Caterpillarfly
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Posts posted by Caterpillarfly
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Thank you all for your kind words and support...I am truly heartbroken right now.
I spoke with the nurse today and she didn't sound very hopeful. I guess that the adhesions were attaching my liver to my stomach, as well as my liver to my abs, and there's a good chance the scar tissue would come back if I attempted to remove it. I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctor and I want to ask him if they could install the band through an open surgery, but I really don't believe that he'd want to do that.
I wish you all the best of luck and all the success in the world, and I'm devastated that I won't get to take this journey with you.
Take care May Flowers and Shrinko de Mayos,
Jessica
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I guess I'll be the first to post bad news. I went in for my surgery this morning, and everything ran smoothly until I started to wake up. The first words I heard were "Attempted Lap Band" and I knew something went wrong.
After the doctor made the first 2 incisions he discovered that I have tons of scar tissue on my stomach from a surgery I had when I was a baby, and they weren't able place the band. They basically said the only thing I can do at this point is have a surgery to remove all the scar tissue and adhesions, and then maybe the doctor would consider doing it again. The doctor himself didn't sound hopeful at all...he said my best bet would be waiting 2 or 3 years for a procedure they're working on where they go in down the esophogus.
I couldn't be more devastated or hopeless right now...I thought this was the beginning.
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It seems like there's a LOT of us having our surgery on May 13th, so I thought I'd start a thread for us.
How is everyone doing so far? Are you doing a pre-op diet?
I'm nervous and scared, but I've had some crappy things in my personal life remind me just how badly I need this surgery, and how much better my life is going to be once I have it. I want to be healthy of course, but for me this is about experiencing the life that I've been missing by looking and feeling this way. I'm just so grateful that I've been given the opportunity to do this at a relatively young age, so I can make up for all that lost time!
My doctor has me on a pre-op: 3 high Protein, low carb shakes a day, and 2 high protein, low fat, low carb meals a day. The shakes haven't been a problem at all, and I've actually limited myself to 1 meal a day, but some carbs keep sneaking into them. Overall I feel healthier since I started the diet on Tuesday, but I know I need to be more strict in these last 11 days...the band certainly isn't going to do all the work for me post-op! I think I might actually just start doing all liquids...there's never a problem until the real food!
Hope you all are doing well!
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Our month is FINALLY here! I wanted to post a thread where our newly banded May Flowers and Shrinko de Mayos could check in and let us know how everything went.
I hope that our May 1st surgeries went wonderfully! I can't wait to hear from you all!
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I am so excited that May is finally here! I'm so happy for all of you guys...this is going to be a really special month for all of us!
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I know there are a few of you on here who are NASCAR fans...I am a big fan of racing and I also work in the sport.
This weekend I was watching the NASCAR race from Talladega, and I had a thought that made me giggle. I'm not banded yet, but I now have a new name for my band...I like to refer to it as my "Restrictor Plate."
I thought that might make some of you smile...
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That is absolutely awesome! Thank you!
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Your fear sounds a lot like my biggest fear...I'm just so afraid that I'm going to fail. The band is only a tool, and it's still up to me to change my habits.
I get so excited looking at my ticker, but as it gets closer, I'm just so scared...I can't afford to fail. I'm just so grateful I have all of you here for support.
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Beautiful Brown, I LOVE that dress, and I agree, Jordin Sparks is a great figure to aspire to.
This is my dream outfit...I don't have to be the same size as this model, but this wedding dress has been a dream of mine for a while. As a 25 year old woman who has never been in a serious relationship, I like to think that this surgery will lead to me eventually getting married someday. And when I do, I'll definitely be smiling more than this model.
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I just looked at my ticker and I can't believe how close this surgery is. I am so excited, and I'm so happy for all of you who are coming up in this next week!
May 1- Monica, BandFan1, feelgoodagain, Jamie, Awomangodcanuse
May 2- Christal
May 5- Tracy, Sandy, KathrynRose
May 6- Shawna, Jemo97, Cherj60
May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen, Pix, JRFAN88, Brenda, Chelsea
May 8- Mae
May 9- Nicole, casscitymom
May 13- Jessica, Molly, Bella, Michele, Crystal115, njudono
May 14- Perky66, Cathy
May 19- Lexy, Amy
May 20- Coco
May 21- Sarah, Pen, Ailie
May 22- Helen, Krysten, Jaime, Lena, Di4AU, Natalee
May 23- LaMonica, Michelle
May 26- Shelly
May 27- Kammi, Sydney, Tina
May 28- Nora
May 30- Three Sixty Six
May 31- Tonya
Let me know if I'm missing anyone!
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Thanks for keeping up the list, Bizzy! Here's a few more...are we missing anyone else?
May 1- Monica, BandFan1, feelgoodagain
May 2- Christal
May 5- Tracy, Sandy, KathrynRose
May 6- Shawna, Jemo97, Cherj60
May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen, Pix, JRFAN88
May 8- Mae
May 9- Nicole
May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella, Michele, Crystal115
May 14- Perky66, Cathy
May 19- Lexy, Amy
May 20- Coco
May 21- Sarah, Pen, Ailie
May 22- Helen, Krysten, Jaime, Lena, Di4AU
May 26- Shelly
May 27- Kammi, Sydney, Tina
May 28- Nora
May 30- Three Sixty Six
May 31- Tonya
Bandfan, I totally understand your concern, and I'm scared about the exact same thing. I just try to believe in my heart that this is the change that's going to change my life...I have to believe that this is going to work.
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Wow, a bunch of you are coming up soon! So exciting!
May 1- Monica, BandFan1
May 2- Christal
May 5- Tracy, Sandy
May 6- Shawna, Jemo97, Cherj60
May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen, Pix
May 8- Mae
May 9- Nicole
May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella, Michele
May 19- Lexy, Amy
May 20- Coco
May 21- Sarah, Pen
May 22- Helen, Krysten, Jaime, Lena
May 26- Shelly
May 27- Kammi, Sydney
May 28- Nora
May 30- Three Sixty Six
May 31- Tonya
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It makes me feel so much less alone knowing that everyone is feeling the same thoughts. I love that someone mentioned that it's like getting married...you know its a good thing, but you just start getting cold feet!
Angel, I'm so excited that we've got the same surgery date and that you're so closeby. I don't have a lot of people in my life who know about the surgery, so it comforts me to know there's someone else who will be healing with me!
The support of this board means so much to me...it's such a unique circumstance we're all going through, it's great to have people to lean on.
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That's great that we're the same day! I believe my surgery is being done at the hospital in Perimeter.
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Surgery-wise, I'm most afraid of the anesthesia as well, which is a fear my mother instilled in me. As much as I hate the idea of getting put out if I don't have to be, I think about it this way: Is it better to be put out now for this surgery that is going to help me physically and emotionally for the rest of my life, or later when I have to have surgery for a heart attack or whatever other illness or complications I get from being heavy all my life? I'd rather make this change now while I'm young, instead of facing more serious illness later.
That at least makes me feel better about the surgery. Too bad all the fear and food issues aren't quite that simple.
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Hey Angel,
I am located just south of Atlanta, GA and I'm scheduled for May 13th!
Jessica
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Two of my favorites...
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO! What a ride!"
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This makes me a little nervous...I'm not banded yet, but in the past few months I've been experiencing rapid/irregular/hard heartbeats. I've been to the doctor and had an EKG and an Echocardiogram. The doctor said nothing is wrong and that it's probably just stress, but it concerns me that people are seeing this get worse. I've totally given up caffeine for the past 3 months and I've been trying not to stress out, but it still happens occasionally and even keeps me up all night sometimes.
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Thank you both for your input and support.
I'm feeling a little better after talking to my mother. It's funny, when this started I was the one who had to talk her into believing that this is the right thing for me and that it was safe and effective. I figured that if I told her I was questioning it, she'd tell me not to do it, but she actually was SO encouraging and positive. She really got me feeling better about the whole situation, and I'm grateful that I have her support for this process.
Bizzy, I'm sorry that you're not finding the support system you need at home, but you definitely have all of us. I like your idea of looking into finding a support group. As much as this procedure is going to hopefully make us "normal" in terms of weight and food intake, there are things about us that will NEVER be the same, and I'm sure it's something that only another bandster would understand.
Slim, I LOVE your name...congrats on the weight you've already lost!
I'm so grateful that I've got all of you guys...I've chosen not to tell anyone but my mother, grandmother, and best girlfriend, none of whom live near me, so I have very few people to confide in and share this process with.
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I am suddenly absolutely terrified. For the last month I have been so excited about this surgery, and so ready to get it done and begin my new life.
Suddenly, now that it's just a month away, I am SO scared. The reason I'm overweight to begin with is because of ME. I have the help of PCOS and Insulin Resistance, but the primary reason for my weight is my bad habits, bad choices, and emotional eating. I know that the band is a TOOL and not a magic wand, and I'm so ready to make the right choices and change my life, but I've made these changes before and I've failed. I'm just so afraid that I'm going to fail.
On top of that, I'm a self-pay, and as we all know, this is a LOT of money. It is money that is totally worth investing in my life, and I have no problem with financing my life away if it means health and happiness. But I also know how much I'll regret spending the money if I fail, and my job feels like it is on rocky ground right now.
I guess I also got a little shaken up by watching 20/20 last night where they talked about the horrible effects of Lipo Dissolve and all those places going out of business. I know this is NOTHING like that, but I ALSO went and got a consultation for that because it sounded like a good idea and I actually put serious thought into it. I realize how ridiculous and dangerous that procedure is now, but it makes me question my judgement and desperation to lose weight. I know that my surgeon is well respected and has a lot of experience, but it makes me nervous that I find very little information about True Results Weight Loss, which is the "brand name" of the company facilitating the surgery.
I've put so much thought into this so it isn't like I'm jumping into it, I'm just second guessing everything now that it's getting closer. I know that I could cancel it if I wanted to, but every person I've talked to has said their only regret is that they didn't do it sooner.
I don't want to put off making this wonderful change...I'm just so scared! It becomes so big and intimidating the closer it gets. Does anyone else feel this way?
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I live in Atlanta, GA, but I am originally from Buffalo, NY.
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Every day we get closer and closer to May...
May 2- Christal
May 5- Tracy, Sandy
May 6- Shawna, Jemo97
May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen, Pix
May 8- Mae
May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella, Michele
May 19- Lexy, Amy
May 21- Sarah, Pen
May 22- Krysten, Jaime, Lena
May 26- Shelly
May 27- Kammi, Sydney
May 28- Nora
May 30- Three Sixty Six
May 31- Tonya
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I am so excited and nervous too...I looked down at my ticker today and it's only one month and 3 days away! It seemed like it was so far away when I first got my date.
Bella, I'm so glad we've got another bandser on the same day as me. We'll have to keep in touch!
May 2- Christal
May 5- Tracy, Sandy
May 6- Shawna, Jemo97
May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen
May 8- Mae
May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella
May 19- Lexy, Amy
May 21- Sarah
May 22- Krysten, Jaime, Lena
May 26- Shelly
May 27- Kammi
May 28- Nora
May 30- Three Sixty Six
May 31- Tonya
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Pix,
I'm sorry that your date got pushed back but I am so glad that you'll be joining the May Flowers! We're a great group and I'm looking forward to next month when the journey begins for all of us. Stop by the May forum and say hello!
If you're looking to make your Alfredo lighter, you have to check out HungryGirl.com. She has some GREAT light Alfredo recipes. Check out this page, which has a million variations, as well as the Original Fettuccine Girlfredo recipe.
Hungry Girl - Thursday Newsletter
Enjoy!
Jessica
Lap Band Surgery Terminated Due To Scar Tissue
in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Posted
Hey everyone,
A few weeks ago I went in to have my surgery, and when I woke up, the first words I heard were "Attempted Lap Band." My surgeon could not place my band because he encountered adhesions from a surgery I had when I was a baby.
After reading my post-op report, I've learned that I've got scar tissue attaching my liver to my stomach, my stomach to my abdomen, and my intestines to just about everything.
I was obviously surprised that the surgery failed, especially after I showed the surgeon my scar, let him feel my stomach, was told that the previous surgery shouldn't be an issue. (I'm sort of surprised there was never an ultrasound or further testing of my stomach before surgery)
Speaking to my doctor, he told me that he'd never attempt the surgery again, that he couldn't insert the band through an open procedure, and that the best I could do was wait 2 years for a new procedure that is done down the throat.
Now, I trust my doctor, but I find it hard to believe that no one with a Lap Band has scar tissue or adhesions. I'm looking into consulting with other doctors, and I was wondering if anyone here faced anything similar, or had a doctor with experience in that area. Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or alternatives? I appreciate any help I can get!
Thank you,
Jessica