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I have never heard of that either. Something doesn't seem right about that. Not everyone is the same - as we know from the posts we read here. Some take one or two and some take many more. How can they say that 3 will work for every patient?? I too have 10 fills that are included in the cost of my band. I'm hoping I don't have to have that many... but who knows?? I would check with your surgeon if I was you - maybe the nurse specialist meant something else - could she have meant that 3 fills were included, or covered, in the cost of your surgery and any over that you might have to pay for??? Don't get stressed out about it - check with your doctor. Good luck to you. Take care. Becky

A few years ago i lost nearly 100 lbs and went down a full size and from wide to medium. 10 wide to 9 medium.

Rockstarwife, I was sleeved dec 19. Our weight loss is very similar. You are doing great. I also slowed for a while. I'm also still on liquids. I go for checkup tomorrow. I'm ready for the next phase!!!

yay! i thought i was the only 19 y/o to have lapband lol. as for the metformin, i've never vomited b/c of it...just REALLY BAD GAS.

Hey there! Great Loss you are not far after me. I had my revision to bypass 9/10. Was all you weigh loss after surgery? Or was some of the 70lbs preop? If you don't mind me asking. I have lost 47 lbs but 15 was preop and 32lb has been post op.

Hi Gigi, sounds like you are doing great. I went in for my first fill about a week before I was scheduled to because I had no restriction and was having to exert much self control. That was about 10 days ago, now I am going back this week because I am not feeling it is right yet. I can't wait, it is hard, relying on will power. Thanks for getting in touch--doing this is so much easier with support. I am so glad I found this website--having this procedure was one of the best decisions of my life. Hope you are feeling the same way. Talk to you again-Aunt Em

Anyone what percent chance u have to get a hernia after surgery? 10 days post op...had my post op appt and they said everything looks great...but I still have a little pain...am I just being paranoid?

Its ok. It will be worth it. It was the best decision I made. I am 10 days post op and have lost 15 lbs so far. I feel great. I am very conscious about what I put in my body now. I feel I look better. I am getting compliments!

Im 10 months post op,,100 lbs down.and would do it again a million times over No Regrets

I am 11 weeks today!!! Wierd because this was not planned and my only child is 19...lol...I have not gotten unbanded or all my Fluid taken out. I have been vomiting a lot and I am unsure if it is because of morning sickness or that "stuck" feeling. The bad thing is that i have already gained 16 pounds, so now I am back up to 290 (that dreaded 300 lb mark is soooo scary to see again). I cannot go backwards!!! I have to figure out a way to give in to my cravings without eating the "bad" foods. I have started making smoothies in the mornings, taking healthy Snacks to work and not stopping by fast food restaurants. I am also considered high risk because of the band, my age (38) and my weight.

This is my story of having my Lap-Band surgery with Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana, Mexico. He can be found at Celebrate and enjoy myself with a wonderful BBQ dinner with the family. Oh, how I love those fried pickles! At least they won't be completely gone from my life in the future, though they may be the meal, and not just the appetizer. Since I was a So.Cal local, I decided to meet the clinic shuttle at the San Diego International Airport. Considering the long term parking fee was $9 per day, I was pleased to find the lot was literally next door to Terminal Two baggage claim. After a five minute walk, I was waiting for the shuttle driver. At the San Diego Airport, there are escalators with descending arrivees. I waited at the bottom, looking in the same direction that the arriving passengers would be looking. With that vantage point, I easily saw a Hispanic gentlemen holding a passenger's name up, and wearing an OCC i.d. tag. I approached him to let him know I was here. The driver, Francisco, informed me we had a third person to wait for, but her flight wouldn't be here for another 40 minutes or so. Oh well... back to sitting I go. Fast forward, and all three patients were accounted for. We walked out into the short term parking lot, boarded a large late model van, and made our way out of the lot and towards the border. Because today was Sunday, there was no clinic to go to, so we headed straight for the Lucerna Hotel. Crossing into Mexico was easy. However, glancing across the border at the traffic headed back to the U.S., we knew we had a fun wait ahead of us when we returned. The driver estimated we'd have a 2-3 hour wait coming back-- unless you decided to return in the middle of the night. It was ALWAYS this long. *sigh* Before we arrived, I asked what time we'd be picked up from the hotel. The driver said 8:00am. If you brought a companion with you, you wouldn't need to check out. Less than 10 minutes inside Tijuana, I knew we were getting close to the hotel. I knew we were close, because Francisco began to point out the Domino's and pizza Hut nearby (did he KNOW why we were even here?). And at last, the Hotel Lucerna appeared. On the outside, it looked like any standard older hotel. Six storeys tall, and each room seemed to have a balcony. Our luggage was taken out of the van and brought alongside the front desk for us to check in. When it was my turn, I identified myself, and was presented the documents to sign-- payment for the room was taken care of. Since I saw the sign as I entered, I asked for the internet code so I could access the free wireless internet. They wrote it down on my key envelope. The bellman offered to take my luggage up, but it was no big deal, so I took it up with me to the fifth floor. I found my room, and used the electronic keycard. Inside, I found a king-size bed, marble bathroom countertop, two 600ml bottles of complimentary Water, and complimentary soaps, shampoo, and hair dryer. Ironing board and Iron in the closet. No ice bucket. Hair dryer didn't work. Placard advertising order pizza on the room table. I hid that. I've stayed in worse rooms, but have definitely stayed in better. Personally I wouldn't give it any better than three starts The television has free channels, and some premium movie channels. No Pay Per View, but ports on the front indicate you could bring a portable DVD player or game system to hook up. I brought my laptop, so I could always use that to watch movies. Ahh, the laptop! Time to log in and let the wife know I made it ok (the kids prevented her from joining me). The wireless router name is unsecured and easy to connect to. However, as soon as you try to go to a website, the Lucerna security page pops up and asks you for your code. And after numerous attempts, it STILL wouldn't work. I headed downstairs, and realized that my front desk clerk had bad writing. The Access code is "lucernaXXX", with XXX being the room number you're in. The password is a five digit code they'll give you. Once I set down my free bag of ice (still no bucket) and entered it in all correctly, it worked. Slow and spotty, but it worked, and better to use Skype at $.02 per minute than my cellphone at $1.10 per minute. I set a trashcan as an ice bucket and iced down my final diet shake. Final shake, but not yet... time to go across the street to the local convenience store for a couple small bags of chips and a diet soda. THE last carbonated soda. Ahhhh... delicious. I looked out the window at the traffic circle of not so late cars and taxis circling endlessly, and the obligatory siren in the distance. This seems to ALWAYS be a siren somewhere within earshot. If you like sirens, Tijuana is for you. I never left the room again that day. Enjoyed my final shake and water, and nodded off at 10:30pm. THE SURGERY DAY (9/4/06) The surgery day came roughly, with me being awoken numerous times during the night by sirens, my dreams, and a bed that was decidedly not like home. But 7:00am was here, and time for me to kick it into gear for an 8:00am pick-up. I had just enough water left in my complimentary water bottle to brush my teeth with. Packed it all up, and headed downstairs. I emerged from the elevator to find the two people I met at the airport, plus some new arrivals. Right on time, Mrs. Ortiz (The Doc's mom), a small, spry, short-white haired lady with more energy than the room, and took us in two separate trips. I was in trip #1. With my luggage, I got into her late model Volvo S80 along with others, and we headed to the clinic. About a 5 minute trip. We parked in the underneath parking at the nice looking clinic building and took the elevator up. The elevator doors opened into the clinic reception area. We identified ourselves, and Mrs. Ortiz left to pick up the rest of the patients. We went to the receptionist's desk and signed the legal paperwork that basically releases them for just about anything. I signed. I was also asked whether I had brought my original paperwork that I faxed back. No, I said, I didn't. No problem-- they had a copy. (and I thought "then why ask me for one"?) I sat down and picked out a magazine to read. If you're a guy and REALLY into yachts, you'll be very happy with your reading choices. Other than that, good luck. Luckily, the movie Batman was playing on a TV in the corner of the waiting room. I didn't have to wait long. Shortly thereafter, I was called back for them to draw blood. They stuck a port in the side of my left wrist, and drew what blood they needed. They then taped the port in place-- this would be the port they would use for the duration of my stay. Back to the waiting room I go. I was then called to the receptionist desk to get my photo digitally snapped-- for what, I had no idea. Sat back down. Got called up again to see the cardiologist. He asked me a few questions about my health, then had me blow in a device for as hard and as long as I could. I expected some sort of resistance as I blew, but I was wrong. I ran out of air mighty quick, but the cardiologist keep encouraging me to keep on blowing... keep on blowing... I did until the machine beeped. Phew! Then I got up and into a back room where he started to place his sticker collection all over my body. Well, that's what it seemed like. Actually, he was placing sensors on key parts for an EKG. Once hooked up, it took about 30 seconds for a full reading. Between the lung thingy, and the EKG, I passed. No one came back to me in a panic over my blood test, so I could only assume that went well, too. ...and then I was called again to meet with the nutritionist, Dr. Miranda. She struck me as much younger than I had expected, and spoke better English than I expected. Don't ask me.why I thought she'd be older and less fluent. She had me weigh-in and measure my height. Then she handed me a nutrition guide, and I followed along with a Powerpoint. I was encouraged to write notes. She said I had done well on my diet, and based on that and no other medical problems, my surgery should take nine minutes. NINE? Are you kidding? No.. once I was under anesthesia, it should only take nine minutes, unless they ran into a hiatal hernia, in which case they'd repair it and it would take longer. Wow. I asked a few other questions, and we were done.... ...and BACK to the waiting room. I found the page in "GENERIC YACHING JOURNAL #836" that I had left off from... and then I was called in. This time, I was told to bring my luggage with me. Everyone else in the waiting room wished we luck, and I passed through the doors to the back. I was led to my room where I'd be for the next day. I was told to strip to my birthday suit, and to put on the gown open at the back, and a most flattering set of paper undies that do nothing for support. I did this, left the room to use the bathroom, and returned to my room. I was invited to use the phone in the room of I'd like to make any calls, including anywhere in the U.S. for free, AND they could call me using the clinic's toll-free line. That was a VERY nice, and I proceeded to do so. Earlier, I was also shown two computer terminals for internet access while I was there. My nurse, Josefa, came in and asked me to lie down on the bed. She set up an i.v. and I was also handed a cup with two pills... one to relax, and the other an anti nausea. I was told to place them under my tongue so they'd dissolve then I could swallow them if and when I chose. No water, though. I laid back down and the anesthesiologist came in. I made the obligatory joke about putting me to sleep for the right time, and he joked back that that was easy-- WAKING me would be the tricky part! No problems with anesthetics in the past, so he left. Dr. Ortiz came in and we chatted comfortably about the surgery, how men do well with weight loss under the band, etc etc. He left. Some time later they called me in, and I walked into the surgery room. Climbed onto the bed, and they strapped both my arms on extending planks reminiscent of a crucifixion. I asked why I needed to be strapped, but I don't recall getting a reply. After asking which one of them was going to scratch my itchy nose, a strap was loosened and I scratched. Back the arm went, and back on went the straps. That's the last I remember... ....I then woke up, back in my hospital bed in my room, with a mask blowing oxygen in my face, and I was told to wake up and breathe. I did... slowly. I was told it was done, and the lumps and soreness on my abdomen confirmed it. I wasn't in any great deal of pain, but I would have the occasional pain in my chest for about 5 seconds before it dies down. I was told that was residual air. Ok. My hospital room had DirectTV (they all did), but my remote wouldn't control the volume or power, so the staff became my volume control. Later I found out that my surgery took eleven minutes, since there was a small hiatal hernia that a couple stitches remedies. After I was in my room about 1-2 hours, I decided to try walking. I ended up walking three laps around the floor, but near the end of the third lap, I started to feel light headed. Off to bed again, and I felt better. I noticed on my way back into my room, they had an ID card letting the world know I had a lap band-- the back had a VG sticker on it. So, I got a Vanguard belt. A couple hours later, I decided to take some laps, but I ended up sitting at one of the community terminals to pound out a quick status report to the forum. My wife called and they transferred it there. But after 10 minutes of sitting, I started to feel light headed. Or was it nausea? I wasn't sure, and knew I didn't want to find out. I made a beeline to my room to lie down, and felt better. Phew! During that evening, I had some ice chips, a Capri Sun juice, an Otter Pop, and some chicken broth. I tolerated it all well. On an earlier venture to the bathroom, I lifted my gown and found my incisions looking much neater that I thought they would, all nicely glued in place. It almost looked like I had gotten into a nasty tangle with an alley cat. THE DAY AFTER The next morning, I had some more juice and chicken broth, and they told me to go ahead and change into my street clothes. Guess that was my subtle hint that I was being deported to the hotel. They offered me the chance to shower, but I decided I could do that just as easily at the hotel, so I packed up. While I was in the waiting room, another patient asked me if I was having my procedure today. They were surprised to hear I had already had it done yesterday! Another was surprised I was wearing jeans comfortably. Both comments made me feel good; that I had tolerated the whole affair well. So, I'm now in my room, pounding this little recap for all of you and waiting for tomorrow's 7:00am shuttle back to San Diego. I'm going to have a nice shower, go downstairs for some chicken broth and juice, and maybe walk. And there's a basket of fruit in my room, unlike the first room, I had. Who said Mexicans don't have a sense of humor? I hope this isn't just the end of the story. I hope this is the beginning of a brand new life where I can enjoy 99% of all life has to offer. And for that other 1%? When you have that delicious Diet Pepsi, think of me, would ya?

Hi sue,I was just banded yesterday and I lost 8 pounds pre-op. I was on the liquid diet for 10 days. But my Dr. didn't tell me to loose a specific amount. Good luck.:biggrin:

Am I reading this right, you were banded last Sunday and upset about only being down 10 lbs. I was banded the 9th, and finally last night dropped to being down 4 lbs. What's wrong with me? :frown: I have no restriction and have felt since I woke up from surgery I could eat anything.

I was banded on July 13th and have lost 10 pounds. Glad to hear I'am not the only one thinking I should have loss more. This is a new way of life and we are still learning.

Well mine was 20 from pre op diet to now... I guess it is not too bad.. I have had a hard time the couple weeks too.. and funny.. mine is a 3 pound gain and lose as well. I am going to really try hard to get another 10 off for the next visit... But I feel no restriction from this little fill.. Ugh.. thanks for the response.. I just feel kind of down about not loseing more..

My surgery isnt until April sometime and all he has said is lose 5-10.. I have gained 2 since so now it's 7-10 lol

I was banded on the 9th. I'm 10 pounds down since surgery day. Pre surgery I lost 20 pounds. food is not even in my vocab right now. My mind wont even go there.

I was banded on 7-8 and have lost 20 pounds, 10 in my 4 days before and 10 since my surgery.

I too gained almost nothing 5 months out and pregnant. This last pregnancy I gained 50 pounds and wanted to cry. WLS 6/12 Baby born 9/13 Baby born 10/15 She is 11 weeks. I have 30 pounds to go.

sooo, i was stupid and went to work the very next day..and all i have is a desk job i had the surgery from 12-2, got released from hospital at 6, and was at work the next day by 10 am. very bad decision, was in lots of pain, was out of it, bad bad bad. i would say 2-3 days off would be appropriate

I've been on soft foods for almost 5 weeks now. I am supposed to be getting between 1000-1200 calories a day, but for the first couple of weeks was only getting 700-900. My weight loss slowed to a crawl, lucky to lose a pound a week. Lately, I've been more consistent in getting over 1000 a day, and in the couple of weeks that I've been doing so, I've lost 3 pounds each week. I do think that my body was holding tight to everything it could get when I was eating under 1000 calories. I had the same experience when I was on the Points program at Weight Watchers about 10 years ago (when it first came out). I lost more weight when I would eat at the high end of the Points range. So yes, I do think it can be a problem if you are not eating enough each day. My nutritionist recommends 1000-1200 calories a day, or 1200-1400 depending on activity level.

It really is important to consider ALL the risks involved, not just the death portion. I am 10 weeks out and I can't keep down food. I get between 100-200 calories a day, max. Not sure but it could be a kink in my sleeve, just the way my body healed. They tell you, "Death is a risk," but they never say "You could lose your ability to nourish your body." I ruined my life by deciding to do this surgery, honestly. Do your research, ask lots of questions, and do some serious soul searching before you decide to do this surgery.

Hi Everyone! Im pre-op and set for surgery Dec 5th. Im excited but nervous at the same time. Dr. Hess (in Boston) is doing my surgery. Im more worried about excess skin and not being able to loose the wt after surgery. Right now Im around 265 (on a good day) and hoping to get down to about 150. It took me over two years to decide what to do. I have tried so many different diets and nothing worked. I once lost 30lbs on my own and gained it all back and then some. Weight Watchers worked for a while until I just stopped loosing weight. I got annoyed at all the work I was putting into it with no results. My entire life I have always been overweight and I just hate it. I want to be able to walk with out getting out of breath, shop somewhere other than Lane Bryant, not have to adjust my shirt everytime I sit or stand, and not have knee pain. Im just sick of being fat!! Im still having some trouble loosing the pre-op wt requirement. I have to loose about 10 more pounds before surgery and they are just not coming off easy. Any suggestions? Thanks for listening!

03/01/2012 By: Hannah Chapman Jerry Rowe – a self-proclaimed “hefty child” – tipped the scales at 564 pounds in October 2010, categorizing him as morbidly obese and putting him at risk of premature death. During his two years of employment at a local pizza establishment his waistline started to wander. He would eat an entire pizza and an order of wings by himself, not to mention the breadsticks and soda that always accompanied the two. Rowe also admitted to frequenting fast food joints where he would order several burgers, fries, and soda. He had become accustomed to a lifestyle of excessive eating. “I had made up my mind that I was going to eat myself to death,” Rowe said. As Rowe’s pounds piled on, so did serious health issues. A Midlothian physician, Dr. Paul V. Jackson Jr., startled him with the news that his days were numbered. Rowe, a 40-year-old Richmond resident, who was suffering from chronic back pain and arthritis in his knees, was in the process of committing a slow suicide. “I would get up in the mornings and struggle to get out of bed,” Rowe said. Walking to the bathroom, an undemanding task for most, proved to be a huge challenge for him. He would often stop to catch his breath during the 10 feet trek. Rowe says he was struggling financially and subsequently fell victim to major depression. Being hooked on the euphoria of eating, he medicated his feelings with food. He found comfort in feeling full and gorged at every meal. For breakfast Rowe would have six to eight eggs with six slices of toast. Lunch would be three or four sandwiches, and no matter what was on the menu for dinner, it was usually delivered in large portions. On average, he was consuming 10,000 calories a day. His wake up call came when he was diagnosed with diabetes. “I literally said, ‘That’s enough.’ I was not going to go through that,” Rowe said. Not long after, in February of 2011, he staggered into the Chester YMCA. “I honestly thought I was going to die,” Rowe said. He was concerned about damaging the equipment or hurting himself so he took refuge on the indoor track. “I swear it took about 10 minutes to walk two laps, I couldn’t do any more.” Ten months later, Rowe was still attending the YMCA and discovered the YMCA 10k Training Team. Initially, he signed up for the program as more of an experiment to gauge his level of fitness ability. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine actually participating in the 6.2-mile event. With the encouragement and motivation of the coaches, he bit the bullet and officially secured his spot for the 2012 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k taking place on March 31. “I love to go out with the Chester training team on Saturdays,” said Rowe. During the week he does his best to clock in every mile that he can. As an adult Rowe had fallen into a trap of frequent fast food meals, binge eating, and depression. He stubbornly ignored the urging of his doctor’s to get healthy and lose weight. It wasn’t until he made a paradigm shift from thinking being fat was his ultimate fate to believing that he’s capable of achieving anything he sets his mind to that he now has begun to truly embrace life. It’s the little things, commonly taken for granted, that would make him happy - like being able to walk into a department store and buy clothes off-the-rack, for instance. Rowe knows firsthand what it feels like to be humiliated, embarrassed, and treated differently because of his weight. “Anyone who has ever been in my situation knows the hurt that the words of others can inflict,” he said. “I wish I could help people understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those hurtful words.” Rowe has left 153 pounds in the dust since the beginning of his quest in October 2010. By striving to exercise and changing his diet to include less fast food and more lean protein, Rowe plans to continue shaving off the pounds until his reaches his goal of 225 pounds. He now takes a proactive stance and advises people to stop overthinking when it comes to decisions or obstacles in life and just take action. “I want to show others that feeling alone in a crowded room only means that you need to talk a little louder to get their attention.” This was just written about me and my journey. I had band surgery in August 2011 but, before that I had already lost 105 pounds. I did mention the band in the interview but the writer focused on the emotional part of my journey. I hope it may help or inspire someone.

I am in for 10.