LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

Anyone now of a CT lap-band support group?

I would really like to have the lap band surgery but hear that the gastric bypass is more effective. Can people who have had the lap band let us know if the weight loss is steady? I understand lap band is usually 1 - 2 lb weight loss per week. Is that correct? I dont mind if it takes longer just as long as it comes off and stays off. I would appreciate some feedback from those who have had the lap band. Thanks, Joanne

My husband and I are both considering the band. He has 175+ pounds to lose and I have about 75. He has his first consult with Dr. Li in Burlingame, CA in a couple of weeks and is really excited. I, on the other hand, am trying to get pregnant right now and don't think it is the right time for WLS. After I am done with having babies, I will be more open to having surgery. By the way, if anyone here has had infertility issues related to PCOS on this board, I would love to talk to you in particular. My husband's main concern right now is whether or not to go with the band or RNY. Of course, insurance is more likely to cover the RNY, a story many of you have heard a mill…

I'm having my first fill in a week or two and I am wondering if I have to request how many CC's of fill I want. When I called the radiologist office they said the DR would do some sort of laproscopy something to determine just where the band was placed and how big my stoma was. With a 9mm swedish band what should I expect for a first fill? I'm thinking maybe 3cc's? Anyway in 3 weeks I have lost 18lbs. 14 of that the first week. I can eat enything right now and am just back to dieting until I get the fill. After the 2nd week I was feeling no restriction at all.

This Friday I graduated from a complete liquid diet to a pureed or mushy/soft food diet. I had some baby food, apple sauce and Farina until this evening in small portions. Tonight I decided to try mashed fish and mashed potatoes. The fish and potatoes went down without any problems. I chewed everything really well and took my time. When I finished I felt like I was stuffed. I think I had too much mashed potatoes and fish. Are there any guidelines as to HOW MUCH I should be eating per meal ?

I had my first (I am pre-band) consultation today with Dr. Borao and he said that insurance companies do not cover fills. He does them under Flouroscope and that they pay for the radiologist but not the fill Doctor. He charges $250.00 I am curious to know what others pay to see if this is the norm.

I was banded Friday 07/18/03 and have been doing the liquid diet since. I am starving! My stomach is growling constantly. Can I add low fat yougurt, cream based soup (low fat milk) fat/sugar free pudding to my diet? My MD office closed on Tuesdays......I dont want to go to pureed foods just yet....I do get the golf ball sensation when drinking liquids occasionally but dont feel full when that happens. I havent felt full. Any advice.....I dont want to push it. Have I mentioned I am starving???????????

Well I am happy, I just experienced my first PB. I wasn't experiencing much restriction lately so I thought I would switch over to solid foods. In the morning I ate some schrimp and eggs. Then now around 3.15pm I ate some rice and veggies and pork. I ate 3 bites of rice and then was happily chewing along on a piece of pork. Everything was fine. But then disaster struck, I couldn't swallow the food, it was just stuck in my throat. I got the hiccups so I tried to use some water to wash everything down. Bad idea!!!! It didn't want to go down the bottom so It went the other way!!! Up my throat. I threw up once, felt a little better but still felt like something was stuck. So …

Hi all, Here's a question for everyone. I've read many people say that they only eat when the stomach growls. I abide by that rule, also. Well, I try to! My question is this: What do you do when you're going out to dinner and the dang tummy doesn't want to growl???? Do you not eat or get something small? I know "don't eat a couple of hours before" will be a common response. But what to do if you haven't and you're still not making noise?? Thanks for your input!

hi i amd scheduled for surgery in mexico with dr joya and am having trouble finding a followup doctor for fills when i get back to missouri . does any one know of any docs for aftercare in mo of southern ill.

I got my band on Monday, today is Wednesday. My tummy growls all the time. Not the upper part where it's still tender, but the lower part that's used to eating 24/7. Did this happen to you? Also I feel like I have gas too. Anybody else have this?

I had the weirdest thing happen to me (it has kind of bothered me before but nothing like today). I had a cupaccino and had the froth off the top and after the 2nd mouthful of frothy milk I had that gagging golf ball feeling. It took about 5 mins to go away. Ridiculous! I can eat food but can't have the froth off a coffee????? My god that feeling is scary! How on earth do you deal with it if it's food? I've been lucky so far that I haven't had that happen or that I have thrown up. I'd just like to keep it that way if I can.

I had my first consultation with Dr. Borao and I have to go to a gastroentorologist for a Esophogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) it was explained to me that they put a tube w/ camera down you're throat to check the esophogus, stomache, and part of intestine for abnormalities specifically ulcers. This is done while sedated He says it is routine for all WLS patients of his. I had heard about the upper GI series where you drink the chalky liquid but not this procedure. Has anyone had this done, is it very bad I am nervous about this...

Hi. This is my first time here in this site. I'd like to know if Lap Band if right for me. I am 5'3 and weigh 200 lbs. I do not have any health problems and all if fine health wise. How do I know if this proceedure is right for me? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks, Lettie

I'm having sharp massive gas pains in my upper left shoulder. Normally I'd think I'm having a heart attack but I was warned about this by my doctor. I had my surgery 10 days ago. Is this normal ? What can I take to stop the pain ?

I have several meds that I took before my surgery that I took for various problems and now they don't seem to be working anymore does anyone have any solutions or has anyone else experieced this problem. thank you

I'm having trouble taking the liquid Vioxx that was prescribed for my anti-inflammatory post-surgery. It's giving me quite an upset stomach and is going right through me, if you know what I mean!! I also took Wellbutrin prior to surgery, but it is NOT recommended that it be crushed or cut, which I MUST do now that I'm freshly banded. Does anyone else out there have any recommendations? Anyone who used to take Wellbutrin that might know of a substitute since it doesn't come in liquid form? I got a new one (lexapro) from my doctor, but it REALLY made my stomach upset! I know my doctor will prescribe something from me, but I like to hear from people who have experience…

hi i was just wondering if anyone knew of any doctors in the state of missouri that did fills . iam going to mexico for the lapband surgery but need a doctor for fills and aftercare please help me if you can . i am an hr south of st louis.

I am almost 5 weeks out of having my lap band surgery with stapples and struggle on a daily basis it seems with constant ache in my upper part of my stomach where my band would be and for the most part the pain runs straight back into my back as well... Does anyone else struggle with at at all? This feeling is very hard to convey over the computer but if there is atleast one person out there that might have this same ache and pain that I feel and could help me out I would really appreciate it. Thanks

newyouwmc.com, Dr. Snow (Decatur)......but these are just names I have heard from other support groups and have no experiences with either. ~Dawn (preband, still researching)

I can pull up Spotlight Health and click on Morbid Obesity but when I try to click on Support Groups it tells me that the page can't be displayed. Has anyone else had this problem today?

Hello everyone! :banana Is anyone planning on going to TJ at the end of August, beginning of Sept for a fill? I would be interested in meeting in SanDiego to treck over the boarder. Take care... Amy

I just want to share how thankful I am that the band arrived when it did. For the very first time in my life I feel like I might have the help I have always needed, and that the second half of my life might be lived in the 'normal' world. That is, normal without constant stress, feelings of deprivation, self-loathing, and failure. I think I really might have a guardian angel.

I'm not sure how to put a picture on here. Can anyone help me?

I have a silly question...I've been having dreams latley that after my surgery I would be able to feel the band in my chest and I was going crazy because I could not get it out! I guess it's just the though of putting something foreign in my body that's freaking me out a little bit.

I am 35 years old and 17 years ago I was bulemic and anorexic. I got down to 97 lbs. and was hospitalized. While in the hospital I was diagnosed with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and treated for OCD. Once treated for OCD my Anorexia and bulemia went away. I believe this was a side effect of my ocd. I am now married with 2 children and have steadily gained weight since being pregnant 8 years ago. I have tried all sorts of commercial diets and excercise but continue to gain. I am now far over 100 lbs overweight and extremly frustrated. I never want to go back to being anorexic or bulemic and am interested in WLS (lap band) only to get to a healthy weight. I meet a…

Hi guys. I was banded 5/16/03. I lost 19 pounds during the first two weeks of post-op liquid diet...not a bad start, I thought. But then, when I went back for my fill yesterday, I discovered I had GAINED BACK five pounds! Well, obviously I needed the fill, but I'm still discouraged because it seems like almost everyone else on the mailing lists I read who had surgery when I did has already lost a lot more than that. For those of you who also started out slowly, how long did it take before you started to see steady weight loss? I am really scared that I will keep going back up, because all this time I still FELT like I was losing and wasn't eating so much, so the five …

My wife has resolved to have LB surgery, and I have now begun to explore the surgery for myself. I have a couple of questions that I haven't found answers for on the 'net. (1) Is there an increased risk for complications if a post-operative patient is struck in the abdomen (i.e., in a car accident, playing weekend sports, etc.)? If so, what are the potential complications, how serious are they, and how sensitive is the LAP-BAND to these kinds of shocks? (2) I play golf. A round of golf can last for 4-5 hours … sometimes even more. I drink a lot of Water during this period. Would I be at an increased risk for dehydration or heat stroke due to the minimal s…

On another message you said your friend got a reversal from Mail Handlers. Did OPM overturn her denial or did the insurance cover it? At first I was denied because they said the Lap Band was experimental and when I appealed it they said they would cover the Lap Band then but I didn't meet medical neccesity. Even though I have hypoglicemia, atrhritis, back pain, knee pain, shortness of breath and a BMI of 48.9. I did my first appeal in April so that was when they started covering the Lap Band. I've had nothing but trouble with Mail Handlers. This is bad but we only got Mail Handlers becaues they are supossed to cover Obesity Surgery. It doesn't matter though because…

Alex what a nice site to post on - it is really like another parents one I used to post on all the time. You have done a wonderful job and I love being part of anything new, so this is great for me. If at anytime you need any sort of help my email is glenda6@hotmail.com. I love to chat also perhaps we can organise a regular time on here for everyone who is interested (time zones are complex I realise). Once again, as we say here in Aus - "Good on ya, mate" ! Glenda

Diabetes Study Weight loss following Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band surgery produces sustained improvements in fasting plasma Glucose and indirect measures of Insulin Sensitivity Authors: John B Dixon and Paul E O'Brien More about this can be found on my website where I have a part of the notes given to New Orleans Lap Band confrenece. I would post it here but I only have permission for it on my site at this time. Regards Malcolm Bywaters malcolm@lapbandtransformation.com www.lapbandtransformation.com Surgeon Prof Paul O'Brien Check up's Dr John Dixon banded 05/14/1999 495/TT/180

I had my surgery 5 days ago. I slept on my back the last 4 days but last night I fell asleep on my stomach. Is this allowed ?