Hi all,

I used to visit this website all the time. But with each diet failure I would slack off and not write.

I thought I would venture on this site again to see if there was a place for WLS yet. And there was!!! I'm so happy!!

I am having the Lap-Band done. I don't have the official date yet, but I'm hoping it will be in mid-September. I have my first appt. 7/18/02. I'll be going down to Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey, Mexico for the surgery.

Are there any other pre-band people out there who would like to share the process?

Any and all info from people already banded is also very much appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Blondee

doesn't matter what it is, just making one is a great step.

so, why did you decide on the lap band, and why mexico? many US docs are doing it these days, but it has a longer history in mexico.

i wanted the lap band, but the docs said that i was too heavy for it.

would love to hear more...

Hi Jiffy,

Thanks for responding. I chose the Lap-Band because I think it's the right choice for me. I've been researching for about 2 years now. The reason I chose the Lap-Band is because it's not very evasive. It's reversible should I ever need it to be, although I plan to have it for life. I want to have another child and from all I've heard from Doctors and other banded people. It's perfectly healthy to have a pregnancy with the band. I have no idea if it's safe with the other surgeries or not. Once I knew about the Lap-Band I knew it was right for me.

A lot of people have asked why I have chosen Monterrey, Mexico for my surgery. Including my own family members, who by the way are very supportive of me having this surgery. Hubby, Parents, kids, In-laws. Everyone. I'm very lucky. It's because of the experience they have down there placing the band. With all that I've read, the band is a practice makes perfect type of surgery. It's my body and I'm a self-pay so I want to go where they've been doing it awhile. I will have a Doctor in the US who will be doing my aftercare, which is very important for success with the Lap-Band.

Are you sure you're too heavy for the Lap-Band?

If you want more information there are many websites that offer a wealth of knowledge.

Have you had surgery yet?

Blondee

hey there blondee... yeah. i was too heavy. 500 pounds last summer. and the surgeon, who also does the lap band, told me my choice was the RNY or nothing. my RNY was on january 29, 2002, and i'm down a total of 211 pounds [as of 10 days ago]. will weigh myself again within the next day or so.

i lost 97 pounds before the surgery because the docs finally corrected my sleep apnea.

and the facts that it can be removed and is so much less invasive were also points in its favor.

i've heard that lots of folks go off to mexico for this kind of surgery, and that they get wonderful care. the docs even visit them afterwards in their hotel rooms. what doc in the USA would even consider doing that????

keep us posted!!!!

I'll keep ya posted.

I too have heard that the Doctors visit you in the hotel. That's just amazing.

Congratulations on your awesome weight loss. Keep up the great work.

Blondee

I had the Lapband placed 8/24/00 and I am down 121 lbs.

It was the best decision I've ever made for my health.

Dr. Rumbaut is the best--if I ever needed a revision I think I'd just pay cash to go to him!

Robin :-)
http://www.geocities.com/robinh26/lapband.html

so THAT's your secret to gorgeousness, robin!!! so what's life like with the band? i must admit i'm jealous. i figured the RNY was mutilation, and i would have preferred the lapband, but that wasn't an option.

not that i regret this decision, everything's ok, and i'm doing just great, it's just that i would have liked to make the choice myself.

Jiffy, do I have a secret? LOLOL

I think that under your circumstances, you did the best you could given all your variables. You'll probably end up so glad it all worked out the way you wanted to when all is said and done and you're where you want to be.

My life with the band is very uneventful. I don't think much about food--I just eat when I get hungry, try to eat protiens first and don't drink with meals. I feel very very normal. I've noticed that my portion sizes usually match that of my thin companions which leads me to believe that the band has corrected my satiety problem (we literally all end up stuffed on the same amount).

I can eat any kind of food I like. I just get full really fast. Late in the day I can eat a "normal" sized dinner. But normal by my new set of standards and not by my old! For example I could eat a piece of chicken, some salad and maybe a bite or two of bread before I was bursting stuffed. As long as I eat the protien first I let myself eat whatever I want after. I find very easily that I'm satisfied with just a tiny bit of carbs and sweets because the protien is so filling. I do not feel deprived at all.

When I PMS I crave FATS. Badly. Normally it's during this time I allow myself my monthly Awesome Blossom at Chilis (a fried onion--deliciously greasy). However if I eat too much of it I get sick. Because my stomach is just NOT used to that onslaught of grease anymore.

I'm currently at 189 lbs and feeling great. Everything feels like icing on the cake from here on out. I started at 310 lbs and the difference between here and there is phenomenal. I hope to settle in around 172-165 range (I'm 5'9"). I will most definitely need a tummy tuck. My belly is GROSS. But my arms, legs and breasts have all absorbed very well. Probably from the slow sustained weight loss. There's no hope for the belly though unfortunately.

Good luck Jiffy--and thanks for being the only one to respond to my thread on spotlight about that great NYTimes article. It seems we're the only ones interested in educating ourselves eh?

*hug*
Robin

i was so excited by your find that i made it required reading on the low carb board on 3fc!!! no one else on spotlight noticed it???? good heavens!!

spotlight is wearing me out!! i show up there regularly just to help anyone i can [and to learn a few things along the way], but it's just gotten so JUNKY and useless.... no organization of threads, no search function, and some of those folks actually make me doubt their sanity!!!

i'm so glad your life is normal. and those fried onions are so wonderfully greasy, but even before surgery that much fat would make me ill.

my life is getting normal as well, but probably a bit slower. i just finished dinner and ate that dreaded one bite too much, and now it's just a matter of time...

just a few more minutes!!

but the upside is that i weighed myself this evening, and i've dropped 5 more pounds this past week. i guess the walking has really helped. since last monday i've walked 5 miles, so does that mean that i'll lose at the rate of a pound a mile? i could live with that!!!!!!


so, the new stats, and believe me the arithmetic is getting harder: down 215 total since last aug/sept. and down 118 due to the surgery on january 29. still about 100 [or a few more] to go!!

Jiff that's great. I am assuming that you had the "open" RNY. Alvin had the "laproscopic" RNY. By our estimation he has lost 102 pounds. He has started going to the health club 3 times a week and walking in the pool.

I have been hearing ads on the radio the last couple of week that "Lap Band has come to Dallas" So I don't know if that means that they have not been doing it here, or what, but it's here now.

His appointment with the kidney specialist has been rescheduled to July 15th. Next Monday. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. The apointment clerk at the specialist said that they couldn't possibaly see hime until September, and the girl at his PCP's office said he needed to be seen sooner. So it's now next week. At least maybe then we will know somehting.

that's great news, barb!!! yeah, it may seem as if getting bad news earlier not later isn't the best thing, but really, it's better to get it done sooner. if there is bad news, or if there's something that can be done, it's best to avoid further damage.

and no, barb, i didn't have open. i was a lap person. and the lap band is becoming more available as more docs are being trained in the technology. it's only been approved since last summer, and the only places where you could get it were those who had participated in the clinical trials in order to get FDA approval. it takes awhile for the technology to disseminate.

of course, mexico and france have lots more experience in the technology because their regulatory systems are different than ours.

keep us posted on old alvin.. he's doing so great, is he pleased about the changes?

Sherry,

A general rule of thumb is 100 lbs overweight or more (or a BMI of 40+). They also do patients with BMIs of 35+ if 2 or more co-morbidities exist (sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension, etc).

If you want insurance to pay you kind of have to fall in that area.

I do however know people who've gone to Mexico (cheap and better surgeons) and they only had 60-80 lbs to lose. But most US docs wouldn't consider anything other than the above.

Robin
310/189/172 5'9"
Lapband 8/24/00

Thanks Robin!!

I currently weigh 179 down from 190.It's taken me so long to get to 179!! I can't seem to stay on plan or stick with any diet.My willpower is sad! I was hoping that you could be 40-50 lbs. overweight for the band.Thanks anyway & good luck to you!! You're doing AWSOME!!!!

Sherry
btw: I'm 5'5"

Hi All!

I've been gone a few days and this thread really blossomed. I'm so excited about that. I hope that soon we have a lot of people wanting to talk more about the Lap-Band.

As I stated above I have my first appointment on July 18. I'm so excited I can't wait. This is the first time I want summer to go faster!

Anyway, lets keep talking and giving each other support.

Blondee