ParrotheadCathy

You guys are just making me appreciate True Results even more. At my first visit I was assigned a "lap band advocate". I was given her cell phone number and was told to call anytime I had a problem or question during the process! And from their forum, I see that lots of people are in and have their surgery within a month's time or so (unless they have insurance that requires supervised weight loss, etc.). I did make all my appointments for pre-op testing myself, through my PCP, so that was all covered by my insurance but the TR office would have made referrals and appointments for me. But I figured all that was extra and I may as well pass it all through my insurance which would cover all of that even if it didn't cover the surgery.

well, sometimes pain shows up in places other than the cause.....

I didn't go to a group seminar. I made an appointment at the office for an evaluation because I knew what I wanted, knew that my insurance wouldn't cover it and had financing in place. My first office visit was 1/2/08. had to finish all my pre-op testing by january 26, final visit with surgeon on 1/27 and surgery on 2/10. My girlfriend went on the same day as me for the first visit but had insurance. She had surgery exactly 2 weeks after me (2/24). A lot depends on the surgeon's office/way of doing stuff/scheduling.

Your liver is on your right. Under your left ribcage sounds like trapped gas. You can also feel trapped gas in your shoulders/neck. If you aren't using Gas-X, get some. Heating pad will help too!

I had to have more than a physical .... Upper GI and swallow stufy; chest xray; sleep study; and, cardiologist clearance. But even with all that, it was not so much to rule out surgery as it was to eliminate any surprises in the operating room. The upper GI would have shown if I had a hiatal hernia (which would have been repaired during the band surgery); the sleep study was to see if I had sleep apnea (which if I had it would have required me to get the CPAP machine and use it for 2 weeks before having the surgery and bringing the CPAP with me to surgery); and the cardiologist was just to make sure my heart was okay for general anesthesia. You should be fine! Relax a little, take a deep breath. You're on your way!

For me, it's been the same and I credit it to the fact that for the first time in my life I have started losing weight without the nagging thought that I will eventually fall off the wagon and regain the weight. So every effort I make seems like it's so very worth it!

I go for fill #2 tomorrow. My first fill, and tomorrow, are scheduled first thing in the morning. I didn't have breakfast until after the fill because I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't know that not having anything affected how much restriction I ended up with after #1. The fill was too much and I didn't even make it to work before I called and said I was coming back for a small unfill because I couldn't even swallow spit.....

By "decent tasting protein", do you mean protein shakes for the liquid and mushie stages of the post-op diet? If so, Slimfast LOW CARB option.... unlike the other Slimfast varieties, this has 20 grams of protein and only 2 grams of carbs. The chocolate is good; the vanilla is okay; and I always steer clear of anything strawberry flavored because it is never good. Once you're on regular diet? Grilled, broiled or boiled works well. Just remember that if the meat/fish/chicken is dry, you may have problems with it. Prepare/order steak rare -- might be less cooked than you're used to but it is much more moist. I cook chicken in a foil packet with a little chicken broth, seasoning AND my veggies all together in the oven. Chicken is moist, your veggies are ready, and the clean up consists of throwing away the foil. I actually cook fish the same way, but with no broth....place the fish on foil sheet, add a little butter flavor spray and a little lime or lemon juice and some seasonings; close it up and cook for about 17 minutes. Any questions? Ask away!!

Tylenol. NSAIDs increase the chance of stomach bleeding in any person (I had a bleeding ulcer 18 months ago that was caused by Voltaryn). With the lap band, it inceases the chances so most docs tell us no NSAIDs. Buy liquid Tylenol and keep it on hand. As you get fills, your band will be tighter and you might not be able to swallow a normal pill so just get in the habit of asking for liquid medications, or medications that can be crushed.

Sounds like you had a bad "stuck". Just remember that it sort of roughed up your esophagus and stomach. Go easy on it ... and definitely call your doctor tomorrow if you aren't feeling any better. And as for steak .... it's really lean but it isn't always juicy and dry meat sticks, be it chicken pork or steak. Next time you have steak, get it rare... That might be less done than you prefer, but it will be juicier and easier to eat.

I'm going to say that you've heard the complainers.....most of us have had no problems at all. I had surgery on Tuesday, back to work on Friday. I had some gas (but everybody has gas, pretty much). My best friend had the surgery 2 weeks after me, on a Tuesday and went back to work on Thursday for a half day. She too had no problems other than gas. I have several friends on another forum and, again, none of them had any problems other than gas. Gas is so common I don't even consider it a problem. Happens with any abdominal surgery even if it is done laprascopically.

I recommend grief support or grief counseling. Sometimes, the funeral home can even refer you to some free grief counseling, and larger churches often have grief support groups. They will help you with the immediate loss. I've been where you are ... you have to be strong, handle it all, and then, suddenly, you're on your own and you have to cope. Counseling made all the difference for me.

Well, it's pretty gross ... hasn't happened to me but it happened to my friend a week ago. If you eat too much and there's no room in your little pouch for anything else, it sits. Your body starts to produce a lot of saliva trying to wash it away. Or if you eat something that sticks, the same thing happens. Usually followed by a PB episode -- that's productive burping. Not vomiting (no heaving involved) -- it just slides back up and out.

That's great, Inri! Glad to hear you're feeling well. I'm sure you won't regret taking care of this now when it wasn't a crisis! Keep up posted! Cathy

I went to Dr. Hart through True Results. I have the Lap Band brand band. 10ccs. Dr. Hart has a private practice at Johns Creek, through True Results (doing Lap Band brand bands) AND through Realize (doing, of course, the Realize Band). True Results has a full service office, with three physicians assistants and that's where I go for my fills. I, too, was self-pay. $15,000, which includes the first 10 fills. I really didn't consider Mexico as an alternative. I didn't want to be alone, and by the time TWO people flew round trip, had hospital stay, cost of surgery and if I had problems that required the surgeon's attention then I'd have to go back, well, I just decided doing it close to home was the best thing for me.

I was banded 2/10 by Dr Chris Hart (in Atlanta). I'm down 37 pounds so far. When I first met with Dr. Hart, he examined my big old gallbladder scar (HUGE, like you say yours is). He told he has had one patient who had so much scar tissue around their scar that he coulnd't finish the surgery. Then he said that he didn't think I had to worry, that my scar felt pretty "normal" (whatever the heck normal is). And, sure enough, he had no problems at all. Dr. Hart established the first bariatric surgery practice at a leading university hospital here in Atlanta and has done a huge number of lab band AND bypass surgeries. If he has only had one patient who had a problem, I'm going to bet you'll be fine. But do keep us posted!! Good luck with surgery.

They noticed! But they may have felt uncomfortable discussing it. Not even necessarily because of jealousy but because they thought perhaps you didn't want to be reminded of where you have already come from. I lost 110 pounds quite some time ago (and gained it back, of course) but one friend who never said a word finally admitted that she was afraid to mention anything about it because she didn't want me to think it made one iota of difference to our friendship.

I'm going to say that nobody who has had this surgery has done it first thing out of the gate, without trying other diets, etc. and either failing completely or losing and then gaining the weight back with a little extra for good measure. Of course, deep down, you (and I and others) will wonder if this really will work. The truth is, it does -- for those who accept it as the tool that it is. How many diet products promise to help you eat less? Did you try any of them? Did they work? Of course not. But the lap band DOES exactly that. If you eat crap, then you probably won't lose. But if you eat as you have been instructed (protein first, 60 grams of protein each day, etc....), get moving, etc. then you WILL succeed. The first week or two or even 4 after surgery, you are healing and you may or may not lose (and some people even gain a little) but once you start with that first fill, you'll be on your way!

Please remember that you had major surgery...you may have recovered quickly, but you had general anesthesia! All the pre-op dieting, surgery, recovery, etc. is stressful, too. Add all that together and you have reduced your immunity. Take a good multivitamin everyday if you aren't already. Get plenty of sleep. Yeast infection? Have you been on antibiotics? Because antibiotics can screw up your pH, etc. and cause yeast infections. Ask the doctor for, gee I can't remember the name of it, but there is a medication for yeast infections that is ONE pill. Starts working immediately and should eliminate it completely in 24-48 hours. I just got back from an 8 day cruise last Sunday ... and I was sick as s dog with a sinus infection. I hardly ever get sick but I chalk it up to reduced immunity due to all the above. Stick with the good routine (lots of hand washing, rest, drink plenty of water) and you will move out of this stage.

Gas-X comes in a strip that dissolves in your mouth, cinnamon and mint flavors available. That will help quite a bit. Walk, walk, walk, walk. Hold your arms over your head and move them around. And don't foget the heating pad!! I put mine over wherever the pain was as the moment. The combination of everything will help you tremendously. I can't discount the value of movement. Walk to the mailbox and back if you don't feel like going further. Walk to the corner and back if you can.

I can't stand coffee, so it wasn't a question for me BUT coffee was on the list of okay stuff post-op. Go ahead and have a cup!

First, just count yourself lucky you aren't in bandster hell! Many of us, before our first fills, were so hungry and the only thing that kept us from GAINING was a very, very strong desire to succeed. Go for your fill appointment. They won't just give you a standard amount. They will want to know how much you can eat, how long you feel full after you eat -- and only then will they consider a fill. There are some people who don't get a fill on the first appointment, but most of us do. I had .6 ccs in a 10cc band; they put in 4 ccs which was wayyyy too tight (couldn't swallow water), so they took 1 cc back outo and I was fine. That was 3 weeks ago and now I get hungry in less than 4 hours so I expect to get that 1cc back on Tuesday -- what was too much won't be now. They will do the fill (which does not hurt, just a pinch) and it only takes like less than a minute. Then you will have to drink a cup of water. If you have any problems doing that, then they will adjust it down. But eventually, you will need and very much want the fill. The desired weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week and you aren't there so you probably do need a fill though I would never hazard a guess as to how much. Good luck

Take heart! Several things can be in the mix here. 1) Maybe those 20s were really tight when you started losing (i.e., maybe a 22 would have fit better?) -- so now you are legitimately in a 20 and approaching an 18; 2) there is no consistency is manufacturers' sizing...in my experience, the cheaper the clothing, the smaller it runs -- as in a 20 that you paid $10 for might actually be an 18 if you compared it to a similar garment that you paid $30 for; 3) you might actually BE an 18 but those pants are comfortable now and you haven't gone shopping -- go to a department store, not the plus size department, and try on several different styles of size 18 and just see! As we lose weight, we have sort of skewed view of ourselves. It's common to look in the mirror and KNOW that you've lost weight and yet see the fat lady I/you/we were. So a shopping trip just might be in order. Try on tons of clothes. See what looks really good on you (take a friend who you can count on to be unbiased). Worry about the number on the tag less than the fit, but I'm still betting you'll be fitting into at least some 20s!

Really, I don't think you should have any say as to how much the doctor puts in or removes from your band. I mean that in a good way ... the doctor/PA has more experience to draw on. Given that they want you at your sweet spot, I doubt they would take much out at all. But it sounds like it's time to discuss what happens when you eat and work hand-in-hand with the professionals to decide what's going on. Do particular foods trigger the pain or is it just anything? That would seem like an important bit of information because it could be not the fill in your band but something else. Good luck!

I lost 32 pounds pre-op and until this week had not lost another ounce. Surgery was February 10. But I've lost 3 pounds this week. But I was told that the first 3-4 weeks after surgery you shouldn't even expect any weight loss because you are healing, drinking and then eating really weird stuff that wasn't necessarily things you'd be eating once you transitioned to "regular diet." I probably would have lost more but last week, I was on a cruise and I was happy to just not gain anything. I have a personal short-term goal to lose 17 more pounds by June 12 (my 40th high school reunion is on June 12-13). Maybe unreasonable. Maybe not. But HERE GOES!