NancyRN

Yes, and thanks for the explanation. I might have to try this myself!:huggie: NancyRN

These are hilarious. Thanks for posting!

I read somewhere that a bandster tried doing the yoga pose "downward dog" and the stuck food moved out of its stuck position. NancyRN

Supermodel, Are you saying you were having rectal bleeding and were told it was normal?? How much bleeding did you have?

Hi SuperPeaches, I had my first appt. just a week ago and am about to start on all the preop tests, too. I also thought you couldn't overeat with the bypass. Wrong. My surgeon says you can overeat and stretch the pouch with it, too.

:help: I'm the nurse who developed the list of questions to ask your surgeon and reminded you to post the article on complications. I'm determined to have bariatric surgery and, after extensive research, had decided on a Lapband. I had my initial consultation yesterday at the University of California, San Francisco bariatric surgery center (the only one my insurance will cover in Northern California). Really liked the surgeons but am troubled by the number of Lapbands they've done. They've done hundreds of lap bypasses but very few Lapbands -- about 50 among the 3 of them since they started doing Lapbands a year and a half ago. I remember you posted some time ago that a given surgeon should have done a minimum of 50 Lapbands. So here's my conundrum:confused: : Is it wise to have a Lapband, even though they've done so few? Or do I have a bypass even though I'd prefer not to? Any advice will be appreciated! NancyRN

I really question the accuracy of this report. First, if I remember correctly, "The Star" IMHO is a tabloid -- think I remember seeing ridiculous stories about babies from outer space, etc. Second, the details of the report don't add up. Third, the source of the story is vague. And fourth, if this was true, don't you think Reuters, API and mainstream US papers would have picked up on it?

Booda, I'm glad you feel better. I have a fatty liver too. I was freaked out to think of fat infiltrating my organs -- yikes! I've read that alcoholic damage is the leading cause of liver failure, and fatty liver is the second. Not a thing to panic over, but not a thing to ignore, either.

Hedwig, I'm checking back in to see how you're doing. You mentioned that if you feel better, you will let it go because you have so much other stuff on your plate. Please don't do that -- even if the symptom subsides, this needs to be checked out to make sure you won't have another bleeding episode. Re a colonoscopy prep being butt and tummy hell, I wouldn't describe it that way. I had one and admittedly the prep wasn't pleasant, but basically you have to drink a lot of a special Fluid and stay by a toilet for a few hours cause you'll be pooping repeatedly. I'm not sure if they use a different prep for someone who's already had rectal bleeding.The doctor knocked me out for the colonoscopy itself, and I recommend you insist on that if/when you have one. I know people are apprehensive about having a colonoscopy, but honestly, it was OK and I'm glad I did it.

I want to update what was said about bright red rectal bleeding not being from internal problems, because then it would be brown. That's true only in some cases. If you have a slow GI bleed, digestive juices will cause the blood to appear like dark coffee-grounds. However, if the bleed is too rapid and there isn't time for the blood to be digested, the rectal bleeding will be profuse (enough to seem like diarrhea) and appear bright red. I was an ER nurse and cared for many patients with GI bleeds. A person having this needs to get to an ER immediately.

Wow, everyone! Thanks for all the great advice. NancyRN

I'm freaking out about the total cost of all surgery-related care! Had my first consultation last week. Had been doing OK with cost of surgery -- my insurance covers 90% and I could scrape together the 10% I'd have to cover. But...the surgeon said I'd need to spend 1 or 2 nights in ICU because I have sleep apnea (mega $$$ for ICU care), plus he wants an unbelievable list of preop tests (echocardiogram, abd. ultrasound, colonoscopy etc. -- mega $$$ for all). I'm scared it will add up to so much I can't afford it. Borrowing it isn't an option -- we're in debt up to our ears because my husband's one-man company is failing. Do you have any tips for finding out how much all this will cost? And any tips about paying for it? NancyRN

Babs, :eek: Thanks for the wise info. I'll definitely follow it up. NancyRN

I've seen some references to lapband patients undergoing endoscopy. I don't know much about it and would appreciate knowing when it's done, why, and what it feels like. I'm nervous because I hate having anything down my throat. Do you feel it? Do they give you anything to knock you out?:nervous

Thanks, everyone. Hearing that they knock you out has relieved my anxiety.

Fat people aren't the only ones who get humiliated in this society. My 11-year-old daughter is in & out of a clique at school (wants to be accepted, doesn't like how they act. She left because the girls made fun of the only black girl in school, now her friend.) My daughter told me another friend had been crying at school. The leader of the clique had said that only girls who were "developing" could still be members -- the flat-chested ones no longer were part of the group. I wanted to kill this kid.

This thread hurts my heart. I hate it that so many of us have been humiliated like this. But reading it has been cathartic, too. I'm not the only person who's been hurt. Thanks for starting this thread, Chameleon. I'm new to this board, and just establishing connections with people here.. Reading this lets me know this board is safe. I'm accepted here.

OMG, this one still brings tears to my eyes. Last year, my DH and I were at my 5th-grade daughter's school open house. She was playing outside. When she didn't come back in, my DH went to check on her and found her sobbing hysterically. A boy had said to her, "Your mom is so FAT!":think I told her I may not always be fat, but he will always be a jerk.

Big Girl Panties, What a great name!

"It's just something for you to ponder, instead of worrying about all that other stuff we're gonna help you with anyway! Believe me, we've got your back, girl! NO need to feel alone." Thanks for these words -- they mean a lot to me.

Gonna Do It, When I was newly married, I developed TMJ. The dentist asked me what I'd been doing that might have caused it. I said "blowing my husband" (no, not really! I actually said, "I'm newly married and have been having oral sex.") The dentist turned red.

Hi all. Several threads have dealt with this topic recently. Especially see the thread started by Bettina on 7/23/06 9:58 AM. Many interesting perspectives. I've posted facts about this topic in that thread.

An article published in January 2006 presented very important information for anyone considering gastric banding (GB) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNY). It compared complications and long-term weight loss in RNY, GB, and biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch (BPD+-DS). I'm going to report on only the RNY vs. GB findings (if anyone wants the others, PM me). The study of 780 laparoscopic surgeries from 2000-2003 revealed: 1. Total complication rates were 9% for GB and 23% for RNY. 2. Very serious complication rates were 0.2% for GB, 2% for RNY. (A very serious complication was defined as organ resection, irreversible deficits, and death.) 3. The GB group had a statistically significant lower complication rate, both in terms of occurrence and severity. The RNY group had almost 3 1/2 times more complications and their complications were more severe. 4. "Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is the safest operation in terms of complication rate and severity..." It is the safest of all 3 bariatric procedures. 5. OK, but what about long-term weight loss? Weight loss at 3 years and at 6 years out revealed very similar weight loss for both procedures (about 58% at 3 years and 51% at 6 years). 6. In the superobese (BMI over 55), another study found 87% weight loss at 1 year and 72% at 3 years. Their final conclusion? "There was no significant difference in % excess weight loss (EWL) and [RNY] at 2 and 3 years. Given that weight loss is very similar between [Lap-Band] and [gastric bypass], and that there is a significant difference in complication rates, patient preference for the safest operation seems reasonable." ( [ ] was edited by me to make the statement easier to read by using the most common terms.) Parikh and others, "Objective Comparison of Complications Resulting from Laparoscopic Bariatric Procedures," J Am Coll Surg 2006; 202:252-261.

I wouldn't normally double-post but I'm posting this here and on the general lapband discussion because time is so tight. We're supposed to be able to see a live lapband surgery today at 1:30 (EST? PST?) on www.onlinellive.com. I just checkout out the site, and it's got multiple sub-listings, none of which seems to fit the topic. Can anyone help me find it? NancyRN

Just watched the May surgery -- fascinating. I've seen surgery before, so it didn't bother me much. But eeeuuww -- they're gonna do that to me? Yikes. Seeing it gives me a lot of respect for the expertise necessary to place a band and for why they monitor us overnight.