Tish5632

Hi All, I'm new here and I haven't yet been banded. I'm scheduled for surgery 7/3/09 with Dr. Ortiz in MX. I developed PCOS after the birth of my 1st child (who is now19!) I was 17 when I had her and began having symptoms of PCOS within a couple of years. By the time I was 25 I was 180 lbs. and I'm only 5ft 1in. The PCOS made it very difficult to get pregnant for a 2nd time, but we were able to do so on our own after 3 years of trying and happy to say we have a beautiful 9 year old son and a 19 year old daughter. I'm sooooo hoping that the Lap Band helps me to lose weight. I'm fat because I have PCOS and I have PCOS because I'm fat! HOW FRUSTRATING! I don't have too many of the symptoms, but I do have acne and several chin hairs that are annoying. I'm really hoping that the band is the answer for me. I'm not afraid of hard work, which I know is required to succeed. I'd really like to hear some other stories of ladies with PCOS after having been banded. Thank you!!!

Hi Ms_C, I have an 11cc band and I have 8.4cc in it currently. It was a little too tight at first, but I chose not to have an unfill. Glad I did not. My last fill was 4.16.10 and it's perfect!

Hi All - I live in Noblesville Indiana and I'd be happy to talk to someone who's had the Band and lives close. I had the Band placed by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico 7/3/09. I love the chat rooms and I'd like to hear some other experiences. BTW - LOVED Dr. Ortiz and the entire staff. Facility phenomenal, care was MUCH better than I've ever had in the US. :thumbup:

I belive this all depends upon your post-operative fills. If you can achieve GOOD restriction immediately after surgery (I mean with your first post-op fill) then you will probably not gain the weight back. However, in my situation, I was unable to get my first fill until 9 weeks post-op due to the fill center I was using not being up and running until 2 months later than they planned to be. Also, even though I had the fill 9 weeks post-op, it took a total of 5 fills and 7 months to achieve GOOD restriction. So, I did gain back most of the weight. The good thing now is that I'm down 33 pounds and I'm still losing well. :thumbup:

Hi! I know what you mean. I felt sort of like a failure because my surgery was 7/3/09 but I didn't get to my "sweet spot" until 4/15/10. Consequently, I'm more than 1 year post-op and I've only lost 32 pounds. However, we do really need to realize that until we achieve good restriction, our bands don't really help us much. We also have to know that we have to WORK at this - it's not a quick-fix. The band won't do this all by itself! I'm very proud of my weight loss and proud that I'm living a MUCH healthier lifestyle than I did a year ago. I'll get there (hoping for a total loss of 100 pounds) in my own time. Good luck! :scared2:

I must agree, this is insane. That's how much a gastric bypass (long-limb meaning long surgical incision) would cost. Another big reason I went to Mexico. My insurance would not cover any WLS and I couldn't afford to be self-pay in the US. I had my surgery on 7/3/09 and I couldn't be happier! :scared2:

Generally speaking, yes, you are right, you will get restriction when you get a fill; however, this is because most surgeons don't put any saline into the band at the time of surgery. (Check with your surgeon to be sure) BUT, you are only a few days post-op so you undoubtably still have some swelling from the surgery. I didn't start having my swelling go down until the middle of the second week. (Due to the resurfacing of my acid reflux at that point - another story for later) YOU MUST DO EXACTLY AS YOUR SURGEON TELLS YOU TO DURING THIS TIME!!!! This is probably the most crucial time during your recovery. You are supposed to drink the liquids slowly (meaning no gulping) and do not eat foods that your surgeon has not allowed you to eat yet. My surgeon allowed ONLY clear liquids for 7 days post-op, then full liquids (cream soups, protein shakes) for the next 14 days. I was NOT ALLOWED TO EAT ANY SOLID FOODS for 21 days post-op. No "mushies" as some people are allowed. The biggest thing is to follow the advice of your surgeon and dietician. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU - YOU'LL DO GREAT! :sad:

Hi, Well, I have had similar problems to you - but it was before I had my band placed. In 2003 I too had gallbladder problems - chronic inflammation (Cholelithiasis) but no stones. I had my gallbladder removed too - and I still had pain for about a year and a half. I was so scared that the gallbladder wasn't the entire problem! It did finally resolve. I had my band placed 7/4/09 (By Dr. Ortiz) and I've had no problems, it even cured my GERD. Keep your chin up, and keep in touch with your docs. It sounds like they've thoroughly checked the band and it is not the problem. Don't lose hope - I don't think you're going to lose your band.

I too enjoy walking. I also like bike riding and weight lifting.

I'm 5ft 1inch and I would like to get to 120, but 130 would be fine since I'm 38 and the mother of 2.

Hey JllyBean1982, From what grocery store did you purchase your shake? I'd like to try it!

PLEASE DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT THIS! You are human and as such you will make mistakes! Although I have to agree that 1000 calories is not a problem. Now, if it was 5000 calories, then that IS too much. We all have good days and bad days. Days when we're hungry all day and days we have to urge ourselves to eat anything at all. Guilt is a powerfully negative emotion, and it is USELESS. That being said, I've felt guilt myself at times with my eating. Please just try to remember (as I try to) that you are human and you will make mistakes from time to time. :w00t:

Sorry to hear about the straw thing. Spilling your tea is not cool! (I'm sipping my iced tea right now!) My doc didn't have any issues with straws, and it hasn't been a problem for me. However, my parents both had gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago and they were not allowed to use straws for the first year. I'm sure it's all about how much air you take in with the liquid. Best of luck!

I agree that is sounds like post-fill swelling. I've only recently gotten excellent restriction and after the fill that got me there I had a good amount of swelling for about 3 days. Although mine began almost immediately. I would still let your doc know just to be on the safe side. :w00t:

Hi Kerby, Yes, you are eating too much. The swelling has gone down by now most likely and you will need a fill, but it is CRUCIAL that you follow your doc's orders STRICTLY until he says it's okay to move ahead. My doc said that there could be NO DEVIATION for 21 days post-op. You may feel fine, and be able to eat other things or more things, but you may be doing damage that won't surface until months from now. You went through all this for the ultimate goal: to lose weight permanently - don't flush it now. I know how hard this stage is - it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But, I was also very proud of myself for following exactly what my doc said and not eating ANY solids for 21 days post-operatively. I was told that eating too much or eating solids too soon could lead to band slippage later. That the stomach area where the band is sutured would not heal properly and thus the potential for slippage was greatly increased. I know this is soooooooooooo hard, but please keep up the good work and follow docs orders - you'll be so glad you did!

That is wonderful! I too went to Mexico for surgery. Insurance wouldn't pay (specific exclusion for ANY type of WLSurgery) blah, blah, blah. I saw Dr. Ariel Ortiz in Tijuana and I LOVED HIM! His entire practice was awesome. I know how it is when you say you're going to Mexico for surgery, people look at you like you are on fire. Thankfully, we both did great. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!

So sorry to hear this! I have not had this happen to me or anyone I know. I wish you the best and let us know how the surgery goes. :smile2:

Hi! Actually, my port "stuck out" for several months post-operatively. I too was worried, I thought, if I lose all this weight and I have this port bulging out of my side, it's going to look ridiculous. BUT, after about 4 months, it really seemed to get better. Now that I'm 10 months post-op it can't be seen at all. I'm sure it will get better. :bored:

When was your Band placed? How much weight have you lost to date? How much fill do you have in your band? What size band do you have? Even not knowing these answers, I would say you may not have quite enough restriction yet. Also, you may just be in a plateau phase. BUT, all that aside, when I got frustrated because it was taking so long to get restriction, I did go back to the liquid phase for 2 weeks. (I was 6 months post-op and had had several fills and not enough restriction yet). I found that it got me motivated again and I did lose. Since then I've had 2 more fills and now I have really good restriction. Nothing keeps me going like seeing the scale move in the right direction and seeing my clothing getting too big. Keep up your good work!

Hi, I bought Dr. Ariel Ortiz's book, "Lap-Band for Life". I have really enjoyed it. I wish I'd had it pre-operatively, that would have been great. I was able to find it on Amazon.com. Good Luck!

I flew across the country after 2 days. (Had my surgery in MX and flew home with my hubby to central Indiana on the second post-op day) I'm not a good flyer - I have extreme motion sickness. I used my Transderm SCOP patch and did fine. Then 6 weeks post-op I had to fly to New York for business and did fine.

I agree - it sounds like you're too tight. Man, that must suck! It's like you're "stuck" all the time. Better see your doc ASAP.

Hi there! I'm a coaster lover too but I haven't ridden since my band surgery. I don't know of any reason this should happen because of the band surgery. It sounds more likely to me that perhaps she had an inner ear infection - or she could've been getting one. This may be a stretch but ear infections can cause your equilibrium to be off, which can cause motion sickness. I suffer from extreme motion sickness normally, so even though I love coasters, I can't ride the ones that go upside down more than once during the ride or I get sick. Years ago I made the mistake of riding the "Tomb Raider" ride at Kings Island (not knowing how it was set up) and I ran outside to be sick as soon as the lap restraint was released! I know if she loves roller coasters that she won't give up and she shouldn't. It was probably just a fluke.