GeezerSue

Flouro. Otherwise, they're guessing. (There is no guarantee that the patient gets the "correct" amount, but you will see for yourself that liquids are going through and you'll also see the size of your upper stomach. Also, without flouro or at least an x-ray, they cannot see if the integrity of the esophagus is compromised, and that's important to know.) Sue

anted somewhere around $150, call the day before the appointment so say that I'd need endoscopy first. There was once more chance, but it was tough to get through his office, he wan't in town every day and by then I was exhausted anyway. I went to Mexico. This time I went to Mexico directly. It was fun and had I planned in advance, it would have been easy.

Hopping in here doing my grumpy thing...I do not wish to worry you, as I see no reason to worry. I do wish to cause you to question yourself and make sure you know all about what you're about to do. Let's make sure you are fully informed on what is likely to happen if "the band works" for you. The average WLS patient (regardless of which surgery) has lost about 60% of their excess weight two years out. And, 60% of 60 pounds is 36 pounds. So, if you are going into this knowing that there is an EXCELLENT chance that two years from now, you will weigh 174, not 150...and if it's worth it to you to go to all the trouble and expense knowing that a thirty-six pound loss will be typical, then you are sufficiently informed. It's a different call for the seriously Morbidly Obese. If you are well into the MO range and need to lose, say, 160 pounds, and only lose 96 (60%), you life will STILL have changed so dramatically that the surgery would be well worth it. I'm not sure the same applies to losing only 36 pounds. This is not to say that you won't meet or exceed your goal, of course. I'm just mentioning the AVERAGE result. Good luck, no matter what you decide. Sue

It occurred to me--I'm sometimes a little slow on the uptake--that I had been medicating for reflux for nigh onto three months, with only moderate relief. So, I found a few photos of what esophagitis looked like and went running for an unfill. Dr. Kuri was kind enough to do the unfill. He had also done my first fill, a year ago, even though he was not my surgeon. Actually, it was the random, spontaneous trip from hell and occasonally a laugh riot. I started the morning in the Laguna Niguel area, brunching with a family member and then talking to my "eating coach" (?--I just made up that title), and deciding that I needed an unfill NOW. I drove down the coast to the next Amtrak stop--San Juan Capistrano--and got there with five minutes to spare for the next train! I took the train to the end-of-the-line, in San Diego, and then hopped on the San Diego Trolley. So far, so good. Then I got really dumb. Instead of taking the trolley to the end of the line at the border, I decided (why? because I speak just enough Spanish to get into trouble) to follow the locals and get on the MexiCoach bus, a few miles north. WHAT A TRIP! Eventually, the entire bus was telling me how to get to Kuri's office via those red, third-world-cab-co. 70-cent taxis. I told one lady that if I got lost, I'd be staying at her house for the weekend. Another woman, near my age, decided to adopt me and take me with her. I suggested that since it's the time of year to start making tamales for Christmas, she was really trying to find free labor for the tamale venture. By the time we got off the bus, everyone was wishing me a happy career as a tamale-maker. We were all laughing. HOWEVER, she did in fact know where I wanted to go and I walked right across the street and into Kuri's office. Dr. Kuri has always had trouble locating my port, and it happened again. We had both been hoping we could do the adjustment in the office, but no luck. I had to wait until he finished with his other patients, and we went to the flouro place and unfilled me. And there I was...about 7:00 p.m, with my lousy night vision, in a foreign country, without a toothbrush, and my car was in the parking lot of a train station I couldn't get to, and which had had tow-away signs for those who tried overnight parking. I went to the hotel, ate in the dining room, bought a toothbrush and toothpaste and went to my room. By 5:46 this morning, I was on the US side and on the trolley headed north. I got to San Diego around 6:30, caught the 7:05 train headed north and at 8:30 discovered my car where I had left it. (Maybe the handicapped sticker helped?) By 9:15, I was home, after stopping for a Breakfast burrito and actually being able to eat a little bit of tortilla. DONALI, WHY DID I NOT GET YOUR PHONE NUMBER BEFORE I VENTURED OUT? I plan to give my esophagus several weeks to heal itself before addressing the REfill issue. Sue

It might impact on your decision. PCOS patients lose--according to the study authors--a lower percentage of their excess weight than do other patients. (Older patients--and I'm one--are in the same boat.) That doesn't mean YOU won't lose much weight. It just means the odds are not a good for you or me as they would be for a younger non-PCOS patient. Good luck to you. Here's the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12527345&dopt=Abstract Sue

This is a very old study. These are the very first U.S. doctors, who didn't have any experience with the surgery, doing their first surgeries with procedures which have since been modified. It is essentially worthless. I am glad that most of the doctors who stopped doing lap-band stopped, as they were apparently not very good at it. The so-called side effects included such things as one or more occurence of nausea...hardly worth mentioning...especially when compared to the frequent side effects of RnY surgery. The doctors didn't know how to deal with a steady ten or so pounds per month weight loss--they wanted immediate results. And they didn't want to deal with adjustments, because IMHO, those just cost them money. Excuse me for not answering sooner, but I've had kind of a troll-in-the-house feeling. The WORST side effect I've had from the band is reflux, and there are meds for that. Before the band, I couldn't climb the three steps into my house and had to move. But I'm wondering how your band could be going into your liver, since they are on opposite sides...or is your liver just moved way over from the usual location? (Or is my geography way off?) Sue

Balanced Eating-Lifestyle Concentrating on Health? Or, maybe: Better Attitude Regarding Food?

And Leo has lost over 50% of his excess weight in a very short time, but he has lost fewer pounds than you have. (I'd start being jealous if I focused on that.)

Oops, duplicate post. But since I'm here, there's more. You need to lose 257 pounds. In the first three months, without a fill, you have lost about 21-22% of your excess weight. This is GREAT. At two-and-a-half months, with one fill, I had lost over 25% of my excess weight. Not as many pounds, but I don't have as many to lose, so the percentages match pretty well. Now the bad news: for me, that was the easy part. And 30% came fairly easily, and 35% wasn't all that hard, and then POOF! It started getting REALLY HARD. We all have different experiences, even when we start with similar stats and have the same surgeon. But add in THOSE differences, and there really is no way to predict who will need how many adjustments (the "real" name for fills) and who will lose how much weight, and when. So, congrats on how well you've done so far. You may be one of the lucky few who never needs a fill. You may get to goal in no time at all. Or, you may be like some of us who get almost half-way to where we're going and need a time-out and an attitude adjustment and retraining. All you can do IMHO to keep from going crazy is to compare your progress to how well you've done the previous week, and what you plan for next week. If you start to compare your progress to that of anyone else, you'll probably end up spinning your wheels. Sue

Nicole, Your band experience has absolutely no bearing on what another person's experience will be. The more you read, they more you'll learn that the band is nothing if not inconsistent. Sue

Nicole, Since LapBand related deaths are so rare, do you have reliable information on this? Is it a recent death? Was it surgeon error or did the patient's actions contribute to the death? (I know that in the Michigan death, the patient didn't seek care, then sought care at a different hospital, without mentioning the surgery and by the time the staff figured out that she had let a minor problem become life-threatening, it was too late.) I don't know Fox and wasn't recommending him for surgery, just aftercare. But if there is a potential problem there, can you hook us up with the sources of that information? Sue

You know, one day, I was lecturing my daughter and realized that I made no more sense than my mother, who had told me that if I took my baby to Wisconsin or Germany in the winter the baby would--beyond a shadow of a doubt--die. I believe that I somehow decided that our daughter would become a hooker on the strip in Las Vegas if she didn't do her homework...which was odd, as I NEVER did my homework and didn't become a hooker. Now (she's 28 and seems to have survived Wisconsin and Germany to the point that she just got back from one of her two or three times per year visits to Frankfurt and Copenhagen) when I nag her on the phone to do something, she asks, "And if I don't do it right this minute, do you suppose I'll have to move to Las Vegas?" (So I guess not doing your homework will make you a smart ass.) I don't know what to say except the following: most of the time, most of us are doing the best we can with the wisdom (?) we have at hand, and mean no malice at all. Well, that, and: generally, we screw up monumentally. Not making excuses for your mom...just warning you that some day, you, too, may get goofy as hell. It seems to run in even--or especially--the best of families. Sue Perhaps if you addressed the issue from another angle, in a way that she can process...?

Well, if you're as slow a learner as I am :ermm...when not chewing means a big lump of unchewed food ends up blocking your stoma and your brain starts The Saliva Thing, and you have to stand over a toilet and spit for 30 minutes is right about when you start to learn new habits. Because even a wiggling, squealing toddler cannot stop the saliva and because there's nothing you can do until it stops, you will eventually do whatever it takes to make it not happen. Most of the time. Sue *whose baby sister has grandchildren older than two and who has several more decades of bad habits to unlearn than anyone rearing a two-year-old*

Whew, Alex! I though you were calling someone a name! And you are SO right about the gravy. This year, Thanksgiving is at my sister's home and that means she gets first pick at the leftovers. SOOOOO, I went out and bought a leg and drumstick so I could have all dark-meat "imitation leftovers." I have to cook it, but I kind of think that leftovers are the best food at Thanksgiving. Happy Turkey! Sue

Hi, Mimi! Welcome. Here's my take, for what it's worth. (And I think it's worth a lot cuz I mostly copied it from coffee Wench and she knows everything.) With either surgery you will have to learn new ways to eat and deal with life. With the bypass, you WILL lose the weight, but you will gain it back if you don't do the learning. With the band, you have to make the changes to lose any substantial amount of weight. So, let's look at the "failures." Two years out, the unsuccessful bypass people lost and then regained and the unsuccessful band people never lost. And the unsuccessful bypass patients (it used to be 20%) have had massive, organ-rearranging surgery, and need a lifetime of supplements and have an increased risk of other health problems, while the unsuccessful band patients have a band that can stay, can get deflated or can get removed (sometimes with lap surgery, sometimes with open). There are, of course successful people with either surgery. But a far higher percentage of bypass patients have complications which require re-operating ("revisions") and/or OR visits. There are many people who have BMI's similar to yours and who are doing (or have done) well with the LapBand...including those who were much heavier than you. By the way, most surgeons who have done well with the bypass tend to prefer it. They think it is more successful because, after the surgery, they see only the patients with complications. Band patients take more follow-up care, and most US trained surgeons are not so into the day-to-day, patient support that's needed with the band. I think they tend to measure "successes" in terms of what percentage of patients they never have to deal with again...and with the band, that's "zero percent." Sue

Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey, Mexico and Dr. Fox in Washington State have psrtnered before and have published together. I THINK it costs less if you "start" with Rumbaut and have him refer you for aftercare, than if you start with Fox...but I'm not sure. Sue

In this case, your husband should be aware that it is the "foreign" doctors who are the proctors (teachers) showing the U.S. doctors how to do this surgery, so by avoiding Mexico, he is avoiding just the experience that I went looking for. In my case, a year ago, the local doctor had done about 30 lap bands and wanted $30,000 (all inclusive.) Dr. Rumbaut (in Monterrey, Mexico) had done about 1400 bands and charged $10,000 all inclusive. It will take me LOTS of trips to Mexico for fills to make up that $20,000 difference. More recently, some of the US doctors have lowered their prices to around $12,000. Which is good. But, for me, the real question is How many lap bands has this doctor placed? Although many people will say something like, "I was my doctor's second band patient and there were no problems," the research repeatedly proves that there is a real link between the number of bands placed and the number of complications suffered by the patient. Especially if I'm paying cash, I'm not going to be part of someone's learning curve. The Mexican doctors who proctor for Inamed are ALL more experienced than almost any US doctor, and mostly work in hospitals that are FAR superior to anything we've go going here, especially in terms of nurse-patient ratio. But if your husband can't get over his (not very accurate) conception of what those doctors have to offer, there are always Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Most band doctors there have way more experience and the cost is quite low, compared to here. (And a potentially tax-deductible trip is kind of cool, too.) Good luck, Sue

I have similar issues. But mine may be way weirder, because I'm old. And happily married for over 30 years. And I wasn't MO as a young woman. You know...when I was young, men used to notice me and I got a LOT of attention. But back then, they only looked at me and drooled and made obscene offers (which I often accepted) and stuff. But they never listened to me. When I got fat, I had to work harder at making my point (because in our culture, if you aren't rich or beautiful, you'd damned well better be smart) and finally they listened. So now I have no idea what I'll do when I lose weight. (Which may be why I'm at a pause.) Do I flirt? I think flirty old broads are really sad. Expound? I do that already, but people go to sleep. Wax eloquent on trivial issues? Eloquence takes such effort. (I'm also on hold with my life because while I am no longer anywhere near as sick as I was two years ago, I'm also not 100% well. I know how to be 100% disabled and how to be 100% able. I just don't know what to do when I'm "in between." So I'm doing nothing. All day. Every day.) Just joining in to whine...did anyone bring the cheese? Sue

Yo! Maria Nick! How's it goin'? Sue

Semi-private. Wish I had told fewer. Family knew, no one else did. Really, the people who know and love me, drive me nuts. "Well, we want to eat out, but where can Sue go?" And, "What about Thanksgiving! What can Sue eat?" And it never stops. But you know, until you learn what to eat and how to eat, you're going to look weird to others. (Like when the saliva-thing starts.) So...you may have a few people thinking you're pregnant or something. I vote to tell almost nobody. Sue

Jennye, I think that in the best of worlds, the band would behave just as yours is behaving. It is in there, planting itself where it belongs, and not causing any trouble. WHEN IT IS TIME (which, of course, it is not yet), you will have an adjustment which will cause restriction. And, until that restriction exists, you will be just as hungry as you were pre-op. (Just keep your protein levels up.) As frustrating as this seems right now, to me it sounds like IF you ever need a no-restriction condition later on (you know, another baby, that sort of thing) just emptying the saline will do the trick. Compare your situation to JimmyC's, where he actually had to have fluids delivered IV for a few days. I can pretty much predict that he'll need several days after the first fill to ease back into solids, and you will need only a day. Betcha! Sue

It just means you're healing well! Sue

On page 12, it says no beverage one to two hours after eating. (I believe the earlier edition of the book said one hour...I've gotta go find it.) Sue

Jimmy, Paisan... All youse associates from da ol' place are, you know, stand up people. But I gotta beef widda capo and I'd like to tell her: http://ourworld.cs.com/bannedsue/gestures14.gif I got "temporarily banned," no reason was given. I was told that after three days I could request reinstatment. My reply was, "Not on your life." I'm not going back. The capos there are both ignorant and disinterested in what is happening on their boards. Their policies are applied in an arbitrary and capricous fashion. I'm keeping in touch with some by email. But, hey, tell the banded to come on over here. We're way cuter, you know. Sue

I'm sure the band is a healthier approach than any of the liquid Protein diets. I've watched friends and relatives lose and then regain and then gain even more on those plans over many decades. I envy those who are satisfied with the healthy meals they are eating with the restriction they have. The first chunk of my extra pounds came off that way, and then I was told I needed an unfill, I got it and then, even after a re-fill a couple of months later, I've been stalled. I've lost--depending on when you start counting--between 32 and 46% of my excess weight and then I stopped losing. I haven't gained any weight. But I have stopped losing for many months, and I'm not happy about that development. My guess would be that the gains that occur after weight loss are not due to something as simple as neglecting to get a fill. I think that some of us eat more than we need to eat, and we eat in ways and for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger and survival, and therein lies the problem. Because band or no band (bypass or no bypass), a "need" to consume foods over and above that which we need for survival is at the heart of my eating issues and I suspect I am not alone. So, I'm working on those things. In case anyone who is researching the band is reading this, please understand that I am INCREDIBLY healthier and happier than I was before I had surgery. I can move, I can buy clothes, I can fit in airline seats, I no longer need my Bi-PAP (like CPAP) machine, I don't remember where my canes are, and I can do lots of fun things. I am sure that if I had not had band surgery, I would not be down those many pounds (and be in a size 20 instead of a 30-32), and--more importantly--no one could ever have convinced me that I was quite as nuts regarding food as I am. (I would have understood it logically, but would not have accepted it emotionally.) With the restriction that the band affords, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am absolutely full, even as I attempt to find something else to eat. That knowledge has prompted me to seek other help for my problem eating. (BTW, my take on the difference between band and RnY for people like me is that the RnY people lose the weight and then regain, while the band people get hung up on the eating issues before reaching goal...like I'm doing.) So, now that I can actually experience what "full" feels like--courtesy of the LapBand--I have the sensory clues I need to move to the next level in dealing with my eating issues. I piped up here originally because of the use of the word "permanent." I'm afraid to use that term:nervous--and like to warn others about using it--because I'm convinced that the weight loss gods will smite us when we do. Sue