Hi are there any lap band people out there, hopefully I'm next!

Hi my name is Denise and I am going to meet with Dr. Jones at bidmc next week for lap band surgery. Hopefully I will be approved by my ins co. which is bc bs. i am very nervous and hope someone out there can talk to me about lap band. Thanks soo much

Hi Denise! I am a "lap band person" from Mass. Most of us congregate on the Lap Band forum. I had an easy surgery and recovery and have had no problems since being banded. I have lost 28 lbs and had my 3rd fill today. Anything I can help you with, I would be glad to!

Hi Denise! I was banded five months ago and haven't had a single regret. It has been the absolute best decision I ever made and my health has improved dramatically in that short time. Hope to see you over on the lap band board! Welcome again. Caeli 348/323/288/under 200

Hi Caeli, Congratulations!!! You seem to be doing very well. This really gives me encouragement. May I ask where you had your surgery and who was your surgeon? How was the surgery and recovery? Did it take you long to get back into the swing of things? Could you also tell me how to get to the lap band board? hope to hear from you soon. Thank you so much for responding. Denise

I had my surgery at Brigham & Women's with Dr. Ashley Vernon whom I adore and highly recommend. The surgery itself was fine although longer than usual because Dr. Vernon had to make a slight adjustment in technique due to my anatomy once she got inside. I developed a fever post-op (totally my fault! I didn't tell Dr. V I had a cold for fear that my surgery would have been rescheduled) and spent four days in-patient but received excellent care and have no complaints (mind you, my recovery and stay was not the norm - most people are back home the next day). I spent a week at home resting and was back at work after about a week and a half. Overall, my recovery was pretty easy and not as bad as I expected. You can find the lap band board from the main OH page by selecting lap band forum from the drop-down Member Forum list on the left or you can just copy this: (http://www.)obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts.html Please let me know if you have any other questions or email me anytime. Caeli 348/323/288/under 200

Denise I had Lap Band surgery 16 months ago at New England Medical Center. It took me 9 months to reach my goal weight. Recovery was easier that I expected. I was skiing 6 weeks after surgery. I eat normal meals just smaller amounts. I am unable to eat soft bread because it gets stuck. Pasta is also a problem. I picked this surgery because I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and diabetes. Within a few months all these problems were gone and I was off all medications.

Hi Richard, Thank you so much for responding. All you people out there are so kind and helpful. You made me feel very good when you said your diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol were now gone, as I have all the same problems. Would you mind me asking where you had your surgery and who did it? I was also told I have a fatty liver did you ever hear of this? I'm sorry I have sooo many questions, and who can answer them better than someone who has gone through all this. Congratulations on your great weight loss I wish you all the best. Hope to hear from you again. Sincerely Denise

Denise Dr. Scott Shikora did my surgery at New England Medical Center in downtown Boston. They have a great program there, here is a link to their site. http://www.obesityconsult.org/ I don't know much about fatty liver, that is one problem I didn't have. Be sure to check out the Lap Band Forum if you haven't already. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts

Hi Denise, I had lap band surgery on January 19th with Dr. Julie Kim at New England Medical. I'm only 2 months out and it's still a learning process. But I would recommend it. I've lost 30 lbs. in the 2 months and I've had 2 fills. I can eat anything but pasta or bread--but in much smaller amounts than before surgery. I try very hard to eat only healthy things. The surgery itself isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually went home the same day, although it's probably not a bad idea to stay overnight. I was sore for a while but back at work just a few days later. I'm sure you'll do fine. Keep us posted.

Hi Denise! I loved Dr. Jones!! He did my band on 10/18/04 and I have lost 42 lbs. I am at 212!! Yeah! They have support meetings for JUST lapband patients. One of the meetings is formal adn the other is just a few of us getting together. I stepped into the office on September 8th and had my gallbladder out on 9/23 -(it needed to come out-I was giving me a lot of pain) and then my surgery on 10/18. His office has been great but I know they have been getting busy lately because of the ads. They are just wonderful. I really like them adn we have become an extended family-which I wasn't expecting. Good luck! Kiki