RestlessMonkey

My surgeon presented 5-6 forms of surgery in his seminar. He didn't push me toward any of them. I selected the band and he was 100% on board with it. Although some practices are more busy than others, speed from seminar to surgery usually depends mostly on time for insurance approval. Apparently you are either self-pay or have an insurer who approves quickly (mine did).

It was normal for me. I was filled like this...1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 5.5, 6.25 The 6.25 in March was the 1st one I felt! I PB'd EVERYTHING. I was in my senior semester of nursing school (this was MARCH, 1 month to go!) and I freaked so he unfilled me to 6.0 and I could eat ANYTHING again. I would never have thought just 1/4 of a cc would/could make such a HUGE difference, but it did. Then in May (after finals! YAY!) I went in and was filled to 6.50 and VOILA!!! A miracle occurred! I was restricted, could only eat up to 1 cup of food, lost weight like I was made to lose weight! So yes, hang in there. Slow conservative fills seem to be the best for us (although not all surgeons feel that way, but what I've read indicates aggressive fills can cause physiologic problems like esophageal spasms etc). It will happen. You just have to be patient now.

I don't think it matters, at this point...data so far doesn't lend support to one or the other. I have a lap band because my surgeon said that's the one he trained with and prefers. I defer to his judgment. He did make clear he preferred it just because he was used to it and not because it was inherently "better" than than the realize band. So far I love mine... You might think of it like this...ask your surgeon which one she's most comfortable working with and use that one.

If I understand your post...you aren't worried about recovery so much as living with the band? The others addressed recovery nicely (like any surgery, you need time to heal) but if you are talking about "life" afterward, then YES YES YES you will be able to physically do anything you CAN do. The band won't limit you. Scuba dive, sky dive, and everything on earth in between. If you're going to go up in the shuttle, check with your doc first LOL Otherwise nothing is off limits...you are limited only by your own physical capacity, not the band. :tongue: It's a wonderful thing.

You might try Citracal Petites...(have them at Walgreens, drugstore.com, probably your local grocer) They are small and I think fit your bill.

Yes blood clots are something that are preventable but can kill you ... and they're common post op in anyone, moreso in heavier people. In fact when I went back to class 4 days after surgery the NP made me promise to get up and walk for about 5 minutes every 30...no sitting in class for the 50 minutes per "lecture". :thumbup:

ROFLMAO Walking helps op gas more than gas x...also good for our lungs and helps prevent clots. It's a miracle drug, walking is! :thumbup:

As I said...Gas X helps the gas WE make in our bodies but not the gas pumped in for surgery.

Just saw this and have to chime in and agree...don't take your own drug at the hospital unless your nurse knows and approves! (you were so right about that! ) Gas X can help the gas we generate, but it won't even TOUCH the gas they pump into you to make surgery easier...because that gas is in the cavities etc...not where the gas X can impact it. If it helps anyone...it helps psychologically OR helps to break up our own gas. Not surgical gas. That stuff just has to work itself out and be, eventually, reabsorbed by the body. Sucks, but that's a fact. I agree too w/the chapstick although I prefer "soft lips" LOL Chapstick is way too waxy for me. You are really dry because they give you an anticholinergic to dry you up...something for your lips really helps. Remember a pillow to brace your surgical sites on the ride home will help, and easy on/easy off shoes for the hospital. Oh well you know all that..! Good luck! Bet you're very excited! :thumbup:

If you meant me...I'm not in therapy now! LOL I WENT thru 11 months of behavioral (no lying on the couch and spewing angst for this chickie...altho it works for some) and that led me to the band! :thumbup: (Not an emotional eater, not a depressive eater...mostly just an eater! LOL) But the point is no one gets hugely obese without something in the old brain/food continuum going haywire. It can only help to see if we can explore that and "fix" any breaks or loose connections we find!

??? I've lost weight wonderfully using the protein shake (EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes) my doc uses for pre-op diets. If something is labeled "not for weight loss" that doesn't mean you can't lose weight while ingesting it, just that it isn't formulated to be a total meal replacement or used solely in a diet. It may have too much fat or other components of some sort (the one you describe) to be considered "dietetic". I think my protein shakes are a marvelous meal replacement and find them indispensible.

Lucky you! However, while one does hear of the occasional more "in depth" psych consult as you've described, by and large most of them are the rubber stamp sessions that Headhunter alludes to. While I did answer 500 MMPI type questions, my personal psych meeting was all of 10 minutes. It was ok for me...I'd done just under a year of behavioral therapy on my own and was ready. But sadly, psychiatry/psychology isn't a hard science (although it's trying!) and the psych consult for WLS seems to vary as widely as the pre and post op diets the docs give us.

The answer to this is...maybe. Some people do mourn the loss of "food" inasmuch as they can't overindulge like they did in times past. I agree that a good therapist can help you decide if the band is right for you, or if indeed ANY weight loss surgery is right for you. While the band usually can be successfully removed, no one should get it lightly. Any surgery is drastic and any weight loss surgery requires big changes on the part of the patient. You are smart to question this now. Of course, whether you end up getting surgery or not, using food to soothe and comfort isn't the best coping mechanism one can have, so some therapy would be useful any way...IMHO!

I walked very very soon after my surgery...an hour or two? (husband is an RN, I was a student, I KNOW how important walking is post op, so I was ON it! LOL) but I still wouldn't have been ready to go back to work that soon. I did have surgery on Fri and went to class on Tues afternoon...but failed a VERY basic math test. (it was one of those where later the teacher asked me for the answers which I did IN MY HEAD and got right...why on earth I wrote down the wrong ones is anyone's guess!) so...we may "think" we're good to go and may be misinformed a little! LOL Time is good after major surgery.

Hopefully someone with a similar condition will answer your post; I don't have your issues (Lord knows I've got them, LOL, just not yours! :wink: but I wanted to say you can still "binge" even with good restriction, if you choose to binge on foods like "slider" foods that go through the pouch easily. You won't be binging on steak. pizza, or chicken breast, but you could binge on candy, shakes, chips, Cookies and so on. So essentially NO the band won't physically stop a binge if you are determined to overeat. That doesn't mean, though, that you'd necessarily be unsuccessful...with a therapist etc it might work for you. Have you asked a good reliable bariatric surgeon for input? S/he should also be able to guide you; possibly a different bariatric surgery (or the band, or none!) is right for you. Whatever...good luck. I think you are smart and courageous to try to get your disorder under control and I wish you all the best!

Mine has. I find myself preferring foods based on how long they keep me full. I fortunately can still eat anything (including white bread, dry poultry, etc). I still enjoy food very much but I think about it WAY less. I don't weigh or count or portion out a little of this or that. I just choose filling things, eat till I'm "satisfied", then am good for about 6 hours. I feel in control now, that's the biggest difference.

Sorry for your divorce...but I would think better at age 26 than after 26 years! :wink: Hang in there; get another fill if you need to tweak it, and don't let this defeat you. good luck!

You answered this in your thread name...Maybe????? I at almost 1 year out CAN drink beer, light beer is easier than a regular one, and it's not the same. sadly. I have to be careful and really pace myself, monitor my stomach, etc. Kind of like what beer ISN"T all about! LOL But maybe.

I love love love my band. I'd almost rather lose a limb than my band. (note I said almost LOL) Loss was slow slow until I got restriction and then BAM! (it's kind of like when you're young and wonder what it's like to be in love and the "grownups" tell you you'll know...and when you are, you do? Restriction is like that. Once you hit it life is never the same! LOL) I agree with the other posters who say it's the best thing they've done, wish they could've done it sooner, etc. It's wonderful.

Call and ask them for clarification...that's your safest course. Because I was told the straw thing applied to full liquids, not thin. Each doc is a little different...each post op diet is different. If you are confused, other patients probably are too. Call and get exactly what they want you to be drinking! :wink:

I breezed through my surgery like a champ and I can still say there's no way on earth I'd have been ready to work a new job on the Monday after my Friday surgery. You should talk to your supervisor/boss. Tell him/her you're willing to come in but don't want to do a poor job either (and what if you are in pain and need the more powerful prescription pain meds? They'll think you're loony!) Let your boss make the call. For me, I'd rather have an employee honestly tell me what she was doing, and why...and have her/him take a few days off, rather than come in and perform poorly.

Released estrogen shouldn't make you unwilling to have sex. Is it possible you're just, well, basically unsure about yourself as you are losing? The band focuses our thoughts on our weight and makes many of us hyper aware of it...then as you lose a chunk, (as has cindie) you are "different". (not bad...just "different") It can take some people a while to adjust to the newer smaller body and to feel comfortable. If it's problematic, ask your surgeon or your psych. consultant. For me, the opposite is true. Weight goes down, libido goes up! :wink:

Since the band was only approved for use in the USA in June of 2001 it's not shocking you don't "hear" about people having one longer than 5 years. However, erosion is very rare. If you're concerned, discuss it with your surgeon. S/he can give you current stats etc.

No, thank God. That would drive me nuts. To each his own, I guess! :blushing:

My restriction was just for 2 weeks.