CalKev

Hello Cliff, I was banded on October 16th by Dr. Ortiz. I am a big guy (getting smaller), 5"9 and 43 years old. I have slowly put the weight on over many years but was a big teen. While I was at the Obesity Control Center on the 16th I spoke to Dr. Martinez about this very subject. He said they had performed the band procedure on teenagers with a high BMI and each had different amounts of excess skin after hitting their goal weight. So in his opinion age is not an issue as much as genetics, how fast you lose your weight, and how much you exercise along with nutrition. He said the key indicator of whether you will have a large amount of excess skin is to look at yourself once you have lost %50 of your weight. So it is more of a wait and see than anything you can predict. If you do have a large amount of excess skin after losing %50 that will tell you to start saving to visit the plastic surgeon so it can be removed. Dr. Ortiz can refer you to one if he does your procedure. Best of luck and don't worry so much about the excess skin as losing the weight and getting healthy! Call the Obecity Control Center and they will answer all questions you have. Good Luck and keep us updated on your decision. Kevin

mtred, You are on the right track.. Read all you can and ask your doctor for referrals of those who have been successful that you may speak with personally. The trend in this forum from my personal observation is first it is new so you won't see stories from a year ago posted here. It is a site that is owned by Obesity Control Center and much of the information is slanted toward Dr. Ortiz's practice..I suggest you go through the whole board and read it in it's entirety many of your questions if not all are asked before and have been responded to.. Try lapbandtalk.com for a more comprehensive view of the patient views. Best of luck.Kevin

Hello decajones! Read everthing on the board. Kevin

Terri, I am so glad you are getting a plan in place. You are so right that it is a double edged sword trying to reinvent your eating habits with a medical device when most of us cling to food as a escape from our stresses and emotional swings. Your mind says one night of pizza for dinner won't hurt and your body concurs because of the low calorie intake of shakes, shakes and more shakes but the band says you try it and I may make you pay. The toughest of all is the mind crying out for relief from stress, grief, emotional swings and yes even joy and happiness and addiction. Aligning the three into one is where I am at now. My body needs to live on lower calories and fat. My mantra now is " I can never compare myself and how I eat to anyone ever again". This has defeated me in the past but can't in the future. I hit rock bottom with my weight as it is was the highest it had ever been and it was stopping me from being healthy and enjoying life. Launching off your suggestion I do believe that there are many who call themselves "Foodies" when in reality they are "Foodaholics" so to speak. We Foodaholics use food just like alcoholics use alcohol. I asked a doctor that is 36 years sober what triggers the alcoholic to drink? She said the sun, moon, the stars, the day of the week and the hour of the day. Food can be an addiction and a very destructive one at that as you know. I am trying daily to align my bodies need for nutrition, the bands need for correct use and my minds apparent addiction ( the need for food even when no apparent reason exists). So far the toughest part of banding has been the consistent focus of mind. It wasn't the surgery, the cost, the low calorie diet, the recovery, the hunger but the creation of new brain patterns to assert the goal of healthy living and shun the thoughts of consumption to satisfy a need. That need will be satisfied but in more positive ways in future. As I lose weight the search is on to fill the gap. So far I have used the pure joy of losing weight to fill it. Exercise and golf are waiting in the wings and many things I have not thought of as yet. For each it is a different journey so what I have related may be obvious to you if so your lucky I am just getting there. Congratulations on putting your band hat on and taking charge! Best wishes on your physical banding to come! Keep on shake-in! Kevin

NinnyEd, I have the VG and it was placed on Oct. 16. I originally scheduled my first fill for December but after reading other posts like you I have re-scheduled for 6 weeks to the day in November. Until I get restriction I am staying on a liquid diet other than trying out the band with solid food to determine if restriction is sufficient. From what I've read here it may take 2 to 4 fills to hit the so called "sweet spot" with VG. On the upside it has a lower complication rate. Best of luck on a successful fill! Kevin

Jess, I have not as of yet experienced what your speaking of and I'm sorry you are feeling let down. You know the band was presented to me as a way to help me change my behavior and that is how I have looked at it. So far it has taught me that I need to drink lots of water, that I eat to much, and that I eat to fast and yes I eat the wrong things sometimes.If I were in your shoes I would find out whether your synopsis of why you aren't losing weight is for either one of the reasons you stated or a combo of both. This you should be able to find out by talking to your doctor and your nutritionist. Once you find out why then you will know what you need to do to start losing, We all have challenges.....you'll do great once you get the right information on how to correct the issue. Best wishes on some productive weight loss in the future! Kevin

Terri, Congratulations on making the decision to be banded. Your idea to start the shakes is a good one. Do it. You will feel better and you will start the process needed to rethink how you eat. The band is a tool it does not replace your emotional or physical need for food. You still need to think through your eating if you want it to assist you in losing weight. There is no need for the band unless you decide to modify your eating habits. You will always be able to eat around the band and defeat its purpose. If you have anxiety the best advice I got was to replace the food with another activity you love to do. Start walking or exercise. What hobbies do you have? Do one when you feel anxiety. If you eat to fill an emotional need it will not get any better when banded. The void will stay unless you fill it with something that will help alleviate the anxiety. If you are being banded by Dr. Ortiz I would put in a phone call to Dr. Miranda. Let her structure your eating so you don't have to. Start increasing your water intake, grab a bottle of H2O every chance you get. The procedure can cause you to feel anxiety when you have not experienced it as it did for me also. It is over in no time and you can be feeling great as most do. Here are two examples of why you should start to modify your diet today. Dr. Ortiz passed on one incident where on the 4th day after surgery a person had a chicken Cesar salad and got a piece of chicken stuck in their esophagus and had to seek medical help for removal. Also a friend of mine who was banded was flying home after surgery two days post-op and could not resist the urge to eat 2 Sun Chips. That was 2 and immediately used the barf bag supplied as it came up hard and caused them esophageal pain. I was in your shoes not long ago and the best way for me to get through the anxiety was to consult Dr. Miranda and eat as though I was already banded. If that is something you can do it will be much easier once you have the band in place. Best wishes for a successful banding! Kevin .

"I had my surgery 10/3 and just started eating regular food Tuesday. I noticed this while on the liquid portion of the diet as well, I am noticing it more now. Whenever I eat or drink a meal I get a cramping feeling under/around my port. Is this normal? Its not painful just uncomfortable. Any thought? Thanks Mandy" Mandy, f you don't get a response here try lapbandtalk.com and you should get a reply in a very short time. As I indicated in our correspondence this is not an issue that I have had to deal with, not yet I should say, never can tell. Best wishes! Your VG friend. Kevin

Liz, The fatigue is worst during the first week post-op as you will be on clear liquids. If you have ever been on an extreme diet (very low calorie), add healing from surgery ( incisions inside and out, and anesthesia), and you can get a picture of the weakness you can be in for. You should not be doing any heavy lifting and only walking for exercise for 3 weeks. These were my instructions, they may change for you but in general this is required for healing. Post-op on days 5,6,7,8,9, you may start to gain steam and feel better but you do, and I speak only for myself, have an overall weakness in your body as a whole. I hear the worst days are different for each person. Mine were 6,7,8, and then I started to get more energy into my system. For example I was shopping on day 8 and dropped my wallet at the cashiers. My hands had become weaker as I shopped and then just let go. Trouble sleeping can add to this. The mind can act in a similar manner being moody or suffering from lethargy periodically is a possibility. If I were in your shoes I would take 2 weeks before starting a new job. 1 week for a job you are in currently. But that is me and you will get many opinions. My advice is to not risk your health and healing or your new job if you can and take 2 weeks. I can't speak for the other poster but your body has changed after surgery. Weight can be water or the body holding on to reserves due to having surgery. Personally I am down 8 pounds since surgery (10 days post-op). Each person's body reacts differently. I am not in the medical field and none of the above is meant to represent what you may experience. Best wishes on a successful banding! Kevin

plj, I was banded on 10.16 by Dr. Ortiz, This is how I match-up with you:"I have no appetite, and food doesn't bother me at all." I feel the same in fact I am a bit repulsed by the thought of eating so called regular food. "But I've found some good protein drinks, but rather high calorie protein drinks" I found one that works for me it has 100 calories, 15 grams of protein, 1g of carbs, 11 oz. It is EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control. "The things I wonder about are the fatigue and sometimes lightheadedness/dizziness. Some evenings I have a slight headache." Yes, Yes, and Yes. "With no appetite, I have to force myself to eat." I am still on the drinking stage and I have to force myself to drink a shake or drink fluids as I feel full always. Psychological hunger has only raised its head once and that was for soup. "And I know all about dehydration and I am drinking water. It feels like sometimes I'm dehydrated." I have dry mouth all the time and just sip, sip, sip, H2O all day and night. "I have no sense of restriction at all." I have a bit of tightness but restriction is not the word for it more like almost constant fullness. "I am also having some weird mood swings." Yes but this gets better each day that goes by and with good sleep and nutrition. I agree with Chelley even with my short experience. "Normal" has a wide definition here because each of us go in with our own presurgery biological differences. I said this in another post but because of my high BMI I had to lose 20 lbs. in 5 weeks, I lost 30 lbs all on liquid diet so my plumbing had shut down a bit even before surgery. Add anesthesia, swelling, clear liquids, etc. and I had trouble the past few days getting it started again. Under the circumstance I believe this was normal. Oh yes I forgot to mention I was the only male of 5 patients on my band day which wasn't so normal. Best wishes on losing the weight! CalKev

I wasn't so much skeptical as concerned. But all for not. From arrival to departure it was one of the most personally rewarding experiences in my life. Dr. Ortiz and his team could easily practice in the states if you were to grade them on expertice and state of the art facilities. Lucky for us he has chosen to establish his clinic just over the border of Mexico. My mother an RN scrubbed and was invited by Dr. Ortiz to view a surgery first hand before I was to have my band placed. She was so impressed she came to my room before surgery and assured me I was in the right hands. Kevin

NWMarc, Do you know why it is common for the VG to lose saline? I have heard of this happening but not that it was "common". I also have a VG and am going for my first fill the end of November, 2006. Currently I am 9 days post-op and have some restriction but it feels more like a tightness. Is the loss of saline an ongoing event if "common" or does it relate to how you eat? Thanks your Info is appreciated! Kevin

Hi Cyndi - So glad to hear you are doing so well. Sorry to have left TJ so quick. We got a call that we needed to be ready in 10 minutes and we had just got up from a nap and had not packed. Missed having some Lucerna broth with you! We were at Costco a few days ago and my poor spouse is lifting water and diet coke (for her, sigh) into the cart while I stood by and watched. I got some funny looks. It won't last long but its nice to have the help for our recovery. I have gotten a little of the coddling but not so much and no free meals for me. Congratulations on the weight loss! I'm with you not hungry but dry mouth and I get fatigued pretty quick and have to sip some watered down juice to get my energy cells charged. You are right...to much sweet. In reference to the card for kids meals just remember: If the band breaks, The stomach will fall. And up go the calories, Fat cells and all. he-he I know what your saying about the kids card and it will form cob webs on it in my wallet too. The only real issue I had so far was my plumbing shut down to put it nicely. I believe it was because I was on all liquids for 5 weeks prior to surgery and the I gave my body clear liquid. It, my body, was not so happy. About 48 hours ago I said forget this as I felt like a balloon and I had emailed Dr. Miranda but had not received a reply. So I consulted my Doctor and Milk of Magnesia was recommended. I took a single dose and my life changed. The plumbing was back on line and I was up all night as it thanked me for the assistance. I scheduled my first fill for almost 6 weeks to the day of our surgery. It is the 27th of November. Have you thought about a fill appointment or are you feeling snug enough. I have the VG and need some more squeeze on my new band. I have heard from all 3 of our other bandmates and they are doing well too. Enjoy your trip and your family. Remember no strenuous exercise for three weeks. I think that includes yanking the arm on a slot machine to much. Your Band-day Buddy, Kev

One Week Out From Banding: 1. Weakness from clear liquid diet. Body and mind fatigue. 2. Scheduling regular exercise (walking). 3. Sleeping soundly through the night. I am so early into the process that all my basic struggles with having the band procedure are in reference to biological changes. The ones I listed are obvious to most bandsters I am sure but they are a fact so early in the game. Good luck with the survey! Kevin

Tom and Roger thanks for the postings! I received the VG on 10.16.06. I have experienced what you have but have decided to stay on shakes until my first fill. Of course I will be testing the band with food right before fill to see how much restriction there is. The burping sounds familiar. Tom please keep us updated. I scheduled my first fill for December 20 but may up it a couple weeks to the 6 week mark from surgery if I know restriction is an issue. Appreciate the posts. A fellow VG'er. Kevin

Lynn so glad you are safe in TJ. Hope you get some sleep tonight and when you get back to the Lucerna after banding try the chicken broth in the lobby restaurant. Hit's the spot after juice and Popsicles at the clinic. Best wishes for a successful band day! CalKev

Joyce, Don"t know if I can help but I was banded on the 16th with the VG. I scheduled my first fill for Dec.20. I believe you have to wait at least six weeks before first fill to give time for the band to set. I opted for 8 weeks to be safe. Dr. Martinez explained to me that the VG is for those of us with a layer of fat around the stomach. It has small connected pillows around the interior as opposed to a contiguous diaphragm like the regular band. These pillows assist with grip through the fat layer. I like you am not feeling restriction but my biggest concern is just letting the band set in place so it won't slip in future. Also keeping your new smaller stomach small is important for future effectiveness of the band. From information I have seen the body actually will start to form a layer of lets call it skin around the band that assists in holding it in place. Inflation of the interior bladder to any point should not effect slippage issue. The best info I have heard is that slippage is due to not following the recommended diet plan. Eating a piece of chicken and not chewing it to mush can cause it to get stuck and if you did this in the first week which I understand one individual did you have the highest chance of slippage. If another member of the board has better info to add please do.My only advice is what I am telling myself which is to start the habit of eating as though I had more restriction so I will be ready when I get my fills. The band is a tool and not the ultimate food limiter and there are many ways around it. So make a plan if you can to eat as Dr. Miranda prescribes and you will have the best chance for success. You are not the only one starving out there count me in, but it is a sacrifice that has to be made to be healthy. Good luck to you and just know you are not the only one with hunger pangs be they physical or emotional. We can make it! Best Wishes, CalKev Cick here for more info on VG band.

bbuck I had VG put in on 10.16.06 but no bump. I would contact OCC for consult. CalKev

bump

bump

Elaine, Thank you for the kind words. Dr. Miranda works with each person on a one on one basis from my understanding. So if she said to have a lean cuisine every other day your a lucky one. My BMI is high and I needed to drop as much weight as possible before surgery. I did not use slimfast but opted for Atkins and EAS as they were higher in protein and didn't drop me after a few hours. Then the post-op clear liquids began and where I am currently in the process. I brought child size 4oz. apple juice boxes and mixed with water 50/50 worked great to sip on and keep my blood sugar up. Also bought small Gatorade's to sip on. Packed these in gallon ziplock bags so I had them ready after release from clinic. Both approved by Dr. Miranda. You will do great! It's over before you know it and your on the plane home. I know your experience will be as good as mine or better. Keep us up to date on your progress! You will be Lap Bander soon! Congratulations to you! Kev

Lady, Don't take the cost into consideration. It may be an issue but not a consideration. I just took Dr. Ortiz professional career into consideration. Read his C.V. on the OCC website. I could not find another surgeon in Southern California (where I live) with the knowledge, accolades, and most important hands on experience in the lap band surgical procedure than Dr. Ortiz. I spoke to more than 5 physicians here in the states and each had no qualms about my having the procedure by Dr. Ortiz. In fact I ran into many gastric bypass patients whose surgeons had been trained in the lap band procedure by him. His surgical suite is state of the art. My mother is an RN and she accompanied me to OCC as my spouse was indisposed during the time. She saw the facilities as well as staff and was extremely impressed. You will be too. Best wishes in making your decision. CalKev

tuesdaythecat, You will actually enjoy the trip. I was so excited to have the surgery at OCC that my anxiety dropped like a rock. Dr. Ortiz and his staff are so knowledgable, professional and show so much care for each patient you can't help but feel pampered. Each staff member gives %110 just like Lori has during your arrangement stage. This last friday I decided to schedule my first fill in late December. When I emailed Rene he responded within 15 minutes and we had the appointment set by a couple more emails within 30 minutes total. You will love your nurses Carmella and Josepha. They will keep checking on you to make sure you are doing well. I am 6 days out from my surgery and am doing great. My incisions are healing well and starting to feel itchy as they do. All I have needed is some Gas-X to help rid my body of the Co2 that was used in surgery to blow me up so to speak and some chewable childrens advil for a dull pain in my abdomen which continues to subside with each day that goes by. And I can't say enough for getting to know the other patients scheduled for surgery on your day. The bonding and sharing between you will help motivate you to recover as you compare what you are feeling after surgery. Also If family are going with you they will tend to do the same as they are all in the same boat. Enjoy your trip to better health! Calkev

Devo, Good for you in taking a step to better health. I was banded on the 16th at OCC by Dr. Ortiz. One of the best experiences of my life. At OCC they first screen you by phone and then through a lengthy questionnaire that you fax to them. At that point you can be scheduled for surgery if accepted. Once at OCC your lab work is done and you will meet with their nutritionist, cardiologist, and each of the 3 doctors that will be doing your surgery. That was my process others may vary slightly due to each individuals situation. I hope your surgery is a successful one. Kevin

NinnyEd, the next 3 days will feel much longer than your time at OCC. It is so fast that you will be going home before your anticipation can catch up. Have a safe trip and successful stay at OCC! Kevin