ButterflyGrrl

How many fills have you had so far? I'm on my 5th with no restriction. I think those ports are pretty tough. It would take a lot to puncture one. I'm on my 2nd band and my first port flipped and they still never punctured anything. But always check with your doctor about any concern you have.

Wow! You can already eat real food! Count your blessings! I had to be on liquids for 4 weeks after my surgery. My doc always told me (I'm on my 2nd band by the way), not to worry about weight loss till you get restriction. Of course, that doesn't mean to pig out, but you have to be patient. Just remember how long it took to put it on. It comes off very slowly. I got my band in June and have not lost any weight yet, because I still have hardly any restriction after 5 fills. He just keeps telling me to be patient. I'll get there. We all want instant success, but that just doesn't happen for a lot of us with the lapband. Hang in there, it will happen eventually. And if you need to, get that stuff out of your house. You know - all that stuff that doesn't help you toward your goal. Good luck!

Hi, I have MS. Got my first lapband in Jan. '04 and was diagnosed with MS in Oct. '05. You should definitely tell you surgeon about the suspicion. Your anesthesiologist would want to know as well. If someone's cutting you open, they should know EVERYTHING about your medical history. My lapband and MS don't have much to do with each other. The MS causes me terrible fatigue, so much so that many days I can't even function. So exercise is virtually impossible for me. Plus I have the overheating issue. The second poster was wrong about diagnostic testing. MS can be diagnosed by MRI and lumbar puncture. Make sure you get with a good neurologist who KNOWS MS. Believe me, some don't! Best of luck in your lapband journey and I hope it turns out you don't have MS. It has made my life hell and turned it upside down!

Legal or not, co-workers often ask questions. Sometimes to be nosy, sometimes out of genuine concern. It is best to decide how to handle these things in advance. The OP may have to only ask her supervisor for the time off, but others in her workplace may ask her additional questions.

You might try saying you need "female surgery". Sometimes, that will keep people from asking additional questions because they know it's very personal. On the other hand, how will you explain your drastic changes in eating when you return? And the rapid weight loss? After my surgery I couldn't eat solid food for over a month. If people you work with are used to seeing you chow down at lunch, they will begin to wonder. Then later they will maybe find out you lied. Just a thought! Good luck and happy banding!

Thanks Amy! He told me it might take up to 6 months to get proper restriction, but it's been almost 8. I go next week for a check-up. We'll see what he says.

I am new to this site and found it tonight looking for some help and encouragement. I am on my second band and have not lost any weight since my surgery last summer. My doc says this band is harder to find the "sweet spot" than my old band, but more effective in the long run. I have had 4 fills (I think) since my surgery and have very little restriction. He does them under fluoro, so he and I can see the restriction. The most recent one, there was just a trickle going through and he assured me THIS one would be the one. I seem to have some restriction for a few days, once I get back on foods after the fill, but then it disappears. He always pulls out all the Fluid before I get my fills and it's all always there, so no leaking happening. I got my band so I could stop "dieting". You know, obsessing over everything I eat, going to eat, want to eat,etc. etc. I don't want to go there again, but obviously I'm taking in more than I'm using up or I would be losing. I'm just really tired of food/eating having to be the center of my life and when I'm dieting or counting calories that's what happens. I have a chronic medical condition that causes extreme fatigue (MS) and some days I can barely get out of bed, much less exercise. I got banded so I could just eat, but eat smaller portions and not have to constantly plan my life around food - how much, how little, what to eat, when to eat. Ugh! Can somebody give me some words of encouragement, hope, help? Thanks!