[jersey86]

Hey everyone! I was so so happy to find this support network! I am a 22 year old recent graduate from Seton Hall University with my BA in Political Science. I have lived in northern New Jersey all my life and in August I am planning on beginning law school. I love the outdoors and animals...esp. my two dogs who are like my babies. I have a very full and wonderul life(with the exception of having always felt insecure and inadequate due to my weight) and a lot of new and exciting things coming up...surgery on wednesday is just one of them. I come from a large Italian family and we are all heavy. We just love to eat!! Several of my family members have undergone the gastric bypass surgery, but I have opted for the lapband instead because it seemed less invasive and scary. I have been heavy all my life. In my family I am the oldest child, I have a sister who is a year younger than I am who happens to be cute and thin with an amazing body. My brother is 16 and also very attractive and athletic. We were all heavy at one point, and have lost weight together...I however was the only one to put it back on. I have gained and lost sixty pounds three times in the last five years. I dont know how it comes back so quickly, but I would imagine it has a lot to do with stress combined with the amount of time I spend sitting between work, school and homework. I was always the girl with the pretty face....but a very heavy body. I wrote all of the above just to introduce myself on a more personal level, because I would love to get to know so many people here in this network. Now to get down to the surgery stuff...

I am currently 255 lbs and 5 foot 6. I am one hundred percent motivated to get this weight off and keep it off. I dont know life thin and I just cant wait to experience it. I am writing this posting however because I have so many questions that only people going through this as well could answer. I guess I shall just start with the questions...

1. How much weight did most of you lose in the first week/month/year?
2. When, if at all, did anyone experience a plateau...and how did you get past it?
3. How much pain, side effects and fatigue is involved after the surgery?
4. Has anyone experienced complications?
5. I have terrible GERD, ulcers and a hiatial hernia...has anyone else had to deal with these things and how do they effect you or change after the operation?
6. Has anyone had any problems taking medication/pills after the surgery?
7. Were there any food intolerances that you ended up developing after surgery?
8. Is drinking alcohol a problem for anyone with lapband? (I know the sugar in it is bad for the other surgery, but I dont know how it effects the lap band patients)
9. I am a smoker, and I was wondering if that caused anyone problems after surgery or if there is a problem smoking post operatively.
10. How bad is the scarring if the surgery is done laproscopically? Any tips on reducing scarring?
11. How long until you felt one hundred percent back to normal/better after the surgery?
12. How has your skin reacted to such rapid weight loss, and are there any suggestions to help skin go back?
13. Does anyone have any good diet/food/liquid suppliment tips for the first few weeks after surgery?
14. What types of vitamins/suppliments would you reccommend?
15. I read something on here about someone losing their hair?? Does that happen to lapband patients, or only patients of the gastric bypass?
16. Does anyone know of good support groups in the northern new jersey area?

Those are just a few of the questions running through my mind at the moment. All other tips/comments/concerns or just general chat are very welcome! I am just so happy to have found a place to discuss this stuff with others in the same situation. Congrats to everyone who has been successful and for those of you about to go into surger...GOOD LUCK!!!

I look forward to hearing from any/all of you!

[kiwi-leelee77]

Hey Jersey! First off, Welcome!

I had surgery on the 11mar08 (the bypass), and since then, i have lost 19.5kgs, which i think works out at an average of 2kg a week ( 4lb?) for the last 10wks.
Some lose more, some lose less, its all how your body reacts.
I am a smoker. I cut down in preperation for the surgery, it is better to quit, i didnt, smoking is my crutch to help deal with the massive stress in my life, but i did cut down to about 5 a day. after surgery, well, i went out and had a fag about 9hrs after...
I also take losec to try and assist the pouch with ulcers (which smoking can cause). I dont have any, but you never know.
I dont know much about lap band, but hopefully someone can inform you on that sie of things as I assume the pouch rules are very different to those of us who have had full G.B.
As for scarring, I have 6 small scars ranging from about 1cm to 3cm in length. I scar badly due to my psoriasis, so nothing i rub on helps..

As for loose skin etc, hopefully due to your age it should bounce back alot. but I am now starting to notice my skin is looser but its not a 'biggy' as I am lucky that I dont have a large apron.
I also had a very good and quick recovery. again, its all up to the individual. what was right and good for/with me, might be different to you.
Laproscopic surgery is way less invasive, but they do have to cut through your tummy muscles etc, and it is painful, but not too bad. its bearable.

I wish you all the very best! keep coming in here as it is the best place i have found for support.

*hugs*

[jersey86]

lele...thanks so much for your response to me. the smoking thing was a big question for me because it is how i deal with a lot of stress as well. congrats on how well you have been doing! your before and after pictures are worth a thousand words....you look amazing! i unfortunately have not lost any weight pre-op due to a plethora of issues including my sister being hospitalized for almost overdosing on xanax and the loss of my great grandmother who i was very close to....i suppose stress like that really does put on weight more than most would think. thanks again for the support and i will keep in touch after the opperation to share my success!

[Maddysmommy]

Hi,

I had lap band on Feb 4. Everything is going very well so far. I copied in your questions so that I could answer anything that I have experience with. We lap banders are a little different from the bypass patients in some areas so I will tell you everything that I know

1. How much weight did most of you lose in the first week/month/year?Before surgery I was on a liquid diet for 10 days..lost 10 lbs, following week 8 lbs in the first month I lost 25 lbs. I have lost 48 lbs so far.

2. When, if at all, did anyone experience a plateau...and how did you get past it? With the lap band as you lose weight, the fat around your stomach shrinks and you are able to eat more. This is why we get fills. Before a fill I get hungry faster and am able to eat more, although I still try to limit what I eat. So my weight loss slows when it is time for a fill.

3. How much pain, side effects and fatigue is involved after the surgery?
With the laproscopic surgery I was up the next day and back to work in three days. The worst thing for me was the gas that they blow into your belly during surgery, it felt like cramps in my shoulder, and GasX didnt help.

4. Has anyone experienced complications? No complications so far.

5. I have terrible GERD, ulcers and a hiatial hernia...has anyone else had to deal with these things and how do they effect you or change after the operation? Sorry no experience with this.

6. Has anyone had any problems taking medication/pills after the surgery? I am not sure if it is the same for bypass patients, but for lap banders if we take a pill larger than a baby asprin there is a risk that it could get stuck in the band, so we have to crush up any pills, also my PCP is very hesitant to give me any pills. I had a migrane and she gave me a shot then nasal spray so that we wouldnt have to worry about pills.

7. Were there any food intolerances that you ended up developing after surgery? I cannot eat bread, it does not pass through the band well and I end up sick .

8. Is drinking alcohol a problem for anyone with lapband? (I know the sugar in it is bad for the other surgery, but I dont know how it effects the lap band patients)I dont get sick but I do feel the affects more quickly.

9. I am a smoker, and I was wondering if that caused anyone problems after surgery or if there is a problem smoking post operatively. Dont know

10. How bad is the scarring if the surgery is done laproscopically? With lap bank I have three very small incisions and one that is a little bigger than an inch where the port is. They are not bad and have healed well. Any tips on reducing scarring?

11. How long until you felt one hundred percent back to normal/better after the surgery? There are so many changes I am not sure when/if I will ever feel normal. In two weeks I was physically feeling better, but we get fills at least for the first year so the adjustment period is ongoing. Dont get me wrong I am SOOO glad that I had the surgery but I am not sure about normal.

12. How has your skin reacted to such rapid weight loss, and are there any suggestions to help skin go back? With the lap band, because we loose weight slower our skin has more time to adjust. I do not have any hanging skin, yet, but still have a long way to go.

13. Does anyone have any good diet/food/liquid suppliment tips for the first few weeks after surgery? I used a protein powder from costco called EAS protein powder, it was not to bad, just blend or shake alot. Also I drank V-8 and sugar free jello. Just take it slow.

14. What types of vitamins/suppliments would you reccommend? I currently take chewable Centrum available at Walmart. Right after the surgery I took childrens vitamins per my Dr's instructions but I became anemic because they dont have any iron.

15. I read something on here about someone losing their hair?? Does that happen to lapband patients, or only patients of the gastric bypass? I have not lost my hair yet, but I am not sure when this happens.

16. Does anyone know of good support groups in the northern new jersey area? Sorry I am in AZ. My dr's office has a support group, you might check with your dr.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have other questions that I might be able to answer.

Janine

[jersey86]

Janine, your responses were immensely helpful! Thank you so so much. You are the first person I have spoken to who has had the lapband so all of your experience and comments were very much appreciated. I will let you know if I find anything useful or helpful after my surgery and we can trade tips. Thanks again!

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by jersey86

1. How much weight did most of you lose in the first week/month/year?

You will lose slower, and less with lap band than RNY bypass, but after two years, the difference is not that great. One thing to note is that while with RNY bypass, 80-90% of those who have diabetes see it resolved, but the resolution rate for banding is around 50%.

2. When, if at all, did anyone experience a plateau...and how did you get past it?

Plateaus will take place with any type of weight loss, actually, with or without surgical intervention.

4. Has anyone experienced complications?

There is someone on this board who seems to be having a leak issue right now.

5. I have terrible GERD, ulcers and a hiatial hernia...has anyone else had to deal with these things and how do they effect you or change after the operation?

Is your surgeon aware of the hiatal hernia? If so, how has he proposed to you in dealing with it?
As you lose weight, the pressure around your stomach will be reduced, which may ease the hernia, but the problem may still remain. Same goes with GERD. You will have to ask your surgeon about this.
With ulcers, refractory ulcer is often caused by a bacteria called H.pylori. Have you been tested for this? If not, you probably should be tested for it. If you test postive, you need a one week course of antibiotics to get rid of it before surgery.

8. Is drinking alcohol a problem for anyone with lapband? (I know the sugar in it is bad for the other surgery, but I dont know how it effects the lap band patients)

The issue of alcohol with RNY bypass is not sugar, but that it is absorbed much more quickly because the stomach that acts as a kind of buffer in absorbing alcohol is not included in the digestive route any more. This causes the alchohol to hit the blood stream --and as the result, your brains--faster and harder. Hits your liver faster and harder too.
With lap band, you don't have this problem, as your stomach is still intact in the sense that food and liquids will still go down through the stomach.

9. I am a smoker, and I was wondering if that caused anyone problems after surgery or if there is a problem smoking post operatively.

Smoking and anesthesia do not mix well. Smoking damages your lung capacity, and many surgeons and anesthesiologist refuse to do elective surgery on patient who somke--most require you to quit smoking prior to surgery, some ask for as long as 3-6 smoke free months.
However, there are those who started smoking again post op without any problems. When you think about your lung and overall health, though, it is best if you do not.

15. I read something on here about someone losing their hair?? Does that happen to lapband patients, or only patients of the gastric bypass?

Hair loss is the result of losing a large amount of weight in a short time, so not particular to RNY bypass. It can happen with Atkins, Weight Watchers or whatever, as well as bypass and lap band.
The starting threshold seems to be 50lbs lost.

[Kenyar]

hey welcome to the boards. i havent had the bad. i had the bypass. but i hope you find others who can shed some light. when i joined a year a go there werent mnay "banders" on here.

good luck on your journey.

[not quite Barbie]

Hi. I'm a RNY so I'm not sure how it is for banders, but here's how the surgery helped me:

I had GERD and a hiatal hernia and they seemed to go away immediately after surgery, though my surgeon kept me on the Protonix for 6 months to make sure I didn't develop any new ulcers.

I quit smoking one year before the surgery because I knew my surgeon wouldn't do it if I still smoked. But don't lie to your surgeon about still smoking, they need to know because it does affect your recovery. It reduces blood flow to the wounds and they don't heal as well or as quickly. You also may have problems with breathing after the anestesia. I did take up smoking again a couple of months ago (how stupid is that?) and having a hard time quitting. It seems so stupid to smoke when we went through all this to get healthy. But what can I say? Tobacco is soooooo adictive.

I started losing my hair around the 3 month mark and am still losing it a little at 8 months out. It's due to rapid weight loss, not the type of surgery, so you will lose it too. I haven't got any bald spots, but can feel it's much thinner when I run my fingers through it. Not a big deal for me, it's happened every time I've lost weight and it's always grown back so far.

Scars? Tiny and fading. Loose skin? It all depends on the person. I don't seem to have a lot, my stomach is almost flat. The worst for me are my baggy inner thighs, I'm hoping they'll shrink up some more.

Good luck on you journey!
Barb

[qt82699]

welcome and good luck on your upcomming surgery..i had a lap RNY on aug 17 2007 and 9 months out have lost 147 pounds..plateus can happen at any time and everyone loses at different paces..i have not had any complications and my pain level after surgery was very minimal..i had more nausea more than anything els..i have not had any problems with taking meds, for awhile i did crush them up in a tablespoon of pudding but have since stopped doing that...im not sure if there is a difference between RNY and lapband when it comes to alcohol but i would think there is due to absortion, im not a big drinker but do have the occasional bloddy mary...i smoked before surgery and still do to this day, have not had any problems due to that...the scarring is not bad i have 7 small scars, you can still see them, but it isnt a big deal..as far as the skin issue, i will give u this advice EXERCIZE!!! it really does make a huge difference!! i have ppl comment to me all the time that they do not see my skin hang like others they know who have had surgery, im not saying i have no loose skin but for losing 147 pounds it looks really good...as for hair loss, get use to it..lol it happens to us all, it isnt really that bad, it does stop and it does grow back, i have been taking biotin for it and it does help!! hope this helps you some, again good luck on wed. and let us know how you are when u can!!

[amina6ae]

Welcome Aboard!!!!

I'm Sorry I Can't Help Out Too Much, But To Be Here For Support!!!

I Had Gastric & I Know That The Lap Band Is Much Different...

So, It Looks As If Many Have Responded To Your Questions, Which Is Great...

Keep In Touch & Let Us Know When You Get Home..

Lol,