AliDiane

I have consistently lost 1 pound per week since my surgery. I have not been able to lose any more than this. Sometimes I get discouraged by the pace of my weight loss but I just remind myself that before banding I was gaining one pound a week. The tide has turned and I am now losing weight. My doctor says that it is healthier to lose at a slower rate and that I am more likely to maintain my weight loss if I keep it slow and steady.

I exercise for 5 hours every week. I keep a calendar in my bathroom and every day I weigh myself and record my weight on the calendar. Then after I exercise I record the number of minutes that I exercised. I do a variety of exercises. I do the elliptical for half an hour three days a week, I lift weights on the nautillus machines at the gym, I walk, and I take a aerobic/weight lifting class. When I reach my weekly goal of 5 hours I quit for the week!!

I asked my band doctor about taking Omega 3's in the gel tab form and he said no way. He said that the gelatin coating can act like a plug and block the small opening between the pouch and your stomach and get stuck. He said the only way to dislodge it is with a endoscopy. He says that he has seen this happen to patients more times than he would like. He said to only take the oils in liquid or natural form. I will have to ask him about soaking the tab before swallowing.

I had my yearly gyn visit this month. My gyn was extremely supportive of the band. She said that she has had many patients who have gotten the band and are successfully losing weight and maintaining the loss. She said that it is much better to loose weight slowly. It is more healthy and more successfully maintained. I am losing weight "slowly" by some standards (one pound a week) but I am making permanent life style changes which should keep those extra pounds off for good! I love my band.

Dr. Pleatman, If you are not advertising for business, then please explain what motivates you to post on LBT so frequently and with such strong opinions. It puzzles me that you would spend so much time and energy posting on a LB support group forum. I would appreciate hearing your explanation.

I love my band. I was banded on January 12, 2005. I agree with many of the other posts -- losing weight is still hard even with the band. But the band is a big help! I am rarely hungry and many of my food cravings have lessened. I have tons of energy and I feel great. I am losing weight slowly but I am okay with that. I think the band is a great weight loss tool. There are possible problems and complications with any surgery and life is full of risks. I weighed the risks vs. benefits of the band prior to surgery and decided to give the band a try. I am so glad I did.

Hi, This is exactly the thread I have been waiting for!! I would love to join the Gone for Good Club. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. In desperation I began researching weight loss surgery and I discovered the Lap Band. I was banded on January 12, 2006. I LOVE my band. I had my first fill last week. I still don't have much restriction, but I have found that I am rarely hungry and many of my food cravings have subsided. I have lost a little over a pound per week since banding. Here are my stats: Highest Weight: 224 Weight at Surgery: 224 Current Weight: 210 Goal Weight: 120

I had a lot of pain at my port site for about 10 days. Walking and moving in certain ways caused it to hurt. I am very short waisted and my port is close to my waist. Perhaps that is why it hurt so much. I took pain meds for about 4 days.

I weigh every day. It keeps me accountable to myself for my daily food and exercise choices. I don't beat myself up about a little fluctuation in my weight either. I have to admit that since I had my lap band surgery I look forward to my morning weigh in. My weight just keeps creeping down the scale. Yahoo!

I know how you feel. I was so scared before my surgery. At my pre-op visit I had to fight the urge to bolt out of the surgeon's office. Dr. Cribbins (Dr. Hamns's partner) did my surgery. I am five weeks post surgery and I feel GREAT!!! I have only lost about 10 pounds but my blood pressure is down, I have more energy than I have in years, and my food cravings have lessened. Good luck on your surgery. The Frisco Medical Center is amazing, by the way. They took excellent care of me.

Dr. Cribbins did my surgery. I think he is an excellent surgeon. I would suggest that you do a search on LBT for the Doctors you are interested in. You will pull up all comments regarding these doctors and that should help you make your decision.

When I decided to get the lap band, I knew of the possible risks. The risks are scarey, but everything good in life comes with risk. We can't live our lives based on fear. We should guide our lives with hope. If our bands erode, we will have to face that challenge and do the best we can to take care of ourselves. Will I remove my band just on the chance that there will be a problem? Never.

I am short waisted too. My port site is just above my waist. Sometimes I worry that if I bend over, the waist band of my jeans will push on my port and flip it. My doctor says that this is very unlikey to happen. I am only about 3 1/2 weeks post surgery and my port site is still a little tender but it feels sooooo much better than that first week or two after surgery!

I had a one night stay in the hospital. I was really glad that I did. My bladder went to "sleep" from the anesthesia and I was not able to fully empty my bladder. I had to have a catheter in the middle of the night. If I had gone home after the surgery, I would have had to go to an emergency room for help. As it was, I was comfortable and well taken care of in the hospital.

I used Dr. Cribbins. He charges $17700 for self-pay patients. He is a little more expensive than most but the price includes an overnight stay at the Baylor Frisco Medical Center. Most of the other doctors in DFW do not have you stay overnight (I think). At first I thought I wouldn't need to stay overnight but it turned out to be a good thing for me. Dr. Cribbins has done about 1000 lap band surgeries and has a very low incidence of complications. I think he is a good surgeon. Good luck finding a doctor. I think we are lucky in DFW to have so many good ones to choose from.

Congratulations! You were a big influence in my decision to be banded. Your success is a great inspiration to us all. I told my kids that if the band works for me and I lose weight, I hope that I can go bike riding with them again. I feel so bulky and awkward on my bike right now. Once again, Congratulations!

Kristen, I know how you feel. I was banded on Jan 12. I also have a lot of pain at the port site. Just moving makes that site sore. The nurse told me it is normal, but that doesn't make it hurt less. I am also ravenously hungry on my liquid diet. We are both too new to know if all this sacrifice is going to pay off! I sure hope it does. It is the hope that this band will help me to lose weight and become more healthy that keeps me going through the healing process. I think that probably most of our initial weight loss is Water. I wouldn't worry about putting on a few pounds as you change to more solid food. I think it is mostly water and not fat at this early point in our journey. I think Sarabride's suggestion to face the post surgery challenges one day at a time is a good one! I will try to live by that motto. I was very encouraged to hear that at 3 weeks out Sarabride is already glad that she had the surgery. Best wishes.

Thank you for this thread!! I was going to post a question on post-op food choices before I found this. The nutritionist in the hospital told me that I should eat 3 Protein shakes a day and supplement with 2 ounces 3 times a day of thick liquids (i.e. yogurt, smooth Soups, cream of wheat, etc.) for the next five weeks. My family has been teasing me that I eat what a six-month old baby eats. I have to admit that I have been hungry. I catch myself dreaming of eating pizza and roast chicken. I even started watching the food channel and ordering cookbooks and food magazines. Finally I decided to add a few calories to my day by eating 4 ounce portions of the thick liquids and I feel much better. This is a rough stage but I have lost about 8 pounds since my surgery last week!

Hi. I just wanted to introduce myself. I was banded last week. I have been enjoying this forum for a while and I decided I should make myself an official banded member. I have one question. The large incision where my port was placed is still very painful. It hurts when I walk and move. It is not red or inflamed or swollen. The nurse said that it is normal to hurt at that site. She said, "you don't even want to know what they did to you through that incision." A little scarey. Is this normal as she says? How long does the pain last. I am so hopeful that this surgery will work for me. I have appreciated all the information I have received from this site.