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Hi everyone! I just had a quick query and whilst I know everyone gets restriction at different times and after different fills, I was just wondering if you could all just quickly say what size your band is and at what filled capacity you think you got restriction.... just as a point of reference and general guidence!! My band an AP Lapband and is 9cc/ml in size and has been filled once to 4.5cc/ml (had 2.5cc/ml filled during surgery and 2cc/ml during my first fill). I have no restriction! Any info would be great!! Thanks guys!!

You're more than welcome and thank you. Us Brit sleevers are thin on the ground ('scuse the pun!), so it's nice to meet some others. As for the surgery, I think things went relatively well. Surgery is surgery and I had some trapped wind and anesthesia issues, but on talking to the nurses in the ward, apparently I was good in dealing with it (Who knew I'd be capable of that?!) Here I am, day two, sat in bed with my man beside me, feeling pretty chipper. Plus a bit out of my head on pain killers, so it's all good! I can walk, I can sip things, sometimes I ache, sometimes I burp, sometimes I go for a little walk and feel better, sometimes I get tired and have a nap. I think the best thing I can say (and this is obviously based on VERY limited experience), is something I read from a sage person on this site previously: Listen to your body. It won't put you wrong. I certainly found that out when they tried to give me dis-solvable paracetamol. I'd let it sit, so the bicarb had 'evaporated' ; but as soon as it went in, it came straight back up! So, guess what was first off my list of 'acceptable drugs to take'?! Either way, you'll be great. Keep positive, keep your eyes on the prize and keep in touch. If you have any questions or queries you feel I can answer or help with, or you just want to have a natter; give me a shout. Best of luck! xx

And babycakes, celebrate when it does and for the majority it will. You don't want to move to Stricture City with me! Oh it's an exclusive location, but. it's lonely there. You might be in the penthouse, but there are few to talk to- And every time you think you have found a buddy theirs gets fixed. You are left sad , sorrowful and querying "Why me Lord? I wanted to heal perfect too!" Well attempt #3 will be this Friday the 9th of November, 2 months, 4 days after the initial surgery. All shamans, medicine men and others of this ilk, Frustr8 wants made All Better!😷👍😪

I've been talking things thru with my hubby, who is behind this 100% - we have made the decision to proceed, and now need to decide which surgeon to go with. One query I have for you all..... for those with lower BMI - did you shift your weight approx at the same rate as those with higher BMI or do you think it was slower as you are a lower weight to start with? I'd like to shift say 70lbs.... possibly a little more....and presently have a BMI of 35.5.

Hi I help co-ordinate a support group in the North West region. We meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm We alternate the venues between Ashton-Under Lyne and Bolton. Both very easy to get to as they are both just off the M60. The next Support Group meeting is on Tuesday 7th November at 7.00pm at the Ashton-under-Lyne Venue - address and directions below. We are a very friendly bunch and everyone is welcome. We have members from pre-oppers to very inspirational members at their goal weight. We would love to see you So please come along and join us If you have any queries please dont hesistate to ask here or PM me. Delly Sheldon Arms, Lord Sheldon Way Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, OL7 0QN 0161 371 2090 Go into the pub through the car park entrance. We meet in the area to the left of the doors which will be cordoned off and private There is plenty of free car parking - its just off the M60 Motorway Come off at Junction 23 and turn left (you have to - its the traffic flow) and as you pull round to the next set of lights you will see it in front of you slightly to the right - just go straight over those lights Map link - http://uk2.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&search_result=&db=pc〈 =&keepicon=true&pc=OL70QN&advanced=&client=public& addr2=&quicksearch=OL7%200QN&addr3=&addr1= To get directions just pop your postcode into that link

Hi Everyone, I've seem a few queries about what's good to eat after surgery. Google has a wealth of ideas, just search for Lapband (or whatever) recipies. I was on Amazon yesterday and found a number of cookbooks that deal with WLS. I bought a used, good condition book for $4.00. Someone on one of the forums, said they put a meatball in a container with a little spagetti sauce and used an immersion blender to mix to the consistency they wanted. It really sounded great. The immersion blender is probably one of the best investments you can make. Its perfect for blending Protein shakes and will mix a little tuna with a little onion to any consistency you can tollerate. I'm not really a cook, but I do have a lot of experience eating and I refuse to give up good taste just because I need to loose weight. I get my Lapband next week and plan to, finally, attack this problem with all energy i can muster. Best of luck to everyone.

@@VSGAnn2014 Your initial comments were fine. The Oak Park OP said she's "depressed," and since that depression, is drinking more beer, ingesting more calories in beer than in food. Liking beer doesn't make one an alcoholic; regularly/frequently turning to it in depression, etc., warrants contemplation. To consider AA...legitimate query, if one is truly open to exploring all reasons and all possible remedies for the weight gain. [Ann, hope you're hubby is progressing well.]

Yes, most of them do the phone consults. Oh....wait for surgery!! Sorry....why I thought you were asking about how long between surgery and first fill is beyond me!! LOL. It varies....could be anywhere from 6-8 weeks as Mandi said or longer....it will vary I'm sure and is bound to increase as it becomes more and more popular. That is one of the queries you can ask during your consult.

First of all regardless of whether I have been banded four months or four years I have educated myself with this lapband process. I researched it for one year prior to making the decision so I fully understood what I was getting myself into and to be 100% that this was the right decision for me. My surgeon is a the leadind lapband pioneer here in Australia. Before my initial appointment with him I had a list of questions which he answered thoroughly. My appointment was one whole hour, I wasn't rushed through, it was easy to talk to and I felt comfortable with him from day one. Now lets roll forward to me being banded four months and having a "vast knowledge" in that time in relation to the lapband. No, I do not claim to know it all but if I come across something on the forums that hasn't come up with my surgeon or nutritionist I query it with them when I go in for my appointments, gaining more knowledge along the way. I am one of the lucky ones, had a smooth operation, smooth recovery, everything has gone smoothly so far. I have followed the rules given to me by my surgeon and after care team. As you read on these forums there are different sets of rules for so many different people and of course we are always to follow our own surgeon's instructions but to go out there and say you must never do this or that is wrong, you must follow your own instructions but as you can see so many people have been successful with different instructions. So many people who have the lapband really do not know how it actually works. I was confused by it all too but I made it a point to understand 100% how it works by reading, researching and asking questions even if I thought some of those questions were silly at the time. And of course I came across the no drinking rule in these forums (and I respect each person's individual rules) so even though it had been explained to me by my surgeon and nutritionist about the drinking and eating, I still queried it with him over and over and he explained that in the past they believed that if you did drink whilst eating then yes the liquid would make the food too much of a liquid and it would pass through the band and not help give that satiety feeling. He then went on to explain that after studies, conducted by him and his team that it was ok to drink provided you followed the one minute rule as you do with food to give whatever you have above the band to pass through so it helped trigger the communication between the brain and the stomach and at the right consistency. The video you posted is very outdated. When you take the right amount of food into your mouth you chew, swallow and wait a minute, the reason why you wait a minute is so your food passes through the band, the food does not sit in the little pouch above the band, if it does then that's when you get stuck episodes, pb's vomitting yada yada yada yada. Then and only then if you feel you need to drink then you sip, swallow and wait a minute. Not saying that's what you or others have to do, that's what my instructions are. I've dropped 80 pounds since pre op diet, which is 5 months and if I have needed to drink whilst eating I have done so by following the rules and have been fine and proof that drinking whilst eating is not something that should not be done. Now I am sure others who have been given the it's ok to drink whilst eating don't do well, one set of rules does not work for every single person. So yes only been banded four months and yes have been drinking with my meals and yes I have gained a lot of knowledge since being banded through experience and through asking questions. I'm sure as time progresses I may encounter issues and if I do then rather than say oh I know it all I will look into it further and be in contact with my care team to sort things out.

Hi I am linda, due to see my Dr for the first time in Sept, I have watched the surgery performed on you tube, they made reference to Hiatus hernia..does anyone know what happens if you have a hernia and does it interfere with you having the lapband op. I was told 20 yrs ago that I had a hernia but I dont ever remember having any problems with it. I hope someone can answer this for me cheers Linda

I have to admit that I am emotional eater too and if I ever lost my band I would totally go for a "sleeve". And actually on bad days or weeks I've often thought I would switch if I had the money to do so. I do suggest that you also post this query on the "life after the lap band" sub forum because I know there are folks there who have had lots of different wls's after beging banded that may or may not visit this part of the site and I would consider their input very valuable Good luck on your decision and journey :Banane20:

ROFL...probably not. Actually, what I've found most interesting about this thread is how people look at this whole process. Not one person responded to my query as to whether they would bring KFC into their home *knowing* it was their partner's weakness and *knowing* that their partner was on a very low fat diet because of heart disease and a high risk of heart attack. I'm assuming they wouldn't because they care about their partner and want them around for a good long time. Based on many of the posts here, it seems many don't see this same connection between our obesity and our life span. Instead, it's something less and expecting our partner to support our new healthy lifestyle in order to prolong our life is seen as an unreasonably demanding 'whim'. Make no mistake...our lives are shortened by decades because of obesity and the health complications that arise from it. Let's not make it less than it is.

Jarrod no worries as posted in your other query, Dr Garcia is wonderful and so is his hospital. He has one floor it is a small hospital but also has an ICU if needed. His offices and staff are on the second floor. Pharmacy is on the first floor. Stop in there on your way out if you need any extra/more medications.

Hi, Congratulations on getting the band and your weight loss and welcome to the club. I had my surgery in November 2009 and live in London. I lost 7kgs in my first week also but I have found i slightly more difficult to get into a rhythm but I am still losing weight. Feel free to contact me if you have any queries or want to chat. RoniP

That link said, no recipes for that search query:(

It is personal to tell or not. Isn't it? People do notice if you have lost a considerable amount. Sometimes I Reply "I had a lot of help". Most don't query further. Close friends know. I've stayed close to the same weight range for over 6 yrs so I don't feel needy about discussing it. I think that happens more at the beginning of the journey

@jconforti, I was looking for a location to find you. Your point on "Am I the only one" is well-taken and well-stated. May I share what,happened to me once? Often if I feel I have an insight, I do post. Thought that was fine until one day I answered a query,only to be put down because I was pre-surgical, apparently this person felt only post-surgical persons should be permitted to answer. My response had been gauged on life experiences which I had felt had equal validity. Didn't post for awhile, my "newbie" feelings were wounded, and until she went,inactive I never posted again where she was at. Just wanted to share this with you, and until I upgraded to Beta app, my "trendings" never told what forum things originated from so once or twice I did post way back in the GuysRoom by accident, but not anymore. I respect the boundaries now.

Just thought I'd give you all an update on where I am with the LB book (since YOU are the ones here who talked me into this LOL). I'm hanging out my HELP WANTED sign to find a great Literary Agent. I'm proud and happy to say that after working on this letter and agents list the last month, the first batch of my query letters to Literary Agencies (to find a book Agent for the Lap-Band book) went out yesterday! ...Please let me know if you know anyone in the buisiness I could send my query to! Some days I get discouraged (and I want to spend more time here with all of you), but then I remember all those 'What's going on? My Doctor never told me there was a Bandster Hell!' posts and blogs that we all still see and I remember why I'm doing this. I was so nervous pressing that 'Send' button for the Query the first time...I was sitting there with my finger over the button and I was reminded of all those times writing one of my 'headband' blogs here on LBT and wondering if I should press 'publish' or not...and then I remembered how I was always glad I did. Most agencies say about 4 weeks wait for a reply. It's like sending out college applications and then waiting nervously.... Published or not, I'm glad I'm doing this and I want you all to know, I'm giving it my best! Game on!

This is by far the most common query that newbie bandsters have. I had it and didn't know the answer at the time. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and asked my doctor about it, and I think this is a sound explanation for what is going on inside of you. Don't let it get to you - it IS temporary! Most of all, don't let it cause you to give up!! ****************************************** It is highly likely that you will hit a plateau or regain a few pounds in in the weeks after the op. My theory on this is: * In the pre-op weeks, we saw big numbers as weight loss because we had switched from a solid to a liquid diet and most of the loss was not fat but simply emptying the digestive system. At any point in time on a normal eating regime, an average person will have 10-15lb of food in various stages of digestion in their alimentary canal. Us fatties probably had 20+! Real fat loss at that stage is probably only 2-5lb, the rest is fluids and undigested food. However, we believe the big numbers and get disappointed when they don't continue. * During the operation, they put you on an IV saline drip, which boosts your Fluid levels and Water weighs MUCH more than fat. This can take several days to a couple of weeks to get out of your system (see next point). * The internal swelling from the operation all contributes to fluid retention, which is boosted by the IV drip. Until the swelling goes down, you're going to hold onto that fluid. * As the swelling goes down, you start to move from liquids to mushies to solids. You will probably notice that you don't poop for quite some time post-op, which is a combination of the constipation-causing painkillers, the fact that you are eating MUCH less in volume, and that you are now re-filling your digestive system from it's previously completely empty state. This means that as you lose fluid weight, you are regaining solid food weight, and all the actual fat loss is disguised by those two. Some people will retain more fluid, especially if they're eating salty canned Soups (I know I did!), so they will see a gain. Others will lose more fluid than they are gaining in food weight, so they will see a slight loss. For others it will be equal or will go up and down day by day. In the meantime, in the background, I believe that if we stick to the diet plans, we are still losing real fat at the steady rate of 2-3lb a week - we just can't see it and judge it accurately because there are too many other influences. Once you get back to solid foods, a "normally full" digestive tract and get rid of the extra fluids, your scales will be much more accurate and should be showing a steady loss of 1-2lb per week.

The reason the band is much tighter in the mornings is because of Fluid settling down around the band when we sleep, once we are awake and as the day progresses that fluid drains away hence the looser band at night time. I queried this with my doctor today when I went in for a fill and it makes sense. Kinda like if you wake up with swollen fingers or ankles in the mornings and the fluid drains throughout the day.

So I have a history of hair loss with weight loss, this is nothing new. I am kind of glad because at least I have already had all those terrified search queries, tried all the shampoos, joined the hair loss forums.... So really I feel pretty prepared for this, but still, it sucks. This is 3 showers worth and doesn't count everything at my bathroom sink, in my brush, on my sweater, in dinner.... ????

Same here Tracy. I was out of the office for the hip surgery, and when I got back, everyone really noticed the weight loss. I've heard everything from 'you look great' to 'I don't even recognize you'. I also feel that while it's nice to be noticed, I'm just as happy to have this part of it be in the past and have everyone get used to the smaller me so it becomes something they are all used to. I've also had those queries as well about how I lost the weight. I tell them I needed to lose it because of the hips and I eat around 1,000 calories. That part is true and that's all anyone needs to know. Because my coworkers were aware of my joint issues (limping and in pain as I walked the halls), they accept my explanation and don't ask too many other questions.

Jamie explained it very well. Think of it like this - let's say a recipe calls for 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of Water, and 1 cup of whipped cream. Volume wise they're all the same (size). But actual weight will be very different. Water is 8.3 oz per cup, whipped cream will be 2 ounces per cup, and the heavy cream will be 8.5 oz per cup. You can check these all at wolframalpha.com, here are the search queries I used: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=how+many+ounces+is+1+cup+of+heavy+cream http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=how+many+ounces+is+1+cup+of+whipped+cream http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=how+many+ounces+is+1+cup+of+water

Hi Disneyfreak, I am presently going down the Lapband path and am planning on being banded this spring. I just recently found out about the VSG and would prefer this procedure, but there does not appear to be any surgeons in South Central PA that does them and when I queried my insurance (Capital Blue Cross - FEHB) they said that they currently consider VSG to be experimental. Although VSG a more extreme procedure (removal of ~3/4 of the stomach), it is a "restrictive" only WLS similar to the Lapband, which appeals to me. What I like about VSG over the Lapband is that there are no fills, no "getting stuck", sliming, PBing, slippage, erosion, etc. With the VSG, one can eat whatever they ate before, but only a lot less of it. Just like the with the band, however, eating the right foods and exercising is still vital for tool to work. Since it does not appear that neither my insurance will change their mind, nor my surgeons will learn this procedure anytime soon, I am very very happy to continue with my stroll down the Lapband path. __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Beauty, I posted this a week ago on another thread and it sounds like you could do with reading it. As the knowledgeable ones above have said; if you're not comfortable, get a second opinion. I have a BMI of nearly 36 and there's no way, given the amount of academic research I've done, I would consider a band. Closer to home, I know a lady who had the band operation, had three corrective surgeries on it and then had to go to sleeve, which due to the scar tissue the band had left, failed, so it had to be revised into a bypass. An absolute mess. This, of course, is an isolated case - but the academic research proves that the band is simply not as effective, you don't lose as much weight, but does, on the plus side, have a lower mortality rate. If you have any queries about the below, please do not hesitate to contact me. All the best, R x "I posted this on another forum and felt it might be useful for other people to have a read of, if like me, you like your scientific facts. Maybe the below will provide a bit of clarity as to the 'nuts and bolts' of some of the bariatric procedures and their long-term (within the limitations of the data) efficacy. This first academic journal quoted was published in May 2013. So, it doesn't get more 'up to date' with regards to evaluating the comparative effectiveness in the three biggest weight loss procedures. I have only reproduced the abstract and have quoted the source below as the abstract covers the salient information we'd be interested in. The second section is all about the metrics, with a snapshot of all the procedures being evaluated in a tabulated form (the table was removed from the cutting and pasting process, so read left to right) and the risks associated with the operations. The primary and secondary sources are also cited. Better to make decisions based on rigorous scientific research, than hearsay and charasmatic sales pitches, I feel... Hope it helps. Article 1: Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of sleeve gastrectomy (SG), laparoscopic gastric bypass (RYGB), and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) procedures. Background: Citing limitations of published studies, payers have been reluctant to provide routine coverage for SG for the treatment of morbid obesity. Methods: Using data from an externally audited, statewide clinical registry, we matched 2949 SG patients with equal numbers of RYGB and LAGB patients on 23 baseline characteristics. Outcomes assessed included complications occurring within 30 days, and weight loss, quality of life, and comorbidity remission at 1, 2, and 3 years after bariatric surgery. Results: Matching resulted in cohorts of SG, RYGB, and LAGB patients that were well balanced on baseline characteristics. Overall complication rates among patients undergoing SG (6.3%) were significantly lower than for RYGB (10.0%, P < 0.0001) but higher than for LAGB (2.4%, P < 0.0001). Serious complication rates were similar for SG (2.4%) and RYGB (2.5%, P = 0.736) but higher than for LAGB (1.0%, P < 0.0001). Excess body weight loss at 1 year was 13% lower for SG (60%) than for RYGB (69%, P < 0.0001), but was 77% higher for SG than for LAGB (34%, P < 0.0001). SG was similarly closer to RYGB than LAGB with regard to remission of obesity-related comorbidities. Conclusions: With better weight loss than LAGB and lower complication rates than RYGB, SG is a reasonable choice for the treatment of morbid obesity and should be covered by both public and private payers. SOURCE: Carlin A, Zeni T, Birkmeyer N, et al. The comparative effectiveness of sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and adjustable gastric banding procedures for the treatment of morbid obesity. Annals Of Surgery [serial online]. May 2013;257(5):791-797. Available from: MEDLINE with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Article 2: September 2012: Morbidity and mortality associated with LRYGB, LSG, and LAGB from the ACS-BSCN dataset LRYGB LSG LAGB 30-d mortality (%) 0.14 0.11 0.05 1-y mortality (%) 0.34 0.21 0.08 30-d morbidity (%) 5.91 5.61 1.44 30-d readmission (%) 6.47 5.40 1.71 30-d reoperation/intervention(%) 5.02 2.97 0.92 SOURCE: Data from Hutter MM, Schirmer BD, Jones DB, et al. First report from the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network: laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has morbidity and effectiveness positioned between the band and the bypass. Ann Surg 2011;254(3):410–20 [discussion: 420–2], in: Timothy D. J, Matthew M. H. Morbidity and Effectiveness of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, Adjustable Gastric Band, and Gastric Bypass for Morbid Obesity. Advances In Surgery [serial online]. n.d.;46(Advances in Surgery):255-268. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA"