Wendell Edwards

Thank you. :car:

I had five including the port.

Nerves are normal. :nervous

Best: Massive weight loss. Worst: Having to change a lifetime of habit.

Hi, I use a goal size of men's 38-inch slacks and a men's XL shirt. I don't care what the scale says as long as I fit in those clothes.

The band? No. The port, yes.

You might try Dr. William Neal in Olympia on Lilly Road.

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

Walking was the ONLY thing that worked for me.

The best thing: Being ALIVE. I was gravely ill before banding as a direct result of being morbidly obese. The worst thing: Having to learn how to live my life without being on "Auto-Pilot". I have to THINK now and MAKE DECISIONS, whereas I didn't use to have to do that.

Count me in as being glad that I am banded!

Take the painkillers your doctor prescribed for you. If they are ineffective, demand stronger painkillers.

Hi, My doctor was absolutely strict on the patient not having ANY nicotine in their system. I never smoked and told him so, but the very first test on admission on the day of my operation was a test for the presence of nicotine. When I asked "Why?" the tech didn't miss a beat: "If you have a positive for nicotine, Dr. Neal will not operate on you" was their reply.

The time following the operation is for your stomach to heal. The Lap-Band needs to form a groove on your stomach. That groove makes the Lap-Band resistant to slipping. Eating food during the post-op period before you are supposed to be eating food could cause the Lap-Band to slip, or increase the risk of a future slippage. Food causes the stomach muscle to "Work" to digest the food. The "Work" could cause the band to not seat properly on the stomach. Weight loss is NOT to be expected during the recovery time after the operation. If you lose weight, wonderful, but don't expect it. The time between the operation and getting an EFFECTIVE fill that causes restriction is called "Bandster Hell" for a good reason. Without an EFFECTIVE fill, our hunger is just as strong, but the band does not work to help us. Getting an EFFECTIVE fill sometimes takes multiple fills, it is not unusual for it to take 3-5 or even MORE fills to obtain restriction. Because the band has to seat into the groove to hold its position, and every time the band is filled the fill adds extra pressure on the band, most doctors choose to let time pass between fills. Most doctors will not fill a band before 4 weeks after the operation, 6 weeks is common and 8-12 weeks of healing time is not unheard of.

Well, beer is carbonated, and that creates a lot of uncomfortable pressure. chicken wings CAN present a problem for some. And drinking WITH food is a violation of Band eating guidelines. So you might have to alter your lifestyle and eating habits, but you must do that anyways for ANY surgery to work.

Allergan now has two new size bands, the APS and APL bands hold 10.0CCs and 14.0CCs of saline, respectively. It sounds like you have an APL band.

Yes, I would do it again.

Hi, It's pretty rare to have a Lap-to-open conversion, but it does happen. Usually it's because the patient's liver was very large and getting in the way.

Shoot.... off the clean up the gym. :whoo:

Got to love this thread.

Hi Shelli! (Waves)

I lied like a carpet when I got my current license. I under-estimated my weight by over 150 pounds. Now I weigh far less than my license says, and I don't look like that any more either!

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

I have been put into that situation before. Although my partner may not know, *I* would know.... and so would God, the same God that I vowed to that I would be faithful, "Forsaking all others".

I like larger women. Always have, always will. My point of attraction runs from a B.M.I. of 25 to, oh, say 35+ depending on the woman.