Parvathi

Hey bubbles - Welcome to LBT. You've made the first step towards a better life for yourself. I'm sure there are some other Michigan folks here that could help you find a good, qualified surgeon. A few things to consider - do you have insurance, or will you be self pay? Do you have any co-morbidities (other health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc?) These things can help with approval for insurance. You'll find plenty of support here. These folks have helped me immensely! Good luck in your journey

Hi Eva - Welcome to LBT Congratulations on the marriage and the decision to be banded. It seems to be a rarity over there to be approved for banding without jumping through hoops, so you've done well! If you're looking for support, advice or just a common place for other people going through the same thing, you've come to the right place. The ladies and gentlemen here have helped me so much over the past year, be it just listening to me whinge, helping me decide if I need to see a doctor, if what I'm feeling is normal, etc. Jump right in and start posting - we won't bite

Hey Heather - Welcome to LBT. You've definitely come to the right place for support and advice. This place has been my lifeline for over a year now and I don't know where I'd be without the ladies and gentlemen here. Jump on in and start chatting We won't bite lol.

Wow tubis13 - congratulations!!! I dare say that 113 would have been even easier to lose had you found this place sooner lol. The support I've received here has been tremendous. Welcome to LBT! I'm sure you've got lots of information and tips to share with the rest of us Hope you don't mind us picking your brain.

Hi need2bhealthy - Welcome to LBT. If you're looking for information on the lapband or support, you've definitely come to the right place. Whilst we can't tell you if the band is right for you, I can tell you it's been the right choice for me. I'm feeling better about my healthy and life with every passing day. It's not necessarily an easy road (especially with all the hoops the US insurance companies make you jump through), but it's definitely worth it, in my opinion. Good luck in your search. I hope you find the good health you're looking for.

Hi J.R. - Welcome to LBT and congratulations on making the first steps towards a better life for yourself. Like Terri, I too have read about people having their gallbladder's removed at the same time as the lapband put in. If you click the 'Search' button at the top of this forum and in keyword search, type in gallbladder removal, I'm sure you'll come up with some old threads of people who've had this done. Good luck w/ both procedures!

I guess all surgeons are different in that respect. Mine has me on liquids (anything I can get through a straw) for the first 3 weeks, then slowly moving onto mushies .. then by the 7th week post op, full solids.

I haven't had any lapband pain whatsoever, apart from the initial healing, which wasn't really pain, more discomfort than anything.

The signs can be different for each individual. For me, it was the reflux. Also, I could get down crap food (chips, sandwiches, etc) but not a good ole healthy salad (which honestly, I love). Also, after it was diagnosed, I found myself vomiting a time or two. Not pb, but full on projectile vomiting (think the exorcist) :/ I'm not sure if this is common or not though. Some people say when they slipped, they couldn't get down anything. Others say that could eat anything. I've not had a fill under flouro, so I'm unsure as to what this shows to be honest, but if you do suspect a slip, talk to your doctor. What fill level are you currently at?

Hi Stephanee, Welcome to LBT! The PS you saw sounds like a complete jerk - sorry you've had to encounter this! I can't imagine having 5 kids at your age. Heck, I'm one year older and my one child is enough for me. You must be a very strong woman. That being said, I'm sure you'll work out the right thing to do! I can't really offer much advice, but I can tell you that being banded is the best thing I've ever done for my health. It's given me the energy to play with my daughter again and let me take charge of my life. Good luck in your decision making. And if you need to talk, we're all here!

Hi Elise, Welcome to LBT and congratulations on being newly banded Thirty-four pounds in just a few months is a great accomplishment!! I think the biggest eating trick I've tried to stick by, is Protein first, then veggies/fruits - then and only then, if I have room, starches or carbs. That said, I didn't always stick by this as well as I should lol .. we all slip up at times. Have you seen a dietician that specializes in banded patients? This can be quite helpful to work out a good mealplan you can stick too. Good luck :eek:

I think it depends on the doctor, as well as the patient. Everybody has a different level of 'fullness'. My doctor doesn't do fills under flouro, which is fine by me - he's never missed the mark. My first fill was 1.0ml. I didn't feel restriction from that .. it took a few gos to get it right. You just have to patient and know that you will find that sweet spot eventually. Good luck

Also, for slippage, make sure to not be overfilled. The doctor said that was probably the cause of my slippage - being too tight for too long. While it may seem like a good idea at the time (ie, the tighter you are the less you eat therefor you lose more weight), it will catch up with you in the long run in a bad way.

Ditto what Road Queen said...

I'm going to be in the Maldives from December 1st - 16th, otherwise I'd love to come. I'm sure you'll all have a blast though!

Dr. Nottle was the first consult I had, although I eventually ended up being banded at The Avenue by Mr. Gary Crosthwaite. It was back in 2005 when I saw Dr. Nottle and I was going private. The wait for me at the time would have been 2 months. Not bad at all I reckon, although it can feel like ages when you're ready to be banded lol.

It's absolutely the hardest part, but you CAN do it. Keep your eye on the goal and if you slip up, don't beat yourself up about it. It happens to us all, just jump back on the wagon

Whilst the band has definitely changed my life for the better, it has also made me realize that all my problems don't just derive from being overweight. I was like so many others in thinking that when I lose weight, I'd be able to do this, that and the other... for me, it just didn't happen that way. When I could no longer hide behind the food, it made it really hard to find somewhere to run when things got rough. Its something I've worked with a therapist on, as well as started taking Zoloft for. Both have helped immensely. All that said, my health is so much better. On the average day, I feel great! And even though I've had my ups and downs on this journey, I'm proud of myself. Its not easy .. you have to work for it and for me, this site is a very instrumental key to success. I need the accountability and the people who aren't afraid to tell me to get my arse back on the wagon lol. Good luck in your journey. You'll do fine Just remember that when you need to talk, we're all here!

Hey keri, I completely understand what you're going through. When my band slipped, I was able to eat anything under the sun .. and did! I managed to pile on the kilos before the revision surgery, telling myself falsely that I should eat some of <insert evil food here> as it'd be the last time I'd have a chance to eat it. I've been down this path before so I know I was just lying to myself. I think when I wandered away from LBT was when things started going down hill for me, as I didn't have anyone I was accountable to... so here I am, jumping back in with both feet. If you need someone to hold your hand along the way, just yell out. We can do it

Hey Carrie, I may have missed something here (my apologies if I have), but was just wondering, why are you having the port replaced? Is something wrong with it? Or is it just because you don't want it to show when you get to goal weight? If its the not wanting it to show part, I was nervous about that when I had my tummy tuck done, but chose to leave in the old port cause it worked perfectly well. On me, no one can really see it. I only ever notice it if I'm having a really "skinny" day (rare lol) and laying flat on my back. Good luck though, with whatever you decide to do!

Hi Doriana, Whilst I don't have much to offer in the way of advice (my preop diet was Optifast - a icky liquid shake made with water), I just wanted to say Happy Birthday!! and hang in there. It will be over soon and when the weight starts dropping off, you'll forget all about that yucky taste in your mouth lol. I do know though, that when I eat smooth ricotta (I love it with pineapple or strawberries), I get what seems to be a thin film at the top of my mouth and back of my tongue. Not sure what causes it, but brushing really good seems to make it go away.

Sounds like just a case of being too tight, to me. I had it a few times, where I'd laydown to go to sleep and wake up gasping for air. It was quite scary actually, but after a small unfill, everything went back to normal. You definitely don't want to just be eating one meal a day. Being overfilled too long, can eventually lead to slippage, so even though sometimes you think, "Hey, if I'm tight, I'm not eating much, thus I'll lose faster", it isn't always the case. Just remember we're not in a race and you've gotta take care of YOU. Good luck and let us know how you go at the doc's office

The first time around for me, the shoulder tip pain lasted on and off, about 3 weeks. Walking around seemed to make it lessen. This time however (just had revision surgery over the weekend), walking seems to make it worse, as well as bring on nausea. The only thing that's helped it thus far for me is laying down. Also, a bit of peppermint extract in Water. The nurses at the hospital gave me a little medicine cup full of this and sure enough, even though it tasted horrible, it helped. Hope you feel better soon.

Hey Lori, So sorry to hear that this has happened. I realize how devastating it can feel when you find your band has slipped. I was diagnosed with slippage back in September. It had probably been that way for several months. The doctor did a barium swallow to confirm slippage after I kept having to go back and have fill removed, as reflux kept coming back and I was just staying too tight. They removed all the fill for two weeks, but when they added a little bit back, the symptoms came back as well. I spoke with my surgeon and he said it would be best just to replace the band. I went in this past Friday morning for the revision surgery. As the port was fine, he didn't have to touch that. He just took the old band out and put in a new one. Surgery went fine, except her accidentally made a small puncture in my stomach. That's sewn up now and I'll be on antibiotics for a month to ward off infection. After the revision, you go back to life as it was just after you were banded the first time around. I'm on liquids for the next 3 weeks, then introduce mushie foods. The good thing is there's not nearly as much pain this time around, because the port didn't have to be messed with. Sewing that into the muscle caused a good deal of discomfort last time. I did manage to put back on quite a few kilos between the slippage and the revision, but the surgeon sounded confident that that will come back off. Keep your chin up - while it may feel like its the end of the world, its definitely not. Make sure to talk to your doctor about the different options available. All the best!

Ouch!!! I had a bulging disc once after buying a brand new pair of roller blades and trying them out for 15 mins. Did really good, then decided to head home .. rounded a corner to hit the sidewalk, feet went out in front of me, landed on my bum. I never knew something could hurt like that! My fixed itself up with LOTS of rest and going to an osteopath for several months. I would definitely look into other alternatives before going down the surgery path though. Good luck with your recovery!