Mxmom740

I had my band converted to a sleeve on May 26, 2014 in Tijuana. My surgeon, for both surgeries, was dr. sergio verboonen. I initially found him through International Patient Facilitators. Both of my surgeries were facilitated by Sheri Burke, who I just adored! I researched dr. verboonen & was pleased with what I know about him. My original band was done in Cancun, where Dr. verboonen travels monthly. Hope this info helps!

Good luck w/ all the revisions!
I am 2 weeks, 2 days post-op & generally, feel pretty good!
Down 16 lbs. so far & just trying to remind myself to DRINK!!! LOL!
So glad I did it & looking forward to maintaining for life!

I am down 50 pds since January - 35 since surgery 07/19.. A girl at work asked me if I had been sick, like with cancer. I nearly fell out. One girl told me loosing weight a lot of times makes you look older, then followed it with you sure lost a lot. I told her yes fat people make pretty corpse. Haters going to hate....

I had the same thing happen to me. Went to the ER & turned out I popped a stitch or two from coughing/sneezing. This was a week only. Been keeping it clean w/ a breathable bandage over it & the drainage has almost stopped. No discoloration, odor or any other indication of infection. Glad your's turned out well too!

After 18 years in a 2 piece

Hight 6'2
Weight may 30 357
Weight June 11 336
21 pounds down in the first week
Starting cardio reg today June 11

I'm also in the process my surgery date is June 10th

My first poo was 13 days after surgery. When it happened, the sky got a little bluer, the birds sang a little louder, the sun shined a little brighter...

My NP said that while my "wait time" was excessive, it's not too abnormal to not make the poo poo when you are consuming nothing but liquids and a bit of Protein shake here and there.

I had my Lap-Band done in April 2012 & at first, it seemed to work really well for me! I lost a total of 35 lbs. initially....then it seemed to stop working. I tried to change my diet, jump start & modify my exercise,....but I didn't get much success. After being "sick" (i.e., blockages, stomach aches, vomiting, ) the past 4-5 months, I decided to have my band removed & to have the VSG done in its place.
I am traveling back to Mexico to have my same surgeon do the conversion. I'm not really nervous because I know what to expect...I just have some issues w/ feeling like a failure because the weight didn't melt off of me! Probably just have some unrealistic expectations ~ LOL! I'm actually very excited about the VSG & am counting down the remaining 10 days until surgery like a kid waiting for Christmas :-D
I plan to read a lot of these Forums & see what others have done during their journeys ~

Insurance came through in 2 hrs after it was submitted. APPROVED! My surgery date is May 29th at noon. That's 2 weeks and well 9 minutes now lol. So very excited to start this journey. I might wanna throw up a little but other wise in excited. Lol. Btw 2 weeks and 8 minutes now. Hahahhahaaaa yay!!!!

Fericito,
I am one of those who went "south of the border" for a self-pay Lap Band. I had my surgery done on 4/13/2012 in Cancun Mexico by dr. sergio verboonen. My cost for the pre-op blood work, EKG, chest x-ray, surgery, anesthesia, IV & post-op pain meds/antibiotics & one night hospital stay was $5400 USD. My patient facilitator, International Patient Facilitators, also paid for one night hotel stay at the hotel of my choice. My add'l costs were the airfare to Cancun & my husband and I stayed a total of 6 days there to enjoy the sun & relaxation!
I am paying out-of-pocket here in the Midwest for aftercare. My first fill/follow-up appointment is on May 16th. My cost for the new patient visit/examination/fill using a fluoroscope is $400. Add'l fills run $250, but all use fluroscopy (no blind fills).
Personally, I have been extremely pleased with my Lap Band journey so far. I had a few questions when I got back to the States & was able to contact my patient liaison and get answers from her & my surgeon.
I did about 6 months worth of research before making the decision to venture to Mexico. I didn't have the $10-20K to self-pay here in the U.S. This situation worked for me & I'm really excited about what the future holds. Good luck in your endeavor to get your Lap Band done! :-)

I love your post! I too have to remember every single day to put myself and this process first. One of the hardest things to do but necessary. I am sure you will do just fine. This is a whole lifestyle change and acknowledging what is working and what isn't right away will help us get to where we want to go.
Be nice to yourself.

My first (note FIRST) major plateau was from about 6-8 months out. I didn't do anything wrong, but I finally figured out that I needed to change things up if I was going to break through it. Stepping up the exercise and changing up my eating (even more Protein and less of everything else) was and is my secret.

I haven't had the surgery yet, but financially, it will cost me nothing.
Physically, my Type II diabetes will get better or disappear, my back and knee pain will improve, my GERD will improve or go away (I have a hiatal hernia), my sleep apnea will go away, my fibromyalgia will hurt less, I will lose the metabolic disorder and Pickwickian syndrome, and much, much more. My life will change dramatically, with eating, health, exercise, and looks. I will be able to walk without a walker... A fact that makes it worth it all by itself! I cannot wait to start my journey!

I reguarly monitor my weight loss on the scale, but my realy inspiration is what size pants I can fit in!!! I am 3 months post-op. I started at 211 lbs. and am currently at 179 lbs. It seems like the weight is coming off slower now, but I can see the changes in my body. I was normally wearing a size 14 and am slipping into some of my size 10's now :-) That to me is the most exciting thing!!!!
Everyone's body is so different & watching the changes is what motivates me!!! Good luck ~ keep up the good work!

pizza is my nemesis!!! I could live on it!!!
Nowadays, I will eat 1 piece VERY, VERY slowly ~ thin crust, no meat, only veggies
Usually 1 piece will fill me up; occasionally I will eat 2 small ones.
Sure beats the 4 or 5 I used to wolf down on a regular basis!!!
If I had to completely remove pizza from my diet, I know I would not be successful. Moderation has been my saving grace these past 3 months.
Keep it up; you can do it!!!!

Just a quick hello to introduce myself! My name is Rachel and I am a 52 year old mother of 1 teenage daughter. Decided in January 2012 that I needed to take drastic action to prevent further health issues and suddenly, here we are... 1 day before lap band surgery. Insurance approval and all the visits seemed to take forever, but now it's here and I am totally ready! Have been following the 1 week liquid only diet since last Monday (glad that's almost over... although I lost a hefty 8lbs this week). My liver should be the size of a walnut, jeesh...
Hope to make everyone's acquaintance in due course. For now, off to browse the forums, but wish me luck tomorrow and watch my space...
Rachel

This time last year, I was absolutely miserable :-( It was summertime & I was feeling SO fat, especially when it came to a bathing suit. A size 14 was really, really tight on me. I'm 2.5 months post-op now & wore a size 10 this week :-D It is the little things in life now that make me smile & I realize I CAN DO THIS!!!

this time last year i went shopping to buy my bday outfit for august. i bought it in a size 16 praying i would be able to fit in it. i made it. this morning i decided it was time to get my bday outfit and realized i'm gonna be getting it in a size 10!!!!OMG!!!! SAY WHAT!!!! GO JENNIFER IT'S YA BIRTHDAY! What are you guys seeing different about yourself comparing to this time last year?

I Don't Care How It Looks For You Today!! Even If You lost 1/2 Pounds or None at All, Just Always, Always, Always, Keep Say in your Head!!! I Can Do All Things Through Christ Which Strengthens Me!!! And I'm Going to Back this quote with proof!! and Research!! God Never Lies!! And Jesus Told the story!! Now Have Faith!! Philippians 4:13
We Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Us!!! Its Never About Quantity Its Always About Quality!!!

Had my first stuck episode w/ a small piece of chicken yesterday. It was miserable... and scary to me! I am 8 weeks post-op & recently had my 2nd fill. I should have waited another day or so to attempt the chicken so I blame myself, totally! I knew what was happening, but then I got very light-headed and sweaty; almost as if I were going to faint. I tried to get the chicken to come up, but I couldn't. I tried to flush it down with Water (BIG MISTAKE!!!) and that was when the Water came up, but no chicken. After about 30 minutes, it alleviated itself, but I'm not sure I'll be eating sold food anytime soon :-) I'm grateful that I was home when it happened and not out at a restaurant or work or public in general.
I learned a big lesson and once my band is no longer irritated with me, I will learn to respect it more and what I can & can't eat....

That wendys chili sounds so.good!!