Hi Vermont Lap Banders,

How about an update? Please let me know how you are doing.

For me,

I had surgery on 2/21/06 with Dr. Forgione

Starting Weight 245

Current Weight 201

Wishful Thinking Weight 145

How about you?

Michelle

Hi,

I had my lapband with Dr. Forgione on August 20th.

Starting weight in March 240, now 222lbs.

I saw him last week and I am concerned because I feel like I can eat too much. I am hoping he will give me a fill at the next visit. Have you been having fills all along? Are you happy with your results? Let me know what you think.

I have not started an excerise regimen though. I do not seem to have any problems (which is good) as long as I chew well.

Michelle, my wishful thinking goal is 145 too!

Cyndi

Hi Cyndi,

So, you've lost 18 pounds since March, that's great!! I have had about 5 fills so far. My last fill was about 4 months ago. I have, as of this morning lost 45 pounds in 1 and 1/2 years. I am VERY happy about that. Some people have lost much more than me by this time. I don't care....this is my life and my weight loss. I have not been this small in about 10 years......SWEET!

I have learned to eat a lot less, and be happy. I exercise a lot. I walk with my friend 5 times a week or so for an hour. I figure I'm getting in 15-20 miles a week in walking. At first it was hard, be we have a good time talking about our work, kids, stress, and of course the most fun....men/husband bashing :heh:. It really passes the time. I will have to do something different soon with Winter coming.

I have also learned that the nurses and Doc's don't always know what is best for MY body, so you have to advocate for yourself and not be afraid to speak up!

If you think you can eat too much, may be time for a fill. I had the same thing happen. I started gaining back some of the initial weight I had lost in the beginning months. I got a fill, and off it came.

Keep me posted on your success!

Warm Regards,

Michelle

Hi Michelle and Cyndi,

I am from vt too and have dr forgione for my dr. I was all set to get my date for surgery when he found a 5cm hiatal hernia so now I don't know if I can have it or not. I am crushed. He would rather i have an open roux-en-y gastric bypass. I am going to see him on Oct 30 so hopefully I can talk him into the lapband. I am not going to give up. Congrats on the great weight loss. thats awesome.

Good Luck to you Newbeginnings! I saw Dr. F this past Tues for my post op check up. I am now 7 weeks post op. He did not give me a fill, saying things are going well since I am not hungry. By the way I had a small hernia too, but I don't remember what size it was. I wonder why he feels the gastric by pass would be a better choice? I would ask for a reason and weight the pro's and con's about the two procedures.

I really can't complain...except the Nurse Practitioner DW is not very sympathetic to large people.

Let us know how you make out at your next visit.

Cyndi

Hi Cyndi,

I know what you mean about d.w. I told her I did not want to get the bypass and she said"then don't. Don't feel obligated to get one". I was devastated and said"but I went through all this stuff to get a lapband and I want that" No sympathy whatso ever. Anyhow I am going to stick to my guns on the 30 and see what he says. He seems to be a very nice man. my only concern was he has only done a little over a 100 of these so that may be why he is so cautious. I will look into manchester, nh or ny if I have too before I give up. Do you live near burlington? I live down near Barre. Are you happy you got lbs and have you had trouble adjusting to your new life? thanks again.

Good Morning!

Just a quick input. I was the very first lap band surgery done by Doc Forgione at Fletcher Allen. I think the process is still new here, but Doc F is very competent. I do think the staff sometimes thinks that because we are large people, we don't know know anything about our bodies. Bad bedside manner. I also hate it that EVERY time I go for an appointment, I wait for at least an hour before being seen.:cool:

Putting that aside, still very happy with lap band!! Going in for my next fill on Oct. 22nd. I wanted to tighten it up before the holidays!!

Best,

Michelle

Hello to all fellow vermonters

My name is Shellie and I live in the St. Johnsbury area. I'm do to have the lapband op on 11/5. I'm not nervous just excited. I've had a weight issue all my life except for a short 2 year period. The preop liquid phase is getting tough, but I know it will be worth it. I saw Dr forgione yesterday and I'm excited to get the new ap band, It sounds like he is a very conservative doc. any suggestions for the next 2 weeks? This website has been very inspiring and supportive. Thanks all

shellie

Hi There,

Yes, the doc is very conservative. The best advice I can give you is to follow his directions. I am 2 months out and I am losing weight very slowly because I have not had a fill yet. I healed well with no problems. I go back the week of Thanksgiving and hopefully I will get a fill then.

good luck to you and you will be fine. Just follow his advice and take it easy with the food.

Cyndi

Hi all,

I had my appointment with Dr. F Oct 30 and he told me he would go ahead and do the surgery but if he got in there and my hernia was 5cm like he thinks, he would either fix the hernia and ruin any chances of me ever getting LBS or he would switch to an open gastric bypass or he would refer me to Boston. I am going to do that I guess. I am scared about going to boston and have never driven down there. does anyone know which dr they use down there which hospital? I hate to give up after I have done all the requirements that he has you do and I don't know if the boston dr will make me start all over again. what would you guys do? I dont like the 50/50 odds on my hernia. other dr's seem to fix them at the same time as the Lbs. I think he might just be very conservative. He was great though and said he would do my fills and checkups but if something went wrong with my band I would have to go back to boston. has anyone driven down there that can give this country girl the heads up????

New beginnings or almost

Hi there,

My name is Nicole and I am a RN at the hospital where Dr. Forgione works. I am also his patient. Very glad to read others experiences. I was banded on October 29, 2007. Not really losing as of yet which is very frustrating for me, however grateful. I have no other issues. No nausea, no GERD or reflux, no pain really, and little resriction so far. I have ac tually gained a few pounds and very nervous to go to my Dr's appt having gained 4 -5 lbs- yikes! Very happy to have found this thread.

Nicole

I'm very concerned about some of your experiences. Maybe I'm wrong with what I"m thinking but it seems like some of your weight loss has been alot lower than the national average. I also wonder if it is because Dr. F hasn't done very many fills on some of you. When I read online about the Lap Band and maintenance, it seems like most people get their first fill at the 6 week mark and then get fills at least 7 more times within that year.

I guess I really have high hopes that the lap band will help me lose the 120 pounds I want to lose. I don't want to put my body through this if it isn't going to work. I'm 100% ready to get this done but now I'm nervous after reading some of your posts. What if it doesn't work and I don't lose the weight I want to? If it's only 11 pounds in 9 months, I wouldn't be happy with that. I want to lose the 1 - 2 pounds a week they talk about. Is that really a reality?

Hi~

I haven't posted on these boards for months but thought I would check in.

I was also Dr. Forgione's first patient (I was banded about an hour after Michelle (iluveeyore). My experience with the band has been love/hate. I have lost 50 pounds and have done that without many fills. I have not had a fill at all now for almost a year and actually still have restriction most days.

My band is perfectly in place but my body does not like fills- even the small ones make it unbearable and I PB etc. I have been hospitalized at FAHC twice because of it so now I stay unfilled and lose weight very slowly.

So, the band didn't turn out the way I expected but I can't imagine I would've lost this 50 pounds w/o it! My only problem with my band now is that it's finicky. I would really like to eat a meal w/o worrying about how many bites I will be able to have. I'm not talking about overeating- sometimes I just want to eat my healthy meal w/o any problems.

Good luck to all of you.

Hi Julie,

I had my last fill on August 11th. I have not lost a pound since February of this year. I am in a hate relationship with my band. I have very little restriction. I only feel is when I eat meat and I don't chew it well. I am frustrated with the the fills being so little. Then I get frustrated because it takes time to get an adjustment. I called today, I have an appointment on Thursday to see him, but the adjustment appointments are being scheduled in November. I am disappointed to how this all worked out.

Do people with bands still follow a diet like weight watchers? Maybe that is what I need to do. I have been walking, although not marathons. How much harder do I need to try?

Thanks for writing!:embaressed_smile:

Cyndi

Hi everyone,

I'm still at 45 lbs lost in 3 1/2 years. I haven't lost in a while, but am happy with losing and keeping off the 45. My problem......poor after care by Dr. Forgeone's office. I am so VERY disappointed.

For the second time, I'm having trouble and having to wait for days/weeks for care. I have been just maintaining for over a year. Enough restriction to keep me there, but not too much where I'm uncomfortable. In the last couple of weeks, I have been so tight. Having acid reflux, not able to keep food/liquids down. This is intermittent, so sometimes I'm fine.

I call the Doc's office, and I hear: either go to the emergency room, or we can see you on Thursday. First....who in the heck wants to go to the ER and explain what's going on over and over again to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that comes into the room, have a bunch of crazy tests done, pay for an ER visit, miss the whole day of work, and wait for an eternity just to be seen??? Second....wait until Thurs to be seen by the Doc and have him say...We'll have to have a MRI done to see what's going on, we're scheduling for October....

My point, either choice is unacceptable. There should be someone that could see me sooner and help me out. Vermont is still under equipped to handle this surgery. Wish I got better service.

So, I opt for the appointment on Thursday. I started explaining my frustration to Doc Forgeone's nurse, and she started getting snippy, and said I should have called sooner. I explained that the problem was intermittent, and I thought it had subsided. She said well, we'll see you on Thursday then, and hung up the phone. Yes, she hung up on a customer....not impressed. Needless to say I think I will have some fill removed, and not have to deal with this bad service for a while....

I continue to feel as though I get substandard service because it is a weight related issue. Curious to see if anyone else ever feels that way. Please advise.....

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your band. I hope you have care soon. i hope you don't have to wait until November like to do just to get into the hospital. I guess, I also find it hard to go the Williston office just to be told yes I can have an adjustment and then billed for 114.00 for a two minute visit. Then I have to wait two months. After that my visit is 300.00 and I have not been restricted. My patience is running out and I just become frustrated.

I hope you are relived of your reflux soon. I wonder why it is intermittent? Is it the type of food that could be causing the reflux as well?

Do you think we are getting substandard service because it is a weight issue? It could be people do not find it important or valuable to us to have the proper service because they feel we are unworthy because we are overweight. They do not understand that we do not ask for it and that we are trying to better ourselves. There have been many times throughout my life when people do not think I am worthy because I am fat. It is sad and true.:thumbup:

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Cyndi