Dr. Ortiz keeps his patients on liquids for the first three weeks. He says that if you lose your pre-surgical weight and stick to liquids for three weeks, you can hope to lose between 30% and 50% of your excess weight in the first 8 weeks or so. And since I want to lose 100% of my excess weight, I have been almost perfect on this diet. I will admit to crushing three bite sized pieces of pineapple in my mouth, chewing them and swallowing what was left. So, I did cheat a little.
I am getting healthier. It’s an amazing thing. I’ve always been someone who walked a lot and I try and walk between 3 and 5 miles most days. But for the past several years, it’s been very difficult to do and I’ve had to stop and rest along the way – sometimes several times per block. Three nights ago, I walked 2.7 miles, stopped to rest maybe twice for only a few seconds, and covered the distance in 72 minutes. Pokey, it’s true, but gratifying nonetheless. The next night, I walked the 2.7 miles in 66 minutes and didn’t have to stop and rest even once. Last night, I walked it in sixty minutes. That was a real delight. Still, I should be able to cover a mile in under 15 minutes, so I have distance to go. But it remains, that 19 days after Lap Band surgery, I can do something I haven’t been able to do in years. And I’m 54 years old so that impacts the equation. I’m getting healthier already.
I feel fine. Today, I forgot to eat anything besides my chicken broth. I’ll have to make up for that when i get back from my walk. I don’t have cravings. I don’t miss eating. My husband fixes himself dinner right next to my work space and it hasn’t been an issue in the least. I do avoid the grocery store because of the aromatic roast chicken that they have, but other than that, I haven’t given food much thought. I had been worried that I would have the worst case of munchies known to human kind, but no, no munchies. I’m so happy to be free of hunger that it’s just natural and effortless to avoid food.
I haven’t weighed myself yet. I weighed 225 in clothes and shoes the day of surgery. This Thursday, on my 3 week anniversary, I’m going to weigh myself to see how much I’ve lost. I can tell you that my jeans are looser and a neighbor who didn’t know I had surgery commented that my face was changing and that I looked thinner. I’m hopeful that I have lost more than 5 pounds, but we’ll see. I’m trying to concentrate on the process rather than the scale.
I live right around the corner from Los Angeles’ Hugo’s Tacos. Some of the taco blogs consider them among the best tacos in LA with amazing light, crispy shells. So for my coming out dinner, I am going to have one taco. I have a very slender girlfriend and she and I went to Rick’s Tacos and Burritos in Pasadena one day. I ordered three tacos. She ordered one. She got done eating and pronounced herself stuffed. LOL Now, I get to be one of those women who can eat one taco and be satisfied. Yahoo.
Next on my list is ordering Bodylastics Bands to work out with. They’re pretty inexpensive but business is very slow right now so I’ve put off buying them. My dream is to get a Concept II rowing machine but right now, I’m not sure where I’d put it. I do have to figure out a way to work out during the rainy season.
When I first started doing this, there were hardly any men talking about their experience with the Lap Band. Robert Morgan’s poignant tale of morbid obesity and 250 pound weight loss was close to singular. Today, I was checking the new blog entries and found a new writer on the block – Aaron Grossman. He has two blog entries up at Lap Band Talk – the most popular of the Lap Band forums.
In Entering The Lap Band Zone, his first blog post, he does a wonderful job of sketching out the differences between gastric bypass and gastric banding and he explains the reasons behind his decision to have weight loss surgery. He starts post-op at his surgeon’s office:
I got on the examining room scale which is connected to a device that measures weight, body mass index (BMI) and whatever else you can obtain from stepping on a scale. The nurse and I both looked at the weight reading. Her eyes widen. My eyes tear up. My wife high-five’s me. I had lost 14 pounds in 8 days.
Lest you think I just came out of the hospital after a debilitating illness, let me clarify; I had Lap-Band bariatric surgery a week before the weigh-in.
And then his reasons for deciding to have a Lap Band procedure:
Anyway, you get the idea. I went through the other pre-operative protocols which included an Upper GI series, stress test, Colonoscopy, Endoscopy, Echocardiogram and several other procedures. I attended support groups of both pre-op and post-op Lab-Banded patients. I reached out to friends of friends who had the procedure. I spent untold hours surfing the web and reading community board posts by pre-op and post-op patients. I wrestled with my diet demons.
And then, a really close friend needed quadruple bypass surgery. He’s fine now, 6 months later. But that was it for me. I don’t want to have my sternum cracked open. I want to minimize or eliminate my risk factors. I want to live and return to “normal” eating. And, I decided that the only way a serial overeater like myself can do it is by banding my stomach down to a small pouch.
It’s a wonderful article. He talks about losing weight only to regain it – something that we have all experienced. And he covers his diet in the first few weeks post-op.
In Dealing With Civilian Responses To Lap Band Surgery, his second blog post, he talks about his success six weeks out with the Lap Band, and his response to people who say that weight loss surgery, is taking the easy way out:
To those who say it’s the ‘easy way out,’ here’s my reply: I went through both abdominal surgery and the attendant recovery from its unpleasant discomfort; I no longer drink coffee, carbonated beverages or distilled spirits; I will probably never again eat hard, crusty bread, well-done meat or anything else that can’t pass through an opening the size of a toothpaste cap in my ‘new’ stomach; if I do overeat, I’ll get sick, nauseous or vomit; in the worst scenario, I’ll be hospitalized from eating the wrong food or the wrong amounts. This is the ‘easy way out?’
On the other hand, in 6 short weeks, I’ve lost 45 pounds and have eliminated virtually all of my blood pressure medication; I can walk 6 ½ miles without getting winded or having to stop from joint pain; and, I am happy to do chores around the house again. I achieved this, in no small fashion, with the love and support of my family and, yes, relying on good old fashioned discipline to consume the right foods in the correct proportions.
At the end of the day, Lap-Band surgery has empowered me to take control of my food intake and regain my sense of self. It has not always been easy and it is definitely not for everyone. But it’s working for me right now. The very best part … and it didn’t happen as a result of the ‘easy way out’ … is hearing friends and loved ones tell me “Welcome, you’re back again.”
Wonderful stuff. I’m glad that he is writing about his experience and not simply shuffling it off as “diet and exercise”.
As I said, it’s a blog night and I was catching up with Diz-Banded. She’s been in blog roll forever. Anyway, she has a series of questions and answers that are all very good, but I know a lot of readers want to know what food can be eaten with a Lap Band and what food just won’t go down. Here’s what Diz has to say:
What about never eating my favorite foods again?
Ok, in my behavior classes we talked about certain foods to stay away from, etc. But my doctor said I could try whatever I wanted and I would “know” if I could eat it or not. This was not a license to eat chips, ice cream and drink soda. As a matter of fact, I’ve had soda, but I only drink tiny amounts and only once every 3 to 4 months and usually as a mixer (i.e. diet 7-up in my margarita). I pretty much gave up soda, because I don’t need it. I love sushi, mexican food, lobster, etc. Did I have to give it up? No. But my band does tell me when and how much rice I can have. My band doesn’t like raw carrots, but will be ok with really cooked carrots. Fibrous foods have to be well cooked, or else. I’m glad I had the behavior classes, because it made me look at the times I eat and how I’m feeling when I make crappy choices. This has really helped in controlling my food portions and limiting crap food. I won’t lie, I’ve eaten crap since being banded, but I don’t eat a lot of crap. I pick and choose and cut myself some slack.
I was looking around the Lap Band blogs tonight and found a new blog with a edifying new post. Meet Sarah of Losing Weight, Gaining Tons. She had a very good 6 weeks with her Lap Band:
So I’m not sure what’s been happening lately, but I have a lot more restriction than I did 3 weeks ago without a fill. It is perfect. I can only eat about 1/2 a cup, maybe 3/4 if it is mushier food. Sometimes a whole lot less if it is meat… I’m not hungry at all, and I’m down almost 4 pounds this week… I went to the doc on Friday and she said that in the last 6 weeks since I’ve been there, I’ve lost 15.5… I’ll take it! And then she said – “well, I think we’ve found your sweet spot”! I hope so! I’ve really been enjoying myself this week… not in a bad way mind you. But just KNOWING that I can’t eat anymore has finally clicked in my head if that makes sense. The physical fullness definitely helps to keep me in line. And, no PBing or getting stuck either which is great. 7cc’s in a 10cc band. Go 7 cc’s!
It’s a good blog. She’s a smart cookie that writes well. I’m amazed at the quality of the Lap Band blogs that we’re seeing now. For a long time, with only a handful of exceptions, most of the blogs were fairly casual without a lot of thought put into the writing or the substance of the writing. That’s definitely changed.
I know that my blog has been accused of being a mindless cheerleader for weight loss surgery, but considering how obesity impacts life, and how difficult it is to permanently lose weight without weight loss surgery, I think there is a moral significance to the procedures. And when I consider the fact that families will have loved ones longer because of the surgery, I’m proud of what I do here.
Anyway, read the blogs. It’ll help you on your journey. Oh, and Sarah has a “before and after” series of pics on her front page, though she has only completed a part of her journey. Still, I know a lot of you love the pics. Enjoy.
As you may have noticed, the blogroll just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I’ve got a couple I have to take out, but most of them are current. If they aren’t current, but they have really good info, I hang on to them as well.
So, today I was looking through the blogs and took the time to really read In The Land Of Cheese and Sunkist. Amy has wonderful tips for new bandees. I’m only going to post the first three, because she has done such a good job of assembling her ideas and she’s a wonderful writer. It’s more than worth your while you go check her site out.
1. before get very far into your journey, take some measurements. I forgot to do this and now I wish I had my beginning measurements. This is good, bc sometimes when the scale is not moving…you are still losing inches! SO MEASURE YOURSELF!
2. Take some before pictures. I take pictures all the time, but I know some people hate the way they look presurg. But you will wish you had some before pictures after you start losing 🙂 It’s only going to get better afterall!
3. This is really important. And I didnt have a clear grasp on it before surgery. After surgery, and after you heal…you will still be hungry. AND most likely, you will still be able to eat whatever whenever you want. The period after banding and before you first fill is referred to as BANDSTER HELL. It’s hell because you have to rely on willpower. What’s that you say? I know I know…if we were good at “dieting” then we wouldnt need the band. But for a few weeks at least, prepare yourself to practice restraint. Just bc you can eat it…don’t.
That last one is a biggy. Dr. Ortiz keeps his patients on liquids for three weeks, but says that most of them lose about 50% of their excess weight in the first two months because of it. That would be a really nice thing to experience, so I’m going to gather up all my courage and find the sticking place. 🙂
Oh, and Amy’s Before and After pictures are right here. I think you’ll agree, she looks fabulous!
Oh, here’s a weight loss surgery study with great news for bariatric patients in general, and Lap Band patients specifically. The risks of death or complications from weight loss surgery is much lower than expected – particularly for Lap Band patients.
Now, a word to the wise for people looking at the safety rate. Weight loss surgery is frequently performed on severely obese and critically ill patients in a last ditch attempt to save their life, as happened for Lorraine Kay. Lorraine’s primary care physician wanted a gastric bypass because she was so ill that he didn’t think that she would lose weight fast enough with a Lap Band for it to save her life, but her surgeon didn’t think she would survive the surgery and wanted to perform a Lap Band instead. Her surgeon won out and Lorraine now weighs 125, her diabetes is in remission and her blood pressure back to normal – this from a woman in her late fifties, who weighed over 300 pounds, used 120 units of insulin a day and was weeks away from dying. So, these patients are frequently in real trouble when they go into surgery in the first place.
That being said, the numbers for weight loss surgery in general, are no higher than they are for other types of surgery:
Weight-loss surgery isn’t risk-free, but a new study suggests that in the hands of a skilled surgeon, it may be safer than previously thought. However, some people — including those with sleep apnea or a history of blood clots — are more likely to have problems with surgery than others, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Weight-loss surgery is safer, but could cause complications for people with sleep apnea or a history of blood clots.
“The overall conclusion that we reached is that bariatric-surgery safety is actually quite good,” said Dr. Bruce Wolfe, a professor of surgery at the Oregon Health and Science University.
In the past, bariatric procedures have been associated with death rates of 2 to 3 percent and complication rates of up to 24 percent. However, the obesity epidemic is fueling a rise in such surgeries, prompting concerns about their safety. In 2005, 171,000 people underwent bariatric surgery, more than 10 times the number that had the procedure in 1994.
To assess the safety of such operations, Wolfe and his colleagues looked at 4,776 patients in the first month after having a bariatric procedure. They found that 4.3 percent of patients had a serious problem, such as a blood clot or needing another operation, and 0.3 percent, or 15 patients, died within a month after surgery — a complication rate similar to other types of surgery.
Ahhh, but the news is even better for Lap Band patients – from another article on the same study:
“Nobody died within 30 days of the banding technique…”
As for the major complications:
The overall likelihood of major complications, including death, blood clots or the need for follow-up surgery, showed a similar pattern. It was 1 percent for banding, 4.8 percent for laparoscopic bypass and 7.8 percent for open bypass.
Wolfe said the pattern is not surprising because surgeons will not try laparoscopic bypass on patients with many risk factors. When they adjusted for risk factors, the chance of major complications was much more comparable between both types of Roux-en-Y bypass.
Dr. Malcolm Robinson of Harvard Medical School said in a commentary the complication rates ‘are similar to those seen in other major operations’ but since the study involved 33 U.S. surgeons certified as highly skilled, the results ‘may not be widely reproducible.’
Lastly:
Both Robinson and Wolfe recommend that any person considering bariatric surgery should choose a facility that’s been designated as a “Center of Excellence” because that means that the surgeon and the whole health-care team are qualified and experienced.
Here is Dr. Wolfe talking about how weight loss surgery allows people to live longer:
“[Research suggests that] surgery increases survival and makes people live longer, even taking into account mortalities,” said Wolfe.
That’s what it all comes down to – you have family and friends who love you and want you to live a long life. Think about your own sadness about the people who have left before you. If you kids or a spouse, you want them to feel that for as few years as possible. Weight loss surgery allows you to live longer and live happier – and that’s worth it.
Most of the Lap Band blogs I find are written by women. Today, I found the Lap Band King – imagine that! This is from his “about” page:
I am Marcus. I am Male. I am 36. I have a wife. I have 2 girls and 2 boys. I have a big family. I have been over-weight for nearly 3/4’s of my life. I am not your normal guy. I run several companies including one multi-million dollar operation. I started in this venture in life a son a preacher man. I was raised in a small back woods town in East Texas called Votaw. Yeah thats right back woods. I was home- schooled for most of that growing up time. Thus my lack of knowledge in spelling. I was married at the age of 21. With no money in the bank. I never went to college yet, tried my luck in the pipeline oil and gas industry. I have had great success in this field. I have lots of friends that I love dearly. I am a giver. I believe that is how I am in this position in life. I have lived the American dream from driving a 74 ford to driving whatever I want to drive. THE ONLY THING I HAVE NOT OVER COME IS MY WEIGHT. In the start of my obsession to loosing and becoming the KING of my life my highest weight was 445lb. Thats a big SOB, If you know what I mean. So this site is dedicated to me and my quest to become who I see myself in the mirror – the person I really see. My day to day journey loosing weight with the help of the Lapband – I hopefully shall become the LAP-BAND KING. My surgery date was February 5, 2009.
Okay, that’s more than I can say for myself. Anyway, here is his archive of video posts. He just seems like a fundamentally decent guy on a journey. Here is the episode from his birthday:
Also, if you’re new to the site, I want to encourage you to read Robert Morgan’s 250 pound weight loss story linked on the lower right column. It’s quite a long story, but he is a journalist and a wonderful writer. Here’s a sample:
I felt doomed to die of a heart attack by the age of 32, but I didn’t know what to do. I don’t overeat so I figured eventually it would all go away. I was certain that putting on a few extra pounds was something that happens to everyone when they hit their 30s.
It hit me like a ton of bricks this year, and I have one immature, rude, disrespectful Decatur High School student to thank for it. I was at my first volleyball game of the season in late August when I walked by the student body section. I noticed in my peripheral vision as I approached the group that one boy in particular kept staring at me. Just as my family and I passed, he quickly turned to two of his buddies and said, “Did you see how fat that dude was? What a freak!”
This definitely was not the first time I was stared at because of my weight. It happens all the time. When I see others in my same position, I notice they all get the same kind of looks I get.
Those words that boy spoke back in August are still ringing in my ears. I didn’t sign up for this, nor did I ask to be overweight.
To say I didn’t cry that night as my wife slept would be a lie. What I heard come out of that boy’s mouth cut like a knife. Of all the great kids I work with at Decatur, it took one inconsiderate teenager to shake my world.
I thought about it all night, the next day, and for the next week. I wanted to change overnight before the next person made fun of me. I see it almost every day now that my eyes were opened by this one person. People look at me differently every day, it’s just I can’t read thought bubbles as they stare when I slowly pass by.
than people who use diet and exercise. Even when the diet and exercise group are under a doctor’s supervision.
I was looking around for new and interesting studies and I found this one, which is two years old, from Paul O’Brien, JB Dixon and C. Laurie entitled Lap-Band or Medical Therapy for Metabolic Syndrome. Now here is how the American Heart Association defines Metabolic Syndrome:
The metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include:
Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
Elevated blood pressure
Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)
People with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans have it.
So, of course, we are studying how best to treat Metabolic Syndrome and this study finds that Lap Bands are far more effective.
Aims: The primary aim of this study was to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of standard, nonsurgical therapy for weight loss with LAP-BAND in mild to moderate obese adults (body mass index [BMI] 30–35 kg/m2).
A BMI of 30-35 is our 5’4″ woman weighing between 169 and 197. It’s our 5’10” guy weighing between 209 and 243. Not huge. Not morbidly obese, by any means. But certainly quite a bit heavier than most people can carry and be comfortable. Check your BMI here.
Methods: Participants were eligible for inclusion if they were between 20 and 50 years of age, had a BMI of 30 to 35 kg/m2, and had an obesity-related comorbid condition (including severe physical limitations or clinically significant psychosocial problems related to their obesity). Participants were excluded if they had had previous bariatric surgery or medical problems that contraindicated treatment in either study group (ie, impaired mental status or drug or alcohol addiction). In addition, participants who had undergone an intensive, physician-supervised program that used very low caloric diets or pharmaco-therapy for weight loss were also excluded.
And what happened with that group of people? Well…
The percentage of initial weight loss (~ 13.8%) was the same for both groups at 6 months. However, the surgical group continued to lose weight at the 12-, 18-, and 24- month evaluations. At the end of the 2-year study period, thesurgical group had lost 87.2% of their excess weight. The nonsurgical group showed progressive weight gain after the initial weight loss described above. All of the patients who had surgery and eight of the 33 patients who were treated without surgery achieved satisfactory weight loss, defined as a loss of 25% of excess weight.
Basically, the people who had Lap Bands lost close to 90% of their excess weight. The people who were treated non-surgically, gained most of their weight back. At the end of the two year period, only8 of the 33 non-surgical patients had lost 25% of their excess weight.
Those non-surgical patients had a pretty optimal experience for losing weight. It’s not like they were handed a 28 page pamphlet and told to knock a few pounds off. They were aggressively treated with drugs, exercise and had appointments with a physician every six weeks. From the study:
The nonsurgical program was centered on behavioral modification and included a very low caloric diet, increasing physical activity, and pharmacotherapy. After an initial intensive 6-month period of very low calorie diet (500–550 kcal/d), patients were started on 120 mg
of orlistat once a day, which was then increased to 120 mg of orlistat before all meals. All participants were seen at least every 6 weeks by a physician. All participants were instructed in appropriate lifestyle behaviors, including healthy eating habits and regular exercise for at least 200 minutes per week regardless of the study group to which they were randomized.
Even under those ideal circumstances, most people couldn’t lose the majority of their excess weight in two years, unless they had the Lap Band surgery. And that is certainly experience that I have had in my life and if you’re reading this blog, I bet you have as well.
I was looking through my blogroll today and found this interesting post from FiFi LaRoach at Banding Together.
Ever since I started considering the band, I’ve been pretty open about it. I’ve talked about it to friends and family, and anyone else who I thought might have a point of view.
I must say, during those conversations I’ve heard some of the same comments over and over again. I’ve noticed them as comments on blog entries, too. These ideas are ill-informed and fairly innocent, but some of them are downright judgemental and cruel. Why do people feel the need to discourage us when we are trying to become better, more in control, healthier people? I’m not sure of the answer, but this post tries to identify some of the things you’re bound to hear from friends and family if you’ve had or are considering the band.
What’s this? Our friends and family might attempt to discourage us from a medical procedure that will lead to me having a longer life and a happier life? Nah, not my friends.
Hmmm, well, there are lots of surgeons out there who tell their patients that they will not get through weight loss with the same group of friends that they went into it with. Now, I haven’t had my Lap Band yet, but I can tell you this – it’s the same thing in production. Make a movie and you’ll lose friends. Even actor friends. Even actors friends for whom you have a good role, that are talented, good looking and have $120k in student debt to pay for. Same thing here. Be prepared. People are irrational. Both your skinny friends and your fat friends may be unnerved by you moving forward in life.
There are a lot of myths that get rolled out to attempt to discourage you. FiFi lists several:
You are taking the easy way out. Not! This one really chaps me. I spent two years getting approved, dieting, seeing doctors and getting ready for surgery. I had an operation, for Pete’s Sake! I drank liquids for a few weeks. I’m getting fills, which really don’t hurt, but they’re scary looking. Plus, I’m having to listen to crap like, “You’re taking the easy way out.” Geez. Bite me!!
You are going to be malnourished. Nope. Your doctor will give you information on how to get proper nutrition. You’ll also have to take supplents. But the lap band will not make you malnourished. Good grief! First, I have to hear that I’m self-indulgent. Now, I’m denying myself in a dangerous way. Make up your mind!
After lose the weight, you’ll probably gain it back. This is one I hear all the time, and from just about everyone I mention the band to. It has assumed the level of an urban legend. I can’t tell you how often I see comments on blogs that someone knows someone who knows someone who lost a bunch of weight and gained it all back and now they’re fatter than ever. Not sure why people love this one so much. The fact is, if you get a band you’ll still have to deal with your weight and eating issues for the rest of your life. But if you keep up with your fills you’ll lose weight. Some people gain some of their weight back, but statistically, the great percentage of banders stay much leaner than they were before banding.
You’re gonna lose weight too fast, and its not good for you! The same people who tell you you need to lose weight will turn around and tell you this one. In fact, you lose about 2 to 3 pounds a week.
You’re going to have to drink your meals for the rest of your life. Of course not. After the initial period of healing you eat three small portioned meals a day.
If you get the band you’ll never be able to get pregnant. Not true.Most docs want you to wait until your weight loss stabalizes. And if you need extra calories during your pregnancy, your doc can loosen the band.
Lap Band surgery is dangerous. You could die on the table! The lap band is placed with minimal cutting. You’ll heal quickly and be back to your life in a couple of weeks. Lots of people confuse the band with gastric bypass, which is a very serious operation. I think that’s why so many people believe this.
Last but not least, she says this:
You’ll probably hear more nutty stuff, but this is a list you’re sure to hear. If you have one to add, please comment. The main thing is, don’t let other people’s ignorance, jealousy and all around mean-spiritedness get you down. The band has changed my life for the better, and its also helping me learn that it doesn’t really matter what other people think about me. I’m doing this for myself, and for my health, and that’s really all that’s important when you think about it.
One of things I’m trying to do with this blog is give you enough info that you can deal easily with this kind of nonsense. I call it nonsense, but I shouldn’t but I shouldn’t because people who say that stuff to you are discouraging you from taking action which will lengthen your life. All of us deserve as much joy and happiness and comfort as we can reasonably have. And families love and need their members for as long as they can have them. Who wants their parents, or children or siblings to live shorter than necessary lives? Very few of us. And if you would wish a long life for someone that you love, someone else wishes it for you. Don’t let some unnerved friend shame you into a shorter life.
I was very excited to see this comment from someone whom I admire quite a bit – Walter Lindstrom of the Obesity Law and Advocacy Center. One of Mr. Lindstrom’s specialties has been helping insurance company clients appeal declines for weight loss surgery. Today, he responded to a thread with some very, very good news for people who want to have Lap Band surgery:
Well thank you, Lori. I just happened to stumble upon this and it was a wonderful surprise. I’ll even make a better suggestion that yours!
The minute someone is denied insurance for a LAP-BAND their best alternative is to ask their surgeon’s office to contact their reimbursement support line to get the patient an Application for the Allergan LAP-BAND Appeals program. That way someone who qualifies under that program can have us work on their appeal AT NO COST TO THEM, using the same experienced team specialists of specialists that YOU recommended! People who handle nothing but weight loss surgery insurance matters of all types and have done so successfully for nearly 14 years!
Walter Lindstrom – Obesity Law & Advocacy Center
RNY – 1994
LAP-BAND – 2003
Wow. If you qualify, Allergan will help you appeal an insurance denial! Mr. Lindstrom’s firm has an amazing record of success and you won’t be charged for the appeal.
And don’t let your insurance company buffalo you just because this is weight loss surgery. This is your life at stake. This is your health, your happiness and your longevity that you’re fighting for. Just because you have thrifty genes doesn’t mean that you are entitled to less than our slender, spendthrift DNA’d friends.
I have to find a way to sticky this. This is amazing news.
I frequently link to a study by Dr. Paul O’Brien at Monash University that found that the instance of mortality is lower among weight loss surgery patients than among obese people who don’t have a Lap Band.
Severely obese people who received the LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System to lose weight had a 72 percent reduction in their risk of dying compared to obese people who were not offered any specific weight-loss treatment, according to findings published in the December issue of the Annals of Surgery (1).
And here is the math:
The study involved two groups of people who were between 37 and 70 years of age with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or greater: A LAP-BAND System group, which included 966 patients (average age 47, average BMI 45 ) and a previously established population-based cohort of 2119 people who were not offered any specific weight-loss treatment (average age 55, average BMI). There were four deaths (heart disease, cancer(2) and suicide) in the LAP-BAND System group after a median follow-up of four years, vs. 225 deaths after a median follow-up of 12 years in the non-treated group. After statistically controlling for the differences in follow up time, sex, age and BMI, the hazard for death was 72 percent lower for LAP-BAND System patients compared to the non-treated group (hazard ratio for death: 0.28, 95% confidence interval: 0.10-0.85). LAP-BAND System patients lost an average of approximately 63 pounds 2 years after installation.
So, now we have this new study out that finds that weight loss surgery cuts the risk of cancer.
Weight-loss surgery significantly reduces cancer risk, says Dr. Nicolas Christou, Director of Bariatric Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada.
“There is no question whatsoever that weight-loss surgery reduces your relative risk of developing a cancer,” says Christou.
He and his colleagues compared more than 1,000 morbidly obese people who had weight-loss surgery to thousands of people with the same weight profile who did not have the surgery.
He found that the surgery patients’ overall risk of cancer was 78-percent lower over the five years of the study. For breast cancer the risk was reduced by 83-percent.
An 83% reduction in the risk of breast cancer is huge.
I know that so many of my readers are guilt tripped by their family and friends when they announce that they are considering weight loss surgery. But there is no evidence that diet and exercise is an effective way to lose weight. Until weight loss surgery came along, it was the only way, but that’s now changed. We have the studies that prove that people who have weight loss surgery live happier lives, healthier lives and longer lives. So go for the happy! Get the surgery and have a real shot at living a longer, healthier life. What could be better than that?
:: {she shrinks} :: – I can’t believe I’ve never found this Lap Band blog before. She has a series of side by side pics taken month by month. It’s so easy to see what she looks like as she loses weight. In her last post, she’s laying on her side in a bikini and she looks good. How many of us can do that?As to the beginning of the journey, she has her surgery in September of 2005, so you can go back in her archives to trace the whole process.
Here’s a link to the picture page: “a visual companion to She Shrinks, a weight loss surgery journal”. I’d post one of the pics here, but I can’t upload photos for whatever reason without crashing my browser. Bummer. So you’re going to have to conquer your link-o-phobia and just go to the blog.
What I don’t like about most Lap Band videos is that they are too casual and ramble, or they are too corporate and don’t actual provide much substance. What I like about Dr. Ortiz’ videos is that he is very good at asking patients the questions that you want to hear answered. How much did you weigh beforehand? How much did you lose? How long did it take? How has it changed your life?
Here’s a YouTube clip of Dr. Ortiz talking about the difference between patients who are successful and patients who aren’t successful:
He has a lot of interviews with patients. This very pretty woman is one my favorites:
This young man had Lap Band surgery when he was fifteen. Dr. Ortiz is a big believer that we should take action with obese adolescents before their long term health is impacted:
Anyway, there is a lot of information contained in those videos and that’s what it is all about. Also, you’ll see the quality of the people who come to Ortiz for surgery, and it makes it very easy to be confident that the level of care he provides is superior.
I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be having Lap Band surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz in Mexico. He’s wonderful. He’s brilliant. He’s experienced. He’s funny. And his patients are successful.
Since there is always so much consternation about going to Mexico for Lap Band surgery, I wanted to take this time to introduce you to Dr. Lee Grossbard of Zephyrville, Florida who had his Lap Band surgery performed by Dr. Ariel Ortiz in Tijuana. When asked his reason for going out of the country, this is what he says:
The primary reason today for Americans to go to Mexico is for a particular surgeon with much larger experience and numbers of cases. We are starting to see larger and larger numbers of patients that go out of the US because they want the lapband and their BMI is less than the requisite 35 for operation in the US. Also, patients below the age of eighteen are starting to make their appearance in other countries because of the FDA rules.
Dr. Grossbard, who can more that afford to have surgery in the US, went to Mexico to have the procedure done by Ortiz who has more experience than almost anyone else out there.
And he finishes, with this:
The lapband is a wonderfully simple tool, or aid, in weight reduction. I was an obese surgeon. My BMI was 44. I now have a BMI of 25. I had a lapband one year ago. I reached my goal weight after 10 months. I needed to lose over 100 pounds of weight now I personally perform lapband surgery.
The pictures are at the link because my computer keeps freezing everytime I try and link the pics or upload them.
Dr. Ortiz also has this wonderful testimony from Tim L. Hunter, a bio-medical engineer whose wife received a Lap Band. I’m going to put the whole thing in here because he says a lot of stuff that will put your mind at ease:
Recently my wife was banded by Dr. Ortiz. I’ll let her speak to her positive experience with Dr. Ortiz and the center but I want to say how impressed I was with the facilities in general and the operating room in particular.
I design medical devices and have been in many operating rooms in the States. I asked if it was possible to observe the procedure. I knew I would not be allowed to view my wife’s procedure but another patient at the facility, a nurse, said it was fine for me to observe her surgery.
The O.R. was state of the art, unlike some I’ve been in, in the U.S. I was impressed by the time Dr. Ortiz took to investigate the area where he would place the band until he found the most suitable site. In so doing he discovered and corrected two hernias the nurse-patient had. One was a very rare type, close to the heart cavity.
I discovered that Dr. Ortiz helped design some of his instruments so they would cause less trauma for the patients. I was also impressed that he used skin glue as opposed to other kinds of suturing. My wife had breast reduction 18 months ago in the U.S. and if, like Dr. Ortiz, they had used glue instead of old-fashioned sutures, I’m sure there would have been less scarring.
Ma
ny Americans have the idea that U.S. facilities are superior. Our experience shows us that’s not true. By the way, Dr. Ortiz didn’t charge extra for the hernia repairs which took longer to complete than the band insertion. Somehow I don’t think that would have been the case in the States. My wife and I agree you can’t buy better medical skill “at any price” than we received from Dr. Ortiz and his associates at the Obesity Control Center.
Sincerely,
Tim L. Hunter
Dr. Ortiz has endorsements from several medical professionals who have had him perform their surgeries. You can read all of them here.
Dr. Ortiz wrote Lap Band For Life, one of the first books about Lap Bands. and it is available in the Love My Lap Band bookstore at Amazon. I’d encourage you to take a look around.
You should also know that Dr. Ortiz will donate 3% of every surgical fee to the Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. And considering that he is charging what everyone else is charging, that’s impressive. His own beautiful daughter is autistic and has received excellent care. He’s looking to make sure other children are as well cared for as his own.
I’ve just found one of the best Lap Band Blogs ever – Chronicles From Lap Band Land! Catherine, the proprietress, is a smart, pretty, 38 year old attorney living in NYC and she can write. One of her blogs posts is a question and answer session with a friend of hers about food. Her answers are wonderfully informative.
My very good friend, Christina, just sent me an e-mail with some great questions about eating with the band. I thought I’d post them here, along with my responses. . .
What do you eat when you go out?
It varies a lot. If my band is feeling tight, I try to order something like soup or something mushy that will be easy to get down. Fish also is a great option, since most varieties are relatively soft in texture and easy to chew.
When you posted about sushi, you said that you didn’t eat the rice — why is that?
I was thinking of the rice as empty calories, and I wanted to be able to eat more fish, so I saved room by not eating the rice as well. I did eat a bite or two of it though, and it went down just fine.
What would you order in an Italian restaurant?
I went to a very nice Italian restaurant on Sunday night . . . Babbo (it’s one of Mario Battali’s places). I split an arugula salad with Erika (I just had a few bites) and ordered a small plate of gnocci with braised oxtail. It was DELICIOUS!
What would you order in a French restaurant?
Hmm. . I haven’t been out for French food recently, but fish is always good and is generally very easy to eat, so that would be one good option. I can actually eat most things, so there is never a problem finding something good on the menu.
How about Mexican?
I go to a Mexican restaurant for brunch most weekends. No problems there. I can have guacamole with a chip or two (not more because I get too full, plus, it’s fattening) and usually get either a quesadilla or carnitas (tacos with grilled pork — I only eat the pork and leave the tortilla).
Do you think you have already changed your eating habits?
Yes. Working with the band is not hard for me at this point — it has just become what I do.
You wrote what you do for breakfast, but what about other meals?
For lunch at work, I either bring a soup or I order food for delivery. I usually wind up getting soup, but sometimes I do sushi (would do it more, but it’s expensive), and I even get a salad once in a while. A few times, when I needed to get in more protein, I’ve ordered a tuna salad wrap and just ate the tuna. I keep my office door closed during lunch — that way if I get stuck, no one else has to know about it. (I kept my door closed during lunch before the surgery as well — that’s pretty common in my office.
Dinner varies a lot. If I’m home, I might make a scrambled egg (one egg. . a bit of cheese and some spices) or even have a low-calorie microwaveable dinner. If I’m feeling more festive, I might poach a piece of fish or cook some scallops.
Babbo’s gnocci with braised oxtail. I am drooling.
Do you ever fight against hunger?
No. I still get hungry when it’s time to eat, but I get satisfied pretty quickly. I eat whenever I am hungry, which is usually 3 times a day. Also, unlike before I was banded, I can’t really overeat anymore. I mean, I could, if I wanted to spend an hour or two trying to get down more food than I should have, but that’s a big time investment! 🙂 Before the band, I would often eat whatever was on my plate without stopping until I felt full (and by that point, I surely was overly full). Or I’d finish something because it was delicious, even though my hunger was totally satisfied. So, I was frequently overeating.
Do you think you really need the band to eat and live like that or is it mostly a mental help?
I do think that I need it to keep me on the straight and narrow. I think that if I did not have it, it would be very easy to slip into my old habits without really thinking about it. In some ways, the band is a mental help, but the biggest help is that it physically limits me from overeating and from eating whatever I want without thinking about it (how it will go down, whether it is what I want — given that I only get to eat a small amount each day, etc.) first.
I thought these were great questions — and hope it made for an interesting post!
Every single post of hers is informative and has substantive information about life with a Lap Band. For those of you who are still contemplating having surgery, and for those of you who are newly banded, this is a goldmine of comfort and information.
Her friend asks her if she “needs” the Lap Band. The answer to that question is that Lap Bands do more than simply limit the amount of food that you can eat. When you diet, your ancient body, fearing that you’re in a famine situation, turns down your metabolism so that more of the food that you eat is stored as fat. That’s why so many dieters find it necessary to cut back further and further on the food they eat to lose weight. In addition, your body will flood you with hormones that make you want to eat. You know that moment when you’ve been losing weight and feeling great about it, but now find yourself in front of the refrigerator stuffing down the left over chicken parmagiane that you were planning on having for lunch tomorrow? Pop psychologists will tell you that’s a moment of emotional weakness – that you’re sabotaging your weight loss because you’re afraid of success and need to get to the bottom of why you want to be fat. Bullshit. It’s hormonal and it’s normal. Inconvenient. Frustating. Infuriating. But normal. It’s a hormonal tsunami designed to get a starving cave man out of the cave to hunt down some fattened prey and it is almost as powerful as the need to drink water. It has nothing to do with your last lover or how your parents treated you.
BTW, Catherine had her Lap Band surgery in Mexico. For those of you who are contemplating the trip to Mexico, and for those of you whose family is discouraging you from making the trip, this is an incredibly valuable blog. Being able to afford a cash payment for surgery here in the US is very difficult for most people. And why spend $20k, when you can spend $8k and have surgery performed by someone who has literally done thousands of surgeries? There are lots of first rate medical facilities in Mexico, as Catherine demonstrates, and they have modeled themselves to attract American consumers.
Here’s the link to her first month of blogging and covers her pre-op routine as well as her surgery. I’d encourage you to read all the way through. You’re going to know a lot more about life with a Lap Band when you get through.
Love My Lap Band! 