JennaR

I took out 1/2 from my savings account and borrowed the other 1/2 from my mom.

1-2 pounds a week is normal. So in 52 weeks (1 year) you can expect 52 lbs being reasonable. Some lose slower and some lose faster. It all depends on how much you work with your band. If you exercise and eat right, there is no reason why you shouldn't lose the weight. But it is at a much healthier pace.

You can drink alchohol again. It isn't something where your going to be pounding drinks to get smashed though. If you want to have a few NON carbonated alcoholic drinks to unwind though, you can. But yes, it is full of empty calories. You just can't have any carbonated alcoholic drinks (sodas, beer, champagne) The band does not malabsorb like other weight loss surgeries. Therefore, it technically wouldn't affect how fast you feel the effects. Although some say they do get tipsy quicker, but I believe it is a psychological thing since they are misinformed.

You were banded 2 months ago and have had 3 fills? What surgeon do you have? Definitely not Ortiz and Martinez. I have no idea what to tell you to do. If you are having pain swallowing I would say go back to your surgeon. But if you surgeon has filled you 3 times in 8 weeks of being banded I would also say to find a new surgeon.

I didn't have slippage or erosion.

In Mexico? Have you tried going to him for his opinion?? I know that there are a lot of US doctors that are "saying" there are complications with the bands because they want to have patients rebanded under them. There really is no money in US fills. The money is in the surgery.

Who was your doctor?

Ummm, I think we assumed that because you are on this site (Dr. Ortiz forum) that you were self pay. It costs around $9,500 for the total package. Were you looking for insurance to cover it???

Also try www.lapbandtalk.com That is another forum that also has teens there. I know there is a California teen there and her name is Kylie I think. I know there are others. Also, talk with Dr. Ortiz before the surgery and ask him to share your email and phone number with other teens he has or is banding. I shared your email with a couple of my teenage friends at Lap Band talk. So maybe they will email you soon. Hope you don't mind.

ROFLMAO, your introduction is funny, welcome to the forum Becky!!!

Who exactly is she talking to???

I may be not the norm, but if I ever had to have my band replaced due to erosion or slippage I would convert to another weight loss surgery. The thought of having something happen and have them open me up again, just won't work for me. If a US doctor is suggesting replaced, then maybe he can get another surgery covered? Don't know if that is an option you are willing to think about, but it is what I am going to do if something happens. ((knocking on wood))

If you are allowed 90 days paid leave, I would ask Dr. Ortiz to write a script or letter for a month. Why not just take it easy? I would have done it in a heartbeat if I could have had that option but I could only afford a week of sick. I really would have like to really take more though. I say if it is there, TAKE IT. What can it hurt? Dr. Ortiz is VERY accomodating and I don't think he will have any problems at all with you requesting a letter asking for days off. I think because of your job, ( I don't know what you do but I will compare it to mine) I am a police officer and Dr. Ortiz took me off work for a minimum of 4 weeks from active duty. He let me teach though that Monday after the surgery. I took the 4 weeks off from active duty but I did teach from a desk for that time. I wish I would have heeded the "minimum of 4 weeks" to include a couple more weeks. Carrying a heavy duty belt again was exhausting!!!

Ice cream will slide right down I hate to break it to ya. The band will not restrict the crappy choices of easily fattening foods, you have to make the choices. It just gives you a full feeling on solid foods. Liquids and creamy stuff slides right through! But if you choose ice cream, you will hardly ever feel full on ice cream. Believe me, I went on a bender last week of Hot Fudge Sundaes and fell completely off my weight loss wagon, then got run over by another passing by weight loss wagon. I caught the very next wagon though and now I am trying to make better choices. The band only works as well as you want it to. If you want to eat around it, you can. If you really want to diet and lose the weight, the band will help you achieve that. But the band is definitely some work, but it does do its job if you want it to. Try going to LBT to search around. You can get way more information than here as many more members are there from all over the world.

I think this forum is fairly new. I would try www.lapbandtalk.com for more years of experience. Unfortunately, I don't think I know of anyone on there that has been over 5-6 years banded (and only a handful) , but they may have the answers you seek. I was that BMI and lost the 50-60 lbs in the first 6 months, and I am nearly a year out and still maintaining. As long as I have the band, I can't imagine gaining it back.

Liquid Adult Strength Tylenol. Get the Cherry flavor, tastes better. I get mine at CVS. But I think Walgreens and WalMart have it too. For the port pain, try leaning into a pillow with a heating pad set on low. It will do wonders for you. No worries, it will get better.

I am nearly a year out and I can't eat within 3 hours of waking. Only warm liquids. I have gotten used to it. I think you sounded fine with your first fill. I know it is discouraging to eat a larger meal at night but most of us are that way too. The thing with the band is that it is not a catch all. Sometimes you really need to exercise good judgement and better choices. You can go ahead and eat a larger meal at night and make sure it is a healthy choice. Then go ahead and have a healthy snack at night. No problems. Remember that you are only really going to lose 1-3 lbs a week for the first year. It is a slow, gradual and healthier process of losing weight. I think you should consider yourself one of the lucky ones that don't battle the all day choices. This way, you only have to battle the choices for dinner. I know it sounds wierd, but I actually like it that way. I am not hungry at breakfast, I eat a small small small lunch and satisfied, then I just make sure I concentrate on a good "diet" for dinner. And viola!! The weight comes off! Make sure you are also doing some exercises to double the efforts! I enjoy a nice quiet walk, nothing strenuous, just a stroll with the dog around the block about an hour after dinner. Just to get everything settled and moving. Once you go to bed, then you get to start again in the morning. There is a little bit of self control that you have to practice with the band (which was hard for me to get used to since I wanted it to melt off and it didn't without me trying a bit). If you are still losing 1-3 lbs a week and practicing all the bandster rules then just slow down and relaxxxxxxxxx, it will take time. We didn't put all this weight on in a few months so we can't expect it to come off that fast either. I don't think you should be discouraged but feel FANTASTIC that the band is doing its job!! Fairly soon, you will really notice the changes and it will make you feel great! Making your band too tight can eventually cause problems and you don't want that. Good luck and keep on truckin' on the road to success!!

Kathy, this entire board is a Dr. Ortiz forum. 99% of us are all Dr. Ortiz patients. His website is www.obesitycontrolcenter.com

Does sound like you may need to be tighter. The drinking after you eat is definitely a problem. It is hard I know. I try and get "busy" with anything I can right after I eat so I dont think about it. A year later, and it is still hard. This one is a toughie for sure. That's about all the suggestions I can offer.

I'm also wondering if everyone needs a fill...is that standard? Yes, it is standard for most lower bmi patients to have a fill. Sometimes higher bmi patients do not need a fill and feel restriction at first with just the band. Does anyone ever not need a fill? See above. Can you ever have a soda again? No. At first it sucks buckets but you will not even miss it after about a month. No beer, no champagne, no carbonation period. Juices, water, tea, etc are great. Or go to dinner with friends and eat too (I'm not sharing my surgery status with friends)? Yes you will, but it will be hard to hide this I will be honest. I wasn't going to tell anyone either but it IS very noticable and I found myself lying which I didn't like. So I just opened up and told them. For the most part, it was well received. And one of my friends even took off to TJ to go see Dr. Ortiz and is now my band buddy! Everything I see says they're only eating 3 bites of food after banding...is that forever or just following surgery? Immediately after surgery, you won't be "eating" anything. Just liquids for a week, then creamies for two weeks, then you can start some solids slowly. At first you will need to be really careful but once you get the hang of it, it won't be so bad. Plus, I would say a majority of people don't feel restriction until after the first fill. I didn't, so weeks 4-6 were a food fest I was fighting. After the fill, life changed. It isn't 3-4 BITES so much as it is 3-5 OUNCES of food, sometimes more. It depends on what it is that you are eating. And it is trial and error on what YOUR band will allow and what doesn't agree. I want to eat less and lose weight, but I'm afraid of looking like I have an eating disorder since I'm not telling anyone about my banding. Will I ever eat normal again? (And by normal - I mean healthy food and smaller portions, just not "3 bite" portions). I am almost one year banded, I look pretty normal when eating. I think it just looks like I have good self control (if they only knew). If someone doesn't know, they don't know by my eating. DURING the first year though, especially the first 6 months, it is hard to hide. Almost impossible if you are socially eating. Remember that being a lower BMI means you have less to lose and generally comes off a lot slower. Don't be discouraged by that. It WILL come off eventually. My suggestion? Don't be afraid to share the information with your friends. If they are true friends, they will be supportive. If they aren't, then you can do without them anyways. When you try to hide it, it just felt sneaky and dishonest to me. I didn't like that, so I just let it all out. Most were supportive, some were jealous, some were inquisitive, some were plain ignorant about it.

Your most welcome..... GOOD LUCK and happy pooping!

Search for your answers at www.lapbandtalk.com they have answered all of these questions and concerns in other posts there. You may find the information useful. You don't have to be a registered member, just a guest to view. Use the search button on their site to put in key words and read the postings on the topic. Good luck.

Ohhhhhhhhh...... well darn, then I have a whole different set of suggestions. First off, iron is a natural constipator I believe so you may want to leave that alone! Also stay away from Bananas. Colace is a laxative so you don't want to go that route if you are just wanting to encourage a bowel movement. You may end up with diarhea. And you should check with the doctor before attempting a laxative. Choose foods that are naturally high in fiber to promote good bowel health. Also try apples, apples, apples. Also drink lots of water. Some band friendly suggestions..... Fruits: berries such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries oranges, apples and pear Vegetables: broccoli, spinach, swiss chard and green peas dried peas and beans such as kidney beans, lima beans, black-eyed beans, chick peas and lentils flaxseed (grind them and mix them into any food, mashed potatos are best)

Its because of all the liquids if you were just banded. I didn't have a bowel movement for about a week and 1/2 and called the doctor. He said it was totally normal. He was right, once creamies were introduced, there it was!

Sometimes fills get a little tighter around "that time of the month" for me. Could this be the case? Also, make sure you are not putting in any bites larger than the diameter of a quarter and chewing a minimum of 20 times. Also, is this primarily within 4-5 hours of waking up??? Many bandsters are super tight in the mornings and only warm liquids go down well. I am one that can not eat solids until 4-5 hours after waking up in the morning. After that, I am all good. Also, stress can make the band feel tighter too, the stomach is a muscle. Try to do some relaxation techniques/breathing before trying to eat. Otherwise, you may need a slight unfill. You can always call the doctors and they will talk with you. But I would imagine they would ask for you to come down and see them again to see if you are too tight.