NewSho

Band: Inamed 9.75 cm/4cc band...Low-Pro port. Fill: Not enough. Supposed Fill Level: 2.9 to 3.0 Fill "Feels Like" Level: 2.7 maybe :guess So I could use a teensy weensy bit more And it's all individual. The numbers of other people are meaningless when it comes to helping you figure a good level for you. That's why I don't put them in a tag line, it's absolutely of no revelance to anyone but me. :nervous Remember the closer you get to goal, the more restriction you might need. For some people, the larger they are (the larger their stomach volume) so putting the band on with a small amount of fill gives them restriction. However, as one loses (and gets smaller) then it may take more and more fill just to have that same level of restriction. For example: A 1.5 cc fill might seem snug on one person who weighs 280#, but might feel like absolutely nothing for another person who only weighs 180#. So fills, schmills. The only important numbers are YOUR own numbers, period.

Oh go ahead and do it. It's honestly nothing as serious as the original banding. The members of LapBandTalk have written about this extensively on the site. I don't want to be repeating myself (or the posts of others.) Try doing a search for "Low Profile Port" within this site, or even "Port replacement." I like the newer LowProfile ports anyway. (I'm all for new, improved technology). Later when my port ended up being moved during my Tummy Tuck (my whole lower stomach was moved, band, tubing and all :rolleyes ) so I was glad that I'd already had my Old-School original port replaced. The lower profile port gave my plastic surgeon a lot more options about where to move it for the Tummy Tuck. It doesn't bother me at all (knock wood). Now with my visibly slimmer abdomen, even if I lose weight I think the Low-Pro is going to give me a better silhouette.

Wow....veryyyy interesting. And the fact that it probably got puncturing during a fill, is kinda scary. Whew, these things are so delicate.

Glad you're home... these little bumps & bruises don't make our Band Journeys any less worthwhile. I love that woman's comment. The other day when I took my pal to her first LapBand surgery post-op appt, the office nurse said (unprompted) "Oh, you don't need this surgery." So I guess that's kind of a compliment, right? Rest up, recover and continue along your journey. Congrats on being back home.

That's great that it worked out for you, he sounds like a keeper. But in reality a lot of men, especially men in their 20's and 30's are extremely observant(and some, critical) about womens bodies nowadays.:phanvan It's not the days of old where things were different, and men were just happy to get to see a naked female. Now they see Pamela Anderson types on regular TV, cable, the internet, movies - and mens' perspectives about what is an acceptable female body has greatly changed. :paranoid So I know most men nowadays will definitely notice even Lap scars (some will be kind enough not to mention it, some might be classy enough to pretend they didn't notice, but frankly some men are going to ask about them, period.) And depending on where/when they see the scars, the conversation can go a bunch of different ways. Either way we single Bandsters (or those who were single back when they were banded but later found mates) have to be ready to face the inevitabilty of this discussion. I don't tell people (men or women) casually unless it's in the context of a Weight-Loss related conversation. Otherwise, people are told on a "need to know" basis. Your mileage may vary.

Good Move. You're gonna do well.

Depending on my restriction level (as usual, it's time for a fill, I think) With more restriction: A Protein Drink made kind of thick (I often add a spoonful of peanut butter or a spoonful of Cream of Wheat to thicken it up a bit) With less restriction:A 'fried' egg (in Pam or nonstick cooking spray) Or EggBeaters works. I like them with salsa and a sprinkle of shredded cheese And to answer the newbie question above: As I get more restricted, than I rarely eat bread now. I can eat some, but if it's doughy (like biscuits, sourdough or soft rolls & breads, dumplings, tortilla, croissants, doughnuts, sweet rolls) than it's too filling. Even a little gives my pouch an overfilled stuffed feeling. But I can eat anything crunchy - so I prefer crunchy things. Anything that has to be chewed a lot works better. So I don't eat toast unless it's toasted twice (it has to be hard and crunchy) and I can only eat one slice. Usually I don't bother.

Seriously, I've read this on Weight Loss Surgery websites for years - but don't get it. Even though I was obese, I never was unable to cross my legs so I have no idea of at what point it becomes impossible. Of course I'm really tall and had really long, thick legs. So even when I was obese, maybe I was good at hauling all that flab and just moved them around really well. Interesting thread.

Take it from someone who's been there. I guess I'm in the minority because I say "Get the fill." Please. Thanksgiving? An all-American holiday of gluttony. This year you have something to really be grateful for: a tool that will help you fight against obesity. To me that is much more important than some food I'm not going to remember in a few days (but will last on my hips forever). I don't believe in getting an unfill (or postponing a small fill) before a vacation or a holiday so I can eat. That's sad. :cry When I read people saying "Oh I don't want to get a fill so I can enjoy myself.." then I think it's sad that they associate being well-restriction with giving up something. Trust me, as an obese person I didn't missed any meals yet - but I have missed on opportunities due to being overweight. I'm not letting that happen anymore. So it's an easy decision - I'd get the fill. Thanksgiving is one holiday on a calendar, but good restriction and slow, steady weight loss is a gift you can enjoy every single day.

I have never, ever in my long banded life have heard of this. The whole thing is contrary to what the band is about. The band is meant to be adjusted over a life time. What your doctor (I really hope this man is not your doctor, I'd run away) is suggesting is almost criminal. And Inamed definitely doesn't condone any kind of "tying off" of the band tubing. A doctor doing this could damage the band tubing.And not to mention - that whatever level of restriction you have eases up over time - whether due to absorption, osmosis or sweating. And what if you simply find yourself gaining 5-10# in a few years. Then you're thinking "Gee, I should have kept my port..." Exactly! How could they possibly adjust the band, down the road. This is awful. Simply awful.

Just use this time to rest and recover.

Oh No, RS.. I thought it was a case of simple anemia. On my last labs before my TT - the labs came back so low 5 days before surgery was scheduled, that I had to start taking prescription iron tabs. :sick But it was a simple case of my blood's low iron levels, I was oxygenating decently. I will keep my fingers crossed for you... take care and let us know what happens, OK?

Fundoplication is a surgical procedure to correct extremely severe GERD or Reflux.*** Wow, I don't know. Since most people find that the LapBand itself is a real solution for GERD, I don't personally know of anyone who got banded after a fundoplication procedure. I have no idea if having had the stomach already 'wrapped' to prevent reflux would then make putting a LapBand on - more difficult. I'd suggest you talk to a bunch of LapBand surgeons and get a clear concise idea of what can or can't be done. Maybe you could call Inamed (the LapBand manufacturer) for more information too. Good Luck. *** For those who were wondering/unsure about Fundoplication: WebMD has this definition: "During fundoplication surgery, the upper curve of the stomach (the fundus) is wrapped around the esophagus and sewn into place so that the lower portion of the esophagus passes through a small tunnel of stomach muscle. This surgery strengthens the valve between the esophagus and stomach (lower esophageal sphincter, or LES), which stops acid from backing up into the esophagus as easily. This allows the esophagus to heal.

Congrats! You're officially a member of The "Century Club" for those who lost 100+ lbs or more.

Hang in there, it definitely gets better. Now, of course I still experience swelling - even more than 5 months after my own TT surgery. So I no need to wear my garment/binder every day like I did after surgery, but I still wear it at night (I love to wake up looking nice and flat) and rarely, on occasions if I think I'll be taxing myself. At this point I basically feel it more after super busy days...after climbing many flights of stairs.... or after walking long distances. For example yesterday I ended up walking for miles on a convention center floor (it was impromptu) and if I'd known I was going, I'd have worn some type of compression garment underneath to keep the swelling down (I also had on hard bottomed, high heels so I felt more 'force' with each step). I know some patients who still swell up a bit, even 6-12 months after their procedures. Just know that the results are well worth it. You won't regret it for a second.

Ewwww. I know I'm germophobic but YUCK. This is the most disgusting thing I've heard in a while.

Hmmm... that's exactly what I thought when I read your later posts. This is normally where I would tell you what an idiotic thing that is to say to me who probably knows more about band complications than anyone you know, including whoever told you that GastroParesis was caused (maybe you mean, aggravated? ) by your band. But I will simply strike your comments up to your ignorance of my own particular band history, and of the band itself. Oh we fully understand the risk of a foreign object. But we also understand the long-standing, long documented ramifications of being obese for years. So it's a calculated risk that most of us are taking. See, I don't know if you really intended to educate us. It sounds more like you intended to alarm us. If that was your intention - alarming people without giving them concrete evidence to back it up - then you succeeded. cproblems with you coming to share your own experiences. But honestly, is that what you did? Instead you came in insulting us by saying we're uninformed, hurling insults at a surgeon who comes here to provide medical information about banding, and then getting yourself worked up because we simply told you that we hadn't heard about it. On this note, I will end my participation in this and simply wish you good luck with your case.

UPDATE: As of last week, my plastic surgeon now says with my continued weight loss, I'm losing further breast volume. So if I want the perkiness and roundness back... it's definitely looking as if I might have to consider implants. :phanvan That sucks - Like, gee, don't I have enough foreign objects in my body - with my "Silicone Freeloader" (my band). ??? Stay tuned.

ME TOO! My surgeon prefers me to get filled only by other surgeons, and not by PA's or RN's. Yes I know there are well-trained RN's and PA's but my doc feels that other surgeons are best at hitting/filling the port, because they themselves have placed so many.

Hmmm... is your ticker is a bit out of date? I thought you'd lost 30+ lbs or more, but then again you might be only counting your PostOp weight loss. Anyway I know that your Dr Spiegel is really tough on patients - how does he feel about you having lost such a small amount in nearly a year of banding? He's known to 'crack the whip' if needed, so I'm curious to what he has said/suggested/screamed about this. But I do find it interesting because most patients over 200# and those of certain BMI levels usually get more 'restriction' level out of less fill. A 4cc fill in a 4cc band on a patient who weighs 220 or so should really give you some pretty snug restriction. Has Spiegel only been doing your fills or is it a Physician's Assistant or Nurse? As everyone else has asked - are these fills under Flouro? Did you ever feel restriction since banding, or is this lack of restriction, a new feeling? Do they have any other possibilities or theories as to what's going on with your band? PLEASE keep us posted on your progress. Good Luck.

BandedNoMore - Nobody is discounting the seriousness of your condition. But coming here and slinging insults toward those who are saying that we're sorry for what happened to you, but maybe it's not band related. Just maybe consider it, please. I've been banded since the dawn of LapBand time (well in the U.S.) anyway, and I have yet to hear any link to Gastroparesis and banding. My surgeon has done thousands (yes, correct - he was banding long before some other doctors knew what an LapBand was) and he completely shrugged off a band link to this disease. He's never heard of it, or seen evidence of a link. I've met hundreds and hundreds of other Bandsters and have examined (or it feels like I've experienced) just about every band-related complication. This is serious - but we don't know your case is band-related yet. With such a new type of surgical technology, i know how easy to see correlations, even when they possibly don't exist. I realize that PreOp and Newbie Bandsters have concerns about slippage, and erosion - but I just can't see Ringing the Alarm because of a possibly single instance of this rather rare disease. And to be frank, your initial comment about Parkinson's (which was a red flag that you maybe misunderstood the condition and its ramifications) really probably further unnecessarily alarmed and scared members of this Forum. I realize you came back and clarified it later, but please recognize that: You're a brand new poster All your posts have been about one thing Your attitude seems not reflective (like other folks who suffer complications) but downright antagonistic When other people present some different viewpoints, you go on attack. All of these things make your posts seem less legitimate. In other words, should we consider the source? How do we know - you're a brand new member. Obviously this is an important enough issue to inspire you to join here and share information with us. Maybe as things further unfold in your medical case, and a course of treatment is better assessed for you - you'll be able to discuss this issue with more fairness and clarity.

Sorry for your troubles. This attitude is absolutely mind-boggling to me. :faint: It's a band you have for life. Yes, it's adjustable but you're not even halfway to your goal mark. I mean, if we get our band loosened for every month - because we want to "enjoy ourselves" then we might never get the results we aspire to have! I have heard of band patients postponing a fill until after they return from a short vacation but getting unfilled to 'enjoy yourself' for a full month? Wow. I really think this is one of the things that made early band study results look not as good.Just because we can adjust our bands - shouldn't mean we should randomly. I was always taught that we should consider unfilling ONLY when we are ill, when we are dangerously overfilled, in case of pregnancy, or once we get to goal - and need to maintain. I don't mean to sound harsh, but if a month on vacation translates into a month of not eating in a "band-friendly" way, I just wonder if that's counter-productive. Is the RN the one who normally does your fills? Are they Inamed-trained? This situation seems really precarious. What does your surgeon say about getting under-filled just to go on vacation? Does the surgeon encourage or allow this type of protocol or did the RN take it upon himself to grant your request? Some band surgeons say that often when one has an unfill, the patient has to work that much harder to get back to regular restriction. It's harder for an unfilled or underfilled band to be re-filled again. And the band can be unfilled (or de-filled a bit) but that too many unfills can possibly damage the integrity of the band. Apparently it's easier to fill it a bit more, than to unfill it sometimes. So I would caution us all to remember that just because we love the adjustability of the band. All in all, I hope you don't have a leak and that you can get your band dilemma resolved. Good Luck.

Sorry for your troubles. To clarify: Are you saying you had the older VBG (The Vertical Banded Gastropexy) which is the older non-adjustable band ??? This procedure was performed widely up until the late 1990's. It started falling out of favor beginning around the year 2000 - due to the extremely complication and failure rate (high rates of erosion, staple line disruption, and re-gain of previously lost weight.) Hopefully someone here will have some relevant experiences to share with you here. But if not, if you check another website, "ObesityHelp", they have a forum called "Second Time Around" for Weight Loss Surgery patients who are getting a second form of surgery. Apparently, there are quite a few VBG patients who are now being converted to LapBanders (and some converted to RnY)... You'll probably find some great info there.

Wow - marathoning, hiking up a volcano, kayaking, biking? That makes it worth it right there. How cool that a tiny little band can improve our lives!

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! The clothes get more fashionable, and we get many more choices when we're in regular sizes. YAY for YOU !