Dave_NW

hey everyone...my name is paul

im about 300 pounds...22 year old college student...i met someone a few months ago who had this surgery and she said it turned her lfie around

since then, ive been playing around with the idea, ive looked on a few forums and gotten so far as calling my insurance company, but then wind up chickening out...especially when i read about some of the risks

i have severe anxiety and depression issues, but im tired of being some fat pos that everyone makes fun of

i love eating, i dont exercise at all, im a computer person so my time is spent mostly sittin here

i want to change all that without losing who i am...but im just like terrified of the whole process

i have no idea if my insurance will cover this, every time i walk into the damn building (harvard vanguard medical center) i come out with a 250 dollar bill that im told is a deductible i really dont have the money to go and make all these appointments and talk to doctors

im sorta a wuss...i mean i guess everyone is to some degree, but after the surgery how much did everything hurt?

i uh...read somewhere some guy had to get a catheter like you know, shoved up his commander, so to speak, is that like...a common thing? as much as i hate being fat, thats something along the line of a deal breaker

how long after the surgery on average would a person be out of commission?

what are some of the changes you have to make post op - lifestyle and diet? i love sweets and soda and fried foods, do you have to give those up?

whats this liquid diet ive been hearing about?

are the risks really bad? im not talking about like death but like, ive read about the possibility of the band slipping, or crazy infections?

whats it like post op? do you not feel hungry anymore? can you like feel your insides as being different?

im sorry i know im asking a lot of questions all in one post and this might not even be the right section for it but uh if someone could help...it would be so appreciated...

Hi Paul. Welcome aboard. Your fears and questions are mostly normal for someone who is just starting to look into banding as a possible option. The very best thing you can do is read everything you can find about it, filter out the obvious things that don't apply to you, and then get down to the basics of what banding will and won't do for you. Then you can decide for yourself if this is something you want to do.

The band is not a magic bullet. If you're lazy, want to do nothing to assist in your weight loss, and expect it to carry you along, you WILL be disappointed. Like any good tool, you need to learn how to manage it. The more knowledge and experience you have, the better prepared you will be to get the most from it, and the best possible results. So expect to have to get out of your chair and exercise a bit, plan that you'll have to learn how to eat proper, nutritious food, and know that your weight loss is your responsibility. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

As for your other fears, consider that there are THOUSANDS of people who have band surgery every year. Of those, a relative handful have problems, and that group is the people who post on forums like this one. The vast majority of bandsters have no issues, and are out living their lives without complaint. Take the complaints you read of with a huge grain of salt, because some people just like to complain, or they freak out because they haven't done any research, and they think since they had surgery three days ago they should have lost fifty pounds by now. (I'm being facetious, but you get the point - keep it in perspective.)

The liquid Protein diet is no big deal. As part of my daily diet I drink Protein shakes that taste like chocolate milk. But I eat regular food in moderate amounts the rest of the time. Yes, during my surgery they inserted a catheter. They took it out within an hour or so after I was out of recovery. I was unconscious when they put it in, it didn't hurt being in, it stung when they pulled it out, but the pain immediately went away. After I could pee normally they let me go home from the hospital. Some guys have issues with that because of the anaesthetic used in surgery turns off the bladder muscles for awhile. But within a day or two I was back to normal. It was collectively no big deal.

There are adjustments required for every new bandster, as they get used to having the band placed, as they heal from surgery, and they learn how to live with the band. It takes work to stay focused on the steps required, but let me tell you - the results are SO completely worth it! If I ever have to give up my band it's going to have to be cut out of my cold, dead body. I'm never going back to what I used to be.

I started this journey at 320 pounds. Now, just under eight months later, I weigh 212. That's 108 pounds gone for good! I started this wearing size 3X and 4X shirts. Now, XL shirts are getting to be a bit big. I started this wearing 44-46 inch waist pants. I'm currently wearing 34 inch waist pants. When was the last time you wore an XL shirt or 34 waist pants? I'll bet it's been awhile, right?

So relax, stop worrying about things that are non-issues, and study up on whether banding is the right choice for you. If you decide to move forward, there are plenty of people here who have already walked down the road ahead of you, who are willing to lend you a helping hand.

Good luck!

Dave

I drink a ready-to-drink Premier Nutrition chocolate shake in the car on my way to work every morning. 11 ounces, 160 calories, 5g carbs, 1g sugar, and 30g of Protein. Great way to start things off. I get them at costco, but you can buy them elsewhere, including the Premier Nutrition website: www.premiernutrition.com. They also come in vanilla and strawberry flavor. I like their Protein Bars, too.

Dave

I've done every diet, not just one. I've probably lost and gained 100 lbs before. When I diet, I'm so hungry I end up binging or gaining it back.

I've been thinking about this surgery for a year.

The thing is: I don't even eat that much, I honestly have a sloth like metabolism. My brother eats as much as he wants and he's a model! He eats till he can't breathe, and he weighs 160 lbs!!!!

I am the heaviest of all my siblings, and all the girls are chubby and the guys are skinny!

Anyway- I do think I want this, and I am paying out of pocket.

Does anyone know of a doctor that will do fills in Seattle for patients banded in Mexico? Prices?

You may be contributing to your weight by not eating enough. "Undereating" is sometimes worse than overeating, because you're causing your metabolism to slow down by not eating right. You may want to try getting some nutritional counseling before going the surgery route, just to be sure surgery is the right path for you. You also can't compare how a man eats to how a woman eats, and expect things to be the same. They aren't. Women store fat and process foods differently than men do. Again, go for some nutritional counseling, and see if you can't turn thigns around. Surgery should be a last resort.

As for fill doctors in Seattle, why not open the phone book and start making some calls? Any practice that does surgery also does fills. And with the transient population in the Seattle area, there are bound to be lots of folks who were banded elsewhere moving to town, and needing fills. So call around and ask.

If you have to self-pay, rather than going out of the country, you may also consider the financing plans that exist for people in your position. There are programs that will finance the operation, and you make monthly payments for it. That would be something the surgical centers should be able to direct you to.

Good luck!

Dave

The kind of questions to ask yourself is how long do you want to be fat? How much of your future are you willing to throw away due to obesity? When will you have had enough of clothes that don't fit, airplane seats too small, and tiredness when standing or walking or climbing stairs? How often will you be able to ignore the rolled-eyes expressions of people judging you for your weight, or tolerate being the invisible fat person in the crowd? And how many times will you be comfortable telling your twins, "Sorry, honey, you run along and play. Mommy needs to sit here and watch." Are you prepared to let your children grow up missing out on a life of activity and bonding with you? The questions go on and on, and only you can say when you've had enough.

Once you're banded, and it's adjusted properly, your appetite will be virtually eliminated. You won't GET hungry, so there won't be any "starving." A small amount of food will fill you up and make you feel full, just like a large amount of food did previously. So you won't have that crutch to lean on anymore. (I tried that for years - I hated feeling hungry, so justified being fat. Nowadays it's a non-issue. I eat 1000 calories a day or so, and it's PLENTY of food. Oh yeah, and I've lost over a hundred pounds without ever feeling like I was missing out on eating "big.". It's a no-brainer.)

For me, the decision to get banded came when I finally admitted I was unable to properly do my work. (I'm in IT tech support for a busy hospital.) As a fairly rugged guy, imagine my embarassment when the female employees at work said things like, "Did you want me to crawl under that desk and connect that cable for you?" To my shame, I admit that I let them do it any number of times. And I thanked them for it.

Nowadays they don't even ask - it's quite a different experience. The reason is that I"m no longer that red-faced, sweaty, obese guy huffing and puffing as I try to tuck in my tent-sized shirt into the waistband of my incredibly huge pants, while trying to keep my pants from falling down off my fat ass. I get compliments from everyone I meet, telling me how amazing I look, and how great my (much smaller) clothes fit. I can keep up with everyone, and most times I'm the one in front of the crowd. It's like I was reborn into a whole new body. And it's only been eight months!

Have the surgery. You have everything to gain, and nothing to look forward to as you are except more of the unhappiness you're living with right now. Good luck!

Dave

P.S. My surgery was at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. That's where I get my fills, too. They're great to work with. Give them a call.

Well had a long chat with my surgeon after a 7 pound weight gain on my 5 month follow up two days ago. This issue came up as I told him I routinely drink 24 or more oz. of Water with every meal. I havn't been loseing anything for 3 months and he was surprised that I was drinking like that. He thought I was following the no drinking with meals guideline and confirmed what others have said that drinking with meals is the # 1 reason for non weight loss. This highlighted a real dilemma as adjustment to this non drinking mode is scary and a hard habit hadn't been able to break. I can look back on it now and without bullshi**ing myself that I have been eating much more than I thought I was and in effect self sabotaging my weight loss goal. Sheesh! do I feel dumb! The doctor gave me lots of non judgemental encouragement and re-eductated me on the band basics.

For the past two days per his instructions I have avoided drinking 15 min prior, during and 30 min after meals. God its hard. First couple of bites of my first meal after seeing him I realized that along with the drinking issue I was taking too large a bite and not chewing long enough thus I got stuck for a few mins. I waited for the food to pass and thank God it did. I then resumed eating with much smaller bites and lots of chewing and the meals now take a lot longer. Now I'm the last one done. I have noticed already that I feel full sooner and stay satiated longer and don't need a snack between meals (I was browsing a bit too, lotsa bad habits I now see)

Perhaps these adjustments will make the difference and get the scale moving. I have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks to see how I am doing and hopefully the scale will show improvement and joy back to mudville...

So to all of us who like to slosh our food down and derive comfort while eating that way I can really relate. If this turns out like I think it will with the weight coming off quicker I'll be sure to share that info. Gosh it's had to give up the fluids while enjoying the meal but I am determind to get slimmer and this may be the key to why the weight hasn't been coming off. Heck, I am sure that its a major part of the problem. Good luck everyone..

Tom

Tom, I appreciate your insights, but have to say, I think your lack of weight loss has much more to do with what and how much you're eating, and very little to do with the liquids. Water has zero calories, but all foods do. Eating larger than a bandster should is probably resulting in you taking in more calories than you're expending. And since weight loss is about calorie deficits, I'm betting the larger problem is related to food volumes taken in being greater than your caloric expenditure out.

Every time my weight loss has slowed or stalled, I've examined my diet and exercise amounts. Once I make sure the calories I burn are greater than the calories I'm eating, the weight loss resumes. It's all about the math.

Good luck sorting things out.

Dave

I drink with all my meals. Not a lot, but sips as needed to keep things moving. My surgeon and NUT both know it, and they're fine with it. Why? Because my weight loss has been textbook in its regularity, and I've had zero problems. As of this morning, I've lost 108 pounds in seven and a half months. Results like that have to count for something.

I don't understand the logic behind not drinking with a meal. Some say it flushes food through the band too quickly, so you get hungry sooner. But food only stays in the pouch for a minute or two anyway before moving through the band, so how much effect are "they" expecting to occur? If my meal is a fixed amount of food, and I eat only that amount, what difference does it make if I also drink with that meal, if I know that after the food is gone, I'm done eating till the next meal? I don't graze, snack, or eat between meals. So how does it make a difference in my eating if I also drink with the meal? As I say, it makes no sense.

If you are someone who DOES snack, graze, or eat between meals, then maybe drinking with your meal isn't a good idea. But for me, and my weight loss, it works.

Dave

If the point of having the band is to dim the appetite, maybe this last fill got you to that point. I have 9cc in a 14cc band, and I rarely experience actual hunger pangs. I usually eat on a schedule because I can't rely on my system to tell me it's time to eat. And even if I do feel a bit of hunger pangs, I can easily ignore them, if eating isn't convenient. Not a good way to work my eating plan, I know, so I tend to eat by the clock.

So maybe there isn't anything wrong at all, but you just finally reached your sweet spot. ?

Dave

hi so i have been doing really well so far but i am starting to find it really hard not to snack and my postion sizes are slowly getting bigger my motivation has gone right down and i dont know y

Sounds like you're bored. Change up your diet. Slow down your eating. Focus back on how you ate at the beginning. Use a smaller plate. Don't eat standing up or in front of the TV. Move more. You're probably eating the same things too often, and/or eating too fast. Turn things around, and see if it makes a difference. Force yourself to change the same old routine. Sometimes all you need to do is rearrange how you eat in a day, to get back on track.

Good luck!

Dave

They combined my band placement surgery with a hiatal hernia repair and a ventral hernia repair. (I figured as long as they were going to be under the hood, they may as well do a full tune up. ) So I stayed two nights in the hospital. Since it was December and things at work were slow, I opted to stay home for long enough to feel like I was ready to face my workday - which meant being back on solid food. So I stayed home three weeks, using a one-time sick leave bank I had available that wouldn't have been used otherwise. By the time I went back to work I was done with my surgeon's post-op liquid diet, and I was getting back onto solids. I was glad for the extra time off, not so much for the band surgery, but for recovering from the ventral hernia repair. That was a hard one.

Dave

I have Tricare Prime, and I've never paid for a fill. They're billed as "S2083 - Adjustment gastric band".

Dave

At least 60 for women, higher if you're a man. I eat no less than 120g a day. There is no maximum and you can eat as much Protein as you'd like in a meal (keeping your calorie limit in mind). It does not go to waste, despite what many think/say.

It must be Liquid Protein grams I'm thinking of. The way it was explained was that if it's too much, the excess is passed out before being absorbed. That makes more sense than dense Proteins being eliminated. Or is it maybe with bypass people? They have malabsorption issues.

Dave

I've been advised that one-tenth the number of daily calories should be Protein grams. That is to say, if you're eating 1000 calories a day of food, you should have 100 grams of Protein. (100 is one-tenth of 1000.) If you eat 1200 calories per day, then shoot for 120g of protein.

I don't know if there is a maximum, but I've been told protein needs time to be absorbed into the system, and excess is eliminated through body waste. So if you plan to eat 100g of protein per day, break it up into several meals - don't have it all at once. I try to have 20-30g of protein per meal, several times a day.

Dave

Thanks for the link, Dave. It gave me a real "A-HA!" moment. I've been banded for just over 4 weeks and was beginning to head down the wrong path...

You're very welcome. Just hang in there, and give yourself time to adjust to life with the band. Once you start getting fills, you'll feel differently inside, and the band will truly start to work for you. It took me several fills before my appetite was sufficiently dimmed, and now eating is a matter of following what my band is telling me. It's all pretty routine for me now. But I've learned that patience is one of the hardest band skills to learn.

Good luck!

Dave

After years of jumping through hoops I am finally going to have the Lap Band surgery! I am scheduled for nex Tuesday July 26, 2011!!!! After discussing with my surgeon's PA I have decided to have the plication done as well. Maybe I should be nervous but I'm not I am just ready to get it done!

Hi and Welcome! You'll do fine with the band. I was much the same as you - tired of the diet rollercoaster, and ready to get the ball rolling. Surgery went easily, and recovery was by-the-book. Now, nearly eight months later, I can't believe how far I've come. All things considered, it's been a breeze.

Good luck, and here's hoping you'll be able to report nothing but good news!

Dave

Hi All,

It's been almost a year now and what a journey it has been for me.

Holey cow! That is quite a story! I'm SO sorry you had to go through all that. But it's great to read you're finally on track, and that things are working well for you. Hang in there, do what you can, and good luck with it all!

Dave

The band does not STOP you from eating any amount of food you want. Whether you SHOULD eat more than prudent is up to you. That's where your common sense and self control comes in. In this case, eating a cup of food at a time is perfectly fine. And if you're losing regularly, then you're doing great. I wouldn't worry, as long as you feel good.

I post this link all the time, but it bears repeating, because it explains a lot of things many bandsters don't understand, or are never told about how their band works: Dr. Terry Simpson's page "It's Not About Restriction." http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Good luck!

Dave

I understand your doctor's thinking but if you haven't lost any weight in at least a month then it sounds like you need a fill.

I agree - you probably do. My point with the link was the part about eating more food to feel full again, which can make you feel like things are stretched. I ahve days when i feel like I can eat anything, then other days I feel like every bite is on the verge of getting stuck.

If your doctor won't give you a fill, maybe refocus on your daily intake and activity, and make sure you're managing the badn as closely as possible, to give you the best chance of losing again. And if it still doesn't work, maybe ask your doctor why no fill?

Good luck!

Dave

When you see obvious spam posts, click the Report button on the bottom left corner of the post window. Just put Spammer in the text window, and send it on. Alex will want to know about it so he can delete the post. Because this site of free, anyone can post anything they want to, including spammers.

Dave

So I feel like I can eat a lot more. Does that mean that my band is stretched? I dont eat until i feel stuffed anymore, havent since my surgery in January. but I feel like i need more to make me feel satisfied. Does that mean its stretched or just time for another fill? My doc wont give me another fill yet. I have lost 70 pounds and thats too much to him. Although ive been the same weight for the past month to two months now. But i just wanted to get other peoples opinions.

Thanks

You may want to read Dr. Simpsons' page about the band. It's pretty informative, and explains how and why people eat more over time. http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Good luck!

Dave

I'm not using my tool the correct way. I mean..I still think that it has a lot to do with where I am at emotionally as compared to before..but my not losing even more weight could be because of not eating moist enough foods, and drinking Water with meals.

Has anyone else had that discomfort..I just hate running to vomit after one bite of food.

Can anyone help?

I drink with all my meals, and have from the time I got back on solids. If I don't, I have trouble swallowing. But I limit my meal to a fixed portion of food, and regardless of whether I drink during the meal, when the food is gone, I'm done eating till the next meal. I don't graze, I don't snack, and I don't eat junk food, unless I factor it into my daily eating plan. The drinking with the meal is a non-issue, because it makes no difference in the volume of food I'm eating each meal.

I have been stuck to the point of sliming three times, and I was responsible each time it happened. I ate too fast, or swallowed too large a bite without chewing properly. If I slow down, chew better, and give the food I've swallowed time enough to move through my band (it goes through within a minute or so), I have no trouble. I have never vomited since getting banded, and certainly not like you have described.

I attribute my success to managing my band daily. I control the kind and quantity of food I eat, I focus on Protein first, I don't allow myself to be an emotional eater, and I exercise daily, even if it's just a walk around the block. I track not only what I eat, but I keep a general idea of the calories. I try to get ten percent of daily calories as Protein grams. (Meaning if I eat 1000 calories a day, I want 100g of it to be protein.) I try to eat fewer carbs than protein, and rduce fat wherever possible. It takes a bit of planning to make it all come together, but if you manage it right, weight loss WILL happen.

Good luck!

Dave

I disagree that there is nothing but struggle for those who don't have to do a pre-op liquid diet. I did not have to do one, and I've done very well since my surgery.

The point of a pre-op diet is to reduce the size of your liver, to make surgery easier to perform. If your surgeon decides that's not necessary, then you don't need to go through that. Post-op, they'll ask you to follow their dietary recommendations, and work your way back onto solid food on their schedule.

The disconnect people here seem to have is they expect they'll have immediate restriction after surgery, and immediate, nonstop weight loss. When that doesn't happen, they freak out and get all stressed, they develop all sorts of negative attitudes, and they blame everything for not working as advertised. In truth, the first six weeks after surgery are primarily about healing, so your system can get used to the band being there, and so the placement stitches can heal up. After that, when fills start, is when you should be concerned about restricting your diet down a normal bandster level so weight loss can start Failure with the band is normally caused by people who don't know what to expect, and who make improper choices, and not usually because of a physical problem, or because they didn't have to suffer through a pre-op liquid diet.< /p>

The key to bandster success is following your doctor's orders, doing what you're told, eating right, exercising properly, and listening to your body's response to having the band in there. The key to bandster failure is second-guessing your doctor, not following orders, eating poorly, not exercising, and expecting the band to do all the work. Everyone has the best intentions with this, but the people who seem to have the most trouble are those who are least informed about what to do, and how to live with the band. It takes work, and it takes education. After that, the rest is in living daily with the band.

Good luck with your journey. I wish you great success!

Dave

About the only thing you may want to be aware of could be your appetite returning once all the post-op swelling has gone away. You may end up in what's known as "bandster hell," where you haven't yet had your first fill, and your appetite is back with a vengeance. it's hard to maintain a low calorie diet when you have no fill. Hang in there, keep working your plan, and you'll do fine.

Good luck!

Dave

As far as I know, Alex, the site owner, is the only Moderator of this VERY busy website. I'd cut the guy some slack - since it's free for Users, he probably has a "real" job to pay his bills. I've found him to be very interested in keeping things running, but nothing about this site is instant or perfect. And one or two spam posts per week for a site like this is nothing. I subscribe to other sites that get dozens of spam posts per day.

One thing you (and everyone) can do when you find a spam post is click the "Report" link on the bottom left corner of the post window. There's a yellow triangle icon. Just put the word "Spammer" in the reply window, and send it off. Alex has replied to me several times, thanking me for reporting the spammer to him. The spam post then disappears.

Dave

Good to know there are options. I suspect the reason they didn't give you much fill is so you'll come back for more.

Dave

You guys are all lucky. I have THIRTEEN!

During my band sugery they also did a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia (umbilical) repair. So in addition to all the band scars I have the rest from where they did what else they had to do. When I was in recovery in the hospital the doctors and night interns kept coming in and opening up my bandages to count my incision sites. It happened like six times with different groups of doctors and interns, like I was some sort of carnival ride...

It's been seven and a half months since surgery, and all of my scars are faded and hard to see. Even the port scar is fading nicely. I don't even think about them anymore. But then, my days of being an underwear model are behind me... LOL!

Dave