lompocbander

Yes, I would do it again, even though it was a difficult start for me, lots of pain. And, even though I have not lost most of my excess weight (I'm still about 60 pounds over). I may not be typical, but here is why I love it: before the band, I was always hungry. Hungry right after I ate. Starved when I woke up. Focused on food a LOT and had to think all the time about NOT eating. Dieting all the time. And gaining weight every year, no matter how much I dieted and focused on eating the right foods. After the band: I am no longer hungry all the time. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want (but I've always been a healthy eater, still am.) I get full after eating a little bit. I don't get hungy until the next meal time. I don't worry about gaining weight, and I don't gain weight. Is this the best use for the band? Probably not. Could I use it to lose the rest of my excess weight? Sure, I know I can. However, just having this peace of mind, not focused on food all the time, freedom from weight gain, ability to eat what I want to eat whenever I'm hungry, I am OVERJOYED. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

OK, I'll be the first to post... He is an excellent surgeon, certainly knows what he is doing in the operating room. But, no "bedside" manner, doesn't bother much with remembering anything about his patients, doesn't even recall anything about me when I go to a checkup or fill appointment. Still, I would take a great surgeon over a good relationship. He makes it clear that he isn't really interested in talking about problems or issues and that I should be discussing those things in a support group or with the nutritionist. He clearly is interested in the surgery and the issues surrounding that part of the work, and he has really good results with few complications. I think surgery is an art form, and something that, though it can be taught to some extent, requires the right capacity and experience. Since he is such a good surgeon, I think it is good to have him do anything related to the mechanical aspects of the operation, and the fills (which he does very quickly and painlessly), but now I don't even bother talking to him about how it has impacted my health, as he isn't interested. I don't tell him of anything but keep the conversation very superficial, and work with my other health practitioners for the other health aspects. Let me make this clear--I think he is a top notch surgeon, I would venture to say that he is in the top 3 out of 10,000 in his field, if I had to put a number to it. He has done lots of surgeries, he has excellent results, and I absolutely trust his work. I highly recommend him. And, he has surrounded himself with a great staff, a very smart thing for him to do. He works with a nutritionist, Chantal Gariepy, who is very good. She is subsidized through the program and so is very affordable. She is not only really a good listener and talker, she is extremely knowledgeable. I've been to three speicalist doctors and two other nutritionists, and hands-down, she is better than any of them. I have nothing but the highest respect for her and her ability. Also, Karen, on David's staff, is very knowledgeable and basically runs the office. She knows what needs to be done, how to schedule, what to do in an emergency, etc. I've observed her handle things when I'm in the office and she can juggle multiple things at the same time, an absolutely amazing woman. She has really good judgment on what is critical, what can wait, how to get things done, and how to handle people. I hope he never loses her!

The pouch is up high, in the top of your stomach, in your "chest" area. Your port should be down low, or at least I think it is for most people, for me it is maybe 2 inches above my navel. So, there is nothing in the port related to food transport through the system. Remember, the port is just the way that fluid gets to the band. If there is a bulge near the port, it might be a hiatal hernia.

Yeah, me too!!! I've been a little too pleased with the fact that I don't have to think all the time about what I eat, how much to eat, etc. But then again, nothing has happened for a long time, my weight is still a lot higher than I want it to be. On the other hand, I haven't been gaining, so that's a good thing, and before the band it was all I could do to just prevent gain! Anyway, I think I need to get more than the one hour per day exercise I'm getting now and start on a more controlled diet to get rid of the excess weight. I keep thinking "next week I'll start..." but maybe it IS next week, now. Maybe by summer I can wear a bathing suit without cringing?

Guitarmama, Good luck with the upcoming surgery and with your journey!

Katy, I think you are talking about OregonDaisy that had the revision surgery. LAP-BAND Sorry to hear you are having problems, after all you have gone through. It sure doesn't seem like your body likes the band, though. I don't think you should do it again after what you've been through. I think if there is any way to reduce some of the stress in your life and focus on your health, you would do so much better. I'm praying for you!

I have the opposite problem, I look in the mirror and I'm surprised to find a "fat" me. So, getting the weight off is a good thing, the real me is starting to show up again, and I like to see her! I'm guessing the difference is that I was thin or normal weight for most of my life and only gained weight after the age of 45, so my self image was already set as a thin person. I'm glad to be getting rid of fat person clothing. It feels great to fit in airline seats again. I hate doing clothing shopping while fat and I'm looking forward to getting thin enough to enjoy getting new clothing again. :wink2:

Best wishes! You'll be glad you did this!:wink2::smile::redface::smile:

Angie, You've done well, good job! It took me a long time to reach my "sweet spot", too, and now I am just slowly losing weight. The good things for me: (1) I'm no longer focused on eating or dieting; (2) I'm no longer dieting! (3) I am not gaining weight! I couldn't be happier! I know I can lose my extra weight if I really put my mind to it, on the other hand, at this point I'm just overjoyed that I don't have to focus on food (or try to not focus on being hungry all the time) so I consider it a great success. At my current weight I am so much happier with myself and can move so much easier.

OK, so I just got back from my first fill--it went ok, got 1cc in an 11cc band. But my doc isn't very helpful, isn't much into answering questions, makes me feel dumb for asking them, kinda rolls his eyes. (And it bugs me that he doesn't remember me from one visit to the next ). Anyway, I told him things get stuck, but that I am constantly hungry. He found that very odd. When I asked if food getting stuck like this was normal, he said I should be in a support group. I told him yes, I am, in an online group, then he said "well, I think you need to go to a group with other people, meeting in a room." Hmm. I don't especially want to drive an hour to go to a support group, and I also think an online group is getter because we get to support eachother 24/7, not wait until the next meeting. But I can see the point in that it's kinda hard to point at my chest and say "my food gets stuck HERE, is that happens to you, too?" So, what do you all think?

VWGirl, You are doing GREAT! Like JoannMarie says, it is not a race! I, too, am a very slow loser, but your loss of 1 pound or so a week is perfect! Think of the long term, not the short term. I've FINALLY got some restriction, though not a lot, but even with that I can finally get the benefit from having the band. For the first time (since I first got fat) I am eating "normally" and not having to count every calorie; now I eat my protein, then my veges, and if I have a little more room, I have some really small portion of whatever else is available. No more need for bread, rice and other fillers to get full--how wonderful! My nutritionist has me on 1100 to 1200 calories per day, which is easy for me to do. I am losing slower than you are-- I've been at the same weight for three weeks now--but I figure every week that I don't gain weight and don't have to focus on food all day long is a great week for me. And, since I can get the band adjusted, I know I can lose weight after I get restriction, so all in all I am a really happy bandster! And we're all over 50 in this group so don't feel alone there! You know it is much harder for us older folks to lose the weight, so be proud of every ounce and don't try to race--you're doing PERFECT just as you are! :blushing:

Yeah, and that's provided there are no complications--my hospital stay ended up being overnight, which costs a lot more. But cost is certainly a consideration. Mine was covered by insurance--once I met the $8,500 deductible for the year, that is. So the $250 office visits are all out-of-pocket cost for me, which is certainly an issue.

Good point. The office visit is all of five minutes and he charges $250, does seem high. But that's also the negotiated insurance rate for the visit...I guess it can't hurt to ask if they would consider a lower cost, though, or even look for an alternative to him for fills. I hadn't thought of it, I had just budgeted in the cost of doctor visits for the first year at $250 every 6 weeks.

It costs me $250 each fill after my insurance knocks the price down a bit to that amount.

I wonder about the fact that we have our follow up care for bands done with our surgeons and not some other type of specialist. It does seem like it would be better to use a doctor that specializes in aftercare, not surgery. Anyway, his "bedside" manner leaves a lot to be desired, but believe me, I researched very carefully before deciding to use him, and his record is very good. And it is a center of excellence. He does only bariatric and does several each day he operates (four on the day he did mine), and he's been doing this for more than five years. I'm not filled to tight--until my fill last week, I had virtually no restriction at all from my band, and now I have moderate restriction. So, the doctor is good and his results have been excellent for most people, and perhaps they are good for me, too. I think that perhaps I am just extremely sensitive to the band, that my body is not "rejecting" it but is not exactly accepting it happily, either. I don't think that there is anything really "wrong", per se, as this is not acute pain, but more chronic, low level pain/discomfort. And I would guess that there is a bell curve here of levels of comfort, with some people on the happy end, never having any problems (yeah, I've seen them on this board!) most people somewhere in the middle, and then a few of us on the other end of the curve, with chronic discomfort and pains from the band. I think that's where I am. To me, here's what it feels like: I feel like someone opened me up and wrapped a tight rubber band around the top part of my stomach, and attached that band with stitches to my stomach. And that when I move around, that band kind of digs in and hurts, and when I eat, it restricts me and hurts, and when I lie on my side, my stomach flops over on top of the band a bit and gets dug into by the band, and when I...hey, wait a minute, this IS exactly what's happening... But then, I guess I am still worried, especially when I read posts like the ones above, that there might be something more. I do NOT want to damage myself, no matter what!

What he tells me is that, yes, it is. And this is not keep-you-up-all-night kind of pain, just more like a two or three on a scale of ten, at worst, and barely noticeable or one, at best. It's just that I hadn't expected any residual pain after the surgery healed, but it's there, mostly around the height of the band but all across the body, and down into the stomach. Worst when I haven't eaten recently, especially if my stomach is really empty and growling, and bad if I have eaten a fairly good size meal--not a large meal, since I don't do that, obviously. What he says is that now that I have the band, everything is more "tied together", with the band keeping the diaphragm and the stomach more connected, and so that when I'm experiencing is fairly common. He says the pain also can radiate to the shoulder, which I have also experienced. It's similar to the pain I used to get with the hiatal hernia, which was repaired during the operation. When I lay on my side I can really feel the band, it can be very painful, so I have to make sure I don't sleep on my side. He says it is normal--do you really think it isn't? It isn't excruciating pain, more annoying and distracting than disabling. I figured now that he told me that it is "normal" that perhaps I could learn to just ignore it.

What causes the esophagus damage? Is it vomiting? I haven't had an easy time with my band, though not as bad as what people here are describing, but I do not want to cause any damage. Since getting it done in December 2008, though, I still have pain. The surgeon tells me pain is "normal". Had I known that it was normal, I wouldn't have gotten it in the first place! I though reduction in hunger was normal, ability to eat less was normal, but no one said pain was going to be a daily part of my new life once I had a band. Hmmm.

Got a fill last week on Wednesday, and still didn't think it had done anything--I hadn't previously had any restriction, even though I had four previous fills. Then yesterday, for the first time, I had a MAJOR PB attack, ugh! On a trip and at lunch ordered a salad with chicken, usually a good way to eat and get protein and not too much bulk, but turned out there was very little chicken on the salad so I didn't get my protein need filled. So I had an early dinner and had a chicken sandwich and just ate the chicken, but that must have been too much food for me, as for the next two hours I was sliming and PBing--disgusting! Odd, since the previous days I had eaten two or three times that amount of food and even tougher food. Today I will just eat light and hopefully get to normal, but I'm glad to be finally getting restriction. Now I just have to learn to know when I have reached the "filled up" point to avoid that messy stuff!

Way to go! Congrats!!!! Jitters are normal, and you are sooooo close!

Well, that's great. I know at two weeks I wasn't even INTERESTED in eating, it was so painful for me. I was on broth and protein drinks for three weeks, and couldn't even do soft foods until about five weeks, so I think you are doing better than I did! Good luck!

I was under the impression that the surgery would be fairly easy to recover from and that I wouldn't miss too much work. Now it's four weeks post op and I still am not feeling so great. Slept off and on a good part of the day today. In the past four weeks I've probably put in three full work days. :thumbup: Especially difficult since I run my own business, and if I'm not working, there's no income! I had a hiatal hernia repaired when the band was done, and now I've been told that makes the recovery a lot slower. It feels like I swallowed a large pointy metal Christmas ornament that is poking into my esophogus, heart, stomach, intestines and any other body parts nearby. It's both sharp pain and dull pain, and still wakes me in the middle of the night. Now I'm at least sleeping five hours or so at a time, but still wake up feeling like everything is on fire. It's the normal process of healing, I understand, as there is no fever or sign of anything wrong other than it being painful. I am just looking forward to the day that I am back to my healthy self again!

WOW! I've NEVER, ever been able to lose anything like a pound a day, it's almost impossible for me to lose a pound a week on ANY diet! So, lucky YOU!!! On a 600 calorie liquid diet it took me nine months (that's 36 long weeks) to lose 35 pounds. I'd give anything to have your metabolism!!! 5 days, way to go! Good luck and best wishes! :glare:

Jansona, I have been told that I was unusual, that it is normally a very fast healing process. And, I normally DO heal much faster than most people, which is why it was so surprising to me! It might have been because I had a hiatal hernia repaired and that requires extra surgery. In any case, shortly after the four week mark I started to sleep better, then I was able to work almost eight hours per day, and then within a week I was starting to make up for missed time at work, and before two months had passed I had more or less caught up from where I thought I would be. I hope this helps.

So, all you December 2009 bandsters, how are you doing? Check in and let us know! I just had my second fill. After my first I had no restriction, and my weight loss completely stalled. But I decided not to worry about it, just give my body time to adjust to the band and completely heal. I just got my second fill two days ago and this morning was my first meal with it, and I'm finally feeling some restriction--whoopeeEEEeee!!!:confused: I have a GREAT nutritionist that I met with for an hour before I got the fill and she reviewed my food diary (I keep track of everything I eat) and gave me advise, and I'm excited to think I am finally on the road towards weight loss. The hospital pays for the bulk of her cost (as I just discovered) so I only had to pay $20, which was wonderful, being a self-pay patient. Fills cost me $250. :w00t:. I had a slow start with the band, wasn't happy with how slow my recovery was, but at this point I feel nothing but encouraged and hopeful and glad that I did this for myself. So, how are you doing?

75 pounds lost in one year? That's nothing to beat yourself up about! Are you gaining weight? Or just stalled in loss? Gaining could mean bad choices, not losing might mean many different things. Have you though about challenging yourself to an exercise marathon (like, exercise a minimum of 2 hours every day for one week), or something like that, to jump start yourself again?