CaliQueenBee

Wow, I just got through this thread...Lot of intense emotions. I just have a couple things I want to state: 1. I think Dr. Ortiz deserves both our respect and gratitude for making this post. I think he is a great surgeon with wonderful after-care and a supportive staff. Whenever I have any questions, I am always well taken care of. Categorizing him with any other "mexican surgeon" is not quite fair. He should not be attacked for attempting to help state the facts about erosion - how many of your surgeons are on here trying to educate us? Hmmm? 2. I don't know what it's like to have an erosion or any other serious complication with the band & I do feel very sympathetic to all of you that have. I thank you for voicing your feelings on this board and sharing your experiences so we all can learn from you. I think that Dr Pleatman was rather harsh in his initial statement, but he did make an apology - and, I personally appreciate him bringing his professional opinion to this forum as well. That being said, I agree with him in the fact that when one suffers with a complication, we need to try & pick up the pieces and move on. I know those were not his exact words- but I think that was his point - that's how I took it at least. C'mon we got the band to try and be proactive right? So if our band isn't there anymore, we still need to be proactive right? Unless you're going to give in to the Obesity Demons, you've got to still work at it - hell, banded or not! Like Michelle-look at her! I really respect that woman. She's been through it all - but she is remaining strong and maintaining control - not attacking her Dr (actually she still is quite complimentary of him) and she's MOVING ON. There's a grief period of course and everyone deals with it differently, but please don't wallow in your misery. Stand up, be the strong man or woman that you are and take charge of your life again! Give all the rest of us something to look up to and be encouraged by. You've had to deal with a great loss, but it wasn't the band alone that made you lose the weight remember? You did it too! And you still can. Again, thanks to Dr.O for coming on this forum in the first place and trying to help educate all of us and to Dr Pleatman as well even though he is not as eloquent as some, he is also trying to share with us from a professional perspective the facts about erosion.

I was banded 8/25 and have had 2 fills since. I am down 35 lbs (just gained back a few this week.) Honestly I'm a little disappointed cuz I really have been working hard @ the gym and the weight is really hanging on. I just made another appt for a fill cuz I'm finding that I can eat more again. In the am strictly liquids, but lunchtime and dinner is my pre-band appetite (just can't eat chx or bread unless I chew very well.) Also I'm snack hungry in the afternoon, which I wasn't right after I had my 2nd fill. So I'm thinkin' maybe I'm losing some fat around my tummy and that's causing lack of restriction (I hope!) cuz I am down from a 26 to a 20, so I'm obviously losing "girth"! My goal was to lose 10 lbs a month, so that's why I'm disappointed I haven't done that yet. But we'll see how it goes after the next fill - here's hopin'!!!

Uh-huh! Everything they said. I always look for your posts and love your honesty and tell-it-like-it-is attitude. I admire you for having such a great attitude with everything you've had to endure. Please stick around, we've all learned a lot from you (and you're quite entertaining too)!

Yeh, babies mess up the boobs and tummy along with carrying around all this excess weight. I am ALL FOR getting whatever is needed done after I lose the weight. After I have my 2nd child I will definitely do a TT or LBL, I KNOW a boob job is in order - nips are supposed to be at attention not aimed south I'm young - 27, so we'll see what my body does after the weight is gone and muscle built...and then it's all about looking good nekkid!

I am a little > 4 mos post op and I still have pain around my port area every time I do my ab crunches at the gym. I've been going about 5 times a week for the past 6 wks and the pain is getting duller, but I think it's normal. Keep it up and start slow. As you build the muscles and endurance it gets better. I was in a lot of pain when I first started and now it's just slight pain. Don't do anything to hard-core or you can cause damage.

Thank you both! I went to Dr and got a 2nd dose of stronger antibiotics and am feeling better again. Hopefully, it will kill this horrible mutant sinus infection that has taken over my life!

:sick Ok, so I've been sick for 6 weeks now with a horrible bacterial infection in my sinuses. I was put on antibiotics and after taking them for 10 days it returned worse than before. I am so sick of being sick! I have another Dr appt on Tuesday - but do any of you out there know of any other remedies outside of antibiotics? I just went to the store and got some garlic (apparently a natural antibiotic) and more Sudafed - I should by stock in the stuff! I'm also concerned with taking all these pills...have any of you had difficulty with pills getting stuck going through the band? They seem awfully large, and if I have a hard time swallowing them it seems it would be tough for them to get through the band too. Any suggestions???

There is a post by Sandy on the OCC website talking about erosion. ..."First, please let me say that Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez are always available to their patients to answer questions and address any concerns. Every patient should always know that they are welcome to call either doctor at any time. Now to the subject of erosion… Erosions though rare, are a possible complication of the Lap-Band. In the general population the rate of erosion can be less than 1% or as high as 3%. It appears that the rate is affected by the length of experience of the surgeon, though no one knows why this is. Just due to the statistics, a surgeon that has performed a high number of surgeries will see a higher number of erosions than a surgeon that has performed a lower number. There is no definitive answer of what causes erosion other than in certain patients their body reacts to the band as a foreign object. It is not yet known why this occurs. Currently the only way we know to guarantee an erosion will not occur is to not have a band placed. The Inamed Lap-Band is exactly the same product in Mexico as in the U.S. except the port, which is smaller, but of the same material. The placement technique taught and used by Dr. Ortiz and other Inamed proctors are uniform throughout the world. The speculations once thought to be true that certain medications or a band that was adjusted too tightly caused erosion, is not supported by the evidence. This was disproved as erosion occurs at the outer edge of the band. What we do know is that most erosions occur within the first 2 years of placement. After that, the prevalence of erosion drastically diminishes. When an erosion is detected later, it was usually present within the first 24 months but most probably went undetected. Because of the intense follow performed with our patients at Obesity Control Center through the use of fluoroscopy and endoscopy, we have found that we are able to achieve an early diagnosis of erosion. When an erosion is treated swiftly by a surgeon experienced in removing an eroded band, there is a high likelihood of a good outcome and a new band can usually be placed about 6 months after removal. The current re-erosion rate seen in these patients is still low. The possibility of re-erosion is discussed with the patient prior to the second band placement. An expert surgeon should perform the second band placement as this is a technically challenging surgery. There are other practices that may not provide the same intense follow up and fewer studies are routinely performed, thus resulting in less detection of erosions. Common sense tells us that these erosions will eventually become more prevalent and apparent, as symptoms will later appear. In the event an erosion occurs, band removal should be performed by an expert surgeon, as this is a very technically challenging surgery. It can and is performed safely via a laporscopic approach in the hands of an expert surgeon, resulting in a less invasive procedure and shorter recovery time for the patient. "

We're all here because we have a problem with our weight and/or overeating, so we all understand! Here's what I've learned so far and I was banded a couple weeks later than you: 1. Fills are EXTREMELY important! Everyone's body is different so some can go w/o one for a long time, while others need more restriction (the point of the band), some need more of a fill while others less due to the size of their stomach and the fat around it. I personally feel I could still use a little more restriction and think I'll go back for another one very soon as I can still eat a little too much. 2. Exercise! I HATE it, I ain't gonna lie. But it is SO important not only in weight loss, but improving your self-esteem, energy level - everything. I'm still BIIIIG, and I'm so self-conscious being at the gym with all the perky Barbie doll-esque girls wearing size 2's, but ya know, if I/We don't go, we'll never lose the weight or if we do lose some, we'll have saggy butts, boobs, arms etc. So WORK OUT! 3. Diet is important. Try to control your urges for the junk. Sugar & Choc is my WORST ENEMY and it is SO HARD to say no! But if/when you cheat, don't beat yourself up over it - go to the gym and work and extra 15 mins, and move on. Remember the band is a TOOL and we have to work with it for it to work. Some of us take longer to lose than others, just keep at it and WE WILL SUCCEED!

Good for you DeLarla! Especially after finding out you're now eroded...I am very sorry to hear that & I wish you the best in getting it taken care of. Bottom line is, there's risk with any surgery and as the Lap-Band procedure is an optional surgery, you have to weigh the risks vs the benefits. Obviously your choice of surgeon is one of the most important decisions you'll make after deciding to have the surgery. For myself, I am extremely happy with the surgeon I chose and he was located in Mexico. Just be careful wherever the locale is - do your research on the surgeon, his/her experience and how many instances of complications they've had vs how may surgeries they've performed. Remember a Dr doing 3000 surgeries may have more complications then a surgeon performing 300 surgeries. Research, research, research! Best wishes~

I was banded on 8/25 and am down 24 lbs. My scale hasn't moved in weeks!!! But at least it ain't goin' up, right? I got my 1st fill on the 8th of this month and it didn't do a darn thing as I haven't lost anything since. I have noticed I'm falling out of all my clothes though, I'm down about 3 szs now, so I guess it is doing something! I'm going in for a 2nd fill soon and hopefully that will provide the restriction I need.

Unfortunately it doesn't make any difference what I eat, I still can put away at least half of what I ate preband in a sitting. For instance, breakfast consists of a protien bar (I'm so tight in the am I can hardly keep that down, but Dr said I need to eat something in the am to get my metabo started) lunch around 1pm, usually a salad with chicken breasts, or a turkey wrap, and maybe a yogurt before if I'm feeling exceptionally hungry. Dinner usually around 7 sometimes 8pm- usually chicken breast or fish and steamed veggies, or salad. Problem is, I eat that and I still feel a little hungry, but I stop because I'm scared I'll mess up my band or something. So before my diet consisted of a Venti Mocha at Starbucks in the am, lunch would be sushi, pizza, mexi food, or something from a fast food rest. dinner - fried chicken, pizza, fast food - something unhealthy, and always dessert. So, here I am eating healthy foods, eating about half the portion although still a little hungry and not losing anything. I'm getting a leeetle frustrated here. So it sounds like I should just get another fill after my trip, eh? I'm reading where some of you only have a few bites and you're full...man, I wish.