I have contacted this doctor in TJ and he only charges $7500 for the surgery and has 12 years and 2500 bands under his belt, but I still would like to hear from someone who has been to him.

I was a couple of pounds shy of 400 and my experience has been great. I would gladly go through the whole lap band surgery and initiation process again in a heartbeat. Ive lost about 250 pounds, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I've always said to myself ....why didn't I do this sooner? But I feel great and my whole experience with doctor G and his staff has always been outstanding. You will be happy you did it, good luck!!!!! Congratulations newblew and maddy and all here!

Newblew

I found eating slowly the most difficult thing to do. Everytime I glugged my food down I'd get stomach pains a bit afterwards. I still have problems there but am learning to eat really slow. Excersizing is another problem i need to overcome. It is too easy to put off, then before I realize it, the day is over. The diet coke will hurt your stomach big time. That becomes a super negetive reinforcement.

Lookatmenow Thank you for the response, It is reasuring to hear your story! Congrats on your success.

It´s me!!! I called Dr. Gonzalez office and everything sounds great (actually I had called 2 other doctors and still they haven´t returned my call ) I already filled out, and email them back my medical history questionaire I´m still reading all the information they provided, Considering to have the surgery done sometime towards the end of january so I still have time to prepare my self for this big change.Thank you for the info

Hi All! We'll I've felt like crap for about 24 hours now. I have pressure in my chest right about where my band is, and down lower on my stomach it feels bruised or something. Doesnt actually hurt, just a bit uncomfortable. I havent eaten much in the last 2 days, but I'm doing mushies and liquids. Its my understanding that if my band had slipped I wouldn't be able to get anything down, so I don't think it's that...it's just kindof like a very full feeling that isn't going away. I've only been banded 12 days and don't have a fill yet. Is it possible to have restriction without a fill? And if I was just restricted, shouldn't everything have moved through the band by now?

I've been feeling so great so this is really bugging me!!!!:eek:

Blue Eyed Kitty - I'm so sorry to hear that you're not feeling well. Since I don't have a personal experience to draw from yet, all I can suggest is probably what you've already planned to do - get on the phone with Dr. Gonzalez tomorrow.

From looking at all the posts, it does seem like there is quite a wide range of post op recovery stories - hopefully this is just the blip in yours that you'll be sharing with others someday...

Hang in there!:eek:

NM Sunshine - I meant to reply to you in my last post...thanks for the info. That makes a lot of sense. I think I'm overworrying about having the will power to do what the band is going to "make" me do. Negative reinforcement will be my new best friend for a while - although I don't plan to test it. Hopefully, it will be enough to know that it's there!

Hey Jill,

I was wondering how you were doing. Can you feel a knot or anything around one of your upper incisions? The reason I ask, is I felt like that last week. Tues. was really bad for me. The only way I can desribe it, is that I felt like I was about 9 mo. pregnant and had just eaten a big meal. A lot of pressure and hard to breath. I got to pushing around on my incisions, and I could feel a knot about the size of a plum on the incision up under my ribs. I decided to take off my steri strips, and I'm glad I did. I must have had an abcess or something, because it started draining. It drained for about 2 days, and boy do I feel better. It wasn't infection, because it was a clear Fluid, and the incision itself looked great, wasn't red, no heat or fever. It's also possible that Dr. G did put some fluid in the band. I've been wondering that myself, because I can still only eat about a 1/2 cup at a time before I feel really full. Keep me posted on how you're doing.

Mandy

Hi Mandy, feeling much better today than i did yesterday, thank goodness! I've had a little bit of a dry cough and maybe that had something to do with the soreness. I did have a little infection in my lower left abdominal incision, but I went to insta care on thursday and they cleaned and irrigated it and put me on antibiotics and it looks way better now.

I think the biggest problem I'm having is trying to understand what my body is saying. I don't know that I can tell the difference between feeling hungry, full, stuck, gassy, etc. I'm just used to eating when I feel like it and stopping when I feel like it, and having to actually 'listen' to my body has not been an easy thing to learn. I've still got one more week off work, and my goal for this coming week is to make sure I get enough Protein and at least 1000 calories every day. Who knew I would ever find it difficult to get enough calories!!! I've dropped 20 pounds in 2 weeks, and while that's exciting I think it's a bit much a bit fast. I haven't been eating anywhere near enough calories because nothing sounds good and I'm just not hungry, so getting all my protein and cals in is going to be a big challenge for me this week!!

Hope you're doing great!!

Jill

JESSIEL55

You'll not be sorry you choose Dr.G. You have plenty of time to prepare. I was wondering if I made a mistake by having mine done before the holidays. But, Not. I won't be able to eat a monster meal anyway. January is so perfect. You'll be able to make your New Years resolution AND KEEP IT!!!!!

Every year I make one to lose weight and inevidably I don't keep it. This year I will be able to keep it.

LOOKATMENOW

that is an incredible accomplishment. I'd imagine it feels wonderful living with 150 less pounds. I've only lost a measely 15 pounds but it feels wonderful.

NEWBLEW

I think the whole thing is training. Like I still raid the refrig at midnight sometimes. I eat fast (think that is guilt) then I spend the next hour doubled up in pain. Next day I pull myself up by my bootstraps and eat right for a few days. The memory of the pain is too fresh in my mind not to. I think the good eating becomes a set in habit in time.

BLUE EYED

That desire for food will come back too soon. I've got a fill coming up on the 25th and am hoping that it will put me back to the stage you are in.

You stick to it and follow all that Dr. G and his staff tells you and you'll see results fairly quickly.

You're right NM you start feeling a little more desire to eat, you need to get your fills in time. As soon as you feel you can eat more. You'll pick up and your body will give you the signals. It is a wonderful feeling! Its like you are reborn! My life has taken a 180 degree turn since my weight loss, I literally wake up with a smile on my face and look forward to living my great life every day. I am a FUN person to be with!

Blue eyed you are so right! You need to listen to your body, like I said, you will learn the signals.

My cousin just now finally decided on getting the lap band. She is obviously going to doctor G, she's just waiting for doctor V to set up a follow up doctor in her hometown cause she can't afford to be going back for the free fills with dr. G she has to be paying expensive airfares. I don't think she'll have a problem in that area. All my friends and relatives that have gone to dr. G have been set up with a fill doctor by dr. V. I don't know how they do it but you get taken care of.

I hope Dr. V. can help me find a fill doc. I had one set up here locally, but he has now decided that his practice is too busy to take clients that are not "his". I e-mailed Dr. V. yesterday asking for help, but I haven't heard back from him yet. I can afford maybe one more trip down to Mexico for a fill, but I don't know about after that. I'd like to get my first fill around the first or second week of Nov. I'm starting to feel hungry again, and have to pay attention that I don't eat too much at one time. It's not too bad yet, but each day it gets a little worse. I guess I'm entering into "Bandster Hell":faint:

Hi everyone. I've been doing some reading about how strong genetics influence our weight. Some people just can't gain weight while others cannot keep their weight loses off.

This is why bariactric surgery is such a life savior.

Also there is a miserable genetic disease that causes a person to feel hunger all the time. These people live in hell because they are always starving. These are the people who are obese as young children and become super obese as adults.

Society needs to get it together and not be so judgemental.

JESSIEL55

You'll not be sorry you choose Dr.G. You have plenty of time to prepare. I was wondering if I made a mistake by having mine done before the holidays. But, Not. I won't be able to eat a monster meal anyway. January is so perfect. You'll be able to make your New Years resolution AND KEEP IT!!!!!

Every year I make one to lose weight and inevidably I don't keep it. This year I will be able to keep it.

Thank you for your honesty and your kind words, you know when I first started to look in to the Lap band was almost a year ago and since then I have gained almost 20 pounds, I'm waiting until January because I know I will need time off to learn to understand my body and mind, I need time to prepare since I know this is a lifetime commitment they say the surgery is the easy part and i'ts up to us to make this a success or a failure , I don't want to die any time soon or have any of the other sickness related to obesity and be a burden to my family I was not raised to be dependent, but I got to the point where I need this extra little help to loose the weight and I look at this (lap band) as a gift for my family and me.

And congratulations on taking this big step!!!!! :nervous