IM_LORI

a band is a band is a band. They are slightly different in shape, but they all function the same. The band is a tool. One will not cause you to lose more weight. The weight loss is up to you. You can fail even with the band, and that is up to you. Some people will continue to eat sweets, chocolates, soda, and can even gain. Your doctor will choose a band that he is comfortable placing, and the weight loss is up to you! You'll do it! Good luck

been there. Try upping your protein intake. I found that helped me a lot.

NOT normal. What you are experiencing is acid reflux, a common problem with the lap band. I suffered from this severely for months to the point where I had esophageal strictures from scarring and had to have my esophagus dilated back open. It had developed so much scar tissue from the acid, it was narrowed, and nearly nothing would pass through. Often times it happens from being overly full. A light unfill will help. Overeating before bedtime or drinking a lot before bedtime will also cause this. Try not eating 2 hours before bed, get a small de-fill if this just started after a recent fill, sleeping with your head elevated helps, (not a long term solution) the newer PPI Proton Pump Inhibitors like Nexium, Protonix, Aciphex, Prilosec help reduce stomach acid production so that if the acid does come up, it is lower acidic PH and it's not as irritating. Talk to your surgeon, a gastroenterologist, etc,,,,, it's a very common problem, but from experience, can also have significant long term consequences if not dealt with.

get your doctor so guarantee that you will qualify, if that means stuffing a couple extra weights in your pockets when they weigh you, so be it. High blood pressure, physical therapy for back, knee, spine problems, etc......GERD? make it GERD with severe reflux, esophageal strictures from acid scarring, etc,,,,,,,,, getting the messag? enhance the problems. Some doctors know how to ensure an approval better than others.

I had Mariano Alberto Covarrubias Hidalgo M.D at Bajanor. www.bajanor.com I can't recommend them highly enough. You will hear people tell you not to go to Mexico and that is ignorant. Yes you can get an infection, every bit as well as you can in the states. The only thing you need to be aware of is that you don't just get your band and be done. It requires close follow up so be sure you have a doctor CLOSE to you for that and to do you fills, or unfills is needed. I've ran into multiple problems, such as acid reflux, gall bladder, swallowing difficulties. And after MONTHS of frustration dealing with my doctors here in the states, and a gastroenterologist, I finally went back to my doctor in Mexico, ready to demand that it be taken out. We found my gall bladder not functioning. No stones, which is all they checked here in the states. Mexico, Canado & Europe were doing the band 10 years before the FDA approved it here in the states. So guess who trained out docs! You guessed it. The lap band itself its a no-brainer surgery. The skills required is not a lot in comparison to other surgeries. So when you hear that one particlar surgeon has done 23,000 of these, does not necessarily make him better than the Dr. who did 200. It's like doing dishes. You either get it or you don't. After doing dishes 30,000 times, are you any better than you were after the 200th time? Dr. Kuri, Dr. Asceve, are all good. You'll see their names here a lot online. Of course you will hear a couple people bad mouth them, and naturally the band isn't for anyone. Some poeple get complications, some don't follow up, some don't follow the proper eating guidelines. I"m sure you've found the major places in Mexico where people are going and you should be confident. This is their area of expertise. They cater to American weight loss patients, the health care is very personal, and you'll find you are treated like royalty. Good luck, I know whoever you go with, you will have great results!

Oh you sound like your miserable today. The coughing isn't going to dislodge your band, but the constant pounding of your diaphragm down on your stomach can irritate it. Not fun. Heartburn, ugh! I use to think heartburn was a tummyach that you took a Tums for. I got heartburn after my band. It's nothing to laugh at. I didn't realize what it was, and thought I was feeling the food go through my band. It was the acid moving up my esophagus, causing scar tissue, and narrowing my esophagus. Jump on that immediately because it's a VERY common problem with the band. A PPI like Nexium, Prilosec, Aciphex (all expensive) work miracles for reflux with the band. But time is not not friend in dealing with it, it's your enemy so act quickly. I waited and ended up having my esophagus dialated open 3 times to stretch out the scar tissue that developed. Good luck.

I've ran into that issue. I had my surgery down in TJ, 90 minutes from me. Sometimes I'll make a run down there and pick whatever up and bring it back. But sometimes it's a hassle. I have a great Primary care physician (Mexican) who works well with me and supports my efforts with my band. I'll let him know whatever medicine it is that my Doctor in Mexico wants me on, and he'll call in the prescription. I realize I"m quite fortunate though in how well it works out for me. Good Luck

That seems to vary from person to person. I was told to NEVER have carbonated beverages. Reason being, the air gets in the band, expands, and can stretch the upper pouch. If you can burp, it's probably not a big deal for you. I've never been able to get out 1 single burp since my surgery so I know it would never work for me. Just like food, it's a guessing game and you just have to find what works for you. I sure wouldn't suggest trying carbonated beverages though a week after surgery. That's really pushing it. Your stomach is very touchy and reactive to the new band around it, healing, forming scar tissue from the sutures, etc. The added stress of caffeine, carbonation probably isn't in your best interest yet.

Try cutting back to liquids for a couple more days and give your stomach a chance to settle down. Some people (myself) simply can not tolerate meat of any kind. It's difficult to digest. My 2 daughters are vegetarian and after my band, I found myself joining the band wagon with them. I've also found eating with a baby spoon to keep the bites very small helps as well. Its sure gets to be a guessing game sometimes trying to figure out what to eat or not to eat. Slow down, keep it soft & smooth, and it should get better. Some people can jump to solid the day of their fill, some need to be on liquids 5+ days. Good luck :tt2:

It takes time & everyone is soooooo different. I know people who get a fill, have 2-3 great weeks of weight loss and their restriction is gone. I've not had a fill at all and lost 75 and actually feel too tight. Don't get caught up on the # of cc's people have in their band, because every person's stomach shape & size is different and where one person may be very tight at 1 cc, the next person may need 9. My doctor has always said if you are feeling hungry for 2 weeks and not lost anything, it's time.

Hang in there! We all go through that phase, so your not alone. You get the band, go on liquids, lose a lot of weight, and then plateau or even gain. Until you get to the ideal fill spot, it's pretty much like dieting before your band. Once you get to your perfect fill, you'll be full, not be eating much, and the pounds start flying off. Some people hit that ideal spot quickly, some in a longer period of time, but it will happen :tt2:

I've had this, and it is EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. Esophageal spasm. Some peoples esophagus has weak muscles and will go into spasm trying to work the food down. Our esophagus is not just a tube that food travels down, but it is a complex system of muscles that coordinate together and in a wavelike pattern move the food down. If your muscles are weak, or your band is too tight, the muscles spasm and bang! you feel like your heart just ruptured. Typically it lasts around 6-8 seconds, and passes,,,,, until the next bite of food. Extremely small bites help, (like a baby spoon, liquids, and a small unfill of your band) Also staying on liquids a couple days will give your esophagus time to relax. My doctor gave me a medicine called Levsin, which is suppose to relax the esophagus prior to eating. It dissolves in seconds under your tongue. Problem is it can't just isolate the esophageal muscles, so it left my entire body limp and lethargic. Not real practical unless you eat & go to sleep. Sometimes also if you get some gastric reflux, it can irritate your esophagus and cause spams. Be sure that isn't the problem also. Check in with your Dr. or a gastroenterologist. Good luck!

This has been a concern of mine as well. I don't have many business lunches, but I know when I do go out for lunch or dinner with friends, they can't seem to grasp the idea that I can't eat meat, (I've gotten around this by simply stating I'm vegetarian) and I eat a very small amount. I hate giving a 30 minute explanation to people in what I eat and why I do. I've also found it easier to just say I ate before I left home, or I have dinner waiting for me at home.

I had my band in October 2007. I had 1 fill, of 1.6 cc in November. Nearly choked to death! waaaaaay too tight, so had it all taken out. Ive lost 62 pounds with nothing in. Some days I still feel way too tight & have troubles, but nothing to take out Not good.

Queenie, I've spoke to MANY people who have had both Dr.s that you mentioned, and you're in good hands with either one. Both have great results. Of course you'll hear a negative comment from time to time, but with any Dr., there are patients who don't comply, and don't do what they are told. They get the bad results that they deserve. And as always, some people will have minor complications regardless of what doctor they choose. This is a very very very minor procedure and yes you want a good doctor, but it's such a small ordeal that there isn't a whole lot of expertise involved. Go with either of the docs you mentioned and get skinny!

Lortabs are a STRONG painkiller and not something you would want to be taking right after your surgery. If you can crush it up, and swallow wash it down with something to drink it would be ok. But that harsh of a painkiller is not something you want sitting in your stomach for any length of time. Normally you have this large stomach digesting your meds, and that can be hard on your stomach. After your band you have a stomach 1/5 the size, and that medicine can sit in your stomach quite a while, wearing on the stomach lining. It's best to get it washed out of the upper banded part quickly. Lortabs make MANY people nauseated and once banded, it certainly would make most people nauseated. Right after you get your band, it's important to avoid vomiting. Your doctor is probably just being well prepared giving you the suppositories just in case you should need them. And who knows, you may jump up from surgery and want to go shopping! Not everyone has a lot of pain, and some people end up with quite a bit. Just play it by ear, be prepared and good luck!

Look around online. There are docs that have 6 month diet journals they will provide it for you to insurance. And ask here too. Someone is bound to have one that they'll give you. It's a minor technicality that you can work around.

I am 3 months out from my banding. This weekend I started getting intense shoulder pain. (left side) This is the EXACT same shooting pain that goes up under my shoulder/neck as right after my surgery. I called my doctor and I was explaining it to him, and the minute he heard me say I am working out, he cut in, and told me it's muscle strain from lifting weights. I told him this is NOT! There is no pain when I am pushing, pulling, twisting, and I can not isolate the muscle by feeling it either. I have perfect range of motion. It hurts when I cough, laugh, sneeze, hiccup. So he tells me take Advil for three days, don't exercise, hot pack it, and call him in 3 days if it doesn't go away. I told him fine, that was a lame answer and I'd get back to him in 3 days. Sometimes I feel like i have to burp and that same intense pain comes back. What is this about? How do I get rid of it? THis is MISERABLE. HELP Lori

I feel your pain. :biggrin: If your band is very tight (mine is) you literally feel the food squeezing through the band opening and it can be QUITE painful. I've done the same thing with the drinking, I'll have a few small sips of water to help "ease" it through. Don't do that much though as it really sabotages the function of the band. Being too tight can be painful. I'm still battling this issue. If you eat anything at all that is tough, it feels like sandpaper going through and will irritate the hole and can cause swelling & inflammation and making it worse. Then your back on liquids for a few days, slowly easing back into solids, and as soon as you eat a rough food again, the cycle happens again. The key is to either chew everything to absolute mush, or to get the very slight unfill. Right now I'm keeping things very soft, chewing a LOT, and hoping the band will losen as I loose a little more weight. Also, if you are overfilled, people can actually GAIN weight because they are eating real soft, greasy, or liquid foods that go down more easily, but don't remain in the band for a long period of time to create a full feeling. (foods like ice cream, cream of what, shakes, fattening creamy soups)

I am a mammography tech, and it does depend on your age, and the make up of your breast tissue. When we are younger, the breast tissue is made up primarily of fibrocystic, dense tissue. Very little is truly fat. So if you lose when you are younger, not much should come from the breast, but a lot will lose from around your rib cage. As we age, it becomes more fatty tissue, especially after menopause. So as we age, and lose weight, more weight will be lost from the breast tissue comparatively to a 20 year old.

I haven't tried it, but I've heard from co-workers that it's not so bad. But here is a story I'd like to share! hehehe This is one of the most funny visual stories to come by in a while. I don't have a clue as to who wrote this, but.... WHAT A HOOT! All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. Read on.......... My night began as any other normal weeknight; Come home, fix dinner, and play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself.... RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!.... OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. So, I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot Water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?" I said all the above. She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor . Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace, the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOWD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and the neighbors, and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Don't do that! If you were just going to be stubborn and miserable, you wouldn't have gotten the band! Let it do what it's suppose to do. If you have no restriction, get a fill, if it's not enough, get another. You'll get to your "sweet spot" and it will all fall into place, and things WILL be easier!

hahahaha, you are soooooo funny! We've ALL had the same feeling. Bariatric surgery? Isn't that for FAT OBESE people? OMG! That's me! And you'll go through the same feeling after surgery. My doc said it's called "buyers remorse". You get done with surgery, your still uncomfortable, drinking liquids, haven't had a fill yet, hungry, not seeing immediate results, and you'll PANICK asking yourself what did I do to myself! A little while later, you get that magic fill, and presto! You'll remember why you did it. Your going through the same thing that each and every one of us did as well. Take it easy, and remember this is sooooo minor! Snip, snip, fill, fill, sew you up, and 45 minutes later your in the recover room. Nothing to it!