pj robinson

Hi Shannon, I am a lap band pt of Dr Irani's. I am 3 1/2 yrs post lap band placement. Still loving life. Best thing I did for myself. Hopefully I will see you at some of the future support group meetings.

Take care, P.J. Robinson

hi all,

please remember, your band is a tool, not a cure all. it is up to you how you use it as to how sucessful you will be at losing the wt. with that being said, i would do it all over again. i had medical insur to pay for my surgery. i would have paid cash if i had no insur. it has definetly been the best wt loss method for myself. this is also a very big life style changing experience, not just another failed diet plan.

best of luck to all of you & much success on your journey.

god bless, p.j. robinson

dear newbies,

yes,what you are feeling is normal. this comes from a 16th month old bandster & a nurse who takes care of bariatric patients ( both lap band & bypass pts). it took me a couple of wks to feel somewhat normal. i had

gas issues as well. walking several times a day is the best for this. tums & gas-x work wonders too. it would take me 3-4 hrs to get done 8 0zs of Protein Shake. you just have to have patience on this journey. remember to drink & eat slow. take care & god bless, p.j.

hello feb bandsters,

hope all is well with everyone. as for me, i had my hiatal hernia repaired on may 9th. it was "giant" in the words of my surgeon. i also had a lot of adhesions & scar tissue that he cleaned up=2 1/2 hrs worth of surgery & one night stay in the hospital. but boy do i feel a lot better. had 3 wks off from work. my band is unfilled at this time. i hope to get refilled on july 12th. hope everyone has a great summer.

take care & god bless, p.j.

banded feb 7,2006

janet c or anyone for that matter, would you be willing to assist me with posting some pictures?

thanks pj robinson

hi everyone,

i am so encouraged & inspired by everyone's experiences. keep up the great work. as for my update, my scale read 198 lbs this am. down 80 lbs.

i am happy. anniv date was feb 7th. i have a lg hiatal hernia above my band that will need to be surgically corrected at some point according to my md. still taking nexium twice a day. otherwise, life is great. good luck to everyone. stay focused.

take care & god bless, pj

278/198/175

banded 2/7/06

dr irani in bakersfield,ca:clap2:

hi everyone,

well i just wanted to share a bit of exciting news. i have lost 70 lbs as of this morning in 11 months since surgery. i am still hoping to be down to

200 or less by 2/7/07. just a personal goal of mine. hope everyone is doing well. talk to you all later.

take care & god bless, p.j.

belated merry x-mas & a happy new year to everyone.

weighing in at 209 down from 278. this 2nd fill that i got on sept 29th has really done it for me. down from size 22/24 to 16/18's. my goal is to be under 200 lbs by my band anniv date:2/7/07. :clap2: i love my band.

hope all is well with everyone. have a great new year. continue to succeed with the wt loss & exercise. stay motivated.

take care & god bless, pj.

banded 2/7/06

278/209/175

thanks for the clarification everyone. there are all types & kinds of people in this world of ours, obviously. thats what makes living in america so great.

very interesting points of view on this thread, i must say.

take care & god bless, pj

please someone tell what does this all have to do with wls (gastric banding)? i am not seeing the connection here.

update from jeepergirl: wt loss -50 lbs.

personally, i am a huge denver bronco fan & yet i live in california.

record this year so far: 5 wins 2 losses.

last wk was a great game: broncos & colts. we lost to a undefeated team.

hoepfully we will make it to the superbowl.

bears,patriots,colts look pretty good. there are several 5 & 2 teams. we will see how it plays out.

good luck everyone. take care & god bless.

dec 10th: broncos & chargers in San Diego. see ya there.

hello everyone, i haven't been on for awhile. a little update.

I was refilled on sept 29 with a 2 cc fill. I think this is it for me. This has been a great fill. Total wt loss=-56 lbs to date.

Hope everyone is doing great. Take & god bless, pj

banded: 2/7/06

278/222/175

hi everyone, well i thought i would update you all. i ended up being completely unfilled. i could not tolerate a total of 2.8 cc's in a 4 cc band. i have been unfilled since 8/23. i am not sure when i will be filled again & when i do, it will be a much smaller fill. well take care & god bless, p.j.

highest wt: 278

2/7/06: day of surgery: wt 263

4/4/06: 1st fill=1.5 cc, wt 248

8/18/06: 2nd fill=1.3 cc, wt 243

8/19/06 1/2 of 2nd fill removed

8/21/06: completely unfilled, wt 233 (total wt loss:-45 lbs)

please update jeepergurrl: total wt loss=35 lbs, banded on 4-17-06

hi feb bandsters,

well, i just received my 2nd fill of 1.5 cc's this morning. holy crap. what a difference compared to the first fill. i am so very restricted that i just went & vomited up my 2 0z's of Protein Shake that took me one hour to sip down. guess i sipped too fast. live & learn but i do feel better after vomiting. any helpful hints r/g the 2nd fill that would be useful?

thanks & take care everyone. great progress. love all the pictures. very encouraging. god bless, p.j.

first fill 4/4/06 1.5 cc

second fill 8/18/06 1.5 cc

size 10 band, holds 4cc

banded 2/7/06, -42 lbs

hi missie,

i had a lot of burning pain 2 wks post-op. my surgeon had me take prilosec

(over the counter) one tablet a day. i am still taking one daily & i am almost 5 months post op. also, you might want to have chewable gas-x & tums with you at all times. food for thought. these items have helped me greatly in the last 5 months. take care & god bless, p.j.

hi everyone,

life is very busy.

hope everyone's summer is going well. i challenge everyone to exercise

everyday this summer if you can. remember the scale may not always

reflect your efforts but the inches will start to melt away. so don't get

discouraged. drink, drink, & drink a lot more. it has been 104-108 here this week in bakersfield, ca. Water is very important. god bless, p.j.

last measured wt loss:- 40 lbs as of 6/7/06 4 months post op

my height is 5'7'' and my ideal wt is 175 lbs but i would be happy & healthy at anything under 200 lbs.

good luck & god bless, p.j. robinson

dear funnyduddies,

i was on a strict liquid diet 2 wks prior to surgery. yes, i had a lot of gas pains post-op. my surgeon did tell me that he inserts approx 3 liters of gas into the abdomen during surgery for visual purposes. although they do their best to remove a lot of this gas by placing the patient basically on their head prior to completing the surgery, they are not always able to remove all of it. this being said, it is amasing to me how some people have no problems at all with any gas. i, on the other hand, felt pregnant for approx 2 weeks. i also took a few doses of m.o.m.

the first wk after surgery along with a stool softner twice a day. Constipation was not an option at that point. hope this is helpful. good luck with your surgery. take care & god bless, p.j. robinson.

p.s. just have a lot of gas-x & tums available at all times.

dear sonriose, hopefully you will call your surgeon. you should be able to take 30 cc=1 oz of Fluid per hour. were you discharged home from the hospital with any prescription for nausea i.e. zofran sublingual tablets?

no, you will not always fill like this but you must be patient. everyone heals at a different speed/rate. you want to be careful not to dehydrate.

hope this is helpful. gob bless, p.j. robinson

yes, i lost 14 lbs prior to surgery. i then lost 16 more lbs prior to my first fill.

pre wls wt:278 lbs

banded 2/7/06:264 lbs

1st fill 4/4/06:248 lbs

6/7/07 wt:238 lbs

hi bakogal,

great job on the wt loss. i am very proud of you. keep up the good work.

thanks for the update.

god bless & take care, p.j. robinson

penni, sorry to hear about your friend. i will send up some extra prayers.

god bless, p.j.

hi poodles,

i have known of 2 people at the hospital where i work who were not banded on the day of their surgery because of an enlarged liver & lack of visual field. the surgeon ended up performing a liver bx instead of the band procedure. 4-6 wks later, these 2 individuals retuned for the lapband procedures. we have not had anyone, in one year of lapband procedures, at our hospital convert to an open procedure. however, the gastric bypass pt's are another entirely different story. for this reason alone, it is very very important to follow a 2-3 wk pre-op liquid diet (if at all possible).

you want your liver shrunck down as much as it can be prior to surgery.

hope this is helpful.

god bless, p.j.