mack

hey there! congrats on your surgery! My name is Dave and I was banded in February weighing in at 330 lbs. Currently I am down to 265 and couldn't feel better! To answer your question though, I had NO hunger for the first week and little hunger the next week, but unfortunately the hunger does come back before your first fill arrives - so enjoy it now! Good luck!

I can tell a difference and I am definitely eating less. Thanks for your input, since initially posting I have already had a decrease in the gas so I will assume it is normal - good luck to you!

It cracks me up what different things people are told. I was told to avoid caffeine for the first 2 weeks post-op (not really sure why) but then it was ok to have some caffeine as long as I get in the 64oz of non-caffeine drinks per day. I am drinking 1 cup of regular coffeeg each morning and occassionally a cup of decaf later in the day. I am just over 1 month post-op and have lost 35 lbs so I have noticed no effect from drinking it - good luck with whatever you decide!

HELP! I just had my first fill and all the gas and shoulder pain that I felt post-op has come back! Someone please tell me this is normal and it will go away as my body adjusts to the fill!

I had my first fill today too. I am on liquids for today, puree tomorrow, then soft and then regular. I was surprised how quickly the fill was completed. I felt an immediate pain in my chest when the saline was put in and still feel some which the doc said was normal. I am nervous about advancing to puree tomorrow but knowing that you ate regular food without issue make me feel better. I know it will be trial and error. Good luck to you and keep us posted on how it goes for you.

Hello there. I was banded on Feb 21st and I just had my first fill today. To date I have lost over 30 lbs and that was before anything was even in the band. I am 6' and my top weight was 335, but like you my belly was (and still is) huge. I happy to say, however, that a majority of the weight lost so far has been in my belly and face. I am going to be 38 next month and, like you, when I turned 30 I really started packing on the pounds. I was always a big boy but after hitting 30 it just got way out of control. I am also a self-pay patient so this band has got to work for me!! I think being self-pay has been extra motivation to make this thing work. It is work though - like you I absolutely love food, but was tired of being the XL guy and always worrying if I was going to fit on the airplane or in a restaurant booth or on a roller coaster. The pre-op diet was absolute killer but I lost 17 lbs so I guess it was worth it. I guess the good thing about my love of food is that I also love a lot of good stuff like veggies, fruits, fish -pretty much anything so I think I can make this work. I still have another 100 lbs to go but I already feel much better and more confident with myself. No regrets so far. Not that I ever plan to have the band removed, but it is a comforting thought in the back of my mind that if, for some reason, it had to be removed it could be. I guess I'm just taking it 1 day at a time but so far, like I said, no regrets. I think it has been a good decision for me and look forward to more results in the future. Not sure if I helped you at all but I say you should go for it - good luck in whatever you decide.

I was just banded 3 weeks ago and was completely self-pay. I did not have hiatal hernia repair, but the total cost of the band which includes 2 years of fills was 12,999. The only other costs were $200 for pre-op consults and $188 for the Medifast pre-op diet. It's also good to know that next year I can use the cost of the surgery as a tax benefit which can supposedly result in an extra 2,000 - 4,000 refund. Hope this helps - good luck in your journey!

Hello! I was banded on Feb 21 and just had my 2 week post-op visit today and I am already down 29.8 lbs. I am due to have my first fill in 2 weeks. I lost a lot on the pre-op liquid diet and then post-op due to just not being hungry. I am having hunger pains now so hopefully I can stay on track - good luck!!

I had to do a 2 week pre-op liquid diet, but at my physician's office it all depends on your BMI. My understanding is that the liquid diet can range from 2-4 weeks base on BMI. Just think of it as extra weight loss right off the bat because I lost 16 lbs on my 2 week liquid diet - good luck!

Hello Sean. My name is Dave and I live on the west side of Cinti. I was just banded on 2/21/11 and would love to make some new 'banded' friends - hit me back.

I am new to this site and a newly banded 37 yr old male on 2/21/11. I'm sure this question has been asked a million times before on this site, but since I am still navigating through I thought I would ask - when is this horrible gas pain going to stop? The pain in the left shoulder seems to be subsiding, but the gas pain in my abdomen is almost unbearable! I usually am gas-free when I wake up in the morning, but as I eat each mini-meal (currently puree) the gas builds up and the pain gets intense! I have been walking which helps some, and Gas-X which doesn't seem to help at all. I am also constantly trying to burp which sometimes I am able to 'get up' and sometimes the burp gets 'stuck'. When can I expect this gas pain to go away? I know I am only 6 days post-op but the constant pain is starting to depress me and I just want some idea or opinions as to when this gas will subside. Thanks for any help or advise!