pookie

I haven't seen my surgeon since October 2008. I was banded almost 2 years ago, on April 15, 2008. I was 292 when I was banded and am now hovering around 240, give or take a pound or 2. I think I've lost about 25 lbs since my last fill, and probably about half of that has been since December. I am embarrassed to see him as I thought I would have lost more than I have by now. I feel like I have fairly good restriction. I still occasionally feel "stuck", but can still eat just about anything, but stay away from too much carbs and stuff like buns, fries, etc., as these are harder on my band and I don't need them anyways! At the same time, I feel like I can eat more than I should - definitely not as much as I used to, but can still eat probably 2 cups of food in a sitting and often times am hungry a couple hours later, not 3-4 like I heard you should be. One thing I have noticed within the last few months is that I have heartburn. I had heartburn before my surgery, but it went away right after and didn't return until just recently. I mostly notice it with spicy foods or with an empty stomach, especially first thing in the morning. I have been taking Prilosec in the morning, which has helped tremendously, but I worry I have stretched my pouch. I also occasionally get pain under my left ribs after I eat, nothing too painful, just more like discomfort. I will bring these up to my surgeon, but am wondering if because of this a fill would be a problem? Can he tell by doing an upper GI if I need a fill or if I have a stretched pouch? My nurse who I talked to doesn't think I do, but how can you really tell? Does it sound like I need a fill?

I'm glad I found this!! I had surgery on 04/15/2008, so almost 2 years ago. I am down about 70 lbs, so doing well, but not as well as I had hoped by this point. I hadn't seen Dr. Chae in about 1-1/2 years, but my nurse said I should follow with him at least once a year, so tried for 2 weeks to get an appt, but could never get a call back. I'm a Kaiser patient, so I know that he does surgeries downtown on Tuesdays and appointments down there on Wednesdays, so since I am going to be down there for another appt next Wednesday, I called his office in Denver, got someone right away (no voice mail!!) and made my appointment. She really urged me to mention to Dr. Chae about my frustration with the Sky Ridge staff and how they wouldn't return my calls. In fact, she made a note in my chart so he would see it in case I forget (which I doubt I will). I wrote down Pam's phone # that I saw on here, but don't know where I put Dr. Chae's cell #. If someone can PM me that, I'd appreciate it!! Anyways, it's great to find this forum!

I didn't have to meet with Kelly because I'm a Kaiser patient, but just wanted to wish you good luck!! I live in Parker too and am having my surgery with Dr. Chae down at St. Joseph Hospital on April 15.

It's too late to call tonight, but I'll call them in the morning and ask them. I was confused about the vitamins as well, but didn't ask. If I can remember, I'll ask them about that tomorrow today. Thanks for your help!

I am scheduled for surgery a week from today, April 15. I was told no Advil, Motrin, herbal supplements, or vitamins for 14 days before the surgery, which I have been good about. My son has had a cold and I am starting to feel a little weird; however, I can't tell if it's a cold or just seasonal allergies. I would normally take Airborne or Alka Seltzer Cold to help fight it up, but figure I should just stay away from those. He did say I could take Tylenol if I need to. Do you think that means it would be okay to take a Tylenol Cold pill too? I don't want to take one unless I KNOW it's okay. I just don't want to get sick before my surgery and having it risk getting postponed!!!

I have been doing research on the LB and was pretty set on doing it, but then I came across this and am having second thoughts. What is your opinion on this? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVYXk_ZPis8]YouTube - The Failed Lap Band:10 Years Later[/ame]

I am not banded yet, but I am curious as to what foods you CANNOT tolerate or aren't allowed to eat. What about pasta? Can you eat foods like spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, etc?

I am not banded yet, but I am curious as to what foods you CANNOT tolerate or aren't allowed to eat. What about pasta? Can you eat foods like spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, etc?

Hi! I have Kaiser insurance in Colorado as well. It is difficult getting approved, but I finally did. I sent in my paperwork at the end of May and was approved in July. You have to have a BMI over 50 with no comorbidities or a BMI between 40-49 with two comorbidities, or something like that. After I was approved in July, I didn't hear anything until a couple weeks ago when I received a call to get some blood work done and come in for a couple appointments, which I did. I start the mandatory 8-week surgery connections classes on Nov 5 and was told as of now I would probably be looking at surgery in either Feb/Mar. Kaiser doesn't have its own weight loss surgeon, but is contracted with Dr. Thomas Brown at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and Dr. Frank Chae at St. Joseph Hospital. Going through Kaiser is kind of slow, but from what I understand they are a lot faster than what they used to be. Good luck and keep me updated!

I haven't been banded yet, but just got a call today from my doctor's office and am scheduled to start my mandatory 8-week classes next month, so it's looking like surgery will be in January/February. My question is this: We are planning a vacation to visit some family for a week in North Carolina in March. Let me first state that I have planned not to tell many people about my surgery so the people we are seeing and going with, minus my DH, will not know about the surgery. If I am only 1-2 months out from surgery, will I still be on mushy foods, have you had a fill by this point, etc? I am almost wondering if I should request to wait until beginning of April after we get back from our vacation before having the surgery? Yours thoughts please :eek:

I am on a wait list for LBS and am expecting the surgery date to be sometime next spring. In the meantime, I have gone back to WW in hopes of losing at least 40 lbs before the surgery. I have told myself that if I can lose 50 lbs I will cancel the surgery and continue the weight loss on my own. So far I have lost 5 lbs, but I am having a difficult time staying focused with it and changing my eating habits. I know I need to lose this weight. Ultimately, I would like to lose about 150 pounds. I guess part of me is scared of the complications that can come along with LBS and giving up certain foods permanently, where as if I can lose the weight on my own I wouldn't have the complications and can still occasionally have these foods. So, my questions to all of you are: 1. Do you regret having the surgery? 2. Have you had any complications because of the LB? 3. Is there anything physically you can't do anymore because of the LB? 4. What foods and drinks are off limits now or can you not handle because of the LB? 5. Have you had any negative side effects? Thanks for listening. I'm just trying to sort things out right now and your responses are much appreciated! Robin

I am so excited. I got a little discouraged for awhile, but it all worked out. I am a little nervous now, but know I need to do this because I've been dealing with this for too long. I have Kaiser insurance in Colorado, and I know the wait time can be months. The lady I talked to on the phone is sending me out some paperwork, so hopefully I will know more soon. She said I need to take an 8-week class and that right now it is about a 5-7 month wait for the class, and then she said it's about 1-2 months from the end of the class until the surgery, so overall we're looking at about 6-9 months before I get the surgery. I am hoping to lose about 40 lbs before the surgery, so we'll see. Yea!!

I am kind of in the same boat. Right now I have a BMI of 48. With this BMI I need two co-morbidities. I know I have one for sure, and I am getting a sleep study to see if I have any sort of sleep apnea. Even if I have a little bit I will qualify. If not, I won't. However, if I have a BMI of 50 or higher, I can qualify without any co-morbidities, which I have figured is about 10 pounds. Obviously, I don't want to have to gain any weight, but will do it if it means I qualify. I never thought about weighing myself with objects. If it comes down to that I'll give it a shot.