Bret

Gina, Your Doc is right, 2 lbs a week is a good pace. Remember, you just had surgery a few weeks ago and have no fill which means no restriction. I lost weight with pre surgery diet and lost weight post surgery while on liquids. Once I moved back to solids before a fill I actually gained a bit. Right now if your losing weight be happy. It takes time to find your sweet spot (thats what my doc calls getting the restriction just right), but when you do, and you make good choices on what you eat, the weight will come off just fine. Good luck and keep up your great work Bret

OK, I've not been here in a while so a quick recap. I had a VG Band installed in mid December 2006 at 390 lbs. First fill was 3.5 cc's at the end of January 2007. Some restriction but not a lot. I filled up quickly when I ate but the full feeling didnt last long. Went to 5 cc's with my second fill in early March 2007. I couldn't pass anything at 5 cc's, pretty much complete blockage. Went back 2 days later and went down to 4.5 cc's. Good restriction at first but lessened over a few weeks. Went in for 3rd fill yesterday. Doc said he gets less out than he put in the last two fills, he had put in 4.5 but only retrieved 4.2. He said this is common with vg band. He called it sweating due to the larger "baloon" surface area. He filled this time with a thicker Fluid which he said typically eliminates the sweating issue. He filled to 4.7 cc's. Its only been a day but it feels good. The restriction feels about right. Anyway, Thats where I am, 48 lbs since surgery. Pace has been good since the March fill. Looking forward to more progress and smaller sizes in clothes. BTW, Had to punch a new hole in my belt this morning. Its a good feeling.

Thanks for the input, Its been about a day and half since the fill and it feels better. I can drink and eat, just need to be careful of how much and I have to chew a lot. I did get nervous yesterday when it seemed as Water wasnt even passing well but things have settled down and I think I have a restriction that will work. This is what I paid for and hopefully the weight loss will speed up. (I travel a lot for work and can't wait to be able to fly without asking for a seat belt extension.....most people have weight loss goals....this is my first goal). I also never heard of a 20CC band. I have the Inamed VG band which is 10cc and as far as I know that is the largest they make. Maybe another manufacturer makes larger bands. Bret

I had my surgery 11 December 2006 and had my first fill this morning (18 Jan 2007). I have the large, 10CC band and this morning's fill was 4 cc's. My doctor gave me a 12 oz bottle of Water and had me wait in the waiting room till I was able to finish it. It took close to an hour and I felt stuffed to overflowing for at least an hour afterward. Is that the way its supposed to feel? If water takes so long to go through how will food go through at all? The doc says its normal, just looking for some reassurance. Thanks Bret

Dr. Collier is my surgeon. I'm new to this, my surgery was 11 December 2006. He's ageneral surgeon that has a very good rep. He started specializing in lap bands just in the last year or two. I didn't have my surgery in the surgery center. My insurance wanted Conroe Med Center so it was done there. I had my first follow up with Collier today, so far I am very happy with both thr hospital and the surgeon. Hope this is helpful. Good Luck, Bret

I am 10 days post op and just had my first follow-up visit with my surgeon. The band he installed was the 10CC VG band and he told me when I woke after surgery that is was a very tight fit and he was concerned that with the post op swelling there may be no opening at all. They tested with Barium and there was an small opening. At present there is minimal restriction, most food passes through easily. I explain this only to make the point that the VG band was my only option. The smaller bands would not have fit according to my surgeon. I've seen entries in this thread talking about fills in the 9 to 10 cc range. My surgeon said my first fill will be in about 3 to 4 weeks and will be 3cc's. He said he tried a 4 cc fill on someone my size, (started at 395 currently 375 lbs), and that resulted in complete blockage. I'm am planning on taking my doctors advice but I also am hoping not to have to go through a large number of fills before achieving a restriction that works well. What has been the normal first fill for others with the VG band. Also has there been any instances where a vg band was required due to the initial size of the patient but as weight was lost, a reasonable restriction could not be maintained and a smaller band was needed? Just curious, anxious and hungry with a lot of questions Bret

I've asked myself this question many times in my life and I've developed a bunch of stock answers that lays the blame for my weight everywhere but where it belongs....with me, (Slow metabolism, too busy to eat right, etc.). Bottom line is I ate the wrong food in huge quantities and at the wrong times. At my heavyest I was 395 lbs. My band was just installed 6 days ago and I am just getting to the being hungry stage. This morning I was 375 lbs. It took me many years to get to where I was so I expect it will take some time to get back to where I want to be. Eventually, I'd like to get to the 200 lb. range but my short term goal is to be able to fly without asking for a seatbelt extension. Thanks to all of you who have written to this thread before me. You are all inspirational. Thanks, Bret

Thanks Alexandria. Thats one complication I hadn't heard of. But, since it can't be predicted and the patient's behaviors don't cause it, its not one I'm going to worry about. Thanks again, Bret

I've seen a few forum entries saying bands have had to be removed after a diagnosis of "Erosion". What exactly is erosion as related to a lap band? whats the cause? and how common is it? I'd appreciate any info anyone may have on this. Thanks Bret

DrewsLou, Thanks for the welcome. I note you mentioned a port replacement. I've not heard of that before. What happened to your original port that required replacement? Just curious, Bret

This is news to me that so many people have been put on the liquid diet prior to surgery. I am 5 days post op and have been on Clear Liquids since the surgery. My surgeon explained that a diet was necessary 2 to 3 week pre-op to reduce the fat content of my liver to make surgery easier but he suggested a basic low carb diet like Atkins. Those three weeks I lived on Salads and Protein. Listen to your doc. I would have listened to mine if had he asked for a pre-op liquid diet, I'm just glad that he didn't. All the best, Bret

Thanks Becky, I will try and post progress as often as I can. I noticed in re-reading my original post how upbeat I sound. There is one downside that I failed to mention. These damn laproscopic incisions are itching me like hell. If anything in this world could drive me crazy....this constant itching will do it. Bret

Hello to everyone. My name is Bret. I am 48 years old and have been overweight all my life. I have been discussing surgery for the last few months and am happy to say that I had the surgery on Monday December 11 2006. It is now Saturday and I am 5 days post op. I feel great, I'm losing weight and I'm looking forward to see what the future brings. Just a few stats for the record. My starting weight was 395. My surgeon had me diet for a few weeks before the surgery and this week I'm on just clear fluids and as of this morning I'm about 377. So far so good. Right now I'm still on the initial high of the whole thing and I am still pretty "Up". I expect some down days and hope this forum will help me through those. By the way. My surgeon told me that about 90% of patients are female. I am in the minority. I'm male. My surgeon told me after surgery that it was a tough procedure because of my size and the band, although the largest made, was a tight fit. He expected me to have some trouble until the swelling went down. I didn't and by now it seems as if anything I eat passes freely. My diet has been lots of Tea, Water, Clear Soups, Sugar Free Ice Pops, Apple Sauce, Sugar Free Jello and Sugar Free Pudding. I have cheated a little bit and today had a bit of tomatoe soup which I guess technically is a stage 2 food, but it caused no problem. I have an appointment with my PCP on Tuesday 12/19 to talk about the meds I take. My diabetes meds are time released so I cant crush them so I need to discuss alternatives. All other meds I have been crushing. BTW I forgot to mention I have a number of weight related problems. Diabetes, High blood pressure and high cholesterol. I also have a follow up appointment with my surgeon on Thursday 12/21. Anyway. I guess thats enough of an Introduction. I look forward to interacting with fellow lap banders and I hope to be able to give and get support from and to you all. Thanks, Bret