debi717

Wow, I started this thread back in July, when I first began to research the lapband. It's great to see it "wake up". I started my required preop tests back in August and was forced to take a few detours -- you know, one test leads to another, then another. Everything is fine and I'm just waiting to get a date now. I would be happy to lose 5 lbs a month -- that's 60 lbs at the end of a year! I have to lose 150 lbs., so that would be almost half way to goal for me. I think weight loss is may be slower for those of us over 50, but for most of us, I think our life experience has produced the grit to overcome difficult times and the patience to work things through day-by-day until we get to the other side. We know by now that it's the only way to get over life's mountains. I don't care if it takes me two years instead of one to reach my goal. I just want to get there, and I want to be healthy when I do. I have found a terrific mentor on this board who has been such a help to me. I'm sure that when I get the band, her experiences and the knowlege she has shared with me will be invaluable. This website has been very helpful. Carlene, you really do look beautiful. Has it been hard for you to maintain where you are? How is that managed once you reach goal? Regards... Debbie

Have any of you read this article in People Magazine? It's beyond me how these people do it. I can't stick to a diet for more than a couple of months -- then I gain it back with bonus pounds. These people lost incredible amounts of weight just by dieting and exercise -- no extra help! Where inside themselves do they find that stick-to-it mindset??? I'd love to get inside their heads to understand what drives people who succeed at this level. Amazing. I applaud them, but it make me feel like a failure -- a little jealous, I guess. I can't help but admire them. Debbie

Thanks for your responses. I really don't want to go through surgery twice. I'm nervous about doing it once. The gastroenterologist told me that it's very possible I'll have trouble digesting fatty foods after gallbladder removal, since the bile from the gallbladder is no longer breaking down the fats before they reach the stomach. I think I have that explanation right, or it's something close to that. However, right now I have pressure in my stomach anytime I eat anything, and I feel nauseous a lot of the time. I don't think my gallbladder would last long after getting the lapband and losing some weight. Regards... Debbie

Just had my surgeon consult. He said no Advil, aspirin, etc. for one week before surgery. Tylenol is okay.

Telly, our NY Giants are in a bit of a slump. Not playing too well.

Hi, Bev. I'm not usually confrontational, but Geezer's negative posts nearly had me walk away from my pursuit of the lapband a couple of months ago. I sought out information on a couple of other websites to expose myself to a larger cross-section of people's personal experiences with the band. Overall, the majority of people are happy they got a lap band, even though they are aware that they may face some complications down the road. My impression is that in the majority of cases the complications are fixable, not life-threatening, and going forward life can be lived with or without the band. As with any surgery, there is a small percentage of people who could encounter more serious problems. That holds true for any surgery. I had someone on this forum who took me under her wing and helped me so much with sorting through the pros and cons. I'm very thankful for the time she spent responding to my endless questions. Going forward, I'll do my best to ignore Geezer's rantings, but it was on my mind to say something for awhile. This thread gave me the opportunity. I feel a little bad for her too, but damn, enough is enough already. She scares people, and that isn't fair to people who are trying to make an already tough decision. Debi

Geezer, I joined this forum about 6 months ago and it didn't take me long to recognize that you have an axe to grind. Your posts are always negative and it seems to me that your intent is to discourage anyone who comes to this board looking for info about the band. You think you are being helpful by always painting the worst possible picture. Okay, so the lapband didn't work out for you and you decided to get the DS. Apparently, it was a good choice for you. Great. So, why don't you move on now? Isn't there a DS forum you can join? Go vent about your bad experience with the lap band on the Regrets forum, or a DS forum. I don't think your doom and gloom posts are helpful to anyone here. There's nothing wrong with having a positive attitude. The people who subscribe to this forum are not stupid, or should I say "simple", as you so nicely stated. Enough said. Cindy, your posts were great and very helpful. Thanks for joining the thread and responding to Geezer with common sense anwers. They are much appreciated. Debi

Has anyone on this thread had Dr. Dominick Artuso as their surgeon?

Hi, Susan. Just got back a little while ago from a visit up in Grand Gorge, NY. We have friends who have a second home up there. It is so beautiful. We took my godson (their grandson) for a visit to Cooperstown last night to see Santa Claus and a hayride pulled by Clysdale (spelling?) horses. It was fun, but there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed. I'm glad to hear that your happy with Dr. Artuso. I think I might make an appointment to have a consult with him, then make my decision between him and Dr. Fielding. I do like the idea of getting in my car, driving to the doctor's and just pulling into a parking lot, rather than taking the train into the city. Anything you do in the city always feels like such a project. Where do you live? Can I ask how you feel about your journey with the lapband? Are you satisfied with your weight loss? Have you found the band difficult to live with? Do you have a lot of problem with PB'ing? Would you do it again? I know, I'm asking lots of questions. It's a big decision and I can use all the feedback people are willing to give me. Hope you had a nice holiday. Debbie

Hi, Suzy. Yes, I live in NY. Northern Westchester County. I've been dealing with Dr. George Fielding's & Dr. Christine Ren's office in NYC. I have no complaint with them or their staff at all. It's just such a long trip back and forth, and I'm thinking that it may be quite the haul back and forth by train if I encountered some post-op problems -- like needing a slight unfill, etc. I saw Dr. Artuso's name on the Obesity Help website and saw that he seems to have experience with the lapband. Just wondering if he might be an option for the sake of convenience. Of course, I certainly don't want to sacrafice skill for convenience. That wouldn't be a smart move. The office staff counts for a lot too. After all, you usually spend more time dealing with them then the doctor. I'd very much appreciate if you'd share with me. That would be great. I'm going to be leaving for upstate NY in a little while and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be able to reply to you until tomorrow evening. I had come to the conclusion that no one who was still on on LBT or Obesity Help had used him. Thanks so much for responding. Debbie

Thank you Jack, Jesse & Barbara for another side of the story. I really don't think I could live with the spitting thing. Glad to know it's in my control by eating slowly, chewing & not getting overfilled. I'll be checking in with my doctor to make sure, but I think this sounds like something that can be managed. Having to carry a cup for spitting up would definitely be a reason to cancel lapband surgery for me. Thanks... Debbi

Agree, that would be bad, but I think my family would freak if I had to carry a cup around for spitting. My family won't even eat messy foods in a restaurant. I can just see my husband's or daughter's face if I had to spit in a cup. Gotta admit, it's an almost funny visualization, but I'd like to leave it at that. I'm going to give my surgeon a call to get some more info on this. Glad I caught this thread. Thanks... Debi

Gosh, Carol, what's the alternative???

I'm finding this spitting in a cup problem a little alarming. I'm not banded yet, but I can tell you that my husband (and all other family members) would be absolutely mortified if I took to spitting in a cup at mealtime, or any other time. I was under the impression that this was something within our control. I need to know if this is an unavoidable problem before I get the lapband. My husband would leave me sitting at the table alone if he saw me spitting into a cup. Debi

Hi, Joyful. I'm from New York too. It's a big decision. The first doctors I went too encouraged me to have the RNY too. I wasn't comfortable with the rerouting process myself and was leaning towards the lapband from the start. However, when my husband and sister learned of the possible complications, they emphatically let me know there was no way I was having a bypass. I switched to a different surgeon because I feel it's important for the surgeon to believe in what he does in order to support me. I don't have a date for surgery yet, but I'm hoping for January if all goes well. Good luck. Regards... Debi

Hi City Girl. I'm also going to be using Dr. George Fielding. I have my appt with the nutritionist & NP next Thursday. I've been trying to lose weight on my own, but I'm not doing very well, so I've decided to move on to the next step. I'm very nervous too, but I've only heard positive things about Dr. Fielding & Dr. Ren. I've been told they are the most experienced lapband surgeons in the US. Like you, I'll get the chance to form some of my own opinions about the practice after my office visit. I went to the seminar back in July and I liked Dr. Fielding very much, but I've never met him one-on-one. I'm nervous too. Lot's of second guessing, but I'm gathering that's normal. Good luck. I'll be anxious to hear how things go with your office visit. Regards... Debi

Has anyone had their gallbladder out and gotten a lap band inserted at the same time? I was just diagnosed with gallstones and the gastroenterologist said the surgeon would probably want to remove the gallbladder at the same time. Does that complicate things? I have an appointment to meet with the surgeon's nutritionist and nurse practitioner on November 9, but was hoping to get some feedback from some of you beforehand. Thanks. Debbie

Where has this post been? Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's so nice to hear positives from so many people.

After reading post after post of people's problems with the band, especially Geezer Sue's posts about the real story behind the band, I've decided to try to lose this weight, once again, on my own. An RNY or DS is definitely out of the question -- won't even consider them. I'm not disgarding the lapband as an option -- I'm just shelving it for the time being. It just seems that there are so many daily problems and possible long-term complications, and I just don't see any info on folks who have really had this band long-term anywhere. This is a wonderful forum, but maybe I over researched. That's just my Type A personality. In any case, I need to make one last attempt to do this journey without surgery. I'll continue to check in and will let everyone if I decide to go with the surgery. Thanks. Regards... Debi

Robin, what kind of pain killer does your doctor prescribe? I'm not banded yet, but I'm a little worried about not being able to take an anti-inflammatory for arthritis pain. Tylenol doesn't put a dent in it. It was my understanding that Advil was okay if it wasn't taken on a regular basis. I'll definitely check with my PCP. She has some other lap band patients, so I'm hoping the issue has come up before. Thanks. This needs investigatijng.

Hi, Em. I read somewhere that you can take pain meds like Advil if you need it, but not habitually. For some people, the only thing that will do the trick is an anti-inflammatory drug like Advil, Celebrex, etc. I think taking Advil this month might be more of a problem simply because you've had stomach surgery so recently. Otherwise, I think it would be okay, as long as you didn't take it all the time. Maybe you can live with the Tylenol this month, then check with your doctor.

I've been in the process of getting preop testing. I received some bad news about my eccho & nuclear stress test. They see a couple of blockages. I have to go for a cardiac catheterization this Tuesday, 9/12. They tell me that stents might be necessary, but they won't know until they get in there. Regretfully, this slows down the progress I was making toward getting a lap band. I was hoping to have it by the Thanksgiving Holiday. Anyone have experience with this sort of problem? How long did you have to wait? Were there any particular problems? Just wondering. Obviously, it's first things first, so I have to reset my priorities. Just looking for some further information about this situation. As always, thank you. Regards... Debi

In response to Carlene's post about skipping the kids: AMEN! If I only knew then what I know now, I would have adopted puppies. My dog is the best of the bunch. My grandmother used to say she wouldn't give a penny for more children, but wouldn't take a million for the one's she had. I think she got it right. Feel better, SherriJo. Regards... Debi

Brandy, my husband had skin cancer removed from the corner of his eye 6 years ago. It was the least serious form of skin cancer, a basal cell carninoma, but it had to be done by an opthalmic plastic surgeon. He looked hideous for about 2 weeks after the surgery. Today, you wouldn't even be able to find the scar. It all turned out fine. Now my son had a small "in situ" melanoma removed from his abdomen about 10 years ago. That is the most serious form of skin cancer. He is also fine. My son has had a couple of "could be" suspicious moles removed since then, but turns out none of them were cancer. Both he and my husband have to have annual skin checks by a dermatologist. Oh, I almost forgot that a close friend of mine had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from behind her knee three years ago. She had some trouble with the healing because of the location and size of the excision. They always have to remove a larger portion around the site just to make sure they get everything. Good news is that she's fine today and also goes for a yearly checkup with a dermatologist. I'm sure you'll be fine. The earlier you have these things checked out, the better. Just get yourself to the doctor and take care of it. Good luck! Regards, Debi

:help: Up until a few days ago, I was moving confidently toward getting the band. I'm sure I would have started second guessing myself as the surgery date drew near, but my family was very supportive and that encouraged me to stick to my decision. Now, my family is second guessing my decision, husband included. Maybe they doubted I would ever go through with it after I had done all the research and started going through the prerequisite tests. Now they see I'm only a footstep away. Over the weekend, their attitudes toward my having surgery changed. We all got together for my birthday and they kept asking me, "If you have to diet and exercise when you have the band, why can't you diet and exercise without getting the band?" I lamely gave answers like lack of willpower, with the band I won't gain the weight back so easily... They were a rough crowd, and all very adept at arguing their case. I appreciate the responses here to the emotional eating question, because it seems we all have to deal with that. Now I want to know if you attribute the band to your success or is it the smaller portions, along with exercise and complete change in attitude. Why couldn't you make these changes without the band? I see some people have really gone heavy duty, full throttle into exercise -- gyms, jogging, the works! In that case, weight loss would happen with or without the band. How about the average person who works full-time, has a family and they are happy to be able to fit in 30 minutes to one hour of exercise on any given day? I really want to know how much the band contributed to your losing the weight. Your answers will not only encourage or discourage me (I will appreciate your answers either way), but will help me to answer my family's questions. Thanks. Debi