NewSho

Oh, usually they just say "liquids for rest of the day" after a fill. It might be different after an unfill, but I'm not sure....

Bless your heart. We're all here for you, Erin. Keep us posted on your progress - and know you're in our thoughts and prayers. ~ NewSho~

Yep! That first "hiccup" or burp means "CHECK PLEASE. And bring a doggy bag!" That's all I can eat - and if I go a spoonful past that I'm pushing it. Two spoonfuls past that (keep in mind, I've done this like an idiot) then there's gonna be trouble, LOL

It's B-E-N-A-V-I-D-E-S. His full name is Dr. Richard Benavides. With an "A". I'm only jumping in here because telling someone to search for a doctor and then misspelling his name makes the search a lot harder. I know this may seem like a picky point - but I am always surprised when people who are post-op patients misspell their own doctors' names. :speechles This is the person you entrust your life to, and you don't learn how to spell his name? Seems odd to me, but it's common. I see it all the time. (*shrugs*) He's not my surgeon but he is a well-regarded surgeon in the Dallas Metroplex area. Here is his website. http://www.lapbandsolutions.com/aboutdoc.html Good Luck on your Band Journey, New Sho

I have detailed my hilariously slow losing rate on other posts here. To spare everyone the dreaded details, I'll just condense it to say I'm absolutely in no danger of being told "you're just losing weight way too fast" by my surgeon, or anybody, now that I think of it. My only saving grace is that I don't have that many more pounds til I hit my LapBand surgeon's original goal for me (which I think is about 17# away although I think I'm at least 20# away from people not being able to call me overweight, upon sight). At this rate it will take me - what? - maybe another year to lose the 17#-20# measly (by Weight Loss Surgery standards) pounds? I don't think I can face that long of a wait, and although if it takes much longer, even my surgeon will give up on me soon, I think! :thankyou: Only my regular personal doctor thinks I'm losing weight at a remarkable pace. She thinks it will perhaps stay off longer because I'm losing it so slowly. Only time will tell. And apparently I've got a lot of time, indeed! Happy Band Journeys To All, The Slow-Losing New Sho

Oh you read my mind. I am SO sick of that commercial - a size 10, eh? If I get to a size 10 you guys will have to beg me to stop putting scantily-clad photos of myself in every post. I'll think I'm some kind of Super Model at that size, LOL. Whoever created & wrote that commercial should be 'sentenced' to having to wear plus sizes for an entire year (for some people it really would be punishment, I suppose - look how miserable the size 10 is :thankyou: ) and THEN let them come back and see how they feel about the "dreaded size 10" - They'd be delighted to be back in that once-dreaded size, I bet.

I don't like beer at all but I do like a glass of wine (at, or before) dinner on occasion. I'm single/no kids so going out is a big part of my social life. At my consult, I told my surgeon quite honestly that I usually had 1 or 2 drinks a week (maybe 4 - 6 a month at most) - and he said OK but I should stay away from carbonation (which I do anyway) and watch the empty calories. I find with the band that since I eat less, that a little alcohol goes a long way. I often can't/don't finish the one drink I have but I enjoy having some. So if I'm having a glass of wine, I just watch my carbs elsewhere. I was looking for a WLS that I thought would be a better fit for my lifestyle so I thought this was a plus for the Band over the RnY. The majority of my friends with RnY can drink alcohol but I know a few who can't tolerate it so I was cautious about the chances of being one of the ones who couldn't. So I think with all things, moderation is probably important. vHappy band journeys to all!

Congrats! Huge loss and wonderful success... You should be really proud!

Alright - some good suggestions here. And you're right, I'm glad I vented here before I charged into the doctor's office and demanded they transfer my file to someone else since "I'm through" or whatever he meant. Heather - my doctor didn't give me a reason. We all looked at the flouro, but if he saw something (I was concerned about having an enlarged pouch but I the last time I suspected that, I went on mostly-mushies until that sucker got back on track...) I'm lucky because I take a Rolaids or two every day for Calcium but I rarely if ever have any big time digestive problems (probably because I have less restriction but that's another story). Oddly enough when I was heavier, less fill in the band did it's job, of course as I get smaller, I need a bit more - doesn't make sense but that's what I've found on my long, winding band journey. It's odd, though, I never thought of myself as a lost cause - just a slow (very slow) loser. I will step up the game a bit though, if at all possible. I don't know if I can get to a BMI of 25 - but I thought I could swing 27 or 28 BMI with some work. (Now with malabsorption I could have been down to my 20's with no trouble, but naively I thought the risks weren't worth getting down a few sizes more. I might have miscalculated there but I've come this far, so I better ride this Band train until I run out of track! :-) And I do appreciate the more active Bandsters' encouragement for me to exercise. I'm just frustrating because I have only calorie restriction to get me there. I just had a serious Full Abdominoplasty with Muscle Tightening so I'm not cleared to exercise yet. (Not that I was exactly an Olympic athlete before but I'm normally a bit more active.) Heck, I could just start picking up my sister's tubby tabby cat just this week but I can't start any major exercise programs right now. This was my second surgery within a 7-week period so I wasn't able to be active at all, much less exercise. I'm still on 'medical leave' although I'm healing very well thankfully and I should be 'released' soon. That's what frustrates me since I am normally burning fewer calories - as I get more active I'll need more calories to keep going so I am struggling not too eat too much and it's a battle I'll lose without some serious intervention. I have an idea - I know someone I can call to see if they have any insight on what's happening over in my surgeon's world. It took all the energy I had to not response with Fourth of July fireworks to what my surgeon said, so I might see if someone else can do a little "mediation" and see what the reasons are. I'll try to find out more, and I'll report back. I appreciate the continued support - I felt like I should share this also because this could be a major wake up call for us Bandsters so hopefully everyone else can learn from my fiasco and do better than me! Again, thanks. I'll let you guys know.

Well, I do appreciate everyone's words. Honestly, I must assume that everyone knows my story (and those who don't are lucky, LOL) so I must have Sorry I thought I'd said it. I have a Inomed 4cc band - and apparently my doc thinks 2.7-2.8 of fill is all I should have. Honestly, I sensed a finality in his voice - he wasn't just being firm. And there wasn't a rudeness - although he is blunt - but a sense of, I don't know... resignation? I can't put my finger on it. ---> To BANDAYED - [ Honestly I a VERY dry sense of humour, which was reflected in my post. Please realise: my surgeon is NEVER inappropriate - but the scenario of sitting there and having someone explain that they were through just reminded me of that. I guess it would be less inflammatory (although less humourous) to say I'd been 'fired' - a boss sitting across from the desk telling an employee that the were 'at the end of their road' with a company. So don't think there's anything to it beyond that. I was more setting a scene of how the conversation felt. It was simply a metaphor.] I thought things would seem better if I slept on it, but I think today, it seems clear. I wasn't able to speak with his Patient Coordinator/Office Manager, but I will try to gently find out what's behind this. And sad to say, I'll find out if he's washing his hands of me as a patient, and if I should have my file transferred. (To where? Who knows. ) I don't mean to be so fatalistic - it's just in my years of knowing this man, I haven't ever seen him act this way so I don't really know how to interpret it. If it is "The End" then I have to try to figure out what's next. If it's just "The End of Fills" then I'm still screwed. I know people (including the one in his current TV/print ads) that have fills up to 3.3 and in that range. I've had big-time health issues in the past so maybe he thinks I should be handled a lot more lightly - so that means I only get 69% of band capacity? Honestly, my mind can't get around it. Plus I know when I have good restriction and when I don't. Now my restriction is barely passable, and it doesn't seem to be getting better - what do I do if it gets worse? ----> To ALEXANDRA: [Thank you so much for your reply, it was really heartfelt. If my calculations are correct, with my band at current levels - I'll lose maybe 1/2# to #1 a month for the next year or maybe none at all. 6 to 12# in my second year (or worse, no loss) and nowhere near goal. Oh that's sad for me - really sad. What's next down the road? From no loss, I fear the next thing would be gaining. That's one of the things that I thought set the band apart from the bypass-style methods - but I didn't realize I would only get a little past 2/3 of fill capacity before being shut down. ] Believe me, my goals were realistic - I did NOT expect RnY results with the band and I knew I had to accept slower loss. At my projected goal my BMI would have been 28 (although if I had my preference I would have aimed for 27, and even 26 but I was trying to accept reasonable weight loss instead of outstanding weight loss) But this is ridiculous. I'm as band-knowledgable and reasonably band compliant as any other patient and goodness knows I've gone through more than any other person I know to work on my weight. This is not an exaggeration by any means, I'm just feeling a bit wiped out at the thought of finding out this is all the help I'll receive from the band. I refuse to accept 30 BMI, but I've done all I can on my own. The lesser restriction is already starting to affect me and I have been struggling for weeks turning into months to not give in to having had less restriction. I'm not one of these SuperWomen who can proudly proclaim all that they could do with or without the band. Nope, I'm very realistic about me - the band allows me to eat less and make better food choices. If I am restricted, I eat less. I can't imagine why some people think that's a difficult concept. It doesn't make me any less dedicated than any other Bandster but I am fully disappointed that may get no further help with my tool. Without that help, there is very little statistical chance I'll succeed. I've tried eating right, exercising and every diets from WW, Atkins, Palm Beach, low carb to Phen-Fen (which really did work for me, actually - until it was taken off the market.) I dread returning to the scene of those diet crimes and trying them again as some kind of Failed Bandster. As for the question of would I consider a bypass ( EEK!) to lose 17#, no that's not it. But if I'm at maximum with the band, I can only look ahead to what my next few years will be like if I no longer have a working tool to help me. I've watched my weight yo-yo back and forth for years, and I was trying to be pro-active to prevent it. I'll do my part, but I still need some help and I guess I thought the band would have given me a BIT more time to actively work on getting nearer my goal, and then maybe maintain it. But if I honestly knew the band wasn't a good choice for me (I'm one of those people who doesn't believe it's right for everybody) then I would have had a RnY bypass. A bypass wouldn't have been my #1 choice but if it were explained to me that I can only get to BMI 30 with the band, I'd have had the RnY that I was initially approved for. I'm not proud - I need a working tool. Period. But when a surgeon tells you to your face that he won't take $22,000 to try to get your body where it should be - that's a real wake-up call. What makes me any less deserving than any other patient? When I went out last night, I got several compliments on how I looked. But finally I told my cousin and good friend the truth - my surgeon and I are having a disagreement and he may not continue to work with me. My cousin looked at my face and knew how upsetting this was. She told me to brace myself because she knew I viewed myself as a work-in-progress. I guess I just didn't realize that the only person who thinks I'm worth working on, is me. I didn't think a fill to maybe 3cc was such a big issue - I was already there in the room, ready to go. Just a tiny adjustment might have given me a bit more help. I guess I feel like he thought I wasn't worth the effort. I can't quite discern whether he thinks I'm a Band Failure (hard to argue that point, but I'd try) or that I've done well enough. Neither is true - and to my mind, I'm still in the fight. I mean really, I'm walking around still 'technically' obese and if anyone thinks I invested all that time, money, effort and exertion to still be obese, then they are wrong. As I said, I'll try to find out more clearly what this means. But I do know that I hadn't given up on me - and I guess I'm feeling like my surgeon has. Not ready to give up on my apparently un-recognized potential, (Not feeling so) "New" Sho

I know you're upset. But you're wrong. ALL insurance companies in Texas are NOT excluding weight loss. No state agency rules over all private insurance company and no such law has been (nor could be passed). So although you didn't mean your thread title to be misleading, it is. And, No matter what you think, calling insurance companies to see if they provide Weight Loss Surgery as a benefit is NOT the way to go. Of course, they are going to tell you "NO" - if your employer gives you that many options for insurance and you called each one and each one told you know (insurance companies routinely instruct their employees to say "NO" to blanket requests like that anyway - they don't want to 'cover' some employee who just wants to have the insurance long enough to get their $30K procedure covered.:eek: ) Each and every insurance company makes its own coverage rules. And each and every employer makes the decision whether to include or exclude procedures like Weight Loss Surgery. YES, the insurance companies are putting the heat onto larger employers to exclude such types of expensive coverage for WLS (in other words, insurance companies charge employers MUCH more for policies that don't exclude WLS than for those that exclude WLS, which the insurance companies prefer, of course - but it's each employers decision.) So take a deep breath and examine your options carefully. With some diligent work and research and TONS of perserverance even an exclusion can be beat. If your employer's HR department is willing to work with you (some HR reps are, although they're generally very busy) then you have a better chance than if you fight it alone. But either way, you should also concentrate on your employers' policy, rather than expending energy contacting random insurance policies. Thousands of people have this surgery each year (Covered by their insurance, and thousands are in Texas) and you can be among them. Good Luck on your journey. Sho

Oh no, I hear ya. This is why my WLS surgeon won't let me have one. He says (and he's right) that I'm obsessed with numbers - but since I've been scaleless (sounds funny doesn't it?) I find myself trying to weigh at other doctor's offices if I have an appt. This is so funny: I remember being really silently ticked off that my foot doctor didn't have a scale in his podiatrist's office, LOL. Now that's bad! :-) But the GOOD thing about not having a scale is that I've had to concentrate on how my clothes fit - which is what I'm more concerned about anyway. Especially now, I just had an Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck so I'm still carrying a lot of swelling/fluid retention weight (which is normal for up to 8-12 weeks after this type of surgery) and I'm totally over my normal weight. If I was weighing myself every day, I'd be despondent! (Sadly, Tummy Tucks don't result in any weight loss - fat actually doesn't weigh that much although it sure makes our lives miserable. How unfair! Happy Band Journeys to all Sho

Yay! Good news - and BIG CONGRATS on the post-op loss. Happy to hear your band journey is really back on track.... Happy Band Journeys to all, Sho

Well said Clevergrrly.

I hate to take us further off-topic but: >>> "While "~*~La Vita Esta Bella~*~" may mean something to YOU ..." <<< You know I wondered about this, also... not to lump on anyone ... but this signature really wrecks my brain. You see, 'La Vita' would be Italian - then 'Esta' is Spanish, and then 'Bella' - could be either Italian or Spanish. Whew! Confusing, isn't it? Not being overly picky here but I speak Spanish (and yes, Sue, I have passed written/oral/reading proficiency tests if that's important to define language fluency) and my Italian is fairly passable (no proficiency tests to prove it - but it's just good enough for me to navigate, to shop, order food and flirt in Italy - without assistance or a translator, LOL). So In Spanish, "Life Is Beautiful" would be "La Vida Es Hermosa" (sounds funny, but there are no direct translations) - and note, Hermosa is also used to mean "pretty" in Spanish, as can "Bonita." Bella means beautiful also in Spanish, but I heard it in Castilian Spanish in Spain - I don't really recall having seen it used much in Mexico. But in Italian - "Life is Beautiful" would be (again, paraphrasing) "La vita è bella" - which is the original name of the film "Life Is Beautiful" for which that exaggeratedly excited Italian film director won the Oscar in 1997. (Remember how he stood on chairs, and kissed everyone at the Academy Award ceremony?) In other words, the verb form "esta" doesn't exist in Italian (to my knowledge) but is actually Spanish. But in this case, the correct usage even in Spanish would be "es" meaning "is" and not "esta" after all. It's easy to confuse 'es' and 'esta' when learning Spanish, and most Spanish-speaking natives are polite enough not to correct this common mistake. -------------------------------------- But we digress: Back on topic - the concept of going to Mexico for medical care is not a new one. With more of us becoming knowledgeable about LapBands, we realise that that they have been performed in places like Mexico long prior to U.S. approval. And for those who self-pay, I see how incredibly attractive cash prices that are often less than half of US prices are. But, with that said: as someone who lives in Texas (where flights to Mexico are frequent, easy, and a bit cheaper than they are - from other parts of the U.S.) and as someone who speaks Spanish quite comfortably - I would still have concerns about seeking medical treatment abroad. Not just in Mexico but anywhere that is a considerable distance from my home. I think the Canadian medical system (with their excellent nationalised health service) is quite strong and their sanitation and medical facilities are NOT in question, but I still will feel apprehension about seeking surgery there just because of its' distance from where I live. The most important issue is access - no matter where you are, in a worst-case scenario you would like some access to the surgeon that treated you, I would think. Now we know in our fast-moving, migratory society, this is not always possible. I am far closer to Mexico than I am to say, Seattle, Washington. But I would still feel some apprehension about flying to Seattle for my surgery if I knew that some local doctors here were not comfortable treating me or had limited experience with "Seattle"-style surgeries or devices. And in the case of the band, the LapBand is a medical device. Additionally we know that the LapBand the bands utilised in Mexico are different from most US bands. (Now this might be a positive or negative depending on how you feel about Inomed's US bands - but it is a fact that most US doctors have limited or no experience with some foreign bands. This may change with the current FDA trial of the Swedish band - as approval always expands access with medical devices & procedures.) So it is an issue. I have a group of friends who go to Mexico for all their cosmetic surgery procedures. These procedures, which are usually not covered under their health insurance policies,are much cheaper in Mexico and this group finds the facilities and care to be excellent. They are very pleased. But they are all airline employees,from airport-based airline staffers to stewards to flight attendants (flight attendants are infamous for getting their cosmetic procedures abroad and they shop around for the best work). In the case of this little group, they can quickly hop a plane to Mexico with little advance time, at little or no cost to them, and access their doctors if anything should go wrong. For them, it is an easy decision for them to get non-insurance procedures abroad. They have better access, so it mitigates a lot of the concern. The rest of us may not be as lucky in this respect. As an example, I have a friend out-of-state who was considering paying for her LapBand out of pocket as she was tired of fighting her insurance company for approval. She wanted to go to Mexico for the cheaper Lap Band costs. But as a mother with 2 small children who lives on the East Coast (whose husband often travels a lot on business himself), she would be hard-pressed to quickly access a flight to Mexico if need be, and the costs could be prohibitive. More importantly the closest US-based doctor that could/would treat her for fills/aftercare was nearly 8 hours away by car. (In addition, she speaks no Spanish and was not comfortable with the Texas border-town charters that could take her across to Mexico for aftercare.) I told her quite frankly that if it was me, I'd use that part of that cash-pay money to hire a lawyer to write a letter to her insurance company to get them to get moving on her approval. I could not, in good conscious recommend she get her surgery done so far away if she had a possible alternative. She did take my advice and although it looked grim, she did finally got approved and will be getting her LapBand with a doctor less than 2 hours from her home. So in my opinion, I have no trouble with others who are comfortable enough to seek treatment abroad, particularly in Mexico. But for me, it's not a case of the level of advancement of the Mexican medical facilities, but the access (or lack thereof) that makes me apprehensive about having procedures done there. As I learn more and have the opportunity to explore the option my opinion may change but it's not based on prejudice, close-mindedness or zenophobia about foreign facilities - it's based on distance, accessibility and practicality. Just my .02!

Wow, interesting. Well I have long accepted that I needed quite a few procedures to get my body where I hope it can be. So I have done substantial research on it. I have always heard of The Thigh Lift being one of the most difficult surgeries to recover from (didn't know any Calf Lift patients, that I know of) and even some Plastic Surgeons say the Thigh Lift is one of the procedures where patients have the longest recovery and the least patient satisfaction. So I after reading all those horror stories, I decided that what Lipo and Exercise couldn't do for my thighs, I was going to live with. But your experience seems to reflect that you think it was worthwhile all in all. Thanks for sharing your story.

Well said, Clever. My point is it was an e-mail sent and it is VERY unsolicited. Just because we sign up for this site doesn't mean we agree to have unsolicited e-mails sent to with pre-surgical scare tactics. Let's have some compassion for the recipient, shall we? Sho

Congrats! We'll be scooting over to make room for you "On The Losing Side." Hooray to you for taking the first step on this incredible journey. Happy Band Journey to all, Sho

Bless your heart.... Glad you can find a plumber on this holiday weekend. When it rains, it pours. ( Or when you gotta go, you gotta go!) Good Luck! :-) Sho

Well if anyone sent me an unsolicited anonymous e-mail before I was having surgery, I would take it just as an earlier poster said, as a personal attack. I welcome open, two way dialogue. I shrink away from one-sided attack. Maybe the comment was well-intended but method of delivery led the recipient to be upset. The recipient of an unsolicited comment has (in my opinion) every right to feel however they wish. The sender of the unsolicited comment should fully realise that we can't always control how someone takes a comment, but we can control how we deliver it. If she was upset, let's all acknowledge that whereas we understand you didn't mean to be offensive - it does seem disturbing that you keep stressing your intent made you right, rather that acknowledging the recipient's feelings. That seems a bit insensitive. It's fine you meant to be helpful but if she's distressed, just accept that she took it differently rather than reminding us how many other people didn't find it offensive to them. I guess not, it wasn't us who got the e-mail. Her reaction might be better understood were we to put ourselves in her shoes. She didn't ask you to send it. It's unfortunate that she didn't react as you'd hoped - but we should try to imagine ourselves in that position. If someone had done something like that to us before our surgeries, we might also react emotionally. (True enough, some of us have faced people trying to discourage us right here at home before we had surgeries, and hopefully we all had the strength of our convictions to continue doing what was right.) So no matter what - even if I had good intentions I'd be more understanding that the recipient for whatever reasons was distressed, and would be a tad more apologetic to her feelings (even if I knew my intent was good.) As we near the MLK holiday here in the 'States, I guess I try to reflect on tolerance a bit more - a lesson that's easy for me and many of us to forget. Happy Band Journeys To All, Sho

{ I must be blunt: First of all, I do not support the idea of flying across the world to India for elective surgery. It is neither feasible, nor advisable. This is not the same as even flying to Mexico where there are quick daily flights from most major cities in the US. India is literally a world away - and I guess I'm just finding these spammy posts for Indian surgery to be repetitive. JMHO.} To The Original Poster: 1. You mentioned being 13# from your goal weight. That's within a reasonable range to consider an Abdominoplasty or Tummy Tuck (TT). Now is the time to start researching, consulting, making appointments, etc. I just had my TT in December within 18# of my goal weight (and I'm still 16# from goal, LOL) and both my WLS doc and my Plastic Surgeon thought that was within a workable range of my goal - to have get a TT. But just to reiterate what other posters have responded, you will NOT lose weight from a Tummy Tuck. Neither Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck Surgeries nor Liposuction are going to generally result in any weight loss. You might lose clothes sizes (sometimes the sizes don't change either) or not, but you will definitely see a difference in how your clothes fit. But not only will you not usually lose weight, but initially you may well see temporary gain on the scale while your body heals from this complex surgery. It's common to initially gain pounds from Fluid retention and swelling from the procedure. Most patients do not lose weight overall. 2. Now you mentioned possible options for paying for the Tuck. I also believe that you will probably not save overall in having your surgery abroad unless you are in an area with limited plastic surgery surgeons and facilities. Most of my friends who succeeded best with surgery abroad were Flight Attendants, Airline employees or others who were reasonably certain they could have quick, easy access to their surgeons if need be. I think another option is to consider whether your excess skin or other abdominal/medical issues might lead you to have your surgery paid for in total or partially by insurance. Hernias, Excess Skin, Large Amounts of Weight Loss and other conditions can be reasons for insurance to approve reconstructive [ notice I didn't say Cosmetic :rolleyes ] surgery. I worked at an insurance company to learn all I could about approvals, coverage and claims and I write about the process in my blog all the time. (Hopefully I can use this knowledge against the insurance company in the future - it's a fascinating but sometimes frustrating process, really.) So people ask me a lot about whether they can get insurance approval for Abdominoplasty, Panniculectomy, or Lower Body Lift surgeries. With some good research and documentation, these surgeries can be covered. As I get asked about it a lot, I put in a page on my blog about some ideas and suggestions for getting the insurance company to pay for these surgeries. Maybe you'll get an idea or two (this is just a page on my personal blog) The link is: http://www.newsho.zoomshare.com/2.html Hope this helps!

Sorry to hear that. I must admit they sound a bit inflexible. Hopefully this time will pass quickly for you - don't beat yourself up during this period, eat good foods and try to be good to yourself. Good Luck & I really sympathise, Sho

KRISSY: Afterglow is correct - there is a centrally located Houston meeting. (The Houston area Bandsters group on Yahoo is how most find the group.) I think the Houston Bandsters group meets next Saturday (January 21st) at 2 pm in the afternoon. But I will double check to make sure. They are monthly meetings by held by two Banded women who have a business (called H3 - Hope Health & Happiness ) which assists others with the physical & emotional aspects of successful Weight Loss Surgery. Each of the two has lost 100+ lbs or more with the LapBand. It's open to people who are banded or those who are considering the LapBand - good mix of people with opportunity to share and ask questions if you like. The meetings are free (of course) and on meeting days, you're allowed to come up to an hour early and work out for free in their neat, clean workout area. Houston Area Bandsters Support Group Meeting 4140 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100 Houston, TX 77027 (It's in The Greenway Plaza area - right off 59 South at the Weslayan exit ) Here's a map from their website http://www.h3wellness.com/images/map.jpg As I said, I will confirm that the meeting is next Saturday, and post back later if I get a chance. Hope you attend!

I have a lower-profile port that was in front but on the side of my old abdomen. I just had an Abdominoplasty (or Full Tummy Tuck, also called a TT ) in December, to rid myself of excess skin and tighten some abdominal muscles loosened during the weight gain/loss process. My Plastic Surgeon (P.S.) is a colleague of My Weight Loss Surgeon (W.L.S.) at the same hospital and patients are often referred to him from my WLS. Therefore the PS has extensive experience with port placements with LapBand patients during TT's. I heard from the PS' office staff that the new lower-profile ports make a nicer 'line' in a streamlined abdomen and are easier to work around while the cosmetic surgery is done. Well, long story short, my port is now placed directly over my new Belly Button, as the PS moved over & removed the excess skin near where my port 'mini-scar' was. I'm sure my WLS will be thrilled with the new location - it should be much easier to access (I must admit, I knew I really needed a Tummy Tuck but I was shocked at how much skin the PS removed and by how much the port 'access' scar is to my new BB. ) If all goes well, I'll get my first fill (since the Tuck) sometime later this month and we'll see if the new location makes access easier for the WLS. Just my experience. Hope this helps!

Anca, The problem I have with the Inomed list is that it's kind of out-of-date. After going through all those steps (it's way too many) then the information isn't as strong as it could be. Some of those docs do not actually do LapBands - and some newer docs that do LapBands and fills aren't listed. I know it's a challenge to keep a current list so hopefully some local Banders will be able to add/change/correct that list as needed.