ouachita

I know that Luttrell has accepted patients for fills who have had their surgery done in Mexico. I would think he would do the same for USA patients.

Mike Masterson, a columnist for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, wrote a favorable piece about lap Band surgery last year and used a lap band surgeon from the Fayetteville area as his primary information source. I can't remember the surgeon's name but there IS one in the area. A little research should turn him up.

I hope you are as pleased with your results as I am with mine. Good luck and keep us posted!:thumbup:

:biggrin2:Nawh, that's what the young guys are for! Us old men tend to be more snipers than fighters. Just remember the story about the difference between old bulls and young bulls.:scared2:

A large part of the problem men have with admitting they need or have had something like the lap band is that it is so ingrained in us to be competitive that we hate to do anything that might be perceived as a weakness - physical or psychological - by other men (ie competitors). To admit you are obese is bad enough but to have to admit you can't lose the weight without help is to somehow admit some sort of personal failure. Men absolutely hate feeling they are weak or a failure and will go to some pretty silly and sometimes self destructive lengths to avoid or deny they need help or even have a problem. It's all tied into status, pecking orders, perceived reliability, strength of mind and body,etc, etc, and so on and so forth. (IMHO women are just as competitive - they just compete in a little different arena than we do) It sounds like your husband doesn't want the guys to think he can't "hang" with them in the mass consumption department. In his mind it may be tantamount to them believing he can't "hang" with them in other areas. I understand, been there done that in my younger more foolish days. It is not something a man gets past overnight. It takes a little time and maturation. My guess (and sincere hope) is that as your husband experiences success in loosing the weight he will care less and less about what his mates may think. I suspect he would probably be shocked to learn that some of his mates may be more than a little envious of his results and would be interested in the lap band themselves. I've been open about my lap band and have shared my experience with a lot of cops who are interested in the procedure. If they thought any less of me for having the surgery they didn't have balls enough to say it to my face!:wink2: In fact they are all very complimentary. Hell, I'm a cop with a wife, 6 kids, and 10 grands and if I can can "man up" and have lap band surgery and take up ball room dancing he can at least lurk on the boards!:wub: Tough guys DO dance and real men eat whatever they damn well please!:scared2:

I was banded by Dr. Luttrell 2/19/07 and am down 83 lbs on two fills (306 to 223). I have to say I'm quite pleased with the results as well as Dr. Luttrell and his staff. Here's his website link: Arkansas Lapband

Truer words were never spoken!:scared2: Robert, I think the reason there aren't any more men on the froum is that there aren't near as many men get banded as women. Maybe because women are generally more health and image conscious than men, maybe because most men would rather spend their money on another case of beer than a lap band. It is true that our culture is much more tolerant of extra weight on a man than on a woman (and I think women are much harder on themselves than men are). In my local area I know of several womwn who are banded but so far I'm the only man. BTW, nice to see another LEO around.

I was banded Feb. 19, 2007 by Dr. Luttrell and have lost 80 lbs so far (306 to 225). Good thing because now almost 1 year to the day my wife and I are participating in a "Dancing With the Stars" charity benefit for the local Christian Health Center in Camden. We're dancing the Waltz. We spent today shopping for her a dress to wear - lucky me, I get to wear a tux with tails. It's a lot of work but a lot of fun too, so far.:cursing: I have to say that ballroom dancing is darn good exercise and I have a whole new appreciation for the effort the shows participants put into learning their routines! Wish us luck, we need it! If you aren't busy February the 23rd and like a good laugh think about coming over. We can use all the votes we can get.

Most Excellent!!!:clap2:

SGACX, Sorry about the delay in responding, things have been busy. I was banded by Dr. Luttrell Feb. 19, 2007 (down 70 lbs. -302 to 232 currently) and get my fills from him. So far 've only had one fill in July and will probably get another one sometime in Nov/Dec AFTER I get back from a cruise this month. I think Dr. Luttrell may do aftercare fills for Mexican done patients on a case by case basis but the cost is significantly more because of the liability issues. I obviously can't speak for him and the above is based on just hearing him speak of handling a couple of such patients.

Sorry I haven't been around lindata but I've been mucho busy. Congrats on the date!! By all means keep us posted on your progress. Hey everybody! Good luck to you all. Arkie, I'm over in Ouachita County. We're practically neighbors!

Good luck tomorrow Cherokee! I was banded Feb 19 of this year and -67 lbs later haven't regretted a minute of it. Keep us posted.

Princess, I'm more of a "Brains and Butt" man myself so you can take my comments with however much salt you want to add: To me your breast look natural, in fact the slight differences (let me emphasize slight) enhance the natural appearance since perfectly symmetrical breasts are rare in nature and usually raise suspicion of enhancement. When you consider: "breast biopsies and removal of 2 spawning masses and 3 biopsies of fibroendenomas and breast lift with augmentation" the results seem pretty incredible to me. Any man who would have qualms about their appearance is probably so anal retentive/obsessive compulsive he'd never get in position to see them in person anyway. LOL As far as people complaining about minors seeing the pictures you've posted here, well you haven't shown anything that can't be seen on cable, satellite, vhs/dvd, health books, art books, museums, National Geographic, or any number of other sources readily available to your average child. Think about it, any kid who is savvy enough to cruise the net is probably not going to preferentially search bariatric surgery sites looking for a place to get their jollies when there are more porn sites than fleas on a dog's back with much more graphic content and easier to find to boot. (Not that your's couldn't hold their own with the competition....LOL) It is encouraging even to the men to see fellow bandsters experiencing success regardless of gender. Congratulations!!!!!

LOL!! Don't feel bad, not many people have. I have to echo Sugarbear's advice, especially the research part. As close to you geographically as possible AND still meet your qualifications criteria is a definite plus. The last thing you want is to have an unexpected serious problem crop up (unlikely but possible) and be too far away from your surgeon for comfort. I can't remember where I read it (may have been somewhere on this forum), but when I was researching surgeons I came across a recommendation that you should choose a surgeon who is board certified for bariatric surgery and has performed at least 100 lap band procedures. Narrow your choices down to a few good choices and attend their seminars, check their records, and talk to their patients if you can. Ask hard questions. Don't be shy about asking what their percentages of rates of infections, slippages, erosions, etc are so you can compare that to the averages. Keep in mind that not even the best surgeon is going to have a perfect record and some surgeons may be willing to take on higher risk patients than others which may skew their numbers. After you have found surgeons that seem to match your qualifications criteria, then you can look at more subjective factors like is the surgeon nice, or friendly, or whatever personality traits you find attractive. That approach works for me but your criteria and mileage may vary.

Approximately where in SE Ark? I was born and raised in the DeWitt/Stuttgart area, a little place called Crocketts Bluff.

Hiatal hernia is not a contraindication. It helps if the surgeon knows about it beforehand since it is possible to repair it during the lapband surgery.

Lindata, Sorry about taking so long replying, 4th of July and all that. I don't think the lung collapse was necessarily a "Doctor error." It was a very small hernia hidden behind the stomach/esophagus and was just closed off by a membrane between the thorax and abdominal cavity. It was breached when the band was slipped around behind the esophagus. It was painful when I woke up from the anesthesia but the relief was immediate when Dr. Lutrell removed the chest tube. Other than an extra 1/2 inch scar on my chest I have had exactly zero complications since then and only the normal hurdles that everyone else reports having recovering from this particular surgery. Dr. Lutrell is easy to talk to and seemed very forthright in answering my questions. I have only been back to him once since the surgery for follow-up (my choice because of distance and I had no apparent problems) but am scheduled to go back to him for my first fill next Wed, July 10. I can tell you more then. I do know that Dr. Lutrell is now requiring patients to come in on regular basis for follow up for the first year (every 4-6 weeks and then 1-2 times a year thereafter), I believe as a condition of treatment. I do not regret the surgey at all.

So far everything has been just fine. I have my first fill appointment next wed the 10th and will be able to tell you more then. I went to Dr. Lutrell because he was on familiar turf for me ( I lived and worked in Pulaski County for 15 years and have a daughter & her family in Maumelle) and he is Bariatric surgery board certified. In Little Rock he and Dr. Welborn were the only two I could confirm were board certified at the time I was researching docs. Dr. Lutrell is very personable and answered all my questions in a manner that seemed open and straight forward and his answers were in line with my research (good and bad) and with what I had gathered from forums like here. During my surgery I had an unexpected hiatal hernia that was punctured and collapsed my left lung but fortunately I was blissfully unaware of it until I awoke. The puncture was repaired during the surgery, the lung re-expanded and I went home that afternoon with no subsequent complications. I was walking over a mile within 3 days and increased my activity as I felt up to it. I have lost about 64 lbs since I started the process through exercise and a decreased appetite as an apparent result of the band putting pressure on the vagus and other nerves. I still get hungry but it is much more controllable now. I no longer view small children as potential appetizers...LOL...just joking, but not by much...LOL. Anyway, I have stalled at 64 lbs hence the trip in for a fill next week since it seems I have reached the point that restriction is needed. Dr. Lutrell offered a fill earlier but I wanted to hold off as long as I was losing at a satisfactory rate. If you have any questions you want me to forward on to him let me know before next tuesday and I'll inquire on your behalf.

Lisa I'm from the Camden area. Can't speak pro or con about any of the Mexican docs. I had my lapband Feb 19, '07 by Dr. Rex Lutrell in Little Rock. As of today I'm down 64 lbs (302 - 238) and go in for my first fill July 10. No problems so far. Initial cost was $16,000 with first three fills with no physician charge. There is a facility charge for the facilities flouroscope.

Depends on what you call regular. Remember, with less intake you are going to have less output with less frequency, at least until your new eating habits have established themselves and stabilized. Where once a day may have been your norm your new "norm" may be once every two or three days. As long as you are not constipated and/or experiencing undue difficulty you should be OK. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, exercise per MD instructions, and get as much roughage in your diet as you reasonably can (with Protein a priority of course). I like Fiber 1 Cereal and 3 - 5 prunes (chewed very thoroughly) a day myself. I take a half cup of Fiber 1 with a Protein shake poured over it like I used to use milk 30 - 45 minutes after my morning workout and have the prunes as a night time snack. Any other veggies or roughage I can get in after the protein is bonus. Works for me, your mileage may vary. I'm sure others will soon share what works for them, or doesn't as te case may be.

Congratulations Chris!

LOL! I think it is closer to 1 inch for every 25 - 30 pounds, at least in the initial stages. My wife says she can agree with that so far :biggrin1: LOL. Wow! An inch for every 10 pounds lost? You'd have a stable full of potential porn stars here! John Holmes would be a nobody in comparison LOL.

Congratulations SG and good luck Flowergurl!

How many days a week are you exercising? I normally exercise twice a day and if I don't take a couple of days a week off I start to drag big time. I ususally either take the weekend off or do a 3 day on 1 day off / 2 day on 1 day off routine, depending on my schedule and/or how I feel. I think most experts recommend a 3 day a week workout schedule to give your body time to recuperate and consolidate between workouts.

I was banded 02/19/07 and have lost 55 lbs so far without a fill (04/16/07). I have a 10 cc band and don't feel any significant restriction...I can still eat pretty much anything I want so I don't think too small of a band is the cause. WHat I have experienced is a decrease in appetite. I still get hungry but it's not that ravenous "kill and eat the bloody carcass" hunger I had before. It's manageble now. I guess the band must be doing something with the vagus nerve to decrease the hunger.