bahuber5477

I am a nurse and I have an awesome friendship and working relationship with my surgeon. I also had my gall bladder out about a year post op lap band surgery. One thing I will say about it is that for me I was very nervous for anyone to touch the level in my band because at that time it was about perfect. I left mine alone, i felt amazing after surgery because prior I was very ill and nauseated and i was back in the gym the next day using the treadmill and elliptical (NOT recommended) but I felt so much better after surgery I just had to get t there and get some walking and physical activity in!
Good luck to you! For me the surgery went well and I felt immediately better!
Good luck to you,
Brittany

I also wanted to add additional comments on this post but I was busy when I read it so Ill add my two cents here to. Ok, So its a foreign item added to our bodies..There is a chance it will slip, fail, whatever complication however one thing the lap band did give me was it taught me how to eat. I know how to eat slow, I know how to eat small portions and be satisfied with that, i know how to monitor my Protein intake and basically i learned how to change my relationship with food. This was a hell of a curve ball for me. I am glad that my band helped me with that. I know that if i had to convert to another surgery I would be 100% successful. I also know that I am not at my goal weight yet but I know with the help of my lapband (which I love), a ton of hard work in the gym, good food logging and my fitness pal community, and the support of my doctor, family and friends I will get there!
Just my two cents....i do not regret choosing lapband
Thanks for listening,
Brittany

I also wanted to add additional comments on this post but I was busy when I read it so Ill add my two cents here to. Ok, So its a foreign item added to our bodies..There is a chance it will slip, fail, whatever complication however one thing the lap band did give me was it taught me how to eat. I know how to eat slow, I know how to eat small portions and be satisfied with that, i know how to monitor my Protein intake and basically i learned how to change my relationship with food. This was a hell of a curve ball for me. I am glad that my band helped me with that. I know that if i had to convert to another surgery I would be 100% successful. I also know that I am not at my goal weight yet but I know with the help of my lapband (which I love), a ton of hard work in the gym, good food logging and my fitness pal community, and the support of my doctor, family and friends I will get there!
Just my two cents....i do not regret choosing lapband
Thanks for listening,
Brittany

I think he point was the question was not posed to get a lapband bashing session going. I think the question was posed to give them an idea of how we picked our surgeons. so if you failed at the band or the band supposedly failed you it's not your mission to scare anyone away from one surgery or the other. There are plenty of long time band patients here who can testify to their success, after you have a sleeve for 14 or15 years you can let us know how that's working for you. Hopefully you will be successful , but please be considerate of the other people here who are happy and healthy and don't enjoy negativity.

I also wanted to add additional comments on this post but I was busy when I read it so Ill add my two cents here to. Ok, So its a foreign item added to our bodies..There is a chance it will slip, fail, whatever complication however one thing the lap band did give me was it taught me how to eat. I know how to eat slow, I know how to eat small portions and be satisfied with that, i know how to monitor my Protein intake and basically i learned how to change my relationship with food. This was a hell of a curve ball for me. I am glad that my band helped me with that. I know that if i had to convert to another surgery I would be 100% successful. I also know that I am not at my goal weight yet but I know with the help of my lapband (which I love), a ton of hard work in the gym, good food logging and my fitness pal community, and the support of my doctor, family and friends I will get there!
Just my two cents....i do not regret choosing lapband
Thanks for listening,
Brittany

My surgeon sort of chose me because I am a nurse and he's the main bariatric surgeon at the hospital i work in. He's a great friend of mine now and I couldn't be happier! He is an awesome doctor. Whoever you choose please make sure you have a working relationship with them because it makes your experience so much smoother and you feel comfortable asking questions. I, for one, know my doctor would be there for me in a heartbeat if i needed something. I know this from first hand experience...If I call him at home, he's there for me immediately. Thats hard to come by. Trust your doctor before you go into surgery.

My surgeon sort of chose me because I am a nurse and he's the main bariatric surgeon at the hospital i work in. He's a great friend of mine now and I couldn't be happier! He is an awesome doctor. Whoever you choose please make sure you have a working relationship with them because it makes your experience so much smoother and you feel comfortable asking questions. I, for one, know my doctor would be there for me in a heartbeat if i needed something. I know this from first hand experience...If I call him at home, he's there for me immediately. Thats hard to come by. Trust your doctor before you go into surgery.

I did a lot of research before I got my fitness trackers and I ended up with a fitbit charge HR for steps and basic activity. I don't connect it to my fitness pal or anything. I just essentially use it as an indicator of how active I was that day and push myself to try to do better the next day. For working out and running/hiking/biking ect. I went with the polar m400 with HR monitoring chest strap (I don't mind the chest straps honestly and I feel there the most accurate. For the price range it seems to have everything I need and the polar ap is pretty good. Am very happy with my choices and although I'm not sure i should be so focused on gadgets these things keep me motivated and are kind of enlightening.

I did a lot of research before I got my fitness trackers and I ended up with a fitbit charge HR for steps and basic activity. I don't connect it to my fitness pal or anything. I just essentially use it as an indicator of how active I was that day and push myself to try to do better the next day. For working out and running/hiking/biking ect. I went with the polar m400 with HR monitoring chest strap (I don't mind the chest straps honestly and I feel there the most accurate. For the price range it seems to have everything I need and the polar ap is pretty good. Am very happy with my choices and although I'm not sure i should be so focused on gadgets these things keep me motivated and are kind of enlightening.

I work in the recovery room and usually the best cocktail for nausea is dexamethasone, zofran, Emend, scope patch. Phenergan works very good post op as a second resort.

I have copied this from a post I made elsewhere.
Please bear in mind that I am a very happy and very successful bandit now 9 years post-op. I do not regret my band, would do it all over again and if I ever have to have it removed, I would hope to have a replacement.
When I was banded in 2006, it was a miracle surgery. And for some people, who accept that they will still have to work hard, it is just that. It was and still is for me. But over the years it has become clear that serious complications necessitating further surgery are much more common than originally thought, some of these are avoidable by careful eating and by not keeping the band tight; unfortunately others are beyond our control.
We used to be warned about band slips, leaks and about ( very rare) erosion into the stomach tissue but it turns out that a build up of scar tissue round the band (causing it to tighten) is quite common. It can be very difficult to get the right level of restriction and some people are tempted to keep it tight enough to physically limit food, in fact it was once thought this was how it should be. But this causes food to back up into the oesophagus and that risks problems such as oesophageal dysmotility which may be irreversible. It can also damage the vagus nerve.
Quite a number of doctors have stopped implanting bands as they found the removal rate was unacceptably high and it was too easy not to lose enough weight. Revision from band to sleeve is not uncommon!
We still need lots of will power. The band makes it easier by dimming hunger, but it does nothing for heard hunger and, contrary to popular opinion, it does not and should not physically stop us eating. If it does it is too tight!
Having said all that, I love my band, I know many successful long term bandits in real life. My own experience has been good and so has that of almost all those I actually know and have met.

Had mine for nine years. All good. Am in touch with just over 50 people (not online, in real life); two have had bands removed, one because she deliberately kept it too tight. Rest doing ok.
Two friends have sleeves and have had an appalling time. One friend has RNY and nearly died.
Horror stories? Yes. Happens to everyone? No!

It is honestly not even recommended to drink the Protein shakes right after weight loss surgery anymore. When i had my surgery they preached this so much however when i went to my 1 week post op appointment i told my surgeon what was going on, he gave me a huge hug and said you can wait a while until your belly can tolerate it. Just take things slow, Jello, Clear liquids. stuff like that. Good luck hun. Walk walk walk to that will make the bloated feeling get a little better.

Ok, I am sorry I gave you the advice I did then. You didn't include any of that background. The only information that was listed above was that you were able to lose some weight on your own and was wondering about where to go from here...Good luck to you on your decision and your surgeon and bariatric nurses will guide you through the process and give you more information about what is expected and whats to come.

I don't mean to be rude or anything but i guess if i started at 219 I wouldn't of had surgery in the first place.....Its such a lifestyle change and a commitment to change that I just don't think I would of made that choice. I would of focused more on healthy eating and exercising. I don't regret my surgery but at the same time it definitely has given me the tools to understand if I would of really put my mind to it I probably could of did this on my own....
Good luck to you in making your choice. Its a life changer no matter what you choose.
Brittany

I can hardly believe what you went through! You poor thing I wish I could hug you! Not sure where you are in SD, but I am in Rapid City and the bariatric staff here is phenomenal and I know they could help. I know if I had an emergent issue, my surgeon would be in pronto - even in the middle of the night. When I was having some issues with too much restriction, the bariatric coordinator talked me through it and gave excellent suggestions but also said she could get the doc to see me if needed, which I didn't need to because her tips worked. PM me if you ever need to talk...
april k

Just do it. Thats my best advice. It was one of the most awful weeks of my life lol. I know thats a little dramatic but I was working almost every single day and I Was cranky and tired and I had terrible headaches. Just do it. Its all worth it and youll forget about it soon enough.

Ill be perfectly honest. I also had to have my gall bladder out and it was the easiest surgery ever. I felt so much better I was back in the gym the next day regardless of the instructions lol. Im a nurse and I never listen but in all honestly it was a cake walk and I felt immediately better. My band was very tight the night following surgery so just take it easy with what you eat.

Honestly I have the mentality of if the band is omptimal DO NOT MESS WITH IT . About the worst thing that can happen is youll have to do Protein shakes or yogurt for Breakfast until your level is good and you can advance. Take things slow. I honestly doubt it will affect your band for very long. Good luck to you....All things that we face as lap band patients...Most of all dont forget to enjoy your trip!
Brittany

I know for me 5 days post op I could eat like 3 bites of mashed potatoes or like a couple bites of Soup and feel like i was so full I would explode. Stick to soft stuff and liquids for a while. Let your tummy heal.

Just do it. Thats my best advice. It was one of the most awful weeks of my life lol. I know thats a little dramatic but I was working almost every single day and I Was cranky and tired and I had terrible headaches. Just do it. Its all worth it and youll forget about it soon enough.

Honestly dont worry about it. Its short term. That pre op diet nearly kills everyone....I drank like maybe two shakes a day and that Protein Bar that came with Optifast. I hated that Soup and I hated the vanilla shakes and it turned out ok...I lost 16 lbs in 10 days. Consider it a boost in your weight loss success. Youll get through it. We all do! good luck on your upcoming surgery.

My first fill was like this as well however my did Dr. did fluoroscopy right away to find it. My port was nowhere near where we thought it was.

Ten months out and down 103 lbs.

Ten months out and down 103 lbs.