A fellow I know is/was scheduled for surgery tomorrow with my doctor. He is getting the lapband.

Dr. Cudjoe's assistant called yesterday and told him he might have to postpone his surgery date while he loses more weight. She told him that Dr. Cudjoe had to stop a procedure on a man of about our same build because he couldn't place the band through all of the fat.

Now it's just hearsay, and I'm sure much was lost in the exchange from the man's wife to him to me, but does this sound a little goofy to anyone else? I mean losing weight to have weight loss surgery sounds kind of counter productive. It's like telling a person with a hernia that the surgery can't be performed unless they heal up and don't need it.

Catch 22 anyone?

Waiting for my next visit with the good Doctor so I can get some clarification.

Anyone else heard of this?

W'daddy,

Is your surgeon pretty new at this? Could it be he's heard the tale and wants to play it safe? I think that the more experienced surgeons, who have the appropriate equipment, tend to be far more relaxed about this diet thing.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that my BMI teetered around 50 at the time I was banded. No pre-op diet. No problems. (Surgeon had done over 1400 bands at that time.)

Sue

Cudjoe has done many RNY surgeries, I believe, but he is fairly new at the lapband. His RNY work has gone well, and he replaced a doctor who had a very bad record for RNY.

He admits that he has only done a few men, but many women. He said it is different to do the lap on a man. So, I'll go on the liquid protien diet and lose what I can. I still say that asking someone to lose weight so they can have surgery for weight loss is like asking a heart patient to unharden their arteries before they can have a bypass.

But, Ryan, think of it this way, that will just put you that much ahead in the game of weight loss! You win when you lose! Come on, you can do this! It's temporary. You'll do fine!:mad:

Oh, and don't forget Men lose weight much easier than Women do. So it's a shoe-in!:mad:

Good for you that you decided to do the diet... we'll all be here to support you if you feel the need to eat.

But go easy on yourself. Remember, my doc told me to lose weight before the surgery. But I didn't - I gained. He wasn't concerned though, so it probably is just something that makes the surgery easier, but quite doable to an experienced surgeon since mine had no problem. My BMI was around 47 (or was it 43? I can't remember) but I weighed 313.

Ryan,

I debated with myself and then sought sage (?) counsel before sharing this info. I'm not sure if you're saying that your surgeon has plenty of LapBand experience, but limited experience with male patients or if you're saying he has plenty of experience with RnY, but not LapBand. I think the general consensus is that it's akin to parallel parking an 18-wheeler. If you've previously parked a car, you have the idea and will probably get there eventually...but those who have parallel parked an 18-wheeler a few times really do have a better safety record than those doing it the first few times. You're a literate fellow, interpret these as you will:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12582760

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14625767

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12841906

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11975229

~~~~~~~

Originally posted by whippledaddy

Cudjoe has done many RNY surgeries, I believe, but he is fairly new at the lapband. His RNY work has gone well, and he replaced a doctor who had a very bad record for RNY.

He admits that he has only done a few men, but many women. He said it is different to do the lap on a man. So, I'll go on the liquid protien diet and lose what I can. I still say that asking someone to lose weight so they can have surgery for weight loss is like asking a heart patient to unharden their arteries before they can have a bypass.

Thanks for those links. Very informative, and they allayed my fears, just a bit.

I guess there is a bit of background that should be shared here, to help all understand where I am coming from. Before Dr. Cudjoe, there was another doctor in that office. Dr. S. is all I will call him for reasons that will become obvious.

Dr. S. specialized in RNY. Before coming to our little town he had done many procedures on people of severe obesity. At one point he said that he had previously never worked on anyone smaller than six hundred pounds.

My wife was his ninth patient in alma. She had severe complications. Doctor S. used a suture material that broke down quickly, it worked well on his other patients as their bodies didn't erode the stitches quickly at all. Patty was up and walking immediately. she is a nurse and knows what must be done. As the weight began to fall off she became more and more active.

The stitches dissolved before the wound healed. Patty had an open incision. I had to pack it four times a day. It tunnelled within her for many inches. She produced a hernia. She contracted MRSA. She lived. Other patients of Dr. S. weren't so lucky. There were many complications, and one death. It is important to point out that the Hospital wasn't equipped to deal with these patients either. At the time of Patty's surgery Dr. S. didn't even have a scale that could weigh folks in excess of 300lbs.

He left Alma under a significant cloud. Now this new doctor. He admits that he has done much more RNY than Band. He admits that he has done many more women than men. He says men are different and must get more fat away from the liver. Since I have always been able to lose but unable to keep it off I'll probably have no problem losing what he needs to do his job. I don't mind being part of the learning curve for him, and I'll do my part as a patient. One thing is sure, he'll have done at least forty between the time I first saw him and when he does me.

My concern was that he changed deals in mid stream. At first it was shrinking the liver, not losing weight. Now it's losing weight. Whenever the deal changes as you progress a red flag should go up, and you should investigate. I'm now satisfied, and ready to move forward. Unafraid.

"I'll not tiptoe through life, only to arrive safely at death."

Whip, I know it's your choice, but I gotta shove my nose in your business. Before my surgery, I read a lot of posts, and most people went through this procedure with no complications. I particularly followed one woman, a dentist who came to my house to tell me all about her experience. Listening to her story made the surgery sound no worse than a root canal. She was up and about with no complications. Even though I'm extrememly disgusted with my surgeon's lack of aftercare, I'm still glad I chose him based on his years of experience. Having placed so many bands, he's come across more than his fair share of Operating Room emergencies, unforeseen problems, aftercare issues, etc.

A doctor that's only performed 40 bands hasn't faced many complications. It's not just the surgery you have to be concerned with, it's problems during and after the surgery. Maybe he's done 40 bands, but how many emergencies has he had to face and deal with?

I know you're looking forward to your surgery, but I have to agree with Sue. Let's say you're trying to park that 18 wheeler and everything's going good, then another 18 wheeler speeds in front of your path and fights you for the spot - then what?

Now I'll shut up. Be good to yourself.

HI,

My doctor had done over 750 banding as of april/04 and was very comfortable with the procedure and was willing to take time and answer any questions.

Today I just received notice that BCBS and Medicare paid my total billing. I hope that they will also take care of the fills. My second one is due on Monday 9/20/04.

307/262/185

72 YO

The doctor just started requiring 2 weeks of liquid diet before the surgery. It's driving me crazy!!!..I just completed week 1....Surgery is on the 24th. 2 -3 weeks of liquids after the surgery then soft foods...No solid food for 5 weeks or more!!! YIKES!!! I am afraid I will go crazy when I do finally get to eat!!

right now my stomach is normal size so I am hungry all the time....but after the banding, it will be smaller so I hope to not be as hungry....how did all of you make it thru the first 1-2 months?????

Nancy

The same way you will. lol.

We didn't care too much the first few days, then we started healing and feeling better and our tummies woke up! Then we freaked out cause we thought we had this surgery to lose weight and we were hungry just like before!:mad:

Then someone who had gone before us reminded us that the surgery only installs the band and that we gotta heal inside before we start tweaking the restriction on the band and that the reason for fluids/soft foods was so that our tummy didn't have to churn and grind solids while it was trying to heal and 'seat' itself into the newly forming scar tissue which keeps in place and helps prevent slippage down the road.

This is only the beginning. Any weight loss between now and the time you actually get restriction is purely bonus. Any restriction you have coming out of surgery is also a bonus, so enjoy it. If not, the interim is trying, but do-able and well worth the inconvenience. This is when you begin practicing: Protein, protein, protein, Water, water, water, exercise, exercise, exercise... the weight loss WILL come.

Hi Nancy -- I've been banded just over three weeks, and I can second what Leatha wrote.

I was lucky; I didn't have to change my diet before the surgery, and if anything I was eating worse than usual. I had BBQ ribs the night before the operation! (Maybe not the smartest move.)

I didn't have much appetite for the first two and a half weeks, so getting by on Soup, smoothies, and Jello was relatively easy for me. Then the old appetite kicked in. Still, it's not that bad.

You WILL get through this. I think the hardest part might be the liquid diet your doctor is requesting for two weeks before the band. But you'll discover you have more choices than you may think. There are a lot of (smooth, not chunky) Soups out there that taste pretty good, and assuming your doc isn't too much of a hard-*** you can even have things like popsicles, horchatas and virgin margaritas.

Just remember, you are not going through this alone. People will support you when things get rough. And we are proof that you will come out OK on the other side.

Whippledaddy, good luck to you. I'm glad you got some answers. Just think, less than two months to go!

I was lucky (in a sick way) because the surgery grossed me out, and I had slow healing, so the last thing I felt like doing was eating (which is wild in itself cause prior to that wild horses couldn't keep me from food.)

I juice fasted the day before the surgery. Then I couldn't eat before my surgery, so by 4:00 p.m. the second day my belly was really hungry, but tiny sips of Gatorade was all it took to satisfy me after surgery. I felt lousy after surgery, so I didn't get an appetite for real food for over a week. Cream of chicken soup was the best (and other cream soups.)

Sorry I haven't been around much. This thing had me thinking, plus I picked up some much needed overtime at work.

I did get to talk to the person who had the surgery. Turns out it wasn't any big thing, really. There was some fat in the doc's way around the liver so the Doc took it out during the procedure. It lengthened the surgery, but caused no other problems.

I have been thinking about my Doc's lack of experience with the band. There was a lot to think about.

Conclusion: He's been thoroughly trained by an Inamed Proctor. He's now doing the surgeries on his own. He is a very capable surgeon in his own right.

What about those people who have gone before? They took a slightly larger risk to get this. Am I better than they? Should I wait, or look for a more experienced surgeon, and not allow a good doctor to get in more experience?

If everyone only went to doctors who had done at least a hundred procedures, who would the first hundred be? The homeless? Some group of society who doesn't deserve quality health care? Who gets to chose? Me?

I have been a member of a poorly treated class of society all my life: The overweight. I put my life in jeopardy to get this fat. I can surely take a measured risk to lose it.

So, I will go to this man. I will be his forty first lapband. May he learn something from me that will make the others better.

There is danger. I am a biker. I know about measuring the risk against the desired result. He is a good man. His complication rate is low. Fortunately my wife and I are involved in our local medical community and we get the inside tip now and again. Dr. Cudjoe is a better surgeon than the man he replaced.

Thanks for all the caring, and for all the sharing. You are all so wonderful. One day I hope we can all meet somewhere and Celebrate our new lives. I'm only standing tall because you hold me up.

Ryan.

Ryan -

I'm glad you've taken the time to consider these questions, so you can be at peace with your decision.

The truth is, no matter how many bands a doc has done, there are no guarantees - there are so many factors when you're dealing with human beings. All we can go with is the odds.

And if we're keeping you propped up, than it's been an easy thing to do - my arms don't feel tired in the least! So keep on leaning, Buddy, and we'll keep on propping... :mad: