marjon9

I am about 8 days post op and I feel like I could go back to work tomorrow but I'm going to wait until Monday. I'm glad I took this time and did not rush back to work, and I recommend taking a little time if you can. I know a lot of people went bowling and horseback riding the day after surgery (exaggerating, but not much). But for me I felt a little weak for a few days. I also felt some concern because the port incision was draining for a few days. You need to be careful with the port incision because an infection there can get into the band and it can cause you to lose the band. The point is, you just never know what may come up. I did not have much gas or other pain. I had virtually no pain. But I had other things that I did not predict. I just think it is good to schedule a little break right after surgery if you can. If you are feeling great and don't want to lay around then do something fun. Of course, if you must get back to work then that is another story.

enterprise01, I was banded the same day you were and, based on my doctor's post-surgery diet guide, have just gone from clear liquids to pureed cream soups, protein shakes, and thin cream of wheat for breakfast. On my plan I can begin solid foods in about another week or ten days. I don't know what is good or bad, right or wrong, I'm just passing on this for informations sake.

Hello Band of Brothers/Brothers of Band I was sliced and diced about a week ago. All's well so far. I'm pretty committed to making this work, and also optimistic that it will. I've gained about 100 pounds in the last 5 years. It's been a rough time, just feeling out of control and increasingly depressed about it. My cardiologist said the magic words "lap band" about 3 months ago. I went on the internet, found this site, and moved on it with true intent. Ready for a new life (the wife is also ready for me to have a new life, to say the least). It is true that this forum is about 98% women, at least in terms of the number of posts. I wonder why that is. Could it be that more women get the lap band compared to men? If so, I wonder why. I also wonder if there are a lot of men lurking here but not posting. We'll probably never know the answer scientifically. Most of the time I don't mind posting on the estrogen-encumbered threads, but it is good to have this thread as well. Talk to you later.

flowergirl, you might enjoy reading this thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/weight-loss-people-t21117.html

I'm 53 and have a variety of things that are "starting" to go wrong that are obesity-related: high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, joint pain, etc. So, even though I'm a bit older than many bandsters I decided to go for it. I was banded about a week ago, so far so good. I think the question is, would your health benefit substantially from losing weight? If the answer is yes, then you should seriously consider the band. The risks associated with the band are minimal for most people, and it is a tool that most people find very helpful in losing weight. Another way to look at it is this: In five years you are going to be 65. Do you want to be 65 burdened with obesity, significant health problems, substantial medical expenses, and a limited life expectancy? Or, do you want to be 65, normal weight, relatively healthy and feeling great, and looking forward to additional years of active life? Obviously you need to consult with a doctor in all of this, but from my point of view 60 is not too old, and it makes sense to proceed as soon as possible. Best wishes on your journey.

I understand that is your surgeon's rule, but I still say that the band is yours and there may come a time when you feel like you want to do what makes sense to you instead of following the rule. It can be hard to get in enough Protein without powders. Besides, from looking at your post, it seems like it may have been the staff, not the surgeon, that had the rule in the first place. I'd ask the surgeon for clarification. I'd also ask how much protein he wants you to consume, and how he wants you to consume it if you can't use powders. Many people have problems eating things like chicken and beef. They can get stuck. If the surgeon sticks to the rule and tells you that you need to follow it, I'd still do what made sense to me once I was comfortable with the band. After all, this rule is not followed by anyone else at all, as far as I can tell. It's your band, your health, your life.

To me it seems like part of the problem is that you are putting your attention on everything wrong when there is so much going right. With the same facts you could also write a success story: In just 9 months you've lost 70 pounds! And you didn't even have to exercise. In fact, it was easy for you. You even made it through the holiday season without gaining it back. That is fantastic! Give yourself some credit! I think that if you focus heavily on this feeling of failure and on everything going wrong you are more likely to have all that bad stuff come to pass. The more you sort of "wallow" in it the more likely it is that these problems will increase and become entrenched. I know it is not easy, but I think your best plan is to take a deep breath, shift your attention away from this feeling of desparation, get involved in living your life so you don't have time to focus on this stuff. Give yourself some credit for what you have done. Go ahead and get your fill, and just move forward one day at a time. All that may be easier said than done, but what other way is there?

That is a baffling rule because I think most people use Protein powder at least sometimes. But I think you are probably correct to follow the rule, at least for now. Once you get more settled into the band you can probably start to do what makes sense to you. I've been banded about a week and I use the powders a lot so far. They seem to dissolve pretty well. I've had no problems yet.

Hi stac1982, welcome to the forum. I was banded about a week ago so I'm pretty new also. I don't know much about your situation so I don't have a lot of specific words of wisdom. I guess the only thing I can really say is, spend as much time as you can reading the posts on this forum, past and present. You'll learn a tremendous amount and, after a while, you'll be able to focus in on your own specific questions. You'll probably find that many other people have had the same questions, and you'll get a lot of good information from people who have been there. Best wishes on your journey.

I had my band put in by Dr. K five days ago. I live in Maryland but decided to go to Denver to get this done because I am self pay, but also because he is a very experienced surgeon. You are definitely in good hands with Dr. K and his staff. What I would suggest is that you run a search for "Kirshenbaum" You will find a thread or two with a lot of recent information. I think it will answer many of your questions. Mainly, though, I would say you should feel confident that you are in good hands.

In my ruthlessly humble opinion a yoga class 5 days after surgery would probably be a bad idea. Each person is different and some may recover that quickly, but most probably would not. I would not plan on it. The port incision in particular is a fairly significant bodily invasion. If that wound is healing at all in five days you would be pretty lucky. If you start pulling on it at such a vulnerable point there is a possibility you could increase the risk of infection, which can sometimes result in losing the whole band. I would wait a month at least for yoga. I'm not a doctor and this is just my personal opinion, but I can tell you that I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I'm self pay and no psych exam was required. For me, personally, I prefer it that way. I would not like it at all if I wanted a lap band and I was held up by someone who administered a test and decided I was not ready. I understand there is another valid point of view on this issue, but for me I prefer to have my doctor treat me as if I am competent to make my own decisions.

Some people say kidney stones are related to surgery because we sometimes don't drink enough water after surgery and get dehydrated. The dehydration causes the kidney stones. If you drink enough water, the surgery itself does not cause kidney stones. That's what I've heard.

Hi folks, I got back from Denver last night, mission accomplished. I have now crossed over into the light. Dr. Kirshenbaum and his staff were great. My surgery had to be postponed a day since my blood was still too thin from the Coumadin I take for a separate health issue. So, I had the surgery on Wednesday. (The one-day postponement gave us time to see the Denver Art Museum, which was great!). I'm definitely glad to be home. Traveling through airports and flight connections two days after surgery was not great fun. But today the pain is not bad at all. Just that feeling people describe of having done 500 situps. The incisions themselves are not painful, and I've had no gas pains or shoulder pains at all. Since Tuesday night, the night before surger, I've had nothing but water. So I guess it's time to start exploring the exciting world of broth. Thanks to everyone for all the great information and support. Talk to you later. Mark

I voted for setting tight rules and if she goes, she goes. But it's not that I think setting tight rules will make her do what the parents want or otherwise change her behavior. I voted that way because I think one of the most important things we can do for our kids is to draw boundaries and stand for what we believe in. Teenagers are going to do what they want one way or another. But eventually, when they have more life experience and think things through for themselves, they will have a solid parental example to reflect against. Even if it turns out that she was right and knew best what was right for her and the parent was wrong, that does not make any difference in my opinion. What matters is that we demonstrate love, courage and integrity. If we just tell her she is free to do whatever she wants, it seems to me that the message there is that we are not willing to pay the price for our beliefs, and we don't care enough to fight for her.

It's an interesting question. One thing to keep in mind is I think they've been doing this for quite a while in other places even thought it is fairly new here. I think I heard that it's been done for about ten years already in Australia. So some longer term data may start to come out. Also, I'd be interested in seeing another type of data before taking the band out. That is, what happens to people who take out the band. If most people gain the weight back I'd be very reluctant to take it out. For me I'd be a little skeptical about my own ability to succeed with behavior modification. I feel like I may always need that physical barrier to keep me in line. So, I guess it's a balance. The health risks from obesity are extreme and if the band helps solve that problem it might be worth some degree of risk with the effects of silicone. I guess everyone will just have to decide for themselves. But it's a good question.

At some point it would be interesting to see the bandster totals from the various months. It seems clear that more and more people are getting banded, but I wonder if its a gradual increase or if its more like an explosion. It would be interesting to see. They've been advertising it on TV, as I'm sure everyone knows. So that must be having an effect as well.

You've lost weight so fast it's like, you leave in the morning with tight pants and when you come home at night they fall off as you walk up the driveway. I hope to have the same results. I start the journey on Tuesday

The "water-only diet." Now I can see how that would be effective, if you could stick with it. When I first decided to get the band I felt pretty open about it. I had no intention of hiding it at all. Then I started getting extremely negative reactions from friends and family. The same things othes have mentioned. "It's dangerous" "People are dying from it " "Why can't you just diet and exercise." And here's one I liked: "Dan Marino lost 22 pounds on Nutrasystem, why don't you just do that." People's reaction just shocked me, really. Even my wife was strongly against it at first. So I just stopped talking about it. If I lose a lot of weight and people ask me, I'll tell them. At that point I won't care what people think. I don't want to hide it and claim "diet and exercise." But until then, I'll just force a grin onto my face and say "No, really, canned Protein shakes are delicious. Who knew?"

Tonya, What are they thinking with those full face masks? How can anyone tolerate those? I'm glad you were able to move right past that. I just don't understand why they even use those at all. I hope it all works out for you. Somewhere down the road I'd like to hear if you feel like the cpap is helpful to you. And I hope that shortly after that we can get rid of them for good!

Wow, the new January lap banders are coming in for a landing like jets on an aircraft carrier, one after the other. Mission accomplished. Welcome back all. Everyone seems to be doing well. Congratulations. Pretty soon I'll be joining you.

Dr. Ortiz is a great lap band surgeon so it's a good choice. But if time is a real issue and you don't want to wait there are good U.S. docs in a similar price range. Mine is at www.lapbandrockies.com He's just a small bit more than Ortiz. Just a thought.

Sorry to trouble you, but do you have an address?

What you are going through is common and normal. You don't hear of people getting "recreational" lap band surgery. This is serious stuff. It's real. It's scary. And it is not necessarily for everyone. It is good and necessary to have questions and ask them until you are comfortable, sure, and ready. I'm no expert. I'm not banded yet, I have my surgery next week. But I can just tell you that I had all the feelings and questions you just described. I'm just a little past that now. Still nervous, but the decision is made. Plane ticket in hand. I'm going. And I'm really ready. I'd like to say a couple things about the issues you raise. As for Dr. Ortiz and Tijuana, there really are nothing but glowing reports about this doctor and the cleanliness of the facility, and the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. I'm sure you will hear from some people who went to him. Tijuana has some rough edges, but the clinic and the overall facilities are first rate. And Dr. Ortiz is one of the most experienced lap band surgeons in the world. On the other hand, if you are just plain uncomfortable going to Mexico, you might consider my doctor, Dr. Kirshenbaum. He's in the Denver area so not too far from you. His fee is just about the same as the Mexican doctors. You can get more info at www.lapbandrockies.com if interested. Another thing I want to say is that most people do have success losing weight with the band. Some complications are possible, but they are not common overall, and none of the common ones like erosion or slippage are truly serious from a medical point of view. The odds are very, very good that you will lose most of the weight you want to lose over time. Some people do not have success with the band. It is rare but it does happen. Many of those people find a way to "eat around" band by eating shakes and ice cream. It is possible to have the band and even gain weight if you work at it. There is the occassional person who seems to do everything right and still does not have success. This is very unusual but it does happen. The band is still the best chance you have for serious, longlasting weight loss that does not involve re-arranging body parts. So, keep reading this forum and ask questions. Take your time. Do what it takes to make the right decision for you. Then, get off your ass and get the damn lap band already!!! Just kidding. Sort of.

Judy, might I suggest diet and exercise? JUST KIDDING!! From what I can tell there are quite a few higher BMI folks who have had and are having success with the band. There is a thread on here especially for larger bandsters. I'm sure you will enjoy reading that. Strange that doctors say such things. Don't despair. You are definitely a candidate for banding.