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I have had my lapband for 7 years, haven't had a fill for 4 years. I have been at my goal weight for almost 2. In April I felt a twinge of pain in my band that was new and it has steadily gotten worse. Ended up in the ER on Thursday night dealing with a doctor that knew nothing about the band. Diagnosed me with gastritis and esophogitis but gave me IV Pain meds that made me throw up for 24 hours until my pharmacist finally suggested I take a phenegren. I went to the ER because I can't eat or drink anything, feels like I'm swallowing razor blades. To the point now that even my own saliva is painful. I am constantly aware of my band, feels like a knot in my chest. They took a catscan at the ER and he said there was inflammation above and below the band. I saw a bariatric surgeon today, he has me scheduled for a scope in the morning and scheduled me for lapband removal on Wednesday morning (feels like it is erosion). I can't really find anything online that talks about symptoms like mine. I am in constant pain. Water hurts, soup hurts, saliva hurts. Just wondering if anyone else has had anything similar? I am so ready to get this band out, I hope they do take it out. I'm tired of hurting. I do have fears of gaining the weight back, but I have been in a good place for several years now with regards to watching calories and making smarter choices, I feel like I can keep that going. Any feedback is appreciated. Kendra

Hello Hass, I wish you all the best! I really admire your tenacity to go through this knowing that you will not have a nutritionist!. There is a wealth of info on Bariatric Pal and Im sure some folks could share their nutritionist info with you if you like. You could certainly look at the "manual" I was given from Rush University Hospital here in Chicago. You are about 4 days out now- how are you feeling. Remember to walk to get the gas out and sip as much Fluid as you can.

I live in Georgia as well. There are a lot of bariatric centers. We have several here in Augusta. Have you tried other places? Did your cardiologist reccomend any other bariatric surgeries or only lap band? If you live anywhere near Augusta, try this link WWW.AUGUSTASURGERY.COMAlso, go to www.lapband.com and they have a surgeon locator. Wellcare is a Georgia program so it shouldn't matter if you use a local surgeon or not as long as they are in the state. Best of luck to you.

You just did! Welcome to the forum. Keep in mind that although opinions and tact may vary, your bariatric bothers and sisters wish you an uncomplicated recovery and good health. Feel free to post on any topic. I come to the forum every day to see what is going on. It keeps me out of trouble.

I used pure protein plus from Sam's Club before preop diet. On my preop diet I used bariatric advantage orange creme and banana flavors, they were pretty good. Now I am back on the pure protein plus. The nutritionist has us mix them with milk instead of water. It's more feeling and tastes better.

Justwatchme and 2muchfun, Thanks for your imput.... It's hard trying to prepare meals without a guide. My the big book on bariatric surgery just came in the mail today. So, I'm going to look at it for some menu ideas. My surgeon said nothing about how much Protein I should have. He just told me to stay away from the Protein drinks that he wanted me eating... This is a learning experience.

I don't have a recipe, but I order protein hot chocolate from bariatric choice.com all the time. It's tasty & high in protein :-)

Hello everyone, My name is Jennifer and I live in Tempe, AZ. I have been considering getting the LapBand to help with my weight loss, but I'm not sure where to start my research. I've been to the seminar at the Bariatric Services at Banner in Mesa, but I found them to be very impersonal and they rushed me out instead of answering my questions. I also had one person in the seminar tell me I shouldn't be there because I wasn't "big enough". Whatever that means. If you have had the procedure done or are in the process of it, I have many questions for you. Such as: What are the steps prior to the procedure? I've heard various stories anywhere from they starve you for 2 weeks all the way to requiring to see a psychologist to make sure you can handle the life change. Can someone clear this up for me? Also, choosing a doctor. How do I know I'm getting the best possible care and I'm not dealing with a doc who just wants to make a quick buck? I've been under general anesthesia twice for knee surgeries and it scares me to know that I'll have no control over what they do when I'm out. The first time I was under, the doc botched up my knee. The second surgery was to correct what the first doc screwed up. I don't want to make the same mistake with my organs! Are there any websites for surgeons in the area where I can check their backgrounds and get reviews from former patients? Here's a questions for those who can answer: Is this thing removable? If I decide several years after the procedure that I don't want it in my body anymore, will there be complications to removing it? What are the follow-ups after the procedure like as far as frequency and duration? What's the recuperation time after the procedure? How much work could I expect to miss? My email is Siobhan_Ra@hotmail.com is you would like to email me any information you have. Thanks for looking! -Jenn

Chrissy, There are tons of Protein products out there. You can order online from a host of places, including Amazon.com, unjury, Bariatric Advantage, etc. If you're new to protein shakes/drinks, I suggest going to the sites and ordering or asking for samples of their products. I personally like the Click brand of Protein powder that is sold several places, but others have had good luck with other brands. Walmart, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, and Sams sell several kinds of protein powder, Protein Bars, etc. Make sure you're getting whey isolate protein powder so that you get one that is readily available for your body to make use of it. Walgreens sells some protein shots that have collagen protein in them. According to the weight lifters' boards, that kind of protein is not readily available for our bodies to use. Whatever you do, don't over-buy on the protein powders, even if you adore the flavor pre-op. My taste buds (and many others) have changed radically since surgery. I can't handle the sweet flavored Protein shakes anymore. They make me gag. I drank a lot of chicken and beef broth when I was early post-op. That gave me liquid and some protein when I couldn't handle anything else. Do read the thread about what to buy for after surgery. Smaller cups, silverware and plates will make it easier when you transition to mushies and then to solid foods. A food scale and an accurate measuring cup for liquids are also very handy. Good luck on your journey!!

That is frustrating! My bariatric coordinator gave me a sample letter to give to the doctor. I actually filled in my diet history for my PCP as well as all the other info I knew. They filled in the rest. I was trying to find a way to attach the sample letter but there does not seem to be a way to attach it, so I have copied and pasted it below. Maybe it will help. Good luck getting all together. It took me a few tries and a lot of frustration with the process due to various reasons. My physician's letter did not say "I was medically cleared for surgery"...well duh...if they are saying I should have it, doesn't it make sense that they think I am medically cleared to have it. UGHH. Here is the sample letter: Sample Letter of Medical Necessity: Give to your primary care physician and to mail completed letter to our office. [insert date] RE: [insert patient’s name] To Whom It May Concern: Ms. /Mr. [insert patient’s name] has been a patient of mine for [insert number] years. This patient is [insert height] and weighs [insert weight] lbs. with a BMI of [insert BMI]. This patient has been excessively overweight for [insert number] years now and will benefit from bariatric surgery. In addition to morbid obesity, this patient suffers from the following co-morbid conditions: [insert co morbidities, e.g. diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, shortness of breath, exertional dyspnea, urinary incontinence, etc]. Current medical treatment for these co-morbid conditions is . This patient has tried many methods of weight loss including [insert name of program(s), date(s) started and length of time participated] with [insert number of pounds lost and whether they were regained or not]. This patient is limited due to his/her co-morbidities in his/her ability to exercise but has tried [listing all attempts and any successes or regaining of weight]. This patient's family medical history is indicative for [insert medical condition, e.g. obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, etc]. I respectfully request pre-authorization for insurance coverage for this patient to undergo bariatric surgery. Thank you for your kind consideration in this matter. Sincerely, [insert physician's name]

Please visit our web site WeightWise.com: Comprehensive weight loss programs and surgical options for a healthier lifestyle | WeightWise™ Bariatric Program. We have completed hundreds of procedures and have comprehensive bariatirc programs and hospitals in both Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and San Antonio, Texas. We also developed the site Search Results for "thiscitysgoingonadiet.com" for the Mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett. Thank you, Thomas A, Michaud, Chairman/CEO Foundation Surgery Affiliates WeightWise

Hi Morgan, You have come to the right place for help and support. First of all, I'm sorry for Doctor laughed at you and told you that you were too young and just need to lose weight. That infuriates me to no end. Nobody has the right to say that to anyone else. It sounds like you have had a weight problem you whole life, like most of us here. People who have never been overweight tend to find it hard to understand why we are obese. They make assumptions that we're lazy and all we do is eat. That's so far from the truth. If you went into your Doctor's office for any other medical reason do you think he would have laughed in your face. Absolutely not! When I started this journey, the first thing I did was research. I then found a local information/support group for lapbanding. When I called to register I was asked questions about my weight, height, and BMI. The woman sent me some info. in the mail. The information session was great because it walked me through the steps of everything I would have to go through such as consults and so on. Things have moved very quickly for me already. I went to my first meeting on Augsut 24th. Since then I have had my psych. consult, nutrition eval. and my consult with the surgeon is scheduled in two weeks. Find a surgeon in your area, ask if they have a bariatric coordinator. He/She will be able to assist you in what you need to do next. Search this site, you might be able to find someone from your area who can give you more info. I have met someone who lives about 5 minutes from me who has been so helpful. We have actually met and walk together at least once a week. Sorry for rambling, I wish the best! Jenn

Hi everyone! Like many others, I too have read this site for some time now. This is my first post because I've been a little apprehensive to post--but then I thought, "what the heck" and decided to introduce myself. I'm 19 (young I know) and I decided to begin my lap-band journey in June of this year. Basically, my main reason for choosing to have this surgery is because this really is a last resort. I know some of you may be thinking that I'm awfully young to have to move to a "last resort" but, hear me out. I've been overweight my whole life, seriously, my mom started watching what I ate at age two. Anway, at twelve I was diagnosed with dismetabolic syndrome with insulin resisitance. We hear about this a lot now, well type two diabetes in children now but when I was diagnosed my case was actually just surfacing. In one of the leading children's hospitals in the nation, I was the only patient with a condition like mine in the whole hospital. Anyway, sorry to go on and on. So, now at 19 I am at risk for PCOS and have normal blood pressure but it's abnormally high for my age. My mother and gradmother are also overweight--so I guess you could say it runs in the family. I am experiencing things that a fifty year old woman should be dealing with--not a nineteen year-old. I'll give a few more details about my self, just so you get the idea---I promise to make it short! :eek: I also have lower back pain and joint pain in my knees. I did tae kwon do for three years and while I was healthier, the weight never seemed to come off. Oh, I almost forgot my diet! Since about twelve I have been eating low carb but have not cut out carbs completely. And last but not least---my weight and height (for the whole world to see) I am 5'7 and about 330. OK, so now you know a little about me. Let's see, what else can I say...ah yes, surgeons. I have United Heath Care (primary) and Coventry (secondary) insurance but am having to go through conventry. My primary won't cover the surgery until I am 21 so...secondary insurance it is. As far as the surgeon...really my only option is Dr. Hohen from the Bariatric Center of Kansas City. Coventry only has Dr. Hohen in their network--at least that's anywhere close to where I live. I like in the KC metro area but go to school in Springfield, MO. While I am mentioning school--I'm an English Education major and I love literature---Go English! :biggrin1: Anway, this is getting to be a novella...so I'll end it here. I look forward to meeting all of you and have enjoyed reading the plethora of information on this site--it's amazing. Oh, and as of now, I am still in the beginning of this journey. As of Friday, my file is being referred to the person in charge of the psych. consult! Finally, after 3 months the ball begins to role!:clap2: Lauren :kiss2: