Ask Dr. Curry

If you have H pylori now, you just need to be treated for it prior to surgery.  No biggie.

 

hi i am looking to have the lap band and in the past i was told i had h pylorei i never took the meds because they ,made me sick. i was wondering what does that have to do with the surgery and what shouyld i do before surgery how long will i have to wait before having the surgery or am i no longer a candidate because of this please help thanks ~ tiffany

Dr. Curry:

I am nearly 2 year post op from Lapband surgery.  I have lost 40 lbs., but need to lose another 50 or so more.  My fill is at 2.4 and have some PBS or spit up after eating.  Should I fill more to jump start the weight loss?

 

Thank you

If you are PB'ing then more fill is not the answer.  The only option is to reduce carbs, increase protein, and exercise more.  This is of course providing that you are eating properly with small bites, chewing well, etc...

Dear Dr. Curry,

        I am looking into getting the lap band surgery. However, my insurance does not cover the surgery. I was thinking about purchasing additional insurance so that I could have the coverage. Do you know of any insurance companies that will help an individual with this persuit?

Thank you so very much.

Bridgette

Bridgette,
You cannot purchase insurance that covers bariatric surgery, it has to be through an employer.  The cost would be unaffordable to most patients and it would be cheaper for you to just self pay.  It wouldn't make sense from a business standpoint for Anthem, for example, to give you a policy for $200/month then pay for a $15,000 operation then you could drop them right after you have your surgery.

Dr.Curry-

I just had a fill this past Friday, have noticed hardly any restriction and been eating like a fiend.  I have also been noticing some pain mid sternum - worried something may be up with my band. 

My last fill was 6 weeks, had lost 11 # and I was doing great.

This fill seems not to jhve taken so well but this pain has me a little worried. I am almost 1 year post-op.

Any thoughts

Thanks
Melissa

Melissa,
In these cases two things need to be ruled out - a port leak and an erosion.

Hello Dr. Curry

I was banded on 9/7/07 and have lost about 38 pounds so far.  I had great restriction after my second fill in January but noticed being able to eat more volume during the Spring of this year.  I went to my surgeon and he gave me a .5 cc fill (1/2 fill) in my 5cc band for a total of 2.5 cc.

Starting with that day, I was PBing almost everything I ate and he removed the .5 fill three weeks later.

Now I don't seem to have any restriction at all.  I am afraid to get another fill for the same "too tight" problem, but I am eating an awful lot of food, compared to January/February.  I can eat 2-2.5 cups with no problems at all.

What would you recommend?
Thanks,
Gail

I think you're gonna need a fill, maybe start with 0.4cc