Friend

Hi everyone,

I went to my local Dr. and he put me on Protonix and it has helped. I also had an ultrasound for Gallbladder and will be having surgery 11/2/06. This might be the solution. Also, I called my band Dr. in TJ and he told me to do only liquids for 5 days to see if this would help. I will try after surgery if need be. I will keep you posted on my adventure. My local Dr. stated that after a rapid weight loss our gallbladder tends to kick in. My symtoms were a slight sore pain under my right ribs and goes thru the back straight across. Like if you were just sore from working to hard. At times I get a tired shoulder pain under my blade, some minor constipation (gallbladder symtoms). If any one experiences this please check with you Dr. even just for a peace of mind. Thanks for listening! Friend

Hey guys and girls,

Just been to the doctors and have found a new problem, thought I would share it with you all incase someone else is having a similar problem. I was getting a strange burning sensation in my throat whenever i ate certain foods or strong smells, which a lot of the time caused me to vomit. But I could tell it wasnt the lap band causing it as it was a different feeling. So went to the doctors today and apparently im suffering with Heartburn/ Stomach Acid.. What has happened is, we have a valve at the top of our stomach which stops any acid we eat from coming back up, however since having the lap band my valve is not functioning as it should, so the acid is coming back, which was causing burning, vomitting and terrible taste in my mouth. So glad I found out that is all it is. Have been put on medication and it already seems to be working.

Ekchick, it sound like I'm having the same symtoms as you are. I went to my Dr. and was put on Protonix. I was told I have acid reflex possibly and we would try meds for 1 month to see if it helps. Thursday is a month and will go back for follow up. I does help but if I eat later that 7pm ouch I get my reflexes when in bed or asleep I gag on my acid siliva. Yuk! I took my med. about noon today and did not have any problems sleeping. I will need to talk to the Dr. to see if any guide lines apply. Maybe he will refer me to a specialist. I hope you are feeling better and keep us posted. Good luck

Has anyone experienced heart burn or acid reflex? I've been banded since 3/06 and did not have this problem till 1 month ago. I was feeling tight chest pains during the day and taking Tums. Semi worked. Then I started haveing problems in the middle of the night with choking and gagging an awful siliva. I began to worry and called my regular Dr. He was supprised about my lapband which was interesting to him and I shared with him my procedure in TJ. Well he put me on Protonix an acid reflex medication to see if this would help me. Well I'm almost over my 30 day trial and this last week I'm experiencing my gagging again even after taking my medication in the mornings daily. I am worried about having problems with my band, can any one help me figure this out. Next week I will see my Dr. to follow up on my trial med. I hope he does not have to refer me else where. Huhhhhh HELP SYLVIA

Hi, my doc. prescribed Protonic for my heartburn and acid reflex. I sure has made a differnce for me. Ask him for trial samples. Good luck!

Hi all,

Congratulations to all who have lost weight as a result of having Gastric Lap Band surgery. And to those who have not lost any weight yet. Dont give up! It can be tuff, but as long as you stick to it, and follow your Doctors orders you too will succeed.

So I guess I should tell you about my experience down here in Australia.... After i sat down and figured out the conversion of how much I have lost from lb to kgs, I realized its quite a lot. I had a Lap band put in in March of 2005. At this time I weighed 124kg (274lb). My knees and my back had just about given up on me. I cant blame them when I look back now! It has been tuff. There would be tears when I had a few bad days of eating, days when it seemed nothing would stay down. But I hung in there and learned a few things to help me along the way. The weight was just dropping off, I couldnt keep track of it at times!

It is now September 2006, (18 months on) and i now weigh 62kg (137lb) Which means I am exactly half my oringal weight. Yippee!! I never dreamed it would happen.. But here I am and I seriously feel fantastic. I am sharing clothes with the sister I used to look at and think I wish I was that skinny. Its hard to explain the joy.. I am a single mum, and found it very difficult to find a man due to the huge amount of weight I had put on over the years. Now they are finding me... ha ha now I cant choose.... ha ha...

8 weeks ago I had a tummy tuck. It is amazing, what a difference! A flat tummy, I mean FLAT! I do need more surgery, however being a single mum, money is tight and I just cant afford it at the moment. I need boobs, thighs and buttocks. But hey really, I feel so good it all really doesnt matter.

As I said earlier I have learnt so much about the lap band.. If anyone needs any advice please contact me i would be more than happy to help... But I really think the most important thing is to stick to it. Dont force food in. Take your time (chew). And always do as the Dr says!

So glad my dad found this site for me to share my experience.. Keep up the good work everyone. Hope to speak to you all really soon!

:-) Hayley

Hayley, I am so happy to hear your success. That must be an awesome feeling to feel good about yourself. Keep up the good work and thanks for the offer of advice. I will keep that in mind since I am struggling. I have been banded since 3/24/06 and have only lost 18lbs. I can't seem to shake off this plataue. But one day I will share my success like you. Sylvia

James, thanks for sharing your detailed experience. I look forward to more of your journey. Best of luck! Sylvia

Lori, I've been banded 5months now and the pain I felt was like a poking pain on my incision areas and one funny one on the bottom left corner. My dr. told me it was normal that our skin was getting back into its normal areas due to the inflation they did. I will from time to time fill a twitch. Crampy feeling I feel it comes from our mode swings. Remember our body is changing for the best. Sylvia (Dinuba)

Ashley, I like you have little support but in time they will notice your weight loss and you will starting hearing compliments of how good you look and boy that is an insentive to our mood swings. This is normal since our metabolism is changing. You continue to share your experience and we all bandsters will support each other. When ever you are depressed or frustrated you can e-mail me and I would do my best to talk to you. My surgery was done 3/28/06 and had a low BMI. Two fills and 20lbs down but from size 10 to 3-4. Slow process but a happy camper now even though I have my mode swings also. Chin up Ashley Sylvia

Friend,

Wow! 20lbs since 3/28/06 is GREAT!!! Slow is good if you really want to keep the weight off permenantly.

Have you had any difficulties with surgery or after. I know the weight is coming off slowly, but that is not always a bad thing.

Are 3 meals a day enough? Not being able to drink at meals must be hard if you are use to that. Is it hard to drink enough water throughout the day? I'm use to drinking a 20 oz bottle of water in about 20 minutes. I'm a bit concerned that this will be a problem for me.

Best wished as you continue your journey!

Beth

Hi Beth, there are times I do not eat the three meals because you are not hungry. I don't always get 64oz of water a day but I do stay off of carbonated drinks. Only one day did I have 1/2 bottle of beer. Boy that did not feel good though too much gas that you have to drink in tiny sips and it is not good tasting after it ends up hot. Drinking water is not the problem what you will learn is that you will drink it in small amounts which will take you longer finish. My best wishes to you Beth on your journey and keep us posted.

Beth, Pammie, Mary best wishes on your surgery date, prayers will be with you! Don't worry it will be a piece of cake and a start to a new you. Keep us posted on you experiences.

Hey, please do not give up. Remember just have patience and you will see results eventually. Do not just focus on number of lbs but also on clothes sizes, on compliments, health, etc. Hang in there and continue communicating with all of us. I am loosing very slow also but I don't believe I could handle another fill. My restriction is limited even more so at certain meal times. Maybe this is my sweet spot. (I hope) Hang in there and remember we are all here and going through the same frustrations. I just keep telling myself it is a tool for us to assist and not a miracle overnight.

Hi to all low bmi friends. I love that you all share you experiences it has helped me understand my struggle. I have more support on this forum than my Dr. Thanks to all in advance!

I also have the same experience. My surgery was 3/28/06 and have had 2 fills in TJ. Started at 155lbs and I have lost about 20lbs slowly but I can sure see my clothes sizes go down. I have gone from a 10 to a 3-4. My first fill was not enough and boy my second has been just tight enough. I hope I have hit the sweet spot. I don't believe I could handle another fill. I get very frustrated at times because I want to see numbers off the scale but I'm okay with the sizes and complements. My goal is 105lbs due to my height 4.10. I am still having problems with not drinking even a sip during or right after a meal. Good luck to you who are having/had surgery recently and lets keep posted on our experiences which are awsome.

Hello everyone!! I thought I would share my journey toward becoming banded. I was scheduled to be banded on June 16th 2006. So I fly in the day before on June 15th. The driver picked us up at the airport and drove us straight to the facilities. I must say me and my husband was very impressed with the facility. We went in for our pre-op testing and then I was informed that I was going to have the surgery right then today. Well, I thought I had a day to prepare for the surgery and was in a little shock that I had to do it right then, but of course I was excited about doing the surgery so I was ready to go. So I fill out the paper work and sit down in the lobby where a few other bandsters were waiting to get banded. I remember Lori saying she was being banded that day and you can't miss her cause she has curly blond hair. Well I just happen to sit next to her and we talked and she was very nice. I started my pre-op test and all was going well. When it came time to talk to the cardiologist Dr. Jiminez, he had bad news for me. Because I was a smoker for 30 years, he told me I had to do a few extra things because my lungs were not strong enough for the surgery recovery. So he put me on an IV and gave me a breathing treatment. I have stopped smoking for 10 days already. So after the IV and breathing treatment, he did another test on me and then came into the room to tell me and my husband that he is recommending to not do the surgery on me. You can imagine my heartbreak because I wanted this so bad. Of course, I started to cry uncontrollably. I weighed 314 pre-op and just lost 14 pounds, gave up smoking for 10 days and made the trip down to Mexico, only for them to tell me I cannot have the surgery done. I was devastated. Although I was crying and upset, what happened next was very impressive. Dr. Jiminez explained to me why he recommended me not to have the surgery. He says that my lungs were not strong enough for the recovery part of it and he was concerned for me. Then Dr. Ortiz and his whole staff came in the room. He sat down and started to explain to me that the procedure is a 20 minute procedure and the recovery time is about the same. But if I did the surgery, it would still take 20 minutes but he didn't want me to spend 20 days in the hospital recovering. He said and I quote " We care about you as a person." That made me feel so good. He said that his main concern was the health of his patients. He told us that he had one of the best staffs and if his cardiologists recommends he not do the surgery, then he will not do it. So he gave me some prescriptions and instructed me to see my physician at home and in 3 weeks, we could see if there was any improvement in my lung capacity to see if I could come back for the surgery. So that night we stayed in the hotel and the next day headed back to San Diego. The driver picked us up and we had some bandsters, who just had their surgery done a few days before. I sat next to Susan, who was a very nice lady. She had got banded and we talked alot on the way back to San Diego. We got to San Diego and spent the night there since our flight was not leaving till the next day. Well, the next day when we got ready to leave, I started to have a really bad anxiety attack for some reason, and it just kept getting worse. Probably the worse one I have had in over 15 years. It got so bad that I told my husband to call 911. I am not sure if it was because of all the excitement and stress I went through or what, but I ended up going into the hospital and having them check me out. After hours in the hospital I took another anxiety pill and started to feel better so they released me, even though they wanted to keep me, I wanted to go. We had to spend one more night in San Diego, before we finally got to come back home to Arizona. Well we finally made it home and I was determine that I was going to get banded. Of course I kept telling my husband that I am going back in 2 weeks, but he being the sweet person he is, kept telling me ok, knowing it was not going to happen. I went to my Doctor here and he had set me up to see a Pulmonary Service who actually comes out to your house to give you the test. My doctor put me on 4 breathing treatments a day and oxygen at night for when I sleep. The breathing treatments are very expensive. (By the way did I mention that I am self pay...ugh!) Anyways, after 2 weeks of breathing treatments and oxygen, they gave me another overnight test this pass Monday to see what my oxygen level were reading. I was very nervous, because I want to have this surgery sooooooooooooo bad. Went my Doctors office yesterday and he was pleased with the results. I faxed the results into Dr. Ortiz's office so Dr. Jiminez could look at them. Finally got a call today saying that Dr. Jiminez looked at my results and has ok'd me to have the surgery!! YIPPPEEEEEEEEEE!! Finally after all that I have had to do my surgery is set for Tuesday, July 18th!! So I am heading back down to Mexico again next Monday to try this again. I guess the morale of this LONNNNGGGG story (sorry bout that) is not to ever give up. Do what you have to, to make a change in your life for the better. Also, if you have ANY doubts about Dr. Ortiz and his staff.....rest assure they are there for you and you health and not your money. I am looking forward to seeing them and having my surgery done next week!!! Wish me luck I will keep you posted on how it goes....and I promise it won't be this long!!

Deb

Oh Deb, what an adventure. I'm glad you ended with good news. My prayers will be with you on the 18th. Keep us posted. Sylvia

I was actually a last minute appointment as I had the crazy situation here with my insurance and since I teach I need to get my sx done before the kids are back in school. I still have lost 4 lbs since my weigh in at the bariatric center from my nerves I guess.Its getting close! I'll get packed today...

Eve and Rose my blessing will be with both of you. Enjoy your trip and new friendship visits. Keep us posted and remember things will be just fine. Sylvia

Does anyone know of any Dr. who performs fill/adjustments to international lap band patients? I'm in the Central San Joaquin Valley of California. Thanks

Hello all,

I am a band surgeon in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we have just opened our practice up to patients from Mexico for aftercare. I am an experienced surgeon and have done thousands of fills. If you need our help just call us at 877.442.BAND or 513.559.1222

Dr. Trace Curry

330 Straight Street #401

Clifton Surgical

Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

Thanks Dr. Curry wish you were here in Calif. Maybe you can answer some of us bandsters questions or doubt?

Sylvia

After surgery we all have to make changes in our eating habits....especially after having a fill. I know you fellow bandsters have tried variations on favorite recipes in attempts to incorporate them into your new lifestyle. Maybe if we share a few of the neat tricks we've learned, we can help someone else as this forum has helped us.

I don't mind that my food intake is now limited.....but I want what I do eat to taste good! You say we should all be eating normal food.....but normal for some is just not that for others! lol

Wouldn't it be great if Dr. Miranda had a weekly word of advise for us diet wise?

This is something that I heard that sounds interesting. Some bandsters have trouble eating scrambled eggs, but this is a recipe for an omelet. You break a couple of eggs into a freezer bag, and add the other diced ingredients that you want (onion, peppers, mushrooms, grated cheese). Zip the bag closed and work the mixture with your hands to mix well. Drop bag into a pan of boiling water. When omelet is done to your taste, just open the bag and slide onto your plate.

Good luck,

Dreamer

Thanks Dreamer I will definitly try this. Sylvia

Hello all,

I got my fill done last Thursday. If was quick and painless. I saw the port and the band on the screen. It was the fastest $350 I've ever spent. The liquids for two days wasn't too bad. I've moved back to solids.

I'm concerned I didn't get enough. I got 3.8 cc in my 10 cc band. I don't really "feel" any more ristriction.

OK, I'm gong to confess. I'm still bad at drinking with/after meals. But I'm working at it.

Does anyone know the average/normal length of time between fills?

Thanks,

NWMarc

I was told 30 minutes before a meal and 1 hr. after a meal.

Sylvia - Dr. Ortiz doesn't put any fill in the band until you are 6-8 weeks post-op. I have a band but no fill and now that the intial swelling of the surgical procedure has gone away, I can eat just like I did pre-band. The more I worry about my weight gain, the more I want to eat to comfort myself. It's a vicious cycle... and if I could control my emotional eating, well then I wouldn't need the band! Anyway, I am trying to be optomistic and I'm hoping my first fill goes well and I can have some restriction. My sister is still loosing weight and I'm so very proud of her. She has a smaller band than I do and has some mild restriction just from the band itself without a fill. She's also been taking L Caratine (sp?)- a supplement that assists in fat burning which was recommended to her by the nutritionist at Dr. Ortiz's clinic.

Thanks Chelley maybe I should try this fat burning stuff. Don't worry about your fill soon, it is a piece of cake. I hear that a fluoscopy is a neat process to see. If you do have it done that way keep me posted. I had mine manually and they did poke. Have a safe trip! Sylvia

Best wishes to you who are having surgery soon! My mom, sister and I will be in TJ June 11, 12th for our first fill.

Chelley Good luck to you and you mom and sister on your first fill. Enjoy your trip! Sylvia

CHELLEY I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM. I HAD MY FILL 4/28/06 AND HAVE LOST ONLY 1 LBS SINCE. I CALLED MY DR AND THEY TOLD ME WE ARE TO LOSE 10LBS IN A MONTH AND FOR ME TO TRY EATING SMALLER PORTIONS SIX TIME A DAY PLUS PROTEIN AND WATER. WHICH I HAVE TRIED AND NOT WORKING. I HATE FOR THEM TO TELL ME TO TRY DIET PILLS. SORRY BUT THAT IS NOT WHY I PAID THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO STRUGGLE MORE WITH DIETS. I KNOW ITS JUST A TOOL BUT IT IS SUPPOSE TO HELP TRAIN US TO EAT LESS, RIGHT. ALSO IT IS HARD WHEN YOU STOMACHE IS ASKING FOR FOOD. I HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING HUNGRY AND FEELING A TIGHT SPASM WHERE MY BAND IS. ITS LIKE AN AIR POCKET THAT NEED TO BE FILLED. ONCE I EAT SOMETHING LIGHT AND VERY SLOW IT GOES AWAY. SOMETIMES I WONDER REALLY HAVE WE PAID ATTENTION TO SEE IF THEY REALLY PUT IN THE AMOUNT OF SALINE THEY SAY. DOES THE PORT EVENTUALLY LEAK IT OUT OR HOW MUCH MONEY DO THEY WANT US TO GIVE OUT. HUH, CHELLEY WE HAVE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ALL OUR BANDSTERS TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND KNOW MORE OF WHAT TO EXPECT SINCE WE CAN'T ALWAYS RUN TO DR. SORRY EVERYONE FOR WHINNING BUT WE ALL NEED TO VENT ONCE IN A WHILE. I DO HOPE THIS DOES WORKS FOR ME LIKE ITS WORKED FOR OTHERS SOON. HANG IN THERE CHELLEY, SYLVIA

Well, I'm not getting the response on this poll question that I had hoped. Maybe all of us are so new to the lapband many of us haven't had fills yet??? I am very frustrated with my weight right now. In the time since surgery, I'd lost 21.5lbs which put my weight at 205.5lbs. Since I've been on solid food, I've steadly gained weight to a current 215lbs which was be pre-op weight. I'm worried with this larger VG band, that I'm going to have to have lots of fills before I get restriction. I've only had one soft ball in the chest response which was when I was hot and thristy and gulped 1/2 bottle of water without thinking.......owwww! But as far as food goes ... I can eat like I did before ... hence the weight gain. I'm hoping I'll start seeing the scale go down again after the 1st fill.

PRAYERS ARE WITH ALL YOU BANDSTERS. WELCOME TO THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE AND BANDSTER FRIENDS WAITING TO HEAR YOU OUTCOME. SYLVIA

this is how I feel all the time -- I am a very outgoing person I love life Ilove my family - I researched gastric bypass surgery for a long time and have been denied 3 times for the surgery. I am 5'4 and weigh 268lbs. more than my husband.... I would get a denial and do a program for about 4 weeks so I could get a history of a diet going for the insrance and yes my insurance will pay for it but gee how much do you have topay out of your frickin pocket before they give???? So I have been quiet about it for a couple of years and am currently doing weight watchers with a friend - she is losing I am floating back and forth with about 5lbs. going on 10 weeks .... I am busy ---I have kids I have a FT job (like nobody has that) and I am full of excuses of why I can't eat right ---but my weight over the last 8 years the birth of my last child has crept up from 230 to 268 never higher never lower/ the 230 was losing 20lbs. while I was pregnant with that 3rd child so when I started back with eating out and so on I gained that back and 18 more----so I am not a yo-yo dieter --I just give up----I want this surgery my husband has already said we can afford it and maybe this is the way to go ??? I have read alot about the lap band VS gastric and the nourishment issue and the sagging skin( goodness that i ask the insurance for anything else(and I have great insurance))that does bother me - I want to grow with my husband (annoy him a little longer LOL) watch my kids grow and see the other things that happen life without having to worry about health problems that the gastric can bring on...I have high blood pressure now .... with the lap band yo still recieve the nourishment/protien by eating - I have a friend that goes back and forth from normal food to a liquid diet due to she can't handle the solid food sometimes - she looks great but doesn't look too happy.... I have recieved info from Dr. Ortiz I willbe buying the book soon to read - I figure after the kids are back in school and just before the holidays kick into full swing would be a great time for the surgery I am looking for a October date ----I would love to stay in contact with anyone that reads and I wil be posting more -- Ilove reading what everyone has to say - very helpful- and caring --- Ilove having the nurses in here that are just thrilled they have had the surgery and how clean the facility is ---that eases my mind about going into Mexico for surgery - for I will be possibly traveling myself - the hubby will stay home watch kids HAH! and working --- I will post again soon maybe with a picture too.... LOL I don't think I hae noticed any pictures posted ??? or maybe I am not looking in the right place-------Good night

Cyndi, goosh do not hesitate at all to get the band. I highly recommend even though my after surgery medical support is not that good the surgery, hospital, staff were great in TJ was great and good price deal. I have learned more here on the forum than with making phone calls. So for everyone I would recommend to read this forum way before surgery to know what to expect and good questions to ask. I wish you the best in your decision and I am here for any support. Sylvia from California

Kit you need to call your Dr. you may need an unfill. Its been 2 week now how do you feel. If your still that tight I would definitley get checked. Good luck! Sylvia

I'm going to get my first fill tomorrow afternoon. I've selected a doctor that was at the Seattle Band Bash in Feb.

However, I'm real nervous about eating after the adjustment. (I know I'll be on liquids for a day or two after the fill.) Right now if I forget to chew enough and/or take too large of a bite of food I can feel it and then then feel it finally go through. My assumption is that after the fill this will be even more frequent and more painful.

Is my assumption correct?

I need the fill as I've not really lost any weight in a couple of weeks. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Marc

Marc, I would request to have a fluoscopy to make sure port is not tilted or band is in same spot. Talk to the Dr. about that. You know I wonder what band slippage feels like. How do we bandster know when this happens (symtoms). Good luck Marc!