AussieInOregon

Sand Pirate, sounds like you are in the same boat as me, able to loose weight but unable to keep it off long term. I also see the lap band as a permanent reminder to eat well and not binge. I understand that I will always have to be careful of what I eat but I am looking forward to the day when I am not thinking that much about my weight or the lap band and have a relatively normal life, thinking about all of the other hassles....work and play. So, have you started a pre-op diet or are you going to leave it to 10 days prior to surgery. I have decided to loose as much as I can prior to surgery, just to kick start the weight loss and also so the reduction in calories is not such a shock for my system after surgery. Cheers Ian.

Great to hear you have someone to support you when you come down here!! Looking forward to meeting you and your mother.

So far there are three of us. AussieInOregon : Ian, Oregon SFkitten : Mel, California Sand Pirate : ?, Florida Just thought I would put a topic heading that poeple will recognize as their surgery date. It would be good if we could chat a little prior to meeting up, that way we would have someone we know in the hospital. So what type of pre-op diet are you guys on. I just started day 2 of medifast to loose weight prior to the operation. Medifast will be suitable for the post-op liquid phase but after that I will move on to 3 meals a day of solids to get the band to do its job. Right now I am very excited about loosing weight and more importantly keeping it off. I have yo-yo dieted a lot, keeping weight off for a year then loosing focus only to see it all return plus more. I have spent a long time researching the Lap Band on the net, as everyone has done, and I think most of my questions are answered. I understand the risks, then I weigh them about the risks of doing nothing. At present I am 43 yo, 5'8", 290 lb, so the health risk of doing nothing is very severe. I don't have diabetes or heart disease, but I do have mild sleep apnea (I want to get off the CPAP badly), and my left knee hurts sometimes (I had surgery on it when I was 16 yo). I need to loose weight before more serious health problems kick in. So, I am 100% committed to making this work but here are my current thoughts. 1. I am not worried about the surgery, or the pain after the surgery, it will be a reminder to me of the commitment I am making. 2. I plan to return to Dr. Ortiz for all my fills, because of his competence, also I miss a few rays on a beach from time to time. 3. I do worry about getting back home and not having good medical backup for emergencies. I have Pacificare insurance, they don't cover WLS or complications that may arise from it. I visited the Lap Band doctors in Eugene, Oregon, and they said they would refuse to work on someone that was banded in Mexico. 4. I am a little apprehensive about accidently making a mistake and not chewing a piece of food and having it get stuck. If it gets stuck will I need to go in for emergency surgery. Or can I hop on a plane to San Diego, survive 2 days of having it stuck, and get it rectified? 5. Complications of slippage and erosion don't worry me a lot in the first few years as the statistics show that there is a very low rate. It is a risk but not life threatening. 5. I am concerned about the long term outcome. Will these bands fail after 5, 10, or 20 years? By failure I mean two things. The first is the band itself needing removal. The second is really my failure to keep the wieght off. Reading some of the scientific literature indicates that there is a high risk of failure as time goes on. But if it buys me 10 years of good health then I am willing to take the risk. Enough for now. Cheers Ian.

G'Day Sand Pirate & SFkitten, I am also on February 9th. Is anyone else out there scheduled for February 9th? If you gals are coming in on the 8th then maybe we should meet that evening in the hotel to exchange how we feel and what we know prior to surgery. It would also be good to have some recognizable faces in the hospital!

Thanks bbuck, I realize I shouldn't split the Wellbutrin SR. The tablet is 1/2" round and 1/4" thick. That is not enormous but it is the biggest tablet I have taken. Are any of your tablets a similar size? Anyone out there on Wellbutrin?

G'Day Mel, I will be coming in on the 8th (my birthday ), keep in contact and lets talk when you get to Mexico. Cheers Ian.

G'Day Greg, Thanks for answsering. I just got the ruler out and measured the Wellbutrin tablet again. It is exactly 1/2" in diameter, a round tablet that is 1/4" thick (maybe a little more as it has a bit of a dome on the surface). One thing I have not done yet is to ask the manufacturers if they produce smaller versions. I guess the reason for the size of the tablet is to allow for a slow release, but presumably they could mix it with something that would dissolve very slowly and make the tablet smaller. Cheers Ian.

G'Day all, This is my first post, I decided to get Lap Band surgery on February 9th, 2007. This forum is great and has answered most of my questions. I am currently taking Wellbutrin and the tablets are about 1/2" diameter. Since they are slow release they recommend that I do not break or crush them. So has anyone else dealt with this problem? Will 1/2" diameter tablet go down ok? Many thanks Aussie guy in Oregon. Current Weight: 295 lbs.