RestlessMonkey

Welcome and good luck! Remember most often people post here because they DO have problems or issues...many many happy bandsters do not have any trouble whatsoever and so don't post "Hi Things are great here again today!" LOL The "love the band" types far outnumber the "what did I DO" types, although you are right, there are both. It isn't for everyone. I love mine, I'll say that! But it did take me a LONG time to get good restriction and FINALLY see what all the fuss was about. It's been worth every penny though!

Followed my doc's orders explicitly (as I've posted before, i cheated on the preop diet and didn't get my band placed right away so I learned the hard way) I'm at almost 11 months out and no issues at all. LOVE my band! no gerd, no nothing! :wink2:

I think you should both go to a seminar or two...it will clear up some misconceptions you both have, and perhaps help you decide if it's right for you.

Hi all! I FINALLY have restriction (as of May 7 but who's counting?) and am finally losing weight! However I'm coming up on my anniversary date and want a year benchmark. BUT?? Do I count 1 year from the date I started the preop diet? Or 1 year from the date I got the band? Big difference for me (7/25 or 8/29) and will make an impact on my 1 year "loss" because as I said I am finally losing as of 5/7. In the vast scheme this isn't that important, but I wondered what you did, or will do when your "date" approaches? Count it from preop, or from true "band" date?

I tried them. I found that 1. I don't have any trouble taking my old 6-pill multi pack (as more vitamins in it than the bar. advantage tabs do) and 2. I thought the bariatric advantage stuff tasted vile beyond words. Not usually a weenie but I knew I wouldn't take them consistently.

If my surgeon ever spoke to me like yours did to you, he wouldn't be my surgeon. I lost 41 pounds preop and post op then gained back 15 of them before I FINALLY got restriction May 7th! (yes I remember the date...it was a BIGGIE! LOL) He NEVER implied I was failing. NEVER. He worked with me and we'd discuss things to try etc every time. In fact he said he hadn't expected any loss for about 6 months post op because many of his patients don't lose or gain during that period. He has never ever once made me doubt that, while he is a surgeon and has to generate an income, I am important to him, my success is important to him, and he will do whatever he can to help me achieve that. Go get another surgeon. Life's too short to dance with ugly men or to tolerate obnoxious imperious doctors.

What does your INSURANCE say? That's where you need to go to find out.

I had my surgery friday morning and was back in class (nursing school) that next tues afternoon. Big issue was risk for clots; i was told to get up and walk around every 30 min or so.

You'll be approved with those stats..and if by some weirdo quirk you aren't you have excellent grounds for appeal. Enjoy your vacation!

usually yes ins. pays. Check with your provider to be sure.

Yep this one is one for the doc. What you describe isn't good nor how the band is supposed to function. You need medical intervention.

didn't mean to insult you Sarah but I don't think age or being old has much to do with it...unless maybe the surgeon's age? LOL J/k They never mentioned in school, either, that older people are more prone to get catheterized. Especially now that, in the USA, medicare etc won't pay for UTI's caused by catheterizations, I am sure they'll be done less and less.

Glad to help! There are a bunch of us "type A" types who want to "master" everything etc...but it's a process. I KNOW you'll do marvelously!

That's my point exactly; one can only assume the chosen surgeon stays current on the science and adjusts his/her practice as circumstances warrant. For example while I was going through the preop phase my surgeon adjusted the time he wanted us to wait to have liquids...from 1 hour post meal to 15 minutes. But his preop diet hasn't changed (I got another copy of it a month ago) Do what your doc tells you, essentially. If you don't trust your doc, get another. If you trust him/her but just "wonder"...ask their rationale. They are the pros, not we.

of course you need to go see your doctor.

I have an educated guess as to why the guidelines vary...(caveat...I don't KNOW, just guessing! LOL) Lapband has published guidelines for band useage. Surgeons take those guidelines and modify them based on the research and their own experiences. Different patients heal differently, they respond to the band differently, and even surgeons have different "styles" if you will. Some are very conservative with their patients, some more "experimental" (all within legal and moral boundaries of course). My conservative surgeon, for example, fills us slowly, likes us to stay overnight post op, has a conservative pre- and post-op diet. Others are more "let's see how you tolerate mushies". My surgeon has had patients cause slips in the first few weeks by overeating so he's cautious. Apparently yours hasn't had this experience! I have learned the hard way (through reading here and disregarding my surgeon's orders because of what "other people" were doing) that it's safest to pick a surgeon you trust and then trust him. By all means, question his rationale if you're doubtful...but overall, my surgeon and I are the ones responsible for my recovery and success, not anyone whose posts I read here, no matter how well-intentioned. Your doc should be the final answer for you and if you don't feel comfortable with that, you really need a new doc (and when I say you I mean "a person" lol not YOU specifically) They interpret what we should do as filtered by their own experiences, in other words.

I had a longer preop diet but I also had a very thick liver that needed shrinking. When I "cheated" (because no one ELSE had such a long preop diet) I didn't get banded. I did what I was told and got the band the 2nd time. Take home from this is...forget the anecdotal "evidence" you read on here and do what YOUR surgeon tells you. If you doubt your surgeon's thinking, ask HIM/HER what the rationale is. I agree 100% with the poster who said each surgeon seems to do what he/she thinks will work best for his/her patients. They are all different...different styles, different practices and clientele, different experiences. You are paying a lot for that expertise (or your ins is) so use it.

WOW Two weeks post op and already cleared to eat solids....especially something like chicken breast! Amazing; I didn't get solids until week 6. You might tell your doc you "regurgitated" after the chicken...I wouldn't be worried about stretching the pouch nearly as much as I'd be worried about causing the band to slip, esp. that early post op.

I couldn't eat foods like you describe until week 4....so I guess I can't be much help.

Call your surgeon.

Well DUH! I just saw the "NAME" of your post...guess if I had a brain I'd realize you'd been banded 3 days! Diarrhea is common post op; partly anesthesia, partly the fact that liquid in/liquid out holds true. If you're worried about it call your doc tomorrow; and honestly a week is a good time to "recover" so if you can put off going back to work for another day or two, then good for you! And Mrs. Mink...you should call your doc. Opiate pain meds can constipate but even on liquids SOMETHING should be moving through. You seriously want to catch it EARLY. Call your doc tomorrow and see if he/she thinks you need a prescription or OTC med to get things moving. Don't wait.

When were you banded? Your post doesn't say.

LOL I'm of the "never trust anyone over 30" generation...oops blew by that one long ago. I think of old as generally about 30 years "more" than whatever age I am at the time! :tongue_smilie:

I'm certainly no "band professional" but I can say with 100% honesty that practicing: chewing well, not drinking while eating, no carbonation, no straws, no this/that/the other...would have done me absolutely ZERO good. Truly. I have restriction now; I chew well because things do not get stuck when I do. I don't drink while I'm eating because it hurts if I do. Ditto on carbonation. The band, once restricted, changed EVERYTHING for me. I didn't practice good Portion Control preband, either. I snacked. (I don't now; I honestly forget about snacking. As long as I pick the correct filling foods, I am literally FREE of even thinking about food for HOURS.) SO...while I don't know, nor am I saying, that my experience will be yours, I do want to stress that .... Guess what? Not being able to do all that without the band? Means zippo. What, to me, is more pertinent, is for you to look inside and ask yourself: Do I mind not drinking while I'm eating? Would I like a life without diet coke/beer/soda/whatever? Would I mind being full on about 1/2 to 1 cup of food? Would I mind not snacking? The answers to these questions are not obvious. If you can answer them and feel the band is right for you, then commit to it. It is NOT like any diet you have ever been on, nor like any diet drug. If you don't work with it, it will fight you. BUT...if you use it, work it, it will yield wonderful benefits. All the rest of that is just window dressing, IMHO. I learned NOT to drink with meals the first time I had good restriction and "forgot". 15 minutes later after I PB"d my "drink" and a portion of my meal back up I thought "Well, learning has occurred." Hang in there, make sure you're on board with the changes, and prepare to roll with them when they happen. You can "practice" all you want, but that's not going to tell you how you'll do with the band. You can find that info within yourself.

maybe in Australia? but I was 53 when I had my TWO surgeries and not cathed either time. It really is mostly dependent on the surgeon and his/her preference. For a short surgery (as most lap band "installations" are) it isn't required.