Elisabethsew

My surgeon does not require a caffeine state but he's dead set against carbonated drinks. Because I have end stage arthritis in my knee and require an eventual joint replacement, I was allowed to stay on Aleve twice a day as long as a take Nexium. I do this and have NO problems.

Welcome!!!

When was the last time your mother had a general check-up? She should have her bloodwork done and evaluated as well as hormone levels, etc. Panic attacks usually require a prescribed medication such as Paxil under the direction of a therapist, psychologist, etc. Does your Mom have ties to her church? If so, she might benefit from talking with her spiritual advisor. Perhaps you and your brothers and father could come up with a plan to ease her stress by doing simple things like the laundry one day, grocery shopping, working in the garden with her, etc.

Yes, Sunta, you are absolutely correct.

Thank you all for the nice comments. The majority of our bariatric patients do quite well with the surgery but, as Sarah pointed out, general anesthesia and obesity are not something to be taken lightly. It's impossible to predict who will have complications or why a seemingly healthy patient does worse than one with co-morbidities.

The maximum fill in a 10 cc band is 4 cc's. The surgeon can "over-full" the band but is supposed to notify the band company if this action is taken. If you feel enough restriction at present, it would make sense to hold off on another fill until really needed.

I was banded the day before you and had my first fill last Thursday. How many calories are you eating? I am taking in the suggested 1200 calories a day and eat 4-6 ounces at a time. Check with your MD or dietician about calorie requirements and food volume.

The statistics are averages that the band companies compile. Some surgeries promote weight loss through something called malabsorption syndrome. This is not the case with the band so weight loss is typically 1-2 pounds a week once you get past the first few post-op weeks. Make sure you explore all the surgeries available to you and ask your MD lots of questions.

Hi Alex, The surgeon who did the procedure has done approximately 1500 procedures and no etiology (reason) could be found as to why this patient developed sepsis. It was speculated that he might have been ill before the surgery but the patient does not remember feeling sick. With any patient who develops sepsis and has to go back to the OR (regardless of type of surgery), the surgeons elect to do an open procedure and leave the incision open with a clear dressing called biofilm. Anytime the patient spikes a white blood cell count with a shift or becomes febrile, they take the patient back to the OR for a sterile "wash-out" of the abdomen. The complication rate of RNY patients is greater than banded patients where I work and it was quite surprising to me that this otherwise healthy man nearly lost his life several times.

Thank you for sharing your story and I'm very glad that all went well the second time around. Make sure you get in the required protein and drink lots of water.

I did not get a fill for a full 8 weeks. During that time I managed to maintain my loss but did not lose any additional weight. So far, the fill I got last Thursday has not resulted in any restriction.

I had my first last Thursday. The surgeon palpated the port and then cleaned it. Next, he injected some lidocaine to numb the area and then assembled the materials he needed to access the port. I felt less pain than a fingerstick from the lidocaine and NO PAIN at all from the needle that went into the port. Afterwards, I drank 4 oz of water and that was it. The post fill diet for me was 2 days of full liquids and 2 days of soft foods followed by a regular diet. I was told it could take 1-2 weeks before I "felt" the restriction. So far, I feel the same as I did before I went for the fill. Fills are a piece of cake!

I'm very sorry that you took offense to my post. I noticed a LOT of new people here and MANY were asking for advice. I myself chose lapband surgery and that was after I investigated all the options available to me. My point was that new people or people who are coming to this board as a "first stop" in their research process need to ask MANY questions and decide on the surgery that is right for THEM. I care for bariatric patients on a full time basis and have 25+ years working in the healthcare profession. I'm sorry your so defiensive and objected to me expressing my point of view. Have a nice day.

I've been reading posts on this board for about 2 months now and am a little concerned that some people seem to feel that complications from the lapband are minimal and that RNY and DS gastric surgeries are a sure Rx for complications. Because of pre-existing health conditions, I made the decision to have lapband surgery as well as to have the surgery done here in the United States. While it is true that lapband surgery is less involved and less invasive than other forms of gastric surgery, post-op complications do arise. I've been an RN for MANY years and I train RNs to work in ICUs. The hospital I work in has a very big bariatric surgical program. Currently, we have a patient in the surgical ICU who opted to have lapband surgery. This patient is 43, male, a lawyer, 320 pounds, 5' 10" with no co-morbidities. He wanted to surprise his wife so he told her he had a business trip to take and went into the hospital on Friday to have his surgery. He stayed overnight and went home on Saturday. On Monday, he was feeling "weak" and spiked a fever to 100.5 and went to the ER. He was placed on an antibiotic and sent home. Two days later, he was short of breath and his fever was 101.4 so he went back to the ER. While there, his shortness of breath worsened and he was placed on a ventilator and transferred to the surgical ICU. The patient was diagnosed with sepsis (overwhelming blood infection) and, during the course of his 4 weeks in the ICU, he cardiac arrested twice, went to the OR to be unbanded, returned to the OR 5 times for a gastric "wash-outs," developed renal failure, was placed on dialysis, was trached (tube into the trachea) for prolonged ventilator dependency and required nutritional and physical therapy support. The patient eventually got off the ventilator and was transferred to the floor. He will always have renal insufficiency and will need months of physical therapy but he is expected to make a "full" recovery. My point in sharing the experience of this patient is to illustrate that ALL surgeries have risk factors. It's important to talk with your MD and research ALL available surgeries. I have seen 60 year old patients with one or more co-morbidities sail through RNY surgery while a 30 year old healthy patient having the same surgery ends up with complications in the surgical ICU. Price should NEVER be the deciding factor when choosing a surgeon or a facility. Likewise, one should NEVER decide on one gastric surgery over another until ALL are options are researched and the pros and cons of each are addressed. My surgeon drilled me on my dietary intake. Why? He wanted to determine if I was a junk food lover or a volume eater. Why? Because if I was a junk fook lover, he would have suggested RNY for me explaining that it's easy to "cheat the band or beat the band" by consuming empty, high carb foods that easily slip through the band. So, take the time to make the RIGHT decision for YOU and CHOOSE wisely.

Diverticulitis is not hereditary but it is familiar. Many people have diverticulosis (outpouching of the intestinal wall) but never develop diveticulitis (Infection of the intestine). MDs advise patients with this condition to avoid things like nuts and seeds that can "sit and fester" in the outpouching sacs and cause diverticulitis. It's also advisable to drink a lot of water after meals to "flush" the outpouchings of retained food particles. I hope you're feeling better.

When I lost 200+ pounds, I never saw myself the way others did. I would see a person and ask, "Am I the same size as she is?" Body image is a strange process and I think the longer a person is morbidly obese, the longer it takes him/her to "see" themselves the way others do. I remember getting a surprise glimpse of myself in a mirror and being shocked it was ME I was looking at. Similarly, when I would shop for clothes, I ALWAYS picked clothes that were too large to try on thinking, THAT size would never fit me... but it did.

For people with co-morbities and pre-existing conditions, I think it would be wise to have the surgery performed in the United States. The decision is personal and needs to be based on MANY factors that includes, but is not limited to, fees. Yes, that's the RN in me talking. :-)

I am so happy that people are acknowledging the hard work and dedication of Alex and Penne. It's well deserved.

Does your MD know you're tossing your meals? If not, I would contact him/her and make sure there's no problems with the band itself. Vomiting causing esophageal inflammation and scarring so please check with your MD.

In my opinion, lapband is not the best option for a person needing to lose 35 pounds and I doubt any U.S. surgeon would operate.

Edy's frozen yogurt is soooooooooo close to real ice-cream. The praline and cream swirl is to die for and 100 cals for 4 oz.

I have not lost enough yet for people to notice. However, in the past when I lost a lot of weight, I was noticed and seemed to matter more. Of course, once you feel good about your accomplishments, that positive outlook does a lot to affect changes in others as well. I hate to shop at my present size but I was a shopping whirlwind when I was a size 16. LOL.

You already identified the problem. Get rid of the cheetos and stop going to Dunkin Donuts. To get back on track, have you considered doing a 4-5 day version of the pre-op or post-op diet... full fluids, protein shakes and mushies? You've lost a LOT of weight and can get back on track if YOU really want it.

Peanut butter is one of the foods I stay away from because, like you, I can't stop at a tablespoon. It's too good and goes down too easy. LOL.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I still don't understand how a fill can "kick-in" a week or two after actually getting it but I'm pinning my hopes on the possibility that it will. I was able to drink down the water with no problem at all last Thursday. If I don't feel any restriction after 2 weeks, I am going to follow your lead and make an earlier appointment.