[Rheality]

Hey all! Just wondering if anyone here is a Gastric Bypass patient or knows any GB patients on Phen or who have been on it. Would love to chat.

[delao]

Hi Rheality,
I'm a gastric bypass patient. I posted a reply on your daily menue post. Hope we can chat.
Donna

[Mimi91]

Hi Ya'll,
I'm not a GB patient, but my mom is, she is doing FAB! I myself have a Gastric Lap Band, and have had nothing but bad results. I am currently looking for a Doc to remove it. I took phen from 2001-2002 and had better results before surgery than after. Once again on phen (26 days) and feeling better in a month than I did all of 2003. Is there anyone else who has had the LAP Band? If so how is/was it for you? Very curious..
Mia

[EBONY POETESS]

HI MIMI91 DID YOU LOSE ANY WEIGHT WITH THE LAPBAND?

[candi962]

Sorry everyone, what is a lap band? I have never heard of that...thanks

[TeethGirl28]

I'm not a GB patient. But isn't the lap band when they put the band around part of your stomach, just like gastric bypass stapling except you don't get staples you get a band that can be remove?! anyhoo
I'm wondering, since you don't absorb certain vitamins with gastric bypass, maybe you don't absorb phentermine? Just a somewhat educated guess.

[Rheality]

GB patients absorb pill/liquid effects. Its the vitamins/nutrients from the food that do not get absorbed.

The lap band is like a rubberband that gets placed on the lower part of the esophogus (opening to the stomach) and strangles it so that the person has less food intake. It is removable.

Ive been on Phen for 1 month and feel the effects! lost about 15 pounds becuase of it too!

[Mimi91]

sorry to have taken so long to get back.
Ebony: I lost about 35 lbs in the first couple of months, and then the problems started....
Just for the info...A Gastric Lap Band is a tube they put around your stomach, making a pouch like they would for the By-Pass, but there is a tube conected to it that goes to a Port that is sewn just under the skin. Its usually left on either side of the stomach(if that makes sense). It's supposed to be the "alternative" "less invasive" method to the Gastric By-Pass.
As you go along if you are gaining weight they fill a syringe(sp) with saline and insert it into the Port (right through the skin), and it tightens the band. The opposite is performed if you are losing weight too fast. The Doc only wants an 8 to 10lb loss per month. Mine was done my Laproscopy(sp), with three tiny inscisions and one bigger (abt an inch and a half).
Just for the record....personally.....I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS!!!!!
As stated previously I did lose about 35lbs in a couple of months, but 23 of those lbs were in the first 2 weeks after surgery. You can't eat any solid food for abt four weeks. Once I had this surgery (the first one) I could not work out or barely even walk faster than a stroll anymore. The Port came loose about 3 months after surgery and I had to have another surgery to fix that. Then the tube connecting Band to Port got caught in my Diaphram and breathing was unbearble, along with the fact that my Doc cut into the same scar when he repaired the Port and a big chunk of scar tissue formed that gets caught in my ribs if I move certain ways. Onto the Third surgery..Had to have tube and Port moved to front of stomach because of complications (abt one month after 2nd surgery), and this time had horrible bruising that spanned most of my belly and have no feeling in my tummy now and every so often it tingles alot and gets icy cold to the touch. I also have like this permanent bulge of swelling in the spot that was operated on. For obvious reasons I have not been back to that Doc and am currently looking for a surgeon to remove this blasted thing. Alas it is still such a "new" procedure all that I have spoken to about removing it refer me to the next guy because they have no idea what I am talking about and don't want to mess with it. Oh I had it put in in 2001, I have lived with this since then. I have gained roughly all of the weight back that I lost after surgery. There is more to this novel, but I have bent your ears enough,lol. I don't recommend it, but everybody is different, and mine probably had more to do with the Doc than anything. I was patient #101.
Thanks for the ears guys!!!

[EBONY POETESS]

damn mimi i'm sorry that happened to you girl i hope you do find someone who will help you to feel better
i guess it's not worth trying everything but sometimes we do get to a point where we just want what we want it will be ok you just feel better soon

[Mimi91]

Thank you Ebony!!
You are sooo sweet!! I have actually been wanting to tell you that for a while. Every time I read the posts you are very encouraging and helpful. That is a wonderful quality. I actually do feel better since I started back on my phen. I don't know if it's because the more weight I lose the less pressure there is on the inside or what. It very well could all be in my head too. But i guess if that's what it takes....I am also starting to push myself a little harder with the excercise and see what happens. I am in the process of looking for an eliptical trainer, I have heard alot of good things about it, and it doesn't sound like it would have a lot of impact on body parts that do not need impactin',lol.
Anyway, thanks again for the kind words, and you keep up the good work yourself!!!!!
Mia

[EBONY POETESS]

thank you mimi
the elliptical is a wonderful machine for cardio
thats how i lost most of my weight
you burn major fat cals on that thing i'm telling you
and with phen you'll feel like you are wqinning a marathon
good luck to you baby and keep up the great work you'll get there

[Mimi91]

Thank you Ebony, so will you! It's been a long road since I started, but I guess I can say I don't feel like it's as bumpy anymore. Hope to talk to ya soon
Mia