lapbandnana

I've had 3 fills so far with 3 different people doing them. I was a little nervous since I had watched one being done on You Tube. But it was not bad at all. My doc's office deadens the port area with a tiny little needle, so when the larger fill needle goes in, you don't feel it at all. So if they have trouble getting access into the port & have to stick you again, you don't feel anything but a little pressure. They do sometimes put you in an awkward position on the table. They sometimes put a pillow under my low back, so I'm arched to make the port easier to find. Last time they had me raise my head like I was halfway in a sit-up, to make the port protrude. That was more uncomfortable than the stick.

Don't be envious of me. My PA said I was losing about twice what most people do. So you're still doing great! Everyone loses at different rates. 15 of those pounds were pre-surgery when I had to consume nothing but Optifast shakes for 2 full weeks prior to surgery. But hey, every pound counts, right? I don't think I have much restriction in my band. My PA says the most successful banders are those who don't rely so much on the band, but start to make the changes within themselves, so hopefully I'm starting to do that. I've only had 1 episode where something got stuck in the band. My hubby and I were on vacation in Colorado a few weeks ago and were sharing a chicken wrap at the Garden of the Gods snack bar. I guess I wasn't thinking of chewing thoroughly and eating slowly and a piece of white chicken got stuck. I walked it off and it passed without coming back up. I've never had the PB issues. You're doing great! Hang in there!

Go for the band! I had surgery 5-12-08, have lost 63 pounds. Went today for what I thought was going to be my fourth fill. The PA said I was doing so awesome that he didn't think I needed one. I had lost almost 14 pounds in 6 weeks since my last fill. Yes, the band is slower, but slower can be healthier too. But the pouch in bypass patients can stretch out. I had a friend that happened to and she has gained all her weight back. Recovery is so much quicker for the band and you don't have the dreaded dumping syndrome. I know I couldn't handle dealing with that! I am very happy that I had the band. My only regret is not making up my mind to do it earlier! :tongue:

We mainly went to visit my husband's elderly mother and sister who live outside Colo Spgs. But while there, we went to Durango and rode the train to and from Silverton which was nice. My hubby is a big train buff. We also rode the cog rail up Pikes Peak and that was awesome and also went to Garden of the Gods. We also drove thru some winding, scary, narrow mountain roads with no guardrails when we went thru Ouray and Gunnison on the way back to Colo Spgs. It was beautiful and cool weather.

Hi, gang. I read posts, but don't post much myself. But I wanted to share a NSV! My hubby and I just returned from a week long vacation to Colorado. We flew and I was anxious to see if I could fit in the seat and seat belt. Some of you may have experienced the embarrassment of the seat belt not fastening and having to summon the flight attendant and ask for an extender. I hated to fly for that reason, plus I would always have to lift the arm rest so that I could spread out into the seat of the passenger next to me. Well, my NSV is that I didn't have to lift the arm rest and was able to buckle the seat belt and even pull it in an inch or so. Also, the tray table came down without resting at an angle on my stomach. My hubby is large too, so we never sit next to each other, we gamble on having a smaller person next to us. So I had to jump up and go tell him about my NSV and of course explain what a non-scale victory means. He was happy for me. I had lost 58 pounds when we left for vacation and only gained a half pound or so which is good for not being able to eat at regular times and always having to eat out! :tt1:

I paid $13,000 in May 08 which included the surgeon (with lifetime follow-up and fills), hospital charges and anesthesiologist. I took a loan from my 401K plan at work and am paying myself back out of each pay check. I'm in DFW area of Texas. It was worth it!

I have Aetna and my husband's employer also excluded WLS which is why the cost of the coverage is pretty reasonable. If the employer chose the exclusion, there is nothing you can say or do to force them to cover you no matter how badly you need the surgery. As my surgeon's nurse explained it to me, it's like if you have a flood, if you don't have flood insurance, it's not going to be covered. The only advantage to not having it covered is that you don't have to jump through all the hoops the companies make you do. I was able to schedule mine in a few weeks. I took a loan from my 401K plan and am now paying myself back, so it's all good and was worth it!

Hi, I was banded 5-12-08 and so far no PB, vomiting or slime & nothing has gotten stuck either. I feel fortunate as my PA said eventually it happens to everyone. I try to be careful what I eat, but occasionally catch myself eating too fast. I have 8 cc in my 14 cc band after 3 fills, feel some restriction, but not at sweet spot, I don't think. I've lost 56 pounds, have a hundred or more to go.

Your band date is the same as mine! It was a great day. How are you doing? I'm feeling pretty good, have started exercising (walking) which I could never do before. Have had 3 fills in my 14 cc band. Have lost 55 pounds, so that's nothing to complain about. I've never lost that much before with any diet!

Maggie, Good luck in your journey. The pain wasn't too bad. They gave me liquid Lortab. I took one dose the night of surgery when I got home to make sure I slept well. The stuff tasted so horrible that I didn't take any more of it. I didn't really need it. The only thing that hurt was the area where the port was sewed. That spot on the lower left side was pretty sore for about 10 days, then I didn't feel anything there. I went back to work the next week with no trouble. I had lap band 5-12-08 but I just joined this site. I enjoy the 50's group because we seem to have the same mindset. We are serious about this and know what to do. Some of the younger ones have a different attitude about the band.

Everyone's idea of "rock bottom" is different. When I realized I had passed 300 pounds, it was quite a shock. I didn't own scales, never weighed myself. I have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, recently had breast cancer, all thought to be obesity-related. I truly felt that I might not live another 10 years if I didn't do something major. Now I look forward to getting on the scales every morning to see the progress I've made. I now have hope for the future--that I'll be able to watch my little granddaughter grow up. I am very glad that I have taken this step. It hasn't been easy during the "lap band hell" time, but it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be either!

Hi, Martie! I'm also 51 and was banded May 12 08. My surgery lasted about 45 minutes. I was in the hospital most of the day, then went home in the evening. I had surgery on a Monday and returned to work Tuesday the following week, just took it easy on heavy lifting. The area where the port is sewed in was sore for about 10 days. My HMO did not pay for the surgery because my husband's employer excludes bariatric surgery. I paid for it myself with a loan from my 401K--an investment in myself and my health. As far as skin goes, so far my skin has been able to keep up with the 55 pounds I've lost. That's one advantage of lap band--that you lose a little more slowly so your skin has a chance to keep up with the weight loss. I doubt I will be so lucky not to have anything sagging. Not sure I would have plastic surgery, unless it's really saggy, but they can do wonders. My local support group had a plastic surgeon come to speak and he showed slides with lots of graphic pictures. They can certainly do wonders. They also have a special package price (like they do for lap band) since most are self-pay. His price was $11K for surgery, hospital, anesthesia for full lower body lift. That isn't too bad, less than I paid for lap band. I would rather sag than have all that extra weight. I can recommend the most wonderful surgeon in Texas, but I don't know anyone in NY, sorry!

I believe you have to be motivated to do well with the band. I have been overweight all my life and have read everything I could about lap band ever since it was approved in the US, but I just didn't feel I could do it before. The PA in my surgeon's office told there are 2 kind of people. The first group embraces the lifestyle changes you make with the band and are very successful. The second group expect the band to do all the work and are not willing to make any changes themselves, so they obviously aren't successful. He said sometimes the light dawns on people in the second group and they turn things around and join the first group. Living the banded life is a big change. In the few short months since I started the liquid fast, then the lap band surgery, I feel like my perspective has changed. I feel like instead of "living to eat", I am moving more toward "eating to live". I never thought I would be in that situation, but it's happening. My PA said I was a "poster child" for doing things right and being successful. I believe if I had had the surgery before I hit rock bottom (with a weight of 312 pounds), I wouldn't have been successful. It hasn't been as hard as I thought and I'm enjoying the changes I'm making. This couch potato even looks forward to an evening walk with my hubby. Now that I've lost 55 pounds, people are really starting to notice and compliment me, which is a nice motivator too. My advice is that if you are just getting a case of nerves, get over it and go for it. But if you don't feel that you are ready to embark on this journey, that you are not willing to follow the lap band rules, maybe you should take some time to do some soul searching before you have surgery. But it is so worth it. You will eventually get to the point where you can occasionally eat all those things you love, you just will be satisfied with a small portion of it. If I can do this and be successful, anyone can! :biggrin2:

Just saying hello. Not sure if all my user set-up info was done correctly. I just joined LBT this evening, have been reading posts for a few weeks. I was banded May 12, 2008 by Dr. David Kim in N Richland Hills, Texas, the best doctor I found in all my research. I have had 3 fills in a large (14 cc) band and have lost 54 pounds, so I'm happy about that. I enjoy reading other people's ideas on how to succeed. :biggrin: