marys

From my understanding your band has less of a chance of slipping if you treat it right - i.e. don't pb/throw up a lot and/or over eat and erosion is anyone's guess - doesn't seem to be related to what one does or doesn't do - unluck of the draw. Erosion seems to happen around 2 years (non of this info is scientific it is jusst what i have gleaned from my readings). I am the opposite of fyou - i never worry about what ifs and just barge ahead so it is good to do your research - i just always hope for the best and go from there. If I slip i will be mad at myself cuz i do pb alot (not ALOT) but when i hear of so many others that have never done it - i think its a lot. I try not to overeat but realized i had been overeating and not realizing it (for months) so that's why i say it will be my fault. I'm just praying i don't erode - i have other implants in me and they are still there so i think i will be ok. good luck

Since your doc is practically dumping you would he be willing to set you up with another doc and/or give the o.k. to another doc to take you on - maybe a referral to someone you would like to see? Sorry you have to go through this. I also ordered phentermine over the internet many times, you have to find a site that offers doctor approval or you have to fax a rx - it may take some searching but their are many many of those. good luck,

i've always heard that a full moon is the best time to start new ventures, projects, etc.

my absolute favorite is EAS Myoplex lite in any flavors - old favs like choc, vanilla and strawberry but they also now have these tropical flavors that are super yummy - they don't have a chalky taste and u can mix with milk or Water - i use water and ice cubes and it's like a thick milkshake. but but but i do not like their pre mixed shakes - i think they are not near as good as the kind in the envelope you mix in a blender. not sure why. this isn't Protein shake but i luv all crystal lites - those little mix in packs have made it possible for me to drink 8 bottles a day and sugar free tang is beyond wonderful - my friend just bought me 40.00 worth as i couldn't find it where i live - cant wait for that pakage to arrive.

I had surgery on a friday and went back to work 1/2 day on monday - i have a very easy job and was alone all day. I was tired - a lot from traveling and not super comfortable sleeping but it was ok - if possible i would suggest taking 3-5 days off work regardless - you're not eating and don't have tons of energy. Consideering you have a desk job that doesn't sound toooo stressful, you should be fine. I've always said - when people see you back at work they dont care what's up with you - they expect 100%. b

My mom (face) and brother (leg) both had spots removed and are fine now (also cancer) - it is horribly scary i'm sure and i pray all suffering with this will come out fine- it's best to find things early and treat aggressively which sounds like what you are doing. good luck and i know its hard but try to think positively and not worry too much

I went to Dr. Ortiz and am very happy with that choice - he has a book you can buy - lapband for life through his website obesitycontrolcenter.com or thru amazon i believe. One thing about going to mexico is you will not have as much aftercare as some stateside docs offer - granted he has a website for patients and patient care coordinators you can call (and he gives you his phone number and associates cell phone numbers) so its not like he isn't accessible. Its just no local support groups, weigh ins, regular contact, - i get that here and i'm not knocking him - again, i think he is beyond wonderful - just consider what your needs might be after surgery re: fills, etc. Congrats and good luck to you!

Yes that is my total weight loss and i'm even embarrassed to say that 19 was at my lowest right before my unfill - i'm even up 4 lbs BUT i refuse to feel bad about it. I had a huge breakthrough with figuring out what full now means - just satisfied which is a helluva lot less than my definition of full - and that took me almost 1 year to figure out. i think it result in the scale moving now too. I also started training for 1/2 marathon and i am runing 4 times a week (albeit slowly with heavy breathing) and doing weight training again - i know my body shape will change and firm up. so i am hopeful again. My guy constantly tells me to keep in mind the positives of the behavior changes, slow wins the race, its better than gaining, take the long term perspective etc etc etc. it can be maddening at times but he is right. To answer your question I just dont know - all i can say is everyone of us is different even if our age and weight is the same - it probably has to do with stuff like history of dieting, weight loss and gain history, metabolism, bone structure, and all sorts of things. focus on the bandster 'rules' - eating three high Protein small meals a day with 1-2 healthy high protein Snacks, drink tons of Water, watch snacking and exercise so that you are breathing hard (but can still talk!) and it's bound to work - maybe slowly - but will work.

Hi Sweet You really don't start counting your weight loss until after your first fill as most don't have much restriction once the swelling goes down. Also, do you have the larger VG band, and how much did they put in? The larger bands take a few more fills to get to a good level of restriction and even the smaller bands sometimes take several fills to get the right level. I"m going for my fourth soon and i think i'm close! Another thing, on my last fill - i didn't feel any restrictions until after two weeks - the first week i could eat a lot, and while i had heard others say, relax, wait, it takes a while to 'kick' in - i had not experienced that. Walking is also TERRIFIC but if you are strolling you might try hoofing it up a bit - get a little sweat going and breathing a bit harder or just time how long it takes you to walk and try cutting a few minutes off of that time every few days or week or so. Believe me I am losing slow as a turtle but it is losing and if we are losing we are winners. Keep a food diary to make sure you aren't snacking grazing during the day, up your exercise just a tad and wait one month - if you still aren't losing check with doc about maybe another small fill. hang in there - we are all with you. mary

if you want it under flouro dr. green is the only one in utah that takes patients who had their surgery in mexico -

My doc says no food or liquid 2 hrs before a fill but last time I ate exactly two hours before (and a pretty big breakfast) and I don't think i got the right fill - i wouuld definitely go on a very empty stomach - the fill guidelines posted are good.b

It's official - I'm throwing in the towel today with the band and have ordered hundreds of dollars of nutri system food, pills and potions to try to lose weight. For me it just isnt working and i can lose more with traditional diets - even the Soup diet going around here which i'll start today for a few days. i absolutely know the weight wont stay off but its familiar and at least i'll get weight off for awhile. I wanted the band to help me be a normal eater - someone who eats when hungry, stops when full and by eating smaller portions i would lose weight - i can still eat plenty and even with 3-4 days of exercise cant get any significant weight off or any really. I'm back on the yo yo that I know so well. Every day is an emotional roller coaster of what should i eat today - so i don't say diet but it is. I did have high hopes and I know it works for more than it doesn't so i dont want to discourage others but it is important to realize it can go both ways. Of the four gals who had surgery with me - 1 lost over 70lbs and is at goal - 1 is hopeful losing steadily, 1 has lived with a complete unfill and is losing weight on her own, and one has tried and is giving up and trying to lose on her own - so it's 50/50 with this small sample. Thanks for letting me vent!

Weight watchers is a smart way to go - they have the highest success rate of any diet program out there I've always liked that they encourage folks to eat real food and all types of food - just to watch the portions - congrats on keeping your weight in check without that band - you must be doing something right! you are wise to do something before 4 turns to 40.... good luck to you.

I just a made a meatloaf with a package of stove top stuffing mixed in - it was delicious and moist and a small piece is not going to kills us calorie wise.

my favorite protein powder is EAS myoplex lite and you can mix with water or skim milk - i always use water and it's under 200 calories and i think, tastes really good - i like all flavors - choc, vanilla, strawberry and their tropical flavors (orange jubilee, etc.) I absolutely hate the premixed ones though so i can't recommend them - it's in the blender with ice that makes them so good and filling. Alot of times you can buy them on ebay cheaper than in the stores - for about 1.00 packet.

Thanks Heidi, Yes, i've had my thyroid checked in the past but not recently. I think my metabolism is slow from years of yo yo dieting. I am on birth control pills and have been for over 25 years - I guess I could go off them but there is still a slight chance I could become pregnant and I think they help with pre-menopausal symptoms. I use EAS myoplex lite shakes with 35 gms of protein - they taste great and fill me up - hate slimfast as they make me full of gas and running to the bathroom and i'm hungry before I finish the last sip - smile. My plan is to have 2-3 of those EAS shakes per day with some nourishing soup for dinner - I have the jack lalaine juicer and am very into making fresh vegetable juices and soups. I did a vegetable/juice cleanse for two weeks about a month ago and didn't lose a lb but felt terrific.

I am beyond discouraged with the weight i haven't lost too - today with my weight up again i am at a horrendous 10lbs lost since my first fill in january 06 - my surgery was in november 05. so that's about 1 lb a month and believe me it's been next to impossible. i'm going for my 4th fill on the 11th and have decided i want to be so tight i can only do liquds with maybe some food now and then. that's how all i know are losing weight and while i didn't want that in the beginning i want it now. i paid a lot of money to lose weight and i will lose weight like that. i have my protein shakes and soups all ready and knbow i can do it. I was and am willing to be content with 25lbs in a year since surgery but no less - not for 10K+

Let's see, I've lost 14lbs since my surgery in November 05 - i really only count since my first fill in January since I gained back all my weight lost before that fill. Now if it wasn't for my boyfriend i would be insane over how little that is - about 2lbs a month to be exact. He continually reminds me to take the long term perspective, to look at the big changes i've made, to rejoice in what i've lost so far, to not have gained 14 lbs, If it was up to him I would weigh once a month and assess things after one year - i dont have that patience but I'm trying. I am so glad I only told one person of this surgery as it would kill me to have to justify or discuss my slow or lack of weight loss with anyone. It seems like the band is working for your daughter - just at her own pace - why put any timetable on this - a couple of pounds a month steady loss will net 25+ a year....I used to gain at least that much every year!

what do you take to produce the blow? pills, powder? And, did you have any trouble getting the potion down? Just curious...mary

I just wanted to say i recently had two meals where I felt full after a few bites - it was an unbelievable feeling and if that is what the successful bandsters are talking about - maybe it was a temporary feeling of that sweet spot then 1) i know why they are successful at losing weight and 2) i know why they are so happy with the band. I got so excited to think i might be feeling that i almost cried (pitiful i know) but alas it hasn'nt been back since. now its back to pbing and fighting to stop eating at satiety - i figured out what hunger is - i wait until my stomach is growling and i do think my fill is definitely tightening up - i have to be very very careful in the morning - just protein shake or oatmeal it seems - the rest of the day varies day to day and meal to meal so who knows. if for some reason i can get that full feeling with a small amount of food i'll pull the towel back out, you know?

oh my gawd - with the exception of the long island ice tea - those are my most favorite drinks - granted i only have one (sometimes two) - but that's an eye opener. kinda curious about the apple martini - i always thought vodka was decent calorie wise and all the 'flavors' were so tiny (amounts) that it wouldn't add up to that much - goes to show you - ANOTHER reason why the pounds stay on me...

oh my gosh fitter i sneeze all the time - allergies and all and big sneezes too - and i have wondered about that slipping the band - do you really think it could. My doc - ortiz - at first said NO CARBONATION FOR LIFE. Recently on his webiste (lapbandforum.com) he revised that to say: no carbonation for 6 months after surgery after 6 months best to avoid becuz no nutritional value (nothing about slippage or hurtng the band) a freind of mine gets terrible stomach aches if shed drinks carbonated beverages to for me, i'm gonna try to stay off of them because i weaned myself already and like most things, i was insane over them - esp orange diet soda - sometimes i would drink over 1 gallon a day of that - totally addicting.

In my thin-est days doing phen phen (loved it) my doctor was absolutely INSANE - (you may have seen him on 60 minutes - later lost his license and is probably in jail)...ANYWAY, he was absolutely convinced that overeating was no different than any other addiction (smoking, drinking, drugs) caused by an inbalance of serotonin and dopamine - i've known many 'naturally' thin people including my guy and his weight (29 inch waist) has stayed the same since HIGH SCHOOL. In fact before banding i would whine to him daily - why doesn't MY weight EVER stay the same - up and down EVERY SINGLE DAY. So being able to eat anything and everything is a bit different (frankly, those folks are an anomoly and probably have a super high metabolism) but I've always felt obesity is a disease compounded by years poor diet. I mean I've eaten toast with melted butter and sugar many times and felt if I didn't have it I would die - that is just not 'normal'. Overeating to obesity is way more than will power imo.

Here's a little bit more about the band/size - this is from lapbandforum (Dr.. Ortiz's site) as a topic of interest in the last few weeks... ====== I found a few things I thought I'd post. Here is a picture of the vanguard band compared to the lower capacity band. http://www.core.monash.org/placement.html And some info from another site: There are two issues here: 1) Band size 2) Fill volume There are three sizes of Inamed Lap Bands. As I understand it, the size refers to the inner diameter of the band. The 3 band sizes as per Inamed are 9.75 cm, 10.0 cm, and the VG (the Vanguard, which I believe is 11cm, but all the reps call it VG, no-one calls it the '11') Fill volume: The 9.75 and 10 cm bands can hold a maximum of about 4cc of saline. The VG holds a max of about 10 cc of saline. In medical circles I've always heard the Lap Band referred to by its size. For example, today in the OR we used "two 10's and one 9.75." And another comment from one of Ortiz's coordinators... The 4cc band is the 10cm band. The larger, VG band, holds 10cc's and is 14cm long. Dr. Ortiz uses the 4cc band for most patients. For those with a higher BMI, or for those that carry more weight around their mid-section, Dr. Ortiz may use the larger VG Band (10cc). Sometimes he makes that decision while you are in surgery, but you will be informed if anything other than the standard 4cc band is used. Pretty interesting stuff - mary

BJean, I absolutely asked the same thing about the tubing - I still wonder where it is in my body and what does it do = sit there, flloat around? I worry about that as much as the band, and the port. Also, Iulizbug - Dr ortiz does now (at least since my surgery date) uses the VG band too - yes, most get the 4cm band but i know many others he operated on that have the biggeer band.