tjveggie

Hello- I'm trying to gather some more information about failed lap banders who opted for VSG as revision surgery. My most pressing question is, do you still get that "stuck" sensation that you get with Lap Band? The one that lasts for 10-15 minutes, there is "sliming" and then you may or may not vomit. I am tired of going through this with the band (and my band has no Fluid in it). I have had both positive and negative results of the band, but it is going to be removed b/c right now it is hindering my progress, not helping it. My Lap Band is definitely going to be removed, I'm just trying to determine if the gastric sleeve is the right option for me. Pre-op lap band I was 285. Day of surgery 275. About 6 months out from surgery I went down to 255. After working my tail off at the gym I'm down to 235 where I have been STUCK. I'm back to the gym on average 4 times a week. Am trying to get back to 6 days a week. I love the working out part, I just have a problem with the "food" part of this whole process. What happens when you overeat? Do you feel pain? Do you continue to eat a few small meals throughout the day and can you drink Protein shakes? One thing I have such a problem with right now with the lap band are veggies, especially broccoli (which I love) and eggs. Are you able to eat those foods with this surgery? Many thanks....

I want to thank everyone again for all of their input. Your stories are inspiring. I finally made a decision last night after doing a lot of research, speaking with my personal trainer, friends, family, etc. I've taken into account all facets of this research. I've decided at this time only to get the Lap Band remove & have my hiatal hernia repaired, however, I am not going to have the Sleeve done at this time. I'm giving myself a year free to see how I can do on my own. I'm leaving this as an option if I again fail at trying on my own. I wish you all the best and lots of success!

Thanks for all of your input everyone! Personally, I am finding this to be a tough decision. I'm trying to explore every avenue as I am sure you all did. I feel like I need to be 100% on board if I go with the decision to have the sleeve. Thanks again everyone and best wishes to all of you!

Oh wow! How quickly did you recover from the lap band removal? Right now I am 50/50 on the idea of being sleeved. I just think about all of the rough Patches that I've had and I worry that I will be putting myself through that again. Thanks for your reply!!

Hi Barbie, Gilta, HN & all - Hope everyone is doing well! Sounds like Barbie & Gilta are well on their way to getting the surgery done! That's great! HN- hope you are doing well, we had our surgery like a week apart. I'm getting close to the 3 months post-op mark. I had my first fill on May 15th, Dr. only put in 1.5 cc's. Was told that was standard practice for their office. I went back to the office one week later b/c I was having a real difficult time keeping food down. :biggrin: They gave me a choice, they could take out some fluid, or I could give it another shot. I thought, "Heck, I didnt go through all of this just to have fluid taken out!" So I opted for the latter. The key thing I have to remind myself of EVERYDAY is that, they didn't perform surgery on my brain, you know, the one that likes to revert to old eating habits.... large bites, eating too fast, not chewing enough. Yep, that crazy monster likes to creep up on you. Well, guess what? I paid for it...... numerous times, until I finally convinced myself that I HAVE to adhere to all the strict eating requirements. Let me tell you, PB'ing is not fun. I am not saying of any of this to scare you, its more of an informative look and personal experience. Now, I eat SLOW, I CHEW everything to an applesauce consistency and I take tiny bird bites. Its surprising how fast you get filled up! I'm often filled up by 1/2 a veggie burger! I'm down a total of 33 pounds. Over 20 of them since surgery! The band works, but you have to work with it to make it effective. That's my unsolicited advice... lol! Hope everyone is doing great!

Hello fellow March Bandsters! It's official, my date is set for March 31st! I am so excited! :tt2: Best wishes to all of you!

Thanks Barbie & Gilta, I'm feeling fantastic, My surgery was Monday 3/31 & I was discharged from the hospital at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. Today was my first post-op appointment & I am now on the 2nd phase of the nutrition plan, the pureed/mushie stage. There were no complications, everything went extremely well, I was even able to see my lap-band on the x-ray monitor, my x-ray tech showed my lap-band & port.... it was pretty neat. I had the usual post-surgery fatigue related to the anethesia, and was rather sore at the port site, but overall, everything went well. I'm returning to work tomorrow & am more than ready to begin working again. I would say by Sunday evening I was feeling pretty darn good! Gilta- regarding your 2nd nutrition appointment, between your 2nd nutrition appointment & your surgery you are to just continue your current eating plan, the day before surgery you are required to have only clear liquids & nothing to eat or drink morning of surgery. Take care everyone!

I'm one week post-op & had surgery at Highland. Everything went fantastic, am on the liquid portion of the diet until tomorrow & then I switch to pureed foods. I feel great and am anxious to get back to work. hnladue- best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Hello Everyone! We are finally a week post-op. I hope everyone is doing well. I am really having a hard time with just liquids, I go for my first follow-up on Wednesday & I believe I will start the "mushie" diet after my visit. Surgery went well, thankfully no complications, the x-ray tech showed me my lap band & port on the x-ray screen & indicated it was perfectly placed & looked great (was really weird to see that inside of me!). My surgery was @ 7:30 a.m. last Monday morning, I woke up in recovery about 10:30 a.m. and was taken directly to my hospital room, was discharged the next morning at 9 a.m. It was short & sweet! I have to say I slept most of Tuesday though, due to the anesthesia. I stopped taking pain meds on Friday. I feel like I have regained strength everyday. I can't go back to work until this Thursday though b/c they can't see me in their office until Wed. & won't release me to work before then......... oh well....... I don't want to push it anyway. Sounds like everyone is doing well. I have to agree very much with the comments about hunger from the liquid diet, I just about went off my rocker yesterday morning, I felt like the liquids just weren't cutting it. I was carefully following the diet too, but I found I had to add more liquids/protein drinks to be satisfied, besides, hunger is bad for your metabolism, it works against your metabolism, so I didnt feel bad about giving my stomach the extra liquid Protein when I needed it. This is a great tool we have, I plan to make the most of it! Take care everyone!

Hi everyone, I am not sure if it is legit, but I just received 2 emails that looked like they were from this website with this info: From: LAP-BAND® System Support Team [mailto:lapband@lapbandjourney.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 6:16 PM To: {I took this out} Subject: My LAP-BAND® Account Verification Click on the following link (or cut and paste it into the location bar of you browser) to create a new password: & it had a link to click on so you could "log in".................... please be careful if you get one of these, I sent an email to the Webmaster for this Website......... I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but just please use caution when you get e-mails that look legit & they ask for username & password info. Best wishes to everyone on their lap-band journey.

Thanks- I saw it was an alternate link, but these 2 e-mails came out of the blue. I didnt include the links in my post, but the links did appear to be suspicious, hopefully I am wrong, but it does not hurt to exercise caution. Unless I go directly to a site (unsolicited) and log-in, I don't respond to e-mails requesting that I "verify" my account. I have received "phishing e-mails" before from both imposter credit card websites and imposter e-bay websites requesting that I verify my account, in all instances I contacted their Webmasters to verify their legitimacy & in all cases they were fake links that I had received. Like I said, hopefully I am wrong, but better safe then sorry. Best wishes-

Hey everyone- I think "our day" is going to be here before we know it. I feel like I still have so much to do to prepare for the surgery, I still need to stock up on my Protein shakes & make my house "post-surgery" friendly. Are any of you doing anything special prior to your surgery, as say, a final "send off" ? I can only have clear liquids all day on Sunday, so I am going to go out for dinner with my friends on Saturday night & have my favorite food, pizza (within reason of course! don't want to start off on the wrong foot :tongue:) To Newbeginnings: my surgery is first thing Monday morning, scheduled for 7:30 a.m., fortunately I won't have to wait in suspense all day that day! Then I have a one-night overnight stay in the hospital & will be discharged on Tuesday- yay! Good luck eveyone! Healthier days are ahead! :thumbup:

Hi everyone! I am so excited! We are now one week away from our surgery, one week away from starting the next chapter of our new healthier lives! I had my pre-op testing at the hospital this morning, this is finally becoming a tangible reality! Best wishes to everyone, I will keep you all in my thoughts & prayers!

:wink2: Just wanted to say hello............ I'm from Western New York & will be banded on March 31st. Best wishes to everyone!

Hi all! Shrinking Shamrocks, I love it! My Dr. doesn't not require a pre-op diet, only day before surgery I am supposed to have liquids only, Clear Liquids. I am really finding it hard to "stay on track" & admit I have had some "not-so-healthy" things in recent days. I am trying to get out of this mental state of this being "A Last Hurrah"......... I feel like as soon as I met the weight loss requirement that I relaxed, maybe too much. I have a feeling that a lot of what I am going through can be attributed to "Cabin Fever" I am sick & tired of the snow & cold that we are having here in Western New York, it's really not condusive to getting in some good walks! (Too icy!) I do go to the gym 2x/ week, but it is not the same as getting outside in the fresh air. Oh well, nice weather will be here soon enough! Staying positive is 99% of this process (I just need to keep reminding myself of that! ) Tara

Hi Newbeginnings & Redbone0528! Isn't it great to have a date all set & something to look forward to? This has been a long journey so far, but the best is yet to come! Best wishes to you both!

Congrats on your Approval hnladue! Tangerine4- I don't have Cigna but was informed by office staff @ HH that part of the approval process for surgery involves scheduling a surgery date, meaning, once you have completed all of the phases of the program & finally see the doc. on March 18th they will set up your surgery date & submit all your paperwork to your insurance carrier. I am guessing that they get authorization or approval not only for the surgery, but for the day of surgery. I used to work as a medical biller for a number of years (not in the Bariatrics field), and this seemed to be a common practice for some procedures/tests, etc. That is my best guess! Good luck to everyone! My surgery is scheduled for March 31st - (insurance contingent), so I am def. excited! :thumbup:

I've heard it's a great place Molly! I'm originally from a town about 45 minutes from Cooperstown, but now am out in Rochester area. I've had many family members go to Bassett Healthcare for different reasons & my uncle had the lap band done @ Bassett & he is doing fantastic 2 years later! Did you have the surgery yet? Best wishes to you!

Well I finally got the call today from Highland & I see Dr. O'Malley for my one-on-one next week, I am very excited! I found out once I meet with him one-on-one I will have my surgery date assigned, so looks like the end of March for me! :mad: This has been a seemingly long-process, but so worth all the time & effort. Best wishes to everyone!

Hi Nonnatom- I haven't had the surgery yet, I'm pretty close though (hopefully by first week in April).... I started this whole process in July 2007. I wasn't aware that bariatric surgeries were being performed at RGH, although I've only lived in Rochester a year so I'm still learning a lot. Highland Hospital came highly recommended, especially Dr. O'Malley who is the director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Highland. Whatever path your daughter chooses, it is great that you are seeking out all of the information that you can for her. Best of luck to you both!

Congratulations Gilta! That is wonderful!

Just wanted to give a "shout out" to Chopstickgirl........ I neglected to address her in my previous post...... Good luck to you all!

Hi gilta, nele & chocolate snaps- I am hoping to "get banded" at Highland Hospital by the end of March. I have my 2nd one-on-one nutritionist appointment in a couple of weeks......... I need to lose 15 pounds before insurance will approve it, I've lost 10 pounds so far.... Glad to see others from the area on the board

I am really started to get excited about this process now! I passed my psych eval a couple of weeks ago and now have a nutrition seminar to attend the week after Thanksgiving. I start back at the gym soon, I have an appointment next week in order to help get me back on track. Its a small, personalized gym, so accountability will be a big issue......something that I completely need! And I feel really lucky b/c I just found out today that the insurance coverage that I will have next year is one that will cover the procedure. I called the Bariatric center to make sure that it is not one of the "problematic" insurance companies. Things are slowly falling into place. I love reading these message boards, the questions, advice and encouragement are so wonderful!

Thank you so much! It does seem like this process takes a year, I imagine the earliest I would have the procedure is end of March/beginning of April 2008...... Best of luck to you as well, looks like you are doing amazing!