Is It Worth It??

[SarahinTyler 0]

All of your responses have been EXTREMELY helpful. It's nice to know that the preop feelings and anxiety that I'm experiencing are all normal. I started researching this a month ago. Had my first appt with the surgeon last week. Wasn't sure if he would take me because my only problem is that I'm 70lbs overweight. I don't have any of the complications that some people have with obesity. But since my BMI was nearly 36, he agreed to take me. I wanted to do the surgery on May 18. This doctor has done 1000's of gastric bypasses but May 18 will be his first day to do LapBand, BUT he will have a experienced surgeon in the room with him assisting. Anyway, my husband said "NO". He wants me to wait till the doc has done a few and schedule this thing in July or Aug. I guess I've been fat this long, I can wait a couple of more months. My husband is the one who found this site and encouraged me to look at it. Now I'm addicted and can't get off. It has been so helpful.

So I guess if all you guys have done this, I can too. I want this weight off so badly so I'm not going to worry about the preop fasting and the post op circumstances. I'm going to take strength from all of you that I can do this!

Do you get your fills in the doctor's office or the hospital? This is all out of pocket for me and my doctor hasn't decided if he is going to do them in his office or the hospital. I would think it would cost a fortune if he had to do them in the hospital each time. My other question is this - Do you continue to get fills till you find the "sweet spot" and then that's it? Once you find the sweet spot, it will remain? Or can the sweet spot go away and you have to go find it again? Thanks for all the answers and support. I'm adicted already to this site and I'm not even banded yet!

SarahinTyler

[StrawartS 2]

Sarah, are you in Tyler, Texas? I'm a little concerned that your band doctor will only have done a few bands when he operates on you. I think a lot of us here were banded by docs who have done thousands of bands, not just a few. Have you looked at other surgeons? There are many docs in TX who have done in the thousands.

As far as fills, I have had fills both in the office and in the surgery center. Usually they do them in the hospital so they can use the fluoroscope to see how the liquid is moving through your band after you are filled. Some doctors also use the machine during the fill so they can see where the port is. If you are self-pay, it is usually more expensive to do it in the hospital because of the fluoroscope, but your doc may give you a year of free fills or some similar deal.

I think the fluoroscope deal is a scam and unnecessary. My doctor can do my fills in less than 30 seconds, but he's done over 3,000 bands. A newer doc may want the option of the machine so that he doesn't have to stick you a hundred times until he finds your port.

My advice? Find a more experienced doc. Find one who has banded half of his staff so you have people to talk to. I wouldn't want to be anyone's guinea pig.

[Desi80 1]

i was patient number 20 something with my doctor, so far all is well. I think the first hundred patients they have to have a proctor(experienced surgeon) during the surgery. My doctor tried to do the fills in office, but if she can't feel your port good enough she will send you to the hospital to do it under fluro. I had mine done under fluro and it was a bad/reat experience. It was bad because she had a hell of a time hitting the port even under fluro, she always jokes that she will always remember me, because of how hard it was (seriously i had bruises all over the port area) it was great under the fluro because once she finally hit the port, she injected saline, had me do the barium swallow, and injected some etc, until the restriction looked good. I got 3cc fill, and have not had to go back to be adjusted sense then. I always tease her that the reason she gave me so much was cause she never wants to have to do a fill on me again :biggrin1:

[cashley 0]

Yep... it was worth it. I'm losing weight and I'm doing it on my terms. I'm not exactly following all the rules, I eat more then three meals a day. I eat fast food, and damnittohell.... I keep tring to get bread down because I love it.

My doctor doesn't have a problem with soda's as long as I can tolerate them. He said if they don't cause pain or gas then have them in moderation.

He's firm on a few rules like not drinking while eating, and that was hard for me. But now that I have decent restriction I find it less hard since drinking can equal pain if you're eating too.

I don't really mind the pain or the golf ball too much since it's a sign to me to stop eating. Sure I admit I'd rather have a gentle nudge to stop but sometimes it's a sharp pain.

And I agree with someone above the PB's for me are more like a mild spit up or very small vomit.

I actually love my band today since I'm tight but not too tight. I'm not interested in most food or eating that often and that was my real goal. I wanted to lose my interest in food.

I come here for support and realize that it's better support then food. And my last point is... I haven't given up on eating anything for the rest of my life.... I can still have fries, bread, sweets etc but all in moderation. (Breads are tough for me now due to the tight fill but I'm fairly sure that won't last for life)

[gentlespirit 1]

Yes, for me it is worth it. For the first time I'm not gaining and have lost 30 pounds since I was banded 3 months ago. The first week was hard and the second was OK, and it's been getting better since then. There are a few things I can't eat anymore, but I'm getting along fine without them. I would do this over again in a minute.

Good luck with your surgery...I hope everything will go well for you!

Emily

[pepsi32861 0]

yes! in a New York minute! I am so happy I did this to myself, I feel much better even though so far i have only lost 60 lbs and I am s months out, it is still 60 I couldn't have lost without the band and I truly do feel much better, I am looking forward to losing another 60 in the next year and with the help of my band and some serious work from me I believe it will happen.

[SarahinTyler 0]

"Yes" to answer StrawartsS question as to whether or not I'm in Tyler, Texas. Thanks for your concern about me being one of my doctor's first patients. That's why I'm going to wait a few months so he can get some surgeries under his belt and I would have some people to talk to.

I LOVE this site and all the information that I'm gathering. I appreciate all of you who responded to me.

But no one answered the question about how long you have to get fills. Once you find the "sweet spot" does it stay or does it wear off with time? Yes, I think my doctor's fee includes a year of fills but does anyone know what it costs after one year? I sure can't afford to go to the hospital every time if that adds additional costs. It's ridiculous how much a hospital charges to walk in the door. No wonder our health insurance premiums are skyrocketing, but don't get me started. If anyone can give me more information on the fill process and costs, that would be great.

Also I was trying to be conscious of how big of bites I take right now and how much I chew. I don't chew, I think I inhale. Taking tiny bites will be a hard thing to do and especially the chewing and chewing. Do you get used to this?

Thanks all. It is great to have this site.

Sarah

[StrawartS 2]

Hey Sarah,

As far as fills, once you get to the right restriction, which usually takes around 3 or 4 fills, you typically don't need more fills. My doc said that sometimes a little bit of the fill evaporates, so some people will go for a top-off when they feel like they can eat more than they need. My fills cost $100 in the doc's office or $200 at the surgical center with fluoroscopy. It's good that your doctor is including a year of fills, because it pisses me off that I had to pay an extra $400 to make the damn band work like it's supposed to. Without fills, it's useless.

Yes, you get used to tiny bites. Pre-banding, I tried to take tiny bites and chew chew chew, but it felt disgusting. I realized that I also inhale my food - I also chewed maybe 3 or four times before I just made a big sweep with my tongue and swallowed the whole mess. It only takes one or two bad PBs to realize the importance of chewing. And post-op, you will likely be so paranoid about hurting yourself and throwing up that you'll be overly cautious.

I am fine with tiny bites and chewing now. I also have a much higher tolerance for eating cold food, since it takes about an hour to eat a full meal. I know it seems like something that you'll never get used to, but it's amazing how quickly your body adapts to whatever you throw at it.

Hope this helps.

[SarahinTyler 0]

StrawartS: Are you on this site all the time?? You are so quick to answer me and I appreciate it. I'm still trying to learn how to navigate around this site. Don't know how to use icons and such.

But you crack me up. You are obviously a very funny person. Your replies and the other stuff I've read that you submitted always give me a chuckle.

THANK YOU for the answer about the fills. No where on the site or in the information that the doctor gave me explained much. I'm glad to know that after you get the right restriction then you might not have to have as many fills. Loved your "top it off" description. And I can afford $200 every once in a while. I would be pissed off too if I were you that you had to pay more just to get the band filled. That's crazy. Even if your doctor had to increase his price to include the fills for a year, that would look better to his patients. THey would feel like they were getting more for there money - just a little marketing twist he should try.

Well thanks for all your questions. My three year old is in the bathtub (right next to where I am) but I guess I better go see if her Water is cold! I keep coming in here to check the site.

Sarah

[StrawartS 2]

Ehhh...the long answer is that I'm temporarily living away from my regular home and don't have a lot to do where I am now. The real answer is, yes, I'm an internet nerd and on here all the time.

The thing about the LapBand is that it is so popular right now and people, generally, don't do a lot of research before they have surgery. Doctors can get away with a lot because they don't really have to be too competitive yet. Mexico and all the new docs are changing that.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words. If you have any other questions, just shoot. I probably don't have the best or most popular answer, but I have lots and lots of time. :eek:

[Nan 0]

This is a great site. You get to hear from real people rather than just getting a sales pitch. I'm like Sarah, a little concerned about giving up my comfort food. I plan to have the surgery in May.

[SarahinTyler 0]

Okay StrawartsS, since you have so much time on your hands, I'll ask you another question.

I'm very much an emotional eater. I sure don't have to hear my stomach growling to begin eating. I can eat because the sun is out. I'm a stay at home Mom so it's hard not to graze all day. A bite of this and a bite of that. :hungry: (Sorry, I'm practicing on using icons.)

I'm scared that after banding I'll still feel that need to emotionally eat. I know I'm going to have to do my part to control this but does the band (at least when you get good restriction) help with the need to eat for no reason??

Sarah

[JenWillwin 0]

It is the best decision I ever made. I got banded on April 12th and I have lost 20 pounds post op. My energy is through the roof. I have more hope for my future. I am never hungry but still eat great food. I exercise more because I get up easier. I can walk with less pain due to the weight loss. My blood sugar is lower and I dont get tingling sensations up and down my legs. I look forward to a longer life and hopefully it will be easier now for me to conceive. But most of all, because I TOOK CONTROL of this weight problem by having this surgery, I dont have such a need TO CONTROL food and I dont crave it like I used to. Before your surgery you will start mourning the fact that you wont be able to stuff your face as you like. But once you have surgery you may find the urge for comfort food goes away alittle.And if food is such an emotional attachment for you and the surgery doesnt help, counseling may help you as well. They say food addiction is easier to overcome than drugs and alcohol dependency.

[StrawartS 2]

Oh no, I'm slacking off here! I didn't get an email notification of your new post, sorry for the delay in responding. :eek:

I was also an emotional eater, but not in the depressed way. I guess you could say my life is too good - I only overate when I was around people I loved and having a good time. The weirdest sensation I experienced post-banding was PHYSICAL hunger. It took me a while to realize that I wasn't feeling surgery pain, but hunger pain! When's the last time you went so long without eating that your stomach growled?

Post-banding, my emotional eating went through several stages.

1. First week post-op - I was very nauseated from not eating and from taking pain meds. I was convinced that I would never get pleasure from eating again because I literally did not want to put anything into my mouth. I probably drank one bottle of Water all week. Yeah, that went away as soon as I started eating again.

2. No restriction - this was a very lonely, desperate time for me. I was horribly disappointed that I had this stupid surgery and the only weight I lost was 10 lbs. during my one-week post-op fast. I was convinced that I was one of the few for whom this wouldn't work. During this time, I lapsed back into my old eating habits - trying to stay on a diet, but completely giving up when I gave into temptation.

3. Restriction! This is when I started losing about 2 lbs. a week, and when my attitude really started changing. Honestly, I don't attribute my lack of interest in eating to the band and the physical sensations it produces, but to the fact that I see myself losing weight. Once I realize that my attempts are not futile, it is much easier to not binge.

I completely understand your concern about being home all day. I'm a law student, and for the next two weeks, I'm going through finals...which means holing up in my apartment and not going anywhere! That lack of human interaction by itself is really hard on me, but surprisingly, I haven't been filling that void by eating. I've had two meals today and 2 Snacks of string cheese. I just don't need massive amounts of food anymore.

Which brings me to the topic of feeling full...it took me a loooong time to understand what "full" felt like with the band. It is NOT the comfy, filled tummy feeling of before. Being "full" with the band is actually uncomfortable...and makes you feel like you just had a huge binging episode. It's actually much more pleasant to just be satiated with the band. Which is why is it easy to have 1 string cheese as a snack instead of a happy meal.

Which brings me to the issue of food quality. Once you realize you can only eat a little bit, you will really want to make sure that everything you eat tastes good and feels good. I used to eat fast food because I could eat it while driving, but now, I need an hour to eat, so fast food doesn't work. My tastes and cravings have changed - now I really enjoy "real" foods that come from nature, like veggies, rice, cheese, and unprocessed meat, as opposed to snack foods that are made of chemicals. And once you realize that eating these "real" foods actually fill you up, you don't crave the junk as much. I kinda feel like it's pointless now to eat chips or candy, because it just slides right through.

Ok, is this long enough yet? I'll conclude. Before I started losing weight, I swore that I would never diet again, and I would get so filled that I could eat ANYTHING, just in tiny quantities. However, I realized that being too tight is not fun. So, yes, the lapband is just another diet. But it's a diet that works, which makes it much easier to follow. Once you see the weight drop, you don't have such a hard time changing your habits.

Did I even answer your question? I can't remember now.

[SarahinTyler 0]

StrawartsS:

That was most helpful and I thank you for taking the time to share all of that with me since you are supposed to be studying!! I hope all of these messages are somewhere I can go back and find them later when I need some inspiration.

So my preop jitters are normal. I'm not going to let them talk me out of this. Yes I'm already mourning certain foods and I don't even have the surgery scheduled yet. But I'm going to have faith that I can get through that after the surgery. If I saw this weight coming off, I would be thrilled!

Thanks again so much. Now go study and I've GOT to get off this thing and go to bed!

Sarah