RestlessMonkey

I guess it's moot about malpractice if you go to Mexico since you would not be able to sue them anyway. Most US surgeons, as far as I've researched, don't really want to do the surgery on people with lower BMI's. Even the LOW BMI forum/thread here has people with LOW BMI's of 34, 33, etc. Not that I don't think people with a BMI of 29 or 30 don't suffer; I'm sure they do. Just that even the band makers don't recommend it for people with that amount to lose.

Actually you're still in a healthy range with that BMI...considered overweight but not obese. And while I love my band, to be honest if I were in that range there's no way I'd go through surgery to lose it. Even though relatively problem free, surgery is a big deal. I think you're going to be hard pressed to find a doctor who will operate on you and with your BMI there could be a case made for malpractice if they DO operate on you. Good luck; I hope you find a solution to your weight problem, whatever it may be! I don't mean that in a judgmental way, either; we all grapple with our problems as best we can.

Camron57...I'm a big rule follower, especially after I ignored my doctor's preop diet, did my own, lost 15 pounds, but band wasn't placed because while I lost, my liver didn't lose. So I believe in what our doctors say. HOWEVER, with a caveat that we all have to do what works for us, waiting 1 1/2 hours post meal to drink seems excessively long. Have you asked your surgeon to confirm it? Mine used to say 1 hour but after reviewing current studies has dropped that to 15 minutes pre, nothing during (and eat in 30 minutes) and then 15 minutes after we eat. That makes it much easier to live with. Not saying to do what my doc says, ok? Just maybe ask your doc to review his stand or ask him if you can drink a little earlier. Good luck to you!

Your stomach and "innards" are most likely swollen from the trauma. It may not seem traumatic to you, but your stomach now has a band around it...your insides were moved in ways they are NOT used to. Give yourself a chance to heal! That's one reason you will be on liquids etc....swollen and healing! And when you start to feel better, hang in there with your doc's recommendations because if you eat too soon your stomach will churn to aid in digestion and you can mess up your band placement. (that last is just a PSA) Anyway no you'll be able to drink normally, probably fairly soon, as long as you go slow and don't irritate your stomach! It gets better!

Yes, it can, because of salt. Salt LOVES to be with Water. Adequate water intake means your body can flush excess salt because the salt will leave to follow the water (this is simplistic but true...I could retell it using words like anion and cation and cell membrane but why on such a pretty Saturday!) When you don't take in enough water to convince the salt to leave the body, it hangs around and can pull Fluid out of circulation and into tissues where it just hangs around with the salt and does no one any good. So water retention can be caused by various things but in an otherwise healthy individual, if you keep well hydrated you won't have as much edema. Of course water is IN a lot of things...it's in coffee, it's in celery, it's in meat. But it's easiest to just make sure you drink 6-8 oz glasses of plain water each day!

I'm sure your band isn't "too large" for you; surely you trust your surgeon to place what fits! I have 5.5 ccs in my 14 cc band and just since the last fill on 1/30 have I finally discovered that if I eat too much I get "stuck" etc. For me, making those dratted healthy choices and controlling what I eat is getting much easier because I am not hungry all the time. I have been so marvelously successful on diet after diet...losing up to as much as 45 pounds and then gaining back 65 over and over. Diets don't work for me; they don't work for many of us. SO I look at the band as a lifestyle change and try to choose healthy but don't feel like doggy poo when I choose something more "outside the range". A week ago I got a Whataburger Patty Melt (here for a limited time! LOL) and could only eat 1/4 of it. I was ecstatic! And I was full for 5 hours. I haven't had, nor even wanted, another patty melt, but I'm glad I got the one I did, and I'm glad it made me full for so long. THAT is restriction, for me. So I think yes you probably need another fill; everyone is different. No a foot long subway isn't a great choice; neither was my patty melt. But this is life and as long as we choose the right way more often than not, i think we'll be fine! Restriction makes it WAY easier to choose the right way, until you get too much...then you turn to sliders. Good luck; talk to your doc, and hang in there!

Good for you, banderoo! I'm happy for you! :tt2:

Which "complications"? I had a quick recovery and no issues, but it would help to know specifically what you are worried about.

The only reason I can think that small ones may SEEM to slip more often is because the large one (AP L holds 14 ccs) is fairly new, having only been out a year. There is an OLD style lap band (called the 9.75/10) that only held 4ccs and it too had more issues that have since been resolved. Perhaps she meant the older ones....or perhaps the numbers she was given were skewed as suggested. Your surgeon will usually pick what's right for you!

LOL TQuad64....no kidding. I planned to post: Yes I had a last meal. It got me: NO BAND! Don't do it if you possibly have the grit to pass it up....you'll be able to eat a cheeseburger again if you want one. Right now it's important that you do what your doc says when he says it, so that you'll get through the next weeks intact and in good shape and positioned to succeed!

If you're taking a prescription pain med, cut it back to 1/2 and see if that helps! Also you need to walk (prevent clots) and breathe deeply frequently to keep Fluid from collecting in your lungs ... even if you can only walk short distances, do so as often as you can. Also drink water; it will help flush your system. Were you a coffee, tea, or soda drinker prior to surgery? You may be missing caffeine, too....

I was banded in August and just after my 4th fill Jan 30th am finally feeling restriction. It takes a while!

It HURTS when I drink while I eat, with some foods. Obviously not with Soups LOL but with many solids. And I think that overfilling the pouch can stretch it (the stomach is stretchy material)...so whether it's too much food, or a combo of food and liquid, it is just logical to me that it would stretch if overfilled. Some things, i guess, don't really need tons of research! :sneaky: I do agree though that every doc is different. However if your surgeon tells you not to drink while eating, it's best that you don't. I personally have done things that "others" got away with (like cheating on the preop diet) and paid a bad price for it. We're all adults; we need to do what's right for us. I was just thinking of what my parents always told me "Just because so-and-so does it doesn't mean YOU get to. If so-and-so was going to jump off of a cliff, would you want to?" I guess lap band is the same; you can almost ALWAYS find someone who broke whatever rule and got away with it. We all have to decide what's right for us, and that decision shouldn't be based solely on a concensus posted on a Chat board.

I agree with adagray. If the cut off is a BMI of 40, then ask to be reweighed. I have even known of people who do thinks like carry rolls of quarters in their pockets, weigh with shoes on, and eat like little piggies prior to the weigh in. OH and Water weighs about 1/2 pound per 8 ounces...so drink water just before! Sounds shady but come on, .4 of a BMI as a reason for denial? That's outrageous! Good Luck!

From what I've read Crohn's is a contraindication for lap band surgery, but I am not a surgeon. Your safest bet is to attend a seminar and ask the surgeon.

You can also stretch out your pouch if you drink while eating. If you have food blocking the stoma prior to "trickling on through" and then drink, it can sit up above the blocked hole (just like you can clog a kitchen drain) too much food/fluid means a stretched pouch. I don't drink while I'm eating because it occasionally hurts to do so. It is easier just to wait. My surgeon fortunately though says 15 minutes before, during, and then 15 minutes after eating.

Did you carefully choose the surgery? The issues with Roux - n- Y bypass are different...and honestly it is more invasive (because they reroute your intestines and cut away part of your stomach...) but there is less aftercare... Don't mean to second guess you! Because the surgery is an elective, don't choose it just because the surgeon said so. Do some research and make sure it's what YOU want. You'll be the one living with it, not your doctor! If you're sure, you've researched, and you're ready, then good luck! IF you feel hesitant (maybe I just mis "read" your post) then ... listen to your "gut" and look into both operations more deeply.

You should call your surgeon and follow his direction! Do it now; 8 days is too long to wait. Good luck!

I looked back through some of your old posts and see that you have lost, just very slowly, and that you have PCOS. If you truly are working out and eating right and not losing, then I would think you'd 1. need a good physical to see if you have thyroid issues 2. see if you need medication to help with your PCOS, and then armed with that info 3. meet with a GOOD nutritionist. I don't think it matters at all whether you failed the band or vice versa. You just need some intervention. And honestly, at least you DID lose 9 pounds with WW. So, you can lose. Just a little tweaking might get that 9 pounds to 16 which is 1 pound a week (the low end of average lap band weekly loss). Call your doc, and then your nutritionist. And FYI I don't think eating "low carb" can screw up your sytem. It's more likely that having PCOS you are more insulin resistant and lose better (as do many many people) with a low carb, low fat, high Protein diet. Why not try that again if it worked for you before? Either way a nutritionist can help you.

The "exclusion" isn't usually driven by the insurance company, but rather by the purchaser of the insurance, uour employer. In other words, in order to cut the cost of the insurance (and it is staggering) some companies exclude certain services (like psychiatric outpatient treatments, and weight loss surgeries, for two examples) To know what your company may be planning, you need to ask your HR department.

I hope you can tell I answered your questions ...up there in the "blue" area. :tt2: I'm really worried about your surgeon...i hope they just meant 84 minutes for the surgery itself (it usually takes 45 min to an hour)

Your safest course is to ask your surgeon when it's safe. he'll know for sure.

I love Dr. Cavazos, he's at Texas Bariatric and head of bariatrics at Northeast Baptist Hospital. If you aren't sure about Dr. Patel, check out Dr. C. He's really a wonderful guy, and his staff is marvelous, too.

Why do you HAVE to wear it in order to have the surgery? I know that many insurance companies who require co-morbidities before they will approve lap band surgery consider sleep apnea as a co-morb., but I never heard that you must treat it before they will approve operation. Does your surgeon require it? My surgeon was going to have me tested and I told him I sleep fine but that even if I didn't I would never wear the mask thing (personal issues, my mom died of emphysema) and he said ok and didn't require the test. ?? If your apnea is caused by obesity (and many, but not all, cases of apnea ARE tied to obesity) then losing will "cure" it. So, I'm puzzled. Anyway people I know (from chat boards) who do have the machines say getting the correct mask is VITAL. If you have to have it, maybe you need a different mask. Good luck. I feel your pain!