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It will be worth it...be very happy your parents are helping you..I borrowed from my 401k and pay it bi weekly for the next 5 years. My total was 15grand and I did stay overnight and glad I did..had no complications but I felt like I needed to stay there I was ready to go though by the next morning! my doctor makes his patience stay overnight but I got released by 10am the next morning. its hard because you think of all you can do with that money but I wouldnt change a thing. Im only 3 weeks out and had a rough first week but never regretted it!

I thought this was a really great FAQ that answers a few more questions beyond the usual what is a band/how is it adjusted type of question. Also, interestingly, the doctor talks about the causes and repair of erosion, slippage, and pouch dilation. This docter says erosion has to do with the way the band is stitched to your stomach. If that's true, it might explain why erosion is more likely to happen with some surgeons than with others. Just a thought. liquids. That said, average weight loss is 50% of excess weight at 5 years. But this includes all patients, including those who have lost little or no weight. How is the Band adjusted? The Band is tightened by accessing the port with a needle. This is most commonly done in the office. Some surgeons do it at the hospital under x-ray guidance, but this is generally not necessary, and makes the procedure much more expensive. For patients with very thick abdominal walls, it may be more difficult to find the port. In our office we have an ultrasound machine which makes it possible to access most ports without need for x-ray. Can I adjust my own Band? In theory, yes. But the answer is NO. NO. NO :confused: (you just know somebody has tried this at home) Why do I have to take Vitamins? The LapBand operation is purely restrictive, so technically you don't need to take vitamins if you are eating a healthy diet. On the other hand, by definition you are eating a hypo-caloric diet, one which will cause you to lose weight. Because of this, we worry that you won't get all the vitamins and minerals you need. This is the main reason we ask you to take vitamins after the surgery. What about the gallbladder? We don't remove the gallbladder unless you already have gallstones that are causing symptoms. Weight loss is slow and natural, so the risk of gallstones is not sufficiently elevated as to make gallbladder removal worth doing. Can the Band be rejected by my body? The Band is made of silicone rubber, and cannot be rejected. Of course it can become infected and require removal, but this is not the same as being rejected like a transplanted organ. What happens after I lose my weight? The Band causes you to lose weight by restricting your caloric intake to less than your caloric expenditure. As you lose weight, your calorie requirements diminish. Once intake matches expenditure, you stop losing weight. How long does the Band stay in? The Band stays in forever. If it is removed you will regain all the weight you lost. What is a slipped Band, and what causes it? There are two types of slippage; anterior and posterior. This refers to whether the front or back side of the stomach slips. There is something else called concentric pouch dilation, but this is not the same as slippage. Slippage or prolapse is when the stomach slides up through the Band, making the pouch bigger. If this happens the Band usually becomes too tight, and patients experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. This is because the amount of stomach being “squeezed” by the Band is increased, thereby obstructing the Band. There are several causes. Posterior slippage was more common when the Band was placed by the “perigastric” technique. With this technique the back side of the stomach was free to slide up through the Band. These days most surgeons use the “pars flaccida” technique, which was developed to prevent posterior slippage, and has more or less eliminated the incidence of this problem. Anterior slippage is when the front of the stomach slips up through the Band. We try to prevent this by suturing the stomach below the Band to the stomach above the Band, “locking” the Band in place in the right spot. In spite of this, slippage still occurs. It can happen because we haven't placed enough stitches, or they haven't been placed in the right place. Slippage can also occur if patients eat too much and vomit frequently. How is a slipped Band diagnosed? Fortunately, this is very easy. Often the diagnosis is made based on the history alone. A patient who has been going along fine, with no problems, and then suddenly develops reflux symptoms or symptoms of a too-tight Band will most likely have a slipped Band. The diagnosis is easily confirmed with an x-ray and barium swallow examination. Endoscopy is rarely necessary. How is a slipped Band fixed? A slipped Band needs to be fixed with an operation. The Band has to be dissected out, all the sutures removed, and the position of the stomach made right. Some surgeons remove the Band and place it back through a new tunnel. Others just straighten things out and re-suture the stomach over the Band. What happens if the Band slips again? That's a tough one. One could certainly try to fix the slip again, but my personal view is that, for whatever reason, the Band is just not working for that particular patient, and ought to be removed. What is a Band erosion? This is when the Band actually erodes into the stomach. It is a more serious problem, and generally requires removal of the Band. Band erosion is thought to be related to placing too many sutures (or too tight sutures) at the time of Band implantation. Surprisingly, Band erosion is often unnoticed. Occasionally the port will become infected if bacteria track along the catheter out to the port. Other times patients will stop losing weight. Diagnosis often requires an endoscopy. What is concentric pouch dilation? This is technically not the same as slippage. In this case the pouch just seems to be enlarged. Sometimes partial emptying of the Band may help with this. What is esophageal dilation? This is when the esophagus enlarges over time, and is probably related to either too tight a Band, or possibly improper placement of the Band around the junction of the esophagus and stomach. This requires loosening or removal of the Band. What happens if my Band has to be removed because of complications or failure to lose weight? One option, of course, is to give up on weight loss surgery. Another option is to convert to another procedure such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This can be done at the same time the Band is removed, and is generally done laparoscopically. If you have questions that have not been answered by this FAQ, please send them to me and I will try to answer them for you. Mark A Pleatman MD 43494 Woodward Ave. #202 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48302 Office Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Phone: (248) 334-5444 Fax: (248) 334-5484 Email: pleatman@laparoscopy.com

I've had my band just over three years and have had no serious complications. There have been effects and some irritation/reflux symptoms that required testing, but the tests all showed that my band is in good shape and good position. I've had no infections or surgical complications at all. It's not realistic for anyone to expect the band can be installed and then forgotten about. It inflicts significant changes on our eating habits and requires attention and followups with doctors. But it's also not true that most people have complications. In my experience, MOST bandsters don't have what I would call "complications."

Love my band...and have had good success (started at 234 and got down to 167) HOWEVER...I have had some complications with a esophageal distention and needed to have all but 1cc of fluid left in. I've gained 25 lbs from my initial loss and am feeling very discouraged. Vicious cycle..loss=motivation...Complications=weight gain...Weight gain=depression and depression=eating....you get the picture. Anyone else had these sort of ups and downs?

Hi Everyone! I have been diagnosed with MS for 4 yrs. now. My surgeon recommended GS over banding and bypass surgery due to the MS. I had to skip the last two surgery dates due to a bad relapse in July as I had terrible vertigo and went numb on my entire left side. After two rounds of high dose steroids was able to come down from the vertigo. It was terrible with throwing up for 36 hours straight and not able to walk. Thank God after six months I am back to base line and walking, have short term memory loss but just meet with surgeon on Monday and said he will proceed with my WLS, he has it scheduled for Feb.3rd and I am very anxious but nervous at the same time, just want to recover with no complications or another relapse. Keep me in your prayers as I will you all as well, and glad everyone is doing well. Did anyone have any issues after the surgery that I should be aware of? Looking forward to a new year and a new me with more energy. I take Avonex once a week, but my bloodwork shows no antibody build up to the medicine so its the MS. God Bless and hope to hear back!

Sometimes my hunger in the evenings is physical...at least that's what I interpret my growling stomach telling me...sometimes we have an earlier dinner and that seems to make a difference with how the evening and hunger will play out. I also know that if I am authentically hungry, there will be no way for me to fall asleep. When my stomach is rumbling, I will resort to having a small high Protein snack. My surgeon has given me the green light to have a small teaspoon of natural no sugar added Peanut Butter for this purpose...and it tastes wonderful. The key is to limit myself to only 1 teaspoon...so I make certain to put the jar of peanut butter back in the pantry, close the door, and go far away from the kitchen. I then put the spoon back in the dishwasher and leave the room again. I won't give myself permission to use a spoon more than once...or permission to wash any spoons by hand. I have to make it more complicated to get a "refill" on the peanut butter...that takes time and effort. You get into trouble when, as an example you have the peanut butter jar on your lap and have the spoon in your hand and then are reading a good book. You can easily loose track of how much you are eating. My portion size is limited to 2 teaspoons, however I've done that only 1 time to date. This may not work for others...I have a dear friend that peanut butter is a definite trigger to over eat, so she must avoid it. But it works for me...keep the temptations out of the house or make it way more complicated or difficult for you to get at them.

Hi, I want to introduce myself, I'm Adam. I've been lurking on this site and the mobile version for a while and I have to say it's an excellent resource. Every time I google something about the band, LBT always comes up. So I have a few questions and mods/admin I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong place. My wife is strongly considering this surgery. We have Athem BCBS's Blue Access (we live in Kentucky). In our policy there is an exclusion for band surgeries: For bariatric surgery, regardless of the purpose it is proposed or performed. This includes Roux-en-Y (RNY), Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery or other gastric bypass surgery (surgical procedures that reduce stomach capacity and divert partially digested food from the duodenum to the jejunum, the section of the small intestine extending from the duodenum), or Gastroplasty, (surgical procedures that decrease the size of the stomach), or gastric banding procedures. Complications directly related to bariatric surgery that result in an Inpatient stay or an extended Inpatient stay for the bariatric surgery, as determined by Us, are not covered. This exclusion applies when the bariatric surgery was not a Covered Service under this Plan or any previous Anthem plan, and it applies if the surgery was performed while the Member was covered by a previous carrier/self funded plan prior to coverage under this certificate. Directly related means that the Inpatient stay or extended Inpatient stay occurred as a direct result of the bariatric procedure and would not have taken place in the absence of the bariatric procedure. This exclusion does not apply to conditions including: myocardial infarction; excessive nausea/vomiting; pneumonia; and exacerbation of co-morbid medical conditions during the procedure or in the immediate post operative time frame. We are not worried about the cost of the surgery. My wife has saved money and we probably are going to pay for most of the surgery in cash, financing only about 25% of it. My deep concerns/questions are the following: 1. What are the types of complications that arise from banding and do they require a hospital stay 2. We don't work for a large company so a band is a pre-existing condition and will follow her everywhere with every provider, is that right? 3. Do you recommend a course of action or a plan that we could explore? Our problem is that she is overweight and insurance companies WON'T cover her. Should we consider a state alteranative which one? I'm clueless 4. How long until our insurance does not consider it pre-existing. What are your recommendations. Are my concerns valid, should I fear the complications? What complications did YOU have and what was the financial cost if you were a self pay?

My Dr does overfill the band but that didnt sit well with me. Luckily I finally got restriction at 8.8 in my 9 band because even though they told me it wouldnt be a problem to overfill the band, just the increase of chance of complications from that isnt something I would have done.

hey Guys thanks for the posts, when i woke up this morning i threw the rolls out i really didnt miss them as much as i thought i did when the impulse came. I started a low carb diet today!!!!!! Ive been a excellent patient for many years with all my injuries, so if the doctors say do this i will to the T. As for me doing diets and weight loss ive failed for one reason or another and after staring and stoping a diet Ill start again monday or after the holiday im just tired of it all. two years ago i walked into a bariatric doctors for a consultation he talked to me and pushed the Lapband, at the time i had three friends who had it done and it worked for one out of the three (the husband and wife) had complications not from lapband. So after leaving his office and talking to family who of course said just lose the weight you dont need another surgery, i put all thoughts of bariatric aside. All this time my mom has been suffering with Lymphoma (3yrs) and while helping her i popped a umbilical hernia and didnt tell anyone except my doctor and wife and maybe a close friend. I had been taking her to chemo and radiation for about 2 1/2 yrs and i just couldnt do it anymore i needed to help myself i forgot all about me and my needs, thats when i knew it was time to see another gastric doctor and get the help i needed for me. I seen my doctor this summer at the same time mom calls and says my aunt has pancreaitic cancer and not much they can do for her, she doesnt live close and mom and grandmom dont drive so ive been doing all the driving a few times a week back and forth 80 miles round trip and if theres traffic....ugh Id do anything for my family as you can see, had a talk with my aunt while she was in bed already thin and in pain but still smiled to see me and knew i love her, i told her what i was doing and she said its the best thing i could do for myself and wished she would be around to see my transformation, i cried she cried and she said she will always be around watching me and i know she will, last night i visited again and she only has days left. As you can see im a caretaker im not ashamed of what ive done always putting family or friends before me but if your like me and are thinking of bariatric help, DO IT and dont look back you have to put you first take your life back as im doing. Sorry for the long winded post i got off track a lil with my family issues andi was going to delete but there might be that other person who is in same spot and it might help...if not it helped me write it down! God Bless Joe

Welcome to LapBandTalk!! Do you have a hernia or did your band slip? What you are describing sounds like a slipped band. Do you have any health insurance at all? If you do, they will sometimes pay for band removal even if you don't have WLS coverage. They will pay if it is a life-threatening complication, but you might have to fight for it. Is your thyroid being treated? If not, you should do so. If you get it treated and stabilized, that should not be a big issue at least! I've had thyroid disease since i wast 24. I finally had it radiated and now have very little function in gland. I take medication daily to stay alive.

I had my band placed 3/3/08. I spent 3 days in the hospital for complications of pain/vomiting. To date i have not lost one ounce. My daily calories are 800 to 1000 and I am getting in about 45-60 grams of Protein daily. I still have constant pain at the port site which at times is almost unbearable. (I have an extremely high pain tolerance so this concerns me, but my doctor has no thoughts.) Is there anyone else who has had no weight loss in the first 2 weeks? What am I doing wrong.

I am wondering hoe alcohol is tolerated after the la band surgery. I'm not a lush but I do enjoy going out and have drinks with friends. I know that alcohol has many empty calories but other than that ha anyone had any complications with alcohol and the lapband?

Yay for swimming!!! As far as MFP numbers, I find it WAY overestimates calories burned for me. Maybe for someone with normal metabolism it is fine, but for me it wasn't working. I've finally embraced my slower metabolism as a good thing and am getting the sleeve done to help me better manage it. MFP treats weight loss like a pure numbers game but we know it's more complicated than that.

I am new and just ran across this site. Is it me or are the majority of lap band surgeriers huge success stories? I am looking for something negative, but the complication rate seems very minimal and the upside is huge. I have an appointment with my regular Dr. in a couple weeks and I am going to bring up the subject of lap band but I am just trying to do my research first. Losing weight on my own has been like a roller coaster, but not in a good weigh lol. :redface:

My surgeon refuses to do surgery on people whose BMI is above 50 as there is a significantly increased risk of complications. If you can't lose the weight she wants, she apparently turns into the soup nazi. No surgery for you!

I think sometimes, often with good intentions, we all over-complicate things on occasion. This article really seems to be good about driving home the points of basic lifting and that you don't have to spend countless hours in the gym to reap great strength benefits. I know I'm looking forward to getting back to the basics and having a little extra time...hopefully cutting back to 4 workouts a week from 6. http://oakbrook.suntimes.com/2014/09/02/from-the-community-weekly-wellness-hard-work-on-basic-exercises-darien-mfc-sports-performance/

So a banded friend tells me..."I can eat 3 cups of salad before I'm full". Ummmm, yea? My response "doesnt mean you should eat 3 cups". Her response was that we are supposed to eat until your full. No, that is such a false statement. You still need portion control. If I am still hungry after eating, I wait the 30 minutes after eating then I start drinking my liquids. If you are not getting your liquids in every day, your full spot will trick you into wanting more food. I'm sorry, but I just don't think there's a lot of truthfulness about why the band isn't working for some people. I can sit and eat chocolate pudding and candybars and a bunch of other crap, then post my menu and say I'm eating a well balanced diet....that doesn't do me any good. I GAINED 2 POUNDS IN 6 WEEKS BECAUSE I WAS NOT EXCERCISING OR EATING PROPERLY. I was sooo proud of my 31 lb loss that I got cocky and thought I needed to reward myself with foods and treats that didn't comply with my instructions. I screwed up, not the band. Well, since my fill last Friday I am down those 2 lbs plus 1. I contribute that to following instructions. The first and most important process to this journey is being honest with yourself, if you mess up, recognize it accept the consequences (possible weightgain), fix it and move forward. I have only been banded for 6 months, I don't want or expect to lose all my weight in the first year. I don't want to...I want it to come off slow and steady. Does the band work for everyone? No, some have true medical complications, some are just not using it correctly. Some are relying on the band to work for them instead of using the band as the tool it was meant to be. If you follow instructions to the letter, excercise 2-3 times per week, be patient with the weightloss process....the weight will eventually come off. Maybe not as fast as others, or in the first year. It wasn't meant to be a quick fix. Frustration is just an emotion, don't let it consume you or drive you. You have to take the wheel on this journey. So many say if I had the will power I wouldn't have had the surgery...it's not about will power. It's about following instructions. My will power sucked before the band, but I would have never of gotten the band if I wasn't ready to put those feelings aside and just do the work. Got a sweet tooth, then find a recipe for a desert you can have. Be prepared. Have the need for some comfort food, MAKE IT!! But use lower fat and carb options. Its all out there. Yes, some things are a little more expensive, but you won' be eating as much so it will last longer. This is solely my entitled opinon...and I am sure that some will agree, some will disagree and others will feel the need to "set the record straight". That's fine. Just make sure you are honest with yourself before commenting. Anyway...that's my rant. Breakfast: Mocha protein shake Lunch: LC/LF chicken enchilada Dinner: White bean chili Chai tea water with MIO Multivitamin 1 Cor. 15:33 My bible verse for today.

Do you know if your surgeon requires a one week or a two-week liquid diet? I don't think you're doing it for "no reason". The fact that you're willing to jumpstart the process shows how serious and committed you are. You'd be surprised by how many people aren't as motivated as you are. That's a good sign that you are going to be a big success story! My surgery was tentatively scheduled before I was approved, too. Insurance companies often say they take weeks to approve you, but often the turnaround is much, much quicker. It only makes sense for them to be conservative with their approval timeframe. At times, there may actually be a backlog of paperwork awaiting evaluation. My paperwork was sent in on a Friday, and I was approved on Tuesday of the following week. The doctor's insurance person/staff tends to know which carriers take longer and which don't. I have UnitedHealthCare, PPO. I think it's great that your doctor's office got you locked into for that date. How disappointed you would have been if they had required approval first. What if the approval had been received in time, but your surgery date had been given to someone else. On my surgery date, my surgeon had two other patients. I was number three in his queue. Ask if you'll be his/her number 1, 2, 3, etc. The smaller the number, the earlier you have to show up for surgery. The first two cases ahead of me turned out to be complicated cases. I was tentatively scheduled for 12:30pm, but ended up on the table at 5pm. I was slightly disappointed, until I asked myself, "Hey, would you want Dr. S to rush his surgery with you just because someone else was anxious for their surgery to begin?" My answer was, "No."

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with a severe gluten intolerance two years after my surgery (but I probably had it 3 months after surgery). I've struggled with it just because my body doesn't like any grains but I'm much healthier now (minus all the other complications I believe the lap band have given me). Has anyone been diagnosed with gluten intolerance/ celiacs disease post surgery? I just ask because I am the only one in my family...and my family believes it's the Lap band (they hate it lol but I don't blame them because of all of issues I've had). Thanks! Coley

For me, I used certain criteria that was important to me to choose my surgeon. It just so happened that none of the $4500 range options met these criteria.... Experience (Over 12,000 bariatric surgeries); Credentials (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, full member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, SRC International Centers of Excellence surgeon) Facility (Private surgical center, not a general hospital; limited number of surgeries/day, Staff experienced and dedicated to bariatric surgery, SRC International Centers of Excellence; fully equipped and staffed ICU) Complaints/complications (None reported at the time of my researching, communicated directly with other patients) Postop communication and followup care (weekly/ monthly email surveys, Dr. readily available via phone and email) As for hands on followup care in the US, my PCP has taken care of everything. My Mexico doctor has been available to consult if needed and my PCP would have referred me to the appropriate specialist if I had needed to.

If you are eating 1000 to 1200 calories a day you will lose weight even without exercising. I lost my weight slowly (about 5 pounds a month). There is no way 1000 calories will support a female to stay obese...please check your calories and be patient. I never did exercise either but just lazy...hang in there! Listening to your band involves knowing real hunger from just wanting food and knowing when you are no longer hungry, not necessarily full. It really all comes down to calories. At 1000 you will lose and if you are still hungry ask for a small fill. I eat about 1000 a day and I never exercise and my weight stays exactly the same (140) . I did plateau at 155 and I got a 0.3cc fill which I thought would be nothing but 15 pounds came off in three months. So my point is: count every calorie and make sure you are honest with yourself and consider a small fill if you need it. The only way you can fail this band (other than complications requiring surgery) is to quit...dont do that!

Hello, I am due for my first official step, the seminar next Tuesday. I am really conflicted about this, but I don't see another way available to get control of my weight, and life. I have many problems that the weight complicates. I'm looking for support, and I thank you for any offered.

It sounds like you have been through a lot. I was sleeved Dec. 31 and spent 2 days in the hospital. After a week, I felt ok, just tired. Before 2 weeks, I felt pretty normal. I didn't have complications, but they can happen. Good luck to you with whatever decisions you make. By the way, I'm in Dallas. Dr. Cribbins did my surgery - he is terrific.

Sorry to hear. It is more common that a lot of us would like to think. If it because of a defective product then Allergan should be made to cover the costs. You won't have to go through it all again. Probably just the post-op diet. Check out the complication forum and get more info there.