roxsl38

for me with no restriction i could eat at will....i wanted a "food vacaton" and gained about 22 pounds in a month probably due to lower metabolism and suddenly getting food in

anyway, i went to dr. vitello in chicago for lapband by ortiz in jiuqana, surgery was great, first fill 3 months later, fair but not enough reatriction, so i went home and sulked feeling like many of you seem to feel

then i hooked up with dr. vitello in chicago

he's patient, flexible...if you ask for an aggressive fill he's ok with it w/ warnings, i heeded his warnings and i'm glad---very good doc but he has stop doing bandsters

so i'm looking for a doc now to release some of my restriction cuz im at goal and cant starting the eating training

its late and that is all

good luck one and all

and goood night

---

i went to Dr. Ortiz in 07 and went there for my first fill; the surgety was awesome in spite of the fact i was not compliant with the prt=op diet and dr. ortiz knew this although i didn't try to hide it, i was a victim of fresh seafood

heh anyway, i didn't do great until i had a really effective fill which took me about 2 years to hit and 2-3 fills

the doc who filled me best was vitello in chicago....i wouldn't consider anywhere else except he's decided not to do them anymore

suggestions on a st louis doc???

for the record, i'm going for a slight unfill as i'm at goal (150/276 #) and i'm not able to slow down or stop the wt loss so its time to learn real life again

hope it goes as well for you

good luck and good night

roxanne

1. it takes a while to get the right fill (sweet spot as its called)
   took me around 2 yrs and you need to find an aggressive, yet safe, doc
   and its not easy to live with
   i stayed hungry for a time 6-12 months after a successful fill, still had the urge just not the ability
   so that was one thing, then i hit my stride, but the fills i thought were the fills, not so much
   each doc/practitioner is different, definitely i'm a fluoroscope fan, only way to go and definitely done in a fully upright position
   my first fill was done in a dentist type chair; i was too naive to question
   mine is a mexican band, Tijuana Dr. Ortiz 2007 and i've been very happy
   i was non-compliant with the pre-op diet (and i'm a RN---obviously out of control) and self pay (obviously)
   so it took a while to get underway plus i had an hiatal hernia which was repaired during surgery
   started finally taking the weight off after i was filled by dr. vitello in chicago prolly end of 08 or beginning of 09, great technique and i'd recommend him highly but he's not doing fills any longs
   at any rate, i've been to him several times on my journey
   fills, unfills at times when i just needed a break ( this has only been twice with maybe 3-4 fills)
   thats my story
   2/07 276 #
   4/11 149#
   5'6"
   dunno my BMI but this was my goal and i want to get a ltttle restriction out so i can start training myself to eat a little more normal as i don't tolerate some things like steak, chickenm just working on my plan
   a suggestion for a doc in st. louis or somewhere anywhere close and reasonable would be appreciated
   thanks
   roxanne

ok, i'll try this again, i don't know how to do the BMI thing but i'm now 150 and 5'6" and have lost 126#

banded in 07 by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana who i would recommend to anyone

all inclusive surgery was 8500 and very well orchestrated

my loss was somewhat slow, i was not getting aggressive fills for the first 2 years

then i met dr. vitello in chicago who has/had GREAT technique with fluoroscopy (i'm a rn so i'm kind of picky)

weight came off somewhat slowly but very healthy and i have very little loose skin which surprises me as i am 53

anyway, now i can't stop losing and want to so i want some of the restriction removed

can't find a reasonably priced local doc so i'm asking for referrals for st louis, des moines, chicago, memphis, kc---you get the idea, don't mind traveling a few hours

thats about it for me

nice to meet you all and good luck, don't lose faith, i had some good support in my darker hours

roxanne

ok where the heck is everyone finding these cheap fills? my insurance doesn't cover it and i haven't found anything under 1,000

live in st louis but don't mind traveling (chicago, des moines, kc, memphis)

any suggestions greatly helped

used to go to dr. vitello in chicago

he was phenomenal with great fluoroscopy technique but stopped doing them for some reason :-(

inspirational and insightful, thanks

i'm an old timer mostly, banded in 2-07 by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana

its kind of a constant process, i personally had a big restriction last time (2 years ago) and its maintained

currently i feel the need to reduce the restriction as its making me lose too much weight

at any rate good luck and if anyone knows of a fill doctor in missouri, memphis or chicago who will take outsice bands i'd appreciate the info

thanks

roxannnw\e

Hello all, I got the email and figured it would be nice to stop by and say hello and give a long-winded update. Feel free to skip the boring parts!

I got my band on 03/28/07; four years ago this month! Feels like I've had it longer, actually.

I'm still overweight, but my weight is very steady around 300-310lbs (6'6" tall) for years now. This is down from my all-time high of 420+ lbs., although constant Atkins dieting and exercise were keeping me well below that weight in the years prior to the surgery. I think I was bouncing around in the 360-390 range in the months before surgery, but I tell people I lost over 100 pounds with the band because without low-carb dieting and running that would be very true.

The band did what I wanted- it stopped my ravenous hunger and stabilized my weight so I wasn't CONSTANTLY gaining pounds or dieting back down. Ironically, what it changed most was my mind, not my body. I feel like a normal person now, somebody who should really hit the gym and drop that beer gut, instead of somebody haunted by a fatal metabolic disorder and a love/hate relationship with food.

I'm at 9.6cc fill on a vanguard, reasonable restriction. I never got the hang of eating without fluids and in fact I drink lots of Water with my meals. I know I'm flushing the band but it works for me. I can and do eat normal-sized meals, just very slowly. This is a big change from my pre-band diet where I would eat a meal for two- or three- and still be hungry after.

I'm a bit picky about what I eat now; my friends and I joke that I have "surgical bulimia" on those bad-band days (no, we are not very p.c. and I do understand that's a serious eating disorder), but I have had a couple of somewhat-comical upchucking/spewing events that won't be described here, usually after trying to down some tasty but heavy / glutinous food. For some reason hamburger patties and hand-tossed pizza crusts are utterly intolerable to my band no matter how much I chew them. Thankfully about a year after surgery I found lettuce/spinach/salads could finally go through the band just fine. I do not religiously avoid sweets. I just eat these things in normal amounts now.

As far as band side-effects or issues go, like I said I have very occasional bad days where I hurl most food up. These days are always solitary and they never prevent me from taking Water in, there is no associated pain with this other than hunger. I don't think my band has ever slipped. I don't have any heartburn issues. Sometimes I bump by port and it gets sore but overall I would say I've had no serious complications and I'm very happy with my band. I've had the flu twice, promethazin suppositories kept the retching to a minimum.

I do have a standing arrangement with my surgeon that if my band ever messes up and needs further surgery, he will take it out and revise me to a vertical gastrectomy.

awesome story of persistence and courage....i wish for you all things good and congrats on your success in all things

roxanne

st has inspired me. I am SO happy for you that things are going so much better and congratulations on nearing the 2 year mark. That is SO awesome. I just had to say hello and that I appreciate your post. I also love your quote.

Lisa

hi all, i am new to this forum but not to the band

i had my band put in 2/07 and i've lost 127 which is more than my goal wt.

its a battle at times but the fills are the secret

it takes persistance (sp?) but if you keep up with fills it begins to take care of itself after a time

sometimes the american docs are hesitant to give an agressive fill, i was lucky to have a fill doc who would be as aggressive as i wished, but he's going into a different field

since i had my band in Tijuana with Dr. Ortiz (WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE) the docs here in st louis want my car and house to do a fill (around 2-3K) to get me "into their practice"

right now i just want a little of my restriction released b/c i can't stop losing and i'm ready to (never thought i'd say that)

my last fill was >2 yrs ago

any missouri or chicago docs anyone can suggest? iowa, memphis, aransas would be ok as well, or milwaukee

thanks and good luck to all

keep on!

roxanne

well new friends, i'm new to these forums but i was banded in 07 in Tijuana by Dr. Ortiz (fabulous program and surgeon)

i am notoriously compliant (and a RN to boot) BUT i've not only reached my goal but surpassed it....the secret is a good fill believe me

however, now i can't seem to stop losing and i need my restriction lessened. since i have a foreign band the docs in st louis are less than helpful.

anyone know of a fill place in missouri/chicago? i had dr. vitello in chicago who was phenomenal, great technique and results but he isn't doing fills anymore or at least right now

this has been going on for about 6 months so want to get in somewhere soon

any suggestions ---completely appreciated

keep your chin up everyone, its a process to get the restriction just right

i met a gal who took different foods with her to the fill, after the fill she'd take a bite or two of each and see how it felt, i think that was smart

good luck all!

roxanne

* please note my typo*

i am notoriously COMPLIANT with the origran

my band really doesn't allow anything else

thanks and sorry for the misinformation..need reading glasses

anyone know of a doc in MO that does fills on foreign bands? mine was Dr. Ortiz in 07, very successful and i've had my first fill with him then was lucky enough to hook up with dr. vitello in chicago/downers grove. he is no longer doing them and i was a little bit of an "unfill"; i've continued to lose weight after goal and i want to use self control now. right now i am rarely eating which is not good. any suggestion would be great. $ is an issue so i don't go to some of the st louis docs cuz its close to $1000 from what i've seen so far

thanks again and good luck to everyone

the fills are the secret

i met a woman who took a little cooler to fills with her so she could get the fill and see if she tolerated different foods, seemed smart

foreign lap band fills near st louis or chicago