andyisbanned

I have BCBS of Alabama and I used Dr. Britt/Dr. Groves for my surgery. I did drive to Guntersville and Marshall Medical Center North for the surgery. It was worth the trip. I love Dr. Britt. They are now doing Lap-Band surgeries two days a week at Marshall Medical North. 90% of their surgeries are the Lap-Band. In their practice, the bypass is falling to the side in favor of the better procedure.

myYearbook, is just an networking site. It has games, voting contests, quiz matches and other features. You can give gifts and other things as well. It was created by a 16 year old girl and is like the #5 top rank networking site. Of course, #1 is myspace and #2 is Facebook. I just think it is neat that a 16 year old could create and start her on website business.

For Facebook find me with my email, crowbuy@yahoo.com For myspace.com, my profile is myspace.com/crowbuy I have also found myYearbook.com that is a unique and fun site.

I have Facebook.

Can the names be put in alphabet order? Can this be an option? I personally like having the order shown as the order of entry, but many like the old alphabet order. Just a thought.

I am on my space. I started a Social group here on LBT. Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - Banded MySpace Myspace is www.myspace.com/crowbuy Anyone can send me an add request. Just mention LBT in the request please. I do have captiona on for security. See ya on myspace. :cursing:

I am still here. I am from Hartselle. I have lost 44 lbs in just over 6 months. I was banded in February 2008. I love my band. Does anyone know a good place to go for a local support gruop here in Hartselle/Decatur/Madison Area/ I work in Madison. I would like to find a local group that does not meet during the workday or is not private to just the patients of the doctor hosting the group.

In his research at the University of Texas-Houston Medical Center, Brad Snyder, MD, reviews data on weight loss surgery outcomes every day. When he wanted to isolate the factors leading to success or failure after bariatric surgery, the data led him to an intriguing conclusion. Dr. Snyder recently shared his findings about starting BMIs with OH Magazine. What sparked your interest in considering starting BMIs in weight loss surgery outcomes, and what did your research uncover? I wanted to define what might predict a person’s outcome after weight loss surgery. When I looked at the gastric banding patients, one significant difference between those who failed and those who succeeded was their starting BMI. The people who failed to lose more than 15 percent of their excess weight had an average BMI of 49. The people who lost more than 30 percent of their excessive weight at a year out had an average BMI of about 43. I looked at about 600 gastric band patients a year out from surgery. I stratified their BMIs, charting patients with BMIs in the 30s, the 40s and the 50s while noting their excessive weight loss over a year. It was very clear that people with a BMI of 30 lost considerably more weight over that year than people with BMIs in the 50s. Were you able to pinpoint a BMI range or a specific BMI in this study? I was able to be specific to a degree. In extrapolating the data backwards, I came up with a BMI of 46—that is where patients started deviating above or below the mean with respect to their BMI. I then re-assessed the data with this BMI of 46 in mind. I separated the 600 people into two groups: 300 with BMIs less than 46, and 300 with BMIs greater than 46. In comparing the two groups, patients with BMIs less than 46 lost significantly more weight after one month, three months, six months, nine months, and 12 months than all those patients with BMIs greater than 46. Considering your findings, do you recommend that patients with a BMI over 46 try to get down to that prior to surgery? No, that might be a lot of weight they would have to lose. At this point in time, if a patient with a BMI of 52 comes in and wants a gastric banding procedure, I’m not going to tell them no. This study does not give us enough information. It’s only a year’s worth of data, so I can only [say] what I found is true up to 12 months. In these types of studies, it’s important to remember that we’re dealing with averages, not individuals. There are many factors at play—how educated the patient is, how well they understand how the band functions, how motivated they are to embrace proper diet and exercise programs, etc. In the future, do you expect a patient’s placement in the BMI spectrum to become the primary indicator for success after their specific surgery? Yes, I do think so. But it’s not going to be just BMI. The goal is to get people healthier. If a patient comes in with a BMI of 60, and I place a gastric band in them and their BMI drops to 50, they might be on significantly less hypertension medication, or may be able to cut back on their diabetic medications. Even by losing that much weight, even though it’s not 50 percent of their excessive weight, it remains a significant amount, and has clinical impact on their comorbidities. I don’t think we’ll get to a point where we say “OK, your BMI is 47 so we can’t do a band on you.” I don’t think that’s where this is headed. This is just starting to give us some insight into how the gastric band works. So patients should always have the ability to decide between their surgical options? Yes, definitely. My job as a physician is not to talk a patient into a particular procedure. As a bariatric surgeon, I will offer all procedures available that the FDA has approved for weight loss surgery. That being said, I want to make sure that my patients have realistic expectations for what each procedure will mean for them. If a patient comes in with a BMI of 65 and tells me that they want a gastric band, I want to make sure that I have made it very clear that they should not expect to lose more than 50 percent of their excessive weight. They might, but they shouldn’t expect it. Are there other notable findings in this paper that you would like to point out? I stress that what this paper does is examine averages and numbers, not patients. Certainly, highly motivated patients with realistic expectations and good mental and social support are the most successful patients, no matter what their BMI is. Brad Snyder, MD, is a minimally invasive surgery fellow at University of Texas-Houston Medical Center. July 2008 Interesting article. I just thought this was a good read.

Lesile: I was going to request to be added to your friends on myspace but your profile is set to private and requires knowing your last name or email. Therefore, I would like to ask be your friend, so please go to http:www.myspace.comcrowbuy to make a request to me, which I will gladly accept. Thank you.

Sunny; you do deserve this surgery. I am not a girl nor do I know about the doctors you mentiond, but I use Dr. Britt. I really believe in him and his staff. They have worked with me and been very supportive to me. I think you should check them out. http://www.samc.stirsite.com/home.html I have BCBS of Alabama and my insurance paid to use Dr. Britt/Dr. Groves. They do have surgery rights at Madison Outpatient Center in Madison, Crestwood in Huntsville, Marshall Medical Center North in Guntersville, and Marshall Medical Center South in Albertville or Boaz. I went to Marshall North and had a very good experience. I hope you will give them a look. They are the best.

Enough with this poll. It should be shut down. This thread has generated alot of chatter and it has offended alot of folks. I know Froggi did not mean this poll to be hurtful, but it has stirred up a lot of emotion. Everyone should just do what makes them happy. If you want to get the lap-band, then I say go for it. If you do not want the band, then don't get it. It is that simply. You are responsible for your happiness. Don't let others dictate to you how to live.

:biggrin2: when.....you go to Denny's and order a grand slam breakfast only to share it with two of your children and all 3 of you get full from it! :biggrin2:

Karly1: The first fill is to just get you started and usually does not provide any restriction. It took 3 fills before I really got any restriction. You are at the stage that you need to work on portion size and control. Start getting into a habit or routine of planning and eating healthy meals. Get your Protein in 1st then add the other foods. Try to stay away from fried foods. Get into the habit of eating with a small plate, fork, and/or spoon. Really work on not drinking with your meals. You need to not drink any liquids at least 30 minutes prior and 30 minutes after a meal. Learning to not drink with a meal is hard, but it is necessary. Drinking with a meal will only wash you food out of your stomach, which will mean you still can eat more than you need too. Of course, you know all of this from the class with Amy. Dr. Britt and staff is just simply the best! You should be ready for a fill by July 9th, which is this coming Thursday. He is in the Guntersville office on Thursday. You should call Monday and see if you can get in on Thursday. I am sure he could work you in.

Just because you can eat a whole hamburger and fries, doesn't mean you should. You need to make good food choices. No fried foods, no bread, and watch your carbs. You really need to work on portion size and control, because when restriction comes, and it will, you will need to be familiar with the correct portion sizes and foods you need to eat. Do you drink with meals? I can tell you this is a big no-no and you should not drink with meals. It takes practice and time to get use to no drinks with meals, but it is important. You should be waiting at least 30 minute prior and 30 minutes after a meal to drink. Drinking with a meal only washes the food thru your smaller stomach more quickly which means you can eat more at one sitting. The goal is to reduce your portions and intake to help you lose the weight. You must remember the band is a tool and you have to work with this tool to get the best benefits and weight loss.

Karly1: That is great. I love Dr. Britt and his staff. I will get my 4th fill on July 24th. I have 6cc in my 14cc band. Do you know what size band you have? How many fills have you received? How much is in your band? My 4th of July was very nice. I grilled out Hamburgers and hot dogs. We stayed home and did some fireworks here with the children. We had some sparklers, poppers, and some roman candles. Nothing big, but our neighbors all around us had lots of pretty fireworks we could enjoy too for free. How was your 4th?

Hi Karly, Welcome to the Alabama thread. I live in Hartselle and work in Madison. I was banded on 2/14/2008 by Dr. Stephen Britt in Guntersville. I have lost 34 lbs so far. Tell us a little about you. I look forward to seeing you post some more threads.

This is not an offensive poll. It is just asking your opinion. Weight and height play a role in determining your BMI. My doctor will not do surgery if you do not meet the over 35 BMI standard even on a self-pay patient. I think it depends if your BMI is 35 or higher. The company and doctor that invented the Lap-Band never intended it to be used for someone under a BMI of 35. I am sure you can find a doctor to take your money and do the surgery when you do not meet the BMI standard. Just like should age play a role in who gets WLS. I say it does. I think that only those under 18 with extreme cases should be considered for WLS. This surgery is not a quick fix and it takes a strong will & mental attitude to change your eating habits and work your band. The band is still a tool that has to be used properly. This is not some fade diet, but a life style change.

There is a social group for those banded and on myspace. Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - Banded MySpace Anyone that is banded and on myspace, I would love to meet you here or on myspace. You can view myspace profile at MySpace.com - Andy C - 42 - Male - Hartselle, Alabama - www.myspace.com/crowbuy . I look forward to meeting you all.

Join the social group. Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - Banded MySpace Myspace is: http://www.myspace.com/crowbuy

I have sent you a friend request on myspace. Also come join the banded myspace social group. Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - Banded MySpace

....when you go on vacation and your family finishes their meal long before you and you are the only one that brings food back to the room, which you eat for lunch the next day.

I am beginning to wonder if we can pull this meet and greet off at least on a grand scale of all Bama Bandster in one place. We are not just getting enough interest generated. I think we need to back up and punt. Maybe we need to look at some regional meet and greet groupings. Some have mention that traveling 2 hours is not an option. I am willing to travel. However, in light of the wishes of others. Maybe we could do a meet & greet in Huntsville or Madison for those in the North Alabama region. I think we could meet in some park like the one over in Madison or at Delano Park in Decatur. Those in LA (Lower Alabama) could set up one down there. I do not know much about Southern Alabama. I do know I will be in Gulf Shores on vacation June 24-27. If anyone wants to meet me while I am there please let me know thru this forum or send me a private message. Those from central Alabama maybe still have one at Oak Mountain Park near Pelham. I would try to go to the one in Pelham has I would like to meet more bandsters. I just need some feed back on this idea. I also need some help to plan and pull this meeting off. I so want to meet those here. I have been fortunate enough to meet a few from here that use my doctor while at his office this last week. It is always so neat to finally get to meet someone, put a face with the name, and chat with them in person. I love my LBT family and I realy want to meet you guys & gals!

Patricia: I am glad my post helped you. I have not encounter any problems after a fill thus far. Of course, I have only had 2 fills with my third scheduled for June 12th. The following is information was provided by Dr. Britt and his office staff during my pre-op class concerning adjustments or fills: Dr. Britt follows the recommend guidelines from the manufacturer which is 6 weeks between fills. He will adjust the schedule based on individual needs of the patient. My fills have been every 6 weeks apart. He did say this time after my fill, that if I needed to return early to just call the office. He did ask that I give this new fill 2-3 weeks to work. So if I need another fill, I will be going back early. The adjust-ability of the Lap Band is one of the great advantages of the Lap Band over the gastric bypass or duodenal switch. The Vertical Band Gastroplasty or VBG, is a restrictive operation but is not adjustable. After a period of 6 weeks following Lap Band placement, a patient may require an adjustment known as a "fill" Three main factors are used to determine whether or not to add Fluid to the Lap Band: 1. weight loss, 2. level of hunger, 3. degree of restriction. If the patient is not losing adequate weight (less than 1-2 lbs. per week), is ravenous, and seems to be able to eat more with meals, then it is time to do a fill. Most adjustments can be done in the office in less than 15 minutes. Fluoroscope or X-ray is only necessary if the adjustment port cannot be accessed in the office. Dr. Britt uses the Fluoroscope over at X-ray for each fill, which makes a fill take less than 2 minutes. It takes longer to get on the table and the prep than the actual fill. It is so cool to watch your fill on the Fluoroscope. The 1st adjustment is done no sooner than 6 weeks post-operatively and is a 1cc volume fill. My 1st fill was a standard amount of 2cc. Subsequent adjustments are done at 4-6 week intervals based on the aforementioned criteria. The second and third fills may measure 0.5 cc to 3-4cc. My second fill was 2cc. I now have 4cc in my 14cc band. It is important to look out for negative symptoms after an adjustment. Symptoms of chest pain after eating and drinking, nausea, vomiting, and reflux can mean the Lap Band is overly tight. More subtle signs can be night time coughing and choking, and inability to eat a range of foods. It is important that patients remember that weight loss is to be gentle and gradual. Patients must resist the temptation to be too tight too fast. This can lead to dysfunctional eating habits, in which the patients convert their diet to liquids calories. If obstructive symptoms are present, then fluid should be removed from the band. Each doctor is different in how he/she proceeds with your fill schedule and the amount of fill. Just remember to work with your doctor, you are a team working together to help you meet your goal! Yes, I have heard of some having their port flip after surgery. The port is attached to a muscle and as you lose weight it may flip. I believe the incidents of this happening are very low. I do not know of any of Dr. Britt or Dr. Groves patients that have encounter this problem. As a surgical team, they have performed approximately 300 Lap-band procedures in the last 3 years. They average about 100 or so Lap-Bands per year at the present rate. I really think you will love them and their staff. As I stated, I drove to Guntersville to Marshall North for surgery and it was a very good experience. The hospital staff took good care of me. If you have any more questions, I would be glad to try to answer them.

Patricia: Dr. Groves is wonderful. I use Dr. Britt, his partner. They perform the surgery together. Both are wonderful at doing lap-bands. Several here have used Dr. Groves and/or Dr. Britt. They have surgery rights at Crestwood in Huntsville, Marshall Medical North in Guntersville, and Marshall Medical South in Albertville. They have an office to see patients in Madison over at the outpatient center on Lanier Road by Walmart. I drive to the Guntersville office for my fills. They only in the Madison office a few times a month. However, they do a monthly seminar at the Madison Outpatient center. Just call their office to schedule a spot in their free seminar. Their number is (256) 840-5547 or visit their website: http://www.samc.stirsite.com/home.html I am glad to call them part of my team for my WLS journey. I went to their seminar and knew after talking with them, they were the ones to handle my care. I love my Lap-Band and I love Dr. Britt & their staff. I would recommend them to anyone.

Any of these would do, I guess. I could reach any of these parks in about 2 hours. I would vote for Oak Mountain Park since it has so much to offer and we could all do a Lap-band's hike together. We need to get more Bama banders reading this thread and providing some input.