SElaine

LOL. I'd say having your band out qualifies you. Do you mind sharing the story of why you had your band out? Are you at goal weight?

Hey, Teresa! I'm also in Gilbert! :biggrin2: Good luck on your journey. Be sure to check us out over on the AZ board. Who's doing your surgery? We're here for you. Please keep us posted!

Hey, all! I am a May 21 bandster as well! (OK.... does 2007 count???? J/K) I'm happy to share my bandiversary with you all! When I came out of the hospital I weighed about 10 pounds MORE than when I went in. There was a lot of bloating and Water weight. It took about 7-10 days to lose that and then I dropped steadily for the next several months. I hope it's the same for all of you. Good luck on your journey's my fellow May 21st bandsters! :biggrin2:

Hey.... congrats to you that have recently been banded!!!! Welcome redmtnwolf and good luck with your 6 month diet!

Mariem, I think it's smart that you are looking around, getting information, and checking out all of your options. I haven't seen her around in a while, but if you can reach her through PM, I would try to get a hold of BandaPanda. I don't remember what insurance she had, but I know she faced quite a nightmare with it going through True Results. She was all ready for the surgery and it was either the day before surgery or the day of surgery they told her they couldn't get the proper insurance approval. She then went to WLIA and got approved right away and had surgery. I was a cash pay patient and I know I paid more to go through WLIA than I would have elsewhere. I went to several seminars and talked to several people before making my decision, too. I feel I made the right decision for ME and would do it over again. Not all docs and all programs are created equal; But, neither are the patients. You need to find the doc and the program that's right for YOU. Like Nichole, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Good luck with your decision!

Hi doots53, I also had my surgery through WLIA. They have an incredible support program. There are meetings one Monday and one Saturday a month. I attend all of the Saturday meetings and Monday's when I can. We also have a group that meets and communicates regularly outside of scheduled support group meetings. They do surgery at The Surgical Specialty hospital in Phoenix and at Tempe St. Luke's (where there offices are located). I had my surgery at Tempe St. Luke's. The rooms are private, but I've also heard a few say that they prefer the Surgical Specialty Hospital. (By the way.... I also went to the seminar w/ Dr. Simpson and felt the same way you did. After that, I knew I wouldn't be having surgery with him and attended several other seminars. I'm glad I looked around and I think you will be, too.)

Hi Mariem, I am a cash pay patient, so I don't know much about the insurance process. However, I wanted to let you know I've been very pleased with my experience at WLIA. The surgeons are great. Also, if you need to do a 6 month supervised diet, they can help you with that. Mike is a registered dietician and has been working in this industry for many years. I can tell you that he's really helped me with my journey. I think it's great you are researching different doctors. They are not all created equally and not every doctor will be a good match for YOU. Good luck to you!

Congrats! I'm so happy for you! :huh2:

One day at a time-- Yup! That's my new motto! Here's my update: I went to the doc yesterday for my weekly weigh-in and I'm down 0.9 lb. OK, not great but it's going in the right direction so I'm happy about that. Overall, I'm 3 pounds LESS than when I had my band out in February. My spirits have been much better the past few weeks. I really did mourn the loss of my lapband, but I'm moving past it and getting to the celebratory phase. I am very pleased for what the lapband did for me during the time I had it. I am down 94 pounds, and that certainly will make it easier for me this time around. I know this: I've gone through too much to let it fail me, that's for sure. Take care everyone and I look forward to reading your updates! We can do this!

GraceUtah, If you are having any type of pain, please have it looked at. We can all speculate as to what it might be, but there is no need. Don't take a chance. Please keep us updated.

Janine, I couldn't help but notice you haven't posted since this post. How are you doing now? I understand what you are saying about mourning the loss of the band. I have gone through that, too. I think it's normal, and I think it's OK..... as long as you give yourself a reasonable amount of time to mourn and then get back up and move on. You, and I-- and all of us-- have gone through too much to let this fail us. Look-- I don't think that there are many of us that go through this process thinking it's short term. We make a commitment to our band and we do our part. If it fails us, we feel cheated, and rightfully so. But in the end, we have to realize there are some things we have control over and some things we don't. The only thing we have control over at this point is how we handle the outcome of losing our bands. The 12 pound weight gain is not what you wanted, but is to be expected. Just don't let the 12 pounds continue to multiply. You are adjusting your eating patterns once again. You CAN do this and we will be right here with you!!! (((hugs)))

Hi Ice456, Yes, I've gone through something similar... twice. I've had a series of abcsesses that required surgery and draining. One was so severe they had to remove part of my liver that attached itself to the abcsess and became infected. I've also had to have a series of blood transfusions. I understand what you mean about the stabbing pain. I didn't know what it was at first, either. I went to the PCP and an urgent care facility and got no help whatsoever. The best I got was "you have the flu, sleep it off and get plenty of liquids." (I had a fever and was complaining of severe, stabbing abdominal pain.) The good news is my lap-band docs believed me the first time I called and I was in the hospital having a CT scan within hours. A few hours after that I was in surgery. I'm so sorry you've had to go through this as well. Contact me anytime if you want to talk.

kalamazoo, I hear you! I paid cash for my band, and now have several thousands more in medical bills because of the complications. And now....not even a lap-band to show for it. It wasn't supposed to end this way. I had a bad weekend, too. I ate way more than I should have. It's just so hard to be good and watch every. single. calorie. Plus, I just feel like I'm starving all the time. Let's face it; 1/2 c. of cottage cheese just doesn't cut it anymore! My scale says I'm up 7.5 pounds since my weigh-in on Thursday. Seriously!?! Is that even possible? Argh! I hear you about the depression, too. There have times when I've seen a lap-band commercial on TV and just broken down into tears. And, I think there are very people who can understand that. But, in the end, we have good days and bad days. I'm still in the fight to make sure I have more good days than bad. I'm picking myself back up this morning and moving on.

Thanks! I started a new thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f79/keeping-weight-off-after-lap-band-removal-support-thread-58434/ gaynor, HSH, and anyone who is in the same situation, please come join us!

I lost my band 2-13-08 due to erosion. :thumbup: I had lost 94 pounds with my lap-band, but I'm still about 25 pounds to my goal weight. I gained 6 pounds right away after the lap-band was removed, but with a lot of hard work have managed to lose it again. Now two months later, I'm at the same weight I was at when I went into the hospital with complications. What is everyone's plan for keeping the weight off? I'm working out 5-6 days a week and watching what I eat. I'm also meeting with my dietician regularly and that is helping keep me motivated. It's just now been eight weeks since my surgery, so I don't have an excuse for not weight training anymore. I'm going to make an appointment to see a personal trainer and get that started soon.

HSH and gaynor, Thanks for your posts. It's reassuring knowing I'm not in this alone. It's not going to be an easy fight, but WE CAN DO IT! Maybe we should start a keeping the weight off after lap-band removal support thread and start out own little support group. What'd ya'll think? We could check in every once in a while and keep each other in check.

Hi smwww, I'm not sure if your question was related just to the OP or both of us. I lost my band due to erosion. Believe me, it wasn't voluntary. I loved my band. I'm scared to death of gaining the weight back but I'm working out, eating right, and doing everything I can to keep it off.

mrspersia, Mine was never that bad. I was uncomforatable at times, but it didn't prevent me from eating. I was on liquids for a while but quickly progressed to a normal diet. I haven't had a problem keeping food down. If you haven't already, I would contact your doc. I know mine had me on some type of medication for it during my stay at the hospital.

Hi mrspersia, How are you feeling now? I had my band out 2-13-08. I did have some acid reflux/indigestion for the first couple of weeks but I feel good as new now. I hope it works out for you as well.

Hi gaynor! How are you doing so far? I lost my band 2-13-08 due to erosion. I was about 25 pounds away from goal. So far, I've managed to maintain my weight loss, but I haven't been able to lose any more. (I've been working my butt off, too.) I hear that a lot of people gain the weight back and I'm fighting it with everything I have. Good luck in keeping the weight off. I'm right there with you.

Hi all. I'm here. I've been reading up on everyone's progress, but haven't had much to report myself. Some of you may remember I lost my band in February due to erosion, among other issues. Anyway, I'm working my butt off and watching my diet and doing everything I can to not gain any weight back. It's been a struggle, to say the least. But, so far, I've pretty maintained. Considering so many people gain weight back quickly, I'm considering this a success and trying not to think of the weight I could be losing. Take care and have a great week! Who's next?

Hi KayBee.... I was wondering how it was going; thanks for the update. I'm sorry about the docs mix-up documenting your weight. Who knew this would come back to haunt? Good luck tracking down your surgery records and here's to a quick approval.

OK, OK. I'll be there! (You realize this is an old thread, right? No worries.... It's fun looking back and remembering just getting the group started and remembering my posts as a newbie. :thumbup:)

Hi beachgal, My friend Virginia had similar problems with her band. She ended up having it removed and converted to a RNY. You can read her post here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f24/my-story-very-long-cross-posted-55766/ I'm sorry for everything you are going through. Hopefully they can find a solution that works for you. Good luck.

Hey tmazgal, I'm so happy to see your message! I'm doing OK now. Still struggling to keep this weight off, but I'm fighting! I'm glad to know you are doing OK after your rebanding. I'm sending you a PM with all of the specifics.