Hi everyone. My name is Lisa in April 2005 I self paid to have the lap band inplanted - It's amazing how quickly they can schedule a surgery if Insurance doesn't have a part in it. I decided on the Lap Band when the company I worked for SOLD the Lapband for Inamed- Actually we were a Telemarketing company answering their 800# calls. I was quite educated on the band and decided that it would be my surgery of choice. $14,500.00 later I had the band. I was so ELATED :thumbup: to have such a great and wonderful tool to help me with my weight loss!!! After my first fill I was choking and my saliva glands were producing so much saliva it was like a Water fountain going off on the inside of my mouth- The doc did a fluoro and said that the band was placed a lil higher than what he would like it to be but thought I would be okay- He adjusted my band and all was well for a while. Over the last 4 years I have lost a total of 70 pounds but I'm back up 20 of those........ I've had severe choking, Reflux, and countless fills and un fills all at $200 a pop.....

This last year I've only had 1.7 cc in my band - gained 20 pounds and still choked almost every night while sleeping:cursing:... and I'm not talking about normal choking... this stuff comes up from your stomach and just seeps into your wind pipe:blink: Your dead asleep and sit up choking for your life- after 9 months of this and another unfill I went to see a different doctor a few hours away to see about getting the band removed and to either have the Gastric Sleeve or to have the RNY done in it's place. The doctor is awesome- very nice, took his time speaking to me in complete detail about both procedures. The doctor said that from his experience from his patients that her reccommends the RNY over the sleeve because of the succees rate long term. I told him that I'm not sure about doing the RNY as I don't need further complications... This doctor wanted to identify the reason of why I was choking so much on so little of a fill..... He did a Fluoro xray only to discover that my band had prolapsed and right then and there had to remove nearly all of the remaining fill in my band...... It was a double edged sword for me... Happy to know that with the unfill I would not choke but sad to think that I would feel hunger again and possibly gain a little more weight back... But he was looking after me and my best interest.

So that's why I'm hear on this wonderful site to read your stories and to see how each of you like the sleeve.

Both procedures are the same price $18,800.00 which to me seems like the Sleeve would be cheaper since they are not re-routing the intestines. Again I'm a self pay and this will be the last surgery I can buy for myself for a very long time and I want to make the right decision for me....

So I look forward to reading your posts, and all of your success stories.

Have a great day!

Lisa B

Edited June 11, 200917 yr by Lisa B

Dogbone, absolutely yes, you do still feel hunger with the band. The notion that you won't is absolutely untrue. I felt unsatiable hunger since day 3 after surgery. I went through absolute misery during that time. It was only by sheer dedication that I made it through that time! In fact it was all me 110% during my weight loss with the band. Once I became dissatisfied with my procedure it made me unhappy, and tied in with my unfills I gained most of my weight back. :thumbup:

I'm ready to start over again, and I know I've found the procedure I was only looking for to begin with!

This is one of my main concerns with the next surgery I do. I wanted to find out exactly how many patients to get hunger satiety. I never had this with the lap-band, even when I was very well restricted.

Good luck and Congrats on your recent surgery!

Diva I whould get crazy with a lot of hungry and a small bag! That's why I was still wating for something new.

I'm only 4 days out of surgery and it's great for now. Hungry ZERO, liquids going in very well, no nausea. No complication here, I will return to work tomorow! I had some pain because of gas and umbilical hernia fixed in adition.

I was watching for something to deal with my hungry for years, I never went for Band or RNY because hungry is not supressed by this procedures. I also doubt it's in the plication method too.

Edited August 24, 201015 yr by DogBone

Aha!! So THATS where I know you from Ok, no shout outs for me huh? That's ok, I'll live (maybe) LOL

In the interest of all the DS'ers out there that love their WLS, I WOULD do it if I had to. Again IF I had to... but like WASa, I will surely do all I can to prevent that. :laugh0:

Girl, don't you even play!!! You were the first person that knew I was on here!

Girl, don't you even play!!! You were the first person that knew I was on here! :001_tt2:

Hugs!! I'm sooo glad you're here. Let me know when you finally decided to do it!!

I was surprised to see Corlis in chat. I didn't know she was sleeved in May. She told me chica lost her band too. Pretty soon, all of lBT will end up as sleevers!

I was surprised to see Corlis in chat. I didn't know she was sleeved in May. She told me chica lost her band too. Pretty soon, all of lBT will end up as sleevers!

OMG I hope so! I don't want to sound negative but there really is little positive with the band. Guaranteed 100% will need to be removed someday. Maybe 1 year down the road, maybe 10 years... no matter it will happen.

Also the success rate of a replacement band is pert near zero. What will you do then? Just live without anything? I just don't think so. I don't believe that the band magically changes your habits to the point that you would stay maintained without it. The hunger would take over.

I'm hungry to this day, the band NEVER solved that problem for me. I'd even go as far to say it's made it worse! Being so tight that you stick to liquids isn't a healthy option! I mean yeah, after surgery and during the transitional phase until your body accepts solids is one thing... but to purposefully make your band so tight all you can eat are Soup N Stars? NO...!!! I know this first hand because that is what *I* did... therein creating so many problems for myself my band just failed me.

Soup N Stars is not satisfying. I'd get hungry not even an hour later. So I started choosing things that would get me more time out of each meal - better known as "sliders". Whatever, that was a lifetime ago.

Out with the old and in with the new.

I'm going to have something that was promised of me with this blasted plastic ring. I'm getting a second chance and I'm so thankful for the opportunity!!!

Not only that, I am even more grateful for all the support I've received over the years... and yeah yoiu better believe I'm going to make blasts to all my friends on my new journey! Always looking for more to join the party too!!! :001_wub:

Did you find out if Dr. Aceves wants you to be unfilled before you get there? You have almost a month to go. I ate like a little pig before I had my band taken out. I had hot fudge sundaes regularly for a few weeks cause I knew I'd be on liquids for almost a month after sleeve surgery. I probable gained 10 lbs in the month waiting for sleeve surgery. I had lots of last suppers!

OMG I have been too! I am having all my favorite home-made dinners and eating at all my favorite restaurants. I know I'm putting on some weight, in fact I'm sure of it. All those few pounds that I've lost trying to get my first 5% off is back most likely.

However, he's putting me on a pre-op diet since I have a high BMI... and I doubled it because I know I need to put a cap on it. I 110% want to succeed with this, so I'm making sure I'm doing everything right. He originally wanted 7 days, and I'm doing something like 16 or so. The day before surgery I can't even eat until my pre-op tests are performed and then nothing after 7... not even liquids.

My pre-op diet will be: Breakfast & lunch - Adkins Shake and dinner will be South Beach. No carbs except for what's in the veggies. I will have to find some low carb snacks for fillers so I don't get too hungry and want to snack on forbidden foods. Dr. A suggests just this on his dietary guidelines. He said its better to stay satiated on low carb foods, than to starve and end up binging on high carb foods. It will be tough but someones gotta do it... :thumbup1:

Nina did say that its always better to get unfilled. Just in case there may be some inflammation or Dr. A would put me on all liquids a few days before surgery if I get any vomiting or whatever. Well I'm so used to regurgitating I don't know the difference. It's just for the better. My Appt is on the 31st of this month.