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Livin' out on the frontier



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Greeting Bandlanders,

I am new, in the research phase, been noodling around this site for a couple of days, my story is your story, weight control struggle, successful dieting/unsuccessful maintenance, wits end, looking at an unhealthy future, I just want to fit in (and I you'all know what I mean here).

From my research, I have found the success rate of the surgery goes up dramatically the more procedures a doctor has done. And here is my dilemma. :Banane13: I live in Montana and the only lap band surgeon I have found in the state has only done a total of 25 procedures and I don't know of any fill doctors here. I want to know how important/dependent you are on having your lap band doc nearby. I would like to have the surgery performed by someone who has had a ton of experience but that is a days drive from home. I know some of you go to Mexico for your surgery. I would expect some conditions need attention fairy quickly. Have you had any complications and, if so, how did you get medical advice/help?

You all seem so supportive and are a wealth of experience and information I look forward "posting" with you.

Many thanks,

Terri

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If you cannot find a doctor nearby at all that you are comfortable, i would suggest (if you have to travel for it no matter what) going out of the country where the lapband docs have much more experience. I am going to Mexico and my doc has done over 5000 lapband surgeries. I, too, was conserned about how little the docs around us had done. Follow up care is really important. But until a doc is nearby you you will have to travel anyways, so why not buy a package from a doc out of the country, save some money, and go back to them for free fills and evaluations. Your PCP can handle some of it. I know there are even some PCP's that are learning how to do fills just to help their lonely patients who are without fill docs. If I decide to go back to my doc for fills in mexico it would cost a plane ticket. The fills are free once I am there. And the ticket costs approx 500. So do fills in most place. So to me it is a wash.

Just an idea.

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My fill doctor near me is making a video showing how to preform a fill. This will be issued for emergency only and is supplied with a fill needle.

This kit is to be used by medical profesionals only.

I think it's a pretty good idea.

As for the banding, I went to Monterrey Mx and had Dr. Sanchez band me and I'm from Calif.

Welcome to LBT Terri

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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