RestlessMonkey

I weighed 405 when I went to my 1st surgeon appt...had lost down a good bit by surgery though thanks to an extended preop diet. There doesn't seem to be a lower "limit" either...insurance won't pay unless you have a certain BMI but if you are self pay, seems like you can find a surgeon to do the surgery even if you are very close to your goal weight. (not all will do that, but you can find one who will). I had no heart or pulmonic issues (pretty healthy for a 50+ yo fat chick) so I'm sure that was part of the equation for me.

As you probably know recovery is very individual. I felt great, didn't need pain meds, had surgery friday and was back in school (as a student) that next tuesday. Yes I eat sandwiches and pasta. The nutritionist at my center said just to cook the pasta (and rice) well before eating (because it continues to absorb liquid when you ingest it, if not well well done) I have a ventral hernia my doc wouldn't repair (yet) because he said it would just come back until I lost weight... Rule of thumb is 2 weeks post op and if you have the time, I'd take it. There will be a lifting restriction as with any abdominal surgery, so if you have to get physical you may need a little longer.

The AP L band can be tightened as snugly as any of the others. It just starts out a little larger (fyi those 4ccs are less than a teaspoon...that's what a small amt. it is) so you don't need to think that because your band started larger it won't restrict you. I have 5.5 ccs in my 14 cc AP L band and while not "there" yet, definitely have restriction. Honestly you need to just be calm and trust your doctor! :tongue2: I understand your fear, but it is unfounded.

Call your surgeon tomorrow. You should still be going. If you are still taking (or took) an opiod pain killer it can constipate you. Your surgeon will tell you what to do! :rose: (and even on liquids you should still have BM's)

Maybe, but probably not. I am almost 6 months out and have essentially NO issues, etc ... but even without restriction, beer just hurts, or you have to drink it REALLY slowly and it is : Sip burp burp burp BELCH sip burp burp burp BELCH etc. I don't like soda and haven't tried it. Your safest course is to accept that they won't ever happen, then once you've healed and are rolling along, if you can, it will be a happy surprise. Even if you CAN drink it (and a few do) you won't be able to chug or drink it quickly. I love beer and miss it, but the plusses outweighed the minuses for me.

I grew up in EL Paso (Juarez is on the other side of the Rio Grande) and know that right now there is a great deal of unrest in Juarez (used to be a sleepy border town) This is NOT a comment on getting surgery in Mexico! But Juarez isn't really safe for travel right now. Here's a link to the Travel Alert issued by the Federal State Department: MIG: Mexico Travel Alert You might want to reschedule your surgery for later in the year, or find a surgeon deeper into Mexico. I don't mean to be incendiary; honestly...but the laws in Mexico are different from here and Juarez is really suffering from drug-caused violence. It's your call, of course; just wanted to make sure you're aware of it. Most people I know in El Paso just aren't traveling to Juarez for now.

I think that of course the lap band helps in weight loss...that's why manu of us got it. That, and to keep it off. I think you were right to forego the contest.

If you plan to stay in Oregon, you might be better off to wait the 3 months until you move. I know that seems odd but it's often hard to find surgeons who will take on other's patients. Having said that, prices vary by what insurance negotiates, and don't always relate to what people pay who are "self pay". However, 1k per fill is exorbitant in my opinion. My doc charges 400 and they ARE covered by my insurance.

try this... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

Always call your doc if you are in doubt! I didn't have any burning pain and in fact didn't even know where my port WAS until my first fill...but regardless, you know yourself best. if it burns and seems "off" or different to you, call your doctor and ask! :thumbup: That's why we pay them the big bucks!

Ekabara may I suggest you go to a totally different surgeon/seminar? The lap band can also resolve HBP (because you lose weight) and type 2 diabetes (depending on how long you've had it and if you need insulin or not...a surgeon can help you) I had borderline high blood pressure and borderline DM II and no one...NO ONE tried to talk me into bypass. In fact my primary care doctor (the one who diagnosed me with those conditions) recommended the lap band, NOT bypass. Don't be pushed into anything. Do your homework, read up on the outcomes of both procedures, and really see a different surgeon. That 1 ounce thing is, well, nothing I've ever heard unless they just mean immediately post op (some have swelling at that time and can't drink too much too fast...but that isn't everyone, and that is just the first few days post op) I too can drink quickly. I have even chugged Water a time or two, and have not exploded or hurt anything. Liquids flow THROUGH the stoma....there's no problem there.

Honestly the odds of dying from obesity are as scary or more so... if you are truly worried an internet search of statistics should set your minds at ease! :thumbup:

The band has only been approved for use here in the USA since 2001!!! You aren't going to get any 15-20 year post op people YET! There are people with other types of WLS who've had it that long ago but while this site does have a forum for non-lap-band people, the majority of posters here have the lap band.

I don't know about the timing (like 1 month liquids post op) but I THINK the preop thing is to shrink the liver (many obese people have big livers and that makes the band harder to place) and post op is to prevent exuberant digestion and allow the band time to heal in place. Any time we eat (chew stuff, not liquids) our stomach churns to help digest the chyme (what they call food once it's been ingested) That churning (we don't feel it, but it does physically MOVE) can displace the band until it's well healed. So you're lucky the nurse relented and helped you out, but that's why she said to chew it very very well. My doc didn't want me having anything solid, not matter how well chewed, until week 3. I have a pill that MUST be taken with food (potassium) and I just went without it for the first 2 weeks post op!

Welcome and good luck!

Your BMI is 42.7. That's not healthy. Even if you're more muscled, you're still too heavy. I suggest going to a seminar or two, see what they say. Ask about your caloric intake...voice your concerns.

I came to in recovery hungry so I totally feel your pain. They call it "bandster hell" and it really was for me. I sat at one point and held a can of refried Beans and cried, I was so hungry. BUT I made it. My doc wouldn't even allow Protein shakes for the 1st week, just "broth" and Water. Once I could have the shakes it improved (a little...I was hungry but not so "la la land" feeling) and by mushies I was human again. Hang in there! (I too have a 14 cc band that had nothing in it except some "primer" that my doc said doesn't count...maybe that's part of it?)

Since it's happened twice now, you probably should run it by your surgeon just to be safe.

After you've healed from the surgery I think it's ok to drink occasionally. Everything I've been told or read about not drinking relates to empty calories and not other harm. My drink of choice was beer and since I can't have it any more I don't drink much but I did drink a glass of wine at 3 months post op and didn't turn into a pillar of salt or anything! :thumbup:

If you click on the "forums" tab and then go to the "Post Operation" tab (3rd one, and that isn't the WHOLE name) you'll find at the top a "sticky" thread with over 10 pages of "surgery day stories". That will give you more than you need! :thumbup: Good luck to both of you! :rose:

This site compares bands: Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band And I think you're right; not much difference. I have the AP Lapband because that's what my surgeon uses.

I had an OnQ too (ball attached to a catheter that bathes the abdomin in lidocaine or a drug like it). It drove me INSANE having that ball thing hanging out of me and DH removed it for me as soon as we got home (about 6 hours post op). It's no big deal to remove and is supposed to (and probably does) help with pain but having it on my left side was so bothersome I couldn't stand it. I wasn't in pain anyway, at least nothing that tylenol couldn't handle. And about the OnQ thing...it isn't really "deep" but is long enough to wash the area in the drug that slowly infuses...when you remove the catheter you'll see holes along it... if you have pain, and it's properly placed, it can be a godsend.

I had a three week preop diet. That won't help you any.

If I sounded like I'm attacking you I truly apologize. The preop diet is (usually) to shrink the liver so the surgeon can place the band properly. My surgeon gave mine to me, not the nutritionist. She was all about post op, post band stuff. Since the preop diet is (usually) for the surgeon's (and the patient's) benefit, the surgeon should be able to tell you what s/he wants. And you ARE paying him! So to withhold that info seems, as I said, assinine. Nothing to do with you or paying the nutritionist he likes; it just seems petty of him not to tell you what to do to optimize your chances at a smooth surgery.

Hang in there. I "cheated" on my preop diet (lost 15 pounds anyway) and came to in recovery WITHOUT the band! That was a horrible horrible feeling....so use me as a horrible warning and inspiration. When you smell food, just think to yourself how terrible it would be to NOT get the band! Good luck!