Txchloe

Dr. Smith did my surgery 2 years ago. I've had all 3 of the docs you mentioned do fills for me. I have been pleased with the care I've gotten from this office. I haven't applied myself like I should have so have been at a plateau for about a year. But... I just went back last week and this fill seems to finally be the right one for me. Truthfully you have very little contact with the docs once the surgery is done. The ball is definitely in your court after that time. However, I feel confident that they would be there for me if I had any problems, which thankfully I haven't (except my own motivation! :thumbup: Good luck!

Hope everything goes well for you! At least you'll get some much needed sleep after your surgery. I'm sure it won't be near the recovery because they won't be messing around with your actual stomach this time. Good luck for a speedy recovery!

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I have a friend that has been banded for over 2 years. She is at her goal weight, her cholesterol and blood pressure are perfect and she has no health problems. She inquired about increasing the amount of her life ins policy and was told that the cost was approx. double now that she was banded! :bolt: Anyone had this experience or heard of this? We can't figure out how this could possibly be true and if it is really a common occurrence. Thanks for any feedback you might have.

They told her that it was specifically because of the lapband. I can understand if it were a more invasive WLS but cannot see why a LB would raise premiums. I mean isn't one of the main reasons we do this so we will improve our health and live longer?

I ate grits ALOT during my mushy phase so I'll bet you won't have to give those up. It was probably the other ingredients that got you. Or maybe the combo of eating too fast:biggrin2:

I got sick a few days before my surgery too. I too was scared the doc would cancel; also scared he wouldn't and I would die on the table or something :-) Doctor didn't cancel, nor did I die. The only bad thing was that it REALLY hurts to cough after the surgery. I think my cough made my healing a lot harder. Just have to weigh the pros and cons. Probably if you aren't coughing constantlly like I was it won't be bad. Good luck and take special care of yourself between now and then to get well soon!

I'm also an Oct bandster and I know what you are talking about. It seems that so many people on this site are doing exceptionally good with # of lbs lost. But, you know, they say the average is 1-2 lbs per week which means that there are also ALOT that aren't setting weight loss records! Maybe we're just quieter! The fact that you haven't even had your 1st fill means you're really operating without a band so I think you've done great. I've had 4 fills and finally really started feeling this last one. Now I've got to go for a complete unfill because I'm facing a hysterectomy on May 1st. Oh well.....hopefully I can maintain until I recover and can go back! Don't be discouraged -- as long as the scale is coming down it's positive!

I know that must have been scary. :thumbup: Use these 6 mos to take care of yourself and let your stomach heal. I'll bet that a lot of the things you have learned since 8/07 will stick with you and you'll do better than you think without the band. You've got a great jumpstart on the weight loss, just keep up that momentum. As you can see I also used Dr. Smith. Were you happy with the way he handled your emergency situation, and was he able to determine why this happened to you? Good luck.

I never really liked Diet drinks but I did like to have a regular Coke. Someone told me that I could still have a Coke icee as there was no carbonation. I checked online and apparently Icees don't have any carbonation. They, of course, still have the empty calories, but if you're just dying for a Coke it makes a pretty good substitute. I just feel better knowing there is something out there when I REALLY feel the need for a Coke!

I have a 10 cc band. I had 2 cc put in at the time of surgery (I didn't know this until I went for the first fill). They put in 2 more at 1st fill. Just had my 4th fill and now have a total of 5.5.

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There's a whole thread on here somewhere with a poll about what we were told about soda, whether we still drink it or not etc. You should search for that and you'll get a lot of feedback. For me, I was told no more carbonation ever. I've stuck with that but do miss my Cokes. I have found that you can get a cola icee and it will suffice. I looked up Icees on the internet and although they do have the calories which aren't good, they are not carbonated. It's good if you're at a movie and feel like you really have to have a Coke to go with your popcorn.

Congrats Laurend. I wish I'd taken my measurements before the surgery. I had a similar NSV today. My boyfriend had bought me these flannel house pants type things the day of my surgery so I'd have something comfortable to wear post surgery. Well of course I couldn't get them on which was no surprise. I decided to try them on tonight and I'm wearing them! They are even a little loose. So even though I haven't lost that much weight something is changing! This is fun!

I wanted to respond because I was very similar to you - scared, never had any kind of surgery, having to deal with this FOREVER, etc. My surgery was on 10/25. It truly was not a bad experience for me at all. I mean you are sore and people have a variety of levels of gas pains but it really is all quite manageable. The thing that probably worried me the most was the thought that I was going to be "unable" to eat what I wanted. I thought I would be frustrated and angry about that. But honestly, that's not the case. I just had my 2nd fill and the great part is what it does to your appetite. I just don't think about food or being hungry much at all. Even when I think I'm "starving" I get full really fast. It seems like the cravings are almost nonexistent. I allow myself to eat something if I'm really craving it (or think I am) but it takes so much less of it to satisfy that craving. So----what I'm trying to say is I'm now comfortable with the fact that it is a lifetime commitment. It is GREAT! My boyfriend bought me a pair of flannel pants to wear after surgery around the house and I couldn't get them past my thighs the day after surgery. Well tonight I not only got them on but they are LOOSE! I've lost less than 20 lbs but there is a BIG difference. Good luck to you and just keep researching so you'll know what to expect and I hope that you will also be very pleased.

Am almost 3 mos out from surgery and no one mentioned B12 at any point; nor have I ever heard anyone else say that was required. I would do some more investigation with your doc about that. Good luck!

I can't tell you about "normal" but would suggest you talk with your surgeon about the loss. I only know that I went for my 2nd fill yesterday and hadn't lost any of the 1st one which was 6 weeks prior. I would call and at least see what they have to say about the fluid loss in such a short period of time.

It was a full 4 weeks before I could sleep on the side where the port is. A lot of people seem to be able to do so much sooner but my was way too uncomfortable even if I used a supportive pillow. Since that time though, I've been able to sleep normally again. :notagree

My doctor did not make me quit smoking. He said he "recommends" that everyone quit smoking 2 weeks before surgery but he never questioned whether I did. He said that everyone knows smoking is bad for you but he was not my moral judge on that topic. I don't think I had any complications due to the smoking. The only thing would be that it does hurt to cough for a few days after surgery and smoker do tend to cough more. Of course quitting smoking would be a positive in more way than one, but one the other hand it's hard to add the stress of quitting along with the other stressors you face. I think I'll focus on quitting the cigs once my band is where it needs to be and I'm not dealing with that issue on a daily basis. Good luck with your surgery!

I love this. I've lost 2 human heads! (fortunately not my own!); actually I prefer to say I've lost 3 chihuahuas and a guinea pig! :heh:

I used Dr. Adam Smith in FW. He has had the procedure himself. No problems so far and he and his office staff are very helpful and professional.

I was able to sleep on my right side the 1st night (the non-port side). Finally was able to sleep on my left side at almost 4 weeks. Evidently I shouldn't have because I was extremely sore for the next 3 days and even thought I had messed something up. :omg: However, once that period of discomfort was over I've been fine since. So I guess my answer would be that it took about 4.5 weeks post op before I easily could sleep on my port side.

Ranger -- I had never had surgery either and had some of the same concerns. To top it off I had bronchitis the day of the surgery. Anyway the anesthesia was no problem at all for me. You've already done a lot of work to lose those 60 lbs and that will only make your surgery and recovery easier. The actual day of the surgery goes by very quickly and you'll be home before you know it. Look at it like this: the anesthesia is the easiest part of the whole process --after all it's the only time you don't have to do a thing or think about a thing--just sleep soundly!:notagree Good luck and let us know how it went for you.

Thanks Carrot -- I did call the doctor's office on Wed a.m. The doctor said I should put some ice on it and to call them over the holiday if it either stayed the same or got worse. Well...by Wed night it was much better and is almost completely pain free by today. Not sure what that glitch was that caused the swelling/pain last week but it seems to have passed. It was good to know they actually ENCOURAGED me to call over the holiday if I needed to. Appreciate your reply.

I thought the best people to compare notes with were those of you from October. It will be a month Thursday since my surgery. Weight loss is very little, but I'm trying to be happy I haven't gained thru this month; even though I have been eating MUCH less than before I started the pre op diet 5 weeks ago. However, I'm more concerned about the pain in the port area that has returned. I have had a number of shooting pains thru that area especially this week. :paranoid Was FINALLY able kind of sleep on my left side night before last and now am back to really sore again. I'm also pretty swollen at the incision and it feels like a hard fairly large lump - can easily see the protrusion just looking in the mirror. No one else from Oct seems to be mentioning this so I'm just checking in before I call the doctor and have it checked. Whether you're an Oct bandster or an experienced one I would appreciate feedback on "normal" port pain at this stage. Thanks