shellyj

here are some of my non scale victories... my bmi is down from 51.7 at 350 to drumroll please...45.5 at 308 HOLY COW!! i was in a 28/30 now i can wear a 24 pretty comfortably and EVEN sqeezed into a 22 skirt!!!!!!!!!(I couldnt have worn it out but by god the buttons all closed LOL!!) i went to the movies this weekend and when i saw the seats my heart was pounding...no fun squeezing in the seats and pretending to be comfy...but no squeeze i fit!! this is a big one... not eating the most. when i used to eat around other people i always noticed i ate the most...saturday night i made veggie pizza for some friends i only ate 2 pieces...to there 6, 4,and 3 pieces... i do feel so much better! i am so close to being under 300!!! i will be so happy because then i will only be 100 away from under 200!!!! I LOVE MY BAND!!!!

i did the chew spit thing with steak!!! i never thought i would waste a new york stip but i enjoyed the taste maybe it wasnt a waste. i am not at the sweet spot so i guess i'll deal with this more now that i am getting more restriction...2nd fill yesterday i am at 2.2 cc.

i think this thread needs some more replies since i am pretty sure alot of us go through this!!! lend your experience!

hey christi! Donali is right! i was banded 8-20 and i have been posting what i can eat 2 - 1 1/2 cups of food per serving and halt in weight loss so other newlie banded people will read these and know that it happens to almost everyone! from the post op diet i have been eating carbs which i didnt do for 3 1/2 months so my body is gettting used to the carb overoad! i have 200% confidence that my will to lose combined with the band will have me slim and trim before i hit 30!!! i am 26 now so really probably 28... i am going to do the atkins diet once i reach proper restriction. my goal is to get to 199.99 then i will introduce the carbs...and plan to take my time loosing the last 35!

this is a link to a new girdle that they had on tv here last week... http://www.lipoinabox.com/default.htm supposed to be very good. for guys do they call a girdle compression shorts??

hey pinkgirl! i know how you feel about the last meal sydrome. i dieted 3 months pre band and as soon as i got a date i was in the last meal mode. i will say that since my surgery and swelling is down i am still in a sense doing the last meal syndrome. the diet i did was no-carb so since being banded i have been eating carbs (puddings, potatoe, Soups, bread) anyhow i feel like my body has stalled a bit. i am holding off on starting the adtkins diet until i am properly restricted but use that as an excuse to eat whatever strikes me. i guess i am trying to let you know until you get proper restriction you have to use will power or expect a slower loss. since surgery i have lost 11 lbs- part of that i am pretty sure is my bodies reaction to eating carbs again...but i KNOW alot of it is my addiction for food. i am pretty darn sure if i had stuck to trying to watch my carb intake along with not eating *things i wont be able to get down later* than i would have a much more remarkable loss. i will say i have not beat myself up over it. i new going in the rule *dont expect to lose prefill* but of course i did expect it. i quickly got over it because i knew i could choose to start dieting again...i just needed a quick break. i am a wee bit envious (AND A WHOLE LOT PROUD) of the deadication it must have took for some of our big losers pre-fill because that was some hard work on their part!! it is awsome that you realize that there is a issue. and want to change it since starting this thread- i suggest... drinking an an obscene amount of Water at least 80 oz exercise since it is fall you could walk. you can strech and do lite weights at home to tone... and watch what your eating... WHATEVER you do- pick a strategy and stick with it dont beat yourself up- you are on the road to permanent weight loss. i am sure you wouldnt be going through surgery if you just wanted to eat cheesecake all day post band! GOOD LUCK!!! you can do whatever you put your mind to!

i am like alexandra in that i can get away with swallowing some things now that i wont be able to later... i have been trying to chew chew chew but i know when i am properly restricted i WILL HAVE TO CHEW CHEW CHEW!! i have had the food wondering to the back of throat thing... its like it just autmatically heads down even though my mouth isnt ready! with the Water right now i have no problems semi chugging sometimes when i take a mouthfull of water i can feel that i shouldnt swallow just yet and will hold in my mouth till i know its safe!!

How Exiting Megan!!!!! not to worry you will have the time after your surgery while you are healing to get adjusted before you 'get adjusted'! i think you will do great you can tell you have really been researching and loking at yourself to make sure this is right for you. you will do great!!

i copied and pasted that info from another site! i am doing well. just waiting to get to my 'sweet spot' as far as restriction. right now i can eat about 1 1/2 cups of food! i have a fill scheduled for 10-2!! i have 1.6 cc now in a 4.0 band. good luck and keep us posted!

just wondering if you all had thought about having a forum for a clothes exchange? i am now on my way down and have loads of size 30-28-26 that i am not wearing now and would DONATE to a fellow bandster IF they aggree to relist when they are finished using. i dont mind taking to the goodwill but i have seen clothes exchanges on obesity help and thought it was a great idea!

everyone is different! i had always heard that the more you had to lose the better chance you would have restriction without a fill...i was truly hoping to be like you and not need a fill for a while! are you at 1/2 cup restriction? i am having a second fill 10-2 and am hoping for but not expecting the 1/2 cup restriction! you are doing so great!!! you know your dr says 4-6 months now but YOU will no as you lose more the band will become looser and over time in general it will get looser... so in turn you'll be able to eat more... i have hear a 4 week stall in weight loss is a good sign your ready! Listen to your belly! kepp it up!

hey i was banded in nashville. my insurance paid but it was roughtly 24,000. it was done by dr morton 832-8186. if you are doing self pay you may want to consider Mexico dr's! it is way cheaper and you get to go to mexico! the main thing people face is finding a dr to do fills (adjustments) my dr does fills for the mexico band BUT CALL AND CHECK to make sure you can find someone to adjust it before you have it done or you will have to go to mexico for adjustments! there is lots of people on the boards who went to mexico for surgery! here is mexico dr info! Dr. Rodriguez - Accuna - $6500 (does not include air, transportation into Mexico, or hotel) JoseBand.com This doctor is very popular with his patients. He operates our of a smaller hospital. You fly into San Antonio and then travel to Accuna. One of Dr. Rodriguez's former patients will transport you for a fee. While Dr. Rodriguez was the least expensive surgeon I found, the flight to San Antonio was more expensive for me than to San Diego, and I was worried about the distance from any state of the art medical facilities and the logistics of traveling the significant distance from San Antonio to Accuna. You cannot take a rented car across the border. Dr. Rumbaut - Monterey - about $10000 LAP-BAND: Dr. R. Rumbaut Diaz Roberto Rumbaut Diaz (Dr. Rumbaut) was one of the surgeons selected by Inamed for its pre-US clinical trials. The results of his work--and the work of others in Europe--were what allowed the LapBand to be introduced to the US. I know he has placed over 1500 LapBands--I think more than all the Tijuana surgeons combined. The April 2003 edition of Obesity Surgery contains an article of the experiences of over 100 of his surgery patients who received follow-up in the US. Patient communication with Doctor Rumbaut is no problem, as he attended junior high school in Akron, Ohio, is completely fluent in English, and he answers his cell phone himself. Last I checked, his fee was $7500 and the hospital fee was about $2500. If the patient prefers, Doctor Rumbaut will cover the his fees and hospital costs for a flat fee of $10,000. Dr. Rumbaut is one of Inamed's proctor surgeons, supervising the work of those performing their first few LapBand placements. Dr. Sanchez - Monterey - about $10000 BeLighter.com Dr. Sanchez comes highly recommended and operates out of a nice hospital. Dr. Kuri - Tijuana - $8500 (does not include air and hotel) LapBandSurgery.com You fly into San Diego, and he will transport you to and from Tijuana. The hotel he recommends is one block from the hospital and charges $65 per night when booked through Dr. Kuri. He works out of a small older hospital which some Americans find disconcerting, but standards of cleanliness are said to be on par with those we expect in America. I have heard no real complaints about Dr. Kuri, but I cannot speak to my own experience as my surgery is scheduled in one week. All fills are free for his patients, though there is a $50 fee for flouro. Dr. Ortiz & Dr. Lopez - Tijuana - $10,000 (does not include air) obesitycontrolcenter.com These doctors practice together and operate out of a fancier hospital than Dr. Kuri. Their price includes transportation to and from the San Diego airport as well as hotel in what is described as a five star resort. I have not read any complaints about these doctors. Dr. Joya - Puerto Valletta - $9000 (inclusive) - DrJoya.com I have rarely seen this doctor discussed, so you may want to check into how many bands he has actually placed. I have seen some discussion about dissatisfaction with one of his employees and what was actually included in the inclusive price, but no complaints about the doctor himself. dr. Ponce de leon - Tijuana - obesity.com Dr. Robles - Nogales - grshealthy@hotmail.com Dr. Diaz - Mexico City Dr. Aguirre - Ensenda - aaguirre@microsol.com.mx Dr. Gonzalez - Tijuana Dr. Verbonnen- Tijuana Dr. Isidro Vera - Tijuana - jisidrovera@aol.com Dr. Castillo - Irapuato - arturocardiel@yahoo.com.mx Dr. de la Garza - Monterrey - ObesitySurgery.com.mx Dr. Tirando -Mazatlan - itirado@mazatlan.com.mx

you better believe it!!!! your on a downhill slope now! your weight loss is awsome!!! have you had a fill yet? probably not if you are just getting on to regular foods! you are doing so great! keep up the good work you LOOSER!!!!

i copied this info from another site... Dr. Rodriguez - Accuna - $6500 (does not include air, transportation into Mexico, or hotel) JoseBand.com This doctor is very popular with his patients. He operates our of a smaller hospital. You fly into San Antonio and then travel to Accuna. One of Dr. Rodriguez's former patients will transport you for a fee. While Dr. Rodriguez was the least expensive surgeon I found, the flight to San Antonio was more expensive for me than to San Diego, and I was worried about the distance from any state of the art medical facilities and the logistics of traveling the significant distance from San Antonio to Accuna. You cannot take a rented car across the border. Dr. Rumbaut - Monterey - about $10000 LAP-BAND: Dr. R. Rumbaut Diaz Roberto Rumbaut Diaz (Dr. Rumbaut) was one of the surgeons selected by Inamed for its pre-US clinical trials. The results of his work--and the work of others in Europe--were what allowed the LapBand to be introduced to the US. I know he has placed over 1500 LapBands--I think more than all the Tijuana surgeons combined. The April 2003 edition of Obesity Surgery contains an article of the experiences of over 100 of his surgery patients who received follow-up in the US. Patient communication with Doctor Rumbaut is no problem, as he attended junior high school in Akron, Ohio, is completely fluent in English, and he answers his cell phone himself. Last I checked, his fee was $7500 and the hospital fee was about $2500. If the patient prefers, Doctor Rumbaut will cover the his fees and hospital costs for a flat fee of $10,000. Dr. Rumbaut is one of Inamed's proctor surgeons, supervising the work of those performing their first few LapBand placements. Dr. Sanchez - Monterey - about $10000 BeLighter.com Dr. Sanchez comes highly recommended and operates out of a nice hospital. Dr. Kuri - Tijuana - $8500 (does not include air and hotel) LapBandSurgery.com You fly into San Diego, and he will transport you to and from Tijuana. The hotel he recommends is one block from the hospital and charges $65 per night when booked through Dr. Kuri. He works out of a small older hospital which some Americans find disconcerting, but standards of cleanliness are said to be on par with those we expect in America. I have heard no real complaints about Dr. Kuri, but I cannot speak to my own experience as my surgery is scheduled in one week. All fills are free for his patients, though there is a $50 fee for flouro. Dr. Ortiz & Dr. Lopez - Tijuana - $10,000 (does not include air) obesitycontrolcenter.com These doctors practice together and operate out of a fancier hospital than Dr. Kuri. Their price includes transportation to and from the San Diego airport as well as hotel in what is described as a five star resort. I have not read any complaints about these doctors. Dr. Joya - Puerto Valletta - $9000 (inclusive) - DrJoya.com I have rarely seen this doctor discussed, so you may want to check into how many bands he has actually placed. I have seen some discussion about dissatisfaction with one of his employees and what was actually included in the inclusive price, but no complaints about the doctor himself. dr. Ponce de leon - Tijuana - obesity.com Dr. Robles - Nogales - grshealthy@hotmail.com Dr. Diaz - Mexico City Dr. Aguirre - Ensenda - aaguirre@microsol.com.mx Dr. Gonzalez - Tijuana Dr. Verbonnen- Tijuana Dr. Isidro Vera - Tijuana - jisidrovera@aol.com Dr. Castillo - Irapuato - arturocardiel@yahoo.com.mx Dr. de la Garza - Monterrey - ObesitySurgery.com.mx Dr. Tirando -Mazatlan - itirado@mazatlan.com.mx hope this helps

http://msnbc.com/news/970123.asp?0sl=-21#BODY this is an article about hidden sugars in your food...very interesting!!! read those labels!

when i tried the link it didnt work so if it doesnt work try this one! http://msnbc.com/news/970123.asp?0sl=-21

i found a third story different scenario. Thanks for all the replys! I have had problems with the band from the beginning! 2 days after the Surgery I was admitted back into the hospital! I could not even keep my own saliva down. After a week in the hospital I had lost 25 pounds and of course I could not even have a drink of water! All I had was an IV. When they took a picture of the band it was not quite placed where it is normally on most patients but they felt that it could work! For the first 2 months I was on mostly liquids and soft foods. All together I have lost 45 pounds! I have never been able to keep down chicken no matter how many chews I chew. I have vomited almost everyday since I went to solid foods, 3 months after surgery. I don't think I have lost alot of weight because I will eat ice cream many times after I vomit to soothe my throat. At first I thought it was me, maybe I was eating too much or not chewing enough. Then my best friend had the band done it April and she is DOING GREAT!! We can sit down and she will eat more than me, same kind of food, and her band is tighten and mind is completely empty and I will still vomit. So I realized that the band is just not working for me! This had caused me to have bloody ulcers and I am on a double dose of previcid. The Drs have decided that my band needs to come out. I was hoping they just revise it but the Dr says there is no guarantee he could do that! Thats why I have decided on the RNY. I refuse to go back to my old weight. For all you bandsters to be: my Dr says that my case does not happen very often! Like I said before, my bestfriend is doing great and she hasnt vomited once! Best of luck to everyone!!!!!!

this is something i copied from another message board these both happened in the last month. please keep these folks in your prayers and thoughts. i am not trying to be negative by posting these, just want everyone to know the possabilities... I would have never thought I'd be included in those complication stats we all read about, but I was. Even though complication rates for this surgery are very low, complications are very possible as my experience demonstrates. I was banded 8/25 and all went well until my barium swallow test the next day. When the liquid wouldn't move, the radiologist suggested that my band may be too tight, but my surgeon decided to wait. Hours after my test, I became extremely nauseous and began spitting up the liquid from the swallow test. The next day this continued and my surgeon decided to open me back up that night. When he went in, he found that the top part of my stomach had come up through the band and flipped over the bottom part. Also, what really alarmed him was that the bottom part of my stomach tissue was the normal pink color, and the top part was a dark purple. He decided that my stomach was too traumatized to attempt rebanding, which I fully agree with at this point (when I was told my band was removed I was very upset and emotional; not nearly as rational and logical as I am now!) My stomach is healing fine, and after much thought and discussion with my surgeon, I've decided to attempt rebanding at the end of October (before scar tissue forms). This time my surgeon will add a double row of stitches to keep my stomach and the band from slipping. Before my first surgery I was fairly calm since I figured everything would go according to plan. But now, I'm pretty nervous and I'm hoping and praying that everything goes well this time around. Please wish me luck! heres the second one I am not writing to discourage anyone but to share my own experience. I am now 6 days post op and am going in tomorrow to have the band removed. It failed! The band is to tight for me and a post op blockage occured that has not cleared. I have had the most niserable week in my life. At the end of this I would have invested eight monts of time, thousands of dollars and god knows how much anxiety and have only scars, and black and blue arms to show for it. There are real people behind those statistics. I am not looking for any sympathy here. Just want to remind all that we get caught up in the potential positives and forget that there are risks. My main caution here is for large men. The band only comes in one size in the USA. Women seem to do well with it. Men...well I am now a statistic. Make sure you have a discusion with your doctor about this posibility. Make sure you have an exit strategy. Make sure you understand that if blockage does occure you will be in for one long nightmare and potentially either have it cleared up or have the band removed. Stay the course and follow your dream. Just be aware. again i copied these from another mesage board. if anyone is interested in sending well wishes and support i'll tell you where to get their email. it is publically listed but i didnt want to take the liberty to give it out here.

i had the same problem!! i had some pants that i had just squeezed into pre-op. 2 weeks post op and down 15 lbs i couldnt even get close to buttoning them! i have now gained back 5 and the pants fit! ( i am wearing them today!) i dont know if the swelling is all gone or not!

actually i started at closer to 350 i dieted my butt of all summer to lose 20-25 before i ever saw the dr.

i started at 325. day of surgery was 318 Exactly 2 weeks post op i was 303 and when i went to dr 2 weeks ago i weighed 311 that gives me a post op loss of 9 pounds. i would gladly take your 20 lb loss!

i cant believe they dont offer a larger size! obviously 'one size fits all' is not a reality! my heart broke when i read both of those. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts that is a link to the obesity help message board where these were listed.

looks like you better get some of that football food in while you still can! GO TITANS!

hey J.C.!!! i feel ya! i was banded 8-18 and was eating about 2 cups of food and not getting the full feeling just having to stop. i got my first fill and still not that restricted. i eat about 1 1/2 cups now. i am going for 2nd fill 10-2. i have been dealing with it by telling myself: i am healing. take any weight loss as a bonus till i get filled! your body just went through surgery and you need to heal! when will you be able to schedule your first fill?

well at 4 days post op i definitaly had those why did i do this to myself!! thoughts... they quickly passed when the pain and gas passed...lol. now at 5-6 weeks...those thoughts are completely gone it must have been the anesthesia!! because the thought of living fat or not living at all are not things i want to consider.