LapBandit2013

I think that's called a "niacin flush".

Like most people who go to Mexico for the band, I did my homework and chose a well-respected surgeon at a center for excellence - Dr. Ariel Ortiz, a gastric band pioneer who trains US docs. I knew the risks and set myself up with a local nutritionist and ARNP to do my fills prior to surgery.
I honestly don't believe your surgeon had ports with no bands, or gauze wrapped around the stomach. I think there is a culture of fear surrounding Mexican surgeries, propagated by those who stand to lose business, etc. Unfortunately, there are those who don't line up aftercare and don't research their options, but those few stories are the ones that get passed along so readily on these forums.
Also, there was a comment about not bargain hunting when it comes to your health -- that's not exactly fair. Some of us were only able to have the surgery because of the relatively low cost. If I were to self-pay here in Seattle, I would never have come up with the money - it took me almost a year to save 5k, I couldn't wait 3-4 more years. We all know how helpless we feel once we choose weight loss surgery, some of us just don't have the money to make it happen.

I had a Board celebration to attend last night (we just completed a $1.2 million fundraiser to renovate the stage in the theater I am Board president of) and was going through my closet in some frustration yesterday morning. They've seen this, they've seen that, they've seen that one a hundred times...Then, at the very back of the closet, was a black sheath with a floral jacket that I hadn't worn in over 10 years! I didn't know I even still had the thing! It was my favorite dress for a long time, and I used to wear it when I was this weight before, so....maybe....
I tried on the jacket, and voila! It fit! I was so excited all day, I could hardly wait to get dressed up for the fete! I have to attend 2 or 3 very dressy events each year for this theater, and I have never felt "pretty" even though I'm dressed to the nines. Last night, I felt pretty and the compliments were just rolling in!
This morning I feel like I could go shopping...and I HATE shopping!

Like most people who go to Mexico for the band, I did my homework and chose a well-respected surgeon at a center for excellence - Dr. Ariel Ortiz, a gastric band pioneer who trains US docs. I knew the risks and set myself up with a local nutritionist and ARNP to do my fills prior to surgery.
I honestly don't believe your surgeon had ports with no bands, or gauze wrapped around the stomach. I think there is a culture of fear surrounding Mexican surgeries, propagated by those who stand to lose business, etc. Unfortunately, there are those who don't line up aftercare and don't research their options, but those few stories are the ones that get passed along so readily on these forums.
Also, there was a comment about not bargain hunting when it comes to your health -- that's not exactly fair. Some of us were only able to have the surgery because of the relatively low cost. If I were to self-pay here in Seattle, I would never have come up with the money - it took me almost a year to save 5k, I couldn't wait 3-4 more years. We all know how helpless we feel once we choose weight loss surgery, some of us just don't have the money to make it happen.

I just have the plication, not the iband so you might want to ask Carolina girl, chez, or toddy how they are doing with theirs. They have both. I am super happy with my plication. To me the after care and diet are similar with all wls generally speaking . So I have many friends that I have made across all three boards to help support in loss and maintaining. The lb was what I was initially going to get. But the after care would have been an issue with me because I live in such a rural area. And the sleeve seemed to permanent just in case lol. So this was a good choice for me. I struggle like many with some
Old issues trying
To sneek in here an there, but overall I am happy. No complications. Elated with the restriction I feel. I was low bmi but have managed to loose 52 odd in 9 mos, putting me 9 pds away from goal. I feel better, am more active, all this has positively affected my depression issues. Fantastic to all those taking the leap of wls faith to turn their lives around. Good luck to you;)

I chose the band based on the reversibility, and relatively lower risk. I am really happy that I have it, I feel like I got my life back and I am losing weight. HOWEVER, in all honesty I wish it were easier. If I were to do it over again, I would probably choose the sleeve. Weight loss with the band is slower and there is a lot of willpower required, plus strict adherence to dietary restrictions. For a lot of folks who are newly banded, we wonder why our meals aren't restricted and why we can still eat everything -- turns out the band is just supposed to make you feel full longer. Unfortunately for me, feeling full or just not hungry was never a prerequisite for abstaining from food in my brain. I find that I have to work at this daily, sometimes I fail, but I am chugging along almost totally fueled by the shame of failure now that way too many people know I had WLS.

I chose the band based on the reversibility, and relatively lower risk. I am really happy that I have it, I feel like I got my life back and I am losing weight. HOWEVER, in all honesty I wish it were easier. If I were to do it over again, I would probably choose the sleeve. Weight loss with the band is slower and there is a lot of willpower required, plus strict adherence to dietary restrictions. For a lot of folks who are newly banded, we wonder why our meals aren't restricted and why we can still eat everything -- turns out the band is just supposed to make you feel full longer. Unfortunately for me, feeling full or just not hungry was never a prerequisite for abstaining from food in my brain. I find that I have to work at this daily, sometimes I fail, but I am chugging along almost totally fueled by the shame of failure now that way too many people know I had WLS.

So meet the teacher night was this past Monday. I had to dig deep into my closet and came up with this! I was told many times I looked "hot"! I'll take it!!
Today I wore jeans and a school shirt from last year. I was told I now need new clothes. Okay! So nice to hear!!

I was banded almost 6 months ago, 1/18/13, and have just reached 70lbs this week (including pre-op). I'm a little nervous about posting because I hate that this site is public, but I LOVE looking at progress & success pictures (kind of the same thing) and get really inspired by everyone on this site. My life is so much better, just being regular obese rather than super morbidly obese, I am so much healthier and happier than I used to be. My biggest achievement so far is my resting heart rate. At over 330lbs (my highest known weight) my resting heart rate was in the low 100s (super scary). Now, my resting heart rate is in the high 50s to low 60s - like an athlete!! I almost feel like one, too.
Thank you to all of you who share on this site and put it all out there so we don't all feel alone.

Have a great day!!

Do you eat a lot of sweets or maybe something like coffee that is causing this? Everytime I have caramel macchiato my urine smells like caramel lol I know tmi!!

Sometimes mine smells like popcorn!!!

The cool thing is I guess you really can't max them out. While they say that you have a 10cc or a 14cc band that doesn't mean you can't fill it past that. At one time I had over 14.5cc in mine but after a bout of dehydration brought on by not taking in enough fluids and running a 5k in 95 degree heat, I decided to back it back down to just over 14cc. Some people just have leaner stomachs (at least on the inside) and require quite a bit more fill than others. The good news is the band is basically just like a big balloon and you can put a LOT of saline in them!

It took me 9cc in my 11cc band to finally get into the green zone and it took about 5 months. I did get .5cc 4 months later and I am now holding steady. It appears some Docs are more aggressive than others. My first fill was 5cc in an empty band. They do not prime during surgery.
11cc Realize Band:
1st fill 5/29/12 5cc
2nd fill 6/12/12 1cc
3rd fill 7/02/12 1cc
4th fill 8/14/12 1cc
5th fill 9/4/12 1cc
6th fill 1/29/13 .5

Lapbandit. I agree with you. I think that some doctors are only in this for the money. I'm still not sure about mine, yet. But, I just got my second fill of 2.5 and now I'm up to 4.0cc. I was self paid: $9,745.00. Every time I go for a fill, I have to pay $200. My third fill is scheduled for September 9th.

It took 4 fills and 6 months to get to 10ccs

It took me 18 fills to fill up my 14cc band. I started out getting 3cc then 2cc and 1cc fills after that. The tighter I got the lower the amount of fills. I was pretty loose at first so getting .25cc would have taken forever!

How many fills did it take before you got to 10cc? I knew my recent fill wasn't enough, but my provider pretty much only does 0.25cc. I think to maximize profit.

I had two pairs of brand new jeans bought a couple years ago that sat in a drawer because they were too small. I finally pulled them out today and guess what? They are too big!!! I got down on the floor last night to look under the bed for something and popped right back up. I was like wow that was easy. I usually take several minutes getting off the ground. I cut my toenails the other night and realized I can just reach down and cut them no problem. It use to take forever just to get in a position to do that. I love love love my lap band!!!

how about oatmeal and cream of wheat? You should be able to get those down easy enough. I keep the packets in my desk at work and it's an easy Breakfast.< /p>

After I graduated to solids, nothing major has changed as far as social gatherings, having friends over for meals, etc. The biggest change is that I eat WAY less, and much slower than I used to. I always have leftovers to box up. Nothing weird, nothing that affects my ability to be social and eat with a group of people.
You will learn quickly what your band can/can't handle, so I've never been stuck or PB'd in public. If I'm trying something new outside of my home, I take tiny bites and chew like crazy.
When I graduated to mushies, I remember taking my friend out for dinner at a cute little Indian restaurant for her birthday. I was able to eat an entree without rice (most dishes are pureed, or saucy) and gave the paneer to my friend - it was delicious.
You will still have the ability to socialize around food, and be adventurous with your palate, you will just learn to limit yourself and eat slowly, which is totally a good idea anyway.
As far as drinking while eating, I am allowed to drink up until I eat, then I don't until 30 min after eating. I learned quickly not to break that rule, because drinking while eating causes me a lot of discomfort. You will get used to these things and you won't feel sad or left out. If anything, it feels good to no longer be the first one finished eating.

Hello January Bandsters I was banded Jan 21, 2013. I just wanted to check in and say hi. I am doing great. I feel better then I have in years. I was 346 pounds 12/21/2012, 326 pounds 1/21/2013 and 266 as of the other day. I love love love my band and Water exercise.

yay, great job both of you! I'm down 72lbs altogether. I have so much more to lose, but I'm feeling super good. I just did the Warrior Dash (a 5k obstacle course) on Saturday, and that was a huge accomplishment that I didn't think I would do just 6 months out. Mind you, I walked half of it and finished in like 5000th place, but I still DID it.
Water exercise is awesome kca1fan, I used to do that before surgery and it was so fun. I would do it again, but my current gym doesn't have a pool.
Gowalking, congrats on qualifying for the knee replacement in half the time! Amazing!

yay, great job both of you! I'm down 72lbs altogether. I have so much more to lose, but I'm feeling super good. I just did the Warrior Dash (a 5k obstacle course) on Saturday, and that was a huge accomplishment that I didn't think I would do just 6 months out. Mind you, I walked half of it and finished in like 5000th place, but I still DID it.
Water exercise is awesome kca1fan, I used to do that before surgery and it was so fun. I would do it again, but my current gym doesn't have a pool.
Gowalking, congrats on qualifying for the knee replacement in half the time! Amazing!