This should more correctly be called: The Fill Appointment with no fill. That’s right, I didn’t get a fill. Since I’ve lost 8 lbs of pure body fat, I’m not hungry, and eating correctly, Dr. Baptista feels I’m one of the bandsters who walks out of the hospital already at or very near the “sweet spot” and may never need a fill. (Happy Dance!!)

As long as I continue to lose 1-3 pounds a week, I may never need a fill, but if I do he’ll be monitoring me and will let me know!

Now for the semi-sorta-bad news. When he did my surgery, he found two hernias. The hiatal hernia, he corrected as he commonly does. However, there was a hernia lower he cannot repair at this time. I must reach at or near a normal BMI of 25 before that surgery has a hope of being successful, because it’s not far above my navel, where the overweight abdominal fat would possibly rip and tear his work.

That’s fair, even if it means I have this weird lump in my abdomen for a year or two. After all, I have a minimum of 100 pounds to lose before I come close to my healthy weight range. Not like I’ll be in a bikini before then anyways.

Wow, Sweet Spot with no fill! Awesome! What's up with all the hernias...doesn't it seem like a ton of people here have them? Why don't they know about them? I'm going to have to google this as I'm not sure why people get them...just thinking aloud. -BG

I was told mine probably happened because of several factors including my weight and I've had laparoscopic surgeries before. There can be many causes of hernias.

I never knew about mine because no doctor ever mentioned the possibility, and apparently they don't show up on x-rays. You'd think someone would have said something, wouldn't you?

Sorry in advance if you don't want to look at graphics (I know many people don't want to know what their innards look like)....OK, back from Google...I only knew hernia's as sticking out your abdominal wall, usually low down and you can feel with your hand. I kept thinking "how could so many women on LBT have groin hernias, and why were they only found with LB surgery?" (Obviously I'm not getting wiser with age...you're a wise wise woman!) But now I see the hiatal one is actually internal (I know they both are, but this one is where you can't feel it). This is making more sense now that they find these when they put in the band as it's right where the esophagus joins the stomach. What the heck is that stomach flap valve thing? Does the LB get placed below that? This 'normal' graphic has way more 'anatomy' on it than the pics I saw in my three seminars I attended (looks almost like we already have 2 pouches before the stomach)! Well, at least I'll know what it is if they say I had one LOL...wonder what the percentage is they find w/LB surgery? Thanks for bringing this to my attention! -BG

I know in my case, the lower esophageal sphincter had deteriorated due to many years of GERD, and my doc informed me that many overweight persons who have GERD can trace the problem back to a hiatal hernia. The two are related in a way that I, as a layman, can't understand.

The LapBand is placed well below the esophageal sphincter, and below the hernia area. BTW, I have actual pictures of my hernia and surgery I could scan, but they really are kind of gross. LOL! I did get a pat on the head for my much-reduced and very pretty liver. Hehehe!

The real irony of this whole thing is, my best friend is going in for hernia surgery very soon! I swear, we take turns. I get a hysterectomy and develop DVT, then a few months later, Karen goes in for diverticulitis and ends up with a colostomy bag! We both get healed up and start an exercise program, determined to rid ourselves of ill health. Karen got the surgery last fall to remove the colostomy bag (yaaay!) and then I have my LapBand. We both found out within days of one another we have hernias that need repair! ARRGH! Even weirder, looks like we'll both have them in the same hospital where I had my LapBand installed, even though it's across the river and more than halfway across town. This is getting silly. LOL!