Jenn

Woo hoo! Congrats!

I just saw this for some reason. Yeah for you!! Great job!!

It's called a bezoar and can form from eating coconut or celery, fibrous food. It can be very dangerous.

Doctor Billy did my upper G.I. I'm not sure where you live but he may be able to see you. He is in thoudand aks or ventura, california. I hope you find a resolution soon :-(

First sorry you are in pain. Since you have pain on the left side, it might involve your kidneys. You could have a kidney infection or a kidney stone. I definitely recommend finding a doctor that you can see. I had an upper GI a few weeks after my surgery to check everything out - maybe you can have 1 too? Please keep us posted and let us know what happens.

Yes that's what I've got - a band over plication. My original band slipped so Dr Billy replaced it when he did the plication. So far I am extremely happy with the plication.

Hi I had my lapband placed in 2001. I had my band replaced and plication done in Feb, 2011. I do not plan to fill my band ever but it is there, if needed. My experience with Dr. Billy was very good and I was able to have most of my surgery covered by my insurance. Hope this helps. Jenn

Omg. I will pay for shipping. That sounds great and I'm desperate for size 16/18. I'll send you a private message.

So far I'm much happier with plication than with my band. Although I am a band over plication I don't intend to fill my band at all. I've lost almost 50 pounds in about 4 1/2 months. In 2001 with my band it took me about 1 year to lose 50 pounds. So far I'm pretty happy , I hope it stays that way.

Woo hoo! Congrats! You are doing great. Hope the 5k is successful. Kup

4 month update June 7, 2011 Starting weight: 283 Current weight: 235 Weight lost: 48 lbs Today is my 4th month anniversary since sleeve plication with lapband surgery. My original goal for plication was to lost 60 pounds the first year, which seemed a bit unrealistic especially since it took me 1 whole year to lose 50 pounds when I was first banded in 2001. After seeing my progress with plication, I decided to try to lose 50 pounds by June 7 - didn’t quite make it but I’m sooo close!!! I’m just going to make this a brief update since I have to get to work but I just wanted to say how pleased I am with my surgery. For me, plication is everything I thought the lapband was going to be. I eat about 3-5 oz. of food during meal time. I can eat Breakfast, chicken and raw veggies, which I couldn’t do with the lapband. I feel so much better than when I was only banded. I exercise at least 4 times per week, wogging (walk/jogging) for about 1 hour. Sometimes I do Zumba at the gym if I can squeeze it in or exercise videos at home. I have definitely made exercise a priority and I think that’s helped with my steady weightloss. I have a follow-up with Dr. Billy in a couple of weeks and I’m hoping to have lost 50 pounds by then as his scale always weighs me a few pounds more. Take care,

I have finally gotten around to starting a blog. I'm going through some of my old posts and re-posting them onto the blog from when I was pre-op and right after surgery. This might be helpful for people seeking more information about plication and what to expect right after surgery. Hope it helps. I'll try to update my blog with more recent posts. Thanks! Take care, Jenn http://mysleeveplicationjourney.blogspot.com/

I started a blog on VST and didn't want to redo the whole thing. When I'm on break for summer vacation I will start one here. Thanks - hope it's helpful! Jenn

Well, as usual I was going to title my topic "Lost 45 pounds in less than 4 months" but I zoomed past 45 and actually lost 46 pounds. My body does weird things sometimes! I had surgery on Feb. 7 so I'm almost 4 months out. I have experienced stalls but have pretty much followed the same routine since surgery. I exercise at least 4 times per week - I wog (walk/jog) as well as do Zumba DVDs. I usually drink a 1/2 a GNC lean protein shake for breakfast and the other 1/2 for a snack, eat 1 low fat string cheese, have a pretty "normal" lunch at work such as 1/4 of a turkey sandwich, a small salad and iced tea and then for dinner I will have another protein shake and 1/2 a yogurt mixed with Kashi and some kind of berry. I eat out at least 3 times per week but my lunches or dinners out usually feed me for 3 meals! I have restricted myself from any foods except what my doctors office ordered during the first 12 weeks, such as raw veggies, lettuce, etc. Now I can eat whatever I want, I just eat very small portions. I chose to not eat pasta until a few days ago as I felt that was a trigger food for me. DH and I went to Olive Garden and I ordered chicken and pasta and ate about 1/5 of the food plus 1/2 a bread stick and a few bites of salad. I didn't feel deprived and was totally satisfied! For me the plication has been everything I thought my band was going to be. I get full on smaller portions of food but I'm still able to eat a variety of food, including chicken and raw veggies - things that were very difficult for me to eat with the band. I haven't thrown up since leaving the hospital and have gone from a size 22/24 to a size 18. I changed my next major goal on my ticker since I had 199 lbs but think I'm ready to try for more. I had hoped to lose 60 pounds the first year and I feel extremely confident that I will surpass that goal! Take care everybody. Jenn

You are in the classic 3 week stall. If you google 3 weeks stall you will find lots of information. By the way 15 pounds is great! KUP

Thanks everybody! I haven't had a chance to update my ticker but I'm down to 239! Woo hoo!! I was hoping to be in the 220s by the end of june so that means I will have to lose 10 pounds this month - yikes!! Looks like I will be exercising a lot this month

Well, I was going to title my post - I've lost 40 pounds!! but this morning when I got on the scale I flew by 243, which is my 40 pound loss number. I weighed in at 241.5. I was stalled at 247-246 for about 3 weeks and then BAM! my body decides to drop 4.5 pounds this week! My revision from lapband to lapband over plication was Feb. 7, 2011, so exactly 14 weeks ago! That's an average of 2.9 pounds per week, although my weight loss has not been consistently 3 pounds per week. Some weeks I lose more, some weeks I lose nothing so it just depends. I am ecstatic with my progress and hope to continue losing at this rate. I'm sure as I get closer to my goal, my weight loss will slow down but overall, I am thrilled with my surgery and my life after surgery (especially compared to life with the lapband). In case anyone is wondering my current lapband is completely empty and I plan to leave it that way. Hope everyone has a great day, I know I will!!!!

Hi Chow when I lost 100 pounds with the band my skin bounced back pretty quickly. I've had 2 big babies since then so I'm not sure how my skin will react this time. I have been taking measurements monthly though and I've lost about 4 inches off my waist so far. I'm hoping with enough exercise I won't need a tummy tuck but we'll see. I will definitely need my arms done tho

I agree with a lot of what chow said. My main reason for having plication was to live a more "normal" life. When I was banded I always had to know where the restroom was at all times in case I needed to throw up. I have not experienced that once with plication. I eat out at least 3 times a week. I eat pretty much whatever I want just in smaller quantities. Please remember I have had weight loss surgery for 10 years so the adjustment was easier for me. I would say it took me about 1 full year to adjust to the band, so give yourself some time. However I do think exercise is crucial. I exercise at least 4 * per week and feel so much better. I've lost 44 pounds in under 4 months and feel great! Diva have you sent many goals for yourself? This seems to help me focus. It also helps me with my exercise habits. I will be jogging a 10 k in july and I am planning to run a half marathon in october. Having these gold keeps me on track. Don't worry about past mistakes. Start over and do what's best for your new tummy )

I think most insurance does not cover plication, is considered experimental. However some insurance will pay for lap band with plication - mine did .

Sorry about some of the mistakes. I'm using voice software instead of typing.

I was banded in 2001. Started having problems a few years ago. My insurance paid for a new port in august of last year after that I could not that's a good sale. I've always had problems with getting fills due to a flipped port. I researched sleeve gastrectomy as bypass was not an option. However I did not like it for me. After a few more months of research I found a plaication. My doctor was able to get it covered under insurance because I also rebanded at the same time. Normally plication is not covered as it is considered experimental. I've lost about 44 pounds in less than 4 months and am very happy with my results. My band is completely empty and I plan on never filling it. Good luck to you.

Welcome! I also had a lapband since 2001 and had it replaced along with the plication on Feb. 7 2011. Sounds like u did great with the band so I'm sure u'll do great with the plication! KUP

bread I ate toasted around 10 weeks. Couldnt wait for salads but waited till 12 weeks. I eat veggies that r mushy not raw.

Hey L That's great! I did a 5K but walked most of it. My goal is to do another one in June and finish in under 50 minutes. I wogged (walk-jogged) 3 miles yesterday in 51 minutes so I'm almost there! Are you following the C-2-5K program? My advice to you is to train outside as much as possible and if you can, jog where the actual race will take place so on race day you are familiar with the route. Good luck! PS - I'm wogging a 10K July 23 and the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon in October. We can do this!!!