Stateside Banding Short Story

[CalKev]

Hi Fellow Bandsters,

Have to say first Greg is doing awesome! Would like to hitch a ride going in his weightloss direction. Been awhile since I have posted here. Mostly due to the ugly plateau I have hit and a busy schedule. But in looking back that is the very reason I should be participating.... might jog me out of this weight state. Going in for a small fill on the 20th hoping to jumpstart a downward turn. Greg going to join you soon!

The real reason I am posting is to let you know that the border is not a line in the sand only an inconvenient reality. The surgeon you choose has the greatest impact on your success with the band I think most would agree. The sister of a good friend of mine is having a tough time with the process she went through with a stateside surgeon and her banding. She was finally scheduled for surgery but on the date she was to undertake the procedure she had a bad cold. She could not pass the oxygen level blood test as hers was to low. The surgeon made the decision to artificially elevate her oxygen levels for surgery by putting her on a ventilator. After the procedure she was taken off the apparatus and was breathing on her own. She has been experiencing lots of pain even with a very high pain threshold. Also she has now developed a case of pneumonia to go with the pain. She was banded the 5th and is not improving from last report.

Just from my limited experience with OCC my guess is if she had failed the oxygen test she probably would have been rescheduled. This is only a guess ..... but an educated one. If your reading this and on the fence about going to OCC in TJ for surgery just do one thing. Ask your surgeon for his C.V. and hands on experience with the band and the access Dr. Ortiz C.V. on his website and call OCC and ask how many Lap band procedures he has performed, mortality rate, and percentage of patients that had the band removed due to slippage, erosion, and other issues. Stay with percentages as it will give you more accurate data to compare surgeons. Sit and read all the info you gathered and make a side by side comparison. Call Inamed and confirm credentials with company. Read publications on lapband surgery including Dr. Ortiz's academic source book. Once you put most if not the majority of stateside surgeons data in side-by-side comparison to Dr. Ortiz's data you can make a very educated decision.

The day I went to have surgery Dr. Ortiz came into my room and asked me a question that was basically Why had I come to OCC for surgery? I told him what I still believe that I wanted the best surgeon in the lapband field to do my surgery. From the research I did on surgeons local to me and Dr. Ortiz there was not even a question I had made the right choice. I hope you do the math and can be as confidant with the surgeon you choose. My friend says her sister wishes she had gone to OCC for banding after the fact. Hindsight is mostly 20/20 but foresight can come into better focus if you choose you edify yourself without borders. Just one bandsters opinion.

[GregNE]

Kevin- thank you for the kind words. I do not think my progress is that stellar, but as you know, I am on the slow losing plan. My plateau seemed to occur from the day I was banded to my last fill in early Feb.

I have not been weighed in about 3 weeks, but 2-3 inches have disappeared from my waist in that same 3 weeks (as measured by my belt).

However, my greatest success from my perspective is patience. I stated it in another post, but will repeat, this is up to a 36 month weight loss process. Losing almost half of one's body weight healthily takes time.

And regarding your current plateau, I feel the magic of being banded is in not re-gaining weight. When your body is ready to resume weight loss, you will not have to re-lose 50 pounds. And for those of us with higher BMI's, that in and of itself is a true blessing.

I have been curious, however, why you have not gone for another fill. With your proximity to OCC, it would appear that would be a simple trip for you. I am sure you have a reason, but can you share?

Best wishes as always.

[CalKev]

Kevin- thank you for the kind words. I do not think my progress is that stellar, but as you know, I am on the slow losing plan. My plateau seemed to occur from the day I was banded to my last fill in early Feb.

I have not been weighed in about 3 weeks, but 2-3 inches have disappeared from my waist in that same 3 weeks (as measured by my belt).

However, my greatest success from my perspective is patience. I stated it in another post, but will repeat, this is up to a 36 month weight loss process. Losing almost half of one's body weight healthily takes time.

And regarding your current plateau, I feel the magic of being banded is in not re-gaining weight. When your body is ready to resume weight loss, you will not have to re-lose 50 pounds. And for those of us with higher BMI's, that in and of itself is a true blessing.

I have been curious, however, why you have not gone for another fill. With your proximity to OCC, it would appear that would be a simple trip for you. I am sure you have a reason, but can you share?

Best wishes as always.

Greg,

You have an excellent perspective on the process from this bandsters view. Progress you are right should be our focus not the speed of the progress made. Very healthy timeframe you have. In the same avenue that is one reason I have not gone in for a fill until the 22nd of this month. It has felt good to stabilize at a weight and not go through the daily worry of gaining weight. Also thought I would just let my body rest after the 70 lb. loss and get acclimated before continuing. It is a double edged sword as I want to lose again though another part of me says hey it's ok to even out and then continue down.

My band is also I feel in it's sweet spot for my current weight. Appropriate restriction is in place to maintain. I have been working on what I eat and letting the band tell me how to eat it to see if that would change the equation to a losing one. No luck so far.

Restriction beyond where I'm at is going to be an art to negotiate. It feels like walking to the edge of a cliff and you know you could drop off (to tight) with the next step but you take the step anyway. So I am going to take baby steps from here on down at the fill station. I do not want to go through the "so tight that it hurts to swallow liquid phase"

[GregNE]

My long term outlook very well could be my way to have realistic expectations. But there are some facts that I use to maintain my outlook. Comparison studies of different WLS use 30-36 months as their measuring point for 'success'. RNY patients usually lose their maximum weight about 18-24 months after surgery. And the band is documented to be a slower method of weight loss than RNY on average. I guess I would call it 'educated rationalization'.

But it also has to do with being comfortable with my weight. I have never been of a 'normal' weight my whole life. I am used to being fat. Being obese is all I know. Many bandsters have a different background, having gained all their excess weight later in life. Many bandsters were of normal weight in the past. I think this fact makes many bandsters have the short-term outlook.

If a person has memories of being thin 5-10 years ago, they yearn to feel like they remember. I have no such memory to cause me anxiety. My memories of 5, 10, and 15 years ago are memories of being obese. This can be a blessing for me, or a curse. I have not yet figured it out.

I know I am getting into a deep psychological subject here, but I think it helps explain my patience and outlook. I want to be thin as much as anyone. But I am willing to wait for it to happen, being it will be a new experience for me. The healthiest days of my life are yet to come, not a memory of the past. Perhaps that makes me different. Or, maybe others just do not verbalize their experience. I tell anyone about being banded. Others keep it a secret. We all are different.

Kevin, you are right: you deserve a break and time to savor your 70 lb drop in weight. It is very smart to let your body adjust to your new weight. Having a stable weight is a victory in its own right. I look forward to the day I can be at a stable 300 lbs. I learn much from your experience and others.

Sorry to all for getting into a 'deep' rant here. But, this is our support group, and to me, expressing our thoughts is a part of that support.

[FurEllie]

Great thread and post.

I've read about several "bad" US doctors on another lapband site. People having staples on their incisions and having to go back to get them removed, getting out of the hospital the day of the procedure, someone even mentioned they were "binded" with gauze and tape after their surgery - and these were ALL in the states!

My family and friends went into a panic when they heard I was going to TJ and thought I was being treated in a 3rd world country by some doctor who learned how to do this on cows (the bovine type ). They couldn't be more wrong.

[CalKev]

My long term outlook very well could be my way to have realistic expectations. But there are some facts that I use to maintain my outlook. Comparison studies of different WLS use 30-36 months as their measuring point for 'success'. RNY patients usually lose their maximum weight about 18-24 months after surgery. And the band is documented to be a slower method of weight loss than RNY on average. I guess I would call it 'educated rationalization'.

But it also has to do with being comfortable with my weight. I have never been of a 'normal' weight my whole life. I am used to being fat. Being obese is all I know. Many bandsters have a different background, having gained all their excess weight later in life. Many bandsters were of normal weight in the past. I think this fact makes many bandsters have the short-term outlook.

If a person has memories of being thin 5-10 years ago, they yearn to feel like they remember. I have no such memory to cause me anxiety. My memories of 5, 10, and 15 years ago are memories of being obese. This can be a blessing for me, or a curse. I have not yet figured it out.

I know I am getting into a deep psychological subject here, but I think it helps explain my patience and outlook. I want to be thin as much as anyone. But I am willing to wait for it to happen, being it will be a new experience for me. The healthiest days of my life are yet to come, not a memory of the past. Perhaps that makes me different. Or, maybe others just do not verbalize their experience. I tell anyone about being banded. Others keep it a secret. We all are different.

Kevin, you are right: you deserve a break and time to savor your 70 lb drop in weight. It is very smart to let your body adjust to your new weight. Having a stable weight is a victory in its own right. I look forward to the day I can be at a stable 300 lbs. I learn much from your experience and others.

Sorry to all for getting into a 'deep' rant here. But, this is our support group, and to me, expressing our thoughts is a part of that support.

Greg, We are on the same page. I also have been a big guy all my life. In High School football I was a rusher and always had two defensive players across from me. My take on your experience is that others do not verbalize as well as you about where they have been and where they are going pertainig to health. Focus appears to be on the process of banding and not the results to come or historical health data. I'd like to throw a taboo subject in the mix that I have not seen addressed but have heard talk of in the lobby of OCC. Maybe I should post it in open forum to see if anyone bites. Thinking out loud here. I think I will because it is what you call a "deep rant" subject if there are any takers.

Greg - appreciate the good word and your consistant and knowlegable participation in making mine and all members lives better informed by your honest straight talk. Keep it coming! & Continued success! Kevin

[CalKev]

Great thread and post.

I've read about several "bad" US doctors on another lapband site. People having staples on their incisions and having to go back to get them removed, getting out of the hospital the day of the procedure, someone even mentioned they were "binded" with gauze and tape after their surgery - and these were ALL in the states!

My family and friends went into a panic when they heard I was going to TJ and thought I was being treated in a 3rd world country by some doctor who learned how to do this on cows (the bovine type ). They couldn't be more wrong.

Fur, You are so right. I sat down with my mother, yes my mom, a retired nurse and went over C.V.s. Powerful stuff facts can be. When others asked who was doing or had done my surgery I said a Proctor for the Lapband maker Inamed. At that point it didn't really matter where it was done to them. When you can go to the Teacher why go to one of his students.

[GregNE]

Fur, You are so right. I sat down with my mother, yes my mom, a retired nurse and went over C.V.s. Powerful stuff facts can be. When others asked who was doing or had done my surgery I said a Proctor for the Lapband maker Inamed. At that point it didn't really matter where it was done to them. When you can go to the Teacher why go to one of his students.

The reason I took an RN friend with me when I was banded was not only because of her friendship, but also to help show her, being a WLS patient herself, that Mexico offered a safe world class surgical option as well.

I think the image most people have when you tell them of a surgery in Mexico is going into a dirty garage, with a Tequila IV running, and having a doctor pull up in a low rider with a used scalpel. How far from the truth.

In reality, OCC offers state of the art, careful and expert care, in a facility that makes many US hospitals and clinics seem primitive.

And to give full credit to all the docs, I must mention that Dr. Martinez and Dr. Romero are experts as well as Dr. Ortiz. Dr. Romero does 40-50 fills per week. Ask other fill doctors how many they have done, and I think you will be shocked, and perhaps a bit scared.

Kristi talked in another post about her fill doctor, who did not even know that a 4cc band existed. He thought the VG band (10cc) was the only band Inamed made!

[FurEllie]

with a Tequila IV running

I strongly suggested this option when I was there