drcollier

By the way, I got 1 cc in my 4 cc band.

I just got my first fill this morning and was expecting great things since I had waited 7 weeks since the surgery. I can feel NO difference whatsoever. I am not really willing to wait two months for another fill. I want to start losing weight. At this point I am only down 9 lbs total because about 3 weeks ago I began to gain weight back. I have gained about 5 lbs back. I need advice. Is it appropriate for me to call my doctor back this quickly, or should I wait a while before I tell him that I am experiencing no restriction? I really feel like I need to get this show on the road. I hate to be sitting here with a perfectly good tool (the lap band), but not have it doing what it was put there to do. I need insight. And I want to start really losing some weight. Thanks in advance.

No, not horrible at all. It's none of their business. This is your thing. I'm with you on that. I told my family, but as for coworkers and such, it's just easier to not have everybody in the world asking me about it every time they see me. Just be mindful of your body, and take it easy. You can do this thing. Follow your discharge orders from your doctor. Does your surgeon have a good attentive staff, etc? OK. Tomorrow's the big day. Good luck. I have not regretted a minute of having the lap band surgery.

As for the surgery, I am willing to bet that you will get through it just fine, and you will be pleased. Good luck to you. Let us know how it went. If you have the choice, I would recommend taking more than 2 days off work. I'm sure you can do it, if you don't have a really physically demanding job. I'm sure your surgeon has advised you well on this and has given you the best course of action to fit your situation. For me, the recuperation and getting used to this new thing in the comfort of my own home was important to me. Gave me time to adjust and take it easy. I just had my surgery 6 weeks ago, so I am still kind of new. I get my first fill next week. There are plenty of veteran bandsters here that always have sage advice to offer.

I was banded on 9/11 and I did notice some restriction for the first couple of weeks, but it has lessened now.I still have to eat slower and it feels like some things get a little hung up as I eat. The burping thing was an ordeal for about 2 weeks for me, but I no longer experience that. My first fill will be in a couple of weeks. It sounds like what you are going through is not unusual.

I don't find it weird that some black men can appreciate a big, or even fat, woman. But I do think it is cultural. I think whites put the premium on skinny women more than other races. Frankly I think it is more "weird" to be attracted to women who are the size of children.(smile) I'm trying for 142 lbs which sounds pretty small to me, but people assure me that it is a "normal" size!

Now that's more like it! I'm glad you didn't have to pull out your big guns to deal with your doctor. I have a question that has just come up for me that I would like to hear from you all about: How are your fills done. My doctor mentioned something about doing it using xray. I guess that surprised me. I knew there were different ways to go about it, but I assumed he would do it some other way since my port feels so prominent (when I am lying on my back). Is xray a method that you all have heard much about? Also tell me if I am using incorrect Messageboard Etiquette by not starting a whole new thread of my own. I don't want to do it the wrong way. I'm prone to guilt.

Today I saw my surgeon for my first check up since I was banded on 9/11/06. I was fully expecting to get a fill. My surgeon told me that I will have to wait 6 weeks after my surgery before I can have my fill. So I have to wait 3 more weeks. I was a little bummed. Is this the experience of other bandsters here? He's a great doctor, I just want to get this show on the road.

It's weird that you had to do that to be able to get the benefit you need from your band, but I applaud you. Why would a surgeon want you to go by the sweat of your brow to lose every ounce of weight when they were the ones who surgically placed a marvelous weight-loss tool inside you? Doesn't make much sense to me. I was also wondering: once you have the surgery, could you switch to a different doctor to get your fills, if you needed/wanted to? I could see the need to do that if you and your surgeon had major philosophical differences about weight loss and the band.

Have you not gotten a fill? Do they help restrict you at all? How many fills have you gotten so far? All I am hearing from you is that you are eating a lot of foods and washing them down, etc. And to me that is somewhat surprising. I haven't even had a fill yet and I find that I really cannot eat every thing in the quantity that i was accustomed to before the band. And even when I can eat the quantity, I find that it takes me such a long time to eat (compared to before) that I finally lose interest and just STOP. It just seems to be too much trouble sometimes. I'm saying all that to say that it sounds like you go to extraordinary lengths to eat and drink around your band, and I just don't see how you're physically doing it, no matter how driven you feel to do it. I know people react to their bands differently. So I am in agreement with the ones who say that maybe talking to a professinal or getting into a steady support group would help. Good luck to you, and get ahold of yourself any way you can, and don't waste your band! (I'm a poet and don't know it).

Sounds like he is the one having the trouble following the rules. Not that we as bandsters don't want to lose weight, because we do; but, I don't think getting a fill should be used as a "reward" for "going on a diet". The band is supposed to be a tool to help us cut down the amount of food we eat in the first place. And getting fills are a tool as well. It sounds like your surgeon wants you to use your "will power" to lose weight just like you've tried to do so many times before. It would seem to me that he would be asking some of the questions about your appetite and if it is being regulated better. Sounds like the whole idea of having lap band surgery was lost on him. Maybe I'm missing something since I'm a new bandster. I really would be interested to hear what the experienced bandsters have to say about your dilemma.

I was thinking it was awfully quick for Dr Malley to be moving from his office from the one Lamar. I was thinking it was pretty nice, and fairly new

So Malley is up north now? I'm going to have to see where he is. I go to his support group sometimes, so I am surprised that I didn't get an email saying he was moving. Thanks for the info.

One thing I want you to believe: The antibiotics may not work quickly in some cases, but they WILL reduce the infection if it the infection is bacterial. You may even have to do a second round of them, but know that the infection can be eliminated with antibiotics. I am so sorry to hear of the rough time you've been having.

Good luck to you. Let us know how it goes. Also this question might be silly. What does DH mean? I have seen other people use it on this message board.

Hello. I was banded on 9/11/2006, and will have my first post op appointment on 10/5/2006. I will probably get my first fill at that time. Maybe I shouldn't be worried but I am a little. After the surgery, I was instructed to do 2 weeks of liquids, and then "soft mechanical" foods during weeks 3 and 4. I am at the beginning of week 3, and I find that i am getting really hungry. Besides that, I have gained back 3 of the pounds that I had lost during the first week. What should I make of this? I am not overeating. In fact I am eating MUCH less than I ever did before. I am hoping that you all can help me gain some insight into this. I'm feeling sort of discouraged, actually. Will this all turn around for me once I get the first fill? Any advice would be welcome. I just don't know how I should be looking at this. Right now I am finding it hard to imagine that i can actually lose weight the way all of you are. Thanks.

Thank you so much everyone. I feel so much better. Reading the link really helped me a lot. I can't tell you the difference it made just reading these posts. It sounds like I am right on track. I am excited all over again, and ready for my journey! Sincerely, Fran

Congrats to you. I know you will like Dr Malley. He wasn't my surgeon but i have friends who used him. Let us know how it goes. I'm pretty new myself, having been banded ob Sept 11, 2006. So far so good, but I am still waiting for the big weight loss totals.

So tomorrow is the big wonderful day for you! Congrats. And stop your worrying. Your friends will be here when you're all done. Keep us posted.

I am SO sorry to hear what you went through. It sounds like the place where you had your surgery really dropped the ball. Again, I am so sorry! It so could have been avoided in my opinion. After my surgery, the staff was very diligent in giving me instructions for after I got home. But first, they made sure I was comfortable before I ever left the hospital. (In fact, they made me stay a little bit longer because I was showing a temperature of 101 degrees(low grade fever). They told me it could be due to the anesthesia and pockets of gas trapped in my lungs, and that those needed to be dispelled, or it could turn into pneumonia later on. So while I was there, they had me doing deep breaths through this simple contraption called an Inspirometer. Only after my temperature was lowered did they allow me to go home. They told me that after undergoing anesthesia, the lungs can sometimes become compromised to the point that it could turn into pneumonia. I know that your problem was caused by aspiration, but I think the same procedure might have been administered to keep your lung cavities from collapsing, and filling with fluid. The nursing staff sent me home with the Inspirometer and instructed me to take 10 deep, slow breaths every hour, and then cough, to dispelany foreign matter. I can tell that that bit of information alone aided in my recuperation. It possibly meant the difference between a good lap band experience, and a bad one. Please let us know how you are getting along in the future. I think once you are totally OK from this bout of pneumonia, you won't always have to worry about it so much in the future as you fear. My best to you. And thanks for letting us know what can happen. I know your experience will help someone.

OK, fellow bandsters. I'm just talking about IN GENERAL, and first impressions: When it comes to men, I am attracted to the ones who are a little on the scrawny side; whereas I tend to be more attracted to a plumper, more substantial woman. Guess this was the topic a few days ago, but i wanted to put in my two-cents' worth.

Best wishes to both Kellie and to jg! I was banded just last week and I am still excited about it. Looking forward to hearing how everything goes for the both of you. Kellie, don't worry. i have a feeling that everything is going to go just fine. I had a bad case of pre-band jitters and worries, and it was all for naught! Good luck!

I don't understand what all this is about. What is pb'ing. Do I want to be a member of this club or not. Sounds like "not" right now. And what does fills have to do, have to do with it?

Hi. I was just banded one week ago, and I think I am doing OK. Not sure. I do have a few questions that maybe some of the verterans can help me with. I was banded on 9/11/06. When will I feel back to normal? Right now the site where I think the port is is pretty sore when I move. And my insides feel as if they are mildly spasming (or grabbing or clenching). It's pretty annoying. If I had to describe the feeling it is like I feel when I am stressed or afraid; or maybe a bit like an upset stomach. And when I drink liquids, (which is all the time for the next week or so), I can feel an uncomfortable quivering inside. I am not in a lot of pain, but I am experiencing some uncomfortable sensations. Does any of this make sense to anyone out there?

Thank you so much. I am getting muscle relaxers and that should help that feeling/sensation aroound the port. So far the other suggestions have helped too. I am really excited about all this.