DawnH

The size of the band you get is determined by the amount of fat you have around your stomach. I was reading my operating room report and the dr said he had to use the 14 cc band on me because of the 'fat pad' that was around my stomach. I asked him about it and he just said that the more fat you have around your stomach itself (not how fat your stomach looks from the outside) determines if you get the 10 cc versus the 14cc band (with the Lap Band AP system). I don't know what sizes the Realize bands come in.

Good luck! I was freaking out the night before my surgery too!

I am on soft foods STILL (surgery was Sept. 12th). I eat cream of wheat, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, mashed sweet potatoes, chili, egg salad, chicken salad, sugar free pudding, soup, refried beans, lunchmeat, mini babybel cheese are my snack of choice, little cups of diced peaches in their own juice, that's all I can think of now. Now that I am almost 6 weeks out I am pretty much eating 'normal' food as long as it is soft or I can chew it until it is practically liquid. I am still going with the dr.s guidelines with no fried foods, low carb, and low fat. Good luck!

I was looking at my operating room report and it said that he went with the 14 cc band due to the fact there was a larger fat pad in that area and was afraid after he buckled the 10cc one it would be too tight. As far as restriction goes he said it may take a few more fills than a 10cc band for me to hit my sweet spot. I have my first fill on Tuesday so we shall see

I was going to say the same thing Becky said, look at our September 2011 Bandsters topic and you will see most of us that were banded in Sept. and on the soft food/mushy stage are on a little stall. It is totally frustrating and normal. I lost 27 lbs. pre and post-op and then nothing from 9/25 until yesterday I got on the scale and had lost 2 pounds but for 3 weeks nothing! It is so discouraging but I just keep on plugging away following the rules. Good luck!

When I started the process the end of May to have surgery I didn't have to (had surgery Sept. 12th) but my friend started the process about 3 months ago and she now has to do 6 months so for us in the Tricare West region it is 6 months but only recently.

Good question! I hope this next fill for you will do it! That has got to be frustrating. I have my first fill next Tuesday so I am hoping to feel a little restriction. I have a 14 cc band and the dr. said it may take a little longer to get to my sweet spot. I hope it is sooner than later.

Good luck!!!!!

I had my surgery Sept. 12th and I have my first fill on the 25th. That will make it 6 weeks post op. I am starting to get hungry here and there too so I am ready for it.

I was in a lot more pain than a lot of people here too. I am only 36 and I though I would bounce back a lot quicker. The first 10 days I was still in quite a bit of pain and I had family helping with the kids so it wasn't me over doing it. I am now almost 5 weeks out and feel completely normal now. I never thought I would feel good enough in my ab area to wear jeans again but I do . I had the pain when I would stretch or inhale really deep too. It will go away but it doesn't go away fast enough. Just get as much rest as you can but make sure you are walking around some too. Another thing I wasn't prepared for is how tired I was. I had no energy and was just exhausted. I can tell you now I feel better than I have in a long time getting some of the weight off and taking all the vitamins I do and eating healthier now that I can eat food again. It will get better just be patient Good Luck!

For a while I had a stinging sensation that felt like a sunburn almost. The doctor said the nerves have to heal too after being cut through and I hadn't even thought of the nerves healing too.

I had weird pains like that too. It seemed like the areas would heal in different orders. I don't know if that makes sense but one area would be feeling better and then I would have pain in another area. I am almost 5 weeks out and I am just now feeling 100%. Just take it easy, I think it is probably just part of the healing process.

It sounds like it was a problem with your doctor instead of a problem with the lap-band. If they put in a dirty band and contaminated needles that would be the problem.

LOL,

Good, I am glad you found some useful info. I thought it was a good graph that shows the differences. Good luck!

It probably is gas you are feeling. I thought I would have felt better a lot sooner than I was but it took a good 3 weeks before I was feeling 100% back to normal. Take it easy and don't push yourself. Just rest and let your body heal. Good luck!

I found this website that may help you. My dr just uses the lap-band AP system so it wasn't an option for me which is fine. I figured there must be a reason he only uses those. Anyways, here is the website http://www.wlshelp.com/lap-band-vs-realize-band.html Good luck! Dawn

Congrats on the weight loss AND that you aren't wearing Lane Giant jeans in the last picture (Those at least look like the back pockets of my Lane Giant jeans)

I just got the wii fit plus and love it! It has game type exercises that focus on your arms too that are actually a workout. I love Just Dance too we have both and can't wait for 3 to come out. My kids always want to play against me because I always win . I am usually sweating my butt off while they are yelling 'my turn against mom now', lol. I may have to pick up the zumba one. I love zumba!

I take Wellesse Calcium & Vitamin D3 liquid (WalMart), Active Kids Complete chewables with Choline (Walmart), B1 and B12 Sublingual.

You may want to call around to doctors near you because I know a lot of doctors won't do fills for people banded in Mexico. Before you get banded you might want to check if there is a doctor that could see you for aftercare. As far as the protein goes my doctor wants me to shoot for 70 grams of protein a day whether I get it through food (ideally) or need to supplement with a protein shake. I have to eat proteins first, veggies second, and carbs last. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip! I have my first fill on Oct 25th and I am sure I will have an episode or two before I learn what works with the band or what doesn't . Thanks again!

I eat refried beans, my dr. said they are good for Protein but the only thing to watch the quantity because there are a lot of carbs in them but as with everything else, portion is what she said to watch out for. BTW, when I graduated to the mushy stage that was the first thing I ate. I don't know why but I was craving them and she said a lot of people do for some reason.

Like the above person said we all heal differently and let me tell you I thought I would bounce back a lot quicker than I thought. I called the nurse a couple times thinking there had to be something wrong other than the normal healing process. I just had surgery 9/12 and I just started feeling 100% normal about a week ago. I was definitely not one of those people that could have back at work within a week. Just try to relax and get rest but do your walking too. Good luck!

I may not be the best resource for you as I was just banded Sept. 12th and haven't had my first fill yet BUT I have a 14 cc band and my surgeon told me that it may take a few fills for me to notice a difference in restriction. He said that sometimes with the larger band it takes longer. Not sure what size band you have but if it is the 14cc maybe that could be why? Good luck!