Hello Friends from Kay

Hello to Kay, I too,am new to the forum, but look forward to lap band soon, in Mexico as I am self pay. My question is this. What was your bmi pre surg, ( hope that isn't too personal) . Another question. Is there a difference between the Fobi and what they are doing at other clinics? I sure want this to be a worthwhile endeavor. Trying to get as much info as possible. Where are you going in Mexico? Hope you don't mind this nosiness. Thanks, Pam in Florida

Pamela, My pre-op BMI was 36.7 and is now 26.4 after 10 1/2 months. From size 18 down to 6-8. Im not sure what the other clinics are doing when they mention the band. I hope its OK to post this picture w/ the q & a but this is what I had done last March. I guess the picture won't come up so if you want to see it, go to www.fobipouch.com Kay Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About The Fobi Pouch What is the Fobi Pouch? It is a modification of the gastric bypass procedure for treatment of obesity. It has a transacted vertical Pouch. A silastic ring band is put around the pouch to form an externally reinforced stoma. The jejunal limb (small bowel) is used as a patch to the cut edge of the pouch. A temporary gastrostomy tube is used to decompress the bypassed stomach and a gastrostomy site marker is placed to facilitate future access to the bypassed segment (see Diagram 1). How small is the pouch? The pouch is usually 15-3O cc., about one ounce or 1-2 tablespoonful. Can the pouch stretch? Yes, but not significantly except if abused by frequent vomiting or overeating. Why is the silastic ring band used? We and others, who have done thousands of gastric bypass operations without the band, have documented that the opening from the stomach pouch does stretch in some patients in time and allows the patients to eat more and thus progressively regain some of the weight loss. The band controls the emptying of the pouch and helps maintain weight loss. This band has been used in thousands of patients who had the silastic ring gastroplasty. It is an external reinforcement to the stoma. How often do you have problems with the band? Band erosion has been documented in less than 2% of the patients. This is a treatable problem. An eroded band if left alone will extrude spontaneously or it can be removed by endoscopy. Rarely is surgical intervention needed for removal of an eroded band.