itsyvonne

*LOL* It's a good "reality" check for us all...

Ah ... yes ... now I see the source of the confusion. Randy Jackson had the Fobi pouch, which is simply a variation of the gastric bypass. It includes a silastic ring around the stoma, which makes the stoma less likely to stretch, I guess. I think it also includes mesh around the pouch to prevent the pouch from stretching. I see it as a more invasive and more dangerous version of gastric bypass, actually. By the way, Roseanne Barr had the same type of gastric bypass.

Ok, here's a summary of some of the celebs mentioned so far, and my opinion for what it's worth (not much): Kirstie Alley - no surgery Oprah - no surgery Sharon Osbourne - Lap-band - Her successfulness with the band is questionable since she says she is bulemic - which means that she misuses the band. She herself has said that she tends to stuff her face with junk food and then throw it up. Ozzy also made reference to her frequent vomiting during the "Osbourne's" shooting. I think maybe this is why she hasn't championed the band - she herself knows she is not a good role model in the way she uses it. Ann Wilson - lap-band (but struggling to succeed with it, apparently) Star Jones - lap-band (bypass sounds even more plausible to me based on her quick wt. loss ... however, I'm going from a gossip post I saw from someone who talked to someone who knew someone who was "in the know" ). Randy Jackson - gastric bypass. Anna Nicole - drugs (and I don't mean Trimspa). The gastric balloon being Hollywood's best kept secret theory: that sounds like a good theory! I guess they would have to go out of the country to get it done though, since it's not FDA approved yet (is it?). -Yvonne

Actually, he's pretty outspoken about having had the gastric bypass.

Sharon Osbourne has said "I had a band put on my stomach," but she has also called it something different every time she mentions it (even "gastric bypass"), so it's very confusing. I've certainly NEVER heard her refer to it as a "lap band" or the fact that it's "adjustable." Someone posted on another message board that Sharon got a lap-band during the FDA trials w/a surgeon named Phillips at Cedars-Sinai. I get the impression she's been deliberately evasive about it. It could be that she doesn't want to endorse it, particularly since she seems to be struggling w/bulemia as well. Well, hmmm...actually I just found a USA Today article that openly states that Sharon's colon cancer surgeon (Edward Phillips) was also her lap-band surgeon! BTW it's Ann Wilson of the band Heart who got the lap-band and was featured on Spotlighthealth. She lost about 60 lbs and seems to have gained most of it back now. I believe she struggled w/reflux, because she refers to getting an unfill at some point in her Spotlighthealth jourmal.

Nykee - Why ask why?!?!?!? Just enjoy. -Yvonne P.S. No, it hasn't been that magic for me, but luckily it worked anyway.

yes it can be reversed/revised, but you've already done the 'damage' by increasing your risks of all sorts of complications (most common sems to be bowel obstruction .. and if you got an open RNY, hernias) and I don't think those particular risks goes away with a reversal. The reversal just corrects the malabsorption, which is the usual reason for a reversal (bad effects due to the malabsorption).

Well how are you feeling restriction-wise after this third fill? Do you think it is helping? I will tell you what I ate today, but I never found it all that helpful to hear what other people are eating ... YMMV. -------------- Plenty of Water throughout the day, I also make sure to take all my Vitamins & supplements (multivitamin, glucosamine chondroitin, Omega 3 fish oil, sometimes a couple of fiberchoice sugarfree tablets). Breakfast- one regular serving GoLean hot Cereal (hi-protein hi-fiber) with two TBSP ground flaxseed. Latte w/1 cup 2% milk & sugarfree syrup Snack- another latte as above Lunch-couple of bites of spinach & pecan & sliced turkey salad w/vinaigrette dressing -1/2 cheese/blackbean enchilada -1/2 yoplait whip Snack - a few pecans & about four bites of above spinach/turkey salad dinner - 1 oz roasted chicken breast, couple of spoonfuls brown rice, 1/2 cup of broccoli w/some shredded romano cheese, Danimals yogurt drink. If I get hungry for a snack later, I will eat a slice of dried pineapple because it is pretty fibrous and fills me up, but yet satisfies my sweet tooth. Sometimes I use raisins for a similar effect. -Yvonne

Are you following the basic rule of eating foods that are solid and not getting into "soft food syndrome"?

It doesn't really matter which one .... those are all typical arguments against the lap-band. It sounds to me like you already know most of the "comebacks" to the arguments they are presenting, so you just have to make an informed decision based upon what you are learning about both surgeries. By the way - the "18 month window" is actually a DOWNSIDE to GBP and the UPSIDE to the lap-band is that you don't HAVE a window. -Yvonne

DeLarla, Regarding erosion - what comes first, the port infection or the erosion? I have read that the eroding band causes drainage along the tubing that irritates and infects the port area. Or is it that the infection from the port travels up the tubing to the band and irritates the tissues around the band, causing erosion? Did you get any insight on this from your talk with the doctor? If I were you I would go ahead and get the endoscopy to check for erosion. Are you going to get your band removed even if there is no sign of erosion? Take care, -Yvonne

Sudden increased restriction was my first sign of slippage. I'm not saying your band has slipped, but it's something you might want to rule out if it is feeling very different from the way it has felt for the last few months. If your appointment is for a fluoro fill it would be good to keep the appointment just for the band placement check at the very least. -Yvonne

Congrats ... you're halfway there!!! WOW! Am I reading right? Have you only been banded a little over 3 months!?!?!? I just have to say for the others reading "results not typical!!!" I am STILL trying to get below my husband's weight. I have about 8 lbs to go... LOL. He weighs 154 and is 5 ft 10.5 in tall. Argghh!!! -Yvonne

Just because someone hasn't needed a fill doesn't mean they are a "better bandster" than someone else who has had lots of fills. It just means (in most cases) that they already had the level of restriction they needed from the beginning. It's just a quirk of their particular anatomy. And it's not necessarily a good thing, because if they're that restricted from the get-go, then there's no possibility of an unfill if they start to get TOO restricted. It probably would have been better to put a larger band on someone like that rather than have them be that restricted from the beginning. In any case, it's a rare thing for a bandster not to need a fill to get restriction. That said - there are people who are more motivated and can get the weight off without as much of a fill as others. I am one of the "others". By the way, even though the band was instrumental in helping me lose weight, I see its MOST important role as a tool for maintenance. Yes - I would definitely gain the weight back if I didn't have my band. I've proved it on several other occasions when I have lost this much weight, only to gain it back. -Yvonne BMI: 39/24.4/22

No, that's not true - the Inamed 11cm band is a DIFFERENT band from the VG band. The Inamed 11cm band is not approved for use in the United States. The 11cm band has a max fill capacity of 9cc. Inamed does not state a length to refer to the VG band like it does with the other three bands (the 9.75cm, the 10cm, and the 11cm). Regards, Yvonne

It's way too soon right now to tell if the difference in band design makes a difference in long-term slippage and erosion statistics. My first band (Midband) was touted to be less likely to slip or erode ... and guess what ... my band slipped. I know that proves nothing ... it's just another data point. The "pillows" of saline were designed on the VG band to distribute the saline more evenly because of the fact that a larger band without pillows causes the saline to distribute unevenly. The smaller band doesn't have that problem. So, it was a way to correct the saline distribution problem that otherwise would occur with the larger diameter band. My surgeon told me this, so I assume he has it on good authority.

I got gallstones as a result of 6 months on a very low calorie diet (many years ago; long before I got the band). If only I had been prescribed Actigall during that diet - perhaps I never would have developed gallstones. I put off getting my gallbladder out for several years after that, and one way I was able to stave off attacks was by taking Actigall. The hope was that the Actigall would dissolve the stones already there, but my stones were already too large & calcified. I did not ever have gallbladder attacks during the 2 years I took Actigall..it really seemed to have a positive effect even though I already had gallstones. That's why I really believe in the drug and believe that it really does help prevent gallstones. My doctor didn't allow me to continue on the Actigall beyond the 2 years, because the stones didn't dissolve noticeably. I stopped taking it, eventually had a few attacks and decided that this was for the birds and I had my gallbladder removed!!

Yes, please do take it as a preventative measure. It works wonderfully and has very little to no side effects, usually.

Wow ... are you getting a nose job at the same time as well? I need that too!! I cannot believe how much I hate my nose ... it used to be fine, but the tip seems to have changed and become more "bulbous" as I have aged. My nose problem is exactly like this girl's: http://www.facialsurgery.com/ClkoffTPgt6_4011_04_06mh.html

So, I guess it worked. LOLOL ... that was hilarious!!! I definitely cannot beat that one.

It seems to vary a LOT. Here are some prices I have been charged in Kansas (all different docs): $150 per non-fluoro fill $250 for first fill, $100 per fill thereafter (no difference in price for fluoro vs non-fluoro) $20 per non-fluoro fill (got grandfathered in on this one ... now this surgeon doesn't do fills for patients he didn't band) $60 per non-fluoro fill I hear one surgeon in Kansas charges $1,200 per fill (including fluoro because he does not do non-fluoro fills). -Yvonne

Is the technician experienced w/bands? If so, then one would think he/she should have been able to tell if it was slipped.

I know that 100mg vitamin C daily and 1-2 tablespoons flaxseed daily has kept my 7 year old daughter regular, and she was having soooo much trouble before we started that regimen!! I only just started the vitamin C supplementation on myself, so the jury's still out ... I think it's helping, along w/prune juice and flaxseed!

Your revision surgery experience was similar to mine ... more painful because of the scar tissue, etc. I also need a LBL. I would be nervous about going that far away for PS, though. What was your PS consult like? Did you get a lot of confidence from talking to him at the consult and from examining his before/after cases? Was there any discussion of the port and if the LBL would interfere with the port at all? Also, how long will you have to stay in Tijuana post-surgery? Thanks, Yvonne

Vitamin C supplementation also helps keep you regular. Start w/500 mg per day and then if that doesn't help up it by 100mg per day. At some point, you may reach a dosage that causes diarrhea, in which case you need to scale it back again.