Moopymom

My experience was similar. It took me by surprise how quickly I was approved.

I had my gallbladder removed at the same time. My dr. said that if it was inflamed, or any of the gallbladder contents spilled during removal, he would postpone the band for about three months. Luckily all was well, and I had both removed, and am doing well - down 55 pounds from 9/1/07. BTW, I grew up in Missouri and graduated from Mizzou - Go Tigers!!

Dr. Campos at UCSF. Banded on 10/2/07 and down 51 pounds since I started this journey!

Just had my first fill this morning at 6 weeks post-op. It was really uneventful - small lidocaine stick and my surgeon had no trouble finding my port. One thing I found interesting - UCSF is a teaching hospital, and there were 3 third-year med students observing. Dr. Campos menitoned to the students that methylene blue was used in the port as a marker. Thought that was interesting.

Hi edeva3, I was banded on 10/2 by Dr. Campos at UCSF! Hope you're doing well so far.

Sounds familiar. My pre-op showed gallstones, and I too was surprised. My surgeon told me he'd remove the gallbladder, and if it wasn't inflamed, he would do the band at the same time. Luckily, all went well, and I lost my gallbladder and gained a band during the same procedure. I think I just ended up with more incisions (9) than most folks have for just banding.

Dr. Campos at UCSF in San Francisco...

Hmmm, I had my gallbladder removed at the same time and ended up with 9 incisions. Felt a bit like a Ginsu knife commercial gone wrong!!

Agreed; the nutritionist suggested warm prune juice.

Rastis, I've been really fortunate; I've been able to sleep well during the night without much pain. I don't think I'm typical though - I've had two total knee replacements, and this pain level compared to the knee replacements is very manageable for me.

I too am on the "other side" now. Had my gallbladder removed and was banded on 10/2. So far, so good. I've not really needed any pain meds post-op, and just have minor shoulder discomfort plus a sore belly!

I'm scheduled to get my lapband tomorrow, October 2, with Dr. Campos at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco. Wish me luck!!

Count me in, too!! October 2 for me.

Thanks for the kind words, Denise. I've been rescheduled for 10/2 due to a conflict in Dr. Campos' schedule. Glad to hear the good things you have to say about the UCSF group, and I hope my experience is as positive as yours. Sandy

I found out that I have gallstones, and my surgeon is going to remove my gallbladder before banding. He said that if it's inflamed or if any bile spills into the abdominal cavity when he removes it, then he won't do the lap band at the same time. I'll have to wait for three months, and then have another surgery.

This is my first post to the board, although I've been lurking and soaking up all the incredible info available here for a while. I went for a follow-up appointment yesterday at UCSF Med Center to discuss all my test results, and ended up with combination gallbladder removal and banding scheduled for 9/24.... Was sort of amazed at how soon they were able to schedule me. Anyone else have their gallbladder removed as a prelude to banding?