tenoradm

I had lapband in November 2009 and lost around 120 to about 300. After a year or so started having difficulty and a lot of reflux. Multiple cycles of unfill, refill and same issue before I got to the point of any restriction. Could not sleep at night due to reflux and was having to eat not so good choices and regained 65 pounds. Decided at my age and poor health I had to do something and went for RNY and I am glad I did. The surgery was about the same in terms of recovery but the weight loss has been great. I just saw my cardiologist yesterday and he just smiles and says very impressive. Imagine a medical doctor taking you off all your medicines. I should mention I had RNY 12/19/13 and a heart attack 11 days later on 12/30/13. I was diabetic, had high blood pressure, had a CPAP since 1994, could do almost nothing, etc. I was taking 15 pills in the morning and 9 in the evening including insulin up to four times a day when necessary. I now take two pills in the morning and evening. I take nothing for blood pressure or diabetes and my blood sugars in the morning are in the 80s or 90s. I feel great. I wear the dog out taking her for walks. My cardiologist just told his assistant to link all the things I have had discontinued to the diagnosis of morbid obesity and just mark them all as no longer present! That was my next mini goal - to no longer be considered obese and just fall in the overweight category. I have no problems eating anything now although for some reason I did have difficulty with chicken in any form until a couple months ago. I am very happy with the RNY surgery now. For me - it just may be a life saving decision. BTW - had a nice weight loss this morning on the scale after being stuck for a couple weeks so I am in a good mood - sorry if I am rambling but I am a happy RNY camper.

Glad you are doing well. Things get better as time goes by. I had a few bumps along the way but they were relatively short lived and although I still have a ways to go the change is dramatic and I can do so much that I could not even think about before. Good times are ahead!

My weight loss is slowing down - I guess that is just the way things go but now down to 230 for a drop so far of 135 pounds. I was also able to eat chicken for the first time since surgery with no problems a couple days ago so I am happy about that.

Wow - I saw my post and realized that picture I had posted could use an update. Only have head shot available right now - but here it is.

HI all, I had a lapband in 2009 and lost nearly 100 pounds but started having problems. If it was even close to providing any restriction I was sick, could not sleep well if at all and had to have it backed off multiple times. I had been doing well and was frustrated that I could not get any further and because it had to be unfilled most of the time was gaining a portion of the weight back. I had multiple health issues in addition to weight including diabetes, heart issues with previous heart bypass and multiple stents. I had the revision to gastric bypass on December 19, 2013 because I had to get the weight off to stay alive and did not want to have to possibly do another revision so opted to get the gastric bypass. Eleven days post op I had a follow up visit with my surgeon and everything looked good but I was feeling awful that day. They noticed and checked me over a little more before I left. On my long drive home I started feeling even worse and by the time I got home I had taken nitroglycerin spray three times and was having no relief. We ended up calling 911 and an ambulance came (they are basically across the street from my house) and informed my son that they would have to use full lights and sirens and to not attempt to follow closely because I was likely having a heart attack. When we got to the hospital I was taken to the trauma room where a team of probably 12 was waiting. Each did there assigned task and in a couple minutes I was headed to the cath lab where the Dr. and team were waiting for me. One of the assistants asked the Dr. if he could give me something for the pain and the Dr. said no - and that he would take care of it. A couple minutes later they asked what my pain level was and it dawned on me that the pain was gone. They had opened the right coronary artery and placed a stent. I had just had a heart attack which they classified as moderate and with some damage to the bottom of the heart. The next day, they said the entire heart had resumed normal function. I was referred to cardiac rehab and allowed to resume work duties from home in two weeks. This Wednesday, June 11, I will have completed the cardiac rehab. It is amazing what I can do now compared to what I could do before surgery last year. It is thought that taking me off aspirin for the surgery allowed a small clot to form and that caused the heart attack. Back to the surgery. I tolerated the diet as planned fine and if anything have more issues getting enough food and liquid every day. I feel full and satisfied when I eat and rarely allow myself to even have a taste of anything not in my prescribed diet. I have to do this to live so I stay well motivated. Today, I weigh in at 241 - down 124 pounds in a little less than six months. It is so good to buy clothes at a normal store - something I have not been able to do in many years - probably 25 years since I could do that. With Cardiac rehab helping to get me moving on a regular basis and the bulk of the extra weight off, I am off all diabetic medication, almost completely off cholesterol medications (my LDL is now 23 - I had to ask the doc if that was even OK and found that normal goes all the way down to 0). I do not see my cardiologist again until August - he is going to be surprised to see so much less of me. I was at the Dentist last week and the assistant gave me a hug. That was really nice. My only complaint - I cannot seem to eat chicken in any form, regardless of how moist, even in Soup, it just does not work and doesn't want to stay down. The doc says wait a month and try again and that almost everyone has something they have an issue with. For me it is chicken. Anyhow - though it was about time I posted here. I read so many and have been encouraged but often do not take the time to post. Looking forward to getting my first number on the scale to a 1!

Hi, I had a lapband in November, 2008 and did really well for quite a while. Lost over a hundred pounds but for past several years could not lose anymore. Everytime we tried to get better restriction with the lapband, I would not be able to tolerate the pain and inability to get food down so we would back it way off, let everything get back to normal and try again. I ended up in the hospital with so much pain from a recent attempt to get some restriction and new I had to drop the lapband because I still needed to get more weight off. I had first actual Dr, appt. with my recommended gastric bypass surgeon, Dr. Carl Pesta, and his staff on August 5, 2013 and was approved by insurance while in the office for that visit. My wife was also going to have the same surgery and while obtaining the approvals from family physician, cardiologist and psychiatrist, my wife's AFIB took a turn for the worse. She was in the hospital for a while and they could not get a normal rhythm restored with medication or multiple attempts with cardioversion. We were sent to a electrophysiologist to discuss having ablation to help control the AFIB and he told her she could not be considered for the operation because she was in stage four heart failure. That was a real shock to both of us. So for now, we have been concentrating on getting her in better shape with her heart function and breathing. She is on O2 at home now and has good and bad days. Until we get her heart stronger, we will not be able to move forward with her weight loss surgery. I did have the RNY surgery on 12/19/2013 so I am one week out today. I still have a JP drain and some pain, especially when coughing or laughing hard (a good thing!). I am doing fine with getting liquids and what I am allowed to eat. No problems there other than gastric rumblings and gas pains come and go. I was having a lot of difficulty standing straight up quickly because it seemed to stretch my stomach too much but that is getting better. I am sleeping well every day since surgery which is also a good thing for me. The thing I did not expect, and maybe some of you, or even all that have had RNY, have experienced is where the drain is on my side seems larger than before surgery and the area below that is much smaller and sort of sunken in. Most remaining pain seems centered in this area on my left side of my abdomen. My wife says it looks like a softball size area was moved up from the now sunken in area to the area directly under the drain. Anyone else have a similar experience? Due to the holidays, there is a delay before I will have my first follow-up appointment and just curious if that is normal or not. My daughter borrowed my scale a while back so I do not have a home scale right now and kind of anxious to see what is happening with my weight. Any suggestions for a good quality, easy to use scale with 400lb coverage that does not take forever to give a number? One with memory would be preferred. Lapband 11/8/2008 - 425 lbs Lowest since lapband - 320 lbs RNY 12/19/2013 - 350 lbs Thanks,

Hi, I had a lapband in November, 2008 and did really well for quite a while. Lost over a hundred pounds but for past several years could not lose anymore. Everytime we tried to get better restriction with the lapband, I would not be able to tolerate the pain and inability to get food down so we would back it way off, let everything get back to normal and try again. I ended up in the hospital with so much pain from a recent attempt to get some restriction and new I had to drop the lapband because I still needed to get more weight off. I had first actual Dr, appt. with my recommended gastric bypass surgeon, Dr. Carl Pesta, and his staff on August 5, 2013 and was approved by insurance while in the office for that visit. My wife was also going to have the same surgery and while obtaining the approvals from family physician, cardiologist and psychiatrist, my wife's AFIB took a turn for the worse. She was in the hospital for a while and they could not get a normal rhythm restored with medication or multiple attempts with cardioversion. We were sent to a electrophysiologist to discuss having ablation to help control the AFIB and he told her she could not be considered for the operation because she was in stage four heart failure. That was a real shock to both of us. So for now, we have been concentrating on getting her in better shape with her heart function and breathing. She is on O2 at home now and has good and bad days. Until we get her heart stronger, we will not be able to move forward with her weight loss surgery. I did have the RNY surgery on 12/19/2013 so I am one week out today. I still have a JP drain and some pain, especially when coughing or laughing hard (a good thing!). I am doing fine with getting liquids and what I am allowed to eat. No problems there other than gastric rumblings and gas pains come and go. I was having a lot of difficulty standing straight up quickly because it seemed to stretch my stomach too much but that is getting better. I am sleeping well every day since surgery which is also a good thing for me. The thing I did not expect, and maybe some of you, or even all that have had RNY, have experienced is where the drain is on my side seems larger than before surgery and the area below that is much smaller and sort of sunken in. Most remaining pain seems centered in this area on my left side of my abdomen. My wife says it looks like a softball size area was moved up from the now sunken in area to the area directly under the drain. Anyone else have a similar experience? Due to the holidays, there is a delay before I will have my first follow-up appointment and just curious if that is normal or not. My daughter borrowed my scale a while back so I do not have a home scale right now and kind of anxious to see what is happening with my weight. Any suggestions for a good quality, easy to use scale with 400lb coverage that does not take forever to give a number? One with memory would be preferred. Lapband 11/8/2008 - 425 lbs Lowest since lapband - 320 lbs RNY 12/19/2013 - 350 lbs Thanks,

Well, Just had my first fill today with 3cc in 14cc band. I am really having to take things very slowly right now. Liquids have to go down slowly since I got home, but were OK at the surgeon's office. I do not believe I will be able to do even very soft foods if I stay like this for long. I may have some swelling from the fill, but if not, I will probably have to have maybe 1cc removed. I guess I will have to wait and see if this settles down.

Hello to everyone on this site. I was banded on 11/3/2008 and have lost 38 lbs since surgery, 58 lbs from first weigh-in pre-op. I have my first fill scheduled for this Tuesday and am hoping (probably false hope) that my first fill will give some actual restriction similar to the first couple of weeks post-op. Looking forward to getting this weight off for good. I have had several bad things going on due to weight and some of these are already showing improvement, especially blood sugar control. I also see my cardiologist Monday afternoon and would not be surprised to see him doing cartwheels about me finally getting this approved and started.