kbinaz

I think the best way to describe it is more like discomfort...not so much pain. It was pain for the first day or two, and discomfort for a few weeks after. Big difference!

Hi, I had band surgery on October 26,2007. I started at 233 pounds and am down 17 pounds now. I am very happy with that, I have never lost 17 pounds in two months before! You have to remember that with the band weight loss can be slower because you don't get the full benefit until you reach your 'sweet spot' which can take anywhere from three to five fills depending on you and your band.

Don't bathe 'til all the scabs have fallen off - at least that was what I was told.

Please be careful! You are still swollen from surgery and that is probably what is making your band really tight. After four days I was allowed soft proteins, so eggs should be fine. Just remember you need to take really small bites and eat really slowly. When you are swollen like that it is lots easier for your band to slip, so that is why you have to be really careful. Try to follow your doctor's instructions. Each doctor is a little different as far as what you can eat and when, but there is a reason for what they are telling you! The swelling will go down soon.

I am sure you can have great results by going to Mexico but I really suggest you do your homework and make sure it is a wise choice. You are right, it is the 'fill' situation you need to think about. I know two people who had the surgery in Tijuana and neither has done well. Here is what you need to consider. You need to have fills at least every six weeks until you find your sweet spot. Are you prepared to go to Mexico every time for a fill? I don't know of any surgeons in the US who will do fills for patients who had surgery in Mexico. (also my clinic has a wonderful support group and you can only go to it if you had surgery at that center) There is also the concern about any possible complications. If you have surgery in Mexico and have to go to the hospital for any reason, you are going to have difficulty finding a doctor knowledgeable in bariatrics who will help you. It is always best to go to the doctor who did your surgery. I am not trying to tell you what to do, the decision is totally yours. I just would hope that you would weigh all the options and be really informed before you decide. I don't know what the difference in cost is, (I had to pay out of pocket and it was pricey!) but unless it was a HUGE difference I would have surgery done in the US.

Hi, this is Kathy from Phoenix. I had surgery on October 26, 2007. The first week is hard - the best advice I can give you is to take it easy. You will feel better soon! The worst pain was at the port sight and for some reason I never got the memo that you could ice that area. When I finally found I could ice it I did and it made a world of difference. Warm showers really helped, too. Just let the water trickle gently over your incisions. Next week at this time you will feel about 80% better, I promise! And it will just keep getting better from there!

Hi! Your feelings are very normal. The thing that made my decision to have the surgery was when I went to the informational seminar and the surgeon (who ended up doing my surgery) started her talk by saying "I know one thing for sure about every single person in this room today...none of you needs one more failure in your life." When she said that I almost cried and thought to myself, "That's it! I cannot stand one more failure!" I have failed every weight loss program I have ever tried (well, I could succeed for a few weeks...) and I thought I would rather die than fail one more time. The doctor went on to tell us that we could succeed with this surgery and I knew I was going to do it. I had surgery on October 26, 2007 and I have NO regrets. It is a slower process that with gastric bypass but I truly believe it is the right choice. I have lost 17 pounds since my surgery and feel confident I will reach my goal. Your fears about the surgery itself are normal...I went into the operating room crying I was so scared. But here I am, and it was NOT as bad as I had imagined!!! The lap band is a wonderful tool and if you use it you can have success too!

Hi, I am new to this forum. My name is Kathy and I had lap-band surgery on October 26,2007. I live in Arizona and my surgeon was Dr. Robin Blackstone at Scottsdale Bariatric Center. I just had my third fill last week and so far I have lost 17 pounds. I didn't notice a lot of restriction until this last fill.

I told family and close friends, and that is it. Once I had the surgery I told almost everyone. If I had it to do over, I probably wouldn't tell many people. With the band the weight loss isn't as quick as it is with gastric bypass. The band doesn't even really start working until you have it filled. But most people are familiar only with gastric bypass and expect you to start losing crazy amounts of weight right away. I can see people checking me out when I walk into a room, trying to determine if I have gotten thinnner. Two weeks after surgery I really didn't look much different! And before my first fill I could eat almost as much as I could before surgery so it was awkward at restaurants - I could tell people were watching and wondering why I bothered having surgery when I could still eat large portions! It may sound paranoid, but it's true! Keep it to yourself and only tell those who you need support from.