GerardF

I was banded in May of 2002 and have managed to maintain all but about 20 lbs of my weight loss. The band is a tool and I have not been using it like I should. It has however prevented me from gaining all of my weight loss back like I have done my entire life. I lost about 180 lbs using the band.

Dr. Lavin did my Lapband surgery in May of 2002. I have lst almost 150 lbs since. All of the folks in Dr Lavins group are great people and you will like the way the treat you. He has a website - www.thesurgicalspecialists.com The website does not get updated often enough but it will give you a good idea of what they are about.

Try contacting The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana. My doctor there was Dr. THomas Lavin. He and all of his associates are great people and great doctors. They have offices in Covington and New Orleans. (504) 875-2012

My port was one of the earlier versions that had a connection that the manufacturer has had problems with. All the ports used after Sept of 2002 (Ithink?) are the new version. My port had come completly disconected and the fills would do no good. I still managed to loose over 120 lbs without a proper fill. The replacement was out patient and only took a couple of hours and I had little or no discomfort from it.

My daughter was thirteen when I had my surgery. I was honest with her and told her if I didn't have the surgery that chances were that I would not be around long anyway. Dad had to do this and hope for the best. Kids understand better that we give them credit for.

Dr. Lavin is excellent you will love if if you decide to use him for fills. Tom has the best bedside manners of any doctor I have ever dealt with. I have had a couple of fill with him with my orginal port. My port had to be replaced. The fills are painless and so was the port replacement.

Whos i out there from Louisiana? We need to get some action going here in the Louisiana forum!

For a couple of days following my surgery I found it very diffucult to drink any liquids. I think it was due to swelling. I found that if I sucked on sugar free popsicles I could get some fluids.

Give his office a call. He is pretty cool and I wouldn't be suprised if he would do it. He is truly concerned for the well being of his patients. He may be willing to help you continue your journey. Check out their website at thesurgicalspecialists.com You can find a phone number there. Good Luck!

I'm not at goal but I do have a comment to your question. I think you will have to constantly monitor your progress and look for that amount of food it takes to fill you and how long you stay full. My port broke and it took me a while to notice these signs. Had I been more aware of what I was doing I would have had the port fixed sooner. I now pay close attention to what I am eating looking for signs that my fill is not where it needs to be.

If anyone is interested in finding a doctor in the New Orleans Louisiana area I can recomend The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana. Dr. Thomas Lavin leads a great group of doctors and staff in Covington and New Orleans. Dr. Lavin is not only an excellent surgeon, he is a super guy.