MacMadame

Some guy at work was saying he was going to take all his money out of this 401k today. I tried to convince him that buying mutual funds at the height of the market and selling them at the low was dumb, especially when he's got at least 25 years before he can take the money out without penalty, but he would not listen.

I'd be surprised if they really knew. In the head, sure, but to be there is different. At least that's what every contestant on every Reality TV show I've ever read about says.

Actually some banded people drink things with carbonation and some eat bread. But some can't. It depends on how tight they need to get the band to get proper restriction. The eating a few bites at a time may be just immediately post-op when her tummy is swollen and irritated. Eventually she should be able to eat 1/2 - 1 cup of food at a time which is way more than a few bites. Post-op it's all about QUALITY, not QUANTITY. You learn to savor your food and only put in good stuff since you can only have a small amount -- you want it to count. So she'll probably come to enjoy food (once the early days of recovery are over) again, just in a different way.

I don't see the point in looking. I'm not retiring for another 15-20 years. The market could go up and down 5x between now and then.

Me either. I still hate the show and won't watch it again.

Actually it's not true that the Lap Band has a better record. Realize and Lap Band have a similar record. As for doctors, check out Laproscopic Associates of SF. They do clinics and support groups in Stockton though they don't have a surgery location there. Their stats are excellent. They report 10-20% better excess weight loss with the band (they use both Realize and Lap Band) than the industry average. They did my sleeve and I am very happy with them. Lap Band Surgery by Laparoscopic Associates Weight-Loss Surgery in San Francisco

And yet people still think we get obese because we are lazy. I don't think you could call Oprah lazy. I think that's exactly why she should do it. (Well, besides the fact that it actually works unlike all the things she does over and over.) Imagine how the stigma against WLS would change if someone like Oprah finally saw the light.

And if you have a prior history of blood clots.

LapBand posts something like 3.7% on their site. That's a world-wide figure and it's rather old. However, it's not just slippage, but also erosion, port flipping, port leaking, band leaking and other band malfunctions. Port flipping is really common but the surgery is pretty minor. I think it's an office procedure. (Though the last time I had an office "surgery" they charged my insurance about $1500 bucks. Good grief.) There have been some scary studies released lately about long term complications with the band. There is one Swedish study that claims over the past 10 years, the re-surgery rate is a whopping 40%! Honestly, I find that very unbelievable -- they must be doing something wrong. But other studies have shown rates as high as 25% over a similar period. That's 1 in 4! This is a case where you really need to find out what your surgeon's stats are. My surgeon's slippage stat is only around 2%. However, they have seen at least 10% get complications that require a "resurgery". You need to know if your insurance will cover that or if it's all going to be on you.

I think it works better to bring the spouse to a support group or intro seminar. They can ask any question they want and they can hear what other people's concerns are.

It's going to depend on your insurance but most of them won't pay to have the band removed. That was my situation. This is one of the reasons I changed my mind about the band and went for a sleeve. If you want to know more, come to the "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy" forum here on LBT or PM me.

Maybe I'll have some this weekend. I love eggs.

The scrambled eggs went down? I hear they sometimes don't so I've been nervous about them. I might have cottage cheese tomorrow.

I thought it was illegal to not respond within 30 days. So he's into the Golden Showers, huh. Ooh, we have a smart one in our midst. Don't you have rules about that? We have rules. The kids and dh can eat what they want away from home, but I control what food comes *into* the home. Some docs also recommend that if you take an NSAID that you also take an antacid. So then I assume with his latest reports, you wept for DAYS? :wink2: You say that like it's a good thing. I find most of their clothes to be horrid. The XXL often fit like a L and most of it wears out really fast. So you aren't missing anything. I only buy pjs and workout pants there.

I watched one episode and decided I can't stand the show. 1) I think it's perfectly possible to motivate people without being emotionally abusive so none of these trainers impress me much. 2) I think a lot of the challenges are designed to make the participants look ridiculous so the thin people can laugh at the fatties 3) I think the show gives the impression that it's entirely possible for people as heavy as these guys are to lose weight with diet and exercise alone, which is something I just don't believe. So I guess you could say I'm not a fan. :wink2:

Welcome to LapBankTalk.com! Did you know there's a forum for the over 50 crowd? You might want to check it out.

You might want to post this on the forum for your state if you don't get any responses here.

I know several people who had to have their meds adjusted after losing weight. But no personal experience... sorry!

If you have to pay half, it might be cheaper to self-pay. How much is half? Don't get me started on the 6 month diet though. I could rant about that for pages and pages...

Good luck! Or should I say Congrats! since you are probably home by now.

Good question. They'll probably weigh you. Someone will take a medical history. There will probably be forms to fill out. At some point you'll meet with the surgeon and get to ask him questions. He'll give you some advice and prescribe some pre-op testing. That's the basic minimum. There might be more depending on how the program works. In my case, the surgeon did the medical history but in some programs a PA does it. Some might have you meet with more people right then and there, too. Good luck!

Waiting is the pits, isn't it?

I've found every plastic surgeon gives a different answer. Some say having PS is a good way to break a plateau when you are close to goal. Some say you should be at goal and a stable weight for X months. But it's never too early to *think* about it. Heck, I'm going to be San Diego for Thanksgiving and I'm thinking of going to visit some Plastic Surgeons in Mexico while I'm down there and I'm only 2 weeks out! (But if I go to MX, I want to have seen the clinics before I get there and I won't be back to SD for at least another year).

A lot of people have trouble with meats, especially dry ones, early out. It definitely helps to put all the meat in broth. But in the meantime, until your tummy isn't so swollen, have you considered Protein drinks? Some people don't consider them "real" food but their protein is very bio-available and they also count towards your Fluid intake for the day. I'm still on "soft" food so I use a lot of Protein Drinks, but even when I'm progressed to regular food, I am sure I will still have at least one a day for a while.

My experience with going to various seminars is that there are doctors out there who say they do lap band and bypass (and sometimes the sleeve) but in reality 90% of their practice is bypass. If you were referred to one of these doctors, of course he's going to tell you that the bypass is better. He thinks it's better for *everyone*. OTOH, if you think your surgeon had some good points to make and supports both surgeries equally, then it's worth listening to his advice, as it's based on lots of experience with lots of patients. The bottom line is that you have to get the surgery that's right for you and only you can decide that. Your surgeon knows the averages and the generalities and the medical issues, but you know yourself.