debi717

I have gallstones. Has anyone had their gallbladder removed at the same time they got their lapband? I've had a consult with two different surgeons and they both say something different. One says to remove the gallbladder at the same time because there's no sense in having to go through surgery twice. The other surgeon says to wait a month between surgeries. Your experiences welcomed. Thanks. Debi

How is weight loss for people over 50? Can we still expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week with the band?

Sooverit, 1. Do you ever get frustrated that you can't eat "normally" like you did before? No. I can eat normally -- just a lot less. The surgeons aren't going to fill your band to capacity from the get-go. It's done gradually so you get used to it. Tell them that's the way you want it done. I have a VG band. It's seems to be more flexible with different textures of food than the original 4cc lapband. At least that's my understanding. I've never had the 4cc, but I can eat pretty much anything as long as I take small bites and chew well. 2. Do you forget after a while that it's there? I'm reminded that it's there when I try to eat too big a forkful of food or if I try to eat past what my stomach tells me is enough. I don't feel the lapband any other time. 3. Have you ever regretted getting it? Only when I read posts about bad experiences with the band. They scare me to death. However, I made the decision to get the band, Drs. Fielding/Ren are top notch and are well acquainted with what can go wrong, and I go for regular follow-ups. I wish I could have gotten my eating under control without it, but I wasn't having much luck with that. It seemed the more I tried, the more I gained. I knew there would be risks going into getting this surgery, but there were risks to my health if I didn't. 4. Do you feel healthier since getting the lap band? Absolutely, and I've only lost 53 lbs of my weight. I can get up and down from a chair without other people noticing that I'm struggling. I walk faster. I'm less winded. Best of all, the dosage of my blood pressure medicine has been cut in half. Hope my answers have helped you. Debbie

Hi, Lynne. You won't have a problem missing donuts because they are one of the foods that you'd have a tough time eating -- unless you did it one tiny, tiny piece at a time. I don't eat too many carbs anymore. I can eat one slice of well-toasted bread with my morning coffee, if I want a slice of bread. I can eat a few pieces of ziti or two or three forkfuls of liguine. When it comes to mashed potatoes, maybe 1/2 a cup (probably less) would go down if I eat nothing else with it. You'll definitely be eating less carbs. You'll eat less of everything. Just stay away from junk. Really. food portions will no longer be a problem for you. What is the date of your surgery? If you have any questions, please feel free to private message me. I'm glad to help. I would have been so nervous if it hadn't been for some of the nice people on this board who took the time to address all my concerns. Hope you're having a nice weekend! Debbie

Hi, LinzerPA. I'm still around and doing okay. I've lost 53 pounds since my surgery in February. I look and feel better, but I still have a way to go. The lapband has made it much easier to lose weight, but I find that I still have to do work on my part. Exercise, willpower and self control have to be part of your mindset. Unfortunately, sweets and soft foods go through the band easily, so if you allow yourself to dine on chocolate, ice cream or eat too many "easy to get past the band" foods -- chicken salad, tuna salad, eggplant parmagian..., you'll still consume too many calories. Of course, not as much as before, but it will hinder your weight loss. My sister is addicted to Cadbury chocolate bars. She asked me if I thought the lapband would help her. I told her it wouldn't help unless she's ready to deal with her daily chocolate eating. That's my reality with the lapband. However, it's definitely easier to eat half the amount of food than I use to eat at meals. If I sit down to eat a chicken parmagian dinner, I can manage about 1/3 of a cutlet and maybe 4 pieces of ziti. No salad unless it's chopped to pieces. A tiny piece of Italian bread crust with butter. That's all I can manage and I'm so happy for that. I only allow myself to eat a dessert once a week, usually on a Saturday or Sunday. This surgery was a good decision for me. Just don't go into it thinking the band is going to do all the work for you. If you have the right mindset, the band will take care of the size of your portions. Just get the dessert eating under control before the surgery, if that's a weakness for you. Good luck! Debi

Hi, Kelly. I just reread your post and the word "omenectomy" popped out. I remember seeing that as a voluntary surgery choice when I filled out my paperwork to have surgery. How is your weight loss going? I remember reading that it's suppose to enable quicker weight loss. Is your post-op care any different because of it? Just curious. We're leaving for vacation in about 4 hours, so if I don't respond to your reply, it's because I'm outa here. Of course, my dog injured his leg running around yesterday, so we have to take him to the vet first. Depending on his injury, we may be leaving later than scheduled. He's my baby. I hope it's nothing more than a muscle strain. I'll catch up with all your posts in a couple of weeks. LIGHT ER NYC, stay well, enjoy your liquid diet! Debbie :whoo:

Congratulations Light ER NYC. You did it, and you did it well! I was impressed with the care at NYU too, I had that same trouble taking deep breaths after surgery. We must look like human balloons on the operating table with all that gas they pump into us. Well, you're on your way. Enjoy watching the scale go down! Debbie

It's a busy practice, that's for sure. I've seen the waiting room so full that people were standing out in the hall. They've added another surgeon to their practice, Dr. Kurian. She also has an excellent reputation. That should help ease some of Ren & Fielding's workload. I usually go to their satellite office in White Plains for my monthly followups. It's so much easier. I love that they do that. I believe they have different satellite offices in different locations on Wednesday's. I think White Plains is the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Fielding did my surgery, but Ren was always in White Plains when I went there. When I went last week, I was surprised to see Dr. Fielding there instead of Dr. Ren. I hadn't seen him since my surgery. He said that he and Ren are going to be alternating months in White Plains now. They are both very nice and I'm very happy with the practice. It was a good choice. Congrats on your surgery Light Er NYC! Debbie

Hi, Cheri. Good luck on your surgery. I had mine back in February '07. To date, I've lost 48 lbs. and I'm feeling so much better, and I still have 100 lbs. to go! Honestly, I think you have to be committed to changing the way you eat to maintain your weight loss over the long-term. The lapband will keep your portions under control without too much effort on your part. If you eat too much, you're going to feel uncomfortable, and unless you stick yourself with pins for pleasure you'll probably want to avoid that. However, Desserts seem to go through the band without any trouble. For myself, I've had to commit to limiting myself to one dessert a week. Sometimes it's a medium sized cup of ice cream at Coldstone Creamery, sometimes it's a piece of cake, BUT it's once a week -- no excuses. Believe me, the first 3 months that was hard, but now I don't think about chocolate everyday at 3:00 pm and then again at 9:00 pm. I've learned to substitute that stuff with a cup of yogurt and a 2 TBS of Go Lean Kashi Crunch, and I've even learned to enjoy sliced fruit in the afternoon. The short answer is that the lapband has worked for me and I believe I can keep the weight loss off if I don't make the choice to go back to my old habits. The lapband has curbed my hunger and lessened my desire to eat for the sake of eating. That's what the lapband is meant to do. It was a good decision for me. The problems are almost non-existent and when I have a problem it's because I'm eating too fast. PB's are not this huge, dramatic event I thought they would be before I had the surgery. Do yourself a favor and don't pay attention to that kind of talk. You can avoid them if you eat the way your suppose to eat -- small bites, chew well, eat slowly. If you do PB, you won't feel the need to call a doctor or run to the emergency room. Enjoy the journey.

I don't know what a ventricle hernia is. Dr. Fielding fixed my hiatal hernia and removed my gallbladder at the same time he placed the lap band. I've had no problems whatsoever. If Dr. Fielding is doing your surgery, I'm sure you'll do fine. He's a very gifted surgeon. I've felt wonderful since my hiatal hernia was fixed -- haven't had heartburn since my surgery and I used to get it all the time. Good luck to you!

pjanes, I'm so glad my post encouraged you. Green, my surgeon said he wouldn't put in a band without fixing a hiatal heria first. He said a hiatal hernia would make the lapband and resulting heartburn and reflux "unbearable." I don't know how difficult it would be to fix a hernia after the fact, but Dr. Fielding says he looks for it prior to placing the band. I had an endoscopy before my surgery, but he said he would have looked for it anyway. I haven't had heartburn since. It's wonderful. I agree with Marji 100%. You have to have a positive attitude. Don't make a big deal out of little things. You learn to live with arthritis and that doesn't do you one bit of good. The lapband has some inconveniences, but the weight loss and better health far outweigh the bad stuff. Honestly, most of the bad stuff is a result of our own mistakes. You can easily avoid them. Exercise will speed up your metabolism (and is there anyone over 50 that doesn't need a faster metabolism?). I walk 30 minutes a day. Working full-time certainly limits the "me" time, but I can still fit in a 30-45 minute walk. My dog benefits too. Good luck with your surgery. Hope you feel better soon, Green.

Good luck, Clara. I'm doing fine. I'm down 47 lbs and I'm feeling so much better. Everything is easier, and I still have a long way to go. I'm amazed by how much of a difference 47 lbs can make. I really don't have any problems. I PB once in a while, or I get that golf ball feeling when I don't wait long enough between bites, but nothing that has been terribly difficult to live with. It's been a lot easier than living with those 47 lbs I lost. Before I got the band I used to read the posts about PB'ing and sliming... scared the hell out of me. I have found the band is not difficult to live with and PB's and sliming are not nearly as dramatic as some of the descriptions I've read. I certainly try to avoid them because repeated episodes are not good for you or your band, but once in a while is normal. My toughest challenge has been to rest a minute or so between bites and swallowing. If I don't do that, I get that golf ball feeling in my chest. If I take my time, I'm absolutely fine, plus I fill up quicker and am satisfied with a lot less food. I don't post often because I don't feel like I have much to say that will add anything to what's already been posted by others, but every now and then I feel moved to throw in my two cents. Glad to read that so many of us 50+ people are doing so well. It's really encouraging. Debbie

Dr. Fielding did my surgery on 2/12/07. I feel good, have had no problems. Dr. Fielding and his partner, Dr. Ren, are top notch. They don't come better. I've had no problems to date. I'm losing slowly, but steadily. I've been seeing Dr. Ren on a monthly basis for follow-ups. That's because I go to their satellite office in White Plains (they are there once a month) and she's the one who takes care of patients there. Good luck!

Thanks, Dynamo & Crabcake for responding. Do either or both of you have the VG band? I've read that the VG band is more tolerant of different types of food than the 4cc band, but I'm hoping it offers the same amount of restriction. I'm happy I can eat so many different foods, but I can eat too much of them. I have a friend with a 4 cc band and she isn't able to eat more than the minimum requirement of food. I tried something different for dinner tonight. My husband took me out to dinner for Mother's Day. We went out for Italian food (my favorite). I usually order the eggplant parmigian because it's easy to eat and I can usually eat all of it (I skip the pasta). Tonight I ordered the chicken marsala and and a side of broccoli. It took longer to eat and I felt full faster. I brought half of it home for tomorrow's lunch. Maybe I have to try to eat foods that take more work to eat. I do feel some restriction (discomfort in my chest) if I don't chew my food well or if I eat too quickly, so I guess foods like eggplant go down alot easier even if you don't chew them as well. I also get hiccups when I've had enough. I don't want to get too tight, but I'm trying to figure this band out. I'm thinking I have to exercise a lot more SELF control, but the band is suppose to make that easier by helping me fill up faster. I just have to figure out what foods work best with the band, or like you said Crabcake, get a little more of a fill. I just don't want to get too crazy with the fills. It seems that's when people start having problems. Thanks for the understanding and encouragement. Debbie

Hello to all. I haven't visited here for awhile. Busy at work and at home. I've had my band for 3 months now. I'm losing slowly too. I've also given up candy, cake, ice cream - all the junk. It took me about 2 months to get over the daily craving for them. It's easier now. I'm not sure how I feel about the band right now. I have a VG band and was given 4 cc's at the time of surgery. When I went for my first fill the doctor gave me 2 cc's. When I went for my second fill I was given another 2 cc's. I'm up to 8 cc's already, and here's the bad part: I was able to eat a whole tuna fish sandwich on rye toast for lunch last week. After I ate it, it thought to myself that I shouldn't have been able to do that. I started to worry about the possibility that this band may not work for me --- 8 cc's and I can eat ANYTHING without a problem?! I'm not sure if I'm reading my signals form the band correctly. If I swallow too much at once or I eat too fast (not waiting a little bit to take a second bite I swallow my first bite), I do fell the restriction -- a tightness/discomfort in my chest and throat. HOWEVER, if I eat slowly and chew well, I can eat anything and quite a bit. I can't eat as much as I did before, but too much to lose weight. Seems 1500 calories a day is maintenance for me, so I should probably be eating 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day. I can definitely eat more than that (and without eating sweets). So, back to I'm not sure I'm understanding how this band works. I read that people CAN'T eat more than 1/2 a sandwich. In fact, I read that people can't eat bread. I thought the band would restrict me from overeating if I ate normal food, not just soft food. Have any of you been confused about this? Is this normal? I don't want to be overfilled, but I'm not sure if I have enough of a fill (8'cc's already ???) or if I'm not understanding how to use the band. Any help or words of encouragement would be so much appreciated. Thanks... Debbie

My surgeon removed my gallbladder at the same time as my lapband surgery. He said there was no point in coming back a year later for another surgery, which would inevitably happen since I already had gallstones. I did fine -- no problems and one set of scars. Debbie

I've always lost weight slowly. I'm shocked I lost as much as I did during the liquid diet stage -- 2 weeks pre-surgery & 2 weeks post surgery. It's one of the reasons I always got so discouraged when I dieted. I'd end up throwing in the towel and manage to gain even more weight. Debbie

Denise, my surgeon said he estimated that I would lose 120 to 130 lbs. over 2 years. I hope so. Debbie

Scarlett, good luck with your surgery on the 15th. I think it's very normal to feel uncertain about the decision to have this surgery. I ran through the mental "should I or shouldn't I? at least twice a day. In fact, I said to my husband in the surgery waiting room, "I hope I'm doing the right thing." He reassured me that I was. When I first started getting serious about having this surgery my husband was not too supportive. I think he was afraid for me and also feeling uncertain about how it would change our lives. After he met the surgeon and went through our list of questions with him, my husband got on board and has been nothing but supportive ever since. He retires in 18 months. When I would tell him about my second thoughts, he'd answer that he'd worked hard all his life so we could enjoy his retirement years doing things together. What good would it all be if I wasn't there to share life with him? My co-morbidities were growing with every pound -- high blood pressure, glucose intolerant, arthritis... I've been married to this man for 36 years and never once has he said a negative word about my weight. My weight was always about me and how it made me feel, but I realized it wasn't just about me. It affected my husband too. He had tears in his eyes as I walked away to have the surgery. It was scary for him too, but he was behind me 100%. His encouragement really got me through all my second guessing. Sounds like your husband is trying to do the same for you. Gerbera, I'm so glad you're feeling better. BJean, are you hungry for breakfast or just feeling too tight to eat it? I haven't had a fill yet, so I'm pretty much hungry every two hours. I'm really trying to reign myself in. I've sworn off sweets -- cookies, candies, cake. Desserts are red light foods for me. Once I start, I crave more. I'm always amazed by people who say they can eat a couple squares of chocolate, then wrap it up and put it away until the next day. I'm hoping my resolve gets stronger the longer I go without having them. It's been 6 weeks and every now and then I get the urge. I was in the A&P the other day and they had chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookies on display in the front of the store. I had to make a quick get-a-way down the condiments aisle and make myself think about something else. That was my last big temptation. I love anything made with flour. Thank goodness the lapband makes breads and pasta more difficult to eat. I let myself have a about 1/4 cup of pasta and one meatball the other night. It satisfied me. I hope I think about these things a little less when I'm not so hungry, but I think I'll always be a food addict. Without the lapband, and going by my past history, portion control would eventually go out the window. Once I get back into the routing of overeating at meals, the sweets and other junk start to follow because I get overwhelmed with my feelings. On a bright note, I've lost 25 lbs. since my pre-surgery fast began and I can stand and walk without so much pain in my lower back. I can't wait to see how I feel with another 25 lbs. off. I have 125 lbs. more to go before I reach my goal weight of 150. Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Regards... Debbie

I'm nearly 4 weeks out from my surgery (February 12). I can't believe how much better I feel. I can now sleep on my side and get up and down from bed without any discomfort (just have to be careful not to twist myself too much in the process). The golf ball feeling is gone and my incisions are healing nicely. I'm not as tired either. Whew! I had my doubts about what I'd done to myself the first two weeks. For those of you who are contemplating surgery, I should add that I also had my gallbladder removed and a hiatal hernia repaired, so much of my discomfort was probably due to that. I've had a really bad time about sticking to mushies. I just can't stand to look at, never mind eat, pureed foods. I manage farina and refried beans, but mostly I just eat food that I can chew down to a puree before I swallow. I'm feeling okay, so I guess it's okay. I'm not a big fan of foods that have a consistency like pudding and cream soups. I like my food to be chewable and my snacks crunchy. I've been using willpower to keep myself from overeating, since I'm feeling hungry now. I guess this is the time they call bandster hell. I'm getting my first fill on March 22. Just thought I'd drop in and give an update. It's so encouraging to read about your successes with weight loss. Debbie

Good luck, Gail! Wishing you all good things. Regards... Debbie

Hi everyone. It's been 3 weeks since my surgery. I'm finally feeling more like myself. I'm still a little sore -- just enought to remind me not to move to abruptly -- and feeling a lot less fatigued. I noticed yesterday (for the first time) that I have a couple of stitches sticking out of the port incision. They look like short plastic threads (kind of like fishing line or a very thin version of the kind of plastic that they use to affix labels to new clothes). If they're still there when I go for my first fill in 3 week, I'll have the surgeon take a look at them. I'm definitely not as hungry as I was before surgery, and it takes a lot less to fill me up. Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling -- gas, hunger, general discomfort. I suppose everything will get clearer as I get further out from surgery. I've lost 25 lbs. since my pre-op fast started -- 5 lbs. since surgery. I'm happy about that, but credit can't go to the lapband yet. It was the liquid fasting and then feeling too miserable to eat for the first 2 weeks after surgery. Denise, youth definitely holds the edge on quick weight loss. I honestly think the 4 weeks of liquid diet and then moving on to mushies helped me to return to eating at a much slower pace. Taking small bites and chewing thoroughly wasn't so hard after all that fasting. I guess I'm just grateful to chew. Maybe all that fasting serves as psychological prep for a new way of eating. I know it's suppose to aid your stomach in healing, but it also seems to give you some time to deal with hunger and food issues. That fourth week on the liquid diet was hell. I didn't think I was going to make it. Did you have to do the liquid fasting? Debbie

I was banded on February 12. My steri-strips have all fallen off or been removed. This morning I noticed what looks like a stitches sticking up through the end of my port incision. It looks like short plastid threads (kind of like fishing line or a very thin version of the kind of plastic that they use to affix labels to new clothes). Has anyone else noticed this? Debbie

Honestly, I can't eat pureed foods. Just looking at them makes me sick. I made some homemade black bean Soup the other day, then put some in the blender. One look at it and my appetitie was gone. I just take tiny bites of things that are on the mushie diet, chew it about 30 times until it's pulverized, then I swallow. I'd rather do the pureeing in my mouth. Debbie

Hi, Kelsy. I'm on the liquid diet until Monday -- 2 days from now. I have my post surgery checkup on Tuesday. I am so sick of this liquid diet that even when I feel hungry, I don't want to eat. If I never see another can of Slimfast (any chocolate drink!) that will be fine with me. I actually cheated a little today. I took a little Italian Wedding Soup and put it in the Magic Bullet until it was a puree. I ate about 4 tablespoons. I just needed to eat something besides Slimfast, V-8, V-8 Splash, Crystal Light, Water, chicken broth... I've lost 20 lbs since I started the pre-surgery diet and the post surgery diet. I didn't have a problem sticking to the pre-surgery diet, but this post surgery one is killing me. Just 2 more days to go. I probably would cheat more, if I felt better, but I'm afraid of hurting something. Debbie