girlygirlz

No the nurse Laurie is definitely not aggressive! From what I understand she will only do 1 cc at a time and then it is six weeks for another appointment! From reading others experiences it can take 3 or more fills to get restriction. (Read Pam's thread on this site - it took her almost a year to get restriction!) That being said I am still very happy with my surgery. I have lost about 27 pounds in a little over 2 months. Most of that was during the pre-op two week diet and the first couple of weeks after surgery. I am losing about a pound a week right now and it is pretty much just from willpower since I have almost no restriction after the first fill. I get my second fill in late March. For me I think I needed the surgery mentally as much as physically. I had gained and lost weight so many times and after I got to be over 40 years old it became extremely difficult to lose any weight at all. So I think I gave up on dieting. After all my logical mind had concluded that dieting is crazy (You know that definition fo insanity that says you are insane if you keep doing the same thing over and over but expect to get different results) So the surgery gave me real hope that I could actually lose weight. I am eating better and exercising and I feel better than I have in years. I just have to not get frustrated with the slow losing. SO don't expect the weight to just fall off. You will need to work your butt off. But a lot of people on this site have had great success. So Good LUCK!

Hi Dawn welcome! You can get your fills right here in Reno! We have an excellent Bariatric practice which is made up of four surgeons called Western Bariatric. They are a American Society for Bariatric Surgery Center of Execellence and my surgeon has talked about doing revisions for people who have had surgery elsewhere so I would think they will do fills too. Their phone # is 775-789-9192.

My acid reflux was probably caused by my hiatal hernia which was fixed the same time as the lap band surgery. I haven't had any acid reflux since.:rolleyes2:

One answer for protein once you are on solids - CHICKEN BREAST 1 three ounce serving has 27 grams protein and 140 calories!

OK Josie, Jachut and BooBoo, looking at your fabulous success I am going to the gym tonight! I haven't been in over a week (had a bad cold) and told myself I would go tomorrow. But you are all such an inspiration! BooBoo Love the latest picture!

I had a bmi of 35.6 and was basically healthy. Insurance paid and my primary doctor really played up my co-morbitities I had slightly high cholesterol and acid reflux. But he also noted that while my blood pressure and blood sugars were normal they had been creeping up over the years. Diabetes runs in my family and I don't have great knees So the fear of diabetes and knee replacement in my future really motivated me. I think a lot of literature does not seperate the risks of gastric bypass vs. lap-band. I recently read that lap-band is about as risky as having your gall bladder out. (very low) I had surgery once before (for my sinuses) so I wasn't afraid of going under anesthesia. I figured I would have the surgery before my weight really caught up with me. Because the surgery is reversable I figured that the worst thing that could happen is that my band would have to be removed some day. I was willing to take that risk.

Graman- There are certainly a lot of people who have become slim. But some people are happy at a healthy if slightly chunky weight. A lot of the before and after pictures are people who are still "in progress" They may still want to lose weight but are celebrating their sucesses. If you want to find people who have had a lot of success you should check out the plastic surgery threads. The people who share their journeys have all lost tremendous amounts of weight before their plastic surgery.

Amy - I checked out your pictures and stats and I am starting from almost the exact same place you did. I have three kids and am 5'5" tall. I hope to lose 80 pounds. I started at 215 and curently weigh 192 with a goal of 135. So I am really looking forward to seeing your results. You look pretty terrific already so once you get rid of that tummy you are going to look amazing!

I haven't heard much about the gastric sleave yet. I know it is supposed to be safer than gastric bypass but is it permanent? I liked the idea of the band because it is adustable, reversable, and there is no malabsortion. My Doctors is a member of a group that specializes in bariatric surgery and they are a bariatric center of excellence but they do not do the gastric sleave so I don't think I could have found anyone local to do it anyway.

I am five and half weeks out and I have NOO restriction at all. From what I have read this is normal. I am trying to eat healthy filling food with lots of fiber and protein to fill me up. It is working most of the time. I still have a couple of weeks till my first fill. Just take it one day at a time.

Wow it is obvious that your hubby has a lot of issues about this and just some of them are related to surgery and some to you losing the weight. I think that maybe your husband should talk to someone about it. Maybe a counselor or something? I guess you need to ask him if he will be able to get over this if you do it? As far as dying during surgery that is not going to happen! You can maybe have him meet with your doctor who can assure him of how safe the surgery is. If you are in good health this surgery is super low risk. That is what attracted me to it. I would never consider gastric bypass because it is too risky. I think the chances of death for lap band are like one in 10,000. Good luck Deb, I know it must feel awful not having the most important person's support. Keep us posted with how things are going.

Debi - Why does your husband not support you? Is it because of the cost? Is he afraid of the surgery?Gastric bypass can be very dangerous - I have heard of people who died from complications but lap band is super safe! Maybe you need to tell him that. Is he also overweight and afraid of losing his eating partner or maybe afraid of you being skinny? Does he just think you should be able to lose on your own? Depending on why he is against it I think you should be able to convince him. I was banded on 12/17/07 and I feel great! The first two weeks were tough for me because I had shoulder pain (probably worse because I had a hernia repair) I will tell you that I have no regrets at all. I have lost 23 pounds since my pre-op diet. My weight loss has slowed now because I have not been exercising (had a bad cold) And I am waiting for my first fill. The great thing about this surgery is not only is it reversable but if you don't have any fills in the band you function pretty much like pre-surgery. The band is meant to be filled but if you hate life with fills you can unfill and be back to pretty much normal. So the way I saw it when I decided to have the surgery is that there was little risk. If I was miserable I could get the band unfilled. However I plan on getting fills and making the band work for me. If you have been so frustrated with your weight that you have gone this far with your surgery journey I think you are ready. As far as support goes after the first week of surgery you really don't need any more support with the lap band than you need with going on any diet. You will need to change your eating habits and start exercising but you would need to do that if you joined weight watchers!!! This site is a great place for support and questions good luck and listen to your heart first:smile: