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what kind of insurance do you have? I have bcbs and had to do the 6 month diet. My first visit was fairly simple. I saw the doctotr, nutritionist, physical therapist, and psychologist. It was a long day of appointments but it was great to get all of the info I needed. First I saw the doctor and he explained the surgery and talked to me about the benefits of it. Then the nutritionist explained what the sizes of food would be after surgery and explained the pre op diet. then I saw the physical therapist who showed me some exercises to firm things up so that after surgery I would have less trouble with loose skin. And then the psychologist talked to me about food addiction and also about having a support system through this. If you have any other questions let me know Good luck at your visit!!

Think about the band...and ask yourself "What is the reason people get fills?" Is it to boost will power and self discipline? Is it to make this process hard? And frustrating? When I was first banded, I was VERY FRUSTRATED...I did not go through all this just to be on another diet...I was actually gaining weight after my first fill.... Fortunately I have a Dr. who calmed me down and explained in simple terms what this band is all about, and that it is a process that takes consecutive office visits and fills, over several months to get this thing "Tuned" and humming to perfection.... Many people sell this Lap Band short before they give it a chance...we want INSTANT results...I read posts here everyday from people who have had the surgery only weeks prior and can't understand why they are not loosing!!.....It does not work that way...maybe with by-pass or the sleeve, but the band has to be adjusted over time.... Until then it is just "Bandster Hell"

Heya Folks!! I started my journey in Nov 2012 with my sleeve surgery. I started at my highest lifetime weight of 431lbs and weighed in this morning at 313lbs. I am feeling great! Working out 5x a week and enjoying a lot of activities I haven't been able to do in a very log time. I take all my Vitamins & supplements, I'm getting my required daily intake of Protein and Water etc and overall, feel like I'm doin pretty well. I did notice however, that I tend to be somewhat forgetful as of late and not as full of energy as I feel I should be so I started researching Testosterone treatments as a possible solution. While doing research, I came across some info on HGH that makes me feel like that may be the better choice since it should help with my existing symptoms but will also help with skin elasticity and a few other things I'm currently experiencing. I have my 6 month follow up with my bariatric surgeon in about 2 weeks and I plan on setting an appointment with my primary care physician after that to see what they have to say about it but I Figured I would ask here too and see if anyone had any experience. Any info is greatly appreciated!!!

Hardly anyone knows that i had weight-loss surgery...AGAIN! and even few people know that I went to Mexico to have my band to sleeve revision. I'm 5 days post-op. (June 8 2017). I'm not sure if I'm ready to recommend it to all of my friends yet...however...I followed their pre-op without a single cheat. I lost 23 pounds in the pre-op diet but even more importantly I have been pain free. No gas pains. No about pains. Flying home only 3 days post-op was excruciating but only because it was so exhausting. So I may be getting closer to recommending it. My insurance is great as long as you don't mention weight-loss surgery. So my lapband surgeon actually recommended Mexico and the hospital. My revision was going to be about $28k in the US. Mexico was $4900. That's a big incentive. If you're going to Mexico here are some things I learned. I'm writing them down here so I don't forget too... Bring... Your own towel or two Your own pillow (I brought mine and it helped having it in the hospital and on the plane) Baby wipes for the bathroom. It gets messy. Water shoes (a lot of women wore slippers but I've never been real good at them. Plus I could keep these on while sleeping. And you need them for the shower anyway) Giant sanitary pads (Mother Nature is a b***h and I got my period the day after surgery. Tampons were not happening. Plus it helps with the surprise "juice fart") Extension cord for plugging in phone chargers and cpap machines Your own bandages and tape. For after you leave the hospital. I also brought juice and protein shakes in my checked baggage. I wasn't sure what they had for a liquid diet and if I was going to like it. They had jello and broth and they were delicious. My US surgeon also gave me a prescription for nausea and pain for the flight home. I ended up not needing either but I was so glad it was there just in case. Lysol/Clorox Wipes...I'm a bit of a germ freak Clothes. They have gowns of course but you will be up walking around so much you need something else. I wore loose Capri pull-on pants and giant tshirts. Several sets. Not fancy. Loose comfy old panties Compression socks. Several pairs. They have their own and they are stickers about keeping them on until you get home! I understand the importance. But so glad I had brought a couple of pairs. A very supportive person to go with you. My husband is a super hero without a cape. Unlike my roommates friend she brought. Gave her a sip of her beer she snuck into the hospital! No joke!!! A drink of beer about 24 hours out of surgery! Which brings me to this...whatever you can get private room!! They have them. I saw them. My roommate was so annoying! A phone and a tablet going all day and night with loud games and videos...even at 3am!!! I probably should have brought her some headphones! Bring yourself some too. At least some ear plugs. One of the best things I did was set up a private Facebook Group with only 9 of my closest friends and family that knew what was going on. I could keep everyone updated (in the terribly spotty WiFi service. Don't believe the free WiFi pitch. It's there. sometimes. If you're lucky.) Anyway, my husband kept everyone updated there too after surgery until I was coherent enough. It was great. I loved seeing that everyone was praying for me. It was fun. Like home. Again, I'm not ready to fully recommend it. Maybe soon. I hear a lot of people wake up from surgery with "what did I just do?" Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi All! I got my fill yesterday too! All went well. I also got 2 cc! Now I have a total of 3 cc (apparently I already had 1 cc). They tried 3 cc's first, but after doing the Water test (sitting up and drinking water), it was too much and they backed out 1 cc. After that, the water went down fine! My doctor's office has the nurse and the PA do the fills. They are very good and use ultrasound to find the port, mark the spot, then used a cold spray to the skin before inserting the needle. The most uncomfortable part was the PA pushing around trying to find the spot (my port is slightly tilted, thanks to a ripped stitch the 2nd weekd postop). It was uncomfortable, but not painful. The whole thing took less then 10 minutes and went great. I am on liquids for 24 hours, then back to foods gradually. I can definitely feel restriction though...my Protein shake went down slowly this morning! :lurk5: So, being nervous was for nothing!! Good luck to you all and let's keep up with each other!! :hurray::hurray::beer_yum::hurray::biggrin:

Welcome to bandland. I'm in the same boat as you, have been able to loose weight but never could keep it off.

It depends on the doctor. My doctor told me I had to loose 50 pounds until they would consider giving me surgery. I ended up loosing almost 30 and I have a surgery date now. Some just want to see that you can do it ...because of what the follow up entails. But others on here don't have to loose anything! I've heard of ppl having to loose a lot, a little (like 5 pounds) or none at all! So you will have to ask your doc and find out!

my bike motivates me...No seriously, it does...but something in me makes me want that bike and want to ride.... I love riding...I love the way it has changed my familys outlook on exercise....I love that I am meeting new friends. And I love loosing weight I also know that when I stay motivated and moving it works for me....sitting on my duff does not do the trick. And my friends on LBT has helped me allot....They can kick my butt in gear when I sit on my duff...start challenges just when I need one....and have a great shoulder for me to lean on when I need it.

Hello all, I got through my surgery and 2 weeks of recovery just fine. I thought I would post a detailed description of how it went because I know how apprehensive I was about the whole thing, and I really wanted to know exactly what to expect. February 23 was the date of my surgery. I was having the gastric sleeve procedure, a hernia repair, and my gall bladder removed. I had these procedures done in Downers Grove, IL by Dr. Rosen. I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:00 am. They weighed me and put me in a room where I was asked to put on the hospital gown and get in the hospital bed. They then put an IV in my hand and put the compression stockings on my legs. I was given a couple of shots (I'm not entirely sure what they were for). Every time a nurse stopped in I had to repeat my name and date of birth and they had to check my wrist band. All this happened over the course of 2 hours. I was allowed to have one person in the room with me and we pretty much just chatted in the in between times of the nurses visits. At about 6:45 am the surgeon stopped by to review the procedures we were doing. I also met with the anesteologist. My surgery was scheduled for 7:00 am, and at about 7:05 am they started to wheel me to the operating room. I did make them stop at the bathroom because I was nervous and really felt the need to go one last time. Up until this point, I had been very calm and at peace with my decision. My heart rate had been right around 65 the whole time. But now I was extremely nervous. They wheeled the bed through what felt like 20 different corridors. We arrived in the operating room. It was COLD and smelled funny. They had me move to the bed they would be doing the surgery on. I lay there and looked up at these 3 huge lights (reminded me of old movies where the police were interrogating you and they had that big bright light in your face) and I started to really freak out. I kept thinking that this was going to be the last place I would ever see (I was so nervous about the idea of dying that the night before I wrote goodbye letters to all my friends and family). I started to cry and the nurses and doctors tried to comfort me, but I can't say it really worked. I would say that they knocked me out within about 2 minutes of when I started crying. The next thing I remember is waking up in a considerable amount of pain. I believe it was around 10:30 am. The nurse wanted to know my level of pain on a scale of 1-10. I told her 6-7. I also told her I had to go to the bathroom. It was horrifically painful to have them lift my hips to put the bedpan under me, and in the end, I couldn't go anyway. I stayed in the recovery area for 3 hours because they didn't have any regular rooms ready. For the most of the time I slept and the pain medication kicked in, so I didn't feel so crappy. Finally, at about 1:00 pm, I was taken to my room. I again pretty much slept and i would say that with the morphine, my pain was about a 2. I didn't feel bloated from gas. My biggest problem was a constant need to pee... major inflamation due to the catheter. In fact, the need to pee was so overwhelming that by 4:00 pm, I forced myself to get out of bed and try to go to the bathroom again. Getting out of the bed was incredibly painful. As long as I was not moving in bed, I felt fine, but getting out of bed hurt! I became incredibly nauseous when I sat up and I told them I needed a bucket in case I puked while on the toilet. I dry heaved a couple of times (that hurt like a mother!). They put something in my IV to get rid of the nausea, and I never experienced it again. I still wasn't able to go to the bathroom, but as long as I was up, they had me walk a lap. I pretty much had to get up every hour from that point on to try and use the bathroom. Most of the time, I would also walk a lap. I should add, that they put some blue dye in the ice chips so that when I was able to pee, it was bright green. The blue dye helps them make sure you have no leaks. If there is a leak, the blood in the drain would turn purple. If there is no leak, then your pee will be green. Around 5:30 pm, I went to radiology where they made me drink something that really left me feeling like I might hurl. After I got that down, I had to do the barrium drink. That wasn't as gross. The cool thing was that I could see the screen so I could watch the Fluid move down my throat and into my stomach. I was down there for about 10 minutes and then it was back up to my room. At 10 pm the nurse came in to tell me I had to give myself my first heprin shot (my dr. requires all patients to give themselves 3 shots of heprin a day for 2 weeks following surgery). The idea of injecting myself with something really freaked me out, but I knew I had to do it or they wouldn't release me from the hospital. I had to give myself the shot in either my thigh or my stomach. I did the thigh. It took me a while to work up the nerve to put the needle in my leg, but I did it. It wasn't really painful and I would say that by day 3 after surgery, it was no big deal to do anymore. They also checked by blood sugar level which was 159! This completely freaked me out because one of the big reasons I wanted this surgery was to prevent diabetes, which runs heavily in my family. Because the blood sugar level was so high, I had to get a insulin shot. They had to check the sugar level every 6 hours after that. The next time they checked it was 139 and the time after that it was 88. They told me that sometimes surgery causes your blood sugar levels to spike, but it will usually drop back down to where it should be by the next day. That night I had to sleep with some tubing below my nose because the sleep study showed I have low oxygenation in my blood when I sleep. This thing was to monitor that. A buzzer would sound if the oxygen level dropped below 90. So, every single time I would fall asleep or start to drift off, this annoying buzzer would start ringing and I would have to call the nurse to get it turned off. At 3 am I finally asked what the purpose of this was, other than making sure I didn't sleep a wink the entire night. I was even more irritated about the whole thing when she told me the buzzer didn't sound out at the nurses station. The only place it rang was in my room. I made enough of a stink about the whole thing that they changed the tubing so it was putting out oxygen and would keep the stupid alarm from ringing the second I started to sleep. I don't think I slept after that because I was awake every time a nurse came in to check a vital or give me a shot. I will say, expect to be woken up at least every 2-3 hours. The next day, they took me off the morphine and gave me a form of vicodin as a pain killer. I continued walking every hour (and going to the bathroom). The surgeon stopped by around 8:00am to check on me. He said that since I had been up moving around so much and I was doing quite well, that he was going to have them release me around 2pm (provided I could drink 4 oz of Water every hour with no problem). I had no problem with this and was ready to go, but my nurse was so ditzy that it was after 4:30 by the time I was finally released. Before I could go, they had to remove the drain, which I was really nervous about. She assured me it wouldn't hurt, but would be more uncomfortable feeling than anything. I was still braced for serious pain because friends had told me it hurt a lot. However, when she pulled it out, it really wasn't painful. It was more of a bizzare feeling because you can feel that tubing snaking around your internal organs. I think because it was only in there for a day, the skin hadn't grown around it so there was no pain. I went home. The next 4 days, I was stiff and sore. I continued taking the liquid vicodin type medicine and my pain levels were around a 2. sleeping was difficult. I slept on the couch with my back propped way up so I could be in an almost sitting position. By day 5, I stopped taking the pain medication except for at night. By day 7, I quit the pain medication all together and was able to resume driving. If I had had to, I probably could have resumed working, but I was still very easily exhausted. I took a full 2 weeks off of work because I didn't want to have to give myself injections at work. Overall, I felt like the surgery was far easier than I had expected. The only hard part was getting in & out of bed & moving position, but the more you force yourself to do it, the easier it gets. I haven't had any problems with throwing up or anything like that. Relearning how to eat has been a struggle and is my biggest focus right now. I hope this long and detailed (and in some cases TMI) story is helpful to those of you with this surgery in your future. Krista

What sucks, the most is that I thought had done all of the research but still feel I did not know everything. I did not learn about banderst hell until joining this site. I thought this would be something that not only would help me eat less but would also curve that craving and that is not what happen. I am very happy I got the surgery and I have lost 35 pounds from 03/30/09. But this is really hard work. When they say it is just a tool that is what is meant you have to really be ready to loose weight. It is slow but steady.

Just had my first fill. I continue to lose weight (30 lbs- banded 1/13/03)but, I felt I was eating more than I should. The fill was painless, although felt alittle weird, I could feel the fluid going through the tube. It took about 15 minutes and a few pokes to access the port. He numbed me first and put 1.5 cc in. I like this adjustment, it feels good. I also joined Curves, to try to become more active and tone up a bit. I love to swim, but, not comfortable showing my skin yet. I find the band truly amazing and so glad I opted for this instead of the by-pass. I thought I would stick out like a "sore thumb" when I dined out but, that certainly is not the case. My only regret is not finding out about the band sooner.

Welcome. I totally agree with everyone, even though I haven't gotten the "easy way out" mantra thrown at me. However I sometimes criticize myself for not being able to loose weight the ""normal" way. Giving my son a life with a healthy mother is what I've decided to choose and I think my turning point was when my weight continued to tip the scale and several health issues began to stack against me. Two years ago when I found out I had hypertension should have been the wake up call, but with sleep apnea and diabetes side by side, the wake up call became a bullhorn tearing out my eardrums. So here I am, proud and ready that I've made the decision to become healthy for me and no one else...so I guess that is the easy way out for me, and the hard part will follow !

Hi. Barbie welcome, I decided to have the band because it’s reversible if something goes wrong or if later in my life I get sick. With the band they are not changing/re-routing anything in my body. My advice to you would be research them both, weigh the pros and cons of both and then make you decision. This site has a lot of good info on it. Some have had success with the band some have not. Good Luck Ps: In my opinion with the bypass you may lose quicker but you will have more loose skin, and a greater chance of gaining it back.

Hey roxanne, it sounds like your on your way nicely. I feel the same way, I gained it slow and I think loosing it a little slower will be a little more healthy for me. But I am anxious to loose, and will have to keep reminding myself...(slow is good)... ~Bill

OK - I am starting to freak out. I got a call today from one of the ladies in Dr. C's office making sure I was going to be there for my pre-op testing tomorrow and she asked me how I was doing on the pre-op diet. I told her fine, that I was having three shakes, lots of water and one meat with veggies for dinner. Apparently the Weightwise clinic that I go to has a different diet than Dr. C - his apparently is only 2 shakes and a small amount (palm size) of meat. I am FREAKING out. She asked me how many pounds I have lost and I told her 7 pounds (in 1 week). She said that most patience loose 15-20 in the two weeks. When they called me about my surgery date, it was only 12 days away so I will only have been on the diet for 12 days. She also said that I would probably be okay but that Dr. C wouldn't know for sure until he started the surgery. YIKES. That will be really BAD. i have already taken off work. ANY COMMENTS?????:eek:

I am down 138lbs, 7lbs from goal. I am positive my flat tire will not go away without surgery. I am a normal weight for my height but if I lost all my loose skin from this massive weight loss I would likely be on the low end of the BMI chart.

Great to hear. It´s always inspirational to hear when things work out the way they should. I´m only 6 days post op and I am so looking forward to start loosing.

I had surgery a few years back and in the past year and half I have gained appx 20 lbs, a couple of pounds at a time. I don't know if it is my age or what. I don't eat that much because if I do it comes back as fast as it went in. I don't eat late because it make me cough and choke at night if I do. Is it too late to start loosing again? Any suggestions of what to do? I only had 3 fills but no more than I eat that is sufficient.

I read posts like these, and pay close attention and try to learn something... I have only been banded for 2 1/2 years, and so far everything has been great....so when people say they gain the weight back, or they loose restriction, my ears perk up because it is something I must be aware of...especially the reasons why it happens.... I still cannot understand how one can loose restriction...as long as the band remains a constant...I do understand and experience it for myself the pouch dilating stretching, allowing larger than normal portions because there is more room for food to accumulate above the band....for this I do the 5 day pouch test, actually will go all liquids for 2-3 days, to give my pouch a rest and return to normal size...hopefully avoiding more serious issues in the future....also why Dr.'s suggest un-fills... But I am still naive how one can "Fall off the wagon" so to speak....so when people do post these type of stories, it is something that interests me very much...like I said. I try to understand the WHY so others like me, can be warned....and educated.. Thanks for being honest and posting......that is why this forum CAN be productive...for people to hear other people's experiences, good and bad....and learn from them.....NOT to have know it alls tell us what we should and should not do when they themselves have a way to go and much to learn........as if their way is the only way

Heck-NO! I wouldnt touch a hotdog 3 weeks post op. Like the others, Ive tried weiners a few times since banding and every time they stayed in my pouch - wouldnt go through the stoma, and ended up pbing. Ive even peeled the skin off, but nope! no luck. sorry.

Ok, so I am new to this. I will be getting Lap Band on March 24th. My goial is to loose 130 pounds through the whole process. I have currently lost 22 pounds with the pre-op stuff. I am excited and nervous at the same time. My wife had hers done on the 10th and she is recovering.

Hello everyone I am LaDonna and new to the board. I found this board and was looking at some of the before and after pics and they are such an inspiration and amazing to look at. I will be banded Oct 24th. Any advice that anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. I have already met with my nutritionist and will met with Dr. and have psych evaluation done on Thursday. I start my pre-op low carb diet tomorrow. I am very excited about this new journey in my life and look forward to be on the loosing side.

Tanna, I do understand what you are saying. It seems that everyone thinks their procedure is the best and they stand up for what they believe. I think a couple of people are just cutting loose with their beliefs, mainly because we have to tiptoe around all the other sites, not to start any wars. But here, we seem safer to speak our minds. I myself believe that in time, the lapband will be the preferred procedure (the "Gold Standard") here in the US, just like it is everywhere else in the world. But until it is, we have to listen to the incorrect information that the bypassers (and doctors!) dole out to people researching WLS. It is a daily thing. Here is what happens. Someone will ask a basic question regarding the lapband. Some RNYer will say it doesn't work if you like sweets, or you have a low or high BMI, if you graze, etc. Then they say that at the end of the struggle, chances are that you will fail and have to revert to getting the bypass. And that the bypass is a permanent cure without having to do any work. When we step in and try to correct some of their misinformation (very nicely), we get a war. It is a struggle to get the correct information out to people without starting some war. Like I said, everyone thinks their surgery is the best. Having said all that, I do believe that the RNY is best for some people. But I personally think that the lapband can work as well, if not better, with some people that get the bypass. I just want people to know that they have an option and I want them to know the correct facts. Then they can do their own research and decide what is best for them. That is where the animosity comes from on the lapband side. It is a struggle to get the correct information out there.

Hi to all, I am new to forum and interested in getting banded. I have intro meeting 7/10 and kinda scared. Congrats to those who have made the choice. My fear is that what do i do with the skin and will i feel better about ME once complete. I have two kids (single mom) and need a self esteem boost and to shed a couple pounds (50+) lol due to medial concerns. Nice to meet you all and share your thoughts:smile:

Hello, After about 1 year of having my band filled I lost 90 pounds and found myself in the same situation you described. I did what you are planning and had my band unfilled. Then I got it filled, unfilled, filled, filled and filled. From the time is was unfilled, to the time it was back at the right fill level was about 5 months. I gained over 30 pounds. Since it has been at the right fill level (2 months), I have lost about 12 pounds. So, if I continue to loose at the end of the year I will weight exactlly the same as I weighed last year. I would have preferred to weigh less. Be a little concerned about gaining weight when the band is not filled. I know when it feels like a piano landed on your chest, the last thing you care about is loosing weight, you just want somebody to move the piano. The unfill is like having the piano removed, it is a huge relief. I only wish I had been quicker to get the band refilled to the right level sooner. THE REASON THIS HAPPENS MAY NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE FILL LEVEL OF YOUR BAND. If your fill level intiaqlly worked and the band seemed to get tighter, the band fill level was probably alright. What happens is that when you vomit this causes trama and swelling, so things tighten up. Then because they are tighter, you vomit again and things swell even more and then before long, you are swollen shut and can't even swallow a single drop of water. Then you have to get unfilled. THE WAY TO FIX THIS AND NEVER HAVE THIS ISSUE AGAIN is to be very strict with your diet and not push it even one time. Once you vomit it is a very good idea to go to clear liquids right away for a week. You may not feel tighter after the fist time, but swelling has occured annd by the time it feels tighter, it is to late and it will be hard to recover without an unfill. Clear liquids will save you from ever having to feel like this again. Never, ever vomit and then the first time you do go immediatly to 7 days of clear liquids. Once it gets very tight, an unfill is required. For my this cost me 30 pounds, 9 months and about $1,500. I would rather not pay that tuition bill again.