kbinaz

Hi, I agree with misspeesh, and it is helpful to tell people. (although to tell when you asked them not to was pretty rotten and they need a stern talking to!) It is really hard to go through this process and it is even harder if you can't talk to people about it. The key, I think, is educating people. Tell them exactly what is going on - especially stressing that this is NOT gastric bypass and you will NOT be losing 30 pounds a month!!! I have a blog, too,which I send to people who I want to know what I am going through. 100% of them have been supportive - they may be confused, but they are supportive, especially once I explain stuff. So now that the cat is out of the bag, just go with it and explain, explain, explain. Then do the best you can and show them all how this is going to change your life. Oh, the other reason it is easier to tell people is that you are going to be following some pretty specific eating rules and it is easier to follow them if the people around you know what those rule are and why. (ie-not eating with meals)

I didn't spend $15K to have major surgery so I could find "mental restriction"! If I could have conjured up the ability to lose weight mentally I would have done it a long time ago and I couldn't. Someone please tell me there will be physical restriction, too!

Leaning backwards over a table??? Yuk! My doctor has me in a chair kind of like a dentist's chair that they can raise and lower so the person giving the fill can reach easily. They then tilt the chair backwards so you are lying there very comfortably. They do leave the needle in and have you drink water, but as someone else said, that is so you can feel how much restriction there is and if it's too much or too little they can adjust it without re-sticking you. It really isn't a bad process at all and takes maybe five minutes at most. I would definitely NOT want to bend over backwards (so to speak) to have a fill, sounds very uncomfortable!!! My port is to the left of my belly button, and about an inch higher...I cannot imagine one in my chest, but I guess it doesn't make much difference where the port it. I wonder what it is attached to??? Do you know?

Hi, You should start feeling better with each passing day. I have to say I felt discomfort in that area for about a month. I am two months post-op and feel almost nothing there - I do notice if I do a lot physically I still feel muscle soreness there even now. But for the most part I feel pretty much back to normal.

I mean slow and steady...but you get the idea!

Hi, I know how you feel, sometimes I wish I had just gone for GB and been done with it quickly, but don't forget that statistics are showing that at the 3 year mark results are virtually the same for GB and LB. Slow and sure wins the race!!!

I think I responded to you at least once! I am the person who had surgery by Dr. Blackstone at SBC...anyway, welcome! kathy

You could also try upping the fiber in your food. Refried beans are high fiber AND protein and go down easy and might help get things unstuck. On the other hand, they might add to the gas problem...hmmm. I feel bad for you! Maybe just knowing we are sad for you will help!

I was told to never drink calories, to eat real food and get used to chewing properly and eating slowly to start eating normally as much as possible to get the hang of it. We aren't supposed to eat soup, either.(it isn't restricted, they just recommend not eating it often because it is basically the same as drinking while you are eating, as are protein shakes.) Plus, you get way less satiety (feeling satisfied and not hungry) with protein shakes - you feel way more satisfied for longer with chicken or cottage cheese, so why drink a protein shake? I'd rather eat! I don't really have any problem meeting my daily protein requirements with regular food. I just can't eat a lot of other stuff.

I think a lot of doctors respond to shoulder pain as if it could be a possible heart attack. I knew what the shoulder pain felt like because I had had laparoscopic surgery before, so I didn't panic and call the doctor but another lady who had surgery the same day as me called and they made her go in for testing. Now I tell everyone "You are going to have shoulder pain, it most likely is NOT a heart attack, don't call unless you really think you are dying or they WILL make you go in to cover their butts!"

I'm sure Mexican doctors do a great job at surgery, but don't forget there is a lot of aftercare after Lap band surgery. I was banded locally and am so glad because if I need to I can go and get a fill with very little notice or if I had a medical situation I am just a few miles away and can be seen by the doctor that did my surgery. That gives me a lot of peace of mind.

Hi Jacole, I have seen you on the SBC message boards (where nobody ever posts anything...) I was a self pay patient of Dr. Blackstone, (banded Oct.26,2007) but everything I have heard has been positive and people I have talked to who went through insurance had things move quickly. As far as SBC, I have been very pleased with everything. The employees are all very nice and helpful. My phone calls and emails are always answered promptly and that makes me feel good. The best thing I can say about SBC is that you will be VERY WELL EDUCATED by the time you have your surgery! From reading on this message board, it is clear not everyone has the same level of education and I think that is really important. They were very throrough!!! I'm sure we will chat again...Kathy

Check Scottsdale Bariatric - Dr. Robin Blackstone. They are awesome, one of the top in the country.

I wasn't given a pre-op diet, either. They said I should lose 10% of my total desired but didn't hold me to it. I think they want to avoid the gain that would come from a huge binge presurgery. I know they cancelled one guys surgery because he had gained 25 pounds between his pre-op visit and his surgery! So I tried not to do that!!!

Hi, No it didn't feel at all like a Mac truck hit me. In fact it was not as bad as I had been expecting. I felt discomfort more than pain. You are pretty groggy right after surgery and stay that way for a few hours. The worst complaint I had was that my mouth was really dry and I just kept asking my husband for more ice chips. Once the anesthesia starts to wear off you start feeling better. I was more uncomfortable when I got home - (later same day as surgery) It was hard to find a comfortable position. I stuck to a recliner-glad we had one! The port area (upper left incision) was the most uncomfortable and I couldn't lie on my side. Walking was hard but not unbearable, had to hunch over and go slow. You just have to keep telling yourself the worst is over, it will only get better minute by minute, day by day.

I would recommend waiting to tell people about your surgery til they start seeing results. I told EVERYONE and wish I hadn't. People are used to seeing gastric bypass patients lose 30 pounds in the month after surgery and that is not how it works for lap banders. It is awkward when people know you had weight loss surgery and then watch you and don't see any difference in how you look. I wish I had waited so they wouldn't all be wondering what is wrong with me and why don't I look thinner. Once you start losing and people can tell, I think it is nice to tell them because you are a walking advertisement for the band and they can see you look healthy and are thinner. Just my opinion. The other problem with telling some people before surgery is that they feel the need to scare you with all the nightmares they have heard about and the deaths and illnesses...not what you need as you prepare for surgery...

Hi, I know just how you feel, don't worry..you are normal. I wrote a long, dramatic email to the nutritionist at the clinic where I had my surgery, lamenting the fact that this didn't seem to be working for me and she said "EVERY lap band patient says the EXACT same thing!" So don't stress. It will get easier. You need to get those fills.

I don't understand why they are having you eat pudding! If you are going to eat only six ounces of anything, why not make it something healthy? Why not six ounces of chicken? Six ounces of cottage cheese? At least there are some nutrients in those. Interesting...I feel really bad for you and hope the time goes by really fast!

My post-op diet was actually one month of only soft Proteins. (eggs, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, lowfat cheese and low sugar yogurt) It was boring but it insured adequate protein intake. After the one month on soft proteins we were told to keep the ratio 3 to 1. That means three bites protein, one bite veggies or fruit. Also, eating large amounts of protein keeps you satisfied longer.

Hi, I know what you mean...I get kind of frustrated when I read on here that people are losing 30+ pounds in the first month after surgery. I haven't done that and from what I am told by my doctor I am pretty normal. I was banded on October 26, 2007. I lost 12 pounds the first week due to being on clear liquids etc. Then, after being on soft proteins for a whole month I only lost one more pound. I am up to 17 pounds after two and a half months and the nutritionist at my doctor's office is very pleased with that amount. We all have to remember - the band only starts working to it's fullest potential after 3 to 5 fills when the "sweet spot" is hit. I recently had my 3rd fill and notice more restriction but certainly not as much as I need or hope to have in the future. Please know that I am out here having the same doubts and struggles as you are - I haven't lost a zillion pounds either, but hopefully with another fill or two I can start bragging!!! Oh, also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are different kinds of bands - I believe there is even one that starts with a small fill. It could be that the people having such large losses have that band.

I think that is normal - I have the same thing - even differences from meal to meal. I know that eating really protein dense food makes a huge difference in how much I can eat and how long I stay full. I can eat a lot of pizza and don't stay full very long. If I eat a turkey burger I can only finish 3/4 of it and stay full for HOURS. I also notice I stay full after dinner than after breakfast. It's weird.

I don't know when your surgery was, and if you have had any fills yet. It takes 3-5 fills (or maybe even more) to reach maximum restriction with the band. I had my third fill last week and I can still eat two pieces of pizza no problem. After my second fill I probably could have eaten three, also. You will get more and more restriction with each fill, try to be patient (I am in the same boat as you and I'm not that patient, either, so it's easy for me to tell you to be patient!!!) I don' think you can stretch your pouch. I may be wrong about that, but I have never heard that was a concern.

Ha! I was thinking the same thing - I wish I could go every hour and a half normally!!! After surgery it was like every fifteen minutes, I was driving the nurses crazy!!

Mellis, what false information did I spread?

I didn't mean to be negative or to send false information. As I said, I know two people personally who have had problems after surgery in Mexico. I also know there are people who have problems after surgery in the U.S. The point was, be sure to do your research. My advice to Mellis would be not to be defensive about your decision to have surgery in Mexico just like those of us who had surgery in the U.S. shouldn't be defensive about that. She asked for advice and I believe this forum is to share information back and forth, which is what I was doing. This is a free country, everyone should feel free to have surgery in Mexico or anywhere else for that matter. I was just putting my two cents in!