Lap-Band with Gastric Plication in one surgery

[sassyfrass 24]

Okurt, thank you for your reply. I think this is the way I would like to go too.

[fefebutterfly 7]

Hi Sandy

My name is FeFe and I have the lapband with Gastric Plication. Only 3.5cc bandfill since my surgery on April 11 2011 and I have lost 45 lbs. I dont want to discourage you because this procedure has allowed me to lose a lot of weight very quickly, but I had a lot of problems in the beginning. I was only supposed to stay in the hospital overnight and I ended up staying for 4 whole days. Like alot of Bariatric patients, the doctor had to repair a hiatel hernia and because of three different procedures i encountered o whole lot of inflammation in my esophogas and stomach. That was the worst time of my life because I couldnt even take a sip of Water because my throat was so tight. I was throwing up foam from whatever liquid they tried to give me. The doctor came on the fourth day and took the fill out of my band (4cc) and that allowed me some relief and I was able to go home. whatever you do, do not drink or eat to fast because it is more restrictive than just the lapband on its on. I took two weeks off work (FMLA) and then I came back and at first I was really weak and tired and some discomfort from the wounds. Now after 3 months I feel almost like i did before and my appetite is up and down, but I still cant overeat too much. I hope to loose at least 40 lbs by christmas and at this rate I believe I just may make it. I would recommend that you get this procedure. Good luck to you Sandy, It may be hard at first but it gets wayyyy better when you see your results.

[bazookadoe 0]

Ha! FeFe, if you don't lose another 40 pounds in six months, I owe you a Coke. Not to be taken literally, of course.

[aliamah1998 0]

Fefe butterfly

when u had the lapband put in they filled it with 3.5cc or was it after surgery at your first fill that they put in 3.5cc?I was hoping that the doc wouldn't put any fill until it was necessary. On another forum the person who had it done didn't get a fill and it's been a month or two. Just wondering if different doctors do it differently. This will be a question for my Doc on Tuesday. I hope you are feeling alot better and it's encouraging that you are still happy with

it.

[Aint Settlin' 0]

I am having a banded plication on July 7th! If you've had this procedure, please let me know what to expect. Thanks!

[janet1173 0]

Surgery time is in the morning - a few short hours to go. Just finished watching Extreme Makeover with Chris Powell. I am motivated, I can do this!

Many calls today - time of surgery, yes the plication was authorized with the lap band by insurance and my estimated copay and estimated cost of the procedure (holy moly!)

See ya on the other side!

[aliamah1998 0]

Hi Janet

My prayers are with you, I wish you a quick recovery and a lot of weight loss. Keep us informed of your journey.

[bazookadoe 0]

I just got home. I'm very sleepy. Portenier told my mom it all went smooth as silk. Doctors can be horribly pretentious but Portenier? I like the cut of his jib. I'll let those of you wondering what to expect physically tomorrow, but right now I just want to go to sleep, if that gives you any idea. Off to the Promised Land...

Dori

[sassyfrass 24]

I will be looking forward to reading all about it

[Short and Chunky 230]

I am having Lap-Band with Plication on 7/7. My doctor highly recommend it but did say it is still in the investigation stage. He says he charges $800 additional to do the Plication but as long as it is still investigational he charges nothing - so, I am having it done. I have lost 12 pounds on the pre-surgery diet and am doing the serious diet starting today. Not looking forward to the Clear Liquids thing on Tues and Wed but hey, if it helps me heal faster yeah. I asked about returning to work and he said I could go back to work on Monday and drive myself there. He even said I could climb stair when I get home and this thing is being done as an outpatient., Can't be too bad. I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes. I am Florida and this is becoming all the rage down here.

[gingy 3]

i had Lapband with Gastric Plication March 24 - very happy with the results!!! 10 lbs lost before surgery and 32 since surgery. Have 48 lbs to go. Portenier was my surgeon too. Glad I did this. Recovery time for me was about 2 weeks... then another month to get my energy back.

[SewHappyInFlorida 1]

I am having Lap-Band with Plication on 7/7. My doctor highly recommend it but did say it is still in the investigation stage. He says he charges $800 additional to do the Plication but as long as it is still investigational he charges nothing - so, I am having it done. I have lost 12 pounds on the pre-surgery diet and am doing the serious diet starting today. Not looking forward to the Clear liquids thing on Tues and Wed but hey, if it helps me heal faster yeah. I asked about returning to work and he said I could go back to work on Monday and drive myself there. He even said I could climb stair when I get home and this thing is being done as an outpatient., Can't be too bad. I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes. I am Florida and this is becoming all the rage down here.

Hi S&C,

How much does he charge for the whole surgery? Does he have a good after care program?

How many of these LapBand with Plication surgeries has he done?

Thanks,

SewHappyInFlorida

[aliamah1998 0]

Hi I went for my consultation on Tuesday the 28th and im scheduled for surgery on the 15th of july. The surgical coordinator said that my insurance should not be a problem and if so she will let me know. OMG OMG I am so nervous. I start my pre-op diet tomorrow, I'm already doubting and second guessing myself and freaking out, OMG. I know I have to relax. I have a special needs child and I'ts so scary to think if something happens to me she will be devestated, everytime I think about it I start crying. But I try to remind myself that I am also doing this for her, i want to be around for her and be able to do things with her like walking excercising and all that good stuff, anyway GOD willing all will be OK.

[janet1173 0]

Surgery time is in the morning - a few short hours to go. Just finished watching Extreme Makeover with Chris Powell. I am motivated, I can do this!

Many calls today - time of surgery, yes the plication was authorized with the lap band by insurance and my estimated copay and estimated cost of the procedure (holy moly!)

See ya on the other side!

This is my experience

I had the band with plication done at Duke (Durham, NC) on Tues 28 June. Short story, I've had two cervical spine surgeries, got up to 282 lbs at my worst, and got down to 250 during the pre-process. I was told with the lap band alone realistically to expect 40-50% loss of excess weight, so to get under 200 lbs means success! The psychologist said that women particularly tend to get a 'magic number' stuck in their mind and though they reach the bariatric center's definition of success, women get frustrated at not reaching their own magic number so see it as a failure and it will take more effort to maintain weight loss than we think. I just need to lose weight to be healthier and have increased mobility, and for me, the less drastic surgery was the better option. I will be thrilled to get to one-derland (weight in the 100's), but am remaining open to seeing how far I can go, especially with being more able to exercise. Then they mentioned banding with plication which seems to be the tool that can work in combination to get an additional 25-30% of excess weight off. Other people’s result of ten pounds the first week to 45 lbs the first 2-3 months are inspiring! The surgery fellow said 10% of bandsters can reach the same weight loss percentage as bypass patients – with lots of hard work and exercising.

I think I emptied my liver of a lot of stored energy - I lost 5 lbs the weekend before the surgery, was getting my heavy activity done, drinking more Water than I ever have in my life, and cutting back on food (the fridge was pretty cleaned out). I went in Tues and came home that evening around 6 pm. I've been sleeping a lot, probably due to pain meds.

I think I have a high pain threshold after living with chronic pain x 7 yrs, but this hurts more than the cervical surgeries, which also makes sense - this time it's soft, moveable tissue, involving core muscles (the abdomen balances with the back muscles to keep us upright and move between horizontal and vertical). It is one of the most painful things I've had done, but that's a temporary, short-term trade-off. This leads in to the pain management warning –initially, take your pain meds on a regular basis. It takes time for the pills to dissolve, get into the blood stream, and reach a therapeutic threshold. For the initial period after surgery, take your meds on time to keep that therapeutic threshold met. This is not the time to be a martyr - your body needs all its energy to heal rather than fight pain. It is not a sign of weakness to listen to your body’s needs and not suffer in silence! Your body will also tell you when you need less pain meds in that first 48-72 hour period. YMMV (your mileage may vary, of course!)

Because of my neck/back experience, I was prepared for the getting up/down. In order to get up, lay on one shoulder and hip, drop your feet over the edge of the bed, let your upper body roll to the edge of the bed, and push to get up. Using gravity relieves the abdominal muscles of the work and is less painful.

I‘ve only had a couple of bouts of nausea – the first when being moved from recovery to the ambulatory care suite, drinking my first liquids, and the first time I felt full. I haven’t had a lot of shoulder/gas pain, but then I can only lay on my sides and not my back/stomach. This leads to burping – burping feels GOOD! It’s an instant release of pressure – whew!

I’ve never been a Water drinker, but after surgery, my mouth was so dry anything was good. The nurse offered to switch to Crystal Light lemonade which tasted better than champagne at the time! Warning: it seems to leave your mouth drier than water, but is good for keeping you drinking. Have water to sip on the ride home (I forgot to pack any). The first night home, I stuck with hydrating fluids.

Day 1

I started Protein on the hour, hydrating liquids the other three 15 minute intervals. I am using Mio flavored water, diet cranberry juice (if diet, does it still need to be diluted? I have been diluting it), and water in addition to my Protein drinks, variety is the spice of life! I can sit up, walk, and sleep – I still hurt with the pain meds. After 7-8 hours, I started feeling full and nauseated and when I continued drinking past the point of comfortable, and had dry heaves. So I backed off and took a break until I could drink without nausea, discomfort, etc. Lesson here Janet, listen to your body. I learned that if I missed a dose of hydrating fluids, having an extra in the next 30 minutes was not good this early in the process. Stepped on the scale at home – up four pounds, to be expected with inflammation/swelling.

Day 2

No hunger at all. Less pain. But I start Protein as soon as I wake up. The nutritionist wants calories consumed within an hour of waking as a long term goal. Since the liver is storing less energy, it makes sense to add some early – to avoid low blood sugar, fainting, and to kick start pulling energy from the fat stores (which requires water also). Down one pound from yesterday – going to the bathroom more. Increased activity – which is good for lower risk of blood clots. Much less pain, I’ve gone from staying medicated to off schedule on Day 2! I’m going to take a nap and see how I feel, but I’m ready to not be fuzzy headed anymore. The only drawback to being up and active is being dry mouthed and carrying the cups and check off sheets around! The swelling is going down significantly also.

At Duke, I signed two research consents – both are data collection only studies. One is a long term data collection for type of procedure and amount of weight loss over time. The other with a lapband, was for a sample of fat tissue taken from the port site (something about DNA, genotyping and pancreatic enzymes). I joked with Dr. Torquati about reading about my fat sample in a literature article one day!

Duke recommends liquids only for the first 3 weeks. After the 3 week post-op, we move to a mushed diet until the 3 month mark (more on that at the time of the 3 week appt). From an eating person’s viewpoint, it sounds hard, but from this viewpoint, it seems doable. I never thought I’d say this, but the flexibility of a Protein shake when I haven’t prepared a meal or things change last minute, is awesome! The surgeon only filled the band with enough saline to keep the band in place. With the plication, there is less need for fills until later in the process.

Sorry about the extra long post – from here, I promise shorter updates!

More later,

Janet

[sassyfrass 24]

Awesome read. I am so ready for this.