Penni60

I agree 100% to get your aftercare lined up prior to being banded in Mexico unless you intend on going back there for fills and you feel comfortable going there in case of an emergency. This thread is not meant to slam any surgeon in either country. IT is simply a wakeup call to those that are considering being banded out of the US to consider what you would do for fill and emergent situations. Just be proactive in your aftercare. That's all.

There ya go Blossom!! LapBandTalk.com - Lap Band Talk Forum - Dr. Billy HOMEWORK - Have pad, pencil, and humor ready

When your sister eroded how long did the surgeons wait to put the next band on? I am truly concerned about your sister's health. Weight loss right now is not at the forefront. She has had a stroke and not getting proper nutrition to help with the recovery from the stroke isn't a good game plan. Don't make me come over there and kick her butt for you. LOL!!! Please convince her that her life is at stake if she doesn't get the proper care. The salty, metallic taste is certainly a sign of blood. She could be brewing another erosion and a bleeding ulcer. She really needs to be checked out by her band surgeon and or a regular doc if the band surgeon seems disinterested. In all honesty it sounds like she needs to have the band removed and let her body heal some. At the least she needs an unfill. Then go from there. Keep us posted

May there always be work for your hands to do; May your purse always hold a coin or two; May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. Bright, someone sent this to me. Is this really an Irish Blessing or were they pulling my leg? But you know even if they were, the sentiment is still there.

You know the first thread was just interpreted the wrong way. IT is all those dirty minds out there and those that don't have a sense of humor that got offended and then deleted the thread. SIGH!! I too was diagnosed prior to my band placement with acid reflux. I have noticed that the more acid creating foods I eat the more burning I have in my stomach. All those people that are experiencing this same thing should talk to your doctor. Acid Reflux is not a good thing to have with a band. It isn't a good thing to have period. Sorry to those that were offended by the previous thread. It was not MY intention to cause such an embarrassing situation that it was necessary for someone to delete the thread. I just wish whoever deleted the thread would have sent me a PM saying did you mean to imply in your post "do you swallow" what is being responded to? I would have done that for someone. Oh well, we live and learn.

Seppi: Cool name by the way. My prayers are with you. Everything happens for a reason. IT will be your turn soon.

Bright and the rest: A fill is very subjective to all bandsters. Oh and that "sweet spot" phenom is a misnomer. After Lisa and I talked at great length with Billy he dispels the "sweet spot" language. No one can tell when they get to a point where a fill is enough. What if you need to have another fill? What you thought was your "sweet spot" wasn't. So from now on I no longer will use that term. In fact there is no term for that because it doesn't exist. Be careful with your fills guys. Think of it as a cup. You can only fill it so many times before it overflows. Yeah you can take more out and put more in but WHY would you do this. I suggest you visit the thread "Dr. Billy Homework" and see some of the suggestions. Bright if you are drinking with your meals that is why you haven't lost anymore. Well it is one reason anyway. Don't get me wrong you might still need a fill but I wouldn't get too aggressive with it. Maybe only a .5cc then work with the band. These are just my thoughts on the subject.

Lisa, Billy did tell us that Ulcers can sometimes lead to erosion and that is why we should be careful with stomach irritants. I agree with you that the pills should not just lie in the stomach like that. Most medications suggest you drink at least 8oz of water with each pill.

Guys, I couldn't agree more with Lisa. I too had some personal issues with my care from my original band surgeon and had to have a second operation myself. If I had not done this second surgery I would certainly have ended up with the same problems as Lisa. I agree you better have your follow up doc in place before you go to Mexico or Lisa and I will come and kick your butts. And there are those on this board that know we will do it too. LOL!! Only because we Love you guys and want you to have a safe recovery.

I sent you a PM

Good Luck to those going to Mexico for surgery. I can't stress this enough to have aftercare set up BEFORE getting the lapband. Find a US doc that will take care of you if you are going outside the US for surgery. Very important.

Bandit: Alcohol consumption is still OK while banded but there is the empty calories to consider. The other thing about drinking while banded is it takes less to get you tipsy. The more you drink the less you have sense about you and you could do harm to yourself and the band. THis means that you would not listen to the warning signs of being full and you could overeat. Just use common sense when drinking and have a limit set. When I feel my nose go tingly I stop drinking. That is usually after two drinks now. So I keep my social drinking at a two drink max. Just my guidelines so you do what works for you. I also try to not eat or snack when I am drinking. Doctor choices are a HUGE thing with me now. I won't tell you to not go to Mexico or even outside of the US for your surgery. I will tell you if you chose to do that to make doubly sure you have aftercare set up close to home before you have the surgery. THis is imperative for good weight loss results. You should be followed by someone that is caring and supportive and interested in the whole package not just putting the band in and then telling you to fly be free. Just my two cents here.

I will adopt you Bright anytime. I wanna come to Ireland to visit you when is a good time to visit Ireland?

Hey Pegleg: MORE details and if you have lost 100lbs since being banded then you MUST MUST post some pics on the "before and after" thread. It is imperative. Who banded you? Where were you banded? What did you weigh prior? What do you weigh now? Any complications or issues that you faced along your journey? SPill the Beans, fill us in. We are a nosey bunch here.

Lisa did not have rejection she had several surgeries prior to this one. There is a thread that explains all them. Look for "one port, two port, three port, four,..." and it will explain all that she has been through up to this point. No this is not a typical band experience. Do not worry they will sew you up after your band surgery. THey had to leave her wound open because they suspect it was infected and it is typical in that instance to leave the wound open to heal from the inside out.

OK here is a pic of the wound after Billy took out the miles and miles and miles and miles of disgusted, soppy, bloody, strip of gauze that I absolutely loved watching being taken out of her grand canyon hole in her tummy. Then I watched Billy cleansed the wound and nearly climbed in to help. He almost had to push me out of the way. (Saturday as the RN was starting the IV I started looking for a vein in her opposite hand, Needle was too far away I couldn't reach it. Darn NURSE!!! --- I love to inflict pain. LOLOLOLL!!!!) OK here is the really gross ones. SO don't look OKAY if you are faint of heart.

OK for the faint of heart listen carefully........ DO NOT LOOK,... I repeat DO NOT LOOK!!!!!!!! Here is what Lisa did when Billy was working on it. Lisa is not subscribing to this thread because she doesn't want to, will no, and will NEVER look at these pics because she CAN'T do it.

Vera, your cell phone message was such a tear jerker. I love you bunches. Thank you so much. Guys, thank you for all your support and well wishes. I am just glad that we finally got Lisa to see Billy and he took care of her wound. I knew if we could ever get her to see him it would be resolved. WHOO HOO!!

Per Lisa and Penni: The reply to the NSAIDS issue is as follows. It's not just NSAIDS that we should be concerned about. It's any stomach irritant medication which can include NSAIDS. Some of the docs approve them for a limited period of time but you should NEVER EVER take them after that time frame. Stomach Irritants can and do cause concerns as far as Ulcer development. Just check with your doctor again Pat and make sure he is aware of the risk of erosion with long term use in band patients. I know who are we to remind a doc of his job. Well, we are his paycheck that is who. Some doctors will or could tell you that they might not cause erosion. Just use common sense. Some common ones are Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen which is the main ingredient in the previous two. Ulcer issue: This should be thoroughly discussed and explored with your band surgeon. It is a concern to be addresses. Ulcers can cause erosion if not caught in time. As far as treating an ulcer you can do this but again you must be followed closely. The drug that Lisa is starting on is Pepcid, which is a common drug used to treat ulcers with patients that aren't banded. This can be got over the counter. There are other drugs used to treat ulcers it just depends on the severity of your diagnosis. Can't stress enough to check with your doctor and be your own advocate for the care you deserve. Some people on here have mentioned taking Pepcid and I wonder if this was suggested for an ulcer related condition or some other complaint. Port fills before removal: The Great and Powerful BILLY said this was a "NO NO". And think about this, Lisa mentioned in her post that getting a fill before a port removal would be risky because what if you were overfilled and then needed another surgery to put a port in and remove the fill then take the port back out. SHESH!! Is it really worth that? And by the way, Billy had this happen to a patient he took care of. And one more thing about BILLY, how can it be that one single surgeon has seen 3 cases (his words) identical to Lisa's and the several of the other doctors (we all know who they are) have not seen one or better yet not reported one.

We didn't delete it. We don't know for sure what happened. Lisa was in hospital and I was there with her so not sure what happened but glad someone got rid of it for me. WHEW!!!

It's like HELLO I live in the capital of Celebrity sightings. But this was pretty cool. My sweetie, John, and I were eating at a favorite restaurant of ours. We were talking and in the middle of conversation John gets this surprised look on his face. I ask what he is looking at. He says, "Rupert, from Survivor just sat down behind you." I said, "NO WAY!" So we finish our meal. Pay the check and then stop at their table and say HI. He is skinnier and still the same Rupert. Very polite and seemed embarrassed by the attention. We were quick to say our hello's and then let them get back to their dinners. It was really cool.

Recent pics

Won't be there for Kuri's Bash. I have a son still in school and need to be here for him on that weekend. I can however, meet you guys in Sept for that Bash. I will be there with bells on in Sept no matter which weekend. But the Kuri May bash is out for me.

Ok guys: Here is my thinking on this. I would NOT get a fill right before the holidays. With all the festivities and feasts it would be awful if you spent most of the time in the bathroom PBing. So I talked with Dr. HUNKY today and we both agreed that no fill for me till after the holidays. Here are some tips I am going to incoorporate this holiday season. Add to them as you see fit. Just copy and paste them to keep the list complete. 1. Just make better choices and eat less. 2. Use a smaller dessert plate for your meals instead of the humongous plates. 3. Remember to think in terms of a teaspoon of everything if you must try everything. 4. CHEW CHEW CHEW 5. NO liquids with meals 6. CHEW CHEW CHEW 7. If you must have dessert then cut a piece of pie or cake in 1/4 and only eat that much. 8. Protein first, Veggies second, then if you have room eat some stuffing but remember only a teaspoon. 9. Join in the football game outside or ask if anyone wants to go on a walk after you all eat. 10. CHEW CHEW CHEW 11. Have an emergency number of a close bandster if you feel the need to call someone. In case you feel like pigging out call one of those numbers. 12. CHEW CHEW CHEW Love you guys.

Yeah HELLO PICS PLEASE!!!!