurse told me that because of scar tissue that I may not be able to have this done. I just wondered if anyone else has had this done with previous surgery in the ab?

Hi Leo, I just saw you post regarding the Swedish band. You noted having read about redesign. Where and when did you read this? Any info is appreciated! BTW...awsome website Dude!

Dr Borao wants a psychiatric evaluation done (among other thing) before submitting to my insurance. My plan does not cover this and the Psychologist that he gave me is quite expensive, he did say I can use any licensed or registered Psychologist or Psychiatrist. My husband has a friend who is a licensed Psychologist in NY who after speaking with me has determined I am sane :banana and that I researched the band in depth and I understand the work involved to be successful as well as the risks involved. I believe this is what the insurance company is looking for. The thing is he has never done a pre surgical evaluation before and is not sure what to write or include…