triciaself

I had my surgery in July, 2006. I have had MANY ups and downs during this journey, but I want to have a success story to tell when I FINALLY meet my original goal I set for myself almost 7 years ago. I had my surgery 5 hours away from my home and this was hard, because I didn't go for checkups and fills as regularly as I should have, but I did pretty good the first 4 months. By November, I had lost 50 pounds and was so excited. I had talked my cousin into having the surgery as well. She had her surgery in late November of 2006 and due to complications, she died a week later. I was very depressed, because I was the one that talked her into having the surgery I though was so wonderful. I had a set back and just didn't care about losing the weight any more. One day, I was talking to a relative and they told me that she wouldn't want me to feel guilty for her death and she would be disappointed in me for giving up. I got back on track and went on to lose a total of 75 pounds and was feeling great. I became pregnant with my 3rd child and because my Dr. was so far away, we decided to have a complete unfill at 3 months into the pregnancy because I was having difficulty eating anything. I gained the whole 75 pounds back and was right back where I had started when he was born in August, 2009. I was very upset with myself. I found a nurse practitioner in my area and have gotten 3 fills with her. I was trucking along pretty good and found out I was pregnant again (with a failed IUD) in May of 2010. I had a miscarriage and got off track AGAIN. It has been a rollercoaster ride all the way!!! I have some restriction, more on some days than others, but have learned to eat around the band most of the time. I also know I need another fill if I want to get all I can get out of my band. I have enjoyed being about to eat bread and meats that I couldn't with full restriction and that is why I have struggled to get the rest of my weight off. Sweets are my enemy!!! I drank Plexus Slim for 3 months and lost 25 lbs, but my husband changed jobs and I can no longer afford to buy it, so I have made up my mind to make a fill appointment today and get the rest of this weight off. To date, I have lost 60 pounds and would love to lose 40 more to meet my goal. I still would not be at what most people call "my IDEAL weight", but where I would like to be for myself. I know I will be a happier me and feel so much better. My husband always tells me that the band doesn't work, but if you use it right, I believe it does work. I just need to do better and use the tool that I have to get to where I want to be. Good luck to you all and hopefully I will be back with a success story soon.

I was banded in July, 2006. I have had many Ups and Downs throughout this journey, but this is a first for me!!! It has been at least 6-8 months since my last adjustment, but all the sudden, I'm tighter than usual. I haven't been able to eat much the last 2 days and when I drink fluids, I have to sip again (like right after surgery) and I have to burp alot. Just curious if this has happened to anyone else!

Mine is better this week. I think mine might have been related to my monthly cycle. I have never had that issue before, but I had my tubes tied a few months ago, so maybe that's it. Let us know how you are doing and what the Dr. says.

Hi! I'm still here, just not done as well as I had hoped, so I don't post. I started at 275 and got down to 200. Now I am pregnant and back up to 208. I'm only 6 weeks, so I fear I will gain quite a bit. I know I can lose again after the baby comes, but it is nice to know that I am not the only one out there to struggle. Good luck on your journey and I wish you well.

I am looking into having a tt and breast lift. I have a consult with Dr. Forrest Wall in July. Just wondering if anyone has ever used him. I am curious about the cost to see if Costmetic Surgery is even an option. It was about all I could do to get the 13,000 dollars for the lapband. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

Hi. I don't post much on this site, but have read alot of posts on my journey. I am here to say that I had my surgery in July and have been happy with my band. I have lost 53 lbs in 4.5 months. I have been so pumped up about this decision that I made until yesterday...My cousin went through with her surgery on November 21st and was so excited about it and told everyone that I was her role model and she wasn't afraid because I had done so well. Two days after her surgery, she started feeling real bad and was having severe pains and nausea. My mom took her back to the doctor that did her surgery and they determined that she was very dehydrated, had a touch of pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, a kidney stone, an infection in her port site and two blood clots around the band. Yesterday morning she had her band removed and yesterday afternoon, she died. I don't tell you this to keep you from getting the band, because mine is still a success...I only tell you this to make sure you take care of yourself and know the risks that are involved in this surgery. I will never be the same now, because I will always look at myself and know that I have a band in my body and always think that if I hadn't started this journey that my cousin would have never had hers done and would still be here with her two daughters today. Thank you for reading my post and I hope that if you decide to do this surgery that you will realize how serious the doctors are when they tell you to breathe, sip sip and walk walk.... Tricia Self

I am about 8 weeks out and have lost 39 lbs without a fill. I have noticed in the past few days that I can hold more and eat just about any kind of food that I want. I am enjoying having a variety of food to enjoy, but my husband is afraid that I am going to over-do-it and gain my weight back. He wants me to get a fill, but I don't want to ruin a good thing...but at the same time, I don't want to gain my weight back either. I am still losing weight each week, so I don't know what I should do. Anyone have any advice for me???

I had my band surgery 4 weeks ago and I have been doing great until now. I noticed a few days ago that my port site was very tender and getting sore. This morning, it was very sore and red so I lifted up some of the scab and mashed a little on it and it oozed out a creamy, bloody looking drainage (sorry for the gross detail). I called the dr's office and they said that it was hard to tell about it without looking at it. I live 4.5 hours away from the surgical center and didn't want to go unless I really needed to so they called me in some antibiotic for it just in case and told me to call back if it was not better in a couple of days. Does this sound like infection to you all or am I just worrying over nothing? I don't want to go all the way to the dr's office for nothing, but I want to go if I really need to. How dangerous is it to wait a few days to see if the antibiotic works?

Thanks for the interest in my problem. I started the antibiotics yesterday and it is much better today. It is still sore and is still draining some, but the redness is better. I haven't ran any fever with it and I only take showers and have not been swimming either, so I'm not real sure why this happened, but I will be careful from now on. Thanks again...

Hi everyone. I was banded on Wed July 12th by Dr. Lavin in Covington, Louisiana. I am down 16 lbs since the beginning of my 2 week diet. The day of surgery and the next were great. I live about 4.5 hours away from the hospital, so I waited til Thurs to go home. I stayed in a little cabin the night after surgery. I guess I still had the good pain meds in my system, because I didn't really start feeling any kind of pain until Friday. I had a lot of chest and back pain on Friday and Saturday. I am having trouble wanting anything to drink or eat for that matter. I can have thin cream soups, broth, jello and any other liquid, but all I really want is ice chips. I think I am just scared to try new things. Last night is the first night that I slept lying down and not propped up on pillows. I slept pretty good and was able to get out of bed by myself. I am now sipping on my Atkins drink and trying to get down 4 oz of it. I go back Wednesday for my 1 week checkup and am hoping to feel great by then. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for my surgery and Good luck to all of you out there who will be banded soon.

Meow=^..^= : You are welcome. I hope that it works for you. I did pretty good until today. We had a 4th of July get-together and I didn't actually go by the plan, but I did okay. I only had 2 Protein shakes today, had a couple of pieces fried catfish fillets at lunch, lots of Water and crystal light and then a piece of chicken for supper. I didn't do the veggie thing today, but I will do better. I have lost about 7 lbs since Tuesday, so that's not bad, but I know most of it was water, because my ankles were pretty swollen. Anyway...good luck and hope you able to get banded soon.

That's so sad. I will not get banded until July 12, but I have had nothing but great support from all of my family. I don't think I could do this alone and without their support. I hate the fact that some people are so alone on this journey. That would be so hard to do.

Well, I'm on my 2nd day of my 2 week pre-op diet. Yesterday wasn't too bad until about 4:30. I started getting really hungry and got a real bad headache. My pre-op diet is a little different each day. Day 1 is Protein shakes (I use the Atkins ones) at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00 & 2:00 and then 4 oz lean meat and 1/2 c cooked veg at Supper. Day 2 is the same except at Supper I can add a serving of fruit. Day 3 is shakes at 8:00 & 10:00; 2 oz lean meat, 1 c cooked veg, 1 c. skim milk or serving of yogart or cottage cheese for lunch, another shake at 2:00 and 3 oz lean meat, 1 c. raw veg and 1 serving of fruit at supper Day 4 is the same as Day 3 except at supper instead of serving of fruit, you get 1 serving of bread/starch Day 5 is the same as Day 4 Day 6 is the same as Day 4 & 5 Day 7 is a shake and a serving of fruit at 8:00, another shake at 10:00, 4 oz lean meat, 1 1/2 c. raw or cookekd veg and 1 serv fruit at lunch, another shake at 2:00 and 4 oz lean meat, 1 1/2 c raw or cooked veg, 1 serving bread/starch, 1 serving fruit for supper. Day 8 - Same as Day 1 Day 9 - Same as Day 2 Day 10 - Same as Day 3 Day 11 - Same as Day 4 Day 12 - Same as Day 5 Day 13 - Same as Day 6 Day 14 - Clear Liquids UNTIL MIDNIGHT (Day before surgery) It also says that Substitute 1 Nutrition Bar on any day except Day 7 & 14 for one of the Shakes. It also says that Sugar free/fat free Jello, no carbinated drinks - you can have Crystal Light, sugar free Kool-Aid and Fruit 2-0 for Drinks I KNOW THIS IS LONG, BUT IT MUST WORK...I LOST 4 LBS AFTER THE FIRST DAY!!! I was starting to think that this diet was too complicating, but if it will work this well, I can do it for 2 weeks...I've been on worse diets before. Good luck to everyone on your weight loss journey. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Well, I am scheduled to have surgery on July 12. I probably can't answer very many questions about the surgery, but I have done a lot of research on it and made up my mind after lots of research that this is the right thing for me to do. Yes...I'm very nervous, but I'm so tired of living life the way I do overweight. I am 30 years old and everytime I go somewhere, all I think about is how bad I look and look at other women who aren't overweight and wish I looked like them. I am doing this mostly for my self-esteem and not health at this point in my life. I have no health problems...just back and foot pain. But, I also know that if I don't do something now, it will get worse and I will begin to see health problems soon. All I can tell you, is research all you can and as far as picking up your grandbaby...I have a little boy that turned 2 in April. He is 24 lbs and I won't be able to pick him up for 4 weeks, but he can crawl in my lap and I can hold him. This is a decision only you can make. Good luck and keep us posted.

I will be banded on July 12, 2006 by Dr. Lavin in Covington, Louisiana. I will start my pre-op diet on July 28...not looking forward to it, but Dr. Lavin does allow you to eat a little bit on some days, but mostly wants me to drink protein drinks. I am very excited and scared at the same time...Good luck to all of you out there that are to be banded soon...

Hi! I have been looking at this site for a few months now and have found lots of great information here that have helped me decide to go through with WLS. I am very excited and scared at the same time. I am scheduled to have my surgery on July 12, 2006 in Covington, Louisiana. I am self-pay and didn't want to go to Mexico for my surgery, so they were the best choice for me, as I am from Jonesboro, Louisiana. I will have to travel 5.5 hours to get here, but that's not too bad. Well, just wanted to say Hi and thanks to all of you for putting your information out here for someone like me to look at and read. I guess one of my favorite places to look is the before and after pictures...it is so inspiring to see how well so many people are doing and I can't wait til I can post some of my own and maybe inspire someone else out there who might be looking to better themselves.

Hi! I am from Jonesboro, Louisiana. I am scheduled for surgery on July 12, 2006 in Covington, Louisiana. I went to a seminar a few weeks ago in Monroe. It was headed by James Rasberry and what they do is gather people once a month and take them to Mexico for surgery. His wife was there and had her band put on 3 years ago. She was 200 lbs and now she is 118. She had lost too much weight if you ask me...but definatly looked good. Anyway...they said that there is someone in Monroe or West Monroe that does the fills for the patients that he takes to Mexico and the charge I think was 250.00, but they use fluoriscope (? spelling). My fills are covered by the Dr. in Covington for the first year, but I am considering getting the Dr's info in Monroe to do my fills for me. I know that I will have to pay for them, but I may come out just as well off, because Covington will be about 5.5 hours from where I live...that's an 11 hour drive. yuk... James Rasberry's cell phone # is 318-547-0891. He can get you some information on the Dr. or Nurse (I'm not sure which) that does there fills for them. I hope this helps and I hope you are doing well on your journey. Let me know how you do and maybe we can meet up one day...

Hope you have a great birthday...From one Tricia to Another!!! Okay...this is a little late in the day to wish you a happy bday, but I wait til the last minute to do everything. :happybday:

I am not using Dr. Merremen, but I saw you were from Shreveport and wanted to say hi. I am from Jonesboro, Louisiana (about 2 hours from you) I am a self pay and am going to use Dr. Lavin in Covington Louisiana (hopefully). I am still waiting on my paperwork. I was going to use Dr. Benavides in Dallas ($15,000), but I found some people on this site that used Dr. Lavin and he is $12,900. Oh well...I do digress...good luck on your journey. I think that I saw this Dr's name on one of the other Louisiana forums. Hope you have a great day!!!

My uncle used to live in Frost which I think is very close to Hammond. This will be quite a drive, but from what I have read, it will be worth every minute. My cousin is suppopsed to try and have it done on the same day as I am, so both of our mothers are going to come with us. My husband will stay at home with my kids. My little man is 2 years old and has nevery stayed with anyone but us except for an hour or two on a couple of occasions, so he has to stay at home. Well, off to get ready for church...hope you have a glorious day today.

Hi! I'm new here also. I have not been banded yet, but hope to be sometime in July. You are right...you can find just about anything you want to know about the lapband procedure right here. What I think is so good about it is that the responses that you get are from real people that have had this done and not from the Dr's web page or from the Inamed paid professionals. I can't wait to get my band. I am a little scared though. I hope that you have had a good experience with yours. I LOVE THE BEFORE AND AFTER PICS...SO INSPIRING!!!

Tricia K. Where in Louisiana are you from? I am from Jonesboro and am wondering how far Covington is from here and about how much travel time I will have. I live about 1.5 hours north of Alexandria. Thank you so much for the info on your Dr. in Covington. I will surely be checking this one out. It will be 2k cheaper than the Dr. in Dallas that I was considering. Thanks again and I hope that you have a great day. By the way...you are doing so well on your journey. To see this is an inspiration.

Do you know how many of the lap band prodedures that the dr's in Covington have done. $13,000 is very tempting, but I don't want to pick someone that is not very experienced. Thanks for the tip...I need all the help I can get. I am very anxious. Good luck with your surgery and hope all goes well.

4MyFuture: That is terrible...noone should do that. I have been overweight as long as I can remember (I'm 30). When I was 15 or so, I went to a diet doctor and I got down to the smallest I had ever been (155 lbs). It took me about a year to lose the weight, but I felt great. I found the love of my life at 16 and was married at 17 (right out of high school). We are still together after 12 1/2 years. We have had our ups and downs,,,mostly about my weight. I have put on all the weight that I lost + a lot more in the past 12 years. He wants me to look like I did 12 years ago and everytime I pick up something to eat, he gives me that look and has to say something about everything I eat. I am hoping to be banded in late July. I am ready to do this for myself most of all, but it would be so nice to look like I did back then. I think my husband and mom will be my biggest supporters on this journey. I work inside my home, so I don't have much of a social life, but all I can think about is 6-8 months post surgery, seeing some of the people that I used to work with or associate with and see their reaction when I look so much better. And I also can't wait to be able to shop in the misses department instead of the plus size department. I feel that I always dress like an old lady. Good luck on your journey and don't let anyone bring you down.

Hi LilBoPink! I am from Jonesboro, Louisiana. You are the first one I have seen on here that lives this close to me. I am new to this site and this is my first post. I haven't had surgery yet either, but I knew Monroe was out because it is 20,500 there. The cheapest I have found that is reasonably close to here is in Dallas TX (Dr. Richard Benavides). I hear nothing but good things about him and his cost is 15,000. I wanted to go to MX because they are cheaper, but my mom is totally against it and since I don't have the money to have this done (selfpay) and have to borrow it from my mom, I guess I will stay in the US. I am hoping to have my surgery at the end of July and am very pumped up about it. Great to know there are other people close by having this done too. GOOD LUCK!