NewSho

Thanks for your comments. I do agree that RnY bypass stomach pouches can eventually (and sometimes should) increase in size. One of the downsides has alway been that this pouch increase can not be fixed without some re-surgery. Well, now more and more RnY surgeons have started outfitted these increased pouches with a... LapBand. Ironic, eh? Sometimes the surgeons put a new LapBand on top of bypass patients' pouches. But even more progressive surgeons now outfit their RnY bypass surgeons with a LapBand *at the time* of their original surgery. This has most of the benefits of the RnY bypass and the benefits of LapBanding. In fact, early research does show that these dual-form patients (I call them 'hybrids' but some docs call them RnY/LapBand patients) who get both from the start - have a higher loss rate than either RnY alone or LapBand alone. It might literally be the best of both worlds. There are some surgeons (like some in Florida) who give all their RnY patients a LapBand from the beginning and although this operation costs more - the long term loss rate is higher and they can have the benefits of adjusting the pouch size with the LapBand. It really does seem like a great solution for some patients. I know a patient with a hybrid and she's lost 90 lbs in 10 months - but the best thing is that she can have adjustments if she ever gets needs them after her 'active RnY losing period' slows down. Hopefully this procedure will catch on as an option for those who feel they may want the adjustability of the LapBand plus the malabsorptive aspects of the RnY . Happy Banded (and Non-Banded) Journeys to everyone...

My question to you would be: Are you more concerned with losing a portion of your excess weight 'safely' and slowly or are you more focused on seeing all or most of that excess weight get off, no matter what. Will you be happy if you only lose 50% of the 100# you hope to lose? Answering that question will help you to keep weighing your options. Like you I had a (relatively) lower start weight. I was only aiming to lose 70-80# overall so I thought the LapBand had a chance to get me there. I preferred to have the LapBand although I had a full approval for either WLS. I did not consider the DS (which is popular with some) as it was not a good fit for my lifestyle, start weight, weight loss goals or as a good option for a surgery that local doctors in my area were very familiar with. The positives for the LapBand were exactly what you mentioned: the less intestinal rerouting, shorter/less complex surgery, adjustability, lack of malabsorption, lack of 'dumping', the fact that it is not permanent, etc. I saw the LapBand in Europe where it has some real success. But European LapBanders tend to be a bit smaller when they get the surgery than we are here in the US. (Yes, statistics back this up. It's almost done as an obesity preventative outside of the US, where here we sometimes view WLS as a sort of last resort.) The downsides of the LapBand were the slower rate of loss, the possibility of little/no loss and the possibility of GERD-type symptoms after banding.So I know the same stats you know, but honestly since you're trying to lose 100# with the LapBand I would caution you to keep weighing your options carefully. ALL (yes, all) of the many RnY bypass patients I know that needed to lose 100# or more - have lost the weight. They've had ups and downs but of the 11 or 12 people I personally know with RnY they *all* lost nearly all of their excess weight. Yes, every single one of them lost 100# and only one has 10-20# more to lose. Now of my friends with LapBands, the stats aren't as high. I know 18 to 20 friends who have tried to lose 100# with the band. So far, of those (counting friends, acquaintances, and etc) I can count 7 who have lost 100# with the LapBand. Unfortunately 2 of them need to lose another 50-100# so they lost "that magic 100" but they are no where near being at/near their goal. You know what's so funny - of those 7 people, now 5 of them work in the weight loss surgery field. They're such exceptions that they are literally employed in the industry now. That's how rare they are. Again, this is my perspective - but that said, I am admittedly waiting to hear if I am going to have to 1) get another LapBand or get this one repaired or put back in place 2) just get the band removed and get revised to another surgery (an RnY) Well, now I speak as someone who never, not in five years of diet, exercise and trying to be a good LapBand citizen - has come close to goal. Forget the life-threatening complications (we know RnY bypass patients sometimes suffer those but no RnY patient I know has ever been as sick as I was after I had the LapBand. Seriously. But then I'm an exception.) the thing to me is - I'm still fat. It's just not that I suffered complications that would have killed other people - it's the irony that I had an operation that was supposedly 'safer' yet ended up been hospitalized anyway - and even after I fully recovered, I *STILL* can't get the weight off. That really gets me - not to mention it's frustrating to still be obese (at a BMI of 30) after a 5-year "Battle of the Band." So I'm like - gee, even with the RnY I'd still be closer to my goal weight. Now as for the dumping thing. Bandsters love to point at dumping as another reason they'd never have RnY. Guess what. I've suffered (as has every other long term banded patient) "stuck food" or "PB" incidents that rival the dumping syndrome that RnY patients experience and it ain't pretty. When Bandsters say "oh I'd never want dumping" I can understand it. But we do get things feeling a bit stuck, we do occasionally experience "the golf ball" syndrome and yes some of us suffer from "PB's" or sliming. Why we like to feel these incidents are better than dumping, I don't know. So always consider that there are consequences to any WLS and sometimes these incidents happen at work, restaurants or in public. It does happen. Not always, not daily, not frequently - but it does happen. If I had it to do all over again and I was told " you won't lose more than XXX pounds with the LapBand" then I would have had the RnY with only minimal reservations. I need to get the weight off - so all of this, "Oh I'd have the Band or nothing" was not the approach I took. I needed a tool to help me lose weight and so far, the band hasn't gotten there. Check me in a few months, maybe things will change and my view will change too. But I am happy to see people give great consideration to finding the right tool for them - no matter which one they picked. So I often feel like my banded friends who are trying to lose 100# plus are struggling more, working harder and not seeing the same success. Seriously. All Bandsters who don't lose all their weight are NOT lazy. We like to say that as banded patients because it makes us feel better about our potential to succeed. But my most successful banded pals who are aiming to lose 50-60# are doing much better. They are seeing much better success. The LapBand is a great tool for losing a portion of your excess weight. I realize many successful Bandsters will chime in and refute my opinions (that's what they are, although stats do back up the LapBand success rate) but those LapBanders who lose almost all of the excess weight are the exceptions to the rule - not the norm. This really is a fact. Period. So if you were hoping to lose 50#, 60#, 70# - it might be different. I think LapBands is a wonderful weight loss option. It really can be life improving, life changing and such a positive tool. But for the magic "century" mark I hope you please consider that for the VERY unscientific sample of people I know, the RnY bypass patients did it across the board. It doesn't mean this is a reason to go with the RnY but if you are concerned about the overall success rate, just please consider your options carefully. Thanks for sticking with this little novel of a post and good look with your decision either way. Happy Banded (and Non-Banded) Journeys to everyone...

Well, it feels better to know exactly where you stand, I bet. Yours is a great story - we've all got to be careful about watching our fill levels and if I was like you and had been losing, it would be easy to how we'd slip into the 'soft food' syndrome. But you're on top of it, sounds like. Keep us posted on how you do . Happy Band Journeys to Everyone!

Who is "they" - if it's UHC you speak of, then I'm afraid you misunderstood what you heard or were misinformed, I believe. So I'm sorry to be blunt but, no it's YOU that have it backwards. Number one - when I have a question about Network Status, I call an internal number or someone who has contacts in Provider Relations at UHC. Number two - I was clear on my information before I posted - and I did not base it on one phone call with a random Customer Service rep. Not to be snippy but a bit of research before stating your opinion (that's what that was) would probably be better. He is going to charge me $2000 upfront and then see what can be worked out with insurance. If he can't get anything worked out the total cost is $5000. UHC was only wanting to pay $1100 for the procedure which of course is not nearly enough. Just thought I would clear up the fact that it's not Spivak that's dropping the insurance. It's UHC that's doing the dropping. Hmmm... Uh OK. I guess that's better than you paying your In-Network rate for the same surgery. I understand that there is a HUGE issue with UHC changing it's reimbursement rate for docs, but you're still wrong on what's happening here. And then to the later post I can't say that anyone is scamming you - but there is something uncomfortable about all of this. I wish we all had more answers, but what I do know is that's it's important to get clear information and not just hear-say. You didn't mention what facility it is. But each and every facility has a different rate that they get from UHC, based on how their facility rate is contracted. They all vary. Love 'em? Usually not. But most of the time, insurance companies provide a much-needed service. It's just they do it at the highest rate of profit that they can muster. Health Care is in sorry shape in this country. But honestly there had to be a better way of approaching this for all of the parties involved. Facility vs Surgeon vs Insurance companies = it's the patients caught in the middle. And it truly bites! Happy Band Journeys to all...

For those Houston-area LapBand patients who might not have heard (on the phone or on other online forums), local LapBand (and bariatric) surgeon Dr Hadar Spivak is no longer accepting United Health Care (or UHC) insurance. This might be of interest to other patients of his who travelled from out of the Houston area to have surgery with him. Also, if other surgeons follow his lead, this could change how many patients are approved for Lap Band surgery with insurance. This is a big revelation, as UHC is known as being one of the most LapBand-friendly insurance companies (for those members whose employers did not specifically choose to exclude bariatric surgery coverage). It is also an insurance company that this surgeon, and many others, often encourage their patients to switch to - so they can increase their chances of insurance approval. He will apparently now be "Out of Network" only UHC patients, and his office is saying that they can no longer accept the smaller payments that UHC is offering to their in-network physicians. This means that patients will be asked to defray the difference in costs between what surgery/treatment/fills/visits would cost at In-Network rates (which is usually covered at rates of 80% to the rare but wonderful 100% coverage) for UHC patients to now an Out of Network rate of 55% - 65% to patients. For example, one UHC patient has said that the cost of the surgery with Dr Spivak as an in- network physician would have been more than $5800 less out-of-pocket but now that Dr Spivak is Out of Network, the patient is responsible for paying that $5800 difference. This is notable as Dr Spivak was one of the first LapBand surgeons in Texas, and usually leads other local surgeons in how Lap Banding issues are handled surgically and otherwise. In other words, if other local surgeons eventually follow his lead (it has happened before) then patients will have some significantly higher costs in store. (Dr Spivak and Dr Spiegel's Surgery Center is already Out of Network with United Health Care but those costs have always been detailed and explained up front.) I am double-checking with some contacts I have from UHC (on the corporate end) to verify that the financial concerns for patients are correct. Just an FYI. (I will cross-post this on the Texas-related Message Forum, just to make sure everyone gets a chance to see this if they haven't already.) Good Luck and Happy Band Journeys to all, New Sho

HUGS! Sorry all this was happening in your insides. Here's best wishes for a speedy recovery. Happy Band Journeys to all...

First of all, as of today (21 March) UHC still lists Spivak as being in-network, although we know he is no longer participating as an in-network provider. Secondly Ha - that's hilarious. NO, I have no financial ties to any surgeons. If I did, what would I have to gain by posting this here? It makes no sense. There are many existing and future patients who haven't heard yet - I simply want them to hear about it now, rather than pay the price later. This is a serious issue. Sorry this happened to you, but don't shoot the messenger. In fact, technically the messenger should have been someone from their camp rather than everyone hearing from the "Patient Underground" , but that's how this is. So don't let your well-documented anger (which is probably quite justified but still comes off as juvenile online) lead you to mistake me for someone on the payroll somewhere. If I were you, I'd probably spend less time insulting fellow forum (and online group) members and instead I'd focus on finding alternate ways to finance the procedure. Good Luck and Happy Band Journeys to all.

Magic Pill? Super Cure? No, I was simply looking for a tool to help me lose weight over the long term. Now, I realize some Bandsters find it distasteful to hear that the tool they love is not the perfect tool (or hasn't behaved perfectly) for others. But things happen, folks. Every single erosion patient, slippage patient or patient with complications did not purposely sabotage their Band success. If any of us out here believe that, then that is beyond comprehension. But even if those who have struggled are in the minority, remember that it's not just because the patient didn't have the will to succeed. Hmmm, since I was the one who posted in this thread recently, saying my BMI was 30 (still is) then I guess I'll take this one. And that was exactly what I said: In other words, a BMI of 30 is NOT success for me. I wasn't so large that LapBand success should have been such a distant dream. What's so bad about having a BMI is 30 for me is that I've fought my hardest & done my best to get it just to down there. Hardly a satisfactory result for my time or money. And no my BMI was never 46, so a BMI of 30 is not cutting it, in my mind. Perhaps if I'd gone from a BMI of 38/39 to 23 or 24 (hardly realistic for my body & health history) then I would feel differently. Again, this is my own result - we know some Bandsters have done much much better, but there are also those that are still struggling also. And even though I never paid much attention to this earlier, I am really noticing that those who higher start weight and higher BMI's sometimes don't realize that their higher numbers are just that - higher numbers. They don't always reflect success in terms of percentage of excess weigh so they see the bigger picture. It's great that you can see that perspective, because many of our fellow Bandsters merely opine "Oh I've lost 90# with the band - so the only reason anyone doesn't succeed with the Band is because they haven't tried. " Then one reads at the bottom of their posting and their start weight was 360 with a starting BMI of 49, and they are now down to 250# at a current BMI of 41. So yes, success is relative. If they are pleased with their current loss then they are success. For those of us who aren't, then we have every right to express our frustration with the struggle. Again, this is relative. Take this example: The most popular high-end designer jeans brand in America right now is Seven For All Mankind Jeans (Retail cost: approx $130-$176 a pair ). I admit I really want a pair - they are flattering, well made, great looking and fabulous. Now I although I have nicknamed them "Seven For All Mankind who has $140 and wears a size 9 or Less Jeans" the fact is, I can't fit into a pair for love or money (tried again a week ago). So what is normal? For my lifestyle, group, and goals - I would like to wear the original Seven for All Mankind jeans (not those crappy Lane Bryant/Limited Express knockoffs.) That's what should be normal for me. And frankly, although I have heavier friends who would be pleased to get down to my post-op size, I know far more people who have been in single digit sizes all their lives - and who would become downright suicidal if they woke up in my current size of clothing and at my (deceptively high) weight. And this is after my 5 years of work, so I am clear on the fact that I'm not where I want to be with my weight, period. So for me, it doesn't work. Yeah, well I haven't gotten to a BMI of 29 yet - so I can accurately quote that according to the charts ( Grrrr), I am still obese. Again, what's OK for some is intolerable for others. Personally I didn't have the band to help me maintain my weight - I got it as a tool to help me lose weight. And in my case, I'm working much harder than my tool is right now. I didn't get it to help me while I was attending WW, Tops, OA or any other type of program. Been there, done that - if they worked I wouldn't have needed the additional help. But they didn't work long term and I was looking for something to help me lose weight, not something to just gently assist me while I tried my umpteeth trip to WW. <snip> OMG, are you serious? Everyone has a different road, a different path. I wish all those out there who are succeeding with the band or who are experiencing their first real weight loss victories with the band - much luck and continued (if that's what they think it is) success. But I set very high goals for myself and I am willing to do 110% of what's necessary to achieve them. So just call me one of the fabled 25% who didn't see the success they wanted, with the Band. But it's not due to not knowing some tips to succeed :rolleyes or understanding how it works and it's sure not about not being willing to have it succeed. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Walk a mile in my high heels (or any other struggling Bandsters' shoes) before assuming I haven't done I need to do. My medical records tell a far different story, and I doubt I'm the only one in this scenario. As always, Happy Band Journeys to all.

Originally when I was approved for RnY bypass, I was scheduled to have Dr Carlos Ferrari as my surgeon. Once I decided to persue LapBand surgery, he was no longer an option as he did not perform the surgery at this time. He is very experienced at RnY and has done scores of them successfully. He is however, newer to the LapBand but as an experienced bariatric surgeon he should adapt and succeed once he becomes more experienced in the procedure. If you are interested in reading some reports on his surgical skill in general, check out the legions of his RnY patients that have posted on ObesityHelp*com website. He has fewer LapBand patients so it might take some time until more info on his Lap Band work is available. Now, having said that - My only concern with Dr Ferrari is his choice of facilities. Luckily with a LapBand, most surgeries can be handled on an outpatient basis. This is good because the facilities he uses for surgery are consistently rated lowest on all the major rating systems. Good Luck and Happy Band Journeys to all, New Sho

Yes, as you know, you have a very generous policy indeed even by most hospital employees' policy. So I can imagine you are very disappointed. Absolutely. As much as they may hate the sometimes ridiculous discounts that the insurance companies force them to take, most physicians don't have the option to simply remove themselves from in-network participation of such a large insurer. Yes, until he is formally listed as 'out of network' (apparently this is being done retroactive to a certain date Well, what else is new? I'm sure that's true but welcome to the wonderful world of Managed Health Care. It's really difficult when Insurance Companies have everyone - from doctors to hospitals to patients - caught in a bind. They have big lobbyists fighting to protect the interests of the insurance companies but is anyone protecting us? I'm sure that seems unfair. I realize there was no good time to get this information, but I can understand your disappointment. There will undoubtably be others in your situation so it's important that everyone know as soon as possible so they can make plans for the potentially increased costs, if applicable. This is a major headache for all involved. But honestly I don't think there is a lack of clinical care involved here. This is a well-regarded doctor with an outstanding reputation and legions of patients will attest to his quality of care. Unfortunately the reality is part of feeling 'cared for' as a patient is feeling like the financial details are being taken of also. So if we assume it's not a reflection of how a doctor cares medically for his patients, but it can still understandably make a patient feel the way you are feeling. Exactly. All patients using insurance (those who are not self-pay) can easily also be caught in this same bind. On other forums people have said that the simple answer is just to self pay. I do not think this is necessarily simple or feasible for some patients. And frankly, I have major issues with self-pay as an option even for those who have the money or financing. Why? I think it empowers the insurance companies to feel as if they are justified in not covering needed medical procedures. They literally use the rise in self-pay and self-financed patients to justify the fact that even though the insurance companies aren't paying, the patients are getting these procedures anyway. It's an unfair manipulation on the part of insurance companies, in my opinion. Also I think self-pay works best when everything works absolutely according to plan. When things deviate even a tiny bit, there is sometimes a 'grey area' that makes things difficult to clearly know who should pay for what. Luckily the great number of procedures go smoothly. However, when someone self-pays for a procedure that should have been covered under their major medical insurance plan it's not always easy to figure out what options the patient has. And when something goes wrong with a surgical procedure - unlike with a major appliance like a dishwasher or a big purchase like a car, there is no implied or stated warranty.How does one handle it when their $15K surgical procedure does work as stated? We all understand that there is no guarantee in any type of surgery. But what we are seeing on this forum is that for some self-pay patients simply writing the check doesn't always mean they get what they pay for. Sometimes this can be difficult to resolve and there are no easy answers in these cases. Hopefully we will all learn from this, and have some more concrete answers soon. Happy Band (and UnBanded) Journeys to all.

For me, it was my BMI getting to almost 40 - I set that as the "diving line" that would make me decide to do something drastic. It was alarming to see my weight continue to creep up higher over the years, matter what I did. So I had set "my BMI getting to 40" as a personal "turning point" but before it got there, I figured out at a BMI of 38, that I wasn't going to lose it without surgery. I had been on every diet, did the gym, starved myself silly - nothing worked for long. I got approved for Weight Loss Surgery at a BMI of 38 and still the fight goes on. So that's what did it for me. Happy Band (and UnBanded) Journeys to all, New Sho

Very good questions indeed. I don't know if I qualify to even respond to this, since I know many European Bandsters who have had theirs for some time (longer than me, I've had mine 5 yrs this upcoming month). There are also some Mexican Bandsters who are around with longer term band experiences, if not on this forum, then certainly on others. What's a "long" period of time? I don't know. Mine has stayed in (even though almost 5 ys ago, I had life-threatening illness after being banded) partially because no one knew much about the complications back in 2001. Rejection is always a possibility but so far apparently the Band and I have found some truce. I did have my port & tubing replaced 13 months ago but it was done surgically as usual (*shrug*) and I don't think there were signs of me rejecting the band, per se. However, my biggest concern is that after 5 years and 2 LapBand surgeries later, I've only gotten my BMI down to 30 or so. So technically I'm still listed as 'obese' according to BMI charts. That's hardly acceptable to me, and far more important, I still have more weight to use. So to answer your second question sometimes I wonder why " I " particularly went through this. Had I known a year ago that I still wasn't going to lose weight - then band rejection or not - instead of having my band port/tubing replaced - I would have been revised then (*sigh*) to another form of surgery. I wouldn't have gone through all I have done just to get down to this size. I'm VERY frustrated about that. Here's the irony - now that my BMI is down to 30 - I no longer qualify for a revision. So it's a tough position. So now I am undergoing series of tests to make sure the band is still OK. If the band has a defect or needs to be removed - then I would DEFINITELY need a revision to another surgery at the same time. Period. Or else I have to fight it out with the band. I can't lose any more weight with my band being under-restricted but at least it's there. - if I am unbanded and without a restriction, then I fear I will return to my former weight without a doubt. And so help me, I live in fear that I'd get even bigger. I'd be inconsolable. So it makes this a bit tough, but I'm not down yet. Happy Band (and UnBanded) Journeys to all, New Sho

Let's see. Doesn't this sound familiar to me? Been there, done that! Had a leak in my original tubing/port - had it replaced a year ago with new tubing and lower profile port. Actually my second surgery wasn't such a shock (I think my poor body had been through so much by then) so I really did well after the replacement - both in terms of recovery and weight loss. Of course I'm more diligent so I just had Upper GI tests (replacement was 12 and 1/2 months ago) just to make sure everything is still OK. So far, I'm holding up! So I'm confident you're gonna make through this fine. HUGS! New Sho

Elizabeth - Glad you're doing so well. Continued Success! Happy Band (and UnBanded) Journeys to all, NewSho

Guilty too A B12 supplement is a good thing for most Bandsters I'd think. Plus when my B12 is low, I really do feel 'tired, sluggish, and like I'm dragging along.' So that's a good reason to try to add it to our daily diets. Happy Band Journeys To All...

Woo Hoo! Our BBKellie is a star. Well, we knew it all along... Happy Band Journeys To All...

It disturbs me when I see new patients say that they don't want to call their surgeons' offices. Of course you can come here to ask us anything but not IN PLACE OF calling the doctor. You should always feel like you can call them anytime. Anyway, what you're reporting sounds normal for a recent post-op. In my case I actually did suffer from what is thought to have been a pulled muscle shortly after being banded. In my case, we believe it happened when the stupid X-Ray techs pulled & tugged me into position when I got my post-op Upper-GI test just after surgery. So it is possible you have a pulled muscle but my case was a bit unusual. More likely: That post op gas could be causing some of your discomfort. What it sounds like is a usual reaction from a body that was put through a major surgery several days ago. Between your body healing, your insides recovering and the large amount of operative gas your body is trying to expel - it's pretty usual. Forme the post-op gas was killer, and it took half a bottle of GasX for me to feel relief. And I second the recommendation of the Tums. It's a great idea to carry a small Life-Saver sized roll of TUMS or Rolaids in your purse or bag, especially at the beginning. It's never in the brochures but it's pretty common for post ops to use them and it's a good source of calcium, too. :confused: Welcome to Banded Life! Happy Band Journeys To All...

CONGRATS! CONGRATS! CONGRATS!:clap2: Happy Band Journeys to all

Well, I must say in my experience I'm not a big fan of 'testing the band' to see how much you could eat. But with that said, it doesn't sound like band slippage really it sounds more like your body reacting to having had a major operation 7 days ago. Call your doctors office, let them know what you've experienced and follow their advice. It honestly doesn't sound that unusual. Check with them and then let us know. Happy Band Journeys To All

This is a really relevant thread for me. This is exactly what I've been dealing with lately. Just trying to type in my stats to answer the question - caused me to grit my teeth! I am hard on myself but (I think) with good reason - this has been a long, tough, and largely unsuccessful fight. The sad reality is, after 5 years of this, I'm just down to a chunky 30 BMI. I think it's embarrassing that I am this size after working so hard for so long - so when I have "those days" that you speak of - imagine having 5 years of them! Everyone's perspective is different. Gawd forbid there are actually people who think I look OK - bless their hearts. I don't have low self esteem nor do I think I compare myself unfavourably to others, but man I have got to get some of this weight off if I'm going to move forward. But after two long days straight of sitting in WLS surgeons' waiting rooms. I want to say the following: OPEN LETTER to pre-ops: Thank for your compliments about how I look, but I am still fat...I am not in the waiting room for my follow ups because I'm through losing, I'm there because I'm desperately trying to find someone who can help me continue to lose this excess weight. According to the CDC, NIH, and all the charts, with my 30 BMI I am STILL technically "obese" - and I am not happy about it. This is a rather sorry result after my 5 years of LapBanding so excuse me for not taking your compliments well. I appreciate it but I'm still having issues over here. So I have no perspective on things - my (former) surgeon saying I look fine is really insulting to me - for this I paid (and am still paying, LOL) thousands of dollars? So when I look at my stats I just realize I have a long, hard way to go to ultimately win. (Oh and my stats are closest to Kyleigh's above in terms of height and size. Except she actually looks great. I may be a wee bit lighter but we seem to wear similar sizes. The only difference is I've had 1 and 2/3 LapBand surgeries and a recent Tummy Tuck surgery which is still a work in progress. So frankly I'm way behind the curve... *sigh* :tired ) Happy Band Journeys To All... {P.S. - I've posted before that I think there is a bit of what I call "Band Elitism" on various LapBand forums. And yes, sometimes people with new restriction or less restriction may inadvertently post things that can be interpreted (or even misinterpreted) as saying "see I'm not relying on the Band, I'm doing it more myself. I wil be successful because I know the band is just a tool, yadda yadda..." And to them I sometimes think: Fast forward 5 years people - anyone's super will power can wane somewhat, and then you might find yourself leaning a bit on the tool that you could so easily dismiss when you first got it. Might be something to think about.}

Doing an open surgery on someone with a 35 BMI ?:confused: In 2006? And the LapBand technique was actually developed in Europe - as exactly that, a LAPROSCOPIC technique. Even with the Swedish band. So the fact that it's done Laproscopically is a huge part of the method - anything else is merely banding. I mean, my goodness, does he do the fills as open surgery too? OK, that's an exaggeration but I honestly don't see the benefits here. At your lower BMI, and your age (and assuming you don't have any massive scar tissue or other health issues that would affect a lap surgery) then it seems almost criminal for your doctor to do an open surgery with a 6-inch scar. Your recovery, healing, scarring and infection rates will ALL be higher just because of the method he chooses. I am flabbergasted. So if he does use this technique, he can call it whatever he wants but it is not Lap-Banding by any sense of the word, in any country. Good Luck and Happy Band Journeys to All...

L'il Angel - Yes bands can be a tad bit overfilled (especially including the tubing which can also keep a bit of Fluid in it) by up to 20% over capacity. So there are some folks with 5cc in a 4cc band (particularly in Europe where overfilling is very common) - and many many folks with 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 their 4 cc bands. My super-conservative original surgeon started not pushing it past 3/4 of capacity as of Jan. 1st - but since I know when I'm restricted and not restricted, I will keep trying to see if I can get at least a little more - up to 2.9 or 3.0 if they can do it safely. Happy Band Journeys to all...

Yep, MonyMo - exactly! I've posted here on other threads that the 'goal weight after WLS' is basically aimed at bypass-type patients that loose larger amounts of weight quicker than even the most dedicated LapBanders. So like MonyMo - the plastic surgeons I consulted with thought that within 20# of goal was reasonable. I had my own TT once I hit the "within 20#" range with the knowledge that if I did lose more weight (yippee for me) that it would be slow, steady incremental loss and shouldn't affect a TT much. Many cosmetic surgeons say the mistake patients make is coming too late for their initial consults so I was very careful to make sure I started my consults before I was at goal. I'm glad I did - the TT made a huge difference in how my clothes fit (although lots of skin is removed, most TT patients do not see a real change in scale weight.) On the off chance I lose some tremendous amount of weight I'd be happy to go back for a small tweak but normal LapBand weight loss won't "undo" the benefits of a well-planned TT. Happy Band Journeys to all...

DishDiva - my WLS doctor felt the same way. Also my ENT (ear/nose/throat) surgeon prefers Ambulatory Surgery Centers for the same reason - they think shorter stays (and fewer "sick" patients rather than those just there for surgery) mean less infection. Of course they aren't a good option for those needing more intensive monitoring, surgical follow up or a handy trauma center - but for the rank and file of patients, that might be a good option. NurseTeresa - Thank you for your additional information. Community acquired infections are certainly something to think about. When I see how many women leave the Ladies Room without even stopping to wash/wipe their hands - I'm literally sickened. It's important that we all take a part in preventing the spread of infections. Happy Band Journeys to all...

Yes, you might well be overfilled - the hot liquids only could be a clue that your body is struggling to process food along your digestive path. Don't know what kind of fill you got (from what amount to what new amount) but it sounds like you should call your doctors office and tell them what you told us. Good Luck and Happy Band Journeys to all...