fortworthgal
I decided to get the lap band in 2004 because my insurance didnt cover any bariatirc surgery if your BMI was below 40 which mine was. So after much research on the internet, I decided to go to Mexico and pay cash for my band. Everything went perfect in Mexico. But I do not recommend going to Mexico for surgery just to save some money because what if you have complications? My biggest challenge when I got home was finding a local doctor who would do my fills because I really didnt want to fly to Mexico everytime I needed a fill. No doctors would accept me as a patient knowing I got my band in Mexico! I finally found a doctor who is a cosmetic surgeon who would do fills for Mexico bandsters. I was paying $300.00 a fill under fluoro.
The first year was pretty disappointing. I lost only 12-18 lbs even though I had restriction. A lot of times I had to bring the food back up because it would get stuck.And sometimes I would bring it back up just because I wanted to eat more. It was really sick.
The next year I had some cosmetic surgery which motivated me to lose and I ended up losing about 40 lbs total. But that didnt last long and I started gaining. Meanwhile I was still having a problem with food getting stuck and pain when I swallowed. I was also having terrible reflux and would wake up several times a night choking. Very scary! I actually thought I might choke to death in my sleep.
I went to my fill doctor and he told me that my band was too tight and I had stretched out my esophagus and he had to take all the saline out of my band to let it heal. I really started gaining then because I could eat as if I didnt have a band. But that pain everytime I swallowed was gone and it felt great!
So now I am back up to my preband weight and ready to get this band out and get the RNY. I really wanted the RNY to begin with but it just wasnt an option for me in 2004. Now I have found a great doctor to do my revision and my insurance has changed its rules for the better.
May 15 2008: Consultation
May 21 2008: Sleep study
June 2 2008: EGD
June 12 2008: Second consultation. I got my date! Aug 1st!
July 30 2008:Stress test completed. Ok'd for surgery. Get home from the office and there are messages on my answering machine that the doc wants me to have a second sleep study. Why are they telling me this 2 days before my surgery? What the heck! No time for a second sleep study so now I have to sign a waiver. OK. Just dont cancel my surgery!
Aug 1 2008: The day is actually here. Mom came down to help me. My surgery is the last one of the day on a Fri. Hopefully they will be concentrating on me and not getting out of there to start the weekend. LOL. If I dont update this profile within a week, something is terribly wrong. Wish me luck!
Aug 3 2008: Im home after one night in the hospital. Wow, I underestimated how painful this surgery would be. Thank goodness for liquid Lortab. Gotta go rest. Will post more later
Aug 5 2008: I was going to try to stop the Lortab today but the pain is still too much. I am very bloated.I also have a pain in my back. I was able to have a small BM today. Yea! My vision is also blurry from far away.. I hope that clears up soon. I sleep a lot. I discovered that the protein drinks I bought before surgery are killing me now due to the lactose so I am now drinking Lactaid Skim Milk and Isopure which is lactose free and has 40 grams of protein per bottle. Im taking all my vitamins as prescribed but I hate the chewable calcium citrate so I have ordered some from another company that is powdered and comes in packets and you add it to whatever you are eating or drinking.
Sept 27 2008: Well, now I know what the problem was. A week after my surgery I was in severe pain and couldnt get my fluids in. I went to the doc and was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. I spent 5 nights in the hospital.
A week later, I was still in pain and not able to get my fluids in so I went back and was admitted to the hospital again. I ended up spending almost a month in the hospital and needed 3 additional surgeries (one open) because I have deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). The third surgery was the worst because it was open from my breasts to my pubic area. I woke up in the ICU with a tube down my throat, a central line in my neck, a tube up my nose and a feeding tube hanging out of my stomach. I also had 3 feet of intestine removed and 4 blood transfusions. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATES BLOOD! Eventually all those things came out except the feeding tube. They put a picc line in my right arm and after a couple of days I moved to a regular hospital room. At one point I developed a blood infection and my temperature went up to 102.7. I had the WORST case of diarrhea I've ever had. It would hit so sudden that I couldnt make it to the bathroom. It would start running down my leg. They had to put a portable toilet next to my bed but sometimes that wasnt even enough. I had NO control! I had to use desitin because I was so raw from going so much...You lose all pride when you are so sick. Eventually the IV antibiotics did the job. I got out of the hospital on Sept 20th. I had my feeding tube removed a few days later. Now I am on a blood thinner and trying to get my INR level right.
Oct 21 2008: I am in a terrible stall. I have only lost 2 pounds this month for a total of 37 pounds.
Oct 22 2008: I got on the scale this morning and was down 2 more pounds for a total of 39 lbs. I dont think I will weigh again for several days so I dont get frustrated.
Nov 1 2008: I am now down 41 pounds. The weight loss is slow! I never go over 1000 calories a day. About 75% protein and 25% carbs. I dont eat much sugar because it makes me sick.
Nov 9 2008: I am down 43 pounds now. I weigh 162 and my goal weight is 120.
Nov 16 2008: Today I weighed 159 so that is 46 lbs lost!
Nov 24 2008: 157 this morning. Thats 48 lbs. Wow. My size 14 Levis jeans wont stay up.
Dec 2 2008: Yippeee! I am 4 months post op yesterday and down 50 lbs today! I weigh 155.
Dec 8 2008: 153
Dec 20 2008: 150.5
Dec 27 2008: 149.5
Dec 28 2008: 148
Jan 1 2009: 146. I am 5 months post op today and am down 59 lbs! I just have 26 lbs to be at my goal weight of 120. I hope I can find a nice guy this year!
Jan 8 2009: 144. I have lost 61 lbs now.
Jan 17 2009: My weight keeps bouncing between 144 and 145. I dont want this to be the end! But I know I need to join a gym and start exercising. Might help my social life too.
Jan 28 2009: Well, the scale said 142 this morning. I'll take it! I did join a gym. A very nice gym. But I have only gone on my days off from work. I guess 2 days a week is better than nothing.
Jan 31 2009: OMG I cant believe it. I weighed 140 this morning. Thats 65 lbs lost!
April 3 2009: I am now at 135 lbs. Not much else to report. My social life is still dead. But I feel pretty good.
May 21 2009: I weigh between 131-133 now.I just bought a pair of size 8 Levis because the 10s were falling off. I just dont really like to go out though. After dealing with difficult people all week at work (I work in a prison), I feel like I dont even want to see people when I am off.
Im also really frustrated with Doctors Hospital of Dallas right now because they are trying to charge me a $500.00 precertification penalty even though it was their fault for waiting until the day I was realeased to precertify me.
June 7 2009: I am happy to report that Doctors hospital finally took off the $500.00 precertification penalty (it was their fault, afterall). My weight is staying around 130-133.
Aug 1 2009: I am one year post op my revision from lap band to gastric bypass. I am doing well and my weight stays between 128- 132 or so.
Jan 12 2010: Time for an update. My weight has stayed between 127 and 130. Everything is good.
