leatha_g

Faster weight loss (initially), some people actually WANT the dumping syndrome so they'll be stopped from eating sweets. some people think the 'maintenance' of a lapband is more than they want to deal with. little do they know that maintenance is FAR less than they'll have to deal with with RNY. They don't really register that malabsorption and taking supplements for LIFE literally really means LIFE. They don't hear it when people discuss their incessant flatulence and diarrhea problems. I think it's more of an instant gratification thing.

Sorry to hear of your pain, Rica. I really hope you can get it under control. Leatha

Amen, Glory hallalujah, Alex. I am so glad to hear you say that.. lol. I've been reading some of the other boards and people are going on and on about a half cup of this, a half a cup of that, this many calories, that many calories. It sounds like the same old diet mentality to me. It makes me tired. lol.

Sadly, and I've seen this discussed on other boards - it worries me the way that some of these folks neglect their aftercare. The band is still very much under scrutiny as to whether it passes in the medical community or fails. The follow-up care and the instructions given to patients -(ie, post-op diets and care of your band) will either make or break it. Right now, I'm hearing so many differing protocols for newly banded people. 4-6 weeks liquids/mushy vs go straight to real food:eek:, it wasn't quite this way a year ago or two years ago, but I sure think this varying from that could be a problem. If a doctor varys from what Inamed says should be band protocol, then they have a bad outcome with a patient, then you have an unhappy patient who is now saying the band is an awful thing, then you have people who are spreading that rumor based on one doctor's lack of protocol or neglect of care. Multiply that by 10 new docs. Next thing you know, the band is being pulled from the FDA. This worries me. I sure hope you get this resolved soon, Darcy....

Yay Queen!!!! So glad to hear you're home and doing well!! Keep walking, that is the key to healing!:banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny

I was unfilled from June 14th to July 16th and still am - although I've been rebanded. I was so scared at first, thinking I would surely undo all the good I had done and I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of the things I've been practicing this past year had indeed stuck with me. My brain still wanted to go 'hog' wild, but the banded part of me said nope, moderation, you've done this for a year - you just keep doing what you've been doing all along. I've never been 'dieting' really anyway. I still had mostly what I wanted, although I still left the breads, rice and Pasta off and my portions remained bandster portions. I maintained within 5lbs of the loss I had attained - once rebanded, I've now lost that 5lbs plus 3 more. For me, that is a minor miracle..

Very cool idea! I would go for it!

Way to go Tina!!! Hope you have a wonderful vacation!!

:speechles Did you say that?! [/b] lol, yes, I did..

I've heard the same thing.. regarding prices and his patients seem to love him.

I usually tell everyone now, but I do wished I hadn't told everyone BEFORE the surgery. There have been a few who have quizzed me consistently which was very bothersome especially when my loss was stalled. No one really gets the concept of 'SLOW' weight loss. It really is NOT supposed to just drop off of us all at once. I finally told my boss after she had asked me EVERYDAY how much I had lost.. -.. about .025lbs more than the LAST time you asked me.. ugh. I know it was rude, but it was also rude of her to keep putting me on the spot like that. Then, I had a sister-in-law who was going to Mexico every few weeks and taking some kind of amino acid shots and doing the Protein diet who was losing extremely well - too fast, really - but she would call me and ask me consistently, to compare my weight loss to hers. I found it extremely annoying. So - if I had it to do over. I would not have been so open about it until I had really gotten some weight loss behind me. Just my 2 cents...

Good luck Queen! You will not know the tube has been in place, except for a bit of a raw throat afterwards. They put it in after you are put to sleep and take it out before you wake up! You will do fine! Who is your doc again?

I dunno, but it seems like if your band is too tight to get water down - it could be a bit too tight?

Seems to me this sort of follow-up should be reported to Inamed. I'm really sorry Darcy that this is still going on. Hugs to ya girl. Leatha

This is true. Somehow, when they're selling the surgery, they forget to make these points clear. This is definitely something Inamed needs to help get sorted out. Patients move! I agree with you about the flouro. My fills in San Francisco were always under flouro and the guy always pulled it all out, then closed the band off and backed off of that until he felt the fill was tight enough but not overly tight. I miss him so much! I do believe someone with experience and the knowledge about how the band REALLY works can do fills without flouro, but I really prefer it myself. My experience has been that it just turns out better in the long run. Did you call Dr. Maese in Ferris, Texas? Another option you might have is to call around to some of the Imaging centers. I know there are some radiologists who will do fills without doctors orders and in my experience the Radiologists are very good. That's who was doing mine in SF. If they are experienced they are often better than the docs who really prefer not to have to do the aftercare. I hope you find someone soon! Have you contacted Inamed? They have a list of doctors and possibly might be able to refer you to an Imaging center. www.inamed.com

Ladies, if you look to the bottom right hand corner, you'll see buttons that say 'edit' and 'quote'. If you click the 'quote' button, it will bring up the post that you want to quote and the reply box with it. (you must click this button IN the actual post that you want to quote from.) It won't hurt to just try to the button to see how it works. To make a smiley face, look to the lefthand side of your reply. There is a display of several smileys. If you click once on any of those, the smiley will be dropped into you reply right where you left off of typing. If you click on the bottom of that display where it says 'Get More' then it will bring up a box with many other smiley's to choose from - along with the famous dancing bananas and bunnies. :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny Go on, play with it.. dont' be afraid.

Best of luck to you Ryan!! I'm crossing my fingers for smooth sailing here on out for you and your wife!! Please keep us posted Leatha

Good luck with your surgery! I know, the liquids get real old real fast, but you'll make it! Just remember, it's only temporary. You will be able to eat real food again. I promise!

I totally agree, Neicy. It is US who pay for their houses, their cars, their trips to Jamaica. Sometimes, they forget that...

OMG. lol, someone tie this woman up.. she's nuts.. lol

Congratulations! I have heard nothing but great things about Dr. Rumbaut!! Please keep us posted!!

Carolyn, I am so sorry to hear of this terrible outcome. But, I'm very glad you were able to get there and have it taken care of. This is just awful. Thank you so much for letting us know how you are doing. Leatha

Yep. I've heard several stories of folks winding up in the ER absolutely unable to swallow even Water. Those people were not able to be re-banded right away. Their bands were taken out immediately. My band slippage was very silent. Except for reflux at night. However, when my insurance dragged their heels about paying for a subsequent surgery - my doctor informed me that that might be okay for now, but he basically promised me that I would eventually wind up in the ER in pain and vomiting and if the circulation had been cut off to my stomach, I could possibly lose part of my stomach! This was definitely not somewhere I felt like taking the chance on going. All I know is it's each person's choice. If you've had a warning and you make that choice then I suppose you've decided to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. That being said. I have also heard of many instances where the people allowed their bands to be un-filled for a period of time and the band successfully slipped back into place. Then they were able to move on with their weight-loss. It is a scary feeling - not having restriction. I just knew I would be out of control, but I maintained much better than I thought I would be able to.

Janis, I'm sure you have seen where this has happened before with others. The first 6 weeks after banding is meant for healing only. Some people actually DO gain some of their weight back. This is because it's hard to make good hard Protein choices when you aren't eating solids yet. You don't want to eat solids yet, because this is the time for the band to 'anchor' itself in place. Too much grinding and churning to digest food can be attributed to 'slippage' later down the road. It is very common for people to gain some weight during this interim. This might be a time where you begin entering your food into www.fitday.com, just to see how the calories add up. It may be that you want to trade a high Protein shake for a cup of Soup or mashed potatoes if you really are concerned about gaining anything at this point. Once your liquids/mushy stage is over you can begin eating hard Proteins and you will probably get a fill. This is when your weight loss phase officially begins. Good luck in the interim! I'm with you and everyone else has been there too! Leatha

Thanks you guys. I was trying to figure some nice way to say the same things. Although, I feel that with my current situation, I was too emotionally involved. Thanks.. You are all so wise and I really do appreciate your opinions.