Adjustments

[Guest guest]

Can you give me some idea how many adjustments you have had in the

first year after your banding? Is this influenced by how far away

from the surgeons office you live? I am a surgeon in the USA who will

soon be performing this procedure, in addition to RNY.

Also, why did you choose banding over RNY gastric bypass?

Thanks. I want tolearn. Most of what I have leasrned about obesity,

has come from my patients.

Doc Fisher

[Guest guest]

Hi Barry,

> Can you give me some idea how many adjustments you have had in the

> first year after your banding?

As with much else about the band, this is highly individual. Some go for

months at a time without an adjustment, others fine-tune every few weeks

until the fill level is right. It can take quite a bit of finessing in some

cases.

> Is this influenced by how far away from the surgeons office you live?

I think this is definitely the case. People who live at a distance must plan

much more carefully. Personally I live just a few minutes away from my

doctor so can go as often as I need to..... there have been a couple of

times when I've gone two or even three times a week to have the fluid

increased or reduced if I've been having problems. Another factor that I

believe influences the frequency of adjustments is the cost. Here in

Melbourne we are fortunate in that we don't pay anything out-of-pocket for

our adjustments..... it's fully covered by the government Medicare rebate,

and the doctors don't charge about the rebated fee..... whereas I know that

in the US where people have had to pay up to several hundred dollars for

each adjustment, they are far less free to have them as and when needed.

> Also, why did you choose banding over RNY gastric bypass?

I never at any stage considered RNY.... in fact, I never considered any form

of weight loss surgery until I learned about the band. The reason I was

comfortable about having the band was that it was far less invasive, it

could be performed laparoscopically, and there was no internal rearrangment

of my intestines. If necessary it is fully reversible...... remove the band

and my insides remain exactly as they were before. That was my initial

reason. Now, a few years down the track, I would add that the research

appears to be showing a higher rate of maintenance of weight loss with the

band than with RNY, even though the initial rate of loss may be a little

slower.

> Thanks. I want tolearn. Most of what I have leasrned about obesity, has

come from my patients.

This is a wise attitude, and it will serve you well to keep listening to

them. I wish you every success and hope you are able to help many people end

their struggle against obesity once and for all. Please feel free to ask any

questions you like here.

All the best,

.

[Guest guest]

G'day Barry

I had my op on 24th April this year and only yesterday had my first fill of

1.5mls - which is the standard amount used by my Dr. for the initial fill.

He feels that it is a much safer amount to start with.

I weighed 105kgs pre op and today I am 96kgs. Prior to the fill I was able

to eat any food so long as i chewed chewed chewed After the fill I will

be back on fluids for a couple of days - yoghurt, soup etc before attempting

any solid food again. I dont feel any pain or discomfort with the band and

that is the hardest thing to get my brain around. having this " foreign body "

inside me and not feeling it !!

I have not had any episodes of reflux, vomiting or heart burn - so maybe I am

amongst the lucky ones.

Regards

Coral