Brand New With Questions!

[GoBanana 6]

Hi Everyone!

I went for my consultation on Wednesday and I went in all for the Gastric Bypass - after having waited in the waiting room for about 3 hours I got to talking to some of the people in there and they sold me on the band. And, after speaking with the surgeon, I feel the band would be my best option also.

But, I should have made alist when i went there because i totally forgot to ask some questions. So, one of the ladies in the wiaitng room told me about this site and I figured I would come here and ask! You all seem nice enough...

The more you fill the band the less you eat. Correct?

The doctor really didnt go into detail about the fills and maybe thats because it was just a consult...

it doesnt get filled when they first insert it right?

How often do I have to go get it filled?

Im worried that i he wont fill it enough and it will be a disaster from the beginning.

I know you are on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks after surgery, when you start eating solid food do you gain weight?

how long are you in the hospital for?

im prepared for 1-3 pound losses a week and im ok with that. I work out alot so I will probably lose inches faster - im just worried about the initial beginning with the trial and error of figuring out the perfect "fill" amount.

im also worried my insurance wont cover me...my insurance is terrible.

thanks for listening. any help is appreciated

[justmermp 6]

The more you fill the band the less you eat. Correct? When you get to what is referred to the green zone you will not think about food as often as you may do now and you will feel full sooner. That followed by eating slowly. It takes the stomach 20 minutes to tell the brain it's full.

it doesnt get filled when they first insert it right? - This depends on your doctor and possibly how much weight you lost on your pre-surgery diet. I lost 18 pounds during my 5 days of pre-op diet and he gave me a 'small fill'.

How often do I have to go get it filled? That depends on you and how you feel after your fill. Some people don't get fills for some time after surgery, some get them 6 weeks after surgery but how you feel after that fill and how long you continue to feel the fill depends on how often you go in for them. I was banded 7/26/11. Got a fill during my surgery. Got another one after about 4 weeks and have had 2 since then and every two weeks because I'm still in the yellow zone.

Im worried that i he wont fill it enough and it will be a disaster from the beginning. Control what you eat - eat good healthy food and you'll be okay. Hungry? eat a salad!

I know you are on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks after surgery, when you start eating solid food do you gain weight? Some people do, some don't. I didn't.

how long are you in the hospital for? My surgery was out patient. I was in at 7am, surgery at 9 am and home by 12:30pm.

im prepared for 1-3 pound losses a week and im ok with that. I work out alot so I will probably lose inches faster - im just worried about the initial beginning with the trial and error of figuring out the perfect "fill" amount. I'm not in the green zone....I don't feel any restriction and I have been losing weight. I'm eating healthier food and excercising and I think that is what is saving me.

Here's a really good post you should read here. http://www.lapbandta...ls-and-refills/

Hope that helps. Good luck! :D

[SkinnyMiniMe 63]

Hey BANANA!

I went to my consult on Wednesday too. I was there for 4 hours! I was going to do with Dr. Holover too but instead went with Dr. Vohra. I loved him and his staff. My only complaint so far is that I didn't feel that the nutrionist really cared about giving any pointers but she is included with the office visit so I am not complaining. They also told me that I could have the surgery as fast as 10 weeks or less. I already made all my appointments yesterday and the last appointment I have is on 11/22. Hopefully everything goes well. I may even move that appointment up sooner. My tentative date is 12/19 we will see. I called the office manager and she was able to tell me that my insurance would cover my procedure. You can call them yourself too to find out. There is a require if you are under 40 bmi you need to have another condition like sleep apnea but if your bmi is 40 or over you don't need anything else. They will tell you what you need. Also I am pretty sure that Dr. Holover will make you stay overnight at the hospital as does my doctor. Its called a 23 hour its not consider a full day to your insurance company. I don't mind having the extra support at night and the pain meds and also the observation to make sure everything is right. FYI I like to work out too and my doctor said that with working out and the band its a great combination for me. Lastly from what I see on the forums, some people don't even need fills, so it goes according to how restricted you are and how much weight you are losing if they decide to add fill or not. GOOD LUCK & keep us posted on your progress!

[GoBanana 6]

thank you for your help ladies. I really hope I get approved and I really hope I can lose the weight everyone keeps telling me about how gastric bypass is better because people on lap band either dont lose weight or gain it all back and im wondering if im making the right decision.

[GoBanana 6]

How do you know what zone you are in?

[lavishblue 0]

There is a great explanation of the zones on this website.

If you go to the POST OP section- there is a topic called "THE GREEN ZONE" It is permanently pinned so should be on the first page.

It should answer all your questions. hope that helps. good luck!

How do you know what zone you are in?

[justmermp 6]

thank you for your help ladies. I really hope I get approved and I really hope I can lose the weight everyone keeps telling me about how gastric bypass is better because people on lap band either dont lose weight or gain it all back and im wondering if im making the right decision.

I have heard the same thing about Gastric Bypass. The lap band teaches you to slow down, it helps with the hunger and thoughts of food and not each so much. At least for me it has. It's a personal decision. You just need to weigh the risks and decided what YOU want. Good luck.

[JerseyGirl80 12]

People can also gain their weight back after bypass. What's bad for bypass patients is that they can't route their organs back to the way they once were (this was a big thing for me), but we can have our band removed if there's a complication or if we find that it's just not working for us the way we planned. They also have malabsortions issue (another big thing for me), we do not, our digestive system will still work the same.

There's no garantee with any weight loss surgery that the weight will be gone forever. Bypass people may lose the weight faster and with less effort at first, but they still have to work to maintain it and to lose any excess weight over time. They still have to watch their diet and work out just like we do, aside from worry about the (to me) more risky side effects. I think some people would be better off with bypass and some with the band for different reasons. But all in all you have to really look at all the pros and cons to both surgeries to make the right decision for yourself. I find that (some not all) band patients, sleeve patients and bypass patients tend to try to sway others to have "their" surgery because they're happy with their decision, and there's nothing wrong with that, everyone has their own opinion but in the end it is your choice. Good luck!

thank you for your help ladies. I really hope I get approved and I really hope I can lose the weight everyone keeps telling me about how gastric bypass is better because people on lap band either dont lose weight or gain it all back and im wondering if im making the right decision.