Littleroo27

It looks to me like the same thing as Jenny Craig. Not that it's bad at all, but I know for me JC got old really fast because of the lack of protein in their foods. Plus, as someone who avoids all dairy, I was forced to cut my choices down to about 1/4 of all options. You can really only eat the same 4 or 5 meals so many times before you start going nuts.

I didn't look at the article, but from what I understand, that can happen when the salt levels in your body become too low from drinking way too much water. It's really really hard to do! In fact, with IBS if you drink too much water you just end up spending the night in the bathroom with bad cramps. I did that once in college during a "drinking" game. I don't drink, so I had a gigantic mug of water and downed too much of it - UGH.

Not to turn this into a wank session, but I just wanted to respond and say that if she feels the way that I do - she's probably way more worried about / for you then trying to make you mad. This is a big big secret you are keeping and none of us want to see you get hurt if he finds out later and doesn't take well to the deception. You are right - to each his own. We do not know your situation. While I do not feel that I could ever keep that kind of thing a secret, I am also not in a situation where I have to, so it would be unfair of me to say that I could never be in your place. Please keep in mind that as much as we may gasp at the situation, in the end, we just want to be there for you and help where we are able. I am interested to know how you are doing with the band itself. Are you still suffering from nausea and vomiting or has that eased with the meds from your doctor? My concern would be a slipped band if that keeps up. Not sure how you'd explain THAT ER visit, lol.

Well, let me put it this way. I'm mad because my new insurance covers the surgery, which means I won't have to spend the money, but NONE of the doctors are anywhere even near as good as Dr. Ortiz. I went down and visited the clinic and met Dr. Ortiz in person and came out of there wanting to set up my appointment for the next day if I could have.

Hey Marissa, I was just curious if you knew what your resting rate for calorie buring is. My doctor told me that mine is slow as well (1600kcal/day resting), but I have a normal thyroid and eat too much, thus I'm going with the band. Good luck!!!

Hi tatem! I'm in San Diego too Great place to be this time of year! I'm 26 and 325 (UGH). I would be more then happy to talk to you about my experiences so far (pre-op, of course). If your insurance covers the surgery then I would recomend going to Scrpps Clinic Center for Weight Management in La Jolla. I did all the pre-op stuff there before finding out that my old insurance wouldn't cover bariatric surgery. I was planning to go to Dr. Ortiz, but now my new insurance covers it, but not through Scripps Clinic. Red tape - tell your parents to expect a few headaches along the way. As for weight loss, it does vary, but they say that if you are losing a pound a week that you are doing good. Slow and steady and all that, right? I would really recomend that you order Lap Band for Life (which is written by Dr. Ortiz - how I found this page). It clearly explains everything from the first day you start considering the process up through pre-op, surgery, post-op and "eating for life" type of stuff. It's very easy to read and pretty fast, but super super informative. I ordered mine on amazon, but you can also have it delivered to your local barnes and noble or borders.

I must admit to being a little worried for you. I'm sure that the vomiting is stress related. Heck, you'd probably be nauseous even without the band had it been something else this big that you were keeping from him. The best way to get rid of the nausea? Tell him. Of course, I don't know your husband and I don't know the conversation you had with him regarding the band, but still - at some point he is bound to notice that you have new scars on your body and have lost tons of weight. Men are (generally) oblivious, but not blind. I kinda took a different rout. I'm single, but my parents are very important to me, even if we live many states apart now. When I told them I was thinking about the surgery I never asked them if it was okay to do it. I just said "hey, just wanted you to know that I'm considering thing." Even though you are married, he really can't tell you what you can and can't do, and he sure as heck can't tell you NOT to get it done, even if he doesn't approve. But I'm not sure that going behind his back is the best way to go about it. I will be interested to hear what happens what he does start to notice the changes. Didn't he figure out that you were on a liquid diet pre-op and post-op? Or did you just tell him you were doing slim-fast?

I agree, that sounds like a fantastic idea! I've stopped checking the boards as much recently because it does seem to be the same questions over and over again.

The pre-op diet is used to shrink your liver before surgery, the lost weight is more of a bonus feature, so yeah, you will need to do it no matter how close to the edge you are. It's more about the reduction of fat and calories going through your liver before surgery so that it gets smaller and is easier to move out of the way during surgery.

Not at all. The diet is often a requirement of the insurance provider. It's sort of a test to make sure you can stick with it before they pay for some huge operation. They probably figure a certain percentage will wander off because they are unwilling or unable to either do the diet for 6 months or regularly see the doctor or something else. The hospital itself would probably cut me open by the end of the month if I asked them to, since I've already done the pre-op requirements of going to the orientation class and the support group and I have a letter from my psychiatrist proving that I'm mentally stable (for the moment, anyway!!!). But CIGNA requires that I do 6 months of doctor supervised dieting first. Big jerks.

Unfortunately, I don't have any out of network coverage with the Cigna HMO. The only time I'm allowed to go out of network is if I need to go to an emergency room when I'm out of town. This is my first experience with an HMO and I do plan to work the system as much as possible, but it's certainly more of a PITA then a PPO. Even with a PPO, they won't cover anything done out of the country. I plan to see my new PCP in the next couple of weeks and get started on the 6 month pre-op diet, if nothing else. I can worry about who is cutting me open in another 4 months. Right now I am at my highest weight EVER and feel like crud. It's hard to get up from the sofa or even roll over in bed! I've never had a problem like that before and at 26 years old, it's scary. So far I haven't let my weight stop me from doing anything that I want to do (I've never really WANTED to run or jog, so that's not a problem, lol), but it's really starting to hurt my body. Within the past 15 months I have gained nearly 90 lbs. That is some seriously bad weight to gain at all, much less so quickly. What's funny is that I am not depressed or sad or any of that. I actually started gaining weight back when I began dating a wonderful person and developed a social life. We are just friends now, but the social life and extended friends are still there. And so are my bad eating habits.

I haven't heard many "horror" stories either. I have read first hand accounts of bands slipping, but the person was so greatful for the lap-band and the success it had given them that they couldn't wait to get it replaced. Also, waiting a little longer to get your band filled and making sure to get more fills of smaller amounts, rather then over-filling right away will help keep you from either slippage or erosion, though sometimes things do "just happen." Certainly Dr. Ortiz has a much lower complication rate then any of the US surgeons I've talked to or researched so far.

Usually it's your weight, but the main factor is how big the area to be banded is. Just like our waists, our stomachs come in different sizes too - some of us need a longer "belt". The end result is the same though.

A lot of people are very happy with gastric bypass, so it's up to you, but be sure to consider all the options. Gastric Bypass has a lot more complications both directly after surgery and over the course of your life. You will lose the weight faster, but it won't help you feel more full, it will just make things go through you faster. And as someone with IBS, I can tell you that is NOT fun. Depending on your age you may have to go back in to get the lap-band replaced at some point. After all - it is plastic, and plastic degrades eventually. But I'd honestly rather do that then worry about having bits of my body removed and not being able to fix it later.

Checked this afternoon to see TWO updates! one is written by Robert Morgan and the second by his wife. This really is an amazing series of articles. December 14 December 17 Main Page

One thing to remember is that when you go into surgery, your digestive tract is completely EMPTY, save for perhaps a tiny amount of stuff from the shakes. Once you start eating solid foods again, all that space fills back up - and it can hold a LOT, even if your stomach can't. So you are going to gain weight back post-op. It's pretty much inevitable. Also, you are only one month out of surgery. At this point you're supposed to be finishing up your recovery, not worrying too much about the pounds coming off. Wait until after your second fill (your first fill often reduces in restriction as air comes out of the band) to see how things are going before getting too frustrated. Slow and sure is the way of the band - there is not supposed to be an overnight change in your body. As far as I'm concerened, any month that I'm not GAINING weight is a good one.

Well, the most experienced surgeon covered under CIGNA (in my covered HMO area) has done about 100 lap-bands. And, of course, that's a lot. But compared to Dr. Ortiz - it's NOT! I'm trying to get my insurance to consider adding some other doctors with more experience, as 90% of their covered surgeons specialize in gastric bypass / reux-en-y and not lap-band. *sigh* It's a process! Plus, I have to do 6 months of doctor supervised dieting first. Like I haven't been doing THAT off and on my whole life...

Green Bottle???? Share with the class!

Just a thought, but you seem to be one of the higher BMI patients (at least of people I've seen posting here). They may have thought the pics would be really good for before/after shots on the website or something? Also, you all should say which nurse did the back massage - it may be just the one nurse!!!

A lot of people experience an initial "de-fill" because air escapes from the band after your first fill, actually reducing your restriction. You may find that at your december fill you no longer have a 4.2 fill. But that usually only happens after the first fill.

Lori, Is there any way to require a new user to wait for a password to be sent to their e-mail address before they can log in? That way at least we know it's an actual person who has to take the time to check their e-mail, then log in and change their password to one of their choosing before posting. That little bit of hastle might really cut down on SPAM posts.

We can probably all give you the lo-down, but my suggestion is to buy "Lap-Band for Life." And not just because Dr. Ortiz wrote it. I bought the book before I knew anything about him and it was such a fabulous source of information on all steps of banding, from the first step through life after the band. Most stores don't have it in stock, but you can have it delivered to your local borders / B&N or you can order it through amazon, etc. As far as I'm concerned, it's a must have.

I have thought about that and very well may. Right now I'm trying to work with my insurance company and see if I can get them to add more lap-band qualified surgeons, but I know that will be like pulling teeth!

I've spent the better part of the past 9 months going through the process. Went to Scripps Weight Loss Center. Did all the pre-op requirements. Got my form saying I'm sane and talked to the dietician. Then I find out that my insurance won't cover the surgery no matter what. So I find Dr. Ortiz. I research until I can't find anything I haven't already learned and then I go down to TJ and tour the clinic and speak with Dr. Ortiz. I'm completely comfortable with this choice and know that he's one of the best. Then, a week or two ago, I found out that we are switching to Cigna and that their HMO covers the Lap-Band. Joyous singing is heard throughout the land! Yesterday I went to the insurance change meeting and found the list of bariatric surgeons covered under the HMO plan. I researched every one of them within 80 miles (9 in total). The most experienced surgeon has done 100 lap-band procedures. One of them brags on his website about his 4% complication rate (with the US average being around 12-14%). I'm just thinking that Dr. Ortiz's rate is less then 1% and now I wish I didn't have insurance! I can't actually afford to spend $10,000 and the relief of having to come up with 10% instead was wonderful. But now I'm scared and frustrated because most of the surgeons covered still only perform Gastric Bypass or Reux-en-Y. My choices are: George Mueller, MD, who has performed 2 lap-band surgeries as of September Milton Owens, MD, who has performed approximately 100 and is my best option at this point Kyle B. Potts, MD, whose office is just beginning to offer the lap-band procedure Not exactly jumping for joy at my options The surgeons I was working with before Dr. Ortiz aren't covered under Cigna. Their counterparts at Scripps Mercy are, but they only do the Roux-en-Y. GRRRR. I think it's super mean that the insurance will cover the procedure but not a qualified doctor to do it. I e-mailed them today and whined, but am feeling really frustrated and choking in red tape.

Hi there! In order to PM someone, click on their user ID. It will take you to their info page. If you look on the right side you will see an option to "Send a Personal Message" or "Send and E-mail." Click on whichever one you want and start typing away! Beth