pati-o

I am in the process of scheduling an endo, just to make sure things look ok. I am having a surgeon do it, he does not place bands. When I spoke with him face to face and asked him if he thought he would be comfortable doing an endo on someone with a band he said yes. He told me that just because he doesn't put them in, it doesn't mean that he isn't familiar with how they work. Also, I should add that I am an outpatient surgery/endo nurse, and will have my endo done in the dept where I work. I feel completely safe and that I will be in competent hands. So I guess the answer to your question (after all of my babbling) is that yes, it is safe to do an endo with a band- just pick the right dr. oh- and we will be billing my insurance with a diagnosis of reflux that is unrelieved with over the counter drugs so that my insurance will cover it. Pati

Hi Muggle, I am just curious. Could it be possible that the chest infection you have is possibly pneumonia from the reflux. (better known as aspiration pneumonia). The nurse in me tells me that maybe you need a chest x-ray to see if this is what is going on. If your band was too tight and you had reflux at night when you slept, it's possible that you could have breathed in some of that reflux into your lungs and that can cause a very nasty case of pneumonia. Not trying to scare you, I just hope your Drs. have covered all of the bases. Pati

Holy good god!! Now I'm totally scared to death. I was banded in Mx. If I had it to do over again, Id do it here in Michigan. Hindsight....... I work in an outpatient surgery department, I know better.... That's it!!! monday a.m. I am calling and sceduling an endo. I HAVE to know.

Am I the only one who is becoming afraid of this site? It seems like every time I read new posts, they are about people having complications with their bands. Don't get me wrong, I want the truth, but I am coming to the conclusion that my band is only going to be a temporary solution. I am TERRIFIED of gaining my weight back, and from what I'm reading here lately, it seems like it is only a matter of time before we all lose our bands. Anyone else feel like I do???

You are all so right...... I agree that my band is a tool, that the benefits definately outweigh the risks. Given the chance to do this again, I'd still make the same choice, I love the way I feel and the way I look, even with the struggles I still face, I'm going to quit with the "what-ifs?" I truly, truly appreciate your advice and imput, it means the world to me. THank you so much!!!

Thanks Kathy, I do need to step back and de-stress. I will not be going back to Mexico. That was a one time deal. My new medical insurance will cover my band care and fills. (THANK GOD!!) And I have a great Dr. in the Detroit area that has taken me on as a patient, so I have great aftercare. I work in a hospital so I want my family dr to order the upper GI here, (because it will be free because I am a hospital employee), but like I said, I have to convince him. I think that having an upper GI is a great thing to do. As a matter of fact, I wonder why I have never read about having one as a routine part of aftercare/checkups??? Sometimes I hate being a nurse, I swear I get every symptom that I hear about. As a matter of fact I think I may have bird flu............and lymes disease......and ..... see what I mean!! LOL THanks for the verbal kick in the pants- I needed it!!!!!

I'm SOOO glad Johndeeregal said it, but I have to agree with her. I'd take out another loan, sell my car, remortgage- whatever it took, and have a RNY, only this time I'd have it in the U.S.I absolutely TERRIFIED of the thought of losing my band. I'm having all of the symptoms that Kathy (the best me) is having- pain, heartburn, pressure after having a horrendous PB last tuesday. I have NO medical insurance until this thursday and then I face the challenge of convincing my family dr to order an upper GI.. then what??? I think I need to take a vacation from reading posts, I'm becoming paranoid!!

My band is great and has changed my life ....... I am happy EVERY day, not just once in a while. My back and hips dont hurt anymore. I have my sex drive back (THANK YOU GOD!!). and one huge NSV.....My very first love has been overheard talking lately about how he should have married me, and that I was the "best he ever had" (wonder what that means???, I'll take it as me being the best person he was ever in a relationship with) I cant even begin to describe how GOOD it feels to know that he has finally admitted that he SCREWED UP. All good things happen for a reason though, I wouldn't have met my wonderful husband and had my 4 beautiful babies. This band has made the real "ME" come back to life!!!

I have found a way to have my TT covered by my insurance. I have had 3 c-sections and now my scar hurts/pulls, so I am eligible for a "scar revision" AKA tummy tuck. I have found a plastic surgeon that will do it at a hospital that will participate with my new insurance (NO deductibles- no co-pays when done at a participating facility~!!).

Ok, am I the only one who is the slowest loser in the world? I've exercised AT LEAST 4-5 days per week for the past 3+ weeks, had two fills in that time period, have eaten no MORE then 1200 calories a day Max. (and that was easter) and my average calories are around 1000 per day. I drink a TON too. Am I the the SLOWEST loser in the world or what??? I'm happy with what I've lost, but I wish these Lbs. would just GO AWAY already!!!

I had my 3rd fill yesterday, I now have 2.0cc in my 4cc band. I was able to eat about 1/2 sandwich with the bread, or a whole hot dog with 1/2 bun. 1 cup or so of any type of mushy stuff like goulash or chili. So today, I decided to eat some Bushs baked beans for Breakfast(I know- a weird breakfast, but tons of protein and fiber). I ate about 1/4 cup and started to have these gurgling sounds coming up in my throat. I feel full. Is this a normal amount of food if one has hit the sweet spot??? I was able to drink my two cups of coffee this am before the beans and had no trouble getting those down. Any advice for me on this one???? thanks a million!

I'm a Goodwill girl! I love finding the bargains! I just bought a pair of Zana Di jeans (size 18 regular- not even plus! YEAH!) for 4.99. I really like lane Bryant, Target, (WalMarts shorts are the best), and Kohls, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Eddie Bauer most of all!!!!

One of the reasons that I got my band is because I didnt want my kids to have a fat mom. My son who just finished 4th grade has had kids tease him because he has a fat mom. At my heaviest (since my kids have been in school) I weighed 240 which isn't THAT huge. Still though, I am SOOOOOO much happier now, I LOVE the fact that I wear an 18 comfortably and have one pair of 16s. I have this weird "drive" to get another fill SOON so that I can lose more weight before the kids go back to school. Don't ask me why....cause I have no clue.

Dr. Pleatman, Thank you SO MUCH for posting this information! I am so grateful to you for doing my fills and look forward to having you do any fills I will have in the future. I work as an OPS R.N. in the Kazoo area, and most of the medical professionals that I've spoken with are completely unfamiliar with the Lap Band procedure. So, as time goes by and I tell new people about the procedure, I also tell them where to go to have it done- and I've given ALL of them your name. Thanks for providing such great care, I really appreciate it! Pati Smith

FIRST let me say that phooey on the long hair thing. That is an individualized opinion. Like saying- "bleach it blonde, all guys like blonde hair and not brown". I've had long hair (down to the bra strap length) and short hair ( just below the nape of my neck). The long hair didn't do it for me. The day I got my hair cut, I felt like a new woman. I got compliments from so many people that it was embarrassing!I'll NEVER grow it out again. If I was asked what one of my sexiest features was, I'd say my hair. And my hubby is the first one who will tell you that he likes my hair, he encouraged me to have it cut! For some men their "thing" is hair, some like boobs and some like butts (of course there are the unusual ones who like feet and other ummm, let's say unusual- things. (Thank GOD my man is a butt man!!, cause I've got plenty of that) Ask your stylist what he/she thinks would look best with the shape of your face, your hair texture and color and most important of all, what you'd feel comfortable with. There's nothing worse then seeing a woman with long scraggly fine limp hair, or one with so much fuzz that she looks like an old dust mop. EWWW! I agree wholeheartedly with everyone else on the counseling advice. I have made my own appt. with a family counselor. I have the opinion that if your car needs a tune-up and you don't know how to do it, see the nearest mechanic. The same thing goes for my mental well being- Since I don't know how to fix it and have it exactly or as close to how I want it- I'm going to have someone else "take a looksie" and see what they can advise.

I don't know about everyone else, but I was banded in january and I use nutrasweet AND splenda each and every single day in my two cups of coffee. I haven't had a single problem.

I might get alot of bashing for saying this, but here goes. I am a Dr. Kuri pt. the experience was good. Not excellent, but good. I'm an outpatient surgery R.N. so the whole surgical process is what I live and breathe 3 days a week at work. I've been doing this for 14 years. I do believe that Dr. Kuri is a qualified and competent surgeon. The hospital is adequate. It's clean, and the anesthesiology team are qualified as well. But, I don't think the pain control was as good as we have in the states. The meds took the edge off of the pain and that did help, but didn't make it quite comfortable enough to sleep. The anti nausea medication was given was plain old Zantac. It didn't help and I vomited at least 3 times during the night at the hospital. The nurses were very nice, but there IS a language barrier, it's not impossible to tell them what you want, but not super easy. I also took my own personal nurse who stayed at my bedside day and night and was my eyes and ears while I was waking up from anesthesia. I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go alone. Dr. Kuri is very nice. I do feel that even though my surgical experience was OK, I think I was a number while I was there. Theres nothing wrong with that if you get good medical care, but it's not what I am used to. I knew when I got on the plane in San Diego to come home to Michigan, that I'd NEVER be going back to Mexico. I knew that before I ever went for my surgery, that come hell or high Water, all of my follow up care would be in the U.S., and if I had complications that I'd go to a hospital here in Michigan. Complications=bad in my eyes, and bad means I want access to the best Drs. not that Dr. Kuri isn't qualified, but I know that if something happens I want to be close to home for my family's sake. I use Dr. Pleatman for my fills. I didn't even know he existed until after I had my band placed. And if I had it to do over again, he'd be the one to place my band. There is NO price difference when I add up Dr Kuris fees and the plane tickets for myself and my companion, and potential fills for 2 years. I think that the real truth is that if each and every person on this board had insurance that covered the band 100% they'd Most likely choose to go to a Dr. in the U.S. just my opinion, and I'll probably be given a few capital letters for saying it. best of luck to you in your decision.

I am usually so tight during my TOTM that I can barely get anything more then mushies down. I asked my fill Dr. about it and he said that it's because of the extra fluid that I carry. Truthfully, I have at least 1 PB every day of of my TOM so I have to be extra careful about what I eat. Even oatmeal gets stuck. That's one of the reasons I'm hesitant to get a 3rd fill. The rest of the month I have plenty of room with my band.

Count me in too. I'm stuck, I need a fill, but need to get off of my lazy bum and make the 2.5hr drive with my mongrel pack of children and get things started! Has anyone else had the "summer is here and it's easy to eat quick things" problem that I'm having??

Gotta love Oprah! A few weeks ago she had a show on what to wear for different body types, I don't know if you saw it or not. A GREAT show! One thing she said was NO SHORTS and NO CAPRIS/CROP pants for anyone over a size 6 (I believe it was a size 6), because it makes our bodies look short and round. She said darker pants/jeans with those faded Patches on the front of the thighs and slightly flared legs with a bright colored closer fitting shirt with a slit neck Here are a couple links to her site! http://http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200402/tows_past_20040210.jhtml?promocode=088www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200405/20040518/tows_slide_20040518_13.jhtml

Weird post... I know. My dog of 10 years is an old girl, so needless to say, she doesn't move around as much as she used to. But now, I've made it even worse for her, she's getting fat! She gets so many table scraps because I always take too much food and can't eat it all. My mother brainwashed me! She told me not to waste food and that there were starving children in China and now instead of throwing it away, my poor dog is feasting on scraps and becoming as big around as she is tall!! Poor girl has become rather.... well lets just say that she doesn't smell as good as she used to! Anyone else had a puppy dog that has been over indulged??

has anyone heard of anyone over 70 having a band placed? My mom is going to be 72 in September. She has diabetes, high blood pressure and has had a hip replacement. Considering that she has all of that, she is otherwise very healthy. She is a very determined and headstrong person, but has struggled with weight her ENTIRE adult life. She's about 5'2" and about 245 lbs. She NEEDS to lose weight, but can't exercise because her knees hurt, which I'm sure is from her weight. She has medicare and Principal Beech Street insurance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

I can not eat dry chicken or turkey or stringy meat like pot roast. Tortillas almost kill me and I absolutely can not eat pea pods.

Is it a hematoma that you have? It's kind of like a blod clot under the skin, and are they OUCHIE! I sure hope you feel better soon!

My girls look like someone let the air out of them. I was wearing a 42B, and when I sat down the bra cups stayed filled out but the boobs disappeared. (I wear those bras that look like there are invisible boobies in them at all times. Foam cups) But, HOLY COW!!!! I watched Oprah a couple of weeks ago and she had this bra specialist on there who showed how to properly fit a bra, and so off I went to Lane Bryant and did the measure dealie like they said on the show and LO-AND-BEHOLD!!! I actually wear a 40C, and am on the edge of getting 38C's. ME?????? a C cup! And holy shamolie! Are they perkie! My best friend actually tole me that she likes my girls better then she likes here! (shes a 36DD) Best of all when I sit down, the cups are still filled. And no more straps forever sliding down my shoulders (actually a sign that the band size is too big). And I am now using AVON's bust sculpt which a couple of my friends SWEAR work to perk up their girls. It cant hurt! After nursing 4 babies I need all the help I can get.