Jim1967

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Hi All, I was banded on April 16th and a few days prior to that I had what is called Band class where they prep you for the day of surgery. Kind of like an orientation class. Well in that class everyone who was a band patient was told they would get a medical card either lapband or realize depending on what you had done and it would contain the serial number of your band. According to the Nurse who gave the class we should get this before being discharged from the hospital. Well I didn't get it and I forgot about it. I called two days later and they told me a nurse would help me with that when I arrive for a follow up visit a week later. I went in for my post op follow up and no one seemed to know what I was talking about and the nurse who taught the class was not in but a left a message for me. I am yet to hear back and I am wondering if I am going through all this trouble for nothing? Realizemysuccess.com is shutting down anyway so it's not like I need it to register. Is there any other reason I should push to get this card? thank you, Jim

Thanks...how did you apply for the permanent one?

Mine is not filled. Surgery was 4/16 and first fill appt is 5/29. Doc wanted to give my body a chance to heal and get used to the band before putting in a fill.

Wow this is such a huge statement and so true for all of us. I went through the same thing agonizing over whether or not to do it because I may not be able to eat the same foods.....DUH that's the whole point. Sorry Andy I didn't mean to hijack your thread. You asked for a guys perspective so that being said I am only a week out post op just having surgery on April 16. Everyone is different and I am very big and have a lot to lose. That being said so far I am seeing the weight falling off me. I see it and feel it. Surgery is a big step so do plenty of research and if you plan to use insurance be sure to ask for your companies policy in writing some insurances require a 6month supervised diet before they will approve. I would do this over again in heartbeat. Wish I did it years ago... Good Luck, Jim

Good luck to you both!! Let me tell you getting that approval letter in the mail is like being a kid on Christmas morning.

Good luck to you and hope you have a speedy recovery!! Worse part for me was the severe gas cramps but other then that it was a breeze. I was walking the hospital floor two hours after coming out of recovery. Jim

Anyone ever use it before? I was banded on April 16 and was given a lot of documentation on the Realize band and was told I should register at https://www.realizemysuccess.com/ as it has tools for tracking and journal. Well it is being discontinued on May 31st. Based on the booklet I have it appeared to be a great resource and had useful tools. Kind of discouraging...

I will check it out thanks a bunch :-)

Hang in there LuLu you can do this. You want it bad enough you can make it happen. It does go to show you how much doctors differ though. I had a BMI of over 78 and all I was asked to do was lose 5% of my weight which was 24 pounds. I am now day 8 post op and my BMI is still 70...weird

Hi and welcome to lapbandtalk!! Best of luck to you on your journey. Lot of good people here and such a valuable support tool.

I suggest you think long and hard before saying no. Approval is one big pain in the a$$ and so if it were me if only one gets approved...go through with it and then that way it's one less battle to fight. You can continue on working toward getting the second approval. Also the one who goes through it first can provide experiences for the one in waiting. I have a rather sedentary job. I am a software engineer and bang on a keyboard all day. I am 7 days post op and I am fairly confident I could have returned to work three or four days after surgery but I took a week and half off for recovery and follow up visit. Pain was minimal for me and the worse part was the gas cramps. If you see my stats below you can see I am no small guy either. Good Luck to you both....

No...I think that would be crazy. What they could do is ask you to weigh in prior to starting and if you've gained weight they may postpone but I doubt it. My Doc didn't force me into a all liquid diet. Week before surgery he had me on 2 Protein shakes a day plus one small meal. I am now day 6 post op and my doc couldn't have been more pleased with how it all went. He said he had a pretty easy go with it. I think the key is to just do the very best you can with the guidelines they provide and you'll do fine. Remember they are not asking you to do this as a test or even torture. They want to ensure to have the best possible conditions to ensure success without complications...

Sasha pretty much hit the nail on the head. I am 5 days post op and a terrible food addict. So far no cravings or desire to really eat at this point although I must admit the KFC and BK commercials are starting to get to me a bit. I feel great but I must admit the gas pains were rough and I had bouts of diarrhea (sorry for the TMI) but it appears that has all passed (no pun intended) now. You can do this!! Use this group and don't be afraid to post anything that's on your mind. Good luck.

Thanks Jaime I will try the Gas-X. I am feeling so much better today.

I think I narrowed it down to sugar free apple juice...

Hi All,, I am post op day 4 and I still have major gas issues. I have not had any shoulder issues and all of it is lower belly and my bathroom visits are frequent and not pleasant. I spoke to the Nurse today and she suggests I try ammodium but if the problem still remains on Tuesday when I go in for a follow up they are going to send me out for lab work and make sure I do not have an infection. I was not happy to hear this. Day 1 and 2 I was OK. Day 3 was real bad and today not so bad. Kind of nervous something is going on....oh and they just put me back on shakes today so all I've had is liquid. Thoughts?

Hello All, I also had surgery on the 16th and had no problems. I have had slight headaches here and there but I assume it is my harsh withdrawal from caffeine. Fighting to reach my daily Fluid intake but working on it. Need to stay hydrated. My pain was pretty tolerable and only took pain med twice since getting discharged on the 17th. Only problem I am having is the major gas pains in the lower belly and lets just say lots of trips to the bathroom. Sorry for the TMI but the cramps have been bad.

I am on day 2 post-op and so far feeling good. I have hardly used the pain meds they've given me. I had some discomfort getting out of bed this morning. I have a bad back and find it hard to stay on my back all night so I had to lay on my side at times and that caused some aching. So far no shoulder pain.

Congrats to you ladies. You'll do great. Before you know it you will be back on solids again. I am two days post-op and I feel great!! Have not had to take much in the way of pain meds and I feel I could go back to work if I needed to. Stick with it because the end results will be worth it. Good Luck..Jim

Good Luck to you. You will do great. I am my 2nd day post op and I cannot believe how good I am feeling. I took a week and half off of work and I think I could essentially go back now. My pain has not been bad at all...

Hi there and welcome to LBT!! I do believe 60 in 60 is achievable given your current size. As long as you are true to the diet I think you will see the weight pour off. Given your size I think you will be surprised how quickly weight can drop, As for your protien drinks how are you making them? There are ways you can spruce the drinks so the taste is better. I use Body Fortress you can get it at Walmart and I take a scoop of powder along with 1% milk and little bit of ice and some banana and I make a smoothy out of it. It tastes very good. I also mix it up from time to time and use blueberries. Experiment with it and find what works for you. I also use unjury brand choclate and again just 8oz 1% milk and a little ice and blend it out to nice choclate shake. I want you to know you are not alone in this journey. This is an excellent resource and the folks here are great. Be sure to stop in at the introduction forum and say hello if you hadn't already. Good luck Jim

I was also banded 4/16 and I fee great. No sore throat and the gas pains have been minimal. I feel pretty great. No shoulder pain either.

Hi Bobbi I have no experiences to share with you as my surgery is Monday but these bites you're taking are you really chewing the food up fine? All the pre-op classes and meetings I have attended all I heard was chew, chew and chew..LOL It is now embedded in my brain. I also heard that most Docs have their patients do a liquid diet for 48hrs or more after a fill to give the stomach/band time to adjust to the change. Good Luck, Jim