mkcarpen

I went yesterday and had all of my pre-op done and talked to my doctor. I am scheduled for surgery on Monday, September 15. It is hard to believe that I first started this process in May and now I only have 5 days left. I AM READY!

I was banded by Dr. Morton, Southern Hills Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615-832-8186). My BMI was 37. The fills are $150. The staff is great to work with. I believe the self pays cost around $12,000 but don't quote me on that. Just a suggestion since Nashville isn't that far from Indy. I will be going back to my 25 year class reunion in Logansport, Indiana next month. My goal is to attend the reunion weighing in the 150's. Without the band, I would have been trying one diet after another to try to lose the weight to go to the reunion. Good Luck! Kathy

Shawna is great to work with. The fills are done in the office with no xrays. It is simple and quick. My first fill was 1.6cc's. My second put me to 2.6. I then went to 2.8 and 3.0. I am not saying that this is how your fills will go. Everyone is different. I believe that it is a continuous learning process for Dr. Morton's staff and they may approach things differently than they did when I first started getting the fills. I believe I am ok right now. I have to pay attention to what I eat and can not eat breads (and I do not miss eating breads). I am getting in my Water and exercising. This has been such a positive experience. I'm signing off now. I can't wait to leave work and walk a couple of miles in the hot Tennessee sun. Kathy

Dr. Morton, Southern Hills Medical Center, placed my band on 9/15/2003. I would not say that Dr. Morton or his staff are behind in the banding experience. It has been a good experience and they did not take their time getting me to the fill level I needed to be at (3.0 cc). I would recommend them to anyone. I had United Health Care. My company allowed the banding and paid for the surgery. I am in an appeals process right now to get my fills payed for. Good Luck. Kathy

My friend and I decided to take our kids and go to Florida for spring break. She had the lap band surgery in Nov 03. Her last fill in January put her at 3.0 cc's. For the past 6 weeks she has had trouble eating any foods and had been living on chocolate milk and decaf coffee. I knew she needed an unfill but she was determined to get below 200 from 262. She was in the 190's when we left for Florida. She then decided that she wanted to get to 180 before getting an unfill. Once we were down in Florida, she started throwing up liquids even Water. On the third day of no fluids or food, I drove her to the emergency room. She spent the entire day in the emergency room getting all kinds of test run. Finally a nurse withdrew the saline from her band after contacting our doctor. She missed a beautiful day on the beach. Because of the effects of dehydration she fainted the next morning in a restaurant in front of her son. She recovered ok but was embarrassed. She is lucky that this is all that happened to her.

She went in yesterday and is back to 2.2 cc's. I hope she takes it slow.

I love my band and I love the pace that I am losing the weight. I am not to tired to exercise. I work with a girl that had the bypass 1 1/2 years ago. She lost 100 lbs. She is now dealing with an extremely low Iron level. She is now anemic. She wants to get pregnant but was just put on the birth control patch to try to increase her iron. She is always tired and does not exercise. Because she has to take prescription her stomach gets upset and she does not feel like eating. I am sure that this is just the beginning of life long problems for her. I also work with a man that got the band 1 year ago. He lost about 70 lbs within the first 6 months. He stopped going in for fills and hasn't put in much effort to keep the band working for him. I think he may be gaining weight back. It is all what you put into it. I think you are going to be just fine. Give it some time. Kathy

Last monday I went in for another fill since I had no weight loss for 5 weeks. I went from 2.8 cc's to 2.9 cc's. In the past week I have not been able to eat solids and Protein drinks are hard to get down. It hurts to eat or drink anything. It has been hard to drink all of my Water. I am going in today to have the .1 cc removed. I am comfortable with the decision. I think I was trying to keep up with a friend who has the band and has 3.0 cc's. This is a good lesson that everyone is different and the band is a tool. I do not think it was meant to make me miserable all of the time. I am ready for the unfill and to start following the band directions. Kathy

Have you tried eating any solid foods? I vomited on a couple bites of scrambled eggs and other soft foods. I was feeling weak and getting headaches from not eating. It would take me hours to drink a Protein drink. I had .1 to .2 taken out yesterday and feel tons better. Drinking Water is not painful anymore. I hope your doctor listens to you. If not tell them you are vomiting before you get to weak. Kathy

I had my surgery on 9/15. My highest weight was 218 and I am 5 1/2. This morning when I stepped on my scales, I saw 172. In July when I was approved for the surgery I would never have believed that by December my scales would read 172. This would not have happened if I had not had the surgery. I would have been gaining more weight over the holidays. I strongly believe that one of the main reasons for my weight loss is exercise. As long as it is not raining or freezing, I have been getting out for walks. Last night I wore ankle weights to increase the intensity of my walk. My energy level is up and my house is cleaner than it has ever been. I care more about myself and my surroundings. Good Luck. Kathy

I had my surgery on 9/15/2003. It is amazing how much I have changed in just 11 weeks and I know it is only the beginning. I do not dread getting dressed in the morning. I look in the mirror now. Before I would cover up with something and just hoped it looked decent. I have had no problems and love my band. I have had 3 fills and I am at 2.8 cc's out of a possible 4.0 cc's. I hope to stay there for awhile. I exercise, drink 60-80 oz Water a day and get my Protein in. I am not perfect and do occasionally get carried away with the food intake. Even though I started at 202.5 lbs at 5 foot 1 1/2 inches, it was enough to make me miserable and unsociable and tired all of the time. I will take an occassional PB in place of the old me. Yes, some of the negative postings about the band scare me. What scares me more was the trend of gaining 10-20 lbs a year and the thought of high cholestoral, heart failure, diabetes, arithitis, etc in my near future. Even though I do not post much, I read this site almost daily. The support here is tremendous. Thanks everyone. Kathy

In the past couple of weeks I have noticed that I have a bad taste or bad breath especially when I am eating or drinking. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it go away? Does this have anything to do with stomach acid? Going for my second fill today. I have had little to no restriction. I have 1.6 cc's in my 4 cc band. Everyone have a great day. Kathy

I would like to encourage my mother into looking into WLS. She is 62 and has some health issues. Is the cutoff date for the procedure 60? Is there anyone out there over 60 that has had the surgery? She lives in Florida, near Ocala. Are there any good doctors in that area that perform the surgery? Thanks, Kathy

There is a support group meeting tonight at Southern Hills Medical Center @6:00. This will be my first since I was banded on 9/15. Look forward to meeting everyone. Kathy

I was banded on 9/15/03. My diet so far has consists of Protein drinks, applesauce, egg drop Soup, sugar free Jello, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and Water. I have been hungry since the day after surgery and the hunger pains are getting worse every day. I have lost 14 lbs (including pre-op diet) and have not lost anything for 5 days. I am afraid of losing control and gaining it back. How long do you have to wait for the first fill? I have my 2 week checkup on Monday. I am so afraid of failing again. Last night at my son's baseball game I purchased a bag of cheese puffs (They disolve in your mouth). I ate 4 and gave the rest of the bag to some kids. If I really want a taste of something I will take a bite, chew it up and spit it out. Help. Kathy Highest 218 202.5/187/130

I received my first fill yesterday. It was so easy and painless and quick. I was happy to find out that I did not have to drink any more barium just Water. I received 1.6cc in my 4cc band. I can only have liquids for 3 days and mushy foods for 4 days after that. I am so hungry but it will be worth it. Kathy

Wow you look great. You give me inspiration. I went yesterday to Dr. Mortons for my first fill. It went so smooth. I was in and out of there in 20 minutes. Thanks, Kathy

I am going today to get my first fill. My surgery date was 9/15/03. I have had not problems with my doctor. Good luck. Kathy

I was banded on 9/15 and am down 17 lbs (this includes 2 weeks of pre-surgery diet). I am following the banding rules for the most part and am exercising. I am speaking for myself but I think alot of us use this forum as a means of support and a way of communicating our frustrations when we are at a stand still or need some guidance. After 2 1/2 weeks with this band I would not look back. GOOD LUCK! Kathy

I am thankful for any advice I get. I have started tracking my calories, Proteins, carbs, and fat grams. It seems like carbs are everywhere. It's only been two weeks. I need to be patient. Thanks, Kathy

It is Saturday, 9/27. I got on the scales this morning and lost another pound. It gives me incentive to deal with the hunger. I have been eating scrambled eggs, smoothies, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes. Last night I went out to eat. I passed on the salad and rolls and had a couple bites of a baked potatoe and a grilled catfish fillet. I have no trouble getting anything down. I am hoping to schedule a fill when I have my two week checkup on Monday. I feel about 90% recovered. The thoughts of why did I do this are gone. It seems like everyday is getting better. One of the things that has helped me get through this the most is this website. I am not alone in this. Gotta run, I have baseball games all day. I get to sit and watch everyone else eat hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, and popcorn. I am glad it is not me. Kathy Largest 218, Post Op 202.5 9/27/03 186 Goal 130

I was banded on 9/15. At 5'2" and 202.5 my BMI was 37. I had a slightly high cholestoral level and a possibility of sleep apnea. My insurance approved me for the surgery. The nurse getting me ready for surgery told me I was not big enough and her daughter was the same size as me and was losing weight on the Atkins diet. My doctor told me I was not big enough and I should try the sugar-busters diet. Luckily I did not have to have her recommendation to get insurance approval. I did it for me and knowone else. Why wait until I am at 250 lbs with diabetes, high cholestoral, etc. GOOD LUCK! 202.5/187/130

I was banded 4 days ago. Today is the best day yet. I did not stay overnight at the hospital. After I had the barium test I was released. I was not given any pain medicine after the surgery and had to wait until after the barium test. Is this normal? I think the nurses might have forgotten to give me some. I was banded at 9:55 am and did not leave until 7:00 pm. I have lost 12.5 lbs starting with the post op diet. I have taken myself off of the pain medicine and took 2 gel cap tylenols today which went down just fine. I have had sharp pains on my left side under the rib cage. I wonder if this is gas pains. I have also had alot of lower back pain. It gets better every day. Check back in later. Kathy

What exactly do you mean by gas pains? Is it pain in your stomach area? I am scheduled for banding Monday, 9/15 and am getting nervous. Thanks.

I have United Healthcare PPO and have been approved for WLS. My surgery is scheduled for 9/15. My BMI is 37 and I have around 75-80 lbs to lose. My cholestrol is slightly above normal and I was supposed to get tested for sleep Apnea. DON'T GIVE UP!