I know he knows what he is doing as he is the expert...but I heard some negative information regarding 4cc Alergang Lapband. Am I missing something here?

Surgery went great by the way...very impressed being that is is Iijuana, Mexico.

Blessings,

MD

I have never known of a person getting a fill at the time of surgery so I cannot comment... But glad to hear the surgery went well. My first fill to my empty band was at two mths post op.... I got 3 ccs ... I am now at 5.5 ccs

*******Editing because I realize I read your post wrong... Sorry... I don't know anything about that band but I am sure your dr knows what he is doing

I am getting a fill tomorrow if 3cc. Did it give you any feelings of restriction?

My band will hold 10cc but no fill for 6 weeks

I have never known of a person getting a fill at the time of surgery so I cannot comment... But glad to hear the surgery went well. My first fill to my empty band was at two mths post op.... I got 3 ccs ... I am now at 5.5 ccs

*******Editing because I realize I read your post wrong... Sorry... I don't know anything about that band but I am sure your dr knows what he is doing

The size of the ENTIRE band is 4cc. There was no fill in it at all.

Never heard of a 4cc total band. Wow. That's a lot of restriction.

A 4cc band is typical of ones they place in Mexico. To my knowledge, that size is no longer being placed in patients in the US.

Good to read that your surgery went well...

The 4cc band is the older model. It was superseded a couple of years ago. It seems they often use them in Mexico - presumably as they are old stock they got them cheaper. As far as I know they work but there is generally a reason for something being discontinued and a newer model introduced.

Best wishes and continued recovery on your band surgery.

I've got a 4cc band, never had a problem in seven years. What is likely is that you will find good restriction very quickly, unlike with larger bands. The trade off is that it is statistically slightly more likely to slip.

I've got a 4cc band, never had a problem in seven years. What is likely is that you will find good restriction very quickly, unlike with larger bands. The trade off is that it is statistically slightly more likely to slip.

Interesting about the slip rate. I will say Dr. Kuri knows how to put extra sutres to make sure they don't slip. Not trying to defend but I do that he has a special technique to prevent slips and where the band absorbs into the stomach.

The old 4 cc band (like the one I had removed) is still used in Mexico and probably will go on being used there because Allergan sells it at a discount there, thereby increasing the profit made by bariatric clinics there.

My current surgeon says that the 4 cc band tends to be too tight even without fill in it, but some people feel it's "better" than larger bands because the smaller fill range makes it possible to achieve restriction faster. I think that's only the case when a surgeon doles out tiny fills to patients with the larger bands.

And at any rate, Dr. Kuri is the best person to tell you why he used the 4 cc band for you.

The old 4 cc band (like the one I had removed) is still used in Mexico and probably will go on being used there because Allergan sells it at a discount there, thereby increasing the profit made by bariatric clinics there.

My current surgeon says that the 4 cc band tends to be too tight even without fill in it, but some people feel it's "better" than larger bands because the smaller fill range makes it possible to achieve restriction faster. I think that's only the case when a surgeon doles out tiny fills to patients with the larger bands.

And at any rate, Dr. Kuri is the best person to tell you why he used the 4 cc band for you.

It was interesting to know that the girl who got banded the same day as me, also had a 4cc band in her. In fact, the 3 that got banded (the day after me) also had the 4cc band in them. I know this because we all rode in the van together on the way back to the San Diego Airport. So ....it seems Dr. Kuri primarily uses the 4cc band.

P.S. So far...so good...I lost 6 pounds so far in 3 days since being banded

Well since you asked for the truth, no doctor in the US will use the 4cc band because they were discontinued. They were found to result in a lot of problems and slips so Allergan discontinued them altogether in favor of the current larger ones.

However, Mexico still buys up the old discontinued model because they can get it cheap, hence why it's so much cheaper to be banded in Mexico than in the US. But, it's important to note this is also why so many US doctors refuse to touch or treat a patient banded Mexico. They don't want the medical liability of treating someone banded in a foreign country with discontinued, outdated equipment. (though obviously some doctors in the US do and will treat them).

Btw...don't shoot the messenger. I'm only answering your question

Well since you asked for the truth, no doctor in the US will use the 4cc band because they were discontinued. They were found to result in a lot of problems and slips so Allergan discontinued them altogether in favor of the current larger ones.

However, Mexico still buys up the old discontinued model because they can get it cheap, hence why it's so much cheaper to be banded in Mexico than in the US. But, it's important to note this is also why so many US doctors refuse to touch or treat a patient banded Mexico. They don't want the medical liability of treating someone banded in a foreign country with discontinued, outdated equipment. (though obviously some doctors in the US do and will treat them).

Btw...don't shoot the messenger. I'm only answering your question

No ..your fine actually. One of the major reasons they have been discontinued (from my research) is their tendency to slip at higher rate than the bigger bands. I have amazing peace of the size of my band because Dr. Kuri (who is known for very slow slip rate) uses a technique of putting extra sutures ...suturing the band to the actual stomach. Apparently, very few doctors know or practice putting these extra sutures in.

P.S.

It was funny...my wife was taking a pictures during surgery...but was told to not take video. Well...she did sneak a video and was surprised he was playing classical music while he was operating on me. He must got this thing down to a science if he is playing classic music during surgeries. She said she was very surprised at what a family atmosphere the surgical team had in the operating room.....first greeting each other with a kiss. Definitely...a different flavor in terms of getting surgery in the US versus Mexico either way.

My dad and step mom have had a 4 cc band for the past 6 years. Great success no complications at all!

Dads down 200 pounds and my step mom is down 120 both have hit their goal .