Hi,

I have recently found this site. It is very informational. I enjoy reading the excerpts. Situations and issues brought up in this that i haven't heard of through the dr. or support group. I never heard of pb's or the band opening.

I am 36 yrs old and live in nh, currently going thru this at St. Memorial Hospital in Lowell, ma. My dr. is Dr. Chen. I have bounced up and down all my life. My height is 5-6, my bmi is 40. People are saying wow, u aren't that big. why, u doing this. I tell them due to health reasons... they back off. Usually I could wear between an 16 -18. Now I have grown to a wonderful size 22, may I add very uncomfortable. Once I was told U have diabetes... well, that sent me over the edge. I am willing to do something sooo drastic only because, I watched my father die from complications due to the diabetes. My brother is worse off than I am. I am currently on pills to regulate I am undecided also on the lap or rny. I love carbs, especially pasta. Which making up my mind up is not an easy task, I am a Libra. I have gone thru all my lab tests. My biggest problem is getting my sugar under control. I too am interested in any diabetics opinions and how they are making out also.

My family is tring to be supportive, but, also making the cracks about it... my mother doesn't understand the highs and lows of having sugar.

Sorry, if I have chewed people's ears off, I like to talk... I dispatch and talk and sit on my hiney all day. The technicians call me the comedian. This is more serious to me.

Welcome Minny! Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself. This is a great place. I think you'll be glad you came here!

thank you. u have been very helpful.

Minny

Minny, best of luck to you! You've already begun your journey to better health. You are very, very wise to get your diabetes under control. That is a horrible disease that affects so many different things. You will be happily surprised to see what dropping and maintaining a healthy weight will do for you. The band is a tool that will greatly help you, but you have to be willing to do your part. Please be careful with the sugars and starches, regardless of what you decide to do - because of how they affect your blood sugar levels.

Thank you. I want to get this under control b4 i have major issues. I just didn't realize how much maintenance. It seems people are always worried with the band.

I have some good questions for the hospital now. I have blue cross and blue shield, I wonder if they are going to cover my fill appts. Also, the issue of possibilities if it opens. I am still hopeful.

My dr. studied and work under the top gastric dr and doing lap bands in ny for 7 years. That is very hopeful.

Minny,

There definitely ARE some issues to be concerned with with the band. As with any surgery, there are risks. As with any weight loss surgery, there are additional risks. With the band, you have such minor things as flipped ports, possible port infections, tubing leaks, all these are mostly fixable with an office call. Occasionally, the dr will work on them in a hospital setting. Then, you have about a 3% chance of slippage, according to reports, there is a 1% of erosion, where the band migrates inside the stomach wall and would have to be removed. Even the two most major complications are far less devestating to your body and your health than those one can expect with the gastric bypass.

The band does require ongoing maintenance, such as fills. I've been banded and RE-banded again and I have still only had 6 fills in 18 months. Remember, I've been rebanded, so this would have been less were I able to keep my original band. My fill level was pretty perfect after 3 fills then. So, yes, initially, you have to see the Dr pretty often. Once you have reached a fill level and your healing is all done, you don't see the Dr that often and you are on your merry way of losing weight and learning to practice good eating behaviors.

I'm not trying to persuade you into making any certain choice. But, I can tell you this is the most effective and healthy way I have ever attempted to lose any weight. Gastric Bypass was simply not an option for me, so rather than 'dieting' over and over again. This was my choice. I am glad I made it. I am not at goal, but I am at 183 lbs, which I would never have been able to attain by myself and I was in the 'gaining' mode when I started so I may have reached 300lbs by now, otherwise. I think I saved my own life, literally. I would do it again, too. I wish you luck with whatever you decide. If you have Dr. Ren, then you really have an awesome Dr., you're one of the lucky ones!

Welcome! Browse through some of the old posts and you will find lots of valuable information.

Welcome Minny,

I wish you the best as you choose your path to WLS! My sister had the RNY gastric bypass and I decided that I just couldn't handle the thought of altering my GI tract permanently. She does have the "dumping syndrome" which helps her control her carb intake but it is important to know that not all people have this side-effect from the RNY procedure. I can tell you that I was a bread/carb addict prior to being banded and now I tend towards hi Protein foods as my body seems to crave them. My sister is also struggling with weight gain now that she is almost 2 years post-op as she can eat a pretty healthy amount of food and has learned how to eat just the right amount of carbs to avoid dumping. She is still very happy with her choice for WLS and she looks wonderful. I can tell you that there are a lot of adjustments with either surgery and both surgeries are tools and can be defeated. I still struggle with head hunger but love that my band is adjustable and that my body can absorb nutrients as it was intended to. Good luck and hope you will find all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Darcy

hi, minny

the best to you, your health is so important , without it , your lost is a sea of doctors and medicein, the information here, is great, and the people are sweet, your health will get better, but, you'll soon find out for yourself. you'll love it ,

best of health to you..

margie,

-------------------------------------------------

margie

4/05/04 band

295/258/goal 140

dr.texiria, bx. ny.

montefiorie hospt.

no fills,

WHEN YOU FEEL GOOD YOUR WHOLE BODY DANCES....

thank you all for your support. That is what i had thought also. I didn't know if i wanted all the risk of the rny. plus, i have 2 friends that have had it. they still eat certain things, chinese food, frozen alcoholic drinks. Funny, one is afraid of the hanging skin. she only allowed herself to lose like 110 pds. which is still awesome, but she is still a size 18 or 20. I picked their brains like crazy.

I have worked on a pros and cons sheet. At least with the band they can always adjust.

lethal ... why did u need to be rebanded. was it done in the office?

No ma'am. I was rebanded due to 'slippage' which I feel correlated to a hiatal hernia that was not repaired in the first banding. To be rebanded you have to go through the same surgery as your initial banding

can slippage be dangerous... or do u just eat more.

can slippage be dangerous... or do u just eat more.

Slippage can be dangerous if the stomach is totally blocked off by the band or the stomach becomes folded over the band. In extreme cases there can be some damage to the stomach or you can become badly dehydrated due to not being able to keep anything down, even water. Otherwise, most slippage is caught pretty quickly and remedied before much damage is done. Often, it is a case of being able to un-fill the band and allow it to slip back into place. Since it is about a 3% chance, it certainly would not be enough to stop me from getting a band. My chances of having a major cardiac event or stroke was much higher.

Hi Minny,

It is nice to meet you. I wish you the very best in your research and hope you make a decision that is right for you. Good luck, Teresa

Welcome Minny! You've come to the right place for info. Hope it is helpful in making your decision. Good luck to you!!!