I just joined this forum and thought I'd post a note in the empty Minnesota section. I'm concidering having the lap band surgery and am going to attend the informational meeting at Abbott next Friday. Has anyone out there had this surgery done at that hospital? Can you share your experiences with me? Thanks!!

Megan in Northfield, MN

Wow...Minnesota has come alive to today! Good to see all the new names. Actually, I've only been a bandster for one big week...and I have the steristrips to prove it. Welcome to the family, y'all!

AnnaQPreston- I am back to work full time today (chasing 29 3rd graders!) and all is well. I've had zero complications whatsoever, and the pain has been very manageable. I was tired today, my first day back. But it was fun...I'm down 35 pounds, and at least 12 of that was since they last saw me...and I got some "rock star" blond highlights in my hair...and people freaked out about how different I look. It made it worth it today when I pulled out a pretty meager soupy lunch. The only drawback today was that I have now sneezed three times since the surgery...and everyone has pretty much felt like somebody shot a cannon at my stomach. Other than that...recovery is a snap. Consider it a very good thing that you hear so little about complications! For comparison sake, and assurance...visit a RnY bypass sit and see why this makes more sense!

KDuckster - You found me! It was a delight to meet you the other night. That was my first small group visit, too. I wish you the very best in your days leading up to your BIG DAY! I bet I'll run into you again (two weeks?)

Cloeymn36 -I can't imagine that 1/4 3x'sof total food was all they said...for real? I've never heard anybody say anything but a 3/4 cup for three meals. That's the size of the stomach pouch, I thought. And as far as stressed, I don't know anybody who doesn't say they are stressed. I think you just have to work through that somehow. best of luck to you anyway. I'll keep an eye out for you in the threads!

Have a great night, Minnesota!

Jon

Good morning everyone in Mn, you guys have been busy lately. I'm from ND but since we are almost neighbors, I always watch this area too.

Super Daddy - nice to have a guy close by who has been banded. I'm meeting with a male friend in SD in November that is considering the band. If there are any male issues I should know, please pm me.

Cloeymn36 - I agree with everyone. Your nutritionist is talking bypass amounts not banded. My nutritionist is still learning about band life so this site helps me alot because sometimes I need disagree with her advice. I feel like a commercial but last night I had sole stuffed with shrimp stuffing and about 1/2 c of vegetables. I wasn't overly full and ended up eating about 2 cups of popcorn later. My body must have needed it because I'm down another 1.2 pounds this morning. You will learn to work with your body and your band. For me, that's a weird concept because I was always looking at my relationship with food first.

Glad to see so many Mn people here. Celeste

Hey Celeste,

I haven't heard of any specific issues that are a greater struggle for a man. I'll tell the honest truth...I've watched my wife deliver three kids now (without medication!), and the band was a cakewalk compared to that. Tell him I'm thrilled how quickly I'm mending. He's welcome to contact me. Also...if he's ever passing through Minneapolis on a Tuesday...we have an open invitation to our group meetings at Abbot Hospital. Just FYI. I'm still new to this whole deal, though...so I'm learning as I go.

Good Luck!

Jon

Kathy (KDuckster) - I chose Methodist because my SIL saw Dr. Jones and was part of an implant study there. She really liked him. My nurse is Barb and I think she is fantastic. Hit of great with her the moment I walked in the door. She also has the band. I went to my informational meeting back at the beginning of August. I did not complete all of my questionnaires until after we returned from vacation at the end of August. I received a call to set up the metting with Barb probably 10 days later. She gave me a whole list of things to do before meeting with the surgeons. I took the MMPR last week and see the group of specialists (nutritionist/MD/Psych) on 10/27. I was told the next step after that is the surgeon. Barb said basically 90 days from the time you see a nurse to actual surgery date. Of course that varies by insurance and other factors. I am choosing to hold off until the beginning of January so I meet my deductible for the year, but I could have had the surgery in December. My SIL is just starting her program for RNY, and she anticipates late Jan/early Feb at the latest. It really doesn't take too long.

Cloeymn36 - let me know if you have any great ways of battling that crazy ER schedule. That's where I struggle with my biggest temptations. There is always junk food/candy/pizza sitting around. The stress just seems to make it worse some days too! It was a fight with everyone when I moved the candy dish off of my desk!

It sure is nice to hear so many positive things here. My extended family has not been as supportive as they could be about this surgery. They are still learning about it and of course worry about complications.

So I was very happy that I had an appointment with the surgeon after a cancellation.

Well it's been a really crazy and not too happy a week at work (long story) and lo and behold, I got caught up in a crisis and forgot to go. I swear to you, I looked up at 10:45 and realized I missed the appointment at 10:00. So I had to reschedule to my original date.

I can't believe I did that.

1. I'm not comfortable in signing a form saying that its okay to do a RNY if a band can't be done.

I'm scheduled for surgery at Abbott for Nov 1st. I talked with Dr. Chute about that. I told him I DID NOT want the bypass done if they couldn't do the band. He said all I had to do was cross it off the form. So I crossed off that sentence or two and wrote. "I do not want the bypass done if the band cannot be placed."

I had been thinking about weight loss surgery for quite some time; I needed to lose at least 150 lbs. I had decided that when I turned 50, if I hadn't gotten going on my own, I would have to do something drastic. I spent 2 days in Park Rapids MN listening and learning about the gastric by pass surgery, and by the time I was done, I was scared to death!! Cutting, re-routing, malabsorption, B-12 pills, complications, hospital stays, NG tubes--for someone who had never had any type of surgery in their life, it was overwhelming. But, I needed to do something, and I wanted to keep living for another few years, so kept searching. I think if I was extremely unhealthy, I may have chosen that route though, because the initial weight loss can be so much faster, but because I am still fairly healthy, and had never had any surgery in my life, the Lap Band was much less threatening. I needed a tool to get started down the right road, and "just do it" wasn't working!!! It took awhile to find a Lap Band surgeon close enough to my town to even start checking into it, but the more I learned once I found Dr. Fortier in Morris, the more I became interested. I went to the original meeting in May of 2005 and went through all of the hoops and had the surgery Oct 11, 2005 (4 days ago). So far the experience has been great and I have had no complications. My surgery was at around 11:15am and I was getting dressed to go home at 3:30pm the same day!! Dr F. only does the Lap Band surgery, not the by pass at all. He has been a general surgeon for many years, which pleased me. He only wants success stories and dedicated patients, so gets to know you before agreeing to do the surgery, which I think is very wise on his part (some times a bit frustrating for the patient, but that's ok!). I would recommend him to anyone. If anyone has questions, feel free to let me know and I will try to help if I can. Best wishes!!! Enndee

Thank you for your positive feedback. It's so great to hear someone say that they are having a good experience because sometimes these forums are the talk of doom. Freaks me OUT!!!

Please keep up pre-ops out here posted (and post-ops too!). Most of all, best of luck and happy losing!

Cloey:)

You DON'T have to give them an RnY Option!

My doctor assured me that he places 99% of the requested bands. The bands have improved in the past few years. They are larger and much easier to place. My wife was terrified that I might consider the bypass. I said no....he said no problem. As it stands, my band was placed just fine 2 weeks ago...and I'm feeling great!

Best of luck to you!

Superdaddy -

That is what I think too. I know some people were concerned about Abbott requiring us to sign that form. I wanted everyone to know too, that they can't make you sign that. I think Abbott has that form, just because they had one case - a long time ago - that they had to have someone ask the spouse of the person in surgery what they wanted to do since they couldn't place the band. They just want to clarify it before you go into surgery. They don't want to have to looking for a spouse or someone to make a decision or stop the surgery when the patient would have wanted they bypass. It is pretty startling how they make it sound initially, but it's not set in stone. They should just say they have you sign a form stating your desires. It wouldn't scare so many people.

I've been reading your posts. It sounds like you are having a good recovery. It's very encouraging for us soon-to-be banders. Thank you for all the information you've been passing along. I've gotten some good suggestions from you. I hope your recovery continues as well. Take care!

Thanks Renata! Such nice compliments. Recovery IS going good. Keep positive, cling to your source of strength (in my case...my wife and my faith), and it will go great!

And weight loss is going great so far, too. I'm down 14 pounds since surgery, I think..and that means 38 total since I first met my third grade class this fall. Wahoo!

You have to stick with it, though. I unfortunately figured out that ice cream is no prob for me (wonder how I figured that out!), and my first fill isn't until midNovember...so I have to keep it going without a lot of band help until then....but I got this far.

You're going to do great on the first. I'll remember to pray for you!

Jon

Thank you for your prayers.

Hello~

I just found this site and am so excited to be able to compare notes with others who have had or are considering surgery. My sister and I just went to Dr. O'Brien's informational meeting in Sioux Falls last Wednesday. We have a friend who had him and is really pleased. He seems to have an excellent record, and his staff seemed very nice, too. In researching online, hje's got super positive reviews from his patients.

I just called this morning and scheduled my one on one visit with him. It's exciting to finally have something that seems do-able...I just couldn't see having bypass surgery...too many complications and horror stories. My sister is a physical therapis who has seen a lot of them first hand.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing Dr. O'Brien and getting this whole pr ocess started. I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota (Aware Gold), which they said has been great about coverage. I was glad to see a post from someone who had gone to Dr. O'Brien.

Hey ya'll....

So I'm in the process of pre-banding. I've taken my psychological exams, met with the psychologist a few times. Saw the general doctor, did some blood work. Meeting with the surgeon tomorrow. Met with the nutritionist once.

The thing is....I haven't really lost any weight and I know that they expect you to before the banding. I just can't stick to a diet on the weekends. I'm okay during the week and then the weekend comes and I go out to eat a few times and well, there goes the couple of pounds I lost during the week.

Things have been a bit stressful and dieting is not the highest priority for me right now. Also, behind it I think I realize that my relationship to food is going to completely change within a few months and I'm pre-grieving. LOL! I would be okay with maintaining my weight until the surgery but will they? At this point, I feel that is all that I am capable of right now.

Any feedback on this for me?

Well...how do you want your pep talk...sugar coated or between the eyes?

Your doc needs all the space he can have in your abdomen to give you a successful surgery. When you lose weight fast, the first thing that shrinks is your liver. That needs to be small and mobile to work around your stomach.

Cloey, You are about to have serious abdomenal surgery...so if you're not able to stop eating for the 2 week pre-diet (that's only 4 weekend days)...you're not ready for the surgery. If for no other reason, you have to prove to yourself that you can stick with this thing. I'll be honest with you...the pre-diet was easier for me than right now. Right now I'm down almost 40 pounds, 15 of that is post surgery. But I haven't had my first fill...and I figured out I can eat...something I haven't done much of in three weeks. After having one too many Snacks and little things and having a week with no weight loss, I had to just look myself in the mirror the other day and say..."It's just FUEL! food is NOT worth the way I feel when I repeatedly fail to meet my goals. I'm gonna' WIN today!"

All this to say: we've all been there. I didn't like the pre-op diet, either. But my surgeon told me several times that reason my band placement was so easy was because I dropped 12 pounds in the few weeks before. The psychological switch that you make in disciplining yourself to that diet before surgery is equally as important as the results you reach.

So make it your highest priority for just a few weeks. It's not an optional step, it's critical! You're not choosing the easy way when you choose surgery, but you're choosing a tool that can help you truly win! This is just a tool, and it will only work if you work it. That work has to start right now, today. Decide that this weekend you're going to succeed. NO EXCUSES! You can do it! Don't give up! (ok that last line I was channeling a pom-pom and cheerleading skirt routine. I'd put it on for you...but it wouldn't be a pretty sight).

I'm praying for you to have amazing strength and discipline for the rest of the journey. I pray that for me, too.

Jon