pmommy

So I don't know if it's me and the apprehension of this surgery but I was looking for a doctor in the Ventura area to perform LAP-BAND® surgery (and it seems that in Ventura and all of LA there are very few!!) Maybe it's me but something seems off to me having a seminar with multiple people, and what seems to be such a revolving door and sales pitch for the surgery...and this seems common with weight loss surgery for ANY doctor I've found. Granted, my first in person consult is with Feiz. I am wondering if anyone can provide me with info on Dr Feiz, good or bad. I have a consultation later this month and have had some preliminary conversations with his Thousand Oaks office. So far I am not impressed. It feels like a sales pitch, they seem to provide these template type answers to all my questions , etc. Tonight I was reviewing an email I got from them last week titled "FW: Anthem Blue Cross COE explanation" or something or other and it had some poor strangers email about LAP-BAND® surgery and her insurance in the bottom of the email thread. Seriously, WTF. This is SOO not professional. And this seems to be their template email of information as it's been retitled from the original email and the poor girls email was from March 09. If that were my email, with my personal story, work email, contact info being circulated, I would be PISSED... So it just seems like this place does not have it's stuff together. Yet I did get one good referral to them.....but for something as major as surgery, I want more. Especially now that I just can't help but doubt their credibility as a doctors office. I mean their staff seems incompetent. I sure hope I feel more comfortable after meeting Feiz. Well thanks for letting me vent out my frustrations on this whole process. If I could only find a doctor with strong referrals that from the get go treated this as a private personal matter, and not one to air at a seminar full of strangers I'd probably feel a lot better. If anyone has a doctor recommendation for Ventura or hell, all of LA, let me know!

So can someone tell me more about this drinking with meals rule.... I am getting banded in ~ a week and am starting to have all these last minute questions. Tonight I was at a dinner with a bunch of co-workers and thinking about how hard the not drinking with meals will be at social events. Is this a HARD set rule to always be applied? Or if I go out to a social dinner occasionally (once per month or so), can I sip Water or wine like everyone else? What will happen if I break this rule every blue moon? Does anyone "cheat" with this"

Can someone give me some Breakfast suggestions? What works for you? It's the hardest meal for me as I have to eat on the go, or take my breakfast to work. My band is tightest in the morning and stuff like corn flakes is unbearable to eat. Thanks!

I am just wondering how many fills you had before you felt restriction and started to really lose weight? And how long your fills lasted you? I have had 3 but they hardly last long and I am just maintaining when I need to be losing. I know I need to add working out but haven't just yet...starting that next week and hope it will help. Today I am feeling sorry for myself and eating bad things. Need some motivation...

I've had a c-section (10/07), gallbladder removal (12/09) and LB (3/10). The lapband was the easiest - I'd compare it to the gallbladder and have to say it was even easier. Doc didn't even blink when I had my LB consult 3-4 weeks after my gallbladder removal and there was no issue whatsoever with scar tissue....only thing is I I have twice as many mini incisions from TWO laproscopic surguries!

WOW! Is this all you eat?? It seems like so little! I can't wait till I have more restriction!

Wow! I was banded 3.12 and am down just 10 pounds. I've been flat with the loss since I went off the post op liquid diet and have had extra 1-2 pound drops post fills. I am getting my third fill tomorrow though and hoping to find restriction. Also need to work on getting in more exercise... Great job! You guys are motivating.

hi there, Need some advice/guidance/suggestions from fellow bandsters. I will be 7 weeks post op tomorrow. I lost about 8 pounds during the liquid post op phase and have only lost 2 more pounds since. I've had two fills so far and both of them don't seem to provide me much restriction. The most recent one was 8 days ago. I think I have about 4cc's total. I called again this morning to make another appointment as yesterday as I ate a hamburger - bread and all - with no problem I realized this just can't be adequate restriction (can it?). And I want to start losing weight! Soon after making my appt for this Saturday, my husband and I went out to lunch at Sharky's. I was good and got a power (protein) plate..thinking it was a healthier choice. I had only had an nonfat iced blended coffee this morning so this was my first "meal" of the day. I took small bites...but suddenly, I got pain in my chest. It was my second stuck episode and I was in public. Worse, there was only a single bathroom so I could not wait it out without drawing serious attention to myself. I quickly left the restaurant and spent nearly the next 45 minutes PB'ing in a cup next to poor DH in his car, during my work lunch hour. I must of PB'd 8-10 times before I felt better. My first stuck episode was in the AM, 3 weeks post op...I had bread. I think I deserved it, or at least is was explainable. But the small bites of steak (which I have regularly)? So what I am wondering is how can I feel no restriction, eat a burger, and then get stuck on a little bite of meat the very next day. After being stuck, I wanted to drive straight to the ER and remove my band. And now I feel fine, apprehensive to eat, but I keep burping the taste of the whole stuck episode. I never want to experience it again but sadly, I think that it's eminent. ..right? Please please share with me your tricks, if you have any, to: 1. Avoid getting stuck 2. Recognizing when you are stuck 3. Making the pain more bearable 4. Tricks/tips to make an episode pass faster? 5. Do you pros still get stuck? 6. Do you taste the PB for the rest of the day? 7. How many fills did you have before you felt good restriction? 8. Does getting stuck mean I do have adequate restriction?? I sure hope not cuz my scale isn't moving much... 9. Should I now not get a fill? I felt restriction during the 2 days liquids and then once I introduced food again, it was like GONE. Sorry for my rant/raving/ and multiple questions. Any advice and tips would be appreciated.

Thanks for your comments. WOuld love to hear from some others too...

i forgot to say LIQUID DIETS! Might be #1 - it's the hardest and worst part but temporary.

1. CHEWING a lot 2. TAKING SMALL BITES 3. CONTROLLING MENTAL HUNGER Other than that, you feel surprisingly the same...especially before fills. Good luck. :smile:

oh and if it helps, my first fill was like 2.1 and the second about 1.3. I had about 1 from my surgery as well. 3.5 might have been to much for you to start with maybe...especially if you had a mini fill with your surgery.

I was banded 3.12 and have had two fills. No vomitting although had my first stuck episode, post fill, today. YUCK. I did get a bruise after both fills..about the size of a quarter and I am not really a bruiser. Good luck!

I had my surgery on 3/12 and just had my first fill last Wednesday (4/7). I could feel what I thought was the flat part of my Lapband port. I asked the doc about the placement as it was protruding a little and seemed to be pointing DOWN some. He said it's not exactly where he'd want it but it's totally fine. He wasn't concerned at all, mentioned it was pointing a little UP and did the fill no problem. Earlier today I was leaning over the bathtub giving my son a bath. I leaned right onto the port and felt something "weird" with my port. A little discomfort and little pushing, etc.. Now when I feel my port, it seems to have turned. What I previously thought was the flat part now feels like a rounded curve - like maybe my port is completely pointing up now. I was wondering: 1. Has anyones port ever moved similar to this? Was it an issue? 2. Could your port move or turn with something as simple as leaning on it weird (with all my weight :confused:)? 3. If anyone's ever had their port move, or thought it moved, did they end up having an issue? My doctors office is about an hour a way. I plan on going for my second fill in about 2 weeks as I don't really feel much restriction yet. This is really concerning me though and I am debating making a special trip just to check it...but would be happier if I could find some similar situation or comfort here.

OK, so has anyone had their port turn, point, move around in different areas? Not like one day by your belly button and the next inches over, but pointing different directions??

anyone else have experiences that they can share? thanks :thumbup:

I am now 10 days post op and was given the OK to advance to soft foods by my doctor (yeah!). I had scrambled eggs tonight and I ate them really fast, without even thinking or realizing it. Like within a few minutes. I just don't seem to be able to grasp the eating slow. I did not have any pain or discomfort...so should I be concerned? Will I learn the "hard' way after I have some restriction? ONce I have restriction is that when it really matters? Cause at this point, I feel just as I did prior to surgery...I can and want to eat, and I don't FEEL the need to eat slow so I'm forgetting.

I feel like I really blew it with my post op diet last night and I just need to share my story with someone who may be able to relate. I am 6 days postop. Saw doctors assistant yesterday for post-op follow up and was feeling great...back to normal really for the first time yesterday except for some occassional incision site pain. I was hoping I could advance on the food to eat scrambled eggs or cottage cheese, etc but he told me no, two weeks of liquid was really important so the band didn't slip and it's heals in place. He however suggested I go out and get canned Soup and said it "didn't matter if it was super chunky beef" and put it through the blender. What he said made sense and I was OK with it..and felt re-motivated to push through... well...fast forward to evening...it's about 7:30pm and I'm home caring for my two year old and I haven't eaten. So I'm HUNGRY. My hubby was at a restuarant with the older kids. I texted him and asked what kind of soup they had...they had beef chili and I was craving BEEF. So I told him to bring me that. He brought it home and straight into the blender it went. It was soo super thick, I had to add a little Water. The end result was a super thick and heavy mush...I can't describe it. It didn't look appealing but it was the best thing I'd had in weeks. After I ate a little less than half (maybe 3/4 cup, and fast since it's now 8:30), I started to think again and realize, wait, maybe it was not such a good idea. I felt uncomfortably full and tight but no pain. I woke up at 4am feeling very tight still and horrible (with guilt). I feel like i really blew it and what if I hurt my band? I mean if eggs are a no, obviously the doc would think this heavy mush was too much, too soon. :biggrin: Today, I still feel a little tight although not as much as I did this AM. I also have these mini hiccup things every few hours that don't hurt but feel a little ackward and pressure like. Now I am feeling depressed. Has anyone else been through something similiar? Think I could have done some damage? I did however learn a few things: 1. Don't let yourself get too hungry! 2. If it can't go through a straw, I'm not having it...at least for another week and a day. Thanks for reading my confession and letting me rant.

How long were your post op diet stages? Was there something that helped you pull through? And how well did you follow instructions?

I wouldn't put anything on your incisions without talking to your doctor first. I've had a few surgeries, including the band, and neosporin, or any ointment, was not allowed. I think it's normal to have swelling at your stage and my incisions had redness around them for a few days and then the bruising started to show. I suggest just keeping an eye on it and calling your doc if it concerns you.

How do those progresso soups taste?

Hi BriBri, I quit smoking when I was 20. I had smoked for 5 years and just one day asked myself WHY I smoked. Once I spelled out for myself the obvious (it was expensive, smelled bad, and was unhealthy) I just set my mind on quitting...and I did. That's just what worked for me - I had to WANT to quit. I'm 31 now and never picked smoking up again. I know it's hard but it's especially important for you to quit due to the increased risks of surgery with smokers. You can do it!

Hi KatKit, The realize band is just another manufacturer of a gastric band. Here is a link to a website that compares the LapBand and the Realize. These seem to be some of the more common bands, although I've seen some other brands mentioned on these boards. Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band Good luck!

Thanks for the recipe!

THANK YOU for making me feel human and not alone.