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starting a new thread for anyone who has or is considering surgery thru the Brigham/Falkner program. ~Mel surgery 11/13/07 Dr Vernon -35lbs

Exellent! Glad you got your first appt with Dr V. . I'm not sure who books the psych eval, is it your surgeon or the program co-ord? For some reason I think you may need your PCP approval. Not sure. The insurance clearance is much easier these days and not as huge anissue. Not sure if it will work out to get your surgery before school starts but its worth a shot. Dont give up even if you dont get a surgery date before summers over. The recovery time isnt too bad. Granted everyone is different and if you ask 15 people you will get 15 different answers. For me I was down and out about 4 days total. Had surgery on a Tuesday and went back to work on a Monday. I wasnt at 100%for about 2 weeks. Then, I hear about people who took weeks off from work. Or like someone I know, they went back to work two days later.

Hey all the next WLS support meeting at the Faulkner is TONIGHT (5/16/12) !!! Unfortunately I cannot make it but I plan on going to the meeting next month. Actually I just had my third fill yesterday after the big unfill this past fall. Love the post-fill not hungry feeling that I get even if it wont last. Mel

Hi Missy281. I am a patient of Dr V and I really like her. Its been a long time since I first got banded but I would suggest you call the number for the program and start there. You will want to start making your appointments now as it could take some time. have you seen your primary Dr? I do know you will have to go to a general information session the first one I see is 5/22/12. After that they dont require meetings. But check with the program. You can read more information on their website The Center for Metabloic Health and Bariatric Surgery. http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/surgery/services/generalsurg/WeightLossSurgery/default.aspx Contact Information: Center for Metabolic Health and Bariatric Surgery @ BWH/F weightlosssurgery (at) partners.org 617-732-8500 Best of luck and if you have anyother questions, please feel free to post.

Hi Tova and everyone I did attend the merged Faulkner group last night. Had a bit of a hard time finding the location ( I was walking by Central Sterile) but the meeting itself wasn’t much different than our old LB meetings. There were 3 banded people (including myself), three bypass (2 newbies), and one sleeve person. Most of the issues are the same for all WLS people, and I think the biggest difference is usually between the post-ops and the newbies. After a few years we are usually all in the same place. I always seem to get something out of these meetings even if its just a refocusing of my commitment to being healthier. The next Faulkner meeting will be Wed April 18th, 2012.

Hello my long lost banded friends! There is a support meeting tomorrow Wed March 21st 6p-8p at Faulkner for all WLS patients. I am thinking of going. Has anyone been to one since they merged the groups?

Hey all! Im checking in myself. Sorry I havent been around but Ive been very, very busy and stressed taking care of a loved one. Ive had some gains and been struggling especially since I had a very large unfill back in November. I am hoping to come back around and maybe check out a meeting. Has anyone noticed the new changes with the WLS program? There is a new director and they featured WLS in the one of the B+W newsletters.

Would that be Dr Hess? I think he used to have a clinic at Quincy Medical but not anymore. I'm from Hanover as well and been doing the Boston thing for a while. All the band Drs are in Boston or further North, like the North Shore. Best of luck ~Mel

Hi friends its been a looonnng time. I just wanted to stop by to let you all know that they are changing and merging all of the WLS groups into one group at each hospital. So the the bypass, sleeve and band patients will meet 1st Tuesdays at B & W and the bypass, sleeve and band patients meet 3rd Wednesday at the Faulkner. So that is a change of location and day for the meetings at the Faulkner. I made a new topic thread on this website with the new schedule for 2012. Click here: My link The LAST lapband only support group meeting will be at the Faulkner on Monday Dec 12th. I am going to try to make it and I hope that I can see you there. BTW 4 years ago this weekend I had my surgery ~Mel

I received this email last week concerning changes to the support group meetings ~Mel Dear Support Group Participants, The Program for Weight Loss Surgery at Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals (BW/F PWLS) is dedicated to providing excellent care and support to all of our patients. In order to best serve our patients, the gastric lap band and gastric bypass support groups will be merging to allow each post-operative patient and surgical candidate to get the most out of each support group. There will continue to be one support group held at Brigham and Women's Hospital and at Faulkner Hospital each month for the convenience of our patients. As always, you are welcome to attend a support group at any location. The support group held at Brigham and Women's Hospital will take place the 1st Tuesday of each month from 6-8pm in the Carrie Hall Conference Room. The support group held at Faulkner Hospital will take place the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 6-8pm in Atrium 2. As always, please check with the information desks to confirm the location. The new schedule at Brigham and Women's Hospital will be effective December 2011, while the new schedule at Faulkner Hospital will be effective January 2012. Please see the attached support group schedule for 2011/2012 dates. In addition, we would like to announce that we will be holding a Winter cooking demonstration at Brigham and Women's Hospital for all support group participants on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:00pm. We look forward to working with you in the New Year and hope you will share the updated schedule with your BW/F PWLS friends and family. All the best, Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals Program for Weight Loss Surgery 2012 Faulkner Hospital Location Gastric Bypass, Band, and Sleeve 6:00-8:00pm 3rd Wednesday of the month Atrium 2* January 18th February 15th March 21st April 18th May 16th June 20th July 18th August 15th September 19th October 17th November 21st December 19th DIRECTIONS to Atrium 2 Conference Room: For Centre Street/Atrium entrance, walk straight past the first bank of elevators and down the corridor. At the end of the corridor, take the elevators on your right to the 2nd floor. Turn left and Atrium 2 will be on your left. For the 3rd floor rear entrance take the elevators on your left to the 2nd floor, turn left and walk down the corridor for until you see Atrium 2 on the left. Please note that this group is sometimes held in Atrium 1 or Suite 4420, which will be indicated at the Information Desks. 2012 Brigham and Women's Location Gastric Bypass, Band, and Sleeve 1st Tuesday of the month Carrie Hall January 3rd February 7th March 6th April 3rd May 1st June 5th July 3rd August 7th September 4th October 2nd November 6th December 4th DIRECTIONS to Carrie Hall: Enter at the 75 Francis Street entrance. Bear to left and take the elevators or stairs up to the second floor. Follow the main hallway down the Brigham and Women's "Pike". Follow the Pike past the 45 &15 Francis St entrance. You will see Carrie Hall at the end of the second floor hallway.

Were you banded with the older high pressure band? I was banded in late 2007 with the older 4cc band, I had it replaced in 2008 after a slip with the 14cc band and have done much better. I will keep this band as long as I can bc the risks of bypass (family member suffered) and sleeve scare me more than having my band replaced.

Just a reminder, this months meeting is tonight (8/8/11) @ The Faulkner. I am sorry I will not be able to make it as I am slammed at work. I try my best to make it next month (9/12/11) Take care ~Mel

Hiya Jay, Nice to 'see' you here. The August meeting is Monday August 8th @ the Faulkner. The new RD said our group is larger than the one at Brigham now. Have you made an appointment yet Jay? How you feeling? I just went for a tiny fill on Friday got .1cc and bc they use a smaller syringe they dont pull back to see the entire fill amount so Im estimating my level is now around 8.2ish. I know I run into trouble if I go btw 8.5-8.9cc. So far it feels good AND Im enjoying that the HUNGER I was fighting is gone. It may only be temporary swelling but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Some more information that was geared toward physicans but I think its very useful for us patients. Its a few years old and out of Australia but they've been banded people longer that the USA. First section talks about hunger and satiety...not sure if this is the current thinking or not "The Art of Adjustments with the LAP-Band AP System" http://www.lapbandcentral.com/local/files/documentlibrary/AP_ART_OF_ADJUSTMENT_guide.pdf

Anyone ever see a Lapband commerical on tv? Remember this one from a few years ago? http://youtu.be/3CyZPAuztvs

Just some information that may be useful ~Mel Bariatric Centers of Excellence centers of excellence as per the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) Massachusetts Tufts Medical Lawrence Memorial Tobey Hospital-Wareham MA Winchester Hospital http://www.surgicalreview.org/locate/asmbs/ Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award Hospital Recipients from Healthgrades.com http://www.healthgrades.com/cms/ratings-and-awards/2011-Bariatrics-Surgery-Excellence-Award-Announcement.aspx Massachusetts 2011 Lowell General Hospital

According to my print out...meeting tonight July 11th @ Faulkner. Whos in?

Meeting tonight! I should be there! ~Mel

It is the 9th! I suck at posting. I should just send you the meeting hand out since I scanned it and you can do the posting. Ha ha ha

Tova hun be careful with the heartburn. I just had a scare when I went to an ENT and they looked (up my nose and) down my throat and said I had redness in my windpipe and vocal cords. I was like "what"? I havent felt a thing, only irriation I could think of would be from some pbing. Gave me a hand out on reflux and GERD. I went right on Prolsec for a week and liquids. Scared me I tell you. One thing it did say on the sheet was to try liquid actacids like Maalox or Mylanta, 1table spoon after meals, 2tablespoons before bed. Its great to see everyone posting again! ~Mel Lapband Support meetings: 6-7:30pm May 2011: Faulkner Monday May 8, Brigham; Tuesday May 17th. Suite 4420 (waiting room of Dr clinic) June 2011: Faulkner Monday June 13, Brigham; Tuesday June 21 (Carrie Hall???)

Hi Ladies! I miss you all!!! And like Paige said above,I too need the support of you guys. First off Paige I am so glad your re-buckle surgery went okay .Did they do anything other than clamp it, like put in sutures? if they didnt would your recovery be faster? Will you have to be on the regular post op diet progression? I will need to talk to you before I go for my outpatient surgery for some advice on post op anti nausea meds Carol Im so sorry to hear about your injury, I hope you are on the road to healing and that is most important right now. Tova I havent seen you in forever! How are you doing? Jennifer you and I have had similar weight loss and journey. But bc I have a surgeon who likes to see her patients Ive had WAY more fills and unfills than is probably normal. Most of the time I dont think it has done much good. But I do get temp hunger suppression. I think Im up to about 20 sticks over the past 3 yrs. Crazy I know. I think I could have more fill in my band and I may go back for a tweek but I know I would do better if I ate slower and took smaller bites. Do you use things like gravy and sauces to get the protein down? They call it food lube, or mixing textures, crackers with your protein? I can almost always eat chicken salad (its the mayo) but heaven help me if there is too much celery in there. Always have an issue with stupid Lean Cuisines, the meats are too touch and the stupid skin on the veggies make me pb , but I have a habit of buying them. Like Paige said we rely on the restriction, but this never works out in the long run...we end up too tight or eating the wrong foods. The next Faulkner meeting is Monday the 9th and the Brigham meeting is Tuesday May 17. I cant make Mondays meeting bc of a Dr appt but please go if you can! I cant stress enough how much these meeting have helped me.

I've come to the same realization especially with all the stress Ive been under, the band helped me to some extend but it didnt solve my issues. Glad you got your surgery date Nota and yes Jay we need to have a meeting.

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been around. My life has been really hectic these past few months, a family member passed away in January and in addition Ive been helping to take care of my elderly grandmother. Because of this I haven't been going to the gym nor watching my food intake at all. Ive gained a few pounds and that is adding to the 12lbs Ive gained in the past year. I really want to get back on track but like a lot of you I am not sure if I need a fill. I can eat most things things but I have trouble with soft (not crunchy) veggies (like skins on tomatoes) and touch chewy meats. Of course the junk, Cookies, chips etc all go down just fine. My last few fills I only asked small amounts (.1cc) because Ive been so scared of being too tight. My fill level is still lower when I was unfilled months ago. At my last appt Dr V commented that she didnt feel any tension in the syringe, so there isnt much tightness in my band. I could be happy with this level of restriction, its liveable but I will never lose these last 30lbs. Suppose this posting is more for myself, and I know I need to relearn now to eat again, Protein first, small bites, chew chew chew, stop when not hungry anymore. To those who are having heartburn, it is NOT I repeat NOT normal. You shouldnt have to live that that. Talk to your Dr about about it,dont be afraid to get a small unfill. Even having .25 taken out will help. I KNOW Ive been there. Lived on the Tums, Prolosec, and Zantac and was miserable, never mind it can cause serious harm. I will try to online more often and I REALLY want to attend the next support meeting. I hope others are interested as well.