RestlessMonkey

Smoking restricts your blood vessels and can impair healing etc. I suggest you call your doc, get chantix and the patch, and quit if you can. I understand how hard it is; I smoked back in the days when it was mostly legal everywhere and had a 3+ pack a day habit. I quit in 1995 and the urge DOES go away. It's the single best thing I ever did for myself....probably even better than the band. Smoking can be hard on your stomach as well as increasing your blood pressure, so I'm sure that's why they want you to quit. I think you need to really do some soul searching and see if you think you're ready. If not, you may not be ready for the band, either. It takes a lot of changes...not smoking is just one of them. Good luck; I know you are the best person to pick what will work for you! :embaressed_smile:

I agree. They should check the band's function BEFORE they place it. That's common in medicine. I think your doc fumbled this one.

Welcome! glad you found your way here!

Good luck! You and your wife are just almost shoe ins to be successful since you're doing this life change together! Way to go for both of you! :embaressed_smile:

I think WW offers two very healthy diet options. I plan, once I can actually eat, to follow a more Atkins type diet for weight loss, but WW is a balanced plan. I don't tolerate band bashing from my friends who do WW and I don't think it's right to bash WW either. It works for a lot of people...and weight loss is supposed to be slow and steady, not fast. Actually the 1-2 pound loss on the band is comparable to the 1-2 pound loss WW averages. I may go, once I've lost a bit on my Atkins, just to remind me to get a more balance, healthy diet. Yes, it's a business, but what's wrong with that? Next to the band or WLS they have the highest success rate in the nation.

I agree with Sue Magoo. You need to call and find out for yourself exactly what is covered and excluded for YOU. good luck!

It's VERY important to follow your doc's advise. Lifting too much can cause slippage, erosion, or tears to the internal sutures where the port and/or band are lightly sewn in. If you just tear a few sutures you may feel "fine" right now but then have slippage and/or erosion down the road. Don't start out trying to "cheat the band" by lifting too much. Stick to your doc's rules. Mine was nothing over 15 for 2 weeks. Follow what YOUR doc told you...and I'm sure lifting a 25 pound toddler or a 22 pound toddler is OFF LIMITS! Sorry!

They did an ultrasound on me but it looked like my liver could be moved. Once my surgeon got in (after I'd done 3 weeks preop and lost 15 pounds) it was too thick to move. So he retreated, they recovered me, I did 2 1/2 more weeks of diet (and 17 more pounds) and was successfully banded then.

It depends on what type of job you have and how quickly you recover. I had surgery 8/29 and was back in school that next tuesday. Many people take a week or more if they have office jobs. Of course something more strenuous requires a longer recovery time.

Themis, ChristiOT took some pain meds just under 2 1/2 hours ago and hasn't been back so hopefully it relieved the pain and she is sleeping!

You're losing at the top rate my surgeon quoted, 1-2 pounds a week! And .... do you mean you want to know the definition of "onederland", or do you mean you want to know what it feels like to be IN "onederland"?

I checked your age and figured she wasn't that old, which is one reason I said she needs to research. However I do think, since you care for her and want to help her, it's a good idea for you to inform yourself too. That book I recommended may answer a bunch of your questions about the lap band but won't address her previous infection. If it was nosocomial (ie she got it in the hospital) then you don't want to go back there for her surgery, and if proper precautions are taken she won't get another. Nothing is a guarantee of course and discussing with another surgeon and her primary doc are both great ideas! The band, or gastric bypass, both have good results for diabetes etc. The numbers are quite encouraging. You do have to work harder with the band but bypass is more invasive. Both surgeries have their pros and cons and no surgery is also an option! Most bariatric surgeons have free seminars and those can also be a good source of information. Good luck to your MIL and she's lucky to have you watching her back!

I can tell you I have never heard of the FDA "investigating" the band and I just googled it and there was nothing. I can recommend a good book to read. If your MIL is obese and has struggled all her life with her weight, the lap band may very well save her life. My Primary care physician actually told me "get the band or go on diabetes meds"...my story is not uncommon. I'm 53 and have the band and LOVE it. The book I'd recommend is "Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band" by Robert Sewell MD. I applaud your research but, frankly, your mother-in-law should be doing it. It's her body and her life. A second opinion is a good start. Best of luck to you guys. The band can be a life saver and a life changer for many of us who struggle with our weight.

Well, go get 'em! And let me know. I'll be watching for your post!

Ok. You and I are near in age and we were both overweight...there's a tendency in our age group to be, um, less aggressive about health care. We grew up when docs thought being overweight was a character flaw, and many treated women who complained too much as hysterical or something worse. That may give us a tendency to accept that "it's all in your head" or some other bogus BS. If you hurt, YOU HURT. It's not in your head. It's in your side! So if I can empower you to demand the healthcare that you should get as your due, then good. Because you know you hurt and you didn't sign up to be in constant pain. Stick by your guns.

I'm sure ChristiOT doesn't mind. Stick by your guns and advocate for yourself. As professionals they should know better...pain is what the person experiencing it SAYS it is. Shame on them! Please post and let me know what they say, ok? They are being neglectful. If the nurse blows you off again, demand the office manager and tell her you want the surgeon. Go get 'em!

PSJ71 do you have a lap band yet, or are you just researching? I'm glad I've found someone else like me!

ChristiOT good I hope the pain med takes care of it. If so, it's probably just gas or stress. I hope so And Freedom0702 2 months is a LONG time to have pain. I think I'd have to force my surgeon to xray me or something to MAKE SURE everything really is ok! Good luck to both of you!

If it's gas it's likely you just have to wait it out. Does it hurt high up or towards the bottom of your ribs? Do you know where your doc placed your port? You aren't even 2 weeks post op; I think it's likely just part of the healing process. Does it respond to pain meds like tylenol? (sorry to ask so much I'm just trying to do a "blind" assessment!)

When did you get your band? If your doc checked you out, and it hasn't been TOO long, it's possible you just bruised yourself or got a tiny hairline fracture and you are healing.

Not a doc here but wondering if it is just stress and an injury from evacuating? You know, in times of stress, we do stuff and then later think..."hmmm where did I get that bruise" or so on? Wondering if she maybe just hurt herself in the rush to get out of town. And she isn't that far post op...could be trapped gas (yes, still!) or just normal healing. Gas hurts when you breathe deeply.... Unless she's been vomiting etc it's not likely its her band...and it shouldn't be her port, either. (depends on where the doc placed it) I was mostly just trying to get more info on her symptoms and what she thinks MAY be causing it (a lot of times We know, even if we don't realize we know!)

did you lift more than 15 pounds while evacuating? did you hit something or jar yourself somehow?

I just found another place...on the home page...down the right side are options. If you click on "subscribed thread" you will see all the threads you've posted to and/or started. hope that helps.

I really don't know; like I said, they email me any time there is a post to a thread I responded to or one I started. You can find your posts easily by entering your screen name at the search bar at the top right of the page...

I don't have to. i go to tickerfactory.com I sign on I update my ticker i save I'm gone