Getting banded Monday the 22nd

crikkit · 10-19-2007, 11:21 PM

I've mostly been lurking, but today had a scare and thought I wouldn't get banded this month after all. Everything worked out, so now I'm especially glad to be an October bandster!

I'm getting banded in Mexico and was just notified today that there has been a problem for all doctors in Mexico getting the Allergan/Inamed band ... some customs issues. I had the choice to either reschedule the surgery or go ahead for Monday and get a Johnson and Johnson band instead.

I have already taken a week off work, booked my flight, made arrangements for my pets etc., so I decided to go ahead with the J&J band. I'm not happy about the last-minute change, but I want to get this over with!

I haven't been able to find much info about the J&J band, so if anyone knows much about it, please share! All I know is that it was just FDA approved in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago but isn't being used in the U.S. yet, but it's basically the Swedish band that has been used in Europe for several years.

NEW ORLEANS GRL · 10-20-2007, 12:04 AM

Crikkit,
Congrats on joining bandland on Mon, it's an interesting place to live!!!! I'am sure everything will go as planned.Enjoy your flight, relax this weekend,and we'll see ya on the other side, God bless

nume130 · 10-20-2007, 09:46 AM

Crikkit: I'm afraid I don't know anything about the J & J band. Will that reduce the cost of your surgery? The Inamed band is very expensive. You might be able to find something on it on this site. Type it into the search. Or start a new threat in the general LAP-BAND^® discussion to see if anyone responds.
Best wishes for Monday!

crikkit · 10-20-2007, 06:56 PM

I still haven't been able to find much about the J&J band on this site or elsewhere, other than the press release about FDA approval. It has been approved in the U.S. but apparently won't be used until December here. I did find a couple of threads about other people who have been in the same situation recently with a shortage of the lap bands in Mexico, and they had the option to reschedule to go with the Inamed/Allergan band or go ahead with the J&J band.

I found one post where someone mentioned that this band is more like the AP LAP-BAND^®, with the balloon going all the way around without the gap at the fastener, but I haven't been able to find any photos of the Johnson and Johnson band. It's called the Realize band.

My surgeon's office didn't mention anything about the surgery being less expensive, but this just happend on Friday afternoon and it was hectic just making sure they could get a Johnson & Johnson band there for my surgery on Monday. I called the office of my local doctor who is going to do fills, and they said they do have a few patients who have this band and will have no problem with my fills.

So, I'll be flying to Monterrey tomorrow and having my surgery on Monday. I'll give a full report when I get back!

dawneybyrd · 10-21-2007, 01:06 AM

I am considering the LAP-BAND^® surgery and need to speak to someone in the New Orleans area about doctors etc. Please let me know if anyone out there can guide me in the right direction.

midwife72 · 10-21-2007, 03:14 AM

I'm getting banded on the 22nd as well...don't know much about the types of bands... just know that there is someone in NYC going through the same thing thinking positive thoughts for you!

crikkit · 10-24-2007, 07:33 PM

midwife72 ... hope your surgery went well and that you are feeling good today. I just got back from Mexico this afternoon. The surgery was much easier than I thought.

We flew into Monterrey on Sunday. A driver picked my husband and I up at the airport and took us to the hotel. He picked us up Monday morning at the hotel at about 8 and took me to the hospital. I was taken in right way for pre-op tests, met the anesthesiologist and my surgeon (Dr. Zapata) and was in surgery by about 10:30.

I was discharged from the hospital Tuesday morning and felt well enough to go shopping at a mall in Monterrey. We flew back home this morning and I'm feeling pretty good. A little sore of course and some tenderness at the port incision. I was worried about a lot of gas pain but haven't really had issues with that. Maybe all of my walking has helped!

I got to see my Johnson and Johnson band before I went into surgery. It reminds me a lot of the Inamed AP band ... a smooth continuous inflatable part, and a low-profile port. The rest of Dr. Zapata's band patients were rescheduled until they can get the Inamed bands cleared through customs, but they went ahead and put the J&J band on me because I have local doctor who will do the fills on this band and it's a short flight back to Monterrey if I ever needed to get fills there.

So all-in-all a great experience. Dr. Zapata was very kind and reassuring, so I wasn't even nervous going into my first surgery. The hospital was definitely nicer and cleaner than any American hospital I have been in. Now I'm ready to see some positive changes!

midwife72 · 10-25-2007, 11:51 PM

crikkit... Do you want to hear something funny? We have the same birthday, too! I'm one year older than you. Isn't that weird?

Here's my story:

I got to the hospital at 8am for preop and I went in t the OR at 11am. I have to say that Lenox Hill knows how to treat a patient. They have greeters to make sure that you know where you are going and the nurses were great. I was annoyed too find out that my weight had actually gone up to 258...I guess all of those "last meals" caught up to me! It's so weird to be on the OR table looking up when you are so used to being the person in the other position. They started my IV in the OR and within a matter of minutes I was asleep. I woke up in the recovery room about 1 pm feeling like crap. ANESTHESIA SUCKS! The pain wasn't even too bad...it was the nausea that was a killer. They did load me up with meds for it so, the sensation didn't last too long. My mom, husband and best friend came in to visit me, but everything was really just a blur. I ended up sleeping on and off the rest of the afternoon on pain meds. I finally really woke up around 6 and was a little freaked out to see how connected to machinery I was. I had cardiac monitoring, a pulsoximeter, sequential compression boots, nasal cannula and (blech) a foley catheter. Even though my doc had told me that this would be the case, I kept thinking that something had gone wrong in the OR and that's why I had to be monitored so closely. The nurse reassured me that it was standard procedure to monitor output and to watch for blood clots.

The night wasn't bad...I took a couple of doses of Morphine which I'm sure helped a lot! I went to radiology in the morning where they did an upper GI series, not nearly as bad as the preop one that I had done. They saw that the band was in place and all was well. Dr. Shah came to see me and told me that the surgery was "textbook" and that I could start to eat. It was the best goddamned jello I have ever eaten! The foley and IV were taken out, I peed and then got to go home. I'm taking Tylenol 3 to help with the pain, but it might be even a little too strong because it makes me pretty woozy.

Today I feel great. Went to the store. Felt almost normal. My doc has me on clears with a protein shake until tomorrow when I start thin purees. He seems a lot stricter that most. He's been great, though..

I hope you feel well today! When is your follow up?

pacificnw526 · 10-26-2007, 12:10 AM

I had LAP-BAND^® surgery on Oct 22 in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz and my card says they used an IAMED band. I wouldn't worry too much about the brand name- I'd trust the surgeon to put in an effective device. The surgeons in Mexico are pretty competent.

Coo · 10-26-2007, 06:24 AM

Yep, all done - still trying to sort through the implications in my head!

Surgery went well, and surgeon was very good and hospital excellent.

Hope the other 22'ers are doing well too :)

crikkit · 10-26-2007, 07:34 AM

I have to make a correction to my previous post ... I don't want to cause any confusion for anyone about the type of bands! I said that my J&J band reminded me of the Inamed AP band because it has a smooth inner surface, but someone on another forum pointed out to me that the AP band does not have the smooth inner surface. Sorry about that!

I'm glad to hear the others in the 22nd club are doing well! Midwife, I'm so sorry you had to wake up with a catheter though. I'll second that "blech!"

I don't have a follow-up appointment since my doctor is in Mexico. I'll be seeing my fill doctor here in the U.S. in 5 weeks though, and she is banded herself. I kind of wish I did have a follow-up though. My soreness is still lessening every day, but last night I started to feel nauseated and my mouth started filling with lots of slobber all of a sudden. I only had liquids yesterday and some jello that I actually chewed well about 30 minutes before the slobber session. Never in my life have I imagined myself chewing jello.

Anyway, it wasn't the thick saliva that people describe when they are having a PB episode. Just copious amounts of run-of-the-mill saliva. It stopped after about 5 minutes, and I went to bed soon afterward. I woke up from a dead sleep at about 5:30 this morning and it was happening again, but much less. I drank some warm tea, which I hate, thinking that maybe that would soothe if I still have enough swelling that my small stomach opening is closing off and my own spit is building up. I'll call the doctor's office today so they can check with the doctor just in case.

NEW ORLEANS GRL · 10-26-2007, 10:56 PM

dawneybyrd,
I saw this Doc back in 2005 (pre katrina) i don't know if he's still there,but he was located on St. Charles ave, so I'am sure the chances are likekly, it's worth a shot, hope this helps.

Dr. Clark Warden
surgical specialist of louisiana
southern bariatric associates
3600 St.Charles Ave
NOLA 70115
504 891-6183
985-875-2012
1-877-691-3001

AngelWhispers · 07-14-2008, 02:37 PM

New Orleans Grl,
Did you have surgery with Dr. Warden?