hello every one for starters let me introduce myself my name is jason im married have four beautiful kids and one step son i weigh 316 lbs and i am now getting ready to have the lap band done first i got to go talk to a phys doc to see if im able to have the surgery this is part of the process that my doctor requires then i get another apointment to go see the doctor before my surgery i dont have a prefered doctor but the center were im enroled with is palmetto health baptist weight management center and i forgot my doctors names there is two of them but like i said dont care who does it i trust them both i am really excited to have this done but a fear arised one of my wife sisters friend recently passed away after having the band surgery i dont know all the facts about it dont even know if it was related to the surgery but im getting scared my doctor said at the meeting that 1 out of 700 surgerys that he did was a death but my fear is the same i know there is a risk involved but can some one tell me what to expect and how was your fear before and after the surgery and what you did to over come it

Hope you get good news concerning your banding date soon!! This is a great time of year to be banded. I am approaching my 2 year bandiversary! When the urge to snack would hit, I would go take a walk---Springtime, and everything was coming back to life, I actually felt like I was too-----as sentimental and sappy as that sounds!!! LOL!!

Kat

:thumbup:Hey Jason!

I just had my band put on 2/8/08. My surgeon was the assistant to the surgeon that removed my gall bladder in 2004. I have great doctors and a lot of co-morbidity problems and my choice was pretty well made after I was told the next step for my liver was being put on a donor list. My Digestive Disease doctor highly recommended the lapband for me versus gastric bypass. He said there are too many complications that COULD happen. Not saying everyone would have problems if they opted for that surgery but he felt I would be better off with the lapband. I am very happy with my band. I don't see the numbers go down on the scale like I want but I know it works because I look like an orphan that's using someone elses clothes! I know I have already gone down one size and they are loosening up as I write! :biggrin: The first thing I remember that had me worried was the 3rd day after surgery I started walking a couple of miles and my side was hurting. I went in for my post op check and discussed this with my doctor and he said it was because they stitched my port and after a couple of weeks that would go away. It did but in only a few days. I have had one adjustment of 5cc's and I'm due to go back this week for another adjustment. Simply painless and it's worth every minute it is giving me for a new life! If your doctor checks you out and doesn't see any potential problems then I think you'll do great! Just picture yourself back down to an ideal weight with so many fewer health problems and many more added years to your life! You'll do GREAT!! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!:w00t:

Ok i pretty much got my fear down and i went to the phys. doctor and he felt i was a good canidate for the surgery then they called me and told me that i got to go to the mental health were im from and see another doctor to get a clearence done on me for the surgery i go to weight management in columbia south carolina has any one else had to go through this they told me they wasnt just singleing me out that every one had to do it but i thought it was nonsince to have to pay the phys. doctor there $200 to tell me i was a good canidate and then they call me and tell me they need a clearence from my home town mental health does any one know why ?

Most US Dr.'s and now some out of country as well, require a psych evaluation for all their patients. It assures the Dr. that you are doing this for yourself, you are not being pressured by a spouse, as well as being mentally prepared for the time period of food deprivation, and are ready to change your habits.

However, with my psyche evaluation, they ask and discussed very little, had me fill out a 4 page questionairre, that was full of questions I found in no way related to WLS. I did it, according to the surgeon at the time, passed it fine, never heard another word about it--and the men with the little white jacket never showed up for me..........

Kat

Jason...I had my lapband done in Mexico...Puerto Vallarta as my insurance would not cover the surgery in the US. That was in Feb 06.

It went well and I was loving the weightloss...got down to 155 from 200 the first year. In Sept 07 I had an incident with something getting really stuck in my band. At 3pm I ate a blond brownie from Whole Foods and I knew the minute I swallowed it I had not chewed it well enough. It was extremely chewy...it got stuck and from then until 11pm that evening I was miserable. I had alot of sliming and throwing up and I tried to assist it going through the band with lots of liquids.........all of which bounced back. At 11pm it finally went through. After that I had problem after problem. It got to the point where I could only drink liquids, protien shakes, creamy soups and things like Cheetos that you could chew up into a paste before swallowing. No solid food. In November I went in to the Dr in the US who was doing my fills and had all the fluid removed from the band. Still not able to eat and steadily loosing weight. At the first of the year I was down to 135. Due to my health insurance having a 3000 deductible...I waited for my husband to start his new job that had a 1000 deductible. I went in for a endoscope in March and the Dr found the the band and some of the tubing had eroded into my stomach and it was going to have to be surgically removed the following week. I had that surgery in April and am finally back to normal. At the time of the surgery my weight was down to 118...way to skinny for my bone structure. I am back to real food and have gained 2 lbs. I am eating sensibly...I learned alot about chewing food properly from the band and I am on my way to trying to gain back about 20 lbs...sensibly. I just want to say.......if something gets stuck...let it be...it will pass through eventually and then never try that food again. Stay away from bread...shrimp, fibrous meat and always chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing. I am grateful for having the surgery and for the weight loss but more so for learning how to chew. No more chomp, chomp, swallow. Best of luck with your band. I don't mean to scare you but erosion is something that can happen. My US doctor has done 900 bands and never seen one that eroded like mine...I think he said erosion is something that can happen...1 in about 1500.

Most US Dr.'s and now some out of country as well, require a psych evaluation for all their patients. It assures the Dr. that you are doing this for yourself, you are not being pressured by a spouse, as well as being mentally prepared for the time period of food deprivation, and are ready to change your habits.

However, with my psyche evaluation, they ask and discussed very little, had me fill out a 4 page questionairre, that was full of questions I found in no way related to WLS. I did it, according to the surgeon at the time, passed it fine, never heard another word about it--and the men with the little white jacket never showed up for me..........

Kat

well i went to one phyche doctor and that was the one at the weight management center he told me i was a good canidate for the surgery he thought and after that visit the called me and told me to go to the mental health center in my local area and get a phyche to evaluate me and get them to give the doctor office (weight management center) a clearence to go through the surgery. its no big deal but i thought it was worthless to pay them $200 to see weight management center's phyche doctor and they tell me thats its ok to have the surgery and then two weeks later they call and tell me to go to my local phyche doctor to get a clearence every one that i know here in my home town told me they only had to see the phyche doctor once but like i said earlyer its no big deal my insurance will cover it but i thank its a crock i had to pay $200 out of my own pcckett when i could of went to a phyche doctor in my home town in the first place and saved me the $200 and let my insurance cover it

well i went to one phyche doctor and that was the one at the weight management center he told me i was a good canidate for the surgery he thought and after that visit the called me and told me to go to the mental health center in my local area and get a phyche to evaluate me and get them to give the doctor office (weight management center) a clearence to go through the surgery. its no big deal but i thought it was worthless to pay them $200 to see weight management center's phyche doctor and they tell me thats its ok to have the surgery and then two weeks later they call and tell me to go to my local phyche doctor to get a clearence every one that i know here in my home town told me they only had to see the phyche doctor once but like i said earlyer its no big deal my insurance will cover it but i thank its a crock i had to pay $200 out of my own pcckett when i could of went to a phyche doctor in my home town in the first place and saved me the $200 and let my insurance cover it

I just had my band done in Feb this year and I had gone to a nutritionist and my lap band doctor. I asked the lap band coordinator if I needed to go to the psych and she told me that I didn't have to. A lot of that could have been because they had actual records of my attempts of weight loss and with my co-morbity problems, knew I wasn't being forced into this. I think each doctor and their office goes by their own set of rules and guidelines and also what your insurance requests. I did have to pay for my nutritionist and she is actually the one that told my Lap Band doc that I was good to go as a candidate. I cannot imagine why they would need 2 affidavits for you:huh2: Good luck!

I just had my band done in Feb this year and I had gone to a nutritionist and my lap band doctor. I asked the lap band coordinator if I needed to go to the psych and she told me that I didn't have to. A lot of that could have been because they had actual records of my attempts of weight loss and with my co-morbity problems, knew I wasn't being forced into this. I think each doctor and their office goes by their own set of rules and guidelines and also what your insurance requests. I did have to pay for my nutritionist and she is actually the one that told my Lap Band doc that I was good to go as a candidate. I cannot imagine why they would need 2 affidavits for you:huh2: Good luck!

Yea i know. Well like i was saying earlier its not a big deal but just thought it didnt make since but i guess there is a reason for everything

lol!!!!

Well at least they will know that you definitely want the surgery and you have gone above and beyond to show this! Hang in there and the best of luck to you!! It is worth it! I waited for over 2 years!

Most US Dr.'s and now some out of country as well, require a psych evaluation for all their patients. It assures the Dr. that you are doing this for yourself, you are not being pressured by a spouse, as well as being mentally prepared for the time period of food deprivation, and are ready to change your habits.

However, with my psyche evaluation, they ask and discussed very little, had me fill out a 4 page questionairre, that was full of questions I found in no way related to WLS. I did it, according to the surgeon at the time, passed it fine, never heard another word about it--and the men with the little white jacket never showed up for me..........

Kat

Hey I got my phys. stuff done and approved and I went to go get my lab work today and my upper GI done (YUCK !! ) that stuff was nasty but anyways I still don't have a surgery date yet I got one more thing to do and thats the stress test heart thing stuff they want me to do. Any ways I'm so excited I know you gave it to me once but can you let me know how I can get that ticker thing again and how to put my dates on there so I can keep up with it and everyone can see my progress and how long it took me to do it. THANKS