Banded14yr

I would be sure to ask someone if you have any doubts about what you're keying in. I know that entering the wrong surgical procedure would be a mistake that I wouldn't want to make. Don't worry about asking questions. I train people frequently in my field, and I would much rather they ask, then try to do it by themselves and make it worse by making costly mistakes. You won't be bugging anyone, if you're new in this position, then they will expect you to have questions. Don't be afraid to ask.

First off, Congratulations on your upcoming Lapband surgery, I live in Antioch, but work in Nashville. I had surgery in Mexico, but I know that Dr. Morton is very well thought of in the Nashville area. I'm not sure if he will be the one doing your surgery or not, but good luck to you on your new bandlife journey About work.... Don't let your co-workers know that it bothers you. Just go about your business and blow it off. Just remain your calm and pleasant self and their attitudes will change soon. Also, just a teeny tiny suggestion. You might want to consider turning off your caps lock key when you type. See, when you type in all caps, it represents yelling on the internet. It's one of those funny little netty thingies, it "appears" that you're always yelling Don't hesitate to email or pm me if you have any questions about your upcoming surgery, I don't know if I can help, but I will try if I can. Tricia

Congratulations! Even though I didn't have the same surgeon as you, I also flew to Monterrey for my surgery. I think it's wonderful that you and your wife will be banded at the same time. What a wonderful support system you two must be for each other. October 4th will be here before you know it

Pack light! My husband and son traveled with me, and we each had a small bag. It made it alot easier not having to check in luggage. I only brought 3 sets of lose fitting shorts and shirts. I wore some slip on sandals on the trip and didn't bother bringing tennis shoes or any other kind of shoes. I packed the basic makeup neccesities, but didn't bother too much with it while in Mexico. Heck, I was there for surgery and wasn't worried that I would see anybody that I knew Bring a good book or some magazines so that you'll have something to read while in the hospital. I had my surgery on Monday and Dr. Rodriguez' assistant took us all shopping at a local mall in Monterrey on Tuesday afternoon. It was good to get out and walk around. We bought my son a Monterrey soccer jersey that's really cool We didn't bring a lot of cash with us, we used our debit card in the mall without any problems. We made sure that we had a some single dollar bills so that we could tip the taxi drivers. I brought some chewable Gas-X with me. Glad I did. I didn't bring any other types of medication. They gave me an antibiotic and pain medication when I checked out of the hospital. My fridge was stocked with bottled Water, apple and grape juice, V-8, applesauce, yogurt, yogurt drinks, pudding and Jello. I also had a lot of chicken noodle and vegatable Soup that I was able to strain the noodles and veggies out for the first week after my surgery. It sounds like you have everything ready to go. I didn't pack until the day I flew out, so you have a great head start on things! T

Alex, I'm sorry you went through that. So far I've had a total of 3 PB experiences and they are not fun, but they weren't close to what you went through. Glad to hear that you got through it ok. I'm curious, did you eat any rice with your Chinese food? I know this will sound really strange, but my husband, his father and brother all get something simular to a PB experience if they eat certain foods like rice or roast. I've seen my husband go through this for years, and now I finally know a little about how he feels. Food gets "stuck" and won't go down. They spit up until they finally throw up or it moves through. Granted these guys aren't banded and my father in law has been told that a hernia may be causing the problem, but I find it interesting that rice seems to trigger it for them. My PB experiences came after I ate a Healthy Choice Salsbury steak dinner for lunch at work one day and won't try that again, the other times were while I was eating roasted chicken. I've heard several people say that chicken tends to be too dry and you're more apt to have a PB experience when eating chicken, but I didn't think it would happen to me .... It's amazing how often I still don't pay attention to how fast I'm eating or not chewing enough, you would think after one PB experience that the brain would kick in as you're eating, but my bad habits are obviously very difficult to change. It's a constant work in progress for me. I'm sure you'll stay away from tofu or whatever it is you think caused your "episode" it sounds like it was a lot more serious than just a PB experience to me. Please take care!! Tricia

leatha, After everything that you've been through, you can't help but wonder if some or all of the complications came from that bad fill. Again, I was so relieved when I read your post. I'm glad that you're a strong advocate for receiving good aftercare, you're a living example of how important it is.

I agree This is one disadvantage (and a pretty big one) of having the surgery in Mexico. There is always the after care issue and fill issues. I'm totally satisfied with my surgeon, but if I could have had the surgery locally I would have just for ease of aftercare and fills. I have found a couple doctors in my area that will do my fills for me, even with the Swedish band. They both use fluroscopy, which I would require. At this point, for me anyway, flying back to Mexico was no big deal. So I'll probably go there for my future fills. I didn't realize that there were different ways of doing an adjustment using fluroscopy. I layed on a table while Dr. Rodriguez was able to fill me while seeing it all on the screen, then the whole bloomid table moved and put me in an almost vertical position. He then viewed the monitor as he had me swallow barium. After taking about 4 swallows, he then had me sip some Water. The first sip did not go down, and he could see that. He told me to wait, then removed some of the fill. I was then able to drink without any problems. The whole procedure was so interesting.

I'm very glad to read all of this. First of all, it's very informative, secondly, I was seriously considering flying to Dallas to have Dr. Dobson perform my fills. This is the second negative thing that I've heard about him. He won't be hearing from me now.

I've never heard of this, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. Good thing you're going for a scope. Hopefully that will get you the answers that you need. I hope all turns out well!! Please keep in touch on how everything goes, and hang in there! Tricia

BTW - Congratulations on your decision. I remember how excited and happy I was once I made the choice to have the band. It couldn't come soon enough for me. If you've already decided to have the band, then you're already 1/2 the way there!

You ask a lot of good questions.... I really don't think that there is a clear answer in that everyone seems to respond to the band in their own little way. For instance, like you said, some people don't require a fill for a few months after having the band. Some like myself, felt no restriction after getting the band and have already had a fill one month after surgery. I even saw someone post on this board that had her first fill 2 weeks after surgery, I didn't think they would do an adjustment that soon after surgery, but every doctor and every patient is different. How your body will react to the band is yet to be determined. Dr. Rodriguez filled me to 5cc's (for my first fill) which seems like an awful lot, but another one of his patients might not require so much. I feel restriction now, which is wonderful. Some days I feel a little more restriction than others. I think this is one reason why people tend to name their bands, they really do have their own personalities Just do as much research as you can about the different kinds of bands, talk to Dr. Rodriguez or any other health care professional that has experience with the different types of bands and make your own decision based on what you feel is best for you. Like I said, I don't think you can go wrong with whatever band you chose, they're all basically the same and ultimately have the same purpose.

Kim, My husband and I did a lot of research on the different bands before we made our decision. Basically, they're all pretty much the same but there are some minor pros and cons about every one. The Inamed Lapband is the most commonly used band in the U.S. It has a fill capacity of 4.0 or 5.0cc's, but I believe that Inamed has come out with a new band that's fillable to 10cc's. The Swedish band made by Johnson and Johnson, not yet FDA approved (Target date of December for FDA Approval) is a larger band that holds 10.0 - 11.0cc's. Dr. Rodriguez prefers the Swedish band but will place any band you wish. Dr. R. said that the Swedish band allows him to work with the band easier during surgery if surgical adjustments need to be made. Just do all the research you can. My husband (Laserjock) will be able to answer more questions about the difference in bands since he's the one that really researched it for weeks. Just pm or email me if you have any specific questions, I'll try my best to answer them.

I was banded by Dr. A. Rodriguez, and I think he's wonderful. I've also heard very good things about Dr. Rumbault (sp?) in Mexico. I decided to go back to Monterrey on 8/27 to get my first fill because I really wanted Dr. Rodriguez to do it. I made the round trip to Monterrey in a day and it all went very well. I'll probably go back to Monterrey for future fills as well. If you have any specific questions about Dr. Rodriguez, you can email me and I can try to answer them based on my own experience. You can also email Deborah deborahb26@yahoo.com if you haven't already done so. She can help you with anything that you need. Good luck in all of your future decisions!

WHOA!!! That seems long a very long time. I struggled with one week clear liquids post op. I'll just go ahead and admit that I'm a weak person and don't think I could do 6 weeks clear liquids.

Zoe, So glad to hear everything went fine and that you're back home on the way to recovery! You're very fortunate that you don't have much of an appetite. I few days after my surgery, my appetite kicked in while I was on the liquid stage and I didn't think I could get through it. I remember posting on here asking everyone if it was normal to feel like I was starving to death! LOL...... I thought the band would take away the hunger pains also It sounds like you're doing very well in your recovery. Just continue to take it easy and you'll be amazed at how much better you feel with every passing day! Take care! Tricia

Hey PamRN, Hope you don't mind me butting in here Everyone heals differently and at a different time scale. Two weeks after my surgery I couldn't tell I had anything done at all except for the visual lines on my belly where my incisions were. I had no pain, nothing...... It's amazing how much better I felt just a few short days after surgery. I might be considered a fast healer, I don't know, but I had my surgery on a Monday and was back to work the following Monday. I could have gone back earlier but decided to take a full week. I think that 2 weeks is a good, safe amount of time to take off. As far as heavy lifting in 2 weeks, I would check with your doc and see what he says. I know these 3 weeks will seem like they take forever. Hang in there!

Johnson and Johnson also purchased the Swedish band. Is this the band that is currently in clinical trials? I heard that the Swedish band was supposed to be FDA approved in December.

Thanks Michelle, just let me know what you find out. Thanks!!

Tonight or tomorrow? Tonight is not doable for me....Some kind of Monday Night Football party or something Tomorrow is doable. If I don't get a chance to meet you all (if you're meeting tonight) maybe we can plan to get together in the future again.

Have you called your doctor yet? The gas is normal (I think) I had awful gas that didn't fully go away until about 2 weeks post op. The drinking part would bother me a little. Could it be that your stomach is swollen causing restriction to the point where you're having problems drinking? It's normal for your stomach to swell after surgery, that's why you get to drink fluids for a while afterwords. But I would definatley call your doc and see what he says. Hang in there!!

Rica! Way to go!! You're gleaming! You deserve that smile on your face, you've worked hard to obtain that weight loss and you look marvelous!!

Welcome Shireen! It will get better with each day that goes by. It's amazing how fast the body can heal and recoup. Just take it easy. I bet by tomorrow you'll notice a big difference in the way you feel. Please keep us posted! BTW: We go to Clearwater for vacation every year. What a beautiful place! It's a dream of mine to live on Clearwater beach some day Take Care!!

Hola Zoe! I'll be in Monterrey on Friday for my first fill. Even though I'm sure I won't be seeing you there, I'll be thinking about you and wishing you well. I know how excited you must be right now, have a safe trip and be sure to let us know how you're doing when you get back.

Oh my! My Anaesthesia wore off during my delivery and never came back, so needles to say, I basically gave birth and felt it all. There is absolutely no comparison between childbirth pain and lapband pain. I took a total leap of faith, but a jump that I was willing to take if it could help me lose weight, get healthier and feel better about myself mentally. I jumped on an airplane, flew to Mexico and had a surgeon that had never seen me before perform Arthroscopic surgery on me. Was I scared? Maybe a little, but honestly, after I made the decision to have lapband surgery, my excitement out shadowed any fears or anxieties I had. Now about the actual surgery, pain ect..ect.... I'm just going to be honest about my experience which may differ from other's. I was sick to my stomach while in the recover room, that was the most discomfort I felt. Having the dry heaves was not pleasant, but they gave me Phenergan pretty quick and it went away, but had another episode in my room. I'm sure it was a reaction to the Anaesthesia. Having to cough or sneeze might hurt a little for a couple of days after surgery, but every day after, I felt better and better. It amazed me at how just one day can make such a big difference. Getting up and down, like off the couch or out of bed was a little painful at first, but very tolerable. My husband would help pull me up but I only needed help right after surgery and the next day, after that I was solo! I went to a mall the day after surgery to try and walk off the gas that they fill you with. I felt bloated and gassy, but no major pain involved. I have 5 small incisions that are almost completely healed. No major problems with them at all. If this is truly something that you have decided that will help you to achieve a "better you" then just make the thought of you being thin again, liking what you see in the mirror again and becoming a healther you again your motivation and it will overshadow any small amount of pain that is involved with this surgery. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

If I had to do it all over again, I think I would have done more in preparation as far as my diet is concerned (pre-surgery) I found that the liquid phase was very difficult for an entire week, and some doctors have you on the liquid phase for longer than that. I would have started trying to eat more Soup instead of something solid for meals. One thing I've learned is that everyone is so different, and how their body reacts to certain things are very different. So I think if I would have started a semi-diet before my surgery, then going right into the liquid phase, then mushy phase would have been easier to adjust to. I don't think I would have had as much hunger pains if I would have curtailed the inhaleing of food before hand What does your doctor recommend? Did he put any info in your informational packet?