GeezerSue

Whew, Alex! I though you were calling someone a name! And you are SO right about the gravy. This year, Thanksgiving is at my sister's home and that means she gets first pick at the leftovers. SOOOOO, I went out and bought a leg and drumstick so I could have all dark-meat "imitation leftovers." I have to cook it, but I kind of think that leftovers are the best food at Thanksgiving. Happy Turkey! Sue

Hi, Mimi! Welcome. Here's my take, for what it's worth. (And I think it's worth a lot cuz I mostly copied it from coffee Wench and she knows everything.) With either surgery you will have to learn new ways to eat and deal with life. With the bypass, you WILL lose the weight, but you will gain it back if you don't do the learning. With the band, you have to make the changes to lose any substantial amount of weight. So, let's look at the "failures." Two years out, the unsuccessful bypass people lost and then regained and the unsuccessful band people never lost. And the unsuccessful bypass patients (it used to be 20%) have had massive, organ-rearranging surgery, and need a lifetime of supplements and have an increased risk of other health problems, while the unsuccessful band patients have a band that can stay, can get deflated or can get removed (sometimes with lap surgery, sometimes with open). There are, of course successful people with either surgery. But a far higher percentage of bypass patients have complications which require re-operating ("revisions") and/or OR visits. There are many people who have BMI's similar to yours and who are doing (or have done) well with the LapBand...including those who were much heavier than you. By the way, most surgeons who have done well with the bypass tend to prefer it. They think it is more successful because, after the surgery, they see only the patients with complications. Band patients take more follow-up care, and most US trained surgeons are not so into the day-to-day, patient support that's needed with the band. I think they tend to measure "successes" in terms of what percentage of patients they never have to deal with again...and with the band, that's "zero percent." Sue

Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey, Mexico and Dr. Fox in Washington State have psrtnered before and have published together. I THINK it costs less if you "start" with Rumbaut and have him refer you for aftercare, than if you start with Fox...but I'm not sure. Sue

In this case, your husband should be aware that it is the "foreign" doctors who are the proctors (teachers) showing the U.S. doctors how to do this surgery, so by avoiding Mexico, he is avoiding just the experience that I went looking for. In my case, a year ago, the local doctor had done about 30 lap bands and wanted $30,000 (all inclusive.) Dr. Rumbaut (in Monterrey, Mexico) had done about 1400 bands and charged $10,000 all inclusive. It will take me LOTS of trips to Mexico for fills to make up that $20,000 difference. More recently, some of the US doctors have lowered their prices to around $12,000. Which is good. But, for me, the real question is How many lap bands has this doctor placed? Although many people will say something like, "I was my doctor's second band patient and there were no problems," the research repeatedly proves that there is a real link between the number of bands placed and the number of complications suffered by the patient. Especially if I'm paying cash, I'm not going to be part of someone's learning curve. The Mexican doctors who proctor for Inamed are ALL more experienced than almost any US doctor, and mostly work in hospitals that are FAR superior to anything we've go going here, especially in terms of nurse-patient ratio. But if your husband can't get over his (not very accurate) conception of what those doctors have to offer, there are always Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Most band doctors there have way more experience and the cost is quite low, compared to here. (And a potentially tax-deductible trip is kind of cool, too.) Good luck, Sue

I have similar issues. But mine may be way weirder, because I'm old. And happily married for over 30 years. And I wasn't MO as a young woman. You know...when I was young, men used to notice me and I got a LOT of attention. But back then, they only looked at me and drooled and made obscene offers (which I often accepted) and stuff. But they never listened to me. When I got fat, I had to work harder at making my point (because in our culture, if you aren't rich or beautiful, you'd damned well better be smart) and finally they listened. So now I have no idea what I'll do when I lose weight. (Which may be why I'm at a pause.) Do I flirt? I think flirty old broads are really sad. Expound? I do that already, but people go to sleep. Wax eloquent on trivial issues? Eloquence takes such effort. (I'm also on hold with my life because while I am no longer anywhere near as sick as I was two years ago, I'm also not 100% well. I know how to be 100% disabled and how to be 100% able. I just don't know what to do when I'm "in between." So I'm doing nothing. All day. Every day.) Just joining in to whine...did anyone bring the cheese? Sue

Yo! Maria Nick! How's it goin'? Sue

Semi-private. Wish I had told fewer. Family knew, no one else did. Really, the people who know and love me, drive me nuts. "Well, we want to eat out, but where can Sue go?" And, "What about Thanksgiving! What can Sue eat?" And it never stops. But you know, until you learn what to eat and how to eat, you're going to look weird to others. (Like when the saliva-thing starts.) So...you may have a few people thinking you're pregnant or something. I vote to tell almost nobody. Sue

Jennye, I think that in the best of worlds, the band would behave just as yours is behaving. It is in there, planting itself where it belongs, and not causing any trouble. WHEN IT IS TIME (which, of course, it is not yet), you will have an adjustment which will cause restriction. And, until that restriction exists, you will be just as hungry as you were pre-op. (Just keep your protein levels up.) As frustrating as this seems right now, to me it sounds like IF you ever need a no-restriction condition later on (you know, another baby, that sort of thing) just emptying the saline will do the trick. Compare your situation to JimmyC's, where he actually had to have fluids delivered IV for a few days. I can pretty much predict that he'll need several days after the first fill to ease back into solids, and you will need only a day. Betcha! Sue

It just means you're healing well! Sue

On page 12, it says no beverage one to two hours after eating. (I believe the earlier edition of the book said one hour...I've gotta go find it.) Sue

Jimmy, Paisan... All youse associates from da ol' place are, you know, stand up people. But I gotta beef widda capo and I'd like to tell her: http://ourworld.cs.com/bannedsue/gestures14.gif I got "temporarily banned," no reason was given. I was told that after three days I could request reinstatment. My reply was, "Not on your life." I'm not going back. The capos there are both ignorant and disinterested in what is happening on their boards. Their policies are applied in an arbitrary and capricous fashion. I'm keeping in touch with some by email. But, hey, tell the banded to come on over here. We're way cuter, you know. Sue

I'm sure the band is a healthier approach than any of the liquid Protein diets. I've watched friends and relatives lose and then regain and then gain even more on those plans over many decades. I envy those who are satisfied with the healthy meals they are eating with the restriction they have. The first chunk of my extra pounds came off that way, and then I was told I needed an unfill, I got it and then, even after a re-fill a couple of months later, I've been stalled. I've lost--depending on when you start counting--between 32 and 46% of my excess weight and then I stopped losing. I haven't gained any weight. But I have stopped losing for many months, and I'm not happy about that development. My guess would be that the gains that occur after weight loss are not due to something as simple as neglecting to get a fill. I think that some of us eat more than we need to eat, and we eat in ways and for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger and survival, and therein lies the problem. Because band or no band (bypass or no bypass), a "need" to consume foods over and above that which we need for survival is at the heart of my eating issues and I suspect I am not alone. So, I'm working on those things. In case anyone who is researching the band is reading this, please understand that I am INCREDIBLY healthier and happier than I was before I had surgery. I can move, I can buy clothes, I can fit in airline seats, I no longer need my Bi-PAP (like CPAP) machine, I don't remember where my canes are, and I can do lots of fun things. I am sure that if I had not had band surgery, I would not be down those many pounds (and be in a size 20 instead of a 30-32), and--more importantly--no one could ever have convinced me that I was quite as nuts regarding food as I am. (I would have understood it logically, but would not have accepted it emotionally.) With the restriction that the band affords, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am absolutely full, even as I attempt to find something else to eat. That knowledge has prompted me to seek other help for my problem eating. (BTW, my take on the difference between band and RnY for people like me is that the RnY people lose the weight and then regain, while the band people get hung up on the eating issues before reaching goal...like I'm doing.) So, now that I can actually experience what "full" feels like--courtesy of the LapBand--I have the sensory clues I need to move to the next level in dealing with my eating issues. I piped up here originally because of the use of the word "permanent." I'm afraid to use that term:nervous--and like to warn others about using it--because I'm convinced that the weight loss gods will smite us when we do. Sue

If they deny her based on her disabilities, they may be in violation of the ADA and you may need an attorney. If they deny her based on age, they may be standing on firmer ground. Wait and see what happens and keep us posted. Sue

The only study I found (an Italian one) which addressed the issue of weight regain with the band, mentioned that 20% of patients regain their weight. Sue

At the risk of being a wet blanket, there is no guarantee that any weight lost with any surgery is permanent. An older study revealed that even after RnY, with all its malabsorption issues, fully 25% of patients returned to morbid obesity. I'm not familiar with a similar long-term study done with the band, however, I believe that banded patients on average weigh more at three or four years post-op than they did at two years out. (But I'll go look for the studies.) Sue

Ay, que cosa! Aqui tenemos mas que una princesa! Sinceremente, La otra princesa (Only half-Mexican-American, but ALL princess.)

I went for a fill, and to accompany someone having a port replacement. I am a very spoiled woman and would not have stayed/had surgery at his budget facility. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it from a medical viewpoint, because I have no training or education to make that judgement. It's just that the accommodations are way too rustic for my taste, so I'm glad he's dropped the price. He is an expert at banding; you'll be in good hands. Sue

Caroline, Kuri is an excellent and experienced band surgeon. Are you going to his luxury facility or his budget facility? I've been to the budget place and seen photos of the new luxury place. Sue

Hey, Tom! My husband is from Perry County! Good luck on the whole deal. Sue

Okay, I'd like to complain here. Doctors. Not all, of course, but many. Have they all read the same instruction manual? Do they stay up late nights making stuff up? A few issues: *Pre-op diets--There are some surgeons who want their patients on liquid diets or yogurt and Water only for two or three weeks pre-op. They say that they are doing that to shrink the liver. Well, humbug! When I first read that claim, the doctors who were actually running a study (in New Zealand) to see if that even worked had no test results. And, I worried about that. So I asked my doctor post-op. He said that yeah, my liver was fatty, but it sat this-a-way, as opposed to that-a-way, so it didn't make any difference, because it wasn't in HIS way. I wonder how many patients who cannot do two weeks on yogurt and water are going mad and feeling like they are dishonest and how many doctors believe that people actually follow those orders. I'll bet (a substantial amount of money, if we can set up the testing correctly) it's WAY less than half. *Post-op diets--Yes, we need to give the stomach time to heal. But we are individuals and we don't ALL need to go on a month of Clear liquids. Of course, we need to do a week on liquids, but ever-thickening liquids. IM-not-so-HO, we should be given instructions that include the caveat to go slowly, to try new consistencies for a few days at a time, and that any problem needs to be followed with a day of clear liquids, a day of full liquids, and a day of purees, and then resume the schedule, progressing carefully toward solids. *Incremental fills--Almost nothing makes me crazier than reading about these doctors who fill patients according to a schedule, not according what each patient needs. "You're six weeks post-op, so you need 1cc of saline." Well, "big-boy-cow-poo-poo," as we say when the censors are watching. Some band patients NEVER need a full cc. And some need 3.2 before they have any restriction. Those doctors need to stop being so lazy, to pay attention to what their patients tell them and to fill under flouroscopy if they are afraid of over-filling. (Duh!) *Not knowing how the band REALLY works--I went to one guy for a fill that never happened. He said that if there was ANY food I could not eat post-op, it meant I was over-filled. Can we say "Great big pony-poo," here? Many, if not MOST, band patients find it difficult or impossible to eat a few foods with the band in place, with or without any saline in the band. The most often mentioned foods are white meat chicken and poultry, breads (especially fresh, doughy, delicious, yummy brand-new--oh! sorry!--sourdough or other non-grainy types, rice and raisins and dried fruits and things that swell while in the stomach, that kind of stuff. Well, then. That may be enough for right now, huh? Anybody else with favorites? Sue

While many doctors make up their own rules as they go along (see my whiney post), I don't recall that Inamed EVER had a before meal beverage restriction. Sue

Novel concept for me. I'm working on it, really: NOT HUNGRY = DON'T EAT

Jimmy! Goomba! Howz by youse Chicago paisans? And how's your 60-weight gunk? Back down to 10W30? I had a 60-weight episode yesterday (and I really did think of you) when I ate a little meatloaf, forgetting that there's BREAD in meatloaf and the rest was both history and truly disgusting. Welcome! Sue

Bright! Sorry about the band confusion. Jennye! The real test is if you can hop on down to Racine and eat your way through a kringle. Oh! I'd love to taste a kringle. (Can't. Too doughy for me.) Sue

Bright! You are not mad. You have a different band! I've read enough about Frering and the MIDband and MorganC's experiences to know that the products are similar, but certainly not the same. (And Rumbaut included watery oatmeal at Breakfast on Day One post-op.) Congratulations on your surgery and your choice of surgeons. Sue