NewStart95987

I had a Lap band too, revised to sleeve, but my doctor didn’t do it at once, let me have a month between surgeries... you can also get an abdominal binding belt to help you with the driving and sleep.
Best of luck with all!!

Surgery (what you'll experience) and recovery were about the same for the most part. I was also banded in 2011 and had issues, I was revised to the Bypass this past March (could not be happier!).

Most def bring that pillow! All other advice is really the same as the band, with the exception of, don't buy too much before surgery to prep... more than likely you either won't use it, will have too much or won't like the taste.

It was advised to me that revision patients don't lose as quickly as first timers, just something to be aware of... that said, I'm down 100 lbs since March, so, your mileage may vary.

Otherwise, good luck!

Both the insurance and surgeon assures me its all legit. I have been fighting but to no avail :-(
It's really frustrating when I specifically asked these questions before surgery and was assured I was good to go. Insurance blames the surgeon, surgeon blames the insurance.

I was under the impression that all I needed to pay was the $3,000 non professional fee to my surgeon that insurance won't cover. I have had an additonal bill after another from my surgeon, her assistant, the hospital and others. I'm not a happy camper when this is now over $7,000 that I paid out of pocket AND I had insurance! They paid for 80% of it. The extra costs are killing me! I was banded in June and still just 2 weeks ago recieved another bill. Anyone else experience this? Wouldn't the surgeon's office be nice enough to warn you? I specifically asked the surgeon and my insurance about this type of thing and was told not to worry.

Got pregnant just months after getting banded. I thought I had the flu! lol, wrong!

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

I had to share this because I thought it was pretty funny...
So I'm now down over 44 pounds and I haven't replaced any of my clothes yet. I'm holding out until 50 pounds then I'll pick up a couple things. Meanwhile, I'm very aware of how big my clothes are currently fitting me, including under garments.
Tonight I was in Walmart with my son, daughter, and her boyfriend. It was rather crowded and I was pushing a very full cart of food. As always, I had my cell phone in my pocket. I am wearing cotton pants with an elastic waist, however, apparently the elastic isn't helping because I realized halfway through the store my pants kept sliding down my hips with every step. So I take the cell phone out of my pocket to stop the pulling, and I think all is fine.
Well apparently my underwear are too big now, too. As I walked, I could feel them slipping down my hips. I kept putting my hands in my pockets trying to discreetly hike them back up, but eventually they'd slipped too low and it was a lost cause. I was stuck walking through Walmart with my undies nowhere near the parts they are meant to protect.
By the time I got to my car, the waist band of my underwear was literally under my bottom, hanging out around my thighs, only being kept on at all by the crotch of my pants!! The kids and I all had a good laugh!

I don't know if this is necessarily right but if I don't start gagging and if it doesn't come up on its own then I take a nice big swig of water. It'll either force it down or force it up.

Congrats! I just found out today i'm pregnant! About 8 weeks! I had no clue! I was banded in July so i was wondering the same things! Best of luck

Best of luck and welcome! Load up on broth, take care of yourself, don't over do it while recovering and wear some comfy clothing. My surgeon found a hernia while operating and fixed it. When I went back to work, I had a bra with no under wire that saved my life! Please take it easy and enjoy your down time. Go through the forums and get familiar with others experiences, their advice certainly helped me and put my mind at ease about things.
If your having gas pain, invest in a heating pad if you don't have one. Having someone handy to run your shoulders will certainly help and walk your butt off!
Keep us posted :-)

I got pregnant 9 months after being banded (twice, miscarried one the first pregnancy), my clinic defilled me, I gave birth to my healthy baby boy. Right after I gave birth I flew straight to my surgeon he did a flouro made sure everything was fine then I had a fill and the baby weight just melted away. Good luck ladies with your babies. My band baby will be turning 4 next month.

SOooo... the recovery to surgery has been TOUGH and today I found out why it seems I have been sicker than most people have said they have been. I mean 4 weeks post op most people are excercising and feeling nearly back to normal right? Well I havnt. I have had constant nausea... feel so weak and so tired and have no energy at all, cant stomach much of anything and my gag reflex is super sensitive now.... so I went to see my surgeon today thinking maybe i had a slip.. They did an upper GI and said my band looks perfect. Said maybe its my gal bladder, then jokingly said "or maybe your pregnant."
Being that I have tried to get pregnant for the last 15 years and underwent fertility treatments for nearly 8 years off and on, and adopted my son, I start to obsess about the thoughts of being pregnant when someone says something like that. So to stop the insanity in my brain I take a test to prove its negative and get my brain back to reality. So today thats what I did... took 4 test actualy... because one after another they all said POSITIVE! I am in complete and total shock. Based on my cycle this puts be between 6 and 8 weeks pregnant.. which means i was pregnant before surgery! I know they tested me so how is this possible? Havnt been up to much "action" since surgery so pretty positive it was before... I never would have dreamed this is even possible. I gave up on that dream years ago after I adopted my son. But 4 test cant all be wrong can they???
So from what I read its of course not in my best interest to be pregnant now that Ive just been banded, but who am I to argue with a God who has performed a COMPLETE MIRACLE??? I of course have concerns and plan to talk to my surgeon and see my OBGYM ASAP, but figured it should wait till morning... Guess that explains why I have felt so sick.....
Anyways, anyone else heard of such craziness?????

My tummy sounds like it is FURIOUS sometimes. It's embarrassing when it sounds like it's noises coming from my rear when it's my tummy.

Were all put on FLINTSTONE Vitamins WITH CHOLINE. I have had substitutes, that say their equal. But NO Way !
look up the choline, and see what your getting. Almost 5 yrs. on them, and be on them for ever.
Their in the orange box. Get a coupon from the Website and try them.
When I am Hungry, I take 4 of them out and chew them. It takes away the Hunger too.

Get out the machete girl-you don't want the doctors to be distracted during the surgery!! LOL

I was banded on Thursday, I'm 4 days out and am so glad I did it. I had so much anxiety before surgery that I was freaking myself out. It didn't matter what anyone said, I was a wreck! I was actually pretty calm while they were prepping me and was ready to get going. Before I knew it, my husband left my side, I was dizzy (meds started), had a short bed ride to the OR and moved over to another bed. I was out before I knew it and awoke to a mans voice. It was that quick! I won't lie, the gas pain has been the worst! BUT lots of walking, heating pad, massages and taking it easy helps. Day 3, I felt like a person again, had all my color back and was finally able to understand what I had been through and how happy I am going to be.

There isn't anything anyone can say to stop you from worrying or to take the anxiety away. Just know that so many others have been through it and know exactly how you feel. You're not the first or the last and it's normal to be anxious. Good luck! You'll do fine. Follow your drs. rules and read the forums which can offer a lot of insight and advice. Keep us updated :-)

Hello Everybody, new bandsters and old =) here is my diet, exercise, and daily stuff
I just wanted to share my success and ups and downs so far.
i was banded on 3/32/2011. at surgery i had 5 cc's in. i have had fills and now am at 6cc's.
i think that may just be the right spot, not hungry at all =)
my food has been :
730am coffee with equal and cream ( i never skimp on the cream)
my chewable muli vitiman
830am Water with flavored benefiber
1030am water
1230 Breakfast , 100 cal muscle milk light, I have tried the eas advanage ones, but for some strange reason they make me hungry, so now i only have the mm light
230 coffee with 1/2 and 1/2
330 water with benefiber
430 lunch mm light
630 water with benefiber
830 dinner, 1/2 head of romaine lettuce, i small tomato, red onion, feta or gorganzola cheese, garlic expressions dressing
1/2 cup chicken salad ( light mayo, canned chicken, red onion) or fish, chicken brest, OR veggies are my fav , stema fresh garlic califlower smashed up with a laughing cow french onion square mmmm
I also have sf popcicles at night and sometimes snack on almonds.
i found i could eat a lot more till my last fill ( thursday) and now it def seems like im really full after less food so i guess that is right =)
my exercise is walking my dog every am, up and down some big hills, and i sell cars so im pretty active through out the day.
I can feelmy port now, weird. and so far it had been great, i wish i did it when i wa in my 20's instead of my 30's.
i started at 267 and now at at 230, my goal is 150.
I have not been stuck, in pain, thrown up, had a slimy or anything bad, just my first fill i had a Vasovagal attack , which was scarry, but 2nd fill was fine.
I have been up and down my whole life, highest weigh was 300 and lowest was 180 so im veryy happy I had my lapband put in. i regret not doin it sooner !!
i did have a ice cream sunday at outback one night, but for the most part i do not eat many carbs and eat one meal a day. i still do have bad cravings when i am pmsing, and will eat a small piece of dove chocolate , or 2 lol
and today i had a 1/2 of a 1/2 of subway 6inch turkey flatbread with avacado, just to test out my new fill, and it worked, full and not wanting any more
if anybody has any questions feel free to email me.
i love this talk page, its geat for all of us

Congrads to the both of y'all. Tomorrow will go smooth.i wish i was where y'all are.