*JASMINE*

Hi All, I was banded by Dr. De la Garza back in June, and he was awesome. I went by myself and everyone was so nice and hospitable. The hospital rooms were huge. The nurses and anesthesiologist were all wonderful. I really liked the anesthesiologist. He came and visited me twice after the surgery to make sure everything was O.K. Everyone there was very thorough and professional. They really care about how their services are rated. I had to complete at least 3 different surveys about my stay before I left. I went alone but never felt lonely because of all the friendly people there. I have no regrets and have not had any complications. I've lost 53 pounds since then. Only need 6 more pounds to reach my goal weight of 150!!!

Hi Lovecats, I noticed you've been getting filled by Dr. Maese. I have an appointment with him on the 6th. How is he, when it comes to fills? Does he give you the option of getting a tight fill? Or am I gonna have to keep going back for every .5 CCs? I was going to get it done by Dr. Barker, but he wanted to charge me a hundred dollars more than Dr. Maese. What do you think of Dr. Maese as a doctor? How is his "bed side manner"?

Did your insurance pay to have the band removed? Or did you have to pay for it yourself? And if so, how much did it cost, if you don't mind my asking? My biggest fear is putting my family in the hole, financially, for a decision I made for myself...

Now I know that the doctors do not recommend to have an endo until a year after being banded. I have only been banded for 6 months. I have suddenly lost restriction. I'm thinking I need another fill, but to be honest, I haven't been very good to my band lately (haven't been following all the rules). I keep reading about so many people being diagnosed with erosion. I'm not sure if it's my guilt for not being a good bandster, but I keep worrying my self about being eroded. It's gotten to the point that I am not even enjoying the holidays, because I am so stressed about it. So my question is, how soon after being banded, can erosion occur? Who has had the quickest erosion?

Hello Everyone, I was banded on 6/7/05 with a 11cc band. The doc said he had to fill it with 5cc because my stomach was too small during surgery. I also don't really feel like I have good restriction. I can eat almost anything. I can eat a whole sandwich. Is that normal? I was starting to think something went wrong with the band until I read this post. How many calories should I be consuming with the band? I haven't been feeling full, but I have been obsessing over my calorie intake. I try to stay under a 1000 calories a day. But I'm still not sure if I need a fill.

Thanks for the advice, J. Lynn. I haven't had any discomfort eating bread, rice, or meat, as they say most people would have. I guess I'm a little paranoid because I'm thinking that maybe something went wrong and the band slipped or my pouch was stretched. When I eat, I do get full, but only for a while, and then the hunger is back. I guess I will just have to wait and see how it goes with my next fill. Thanks again!

I have also been banded for about a month, and for some reason, I feel the need to keep track of my calories. I have lost a total of 17 lbs. I know that the band is supposed to make it easier to limit your calories, but I'm not sure if it's working for me. I've been eating about 800 calories per day. Then on one day, I ate about 1600 calories, and I gained 2 pounds! I am feeling the "fullness" that the band is supposed to give you, but then I get extremely hungry about 1 1/2 to 2 hours afterwards. Is this normal? The doctor said he had to give me a fill when he banded me because my stomach was too small for the band. So technically, I've already had a fill. Will another fill cure my hunger? Right now, I'm still trying to decide whether getting banded was worth it. Am I expecting too much from the band in such a short time?

Thanks for the advice, La madam. I'm starting to feel better this week. Whew...I was starting to get paranoid there for a second. No more stomach pains. Hang in there Flower. You should be feeling better pretty soon.

Hey All, I'm about one week post op and also have lost 11lbs. Anyone feeling extremely tired all of the time? My days have been dragging, and I'm still experiencing some stomach pains. Any of you getting these? I was thinking that I'm not intaking as many calories as I need to, so I've been concentrating on eating or drinking something every hour, but it still doesn't add up to 1000 calories.