kacee

I agree! You guys have been hanging around in the shadows too long!

Your Doctor is telling what the "ideal" weight loss is for the band. For any person it is a healthy loss rate to do 1-2 pounds a week. Much more than that and your body freaks out (skin sags more than it would have normally, hair falls out in quantities (even more than what many of us experience after about 3 months post-op), your skin gets all crappy...in other words, your body is using itself up too fast and you are depleting yourself of nutrients. Okay, that being said, depending on how much you have to lose, you could lose a LOT more initially. Believe me, I have been more than happy with my weight loss and every time I thought things were slowing down, I put a pencil to it and found out I am still averaged at over 2 pounds per week, spread over the 7 months since surgery.The thing is that it is a steady loss...it shouldn't go up and down, like we "normally do". Don't think in terms of numbers, because there are NO hard and fast rules there. You will lose what you will lose. Don't put preconceived expectations out there and then talk yourself out of it.

Okay, I have to say this. I've loved steak and prime rib all my life and I thought I had had a good steak....until....I went to Ruth Cris Steakhouse. Now this place is HIGH. I mean, a small steak was something like $30, and it basically came with....uh....nothing else. But it was my Mom's 80th birthday and my brother was paying, so I jumped in and ordered one. OMG!!!!!!!!!! I have NEVER tasted anything like that before or since (!) in my LIFE! You could have cut it with a SPOON. It MELTED in your mouth. It had the most amazing texture I have ever witnessed in my LIFE! It was one of those "AHA!" moments when I suddenly looked around and said "SO THAT's what a GOOD steak is like!" It was an incredible experience, and one everyone shouuld have at least once.

I think MOST doctors suture the band

You'll probably have to have blood work done. (Just a "stick") Sleep Apnea test (No pain there...it's kindof interesting actually! You are hooked up to an EEG and then you go to sleep and they monitor your breathing while you sleep) EKG/Stress Test: Can't remember if they shoot a dye into your arm or something (no worse than any bloodwork). You get on a treadmill and walk for a few minutes and they take your heart rate while you do. GI Scan (with a barium swallow): no pain. You do have to drink this chalky crap and then stand in front of a screen as they watch it go through your system. Psych: A psychologist will talk to you about how you feel about your weight and your goals and get an idea of what frame of mind you are in and if you are going about this all for the right reasons.

Congrats and welcome! This is the beginning of the rest of your life and you are going to see some big changes! Changes for the better! Take the next week to get completely ready for surgery. Get your foods in stock, get all your comfy items set up beforehand. Being proactive on this is the single best thing you can do....planning ahead.

Welcome Charnie! You are within the range that I was on losing. I think I was needing a total of something around 70 pounds. You should see some real progress with the band. My doctor says that folks who need to lose less weight REALLY go gung ho with the band and see results. My big concern is having you have help after surgery. You cannot be taking care of 6 kids right after this. You are going to need a few days to get back on your feet and you're gonna be kindof wiped for a while and it takes a few weeks to build up your stamina. Get your family on board to help you and understand that you're gonna need some "me time" after this. Good luck. It's the best decision I ever made for myself!

Here are some concerns : 1. Lap Band could slip & cut off blood supply to parts of the digestive system. The band is sutured into place and should not slip. A lot of slippage is due to "pilot error"...folks NOT doing what they are supposed to do...and forcing large amounts of food down causing stretching and sticking and regurgitating. 2. Could be placed incorrectly & cause the same problems. Well, yeah, that's why you do your research and get a surgeon who has MANY surgeries under his belt. There is nothing that beats experience. 3. Peritonitis (sp?) from surgery itself. Hello? You've been reading too many medical books. Peritonitis (I've had it) is just one of many things that could arise as complications of ANY surgery, anywhere. 4. Lap Ban could burst or break & cause damage to inferior Vena Cava or Aorta, causing severe blood loss with little or no warning. Once again, too many medical books. The chances of these things happening are 1 in xxx, just like dying in a plane crash, being hit by lighening, being eaten by a shark. You have to use some common sense with this. Ok, those are my husband’s concerns Here are mine : 1. Lap band leaking Certainly doesn't happen very often. If that were to be the case, the solution leaking will not hurt you, and the band can be repaired or replaced, if needed. 2. If the band it filled to tight and you start having pains, do you also become sick as well? (Up chucking) I mean. You don't "have pains" because the band is too tight. You have less ability to swallow foods. That's what your doctor is there for...fills and UNfills. Lots of people have to get unfills. It's not considered a "horrible thing". If your band is filled too much, you simply get an unfill and go your merry way. 3. Is anything attached to your stomach so that they can fill the band when needed ? If so, is it always open and what about infection? The band is a plastic belt-like device that encircles the top part of the stomach. It is sutured onto the outside of the stomach so it does not move or slip. There is a tube which connects to the band and sits inside the abdominal cavity. At the other end of the tube is a "port" about as big around as a silver dollar (maybe smaller) and about a half inch thick which is sutured to the muscles of the abdomen. When you get a fill, the doctor introduces a syringe into the wall of your abdomen and into the pad of the port (which is not far under the skin) and injects the saline solution into it, which goes into the tube and up into the band and makes it expand, giving you consitriction. I know that this surgery is a whole lot different than the gastric is, but is there anything at all that I need to know about with the lap band that I do not know ? Anything really bad that I should be concerned about etc... It is less invasive, not "gut redirecting", laparoscopically done through approximately five little incisions anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches long, done on an outpatient hospital basis usually, going home the same day. Recuperation is very quick (matter of a week or so, as opposed to bypass which is like MAJOR surgery). There is a learning curve on the eating process, but it comes with time. There are a LOT of people here to help you. Also, does anyone here know of a Doctor in Greenville NC who is really good at this that I can contact ? Sorry, I'm in Houston. Go to the Doctors thread and put "Greenville NC" in your thread title asking for help. And one last thing. I have heard that with the gastric that people lose their weight really fast. Is that the same with the lap band surgery? And what about having all the loose flabby skin hanging after you have lost all you’re going to ? Is there a chance at all that it won’t happen ? Yes, gastic bypass folks do lose a LOT quicker than lapbanders. Ideally, they say that you should spread the loss of your weight (of course this depends on how much you have to lose) over a 1-2 year period, losing approximately 1-2 pounds per week as an overall average. Loose skin remaining depends on your genes and your age and how much you are having to lose. If you are over 100 pounds overweight and have been for a while, you will probably find you have SOME sagging, but it is going to vary with everyone. I am 56, I have lost 55 pounds. My stomach is a little saggy (never had kids) and I have a little excess skin under my neck that isn't going away. Everything else did pretty well considering.

You guys are making a great decision! There are definite advantages to the lapband over bypass. First, it is reversible (in the event of a medical necessity), the recuperative time is a fraction of the bypass recuperation, your weight loss will be slower than with bypass so there won't be as much tendancy to have the HUGE amounts of excess skin left hanging (bypass folks look a LOT of weight very quickly, many times to the great detriment of their skin, hair, etc.). In many instances bypass folks stretch their pouches down the road and wind up gaining portions of their weight back. I don't think there is that tendancy with the band. This was the best decision I ever made.

Why would you cancel something you are doing for yourself and your health for your husband or son? If you needed a kidney transplant and your son said no, would you not do it? I know that sounds more dramatic, but what you need to do is find out exactly WHAT kind of reservation he has about this whole thing? How old is your son? You need to have everyone in your family IMFORMED and EDUCATED so they don't go off half-cocked with wild notions about what is going on with you. Forwarned is forarmed. What exactly has your son and husband said?

Hey Shiny! Welcome to the club! This is the start of the rest of your life, and it is going to look up, I promise! Best decision I EVER made for myself. Would do it a thousand times over. Just wish I could've done it 15 years ago.

No problem guys! You have ZERO restriction yet and the band IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU YET. Just because the band gets in place doesn't make the magic work immediately. It may take some MONTHS...i.e., SEVERAL fills, generally spaced at least 30 days apart...before you get to that "AHA!" place. Until then, you do the best you can. Welcome to bandster hell. It will pass, I promise.

Ooooohhhhh...well here's my story. I just turned 56. Started at 218 and am now 163 for a loss of 55 pounds. I also have pretty good genes. My arms aren't bad. My stomach is saggy and I may be a candidate for a mini-tummy tuck. The one thing I couldn't get rid of is my neck. I kindof expected this, at my age, after walking around with a triple chin for 20 years. I've got a little wad of skin that hangs. It makes me look older, so I am definitely going to take care of that in the next 2 years. Okay, and that's only 55 pounds. Not real optimistic that you're gonna bounce back like a rubber band at over 100.

Amen to that! I am officially OVERWEIGHT and I couldn't be more THRILLED!!!!!

Okay guys...no harm, no foul...I DO understand where you are coming from on that. We can agree to disagree. Everyone's got their own perception. I certainly don't mean to cast any shadow on newbie thinking...so those of you out there who are reading this, understand that we all have our differing viewpoints and nothing is set in stone. I am only one lone voice in the night with this viewpoint so I don't mean to try to sway anyone. Peace!

Congrats to you! 2008 is going to be the start of a wonderful life for you!

I have pretty much eliminated the word DIET from my vocabulary. I eat anything I darn well please.....WITHIN REASON (number of times and amount). That is the operative thing....WITHIN REASON. I THINK before I eat. If I leap in and have something I shouldn't have I now find I feel very guilty and the way I FEEL emotionally is so unsettling I cannot WAIT to get back on track. In the past I used a flub as an excuse to eat for the rest of the day, week, month, forever.....etc. I also look at eating "forbidden" things as perfectly OKAY, as long as it is few and far between. So, nothing, in essence, is forbidden.

Check out Isopure clear Protein drinks. You can get them at some GNC's and places that sell items for body builders too. They are kool-aid-y (perfectly decent tasting) and come in about 7 flavors. Each bottle has 40 gm of protein. Check the site for info.... index

Yes. Apparently they had 55 rsvp's and did not consider that enough or something. We had a Christmas get together at the office on Tuesday during meeting and about 25-30 folks showed up. It was nice. And Betsy...happy Bandiversary!!!

I think people using an excuse that they "don't think it will work" for them as a reason to not tell people is a HUGE COP OUT. Dig a little deeper and I think the REAL reason many people don't tell is because it is their typical MO....it gives them license to FAIL without having to listen to repercutions. If no one knows you have "done this thing" you cannot be held "accountable" for your own failure. Spending thousands of dollars, having surgery and altering you future lifestyle is such a radical choice, it goes against everything sensible to not expect that you will have success. For me, telling everyone and their brother was INCENTIVE for me like you can't IMAGINE. Each person I told who "looked at me that way" was one more KICK IN MY BUTT to succeed and prove everyone wrong. It was my insurance policy. NO WAY could I not succeed after I had laid my intentions and expectations out for the world to see. It was my catalyst for success.

You betcha!!! I was very tongue in cheek about the whole thing (privately). I figured I would be the one person where they would say, "Well, it works on most people, but you apparently are the exception to the rule and it doesn't work on you. So sorry." I was just fully expecting failure. Because of that I decided I was going to be absolutely religious about my post-op diet (I wasn't required to have a pre-op) and follow everything to a "T". Well, whooptee dang doo...guess what I found out! That sucker works! Actually, I worked, and it worked with me! I couldn't have been more surprised....or happy!!!!

I second and third the motion for Dr. Spivak. Dr. Spiegel is supposed to be an excellent surgeon, however the aftercare and organization of his office is less than to be desired. That seems to be a concensus. It is imperative that you have outstanding aftercare. Dr. Spivak did my band in May. I had considered Spiegel, but heard so much negative about the aftercare (his bedside manner is non-existant as well, I understand....which is not an issue for some people). Just my two cents. I think you will find a lot of folks agree with me.

What brand beam scales did you guys get?

Are you taking your pain meds on a regular basis? If not, then do. There was a lot of tightness, constriction, discomfort, and what felt like a golf ball mid-chest for the first week. It will lessen. But take your pain meds.

Also you can get down on the floor and put a hard pillow under your tummy and raise your butt up a little. That will really facilitate the air coming out. (that's a great old remedy for bad gas pains). You could also be sensitive to artificial sweeteners...I've heard that they can be a culprit too. Main thing is immense amounts of walking around, and fart fart fart and burp burp burp. Don't hold it in at all!