Boykie

be weary.. your doctors office may be 'sure', but when you sign the paper at the hospital, you are also undertaking to pay anything not covered by the insurance... be cautious. i am a 'self pay', and it is a lot of money [my daughter is still pissed that i spent 'her car money'] .. just kidding, she is not... k

At the risk of throwing fuel onto the fire.... I think it is a personal choice. In my research, I liked three main things. (1) I am not cutting out any part of my body (2) I can remove it if I need full absorbtion in the event of a serious illness/surgery (3) I know three people who have had GB and all have absorbtion problems. Further, I decided I would try band and if I did not make it the whole way, I could then do GB/GS. I thought that if I lost some weight first it might lessen the chance of problems from surgery. So, it is a personal choice. Either way, the surgery is just a tool and you have to make the mental commitment. I have heard of people who have had either and lived on fast-food milkshakes, and not lost weight. I know of someone who is planning to have GB because then she 'can eat anything she wants to'. That is so wrong. Lastly. In reading these communications that our "Band of Brothers/Sisters" share, there are plenty pf people at or below target weight, so I do not know where the "you only loose 50% of your excess weight with LBT" comes from. You are doing the right thing to help you change your life. Get informed and do what is right for YOU.... Regards k

i used OptiFast800, and fortunately my dr sells them.. i thought i saw them on ebay though,, good luck It is a great step - the start of the rest of your life.. k

Good luck guys.. I am 6 weeks post-op, and had my first fill this past Wednesday. This LapBand thing is tool to help form the new way of life.. Enjoy the journey.. and, good luck getting to Op day... later k

256.0 today [cumulative total to date is 30.0 lbs]

My experience (2 days ago) was much like CelticAngel reported. Was my first fill, 3.0 cc's. I am on 4 days of liquids following that fill, then shall see how it helps. I spend about 10 days being really hungry before the fill. Started seeing some yo-yo weights, up and down by 2.5 pounds. As I detest broth like liquids, I am just doing the Optifast milkshakes for the first few days. Looks like the yo-yo has stopped and I am now down 30 pounds so far (from start of pre-op diet). So, relax and enjoy, it is all part of the ride to a better healthier life. Kind regards k

Relax. I waited most of a week. In my situation, I had been on liquid diet for 15 days pre-op, (absolutely nothing to eat) then post op I only drank water and some fruit juice for the 4 days - so all in all, there was not much of anything to get rid of... So, unless you are uncomfortable, I would relax and not worry k

Thanks for that.. Looking at your stats, you have done amazingly well. Congrats. Yesterday I heard of someone who was banded 2 years ago, is at her goal weight, and now her doctor is recommending removing the band. Has anyone heard of this before ? I thought that was a setup for disappointment, but will post next time I get an update from her.. well done. k

Hey Jim I also noticed a lack of men on this board - was not sure if it was a tendency of men to not use the board, or the ratio of men vs women in the banding process. I am right behind you mate - got banded 4/10. Post-op days 3 & 4 were hell for me. Sunday (day3) I found I could not keep any liquids down, so monday 630am i jumped into my car and drove the 2 hours to my doctor, he took 1.2 cc outta the tube ('priming' residue) and I felt immediate relief. so, day 4 was marginally better (managed to keep about a half glass of Water down) and then improved each day since.. I am interested in what you are experiencing, so will follow your discussion. You might also attribute the weight gain to the exercise - assuming you were starting-up. (is that not what they always tell you at Weight Watchers - you are building muscle ?) Anyway, good on ya mate. kevin

pure luxury My doctor had me on Optifast for 15 days before the operation, After day #2, I was not hungry. So-much-so that i often forgot to drink the 5th shake of the day. On Op day, he said my liver looked 'good'. Since then, I have not been able to drink much more than Water or a little gatorade.. but it might be too soon to judge as I am only on day #5 post surgery (counting the day of surgery). I would love to be able to have milkshakes now, this water is getting pretty boring (although I am not really hungry) So, i know it is hard, but hang in there.. Good luck going thru the process.... k

hi I was banded Friday morning, home friday night. Sat was fine, even took the wife shopping, Sat night i realised i had not had 100 calories all day, so maybe i did too many liquids in too short of a time, got the hiccups. today i can keep no fluids in. never puke, just hiccup all the time and push out foam. I doubt i kept a half glass of fluids in me all day. Hiccups start for no reason. ie, they stop for a few hours, then I am sitting around not eating or drinking, and they start up. walked a half mile, did not help. after dozing a little, it is now midnight and i cannot sleep as i am hiccuping. ANY ADVICE PLEASE ? tia k

Could not wait until the morn. found 24 hr pharmacy, sucked 3 Gas-x strips. feeling much better already (only been 15 minutes, so let me see how it goes). many thanks for the advice k Followup: Went back to Dr, he removed 1.2cc of saline, and i felt like a choke-hold had been released. Turns out that I had become inflamed and that caused the issue. Thanks for the advice team

tx - appreciate the feedback. guess i know what i am doing in the morning k

Good luck. I can only answer from my experience. I did Optifast for 16 days and the Dr said afterwards that my liver looked to be very good. I had 4 to 5 opti's a day (normally 5), and drank a gallon or more of Crystl light and a few cups of coffee a day - and that was fine. That being said, I have read this board and some poeple's doctors dont seem to require much of a diet, so I guess your doctor knows your setup best. Good luck on Friday k

Thanks mate - appreciate that. I have not managed to read on anyone getting similar symptoms. Thought that I would see if i can drink a little warm Water in the morning. If not, i am definitely back to the doctor. kind regards k

Got banded yesterday by Dr Rich DiCicco at Pasco Regional in Dade City, FL. Was ready to leave hospital an hour after I came around, but they kept me till I could take the second round of Antibiotics. I really expected much more pain, did not even get the gas pains I had been warned about. No pain to speak of, just a little tenderness. What a great job this team did for me, thanks so much. Today I had issues trying to drink stuff that might contain calories, so i probably maxed out at 100 calories for the day .. must try do better tomorrow. I did learn (thru this site) that my hiccups were caused by being full. I thought it was thru eating cold popsicles, so I tried to correct the situation by drinking room temperature Water. Did not help. Good luck in your decision - hope it goes as smoothly as mine. THANKS DOC - GREAT JOB THERE> Kevin

Hi. Got banded on Friday 4/10/09 - when I scheduled I decided that Good Friday was as good a day as any to restart my life. Did 15 days of Optifast. After 2 days, i never got hungry and had to set alarms to remind me to take them, normally had 5, but sometimes only managed 4. Scheduled for 9am surgery, went under at 9:24 and woke up at 10:15. Dr said he used a 'standard' band on me. Now, that is the first 'standard' i have had in almost 20 years - LOL. I was ready to leave hospital an hour after waking up, but they made me hang around for 6 hours so they could give me a second shot of anti-biotics, and I was not sore - just a little tender. I got dressed and walked around the floor for a few laps . I had them give me a painkiller as i had a 2 hour drive home and did not wanna develop pain en-route. I slept most of the night, but got up fairly early. No pain, I was extremely lucky and blessed. This - being my first day that I can drink clear liquids, I got to the evening and realized I had consumed a whole 50 calories today. I mean, apart from the fact I am not hungry (a miracle in itself) there are not many 'clear liquids' that I can consume that have calories. I took to drinking fruit juice and coffee - to which I added sugar - which I never use. Then I guess I drank too much trying to get calories in, and ended up with hiccups. Doing a google on that, I ended up back at this site, and learned it was cos I was too full. I guess you dont realize it when all you are absorbing is liquids. Anyway, all I can say is that I believe it is the right decision for me to get banded. I am tired of being fat and want to stop dieting - so this is just a tool to me to help me change my lifestyle. Good luck in your decision,, and have a great, blessed easter. Boykie