alvapo1

My name is A.J., and I am a 34 year old male. I just underwent the Lap Band Procedure on 11-19-2010, and have already lost 21 lbs since the week before that. Dr Jamie Ponce was my surgeon and I have to say that he and his staff are AMAZING!!!!!!!! I am married and have two little boys ages 4 1/2 and a 21 month old. We live in Hixson Tennessee, which is just outside of Chattanooga Tennessee. Unfortunately our insurance did not pay for the procedure so we were self pay. But at least with self pay, it was about a three week turn around from the first consultation to the actual procedure being done. I have very little pain and have been really suprised at how good I already feel. I was glad to find a site that is dedicated to those that have had the procedure or are thinking about having it. I was diagnosed three months ago with type 2 diabetes and was taking 5 shots a day. I have not had to take any insulin for the last 3 weeks, mostly because of the liquid only diet. But Dr. Ponce feels that within 6 months I should be off of insulin completely. I decided to undergo the surgery not only for my own health, but for my wife and kids. It is not fair to them to have a father who does not have the energy to do things with them. The way that I look at it is that on 11-19-2010, I was given a second chance at life and a second chance to be a good father and good husband. Take care and I will keep everyone updated on my progress.

All I can say is WOW and thanks for the encouragement. I wish you all continued success with your journey. Thanks, A.J.

I have finally crossed into the 200's. As of today I weigh 298 lbs, I know that is still close to the 300's but I could not be happier. I was banded on 11-19-2010 and had a starting weight of 388 lbs. Now that I have crossed into the 200 territory, I feel that anything is possible. I have a goal weight of about 225 lbs, and that makes it that much closer to getting there. Some days are much better than others with the eating, but it has been well worth it. Especially not having to take the 8 shots of insulin everyday, I have not taken a shot since the surgery. Eventhough I weigh 298 lbs, my wife has commented that I do not look like the same person and she is right. I was recently looking at a photo of my self from last summer and it looked like if you put a pin in me I would have popped, it is really amazing what nearly 100 lbs of weight being gone will do for you not only physically but mentally. Currently I wear a size 48 in pants and wear a 3x in shirts, and I have a goal of being in a size 42 by the 1 year anniversary of my surgery. Before the surgery I was wearing a size 56-58 in pants and a size 5 x shirt. I do not believe that I will go below a 3 x in shirt because I have very broad shoulders and a broad chest. If it sounds like I am bragging about my progress, then I suppose that maybe I am. I am very happy with what I have accopmlished, and maybe if someone that is getting discouraged reads this, they can know that if I can do it then anyone can do it. Some of the support groups that I have gone to are full of people that have done nothing but shoot themselves in the foot from the beginning. I suppose that I will wrap up by saying that if you listen to your doctor and follow the guidelines, then anyone can have success with the surgery. Take care, A.J.

I was banded on 11-19-2010.

I went last week for my 3rd fill and was told that everything was progressing along very well, I had lost another 12 lbs in the last month. My Dr. was very pleased with my progress, and he told me that I was to come back in 3 months. One of the ladies that was waiting to have her fill was complaining that she had gained 5 lbs since last month. I remembered her from last time and she was talking about all that she still ate and would drink coke products still. I suppose that she did not learn anything from the last time. She was ahead of me to get her fill, and when she came out of the room she looked upset and said that the Dr. had really bitched at her, and she thought that he was rude for doing that. She knew ahead of time what was going to be expected of her from this process, our Dr. really goes above and beyond with the educational classes. You really have to give yourself to this process to make it work. Take care, A.J.

Although I was only banded in November of 2010, I would definately do it again. Do not let a few bad experiences scare you away from something that can be so life changing and wonderful. Most of the time, those that have bad experiences have no one else to blame but themselves for failure. However, there are the few exceptions where failure is due to mechanics. But if you are willing to commit to your own success, then there is nothing that can hold you back. A.J.

I had my second fill on Tuesday and everything went fine. I was able to eat yesterday without any problems. However, today has been another situation all together. For Breakfast I had a Protein shake, no problem there. For lunch, I tried beanless chili which is normally no problem; I managed to get about 4 bites down then had horrible pain and had to throw it up. I have been able to drink liquids without any problem. For dinner I tried some soft scrambled eggs, again I managed to get down about a half dozen bites and started hurting again and had to throw it up. I am not forcing myself to throw up, it comes up without any help on my part. There is no acid in it, so I am assuming it is coming from my pouch. Any suggestions on what the problem might be would be greatly appreciated. I am puzzled since I was able to eat without any problems on Wednesday and just started having the problems today. Again, I have no problems with the liquids. Thanks, A.J.

I definately know that heavy people are looked at differently. I applied for a job several years ago and managed to jump through all the hoops in the hiring process getting to the last step with this particular organization, when I learned how rude some people really are. The hiring manager spoke with me for about 1 hour and told me that he like everything about me except my size. He told me that on paper that I was the ideal person for the job and if he had never actually met me then he would have probably hired me. He went on to explain that when he has worked with "fat people" (his words), they tend to be less productive than others and out sick more than other employees and he did not want to have to deal with that. I have always felt that I had to work harder and be more productive than others that I work with because of the stigma related to being big, I also never call in sick. I have been sent home a few times because my boss felt that I was too sick to be at work. It took every ounce of self control that I had in my body not to pull that hiring manager across the desk and beat the hell out of him, plus I did not feel like going to jail for assualt and battery. I figured that would hurt any future employment opportunities. I have always been very big, but very strong. I can still bench press over 200 lbs without much problem. I did talk to a layer friend of mine about the situation because I felt that I had been discriminated against. He agreed with me, but told me that most likely the courts would not. He said that it is alot easier to prove age or sexual discrimination than to prove that you have been discriminated against for being overweight. It amazes me how cold and rude some people can be because you do not look the same or fit what they preceive as the norm.

I would like to thank everyone for their advice. I think that I might just try liquids for the next day or so and see what happens around Monday. If I am still not able to get food down, then I will give my Dr's office a call. Thanks, A.J.

I went yesterday and had my second fill, and it went as smoothly as the first one thankfully. I have lost 10 more pounds since last month; I am really excited about that. While sitting there, I was listening to some of the other patients talk and complain about not loosing weight like they want to. When they started talking about what all they would still eat, I wanted to ask them why they are being so stupid. One lady talked about gaining 5 lbs last month, and not understanding why. She said that she was still eating subway sandwiches and having only 2 diet cokes a day. She went through the same type of informational class as I did, but I guess that she failed to pay attention or thought that it would not apply to her. Being that I was self pay, I suppose that I want to succeed that much more. I could not imagine sabotaging my self with that type of food and then knowing that I threw away $14,900 dollars. I suppose that I have vented enough, it was hard for me to not say anything to these people yesterday. Maybe I should have. Thanks, A.J.

I have close to 200 lbs to loose as well. I was banded on 11-19-2010, and so far I have lost nearly 50 lbs. I have about another 150 to go, so do not get discouraged. There are a lot of people out there like us that have that kind of weight to loose. My surgeon told me that to him it seems easier for those that have a lot more weight to loose than for those that need to loose less than 100 lbs. Again, good luck A.J.

I got my first fill yesterday and it went well. The nurse told me to get ready for a big stick, and I kept waiting for it, then she told me to stand up, that is when I noticed that I had a needle sticking out of me. So atleast it did not hurt going in, but it hurt a little coming out. So far I have lost a total of 40 lbs, since starting the pre-op diet almost 7 weeks ago. I started at 388lbs and I am down to 348lbs, just that 40 lbs has made me feel so much better. Even my 4 1/2 year old has notice and has been making comments that I look smaller. So far this has been an amazing experince. I do have one question, how can I get a weight ticker to transfer to my profile. I can create one, but can't figure out how to import it to my profile. Any help would be appreciated. A.J.

Also thanks for helping me with the ticker information. A.J.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I am very excited that today I get my fist fill. I am still not sure what to expect in the few days following the adjustment. I suppose that with every one it is different. My weight loss has slowed a little, but I still have lost nearly 38 lbs since starting my pre-op diet and surgery. I guess that 38 lbs in 6 1/2 weeks is not too bad. Any one have any suggestions on what I can eat afterwards and what to expect would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, A.J.