La_madam

Lisa call your local Doc and schedule a fill, maybe then you will get restriction once you made the appointment..It happened to me twice. If not then go get a small fill, it can not hurt right? Plus see if what Lopez told you is true see if you truly have 1.7 cc's because I agree with you a .7 jump you should be feeling some restriction or more then you had ..This is why we get the band to help us with our eating and portions. The band is designed to be filled, right? With this fill I had on Monday my food obsession is gone. and Iam lovin it! I say go for it! Some Dr's will tell their patients after a fill if they still feel no restriction in 2 weeks the to come back for another fill .. You are no different and you said there is a chance you may lose your band down the road or you think you may be rejecting this new port too then why not go get a fill and lose as much as you can while you can. Just my opinion

Great analogy Leatha! I love it..thanks for posting it!

I have a different view on this subject. I had mine done in Mexico and yes I live close to the border, but even if I did not I would continue to do my aftercare with my original surgeon..I chose him for a reason his experience and knowledge of the band not the price because believe me I could of gotten it done cheaper. Does he use flouro when he does fills? Is this the price with or without fluoro? If he does not use flouro do you feel comfortable with that, alot of us here like the fact our Dr's use flouro it gives peace of mind To me that is so important for me to actually see my band and my port and my restriction..2 of the girls who had surgery the same day as me live out of state and they both fly into San Diego and go to TJ for their fills. Not to mention US docs are very conservative with their fills so in the long run you may need several fills if they only give .5 cc's- .7cc's at a time. Would it be cheaper in the long run to go to TJ and have Kuri give you a decent size fill under flouro? These are the questions you need to aks yourself Who's to say you will need more then 3 fills. For me I Just had my third and I know this one will get me to goal 25lbs from goal ..Everyone is different I know..sometimes though we just have to work a little harder ( mental things) instead making the band do alot of the work, the less ammount of fills/ unfills you have the longer life your band will have according to Ortiz /Martinez

I was told by my Doc that anytime you have the reflux and or mucous at night, you need an unfill..maybe not a complete unfill but a partial unfill. As little as .2 cc's can make the biggest difference to get those pills through and eliminate the mucous at night. Maybe ask for a partial unfill for the time being

Although it has been said that the band can help patients with GERD then band can also cause GERD if you are filled too tight. Ill' succeed, I do not wantto burst your bubble..but if you feel as though you are filled with acid and air pre band..be prepared, I have never had this much air and acid in my system then I have since being banded. Most of us here have more air then pre band. I live on Gas X and Maloxx . I do not have GERD though which Iam thankful for just lots of air and rumbly tummy. I hope for you are different, maybe it iwill have the opposite affect on you

Ryan & Patty.. I am with you all the way. Ryan you know I can relate to what you are going through.. My thoughts will be with both of you. ((((HUGS))))

Melissa if it continues to leak please call your Dr. this is exactly how Lisa's started out with her tubing protruding then a continuous open wound that leaked.

How true How true Paula Being sick has is bonuses Cold-eze worked well for me Leatha also the liquid Tylenol for cold & flu

Hi..I was banded in Mexico and did not have one in Mexico. There are others here who will share their experiences that did have to go through a physch evaluation. I have not heard anyone yet who has been denied because they failed their evaluation..Good Luck

Or like taking your car to the mechanic becasue it is making a funny noise and the minute you pull up to the auto shop the noise is gone My last fill I mentioned this phenomenon to my Dr. and he says he hears it alot so maybe the mind does play tricks on us or should I say our bands

I'm happy for you Tanya.. Your life is about to change for the better.. Congratulations!!

Sweetenss Iam partial to rotweillers. We have had four of them 3 of them died bofroe the age of 9 . Enjoy & love her as long as you can. I just put my7 yr old female to sleep on Monday she had a storke about a year ago .....Rottweillers life span is about 6-9 years...I have yet to have one last more then 8yrs. Large pure breeds do not live as long as the mixed smaller breeds. Rottweillers are the best companions and are eager to be trained and disciplined, it is what they are bread for...they are a working breed. They are great with children too regardless of al lthe bad publicy they get. They are very loyal and protective, but one piece of advice I can give you is this..with any large breed dog especially rottweillers you need to make sure they know from day one who is boss and who is in charge. I did not do that with one of my males I acquired him when he was 2 and had been abandoned and had not been trained properly and he turned on us, then turned on the trainer and he had to be put down . Having the experience I had with rottweillers over the years I thought I could change him & train him but it was obvious to me and my trainer that he had not been shown who is boss in the very early stages of his puppyhood and showed signs of abuse ..I have never made that mistake again, all of my rotts got obedient trained at 8 weeks old.. Your pup is a cutie..reminds me of ROXY she looked very similiar 7 yrs ago

You know Trish, that is a interesting way to look at it..I'm sure most of us here have been overwieght our entire lives let alone our marriages. My husband is one of those men who likes his women with a little meat on their bones...his ex wife was chunky and his ex girlfriend before we got together was chunky too.. You could be on to something :guess

This thread makes me sad..I just had tp put my rotweiller to sleep on Monday after I got home from my fill...my little Jack russel terrier is in mourning right now, she can't find her best friend and is wondering why she is getting all of this new attention this past week.

Funny you should ask this question, My neighboor, who is the one who told me about the band, had her band for 3 years and has been at goal for 2 of those years I just saw her for the first time in about 2 months it was obvious to me she had gained some weight so I asked whats going on, instantly she started to cry ..She had to have her band removed due to slippage, her slippage was caused from PBing too often She has gained 30 lbs back in 2 months and is devastated. Can not have it replaced until her anemia is under control and is no longer anemic, she is waiting on lab test results and plans to get her band back ASAP..Your band can last a life time if you take care of it properely is what my Dr. told me. As much as we want the band to do all of the work , we have to do alot of the work too if we want our bands to last. Do not over fill, Do not PB often, take responsibility when you know something is NOT right with your band, do not wait...these things can help to a longer lasting band according to my Dr. who also wrote a book called LAP BAND FOR LIFE. Erosion is also a possibility which is 1-3 % of all patients and can happen 6 months to 2 years out. Erosion is something no one knows why it happens. The most model bandsters can have erosion where the worst bandsters won't, some people's bodies just reject a foreign object, where some don't, strange phenomenon For me though, the cons of this band can NO WAY out weigh the Pro's. Best thing I have ever done for myself. It is the happiest & healthiest I have been in years!

Teresa..you are awesome! Way to go!!!

Lisa, you have come along way..your incision looks great compared to what it looked like in October when I was in Vegas..It looks normal now YEAH!!!!

Hi Welcome Your hospital stay should not be more then a day ..2 at the most, some hospitals are doing it as an outpatient service now. There is no set date or ammount of times you will have your band filled. Everyone is so different. I have had mine filled 3 times , I just had my 3rd fill on Monday and I feel that I will get to goal with this fill, Im 25 lbs from goal weight. I had my surgery done in Mexico where they are more agressive with their fills. American Dr's are very conservative with their fills, so you could possibly need more fills then a patient banded in Mexico...fills are not painful at all, just a little prick when the access your port but thats it. Good Luck to you, the band is a wonderful thing and it has changed my life in such a good way..I hope the same for you

Pati, you are not alone in this dilema Many here have talked about this exact topic. My husband makes his silly comments that once I get thin I will leave him and all I tell him is NO when I get skinny we will be able to do al lthe things we never did because I was so obese. My husband is 6'1 200 lbs and eats likes a horse and never gains weight. He is very supportive of the decision I made to get the band and has been supportive this entire time, he knows he benefits from my feeling better about myself I still eat with my husband but I just do not eat as much as I used to. The only thing that has changed is the quantity of my food. Tell your husband that your sex life will improve see if he likes that

Welcome to LBT Hope all goes well at the Dr's

Great News! You are on your way now..I hope you get a date soon

I use the ceramic straightening iron.. they do get hot and I have extermely thick curly hair and am also a licensed cosmetologist..it is reccomended you only use it once a week so it does not damage your hair. In between washings I just use a shower cap to keep out and moisture or steam when I shower or bathe..my hair stays straight until I wash it again...Metal flat Irons are much much hotter then the ceramic flat irons and are extremely damaging. It is hard to curl with them unless you just want to do the ends under or flip them up, they are not designed to roll like a curling iron due to the high intense heat. Hoding the iron at the roots of each strand you section is key to getting maximun straightening , and I section my hair off into little sections which also helps to get maximun straightening affect. Lisa you look beautiful

Hey Lisa..it wouldnt hurt to try it!

Either weekend will work for me, just let me know.

There are some great tasting protein drinks out there. I drank the Atkins Advantage in a can ( chocolate) They tasted just like chocolate milk and they were just easy for my lifestyle....also Hoods Carb Countdown in your grocers dairy case is loaded with protein ( chocolate) it fills you up & tastes great Just keep telling yourself this liquid phase is so worth it in the big picture especially when you start seeing results. Blended soups ( no chunks) worked well for me. Are you full liquids or clear liquids right now? Liquid yogurt worked great too, popsicles & jello made me think Iwas eating instead of just drinking. You will get through this..we all did!