Topdownbug

I haven't seen any mention of anyone who has been banded at Riverside in Columbus by Dr. Myers. I know he does several surgeries there per week, but I think the majority are still gastric bypass. Has anyone on here been to Riverside for their surgery ? Or planning to go there like I am? Just curious... Or are there any 'bandsters' in Central Ohio ?? Judy:cool:

I took Prevacid for a couple years before my Band and it took care of my problems (they were rather mild). After my surgery, for the first 5-6 months, I had no problems, but for the past couple of months I'm taking Prevacid and Pepcid and still being kept awake at night. Will talk to the Dr at the end of June. I hate this!!

Suzanne - same thing happened to me. Dr said there is still a lot of swelling and Fluid from the surgery for several weeks. I was also thinking I should be losing 5 pounds a week (at least) with no more food than I was eating, but it took a while. My surgery was 3 months ago now and I have lost a little over 30 pounds total. The holidays were rough and my band had loosened up too much so I could eat more than I should. I had my second fill two weeks ago and I'm back on track. My scales show about 8 pounds lost since Jan 4th. My weight loss really comes in spurts and I can actually 'feel' it. Its like one morning, every 6 weeks I wake up and feel smaller. Sure enough the scales verify that feeling. Its hard to be patient and some people who know I've had the surgery think my weight loss should be similar to gastric bypass. I have to keep telling them 1-2 pounds per week.. so they don't ask me every other day 'so how much have you lost now??' Hang in there.. you'll be fine! Judy

They told me ahead of time they'd be putting a catheter in while I was asleep. It wasn't there when I woke up so they must have just left it in until I was in recovery. No big deal at all.

HeatherA - HEY! How are you? I was starting to get worried about you since I didn't hear anything from you since your surgery. It sounds like everything went well. Would love to hear more if you want to send me a private message. Congrats and hang in there. Keep in touch Judy

Heather - I sent you a private message. Let me know if you got it ok. Judy

Hunter - Dr Myers is doing your surgery? Really the pre-op and 2 weeks of liquids are just a distant memory now. Looking back, it wasn't that bad.. especially after the surgery. The pre-op was tough, but the weight melted away a couple pounds a day because of the low carb part so that sort of made it worthwhile! You'll be fine.. good luck to you! Judy

Hunter - yes there is more restriction but I'm not really uncomfortable. My appetite is very easy to control. I get full easily and stay full for several hours. I actually am most surprised that I don't have any cravings anymore. Donuts, Potato chips... things like that which I used to crave all the time .. are just so-so now. I've had some of them but there's not that big satisfying feeling that there used to be. I'm quite happy with how things are going. I'm not setting any records with my weight loss, but since my pre-op appointment I've lost almost 20 pounds. The best part is how much better I look, feel and its nice to have my clothes be really baggy now. How are things going for you Hunter?

Heather - I would absolutely love to answer any questions you might have. I sure appreciated the information and support I got from other bandsters online before my surgery (still do need the support). Please feel free to send me an instant message any time. Let me know when you might be online so we can arrange to chat. Big snow here in Mansfield today .. it finally stopped and the roads are fine now :-)

No problem Heather. My surgery wasn't until 10:30, but I had to come from Mansfield so we left plenty early. I had lost about 12 pounds before the surgery so I just wore some slacks that had already gotten too big and a loose blouse. My brother and sister in law took me there. Since we were early, there was sort of a long wait before they called me, but no big deal. They took me to a big long room where all the patients were waiting for surgery (different kinds)... they started the IV and of course put me in the lovely hospital gown. I put my clothes and insurance card/in a plastic bag and my sister in law held on to them for me during surgery. Dr Myers and Mike came to see me before they took me to the operating room just to see if I had any questions. I teased them that I was going to have the best (flattest) liver they'd ever seen. :-) Then the gorgeous anesthesiologist introduced himself and told me what he was going to be doing. Shortly after that they wheeled me into the room. I remember about 2 minutes in there because Mr Gorgeous knocked me out right away. I woke up ... whenever .. and felt fine. Very thirsty and dry mouth. They give you ice chips and they are wonderful. I had to spend the night because I lived out of town (and alone). I was worried more about nausea than anything and they made sure I had medicine to keep me from getting sick. I only took one pain pill .. about 3 a.m. when I was up walking the halls with the nurse. Next morning Dr Myers and Mike came in .. checked me out .. and signed the release papers. Heather - this is my third surgery (gall bladder and hernia). I've never had a big problem with surgeries or pain afterwards, so I might not be typical. But the surgery wasn't painful at all to me. I felt fine afterwards. Of course the incisions are ouchy for a few days.. but otherwise... piece of cake. You'll be fine ... I'm sure of it ! By Christmas morning you'll be feeling good and even though you won't be eating.. the ProtiDiet, etc isn't bad at all. If you have an aol address you and I could chat and email at topdownbug1@aol.com. Good luck kiddo! You're on your way !!:clap2:

Hi Heather - I'm so sorry I didn't read your posting until just now. I'm glad all went well on your pre-op visit. Sorry about the headache though :eek: So..when is your surgery ? I want to keep you in my thoughts. I'll tell you, right now I'm so glad I did this.. but the first couple weeks I thought I had made a terrible mistake. I'm not even 2 months out yet from surgery but there are some days I almost completely forget that I even have this band. I get full quickly and don't want to eat again for hours. I'm sure yours will go just fine too! Keep in touch!

Manatee - you look like a very colorful bird to me. Do you have other photos? By the way ... nice tail!! :confused:

Hi Heather! Actually Dr. Myers gave me 1 cc for now and after this he said he'll do them in increments of .5 cc each time, if needed. The procedure was painless and I'm happy with the amount of restriction I have now. It's sort of like 2 weeks after surgery was for me. I forgot to ask about charges though.. sorry ... :phanvan When is your fill? Judy

Hi ! Had my first fill yesterday and it was absolutely no big deal. In the waiting area, there were a few of us waiting to see the Dr and one of the three of us had already had one fill. The other lady asked her if it hurt and she said 'oh yes!'. Then she went on to say, "you have to hold your legs up and then the needle is really painful...." Of course I was about 5 minutes away from my first fill so it was sort of unnerving. Of course, everyone is different, but there was no pain at all and Dr Myers had me drink about a half bottle of bottled Water right away and it went down fine. I do have more restriction - but not nearly as bad as right after the surgery. He gave me 1 cc and said my whole band is only 4cc's. When I said I had been reading about people getting 6+ cc's he explained that was a different size/kind of band. He went on to say that they use the bigger bands on bigger people (taller, bigger frame). That all made sense to me. Anyway - I am here to report - that my first fill went fine. I lost 6 pounds and 10.5 inches (fitness center appointments included) in the first month since my initial visit with the Dr - post surgery. He's expecting me to lose about 2 pounds a week and that seems like a good pace to me. Ten pounds a month would be great! I'm feeling quite happy about the whole thing! :clap2:

Hi guys! I'm going for my first fill this morning, so I'll find out the cost. Even if there is a cost, I'm sure it will be turned in to insurance. I am very lucky though - I have great insurance. So far all I have had to pay is the $2000 - and they even approved me for the Care Card program - which was a loan to pay for the rest of the costs - no interest for 18 months. Can't beat that ! Good luck to you other Dr. Myers patients. I scheduled my fitness appointment this morning before my fill, so I'll kill two birds with one stone. I was wondering too how aggressive he'll be with the fills. I'd prefer to have more fills and not be so tight that I have that post surgery discomfort again. I guess I'll find out soon! I'll post when I get home and let you know how it goes. Let's keep in touch! Maybe we Riverside-ers can meet sometime! Judy

Good timing on this topic. I get my first fill tomorrow morning. I really have no idea what to expect, except that it'll be harder for me to eat and drink now. I don't think my Dr uses any kind of flouroscope since he's seeing his patients in a fitness center. After reading a couple of the posts, I'm a little worried about kinks in the tubing and getting too much saline, but so far I haven't had any of the other unfortunate events that I've read about, so I'm optimistic it will all go fine. I did plan to take the rest of the day off work, just in case I don't feel well. Did the rest of you go to work the same day as your fill? I just don't want to have any incidents at work. Did all of you have to go back on liquids too? Just curious Judy

Hi Guys! I had my all day appointment with Dr. Myers/and staff at the end of May. I had to do the dietician visits and was really ready to go by the middle of August, but got cold feet and went back in October - ready and excited. I've lost 25 pounds - none for a few weeks, but I haven't had my first fill yet, so I'm hoping the scale starts moving .. DOWN... soon! I do LOVE the fitness aspect of Dr Myers program. I'm in Mansfield and have already had two sessions with my personal trainer (s) and they are so great! Thanks Dr. Myers for being smart enough to know that exercise will help us to work harder and feel better in our goal to weight loss and better health!

It's been almost 5 weeks since my surgery and I have only lost about 3-5 pounds since my actual surgery. I lost about 18 before that. Problem is, now that I'm all healed up and can eat anything, and my appetite has returned, I'm worried that I'll not only NOT lose, but start gaining. My first fill is Nov 30th. I guess we'll see what happens after that. It is nice to not feel that knot in your stomach whenever you eat, but in the long run that feeling is a good thing.. a nice reminder of all you've gone through and not to mess it up! I'm just trying to be very careful not to eat too much, but I did break down and had some potato chips and pizza for the first time yesterday. To be honest, it didn't even taste that good (I'm glad!). Good luck to all of US!! Thanks for posting your problems, its' good to have others who are dealing with the same problems so we can share. :straight

Mama T - I'm sorry I didn't see your question until just now. I did stay overnight but it was mostly because my surgery wasn't until 10:30 and I live over an hour away from the hospital. Also I live alone and Dr Myers didn't want me to be alone for the first 24 hours. I'm glad I stayed over, just because I was still sort of shaky from the anesthesia. I really had no pain to speak of. I took one pain pill the night of the surgery and none after that. I did take a couple Tylenol when I came home for a day or so, but the surgery itself was quite easy. Getting used to the band for the first few days was harder. Seemed like nothing was going down very well. Once the opening healed things were better. I'm just now starting my 'real food' experience. So far.. so good, but I am nervous about everything I eat. Good luck with your surgery tomorrow! I'm anxious to hear how you are feeling in a day or so. Dr. Myers is a great guy!

Heather A - your weight information showing the differences from your home scales and the Dr scales made me laugh. My home scales are electronic WW scales and they seem to be pretty consistent. But when I got to the Dr's office for my first post-op weigh in I was so proud that I had lost a total (including all pre-op) of at least 18 pounds. The scales at the weigh in place showed only 12! When I mentioned to the nurse that it didn't seem right, he just laughed and said 'yeah, our scales seem to weigh a little bit heavy'. I was thinking.. ok let me get this straight now - you are WEIGHT LOSS SURGEONS - and the most important thing in the whole world right now to your patients is that they've gone through some major surgery and turned their world upside down in order to lose weight - and you let your scales 'weigh a little bit heavy' ??? Any psychologist would tell them that if anything they should have their scales weight LIGHT!! The Dr that I'm seeing is actually renting space in our local fitness center to see his patients so I think they carry the scales around with them, rather than having them sit in the office which might help them at least stay consistent. So, the reason for my rant is - I'm with you Heather - I'm charting my weightloss from MY scales that sit in MY bedroom in the SAME place every day so I know they are at least consistent with the data they are providing for me. I'm using them for my ticker too!!

Hi Mama T! Dr Myers did my surgery too and it's been almost 4 weeks since my big day. This weekend is my first time to have 'real food' so I'm excited and a little bit scared. But I'm doing well and I start my fitness tomorrow morning at the Med Central Fitness Center here in Mansfield. Keep me posted on how its going. I'm sure you'll do just fine! Judy

Hey Thanks Judy! I'm not sure about the new style.. something about the back of it reminds me of the PT Cruiser (I'm not a fan of that car), but I do like the top being concealed in the back of the car. I'll almost have my new one paid for by then... so who knows. I may buy a new one for myself to Celebrate my retirement about that time. Thanks for the links - I'll check out the forum sometime soon. By the way Judy .. how's it going? Also for the other Beetle Fans... how are all of you doing with your banding? take care Judy (too)

Hi Special K! My name is Judy and I'm 58 - live in the Mansfield area. I got banded on October 16th and I'm doing fine. If you want to keep in touch - seems we have some things in common. Good luck to you as you go through your pre-op qualification process for starters. I hope you get approval soon so you can get going on your lap journey. take care Judy

I've only been on mushies for a couple days but its still sort of painful to eat most of them. I ate a softboiled egg early this morning and it hurt. I had read that bands might be tighter in the morning, I wonder if that's why? I had mashed potatoes for lunch and even they were a little bit painful - not as much as the egg though. Tonight I am having soup .. and going to try some pureed chicken salad. Not sure if I should go back to liquids for a while or not? It's been 17 days since surgery - should it still hurt to eat ?:help:

Thanks for the advice. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to just EAT something again without having it feel like a fist in my chest? How soon did that finally happen for most of you?