amyrainbow

Hi All! I was banded September 2nd - self-pay - Ugg! I felt pretty good - right after I woke up, I felt like I couldn't catch my breath and had pressure in my chest which really bugged me, but didn't take long to go away. I took pain meds for a day and a half - not really in any pain, but helped me relax and sleep instead of stressing about WHY DID I DO THIS??? Have had a few doubts and crying episodes - mostly due to the extreme hunger the clear liquid and then full liquid diet (with nothing warm for one week) have caused me. Not to mention my mom lives with me and cooks fabulous meals for her and my 10 y/o son - so it's tough watching them eat scratch made pesto pizza, bacon and homemade pancakes, chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes peas and corn - aarg - now you know why I am fat! Ha. Try out scratch made cinammon rolls to DIE for :couch2: a blessing and a curse! Went back to work this Tuesday (so, took last Thursday and Friday off) and felt tired - but OK. Everyone at work kept asking how my five day weekend was and what did I do. Awww - a lot of laying around, didn't really go anywhere… have decided not to tell anyone, at least for now. Paranoia huge - what if i get a blood clot - are my incisions infected - what if it erodes etc - not usually a worrier so I don't know WHAT my problem is! So, weighed on Tuesday and am down 8 pounds - plus the 10 from the 2 week low carb diet, for a total of 18 - so THAT made me feel better. Plus, had some semi-warm brocco cheese soup, and some yummy mashed potatoes and gravy - finally feel like i had something to EAT - so my attitude is much better - at least for the moment! I have been heavy since about 8 years old - fatter every year and have NO idea what I will look like skinny - so I am excited about that! :blushing:

I took the plunge! Scared to death, but Dr K banded me Sept 2nd! I am still having doubts and worries galore - infection, will this really work for me, can I still enjoy food (once back on solids of course). WHAT HAVE I DONE? Stuff like that. I keep trying to remind myself that these are common doubts, and loads and loads of people on these forums say they wish they would have done this years before… I keep sneezing which hurts my incisions - and I sometimes feel pressure like i have to burp but can't. Otherwise, doing OK all-in-all…:smile:

I am in Loveland and just got my band last Thursday, Sept 2nd. I was going to use Johnell, but as a self-pay couldn't scrounge up enough $, so I had to go with Dr Kirschenbaum in Aurora. I'm doing pretty well, haven't taken pain meds since Friday night - have been sneezing and it hurts :smile: Paranoid about infection because of some things I have read on here. I think everything looks good though, have had a 99.2-99.8 fever - but from what I have read that's not uncommon. I am SO HUNGRY - my mom lives with me and is helping with my 10 y/o and keeps cooking and cooking aarg. I also get the feeling like an air bubble but I can't burp - that is somewhat painful but not too bad. I just keep praying and hoping that I made the right choice :smile:

OK - testing out my tracker, and posting in here. I'm scheduled for surgery with Dr K in Aurora next Thursday! Eek! I am scared crapless :thumbup: my son found out you can die in surgery and begged me not to do it. He said he didn't care if he had a fat mommy and I should just "deal with it" But, I am also excited about the possibilities. And afraid of yet ANOTHER failure. Any of that sound familiar? :biggrin:

I was banded just over 2.5 years ago. I have lost almost 50% of my body weight and am closer to my goal of being a normal BMI than I have been in many many years. I have watched many who have been banded end up unsuccessful. These have not been Dr K's patients - but someone else's. Their surgeon had all the good things you speak of - but they haven't followed the rules and have failed. One has lost 20lbs in 2 years. Her insurance paid for her band. She's very discouraged, but can't control her head hunger and has been to therapists and dieticians. The LAP-BAND® is a tough tool. You have to learn to listen to your body and you can't allow head hunger to control your intake. It's the most difficult of all WLS, but it's totally doable. I would be in heaven if I could lose and maintain 50% of my body weight! Part of my problem is just that I have tried, lost 30-40lbs SO many times, only to gain it back plus 20 and FAIL. It makes me worry… can I really succeed this time? On the one hand, I see loads of people in my same boat - who say they never would have thought they could do it and have. BUT, I also see people who do not succeed and I am fearful that this would be me If I had conquered "head hunger" and had self-control, I would be skinny NOW, not needing a lap band to help. I am a volume eater and don't snack, so feel that would be in my favor. I just eat to much at a time and eat way too fast. Both of these issues in theory should be helped by the band. If they are, then I don't see why I wouldn't succeed. I don't drink - don't remember the last time I had a milkshake, never have ice cream in the house etc. This truly is ALL the money I have so part of it is just not wanting to spend it for NOTHING - I truly believe you have to believe in your surgeon - but most of all you have to believe in yourself and your ability to be successful. You have to seek support from others and follow the rules from day one. Yes, there are other surgeons who are going to offer you more in terms of assistance, but you will not find another more caring surgeon. Dr K was the pioneer surgeon for laparoscopic procedures here in Colorado. I believe that is how he was able to get the band around my huge stomach. It was his experience and skill that helped me be banded. Don't choose Dr K because of the price, choose him because you believe he is the best man for the job. Regardless of who your surgeon is - it is you who determines how successful you are - it's not a magic pill - it's work and it's a life change. Good luck with your decision. I totally agree that I have to believe in my surgeon - but ultimately, because I am self pay only have 10K, and am unable to get a loan for the difference, really the choice is Dr K or nothing. There were several things I really liked about him. He seemed VERY honest - took responsibility for an early slip and erosion - talked about learning from early mistakes. Also, taken at face value his motives for finding a way to offer the Lap Band at such a low price are great. Wanting to help people and not being greedy… I trust that he will do a great job with the surgery. Just wasn't as convinced about his aftercare. So, I will have to take ownership of that and must MAKE SURE I seek out support. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post. I MUST lose this weight. I have a 10 year old son who I want to take to the water park, go on roller coasters with, go on bike rides with etc. I don't want him to feel ashamed of me. AND I want him to not have to struggle with weight his entire life as I have. I want to get of my BP meds and ditch the stupid CPap. So, I have loads of motivation and am scheduled for labor day weekend. I am currently doing a low-carb diet and know I MUST start exercising. I just have to have faith that God will give me the strength to overcome and "use the tool" like everyone talks about. Thanks for wishing me luck! Oh - and not sure if it was you who said you liked my screen name - it is actually my middle name - Amy Rainbow… Hippy Dippy Commune living parents

So, I went in and met with Dr K earlier this week. There were things I liked, and things I didn't. I had been scheduled with another surgeon in Greeley who is about 3k more - thought I could get a loan for the rest since I only had 10K - but no luck. So, that led me to checking out Dr K. It concerns me that he doesn't want to do any pre-surgery blood work/labs. I have this mental discussion with myself - maybe he knows those tests are not necessary and doesn't want to do them just to pad pockets at my expense. But maybe he isn't as cautions as he should be… Also, really - shouldn't judge a book by it's cover this I KNOW - but still - it seems funny that the office of someone who does hi-tec lap surgeries is so low-tec - there is a TYPEWRITER in there. I mean, I'm sure he knows what he is doing - has done 760 or so - but the polish and slick of the other doc's office made me feel more secure in his abilities -STUPID - I KNOW! Also, when talking to him about his "success rate" as far as goal weight, weight loss etc., he wasn't super clear - just said oh, my rates are hitting what the published numbers say. The other doc had REALLY great 8-year data for his patients. So then I thought, well, Dr K has patients from all over - some out-of-staters probably don't keep in touch. But, also, the other doc had a 4 hour phsyc eval, nutritionist appointment, more emphasis on pre diet and exercise, did the seminars and really stressed support groups - so does that make his patients more likely to succeed? Can I recreate that by making sure to get plugged into a good group? I just want this to WORK - and I want to be safe - I am a single mom and my son needs me - needs me thin and healthy. Does anyone know if all doctors now sew the stomach up over the band like Dr K does? Now I am just rambling… thanks for your indulgence! Aarg - I really want to go with Dr K just based on $ -between the cost of the surgery and fills the amount is huge. I can't really even do it with anyone else.

Hi Everyone - I am going to jump in here and post since I have been reading this for two days straight - talk about a long post! Anyway, I was all set to go with Dr Johnell in Greeley, but he is $12,700. I have 9K that I took out of my 401k and thought I could get a loan for the rest - but am getting denied. SO, I looked some more at Dr k. Thinking it over, having ANOTHER monthly bill on top of the $200 for a fill is not a pretty thought either. A few questions - Does anyone know much about Dr K's complication rates? Dr Jonell has done 1100 Lap Bands with ZERO mortalities, only 3 removed due to complications, and 2 removed at the insistence of the bandee - just couldn't hack the change in eating. Is Dr K's clinic a Bariatric Center of Excellence? I really can't find much about him as far as his track record, number of Lap Bands placed, etc. Dr Johnell has an 80% success rate (meaning 80% of people have lost 50-75% of access weight and kept it off for 8 years). 15% of his patients have not been successful and 40% have reached goal. These numbers are all part of the reason I really wanted to go with him, but I just can't come up with the extra dough :w00t: I guess I am looking for some assurance that Dr K's patience are just as likely to be successful - and as unlikely to have complications. Also, I live in Loveland, so driving to the Denver area for fills will be an issue with work - does he have late in the day appointments, Sat appointments or appointments in other locations? I know I can call his office and find all this out, but I have been stressing all weekend and am looking for some peace of mind :rolleyes2: Thanks in advance for any answers! Amy