anne1927

Hey SJ - I was banded at U of Penn in Philly on 3/10/08. I don't know if my office will do fills if they didn't do the surgery, but you can check. Also, go to the websites of your local hospitals. If they have a bariatric department that would be your best bet. Even though you live hear, ask the question as if you just moved here. They will be less likely to question why you left the country to get the surgery. Plus, you are paying for your own fills so there shouldn't be any conflicts. It's worth a try. I know that in Philadelphia, only HUP and Temple Hospital have Bariatric Departments. Jefferson hosp does too, but they don't do Lap-Band - only the bypass. I checked them all out when I was deciding. Since I live in the city it was easy for me to pick Penn. Good Luck. Anne

I was banded on March 10th and I have been disappointed with my weight loss. I'm down 16 lbs, but 14 of them came off in the first 3 weeks of liquid and then pureed food. I didn't get a fill until 7 weeks and it did nothing. I was still eating full meals (including steak which is supposed to be hard to process in the pouch.) I don't know how much they put in the first time, but I had another fill last week and it was 3cc. This was 9 weeks. I feel the restriction more, but I can still eat more than I should. I find that if I eat slowly - like they tell you to - I can eat anything. Last night I had 8 oz. of fish and another 4 oz of shrimp and about half a cup of green beans. This is supposed to be too much. (I was also told that string beans won't work either because, like celery, they are 'stringy'. I haven't had a problem with either.) I do eat and drink together. I'm thinking that they tell people to not drink while eating because the water helps food pass down. I've always been a big water drinker that it's hard for me to not drink when I'm eating. I'm feeling that this is more about willpower and food choices than the restriction. I'm regretting choosing the band over the bypass. At 10 weeks, I should be a lot more than 16lbs down.

I lost 14 lbs in the first 2 weeks and then only 2 pounds for the next 7 weeks. I went back to work after 3 weeks and people said they noticed, but I didn't see my clothes getting any looser. Once I started eating real food I didn't feel any restriction. I had my first fill at 7 weeks (it was the earliest they could get me in.) Still no restriction. Today is just over 9 weeks and I've had my second fill. Hopefully, I'll feel some restriction so I can really lose some weight.