DanTheMan

I, like some of you, lost sight of the biggest feature of the band--it's adjustable. If you're not happy where you are, go in, talk to your Dr and get a fill. I was disappointed for a long time. My expectations were not managed as well as I would have liked them to be, but, I didn't belong to this forum then, either. I went into this thinking it was adjustable because one size didn't fit all, reasoning that there are small petite (on the inside) women and big 6'+ plus men like me with shoulders as broad as a door frame.

Donna, What part scares you? Let's talk, er, post about it. Dan

I think the numbers show that orthoscopic banding is an incredibly safe procedure. It takes about an hour and I was home for 4 days before returning to work (I work at a computer). Getting to-from work was . . . ok. As for the support around you . . . you need to educate yourself and then educate them. For me at least, the danger of not doing this procedure outweighted the danger of doing it--by far.

So far, so good. It's been about a year now for me and I'm down about 55 or so lbs. No complaints, really.

Dr. Owens is my doc, too. Great guy. He also does procedures out of Rancho Specialty Hosp in Rancho Cucamonga.

I never stopped drinking DC. I always dilute it either by pouring room temp DC over ice or adding Water at the fountain. I guess that's why I've never had a problem--I've never in my life liked the stuff straight from the can or fully carbnated but I cannot do without the taste. I go about 60-40 DC to water. I can't do without my caffeine free DC! Funny thing is . . . I had to join this forum to learn that soda was out. I guess my Doc either never told me, "no", or my brain gave a, "la la la la la la", in return.

I got my band about a year ago. When you have the procedure they don't put anything in the band, they just clip it together and allow a few weeks for the stomach to heal around it. I recall that a part of the stomach is even folded over and stitched to help keep the band from slipping...all of this needs to heal. I think I had my first fill after about 4 weeks. When you a fill, it irritates the stomach and as a result it swells. It takes about 2-3 days for the swelling to go down for you to see just where you stand for that “fill”. My Doc gives me a “fill”, sits me up, and has me guzzle some cold Water. He always says, "That should pass easily". Before my 3rd fill I felt as you guys do—very little change. I did start to notice I couldn't eat as much which was a good thing. I also took notice that it was sometimes a tad harder to "swallow" food. "Swallow" isn't quite the right word. It's more like having something "stuck" further down but essentially I had no difficulty eating the same old stuff and nearly as much. After each fill, it was difficult for about 2-3 days and then it was essentially back to how it was before the fill. Again, a lot of stuff was only a bit harder to swallow past the band but I did notice that I was fuller faster and my appetite was less. I went about another 6 weeks before going back in for another fill. This time, I couldn't swallow my water. The ice cold water just sat there behind my breast bone. He took out a little and I felt the water rush past. That was an interesting experience to say the least. This time I really began to notice I was satisfied sooner and my stomach capacity was going down and the speed with which I ate my food was slowing way down too. Chew chew chew, was the order of the day. This still wasn’t where I wanted to be though, as all I had to do was chew enough and I was "fine". It was after my 3rd/4th fill that I really began to notice a real appreciable change. French Fries were now off the menu as were was things "potato". pizza was now gone too and all things “doughy” ESPECIALLY sweet potatoes. I had this 3rd fill right before Thanksgiving and I recall sweet potatoes ruing the rest of the day for me. It’s noteworthy that the time between my 3rd and 4th fill was very short. I had learned by now that where I was within a week after a fill was where I was going to stay unless I went back in. Around here is where I really learned how to defeat the band. Chew chew chew and have something to wash it past the band. “Defeating” the band is not hard to do. Having something stuck and washing it past is also a very weird sensation. It's almost like swallowing twice. I would take a bit, chew it, swallow, and often I would just sit there waiting for it to “pass”. Vomiting (due to blockage) was now occurring around 3-4x/month. My body turns into a saliva generating machine when I have a blockage plus my nose runs like it’s in a 400 yard dash. If the saliva and . . . other stuff . . . doesn’t wash it down, then I’ll soon be looking at a jelly fish in the toity bowl. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, your day will come. I think I’m now on my 6th fill (maybe 5th). I can’t recall. But now, a year later, and 55+ pounds lighter, I’m "in the zone". I love soft scrambled eggs and they love me. I miss “All You Can Eat Sushi” but that’s okay. I haven't tried any since my last fill last week but we'll see. A dollar-menu McDonald’s double-cheeseburger is a LARGE meal for me now. That’s my max capacity of what I'll do for any given meal. A double cheese takes 10-15 minutes of chewing. I’m a big burly guy so, all my life, it’s been bite-chew-chew-GULP. I’ve also learned to just walk away from my food and to listen to my stomach/band. I get fuller MUCH quicker (and it’s not just a feeling) and I’ve learned to listen to that sensation. My last fill last week was aggressive to say the least. It was about 4 months since my fill before this one and I lost about 4 lbs/month in that span. My Doc (a great guy!) gave me 1 ½ cc’s. He had me drink and I didn’t tell him that I could feel it barely drain past. He probably would have taken some out but I WANTED a big fill and I got it. Plus, I knew the swelling would go down a bit and if it was too much to handle, I could easily go back in. Right now I imagine I’m working with a passage-way not much bigger than a kernel of corn or a sweet pea. When I drink, I feel it slowly pass. I’m actually glad to be here because here is where I want to be. I still eat the same stuff, just MUCH slower and much less of it and I’m fuller even quicker. Good times. My only regret is not going in sooner between “fills”. The moral of my story is that it may take you several months and several fills before you have the true physical restriction for what and how much you can eat.

Go for it! :biggrin: I actually paid out of pocket for the whole smack. I started down the insurance path but quickly saw what a pain in the back side it was going to be and I felt I couldn't wait any longer. You might say I was desperate. I went in for a consult, got my info, signed some stuff, dieted for 2 weeks, (signed some more stuff) and got it done. I was out of commish for about 4 days (F-M) and was back to work (at a computer) Tuesday. Didn't get around much but it wasn't that bad. I actually was expecting it to be much worse!:dita: You won't regret it. I'm sure people with regrets are out there...I just don't know any.

I'm in Riverside. I had my procedure done by Dr. Owens at Rancho Specialty Hosp. Great Doc and a great surgeon. How about you?

I too am a diet-coke-aholic. I ABSOLUTELY love the stuff. What I don't love is the carbination. I never drink one right from the can. I've also never had any difficulty drinking DC post op (over a year ago). I often pour my drink from a 2 L bottle at room temp over ice. It melts just enough ice to add just enough Water to make it go just enough flat so that it's juuuuuust right (for me). :smile2: Plus I don't care to burp. :bored:. Frankly, I don't think I can do without my caffeine free DC.