Vicki J

Pam - Congratulations on the surgery tomorrow!!!! You're going to be so happy you did this. I had to go to SSF. I think they put our names in a hat and draw them out to choose who goes where. LOL - I'm not sure they know how they choose. You're diet sounds just like the one at SSF. They even added a few more veggies for us. I lost 70 lbs on that waiting for surgery. It took them 6 months between orientation and surgery. The only reason I got in then was due to a cancelation so you're moving through the system pretty fast. Hopefully they will get where anyone who looses the required weight gets through fast. Keep us posted on how you're doing. Good luck tomorrow! Vicki

Hey all you Kaiser patients! It's good to see that the communication between us is going strong. For those of you who don't know me, I was banded on 12/12/07 by SSF Kaiser. I really feel for all of you who are running back and forth trying to get to the sweet spot. It'll happen though. I hit mine in May thank goodness. I agree with all of you about them getting someone up here to do the fills. I mean how hard can it be? I'm sure with a little training our PCP's can do it. I know that will NEVER happen. We must continue to give the "experts" their space. LOL Well, anyway, congratulations to those that are on the band wagon and to those that are about to board. Oh, as far as the sleeve goes, I have a friend who chose that way because of the fact that there was less follow-up needed. She's done really good. However, I have done just as well with the band. Ok, she has more sick leave than I do. Each one of us must choose which surgery is best for us. BUT - don't choose the surgery JUST because you might have to follow-up less. Research each one and find out if you're comfortable with the BADS as well as the goods. I don't think that malabsorbtion of GB is worth the less follow-up. This is just my humble opinion and the decision I made for myself. However, if I couldn't have gotten the band I would have been looking hard at the sleeve. GB would have been a last resort. Being obese was no longer a choice in my eyes. Have a good Monday everyone!

Leisa - I always have time to talk. No worries there. When I started at Kaiser they had only been doing the band for about 5 months. What I decided was that they were more proned to wanting to do the bypass because they were more comfortable with it. Kaiser itself doesn't have a lot of their own statistics but the band has been very successful in aiding in weight loss. I myself have lost 126 pounds which is 100% of my excess weight. When I first saw my surgeon I had already lost more than 50 pounds (due to being on their pre-op for so long). He told me that he was very proud of what I had done but to not expect to loose much more. I asked him if he was saying this because the statistics said that. He said yes and I told him to hold onto his statistics because I was going to blow them out the window. At my pre-op appointment I had lost 70 lbs. I got the same remarks. I gave the same remarks. He now wants pictures. Kaiser at SSF is now starting to sing a different tune about the bands and at the last support group meeting I went to they were telling the bypass people that if they got where they could eat more food in the future and were gainig weight that they would have to have a revision. They said "but if you have the band it just a matter of adjusting it". The way they said it really made it sound like they were beginning to push banding. The lapband will give whatever you want to work for. There are no magic pills in this world and you do have to follow the rules most of the time. Do I never eat the "wrong" foods? Sure I eat what is considered wrong. I had birthday cake just yesterday. Do I do it all the time? Not a chance. But if you don't allow yourself to live life you will be setting yourself up for failure. What I have found is that I give a lot of thought to those times I have something special which makes me slow down and enjoy it. I also don't have that "I've failed so I might as well give up" feeling afterwards. I still journal my foods because it makes me feel more secure in the fact that I'm not eating mindlessly. Weekends are the days that I don't journal. I'm usually not near a computer and carrying a notebook isn't me. LOL The first thing I would do if I were you is get that thyroid adjusted. Hopefully they've got you on meds for it. It can cause more than just weight gain. I know it can cause lack of energy, depression and a bunch of other things. Make them fix that! Then I would go into the surgeon's office and TELL HIM what YOU ARE comfortable with. Ask him outright if he is uncomfortable with doing the lapband surgery. If he is, ask for another surgeon. They have more than one. This is your body and your surgery. The only way I personally would go with a bypass is if that is the only choice I had. It scares the c**p out of me. But that is MY opinion for me. I understand the lure of quick weight loss. But 126 pounds in 14 months is pretty quick in my opinion. The second thing I would do is go online to www.smartbandsters.com. It is a yahoo group and it has a lot of people on there that have been so successful with the band and can give you the statistics to knock your doctor's socks off. There is also a bariactric nurse on there named Jessie that had her band placed 10 years ago in Mexico. She's great at answering questions. There are very few reasons (unless medical) that people can't loose weight with the band. Everyone can eat around ANY WLS. The band has to be adjusted properly. My surgeon (Dr. David Le) was very causcious in sneaking up on the "right" fill. At first this frustrated me but now I'm glad he did. I have had no problems with my band. None! The only time it even speaks to me (scolding) is when I eat too fast, too much or something that is too dry. Otherwise I get the subtle signal of satisfaction that lets me know I'm done. This is restriction. A lot of people think that restriction is a stranglehold on your stomach. That's too tight. As far as depression about missing foods goes, not really. My biggest thing is I like the taste of food. Sometimes when I'm really enjoying a meal I get angry because I can't over induldge like I used to. But I'm learning to stop being the spoiled child and remember that I can take it home and enjoy it again later. Because of how I'm adjusted I can eat almost anything. It has to be WAY overcooked for me to have trouble. Therefore, I don't "miss" anything. I don't eat very many sweets anymore by choice. After not having them for a while they surprisingly don't taste as good as I used to think they did. BUT if I want a small desert, I have it. Like I said, a calorie is a calorie. If you count them, keep them limited, the weight will come off. However, I got where I would look at that high calorie food and think to myself that there wasn't much there and I would rather be able to eat something with more volume. Now I'm just used to not having that stuff and the band controls the volume. I think the only thing I had to do as far as getting my mind around it was to get where I believed it would work as I had heard. It does that. I also put it in my mind that during the period when I was waiting to be properly adjusted that I would have to continue to do the 1200 calorie diet in order to loose weight or just not worry about loosing weight until I was properly adjusted. That is an important thing because many people get depressed when they don't just magically start to loose weight. I made sure that the people who would be "watching" understood this. I also made sure that I was totally comfortable with my decission to do the surgery. There are things that will come up in your life after surgery that you'll want to turn to food for. After WLS you won't be able to. I suggest that you get the Beck Diet Solution (book). It isn't a "diet" but a book that addresses why we eat like we do. I thought I was a real emotional eater and found this to be helpful. Otherwise, I'm so happy with my band that I will have it with me for life. I take care of it so that I don't do a lot of throwing up or cause it harm. It's really easy to take care of it and have not PB'd yet. I would recommend the band for anybody. I wish they had had it sooner so that I would not have wasted so much of my life. Get your facts together. Do this by doing as much research as you can. The next time you see your surgeon, confront him with the "facts" and take a stand. This doesn't mean go in there and take his head off. It means that you can tell him that you've throughly researched the surgery, made an educated decision and if he's not comfortable doing the surgery/follow-up you understand and would be happy to see another surgeon. Plain and simple. If he's not having much success with his banded patients, then maybe he's not good at banding or he's not good at educating them. I didn't rely on Kaiser because I knew they were in the infancy stage of banding. I made sure I got online and found out the answers to my questions. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever asked them a question. But they have to start somewhere. Check out smartbandsters.com. Also, do a lot of research with your husband and arm yourself and make sure you are comfortable. You'll be ok. If you don't mind my rambling style of writing, feel free to contact me anytime. You can PM me if you want too. Take care and keep me posted. Ask any questions you want. Vicki

Oh, I totally agree. Wasabubblebutt had a sleeve done after having problems with the band (as well as a great success with it) and she came back on here to tell everyone about how she was doing and to answer questions. The difference was the approach she took. She came back VERY careful not to make the band look like the BAD choice but to educate. When this thread was opened it came off as a sales pitch. I'm sure the person who opened it believed they were doing the right thing but I, as well as other people, got the impression that it was in fact a my surgery is better than your's situation. As I said earlier, my co-worker has had the sleeve done and is extremely happy with the results. I am extremely happy for her. She did what she felt was right for her and I did what was right for me. Anyone who is looking into WLS and does not do their research is playing with a gun without knowing which end to point at the target. It usually only leads to disaster. I'm a firm believer that the important thing is to loose the excess weight no matter how you do it. Ok, let's put as long as it's a healthy way to do it. I would have done the GB if that is the only way to have lost the weight. That statement is made by someone who is TERRIFIED of that surgery. But I was more terrified of dieing. Here's to WLS and a healthy outcome.

Please, please do go get a slight unfill. It may only take as little as .1cc to make things right but you will not only feel better, you will prevent having to take all the Fluid out. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you Kat. That was very well said. I also wonder if the doctor in question also does bands and that is the reason that the paper work said to post on this site. THAT would make sense because most surgeons use one sheet instead of a sheet for each individual surgery. If not, it can ONLY be for the purpose of trying to convince people to do the surgery his office does. As for how much time someone is off with the sleeve, my co-worker (who is an extremely work driven person) took two weeks off.

First of all you really need to baby yourself for a while and let things calm down. After having thrown up for so long or had reflux everything is HIGHLY irritated. One of the reasons that people who are too tight don't loose weight well is because they tend to eat "easier" foods like soft foods and they end up eating too many calories. They feel hungry all the time because soft foods don't stick with us well. Once things calm down you can start like a new bandster and work your way to solid Proteins which will keep you full longer. But this will be a slow process. As far as the stomach pains it could be several things. If your port flipped, it is possible that the stitches pulled loose or just pulled enough to irritate the area. Sometimes I get a pain in my port area because my pants waistline irritates it. You might try something like a body shaper to give you some support. I know they will probably be uncomfortable to sleep in but it's an idea. Get one that just give some support and not one that is too tight. Or you could try to put a pillow under your tummy if you are sleeping on your side for support. If you're having trouble with night time reflux, try sleeping inclined for a few nights, don't eat or drink within 2 hours of going to bed and maybe start taking some Prilosec to calm things down. Now, having said all of this I want to clarify - I am not a medical person and these are just suggestions. I think that once you get back on the wagon your weight will start coming off. I have heard that when you get an unfill (as in having the port come loose) you may not have the signals quite as strong as before. You don't feel "full" after the band but you get a feeling of satisfaction. If this feeling isn't as strong, go to measuring your food and keeping track of when you ate. I also journal my food. This way you are pretty assured you're not overeating and this will also help with the PBing. I hope my suggestions can help you. I can imagine how discouraged you must feel right now. KimberC - There is a website called smartbandsters.com that you might find some help with the situation with your doctor on. They will also help with the other problems you're having (both of you). Both of these websites are very good for information. Take care and keep me posted on how you're doing.

More importantly, if you wait 2 days you may find yourself dehydrated or aspirating stomach acid in the middle of the night. Both of these could lead to a trip to the emergency room and some possible disasterous consequences. You say that you have a young one that makes it difficult for you to make the trip to the doctor's office. How hard will it be if mommy is hospitalized. I have fortunately never had to be stuck more than a couple of times and that only on the first fill. However, I can imagine how difficult this can be to go through. I would suspect that this is a incidence of needing an unfill instead of the virus because it started IN the doctor's office. But I am not a medical professional and neither are you so call. It may be a long drive but it is the lesser of the evils. Also, if you get a small unfill now you might not need a total unfill later. Yeah, if you wait too long your stoma gets so irritated that they have to remove all the Fluid and wait several weeks for it to subside. Call your doctor.

I don't know for sure but I know that my daughter had some problems with depression and they wanted her to go to some sort of classes. I tried to call her prior to responding but she didn't answer. Whatever the reason for them requiring this it has caused her to not be able to go further into the process until she completes the classes. Having said that, you are the only one that can determine if this is something that you need to address immediately. I would never advocate putting off help even for the band. I too have suffered from mild depression now and again but like you I can usually find out what's going on. If I were in your position, I would have to do some soul searching and determine what is the most pressing right now. If the depression is taking over your life, you should probably get the help. They will put the band in but it might be delayed.

People are posting you from both sides. Sleeve AND band. However, if someone DARES state that it is weird that you must come to a lapband SUPPORT page to tout all the advantages of the sleeve over the band then they are the bad guys and you are....simply the victim. Come on - stop it - you're here because you're trying to tell everyone why they shouldn't get the band. ANYONE who is interested in the sleeve is perfectly capable of going to a website that is about the sleeve and find the information. You said that it was suggested that you go to "lapbandtalk.com" to tell everyone about your sleeve. Doesn't that seem weird to you? Are you trying to justify your decision? Yeah, this sounds harsh because this thread is a band bashing. Either that or do you have some vested interest in converting people for say your doctor? I can't see why you would want to post a thread for one surgery on a page that is totally for another surgery unless you simply want to make others doubt their decision. Well, after 122 pounds (ticker needs updating) I can't see where the band is a bad choice. And like you, if I feel you're band bashing I'm entitled to my opinion. EXCEPT - I'm on a LAPBAND SUPPORT PAGE!

I think you're all being to hard on Frenchie 1959. I have to say that when I started reading this post I had the same question as would anyone on a sleeve post if someone were to post pushing the band on a site for other WLS. Yes, it does kind of sound like you're pushing the sleeve. I can understand why since it seems to have some great results. I honestly don't think that your weight loss is the norm but it is fantastic for you. I have a co-worker that got the sleeve about a year ago and has done great with it. It's funny because I chose the band because it is adjustable and they don't take 2/3 of my stomach out and throw it in the trash can. I have a family history of cancer and should I ever need more food they can unfill or remove my band and I can get whatever I need. You say that you don't have all the follow-up (summarizing here) and that's true. Having the band can be frustrating because you have to wait until you reach the right fill to get what you got instantly. But, what are you going to do when your pouch stretches or God forbid you get ill and need more nutrition? There are pro's and con's to all of the surgeries. None of them are magic pills so to speak. It's good for everyone to be able to choose which surgery is best for them and it's also good to be able to reach out to people who need the support for said surgeries. I hope that you're in the right area in obesityhelp.com because I'm sure that you could be an effective role model for someone with the sleeve. Yes, I've read the posts on this thread and I did so because I was hoping it wasn't what it seems to be. It seems to be a band-bashing and that's sad. I see people who are on this thread that are sad because they HAVE to get the band. That's really sad. WLS can be a marvilous thing if you let it. However, if you go into it feeling like you "just settled" for what you got, you're probably setting yourself up for heartache. I totally understand why someone who had to go out of the country for surgery wouldn't want to have to continually go back. I also understand why someone would go out of the country for surgery considering the cost. However, (and this is a biggie) what are you going to do when your insurance cancels you because you had a surgery done that they don't cover AND everyone else turns you down because you had an experimental surgery done (and that also equates to a pre-existing condition)? There is only 5 years of information about the sleeve. Staple lines can deteriorate, ulsers can form, pouches can stretch, etc. THERE IS NO WLS THAT DOES NOT HAVE COMPLICATIONS. The only surgery that they can easily undo in case of a complication is the band. This is all said in the mere context of conversation. I am NOT sleeve bashing, I am NOT chewing anyone out for promoting the sleeve on a lapband website. These things are JHMO. But if you are going to post pro-sleeve/band bashing threads on a lapband site you had better pull up your big girl panties and be prepared for bandsters defend their choices.

When I started my BMI was around 46+ so it wouldn't have hurt me to loose a little before orientation. I would hope they would look at your records to find out if you were above 40 BMI should you go below that.

Papahemi - You are SO right about being proactive. During the initial phase they don't check the schedule for canceled appointments. They just go to the next available at the end of the line and fill that one. So should an appt need to be rescheduled, call and check for cancelations every couple of days. You might even be able to get some of the original appointments sooner but I'm not sure on that one. The other thing is to jump into your weight loss as soon as you get through orientation. If they see that you're applying yourself, they make sure your surgery happens as soon as your turn comes up. I have seen them delay people's surgery for what would seem a small amount of weight. Also, I checked with them and you can't loose too much weight. They go by the beginning weight to qualify you and that's all you need. I believed that I was getting a head start by continuing to loose weight and that the band would help me loose the remainder of the weight and keep it off. Good luck to all of you. Vicki

I had the same thing happen. I didn't even have to use my backup. I'm glad that things are started for you. Yeah, it will be a long process but it's totally worth it. If you ever need to schedule an appointment (i.e. change one), make sure you call every now and then to check for cancellations. One of my appointments was cancelled because the pyschologist was on jury duty. They wanted to schedule me about 2.5 months out. That was on a Friday. I called the next Monday and they found a cancellation the next Friday. They will not call anyone to try and fill those cancellations. When they finally schedule you for surgery they will ask you if you want to be put on the cancellation list. They will call and fill those so that their surgeons stay busy. Good luck and keep me posted on how you're doing. Vicki

Freemont will send a card with an orientation on it. If you want direct answers to your questions, call the bariactric unit at the Freemont facility and they will be more than happy to answer your questions. Minxz - Congratulations on getting started on your journey. I, too, am a SSF lapbander. I had my surgery Dec. 12, 2007. The bariactrics unit there is a good one even if the process is long. When I went through (boy that sounds like it was a long time ago) they had us loose 10% give or take some. But the rule of thumb to get you started and close was 10%. I jumped into the weight loss thing with both feet after getting reassurances that I couldn't loose too much and wouldn't get kicked off the program. I had heard from another patient that those that succeeded in loosing the weight and following the program got their surgeries faster. I don't know if it had anything to do with it but I was supposed to get my surgery mid to end of February of this year and got it in December. Hang in there, it's worth it. I kept telling myself on the 1200 calorie diet that I would be getting the band soon and to keep loosing weight. I'm now within 6 pounds of goal and I'm happy I gave myself that headstart. Vicki

I agree with Kat. She makes valid points. As far as the sleeve or anyother WLS goes, I think it should be standard practice that there be a lot of follow-up initially. I personally think that this is why a lot of people are having troubles with other WLS because they go along thinking "this must be normal" and then wham they're in trouble. JMHO Vicki

Blix - I bet you are pleased! Sorry to hear about your wife's troubles. I have read so many posts on other boards about people having trouble with GB. It makes me sad. I'm a big band advocate and I have the results to back me up. Congratulations again! Vicki

Yeah, I realized that after I asked. Which Kaiser are you going through? I went to SSF. Vicki

I've heard some good things about him. Don't know anything personally though.

I chose the lap band and my co-worker chose the sleeve. We've both had good results. I originally chose the band because my insurance paid for it. It also paid for GB but I'd have to be desperate for that one. It scares me too much. After I had completed all of my research I decided that I was happier with the band because it's forever adjustible. The sleeve like the bypass can be stretched and then they are putting bands over them. Why not start out with the fix and never have the problem? Just MHO. Vicki

WW - The three hour drive should be ok. I assume that she knows how to drive and can share the driving on the way up. Just make sure that a day or so prior to the trip you go to liquid Tylenol instead of prescription pain meds. Some people do heal faster than others which gives them more stamina. However, the risk you take by lifting too much weight or in the instance of moving many boxes is that your port has to have scar tissue grown around it to adhere it to the muscle. If you don't let this happen, you take the risk of the small amount of sutures tearing and your port flipping. If your port flips, it's another surgery. Also, your port area more often than not is very sore for a while. Doing too much can make this worse. The one other thing to take into account is that you will have 5 incissions trying to heal and doing too much can cause them to take longer to heal or an infection. You are the only one that can decide how far you want to chance it. No, you will probably not cause yourself any life threatening problems but you could cause yourself some significant problems. You're a self pay patient, how much more are you willing to gamble by doing too much too soon? It could lead to having to pay more for repairs. This is not meant to be an a** chewing. Really, you're a big girl and I'm just trying to give you the information as to why they tell you to do things so you can make an informed decission. I had a 3 hour trip home within 48 hours of surgery and made it fine. I wasn't driving and I wasn't trying to move anyone. I drove to work (short distance) and home within a week of surgery and felt like someone had pulled the plug on my energy reserves. This is something only you will be able to tell when the time comes. We are all different. If you feel up to driving, just make sure you have an out if you get to where you're exhausted. Take care of yourself. 'Nuff said.

Stephanie - Happy Birthday one day early. :biggrin: How about you and your Mom go out to messages or pedicures together. Maybe all the girls can go together. Well, the guys might like massages too. You're right in the fact that there's more to life than food. She had better get used to the change because when you're adjusted right your world won't revolve around food either. But she will figure it out and things will adapt. What a birthday present you gave yourself. The funny thing is I had surgery 17 days before my 55th birthday. This is one of those last forever presents. LOL Vicki

WW - See I really did come over here to read up on you. LOL At 7 days you're probably going to tire out easily. The driving is advised against unless you're off of your prescription pain meds. They're pretty good stuff. You won't be allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for about 4 weeks (I think that was the amount of time). How far away is the college? Can you possibly take a family member or friend? Make sure to keep your Protein levels up while you're on liquids. New-whey bullets taste like Kool-aide if you mix them with Water. They come in fruit flavors. They give you 48 grams of protein each and about 170 calories. Get the ones with no carbs or sugar. Don't drink a full one at one time. You can only process about 1/2 of that amount of protein at a setting. But if you keep up your protein it will give you more stamina. I didn't do that and when I tried to go back to work a week later I felt like I was going to fall on my face. A friend of mine that had the gastric sleeve done realized what was happening and gave me one of the bullets to try. She then kicked my butt for not taking better care of myself. Good luck and we'll see you on the other side.

WW - Congratulations and I guess I'll have to go check you out. LOL Vicki

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMANDA!!!! Welcome aboard!!! Vicki