HeatherO

Placing the Lapband is still business for the surgeon even if it is not the Realize band. I would think that most surgeons who plan on placing medical devices are concerned more about results and safety than getting their name on a website. It is their careers on the line, not to mention malpractice insurance soars ever skyward when you have claims - so placing bad products is bad business indeed . . . some doctors don't have the best bedside manner, but lack of intelligence doesn't get you through medical school. As far as I know, they still are not giving out medical licenses in cracker jack boxes.

I agree with this. I would want more information regarding the surgeons reasons for the last minute switch. The surgeon should have probably said that I prefer placing the Realize bands for such and so reasons, do you have a preference?

Yipppyyyyyyy!!!! I wasn't crazy about the original topic anyway. :wink:

What a great story

OMG . . . you just brought tears to my eyes!!!!

I agree with the others suggesting that you speak to your doctor. If you are trying too hard to make the redness go away with ointments, you may be aggravating your skin. My incisions were red as well for some time after surgery. I didn't have infection and healed nicely . . . it might have just been that I have a very pale complexion.

I have found that if I get stuck really bad, sometimes whatever it is hangs around in my stomach for a day or two and liquids kind of go around it. I would definitely baby your stomach with warm liquids for a day or two, especially if you are still sore. If you try too much too fast, you might just get stuck again and increase the swelling.

Congratulatons . . . you are doing great!!! I also did a lot of sugar free popsicles, jello, lots of broth and clear strained soups.

It gets easier and fast. Just give it another week or two and liquids will go down very easy.

My average over the time of banding was 1.43 pounds a week over the first 8 months until I became pregnant. I have to see if I can get a graph to post.

That is just strange that they would give it to you. If I had to carry the needle around with me, of course I would look at it and get nervous about it, lol. It seems silly to give it to a patient to tote around.

The needle is a little long but I have no pain, only a little pinch and they don't use numbing agents in the office. It is not even as bad as a bee sting so you really shouldn't worry too much about it.

Wow that is scary. I am sorry that you were unfortunate enough to have him as a doctor. I hope you can find a different doctor to do your next surgery.

Mine thinned. I think it is mostly only noticeable to me. I am no longer losing but I haven't regained much. I notice the difference mostly on the top around my bangs which are thinner and a little more scalp shows through. I also had perfect ringlet curls before and now they are looking a little more "frazzled." My curl texture was also affected but that might be pregnancy related and/or weight loss related. I miss my hair, but it is a small price to pay for getting to goal.

Now that I think about it, even though email might not have been the best way to talk to you about it, it may very well have been the least painful way to let you know how she feels. She may not have been emotionally up for the conversation.

I would try to be understanding as well. It is hard to be the one who isn't pregnant when you want it more than anything. I remember I have felt occasional but very strongly felt pangs of jealousy (although I kept it well hidden) over almost every pregnant friend I have had over the past 15 years. I always felt guilty that I felt that way . . . but you feel what you feel and all you can do is try to ignore those feelings. I would just give her some space and some time. Perhaps with time, things will even out and your friendship will pick up where it left off.

I had the cough, sneeze and some leakage problem to the point that I was wearing panty liners daily just in case. It was completely resolved after I lost the first 30 pounds. I have never had another episode since that time. I think mine must have been entirely weight related since it was so easily resolved.

I probably should have also said, if you ever get to the point where you are throwing up liquid or they just wont go down, call your doctor immediately. If it dangerous to stay tight to the point where liquids wont pass.

I had this same problem before after a fill. However, the problem was that once I got something stuck, my stomach would swell a little and then I would keep getting stuck on everything. I have since learned that after I am stuck, I absolutely must go on liquids for 1-2 days and then my stomach goes back to normal. When I don't do this, I keep getting progressively more stuck. If you can get liquids down safely . . . I would suggest you spend 1-2 days on liquids. Afterwards go from mushies to solid food. You can also drink something hot before to help loosen your band a little. However, when you do go to solids you will probably need to chew more and go slower than ever before. Every level of tighter restriction brings a need for following the bandster rules in a more strict fashion.

I said a little more gas . . . but really it was heavy additional gas the first few months but it tapered off and is pretty manageable now. It is almost like my body had to adjust to the changes, but once it did the gas was not so much of a problem. Now I have slightly more gas than before, but not so that anyone other than my husband would notice.

I agree with Restless Monkey. A clerk in the office may just have made a mistake or has poor communication skills. It shouldn't take away from your choice to have wls or your trust in the surgeon. Call back and insist on obtaining more information . . . and if the clerk can't help you, see if you can get a different contact in the office.

I guess I should also mention that my problem resolved itself at around 30 pounds of weight loss. I did not even have to lose that much for it to make a big impact.

I also had the cough, sneeze occasionally leakage problem and always wore panty-liners just in case. It has been completely resolved since banding and weight loss. I no longer even think about it. I can now say that my problem must have been weight related since my loss made it go away.

You are doing awesome. Welcome to the forum and happy melting.

I think 4 weeks out is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to go back and get a fill if you are still hungry. I think 4-6 weeks is the average time in between. It is not unusual for you to feel hungry and eat quite a bit if you haven't reached restriction yet. My first fill was around 7-8 weeks out and the next was 4-5 weeks out but I reached restriction at that point. My signature line shows my fill history. I don't see any reason why you shouldnt schedule another fill unless your doctor has a policy on making you wait longer in between. Good luck.