The worst place to be in any situation is not knowing enough to ask questions. I am four months out - lost a ton of weight (52 pounds). From the start, I felt like the patient that fell between the cracks. I had the initial orientation to explain procedure, costs and so forth, did pre-op, psych eval and the rest is history. My insurance company, did not require that I attend classes. The doctor is supposedly one of the best in the field (according to them anyway) but in my opinion could use less ego and more customer service. Even though, I kick myself for going into this blindly, I knew I needed to lose weight and the big incentive was that the insurance company paid 100%. Being an HMO it would be hard to change doctors. You all sound so informed and discuss things that are totally unbeknownst to me. Can anyone recommend any sites, magazine articles or books, to at least give me a clue as to what I need to know? Thanks so much!

All the doctors are like that. Unfortunately this is elective surgery and they want money. I haven't talked to my doctor since my fill 2 months ago, nor have they checked up on me haha.

http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

this is the most helpful article I ever read. Explains how it works, and what you need to do to succeed.

Since you are posting in this forum, I assume you have computer access. Do your own research, the info is out there. GOOGLE IT! I researched like crazy before making my decision and even then things come up that I don't know about. This forum is a great source of information in itself. However, you should be able to have your questions answered by your surgeon's office. You should ask them for any literature they may have regarding the lapband. You are no different then anyone other patient out there. Educate yourself!

Well banded in Mexicali Mexico, you obviously didn't get the gist of the post. I am doing just that and have included this site as part of my research. Up until now, I have had tremendous results in hearing from fellow members. HeatherinCA sent me a wonderful link which I appreciate and was wondering what others had found in addition to my own findings. If this is the attitude you take, why bother to even reply.

Since you are posting in this forum, I assume you have computer access. Do your own research, the info is out there. GOOGLE IT! I researched like crazy before making my decision and even then things come up that I don't know about. This forum is a great source of information in itself. However, you should be able to have your questions answered by your surgeon's office. You should ask them for any literature they may have regarding the lapband. You are no different then anyone other patient out there. Educate yourself!

Obesityhelp.com lapband forum is very helpful as well as this site.

Well banded in Mexicali Mexico, you obviously didn't get the gist of the post. I am doing just that and have included this site as part of my research. Up until now, I have had tremendous results in hearing from fellow members. HeatherinCA sent me a wonderful link which I appreciate and was wondering what others had found in addition to my own findings. If this is the attitude you take, why bother to even reply.

There was no attitude intended......sorry for the misunderstanding!

I LOVE that link Heather gave you. Love it. Another option is a book called Bandwagon- I haven't read it, but I've heard it's very good and I'm hoping to get it soon.

http://www.amazon.com/Bandwagon-Strategies-Success-Adjustable-Gastric/dp/0578061236/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304627394&sr=1-1

Then link from Heather is great. I read it myself and also forwarded it to a friend who was recently banded too. I think doing your own research is key. My surgeon is great and seems to be a bit more personable than some others. We talk and decide together which route I am taking. I chose not to have a fill last month when I went, but he did give my Adiphex to see if we can kick-start my metabolism again and get some more weight loss going again.

This site is also a great peer resource

Try finding a local support group. The one at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, CA is run by a licensed social worker and a nutritionist.

LBT has been my fav. There is so much conflicting info out there. I have found that the best way to do it is learn as I go. By that I mean learn how my own body and my own lifestyle work with the band. It's trial and error. Some people worship the guy that says "it's not about restriction." I don't agree with that at all because for me it's all about restriction. Of course read and learn as much as you can, but at the end of the day, some things don't work the same for everyone.

Along with this site, and Obesityhelp.com, I also utilize yahoo groups. Smartbandsters is probably my favorite and one of the moderators is a RN who works in bariatrics and has been banded 11 years.

If your bariatric surgeon doesn't provide support group, ask around in your area. My surgeon welcomes patients to support group who has been banded by other surgeons and for one reason or another can't attend support with their own surgeon. I know all doctors don't have that policy, but you won't know if you don't ask.

There are lots of blogs out there about banding... one I've been looking at is bandedliving.

Hope to see you at OH or Smartbandsters. I think they're both very informative (although OH does have surgery wars from time to time.. just 2 be forewarned).