Scuffy

I had my band placed five years ago with great success. I’ve had it too tight, not tight enough, lost and gained. It’s a journey we’re on. Please don’t be disheartened. My band enabled me to lose 120#, diabetes and high blood pressure. I had to have some fill removed due to illness, which was totally unrelated to the band. I’ve gained 10# probably due to no exercise and poor food choices. I’m working now to get that off. Good luck!

The surgeon that put in my lapband five years ago is now doing the sleeve. He was very strict on having his lapband patients come in monthly. He felt it lead to their success, and I agree with him. I’m not sure if he is only doing the sleeve now, but I know he does LOTS of them. As for me, I have a love/hate relationship with my band. But I have NO regrets!

I’m restarting the journey too! I had lapband five years ago and lost 120 pounds. I moved, saw a different bariatric physician and he removed FIVE cc’s from my band. All I had to do was think about food and I gained. So, after gaining back close to fifty pounds, I went back to see my lapband surgeon. He slowly got my band filled back to where I started losing again. I’m 15 pounds from my goal weight and am really struggling. I’ve got lots of stress and an emotional eater. I am asking for support, and will gladly return it. I’ve gotten my Leslie Sansone walking DVDs out and have exercised the last two days. I know that’s not much, but it’s a start. Thanks to anyone that read this long post :-)

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping to get a word of encouragment to get myself motivated again! I've stalled out and am gaining! Almost 3 years ago I had the lapband with plication and lost 120lbs. I was very active, walking 4 miles a day. My band was very tight, and although I didn't count calories, I don't think I took in that many. I threw up every day--multiple times.

I would have fill taken out, then put back in. Seems like I never got into the Green Zone. Well, last July I took a full time job, which is a sedentary job---yep, no time in my schedule now for a 4 miles walk everyday. Plus I'd had some fill taken out because I just couldn't throw up anymore. So, I've gained over the last six months 20 pounds. I think about my weight every day, just like I did before surgery. I"m so sick of it.

I"m going to start using myfitnesspal and try to keep my calories at 1200 per day. Part of me thinks that where my band was so tight for so long, and I didn't take in many calories that even at 1200 per day, I'll continue to gain. I have been walking every day, but only have time for about 30 minutess. I"m thinking of pulling out my old Jane Fonda workout and trying it. I"ve thought about T25, but have a knee that troubles me. Anyone know much about that exercise program?

I"m a mess and could use some encouragement and will offer the same to anyone else!

Thanks,

Scuffy

I need my arms done and a TT too. I had a C-section, 28 years ago....wonder if that still counts? I haven't even looked into what my insurance will cover. I still have 20 pounds to lose to get to goal; my surgeon tells me probably 5-7 pounds of that is skin....yuck.

I've had the band for two years and have had two small unfills, one of them being yesterday. I told my doc I was throwing up every meal, and he said, "well something was staying down, you lost 3 pounds in the last two weeks, but if nothing had stayed down it would have been 6-7 pounds." Little does he know that I had been surviving on slider foods or it would have been 6-7 pounds lost in just the two weeks since I'd last seen him. I still have a sore throat from all of the vomiting. I won't do that again! I love my band and it has been a great tool to help me regain my health and happiness, but when it's too tight it's miserable.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Pre band, I was on two blood pressure meds and two diabetes meds. Now off of all those meds. My BP runs around 100/50 and my last Hb A1C was 5.6; pre band it was 8.9.

I was banded two years ago and have lost 122lbs!

Instead of mother-daughter lunch dates, we are going to have a mother- daughter fill date I have been banded for two years and three months, and after almost two years of struggling to be approved, my nineteen year old daughter was banded on Valentine's Day. She says it is the best Valentine's gift she will ever receive. I started at 244, and hit goal weight in nine months, then lost another 30 pounds by my one year bandiversary. After being told I looked too thin and ill, I gained 15 pounds and have retained my weight since then. I am able to do this without feeling like I'm missing out on anything, I eat what I want, just less of it, less often. I hope and pray my daughter has the same result as me. She has a bit more to lose, but I am positive she will get there! Good luck to all of you!!!

Congratulations to both you and your daughter! My daughter and I both were banded within a month of each other in the summer of 2011. She is at goal, and I'm about 40 pounds away---but I'll get there (just this month I've gotten into Onederland!!) Anyway, my daughter and I have always gone to out appointments together, and it has been a great experience!

Take Care,

Scuffy

Hi all!

So since my last post about this, I have seen my PCP twice and had an MRI. I'm now on 400mg of Neurotin at night which is helping a great deal. Last week I saw my lapband doc and talked about this sciatica problem with him. He told me he's had about 10 of his lapband patient's have to go to PT because of this. He thinks it is related to weak core muscle strength and recommended "crunches," and stretching exercises. He said when I see him next month if I have no improvement, he'll refer me for PT.

I still have not purchased the 2000.00 dollar bed my PCP recommended; if I could afford a sleep number bed, I would give it a try though!

Hope everyone is well!

Hi there everyone!

So I had my lapband w/plication end of July 2011. I've lost 71 pounds (!) as off today, however I've gained sciatica in my right leg and it's getting worse. It started out as numbness and tingling, but has now evolved into burning, stabbing pain in my right (lateral aspect) thigh. The pain is worse when I am in the bed, but it is beginning to bother me more and more when I'm up moving around. I went to my PCP and he told me to buy a sleep Number bed; I can't afford a two-thousand dollar mattress. I'm not sure whether to go the route of seeing a chiropractor, or a neurologist. All I know is the pain is worse every day---I can't sleep because of it.

I google "sciatic nerve pain after WLS" and was surprised to see that many people have reported this same thing--has to do with weight distribuation changes, increase in activity.

I'd love to hear some feedback and suggestions please!

Thanks,

Scuffy

So I still feel like my band is a tad too tight, but I did take the advice of drinking something warm/hot 15-20 minutes before eating and that is making all the difference. It's almost like I can "feel" the band "relaxing," if that makes any sense. I am still sticking with soft foods for now because these past two weeks have been so bad, but am doing much better; only pb'd once today! Thanks for the advice :-)

I'm struggling with eating slow too. I've had several fills, but this last one nearly two weeks ago is kicking my butt! Seems like nothing much is wanting to stay down, and I'm PB'ing several times a day. I have started taking some liquid Motrin about 30 minutes before I eat and that seems to be helping.

I was not hungry at all the month of July, actually I think the band was a little tight. Now, I'm like you and hungry most all of the time. I even wake up in the middle of the night hungry! I go to the doc next week, but am only going to ask for a small fill.

I don't know about you guys, but I have been fat most of my life, apart from a short stint a few years ago, and apart from my childhood (when I was always a "big" girl, but not necessarily fat) and I have come to the conclusion, after years and years of feeling like I don't fit in, being embarassed that I don't look like the "skinny girls", not being invited to things, or just not going because I felt ugly and fat., that obesity really is the last accepted form of prejudice in our society. It is seen as the fault of the obese person. If you are obese, you are gross and you eat too much and you should excersize more and lose that weight! You are obese and you deserve to be treated differently because of it! It is so, so horrible and wrong.

anyone else feel this way or had any experiences with this?

Oh I ABSOLUTELY agree with you! I can't tell you how validating it felt when I went to my surgeon's WLS and he actually said the same words---"mistreatment of obese people is the last accepted form of prejudice in our society." You're right, it is horrible and it is wrong!

Good luck on your journey!

Scuffy

HI Everyone,

I was banded on september 16 and now when I drink my protien drinks or eat Jello I can feel it going down, stop and then finishing going down. However when I drink Water, tea or anything else I feel nothing Is this normal? Also with having the band how can you tell your are "full" since it is all liquid. I tend not to drink very much lately because I don't know what that feeling I'm looking for is and I don't have much of a desire to consume ANYTHING. Any advise or knowledege would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there!

I was banded (with plication) on July 27th and most of the time when I drink something I can feel it going down, this is especially true with cold beverages. As far as feeling full, I would have these crampy, spasm type pains; that would be my clue to stop drinking/eating. My daughter had the same surgery as I did and she felt the same type of discomfort too. We figured it had to do with the plication, so with getting just the band perhaps you wouldn't feel that? My sister just had lapband this past Monday and she has not mentioned feeling that way. Once healed that feeling went away, but I can still feel liquids going down.

Good luck!

Scuffy

Thanks Bertie....im glad ur surgery went well!!! When did you get banded?? I regret the desicion everyday and just keep thinking I had gone so far!!!! I called the office today and scheduled another appt for the begining of Oct so I guess i'll just hope for a better outcome than

I was banded with plication 7/27/11, While I was in the pre-op holding area, I went all clammy, thought I was gonna hyperventilate--it was so strange because I've had several surgeries over the years and I have never reacted that way. My hubby got the nurse; she checked me over then asked, "Do you feel like you want to bolt?" A "YES!" flew out of my mouth pretty fast. The nurse gave me some IV Versed, and all was well after that. Perhaps your doctor would give you something to take for anxiety next time? A four hour wait is just too long so maybe next time they could schedule you as the first surgical case?

Good luck!

Scuffy

Man....my incisions are starting to itch like crazy! I know they are healing but grrrrrrrr

Yeah, that itching is maddening, isn't it? My doctor told me to use topical Benadryl.

Good luck!

I have back pain too, right between my shoulder blades. I think it's gas; seems like at times I have quite a bit of burping/belching too. I don't have as much discomfort as I did right after surgery though. What you are describing is normal.

Congrats on getting the band!

Scuffy

Banded with plication on 7/27/11

Total loss so far: 26lbs.

i WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE WAS EXPERIENCING BACK AND SHOULDER PAINS. i AM 3 DAYS POST SURGERY. aLSO WHEN i SWALLOW I FEEL LIKE I'M GULPING AND I HAVE TO BURP ALOT. I KNOW IM NOT GETTING ALL OF MY FLUIDS AND Proteins IN IM JUST TRYING NOT TO GET DEHYDRATED.

I haven't tried eggs yet, mainly because I could take them or leave them prior to be banded But, I have noticed that my taste buds seem to have changed since surgery. Foods that I loved before don't appeal to me anymore, or I can not tolerate them.

Is the lab band and the plication done through a small incision?

The procedure is done laproscopically (sp?); I have five small incisions, the largest being where the port for the lapband was placed. Incisions are still a little sore, especially the largest one; surgery was 3 weeks ago.

Scuffy, that is awesome. I thought I heard their nurses/ admin assistants say it hadn't been certified for it yet with plcation. Maybe it was another hospital they were speaking of. That is fantastic. Local is better. Wow, I will have to keep up with you to see how it is going for you. It is great to connect with others that have the same doc/procedure and hospital. Thank you.

Yep, let's keep up with each other as we both progress along this journey! I'm thinking of going to the support group meetings at the Civic Center in MHC; they are held after the WLS seminars every month. I believe Drs. Johnson and Bell also sit in on these meetings too :-)

Fefe, that is pretty much what the doc said to us about plication. He said there is no actual cpt code to charge for it at this time so it is basically a free add on to the band surgery.

Jan, I am in NC so I would be seeing either Dr. Bell or Dr. Johnson in Morehead City area but with plication I thought I understood them to say it has to be done at an approved hospital....like in Greenville or Wilmington. Not sure on the details.

Dr. Johnson did my surgery!!! (band with plication) He is fantastic! I had mine done at Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City; it is a Bariatric Center of Excellence "Certified" hospital.

Scuffy

I had the band with plication surgery done on 7/27/11. My doctor did it "gratis," as insurance is not covering the procedure at this point and he and his partner are investigating the benefits of both surgeries (they're doing their own research and will want to publish, I'm sure). After surgery, I had A LOT of post op swelling (internal) that lead to having all of the fill removed from the band. I couldn't swallow a thing--not even my own saliva. I ended up in the hospital for 5 days instead of the usual overnight stay. After two days of IV steroids, I was much, much better and was discharged home. My daughter had the exact same surgery (same surgeon) three weeks prior to mine and did not have a problem at all.

I saw my surgeon this past Monday; he said he is finding that his patient's he is doing the plication on along with the band are having more nausea than those only getting the band. I've lost 13 pounds since the surgery on 7/27/11 and a total of 25 since seeing my doc for my H&P on 7/8/11.

I had some rough days after surgery, but I'm fine now, just a little sore.

Scuffy

I had my surgery on 7/27/11; I had lapband with plication done so a one night stay at the hospital was expected. My doc does a swallowing study the morning after this type of surgery to make sure all liquids are going down and thru without problem. That's where my problem started. I failed the swallowing study, nothing was going down. The doc told me I was not 100% blocked, but I was 99% + blocked--only a trickle of liquid could pass through. So the fill was removed (2cc's) out of the band, which let me tell you, having that done on your fresh surgery belly is not fun, and I felt immediate relief, but still I could not take any fluids. It literally would take me all day to get 30cc down, so my IV fluids were restarted so that I would not become dehydrated ( I then had an allergic reaction to the IV antibiotic). I can not even explain how very miserable I felt; I couldn't even swallow my own saliva, I was literally spitting out foamy, frothy secretions out of my mouth constantly. Honestly, it looked like shaving cream, the nurses said they'd never seen anything like it and they have lapband with and without plication surgeries there ALL THE TIME. So lucky me, I was the first they'd seen with this kind of trouble. So on 7/30/11 another swallowing study was done, and that one went much better, no blockage but LOTS AND LOTS OF POST OP SWELLING. My doctor started IV steroids, which I was on three times a day for two days. By the third dose of the steroids, I turned the corner and was able to drink little bits and actually swallow! On Monday, August 1st I was finally discharged home. So for me, I went in expecting an overnight stay and ended up being inpatient 5 days. I was stuck numerous time for blood work to make sure my labs were stable, had a total of 5 IV sticks. I was feeling so down that my wonderful, wonderful nurse I had over that weekend arranged for my 19 month old granddaughter to come up to my room for a visit (I take care of her everyday and missed her so much that it was really getting to me). Thank God my nurse realized that sometimes that best medicine for a patient will not come out of a pharmacy!

My surgeon was wonderful, he kept a close eye on me. The nurses told me he was either on the phone asking about me, or up on the floor speaking personally to them about me, that was on top of him coming in to see me literally every morning, noontime and evening.

Would I do this again? YOU BETCHA!!! I started my pre-op diet on 7/13/11 and from that weight to my weight today, I've lost 23 pounds! Also, my surgeon told me that he could tell from my surgery that I had worked really hard on my pre-op diet (which I had) because my liver "looked beautiful!" So doing it right on your pre-op diet is important.

My doc told me he has not had another patient before me have problems with this surgery. Oh, did I mention I'm a nurse too? I should have prepared myself for not having the expected course--that stuff sorta seems to happen to nurses!

Sorry for the long post, but that's my experience. BTW, my daughter had the same exact surgery 3 weeks before I did---she sailed right thru without one bump on the road!

Mandi

My daughter and I are both planning to be banded within the next month to month and half; my daughter went yesterday for her H&P yesterday with the surgeon and he told her he has started to do lapband with gastric plication and offered this to her. He stated that his practice have seen fantastic results; banded patients are having the similar dramatic weight loss results initially that gastric bypass patients do. He said this dual procedure has been done for about a year at the Cleveland Clinic. Sounds exciting; I'd be interested in hearing some opinions/thoughts/success stories.

Thanks

Scuffy