cattoy71

This can be a very complicated answer, but the first place to start is to check with your insurance company.

Call them and find out what your insurance covers when it comes to bariatric surgery. If they do cover the surgery, find out what they require for you to qualify.

Most companies are very tight about what is covered. Most insurance companies will cover surgery if the patient has a BMI over 40. They will also consider patients' with BMI over 35 if you have other co-factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc., but you may also have to undergo a strict 6 month diet to show that you have tried, but can not lose the weight thro traditional means. There may also be a need to prove that you have been overweight for at least 5 years.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Hi nana,

Just wanted to let you know that there is also a thread just for people who have the realize band on the main forum page :smile2:

Hi wormhole,

Yes it is totally normal to feel that way during the pre-op diet.

I was fortunate that I wasn't working before my surgery, and I honestly couldn't comprehend how so many people have this surgery while they work up until the time of the operation.

I ended up taking it very easy, and taking a lot of naps. Please take care of yourself and don't physically overdo it. Your most important job right now is preparing for surgery! Take care, and I hope you feel better.

Omg I love this post!

I have put off on posting here until I was very sure that I was well into "onderland".

I can't believe how difficult it was pre-band to lose even the smallest amount of weight! All summer I fluctuated between 208 and 216 pounds, and that was with A LOT of working out and watching my food intake.

Now 1 month post-band, I honestly am SHOCKED that I am writing this at 191 pounds!!!

Congrats to everyone who is getting to their goals, and thanks again for this awesome post!

Heidi,

The most amazing thing happened to me during my 7th day post-surgery.....it is as if all of the pain lifted, and I almost forgot that I even had surgery.

Everyone heals differently, so please just take it easy if you aren't feeling well. It's really important to focus on your healing so that it lessens your chance of complications later on.

I noticed that I got tired pretty easily for the first few weeks after my surgery.

38. if i could have gotten the band placed to PREVENT the weight gain in the first place - i would have.

I wholeheartedly agree with you Luluc!

I only began to put on weight in 1996, and managed to pack on about 100 pounds when I decided the lapband was for me.

I am self pay, and would have gladly found a way to have financed it 10 years ago!

Did I read somewhere or am I just imagining this that one of the bands can (rarely) cause "pinching" of the stomach between the inflated parts. If so, which one is this (I know the AP lap has lots of segments so is it pinching between these, or with the realize there's still the place where the inflatable part starts and stops)?

You aren't imagining it band-groupie!

In fact, that is my surgeon's main concern with the realize band....it locks in a backward fashion bending the band, which can cause erosion. I think he also mentioned that the inflatable tubing has those segments that can also cause band erosion. He was the one who mentioned the potential flaws with the realize band, and said they are currently re-designing it to look more like the Allergan LapBand.

I was just banded about a month ago and although realize is approved now, they are already working on the second generation model. My surgeon mentioned that it caused him a little concern that realize is already looking to improve the new model.

I have the 10cc LapBand (which I think is 3rd generation) and my particular surgeon seems to prefer it for a few reasons. I know he prefers the overall integrity and shaping.

Personally, I'd be kind of wary of putting something in me (ie the realize band) that has just been approved for use, but the company is already trying to re-design it to make it more like the LapBand.

I paid $17k total. Here's how it is broken down:

$7500 = Surgeon's fees for 5 years (includes office visits and fills)

$1000 = Anesthesia

$8500 = Hospital fees for outpatient surgery

Ok, what happened to the sex educator, she's not answered any questions. LOL.

:cool::lol:I'm here, for some reason my alerts weren't telling me that the threads were updated, so I thought people weren't interested :tt2:

Is it possible to make a woman squirt? or is this a myth and I should stop trying........

Not all women have the ability to squirt. Many women have lived their lives never knowing they can because in order to do so, you need to push down when you get that "omg I have to pee now" feeling.

Since we were taught to basically only go pee when you are in a restroom, it is a very strange idea to get your head around purposefully trying to pee while you're not in a bathroom!

Personally, I have never tried squirting because it is often associated with a large amount of liquid, and I'm frankly too lazy to put down the towels needed to soak it up :cool:

I don't know if this has been brought up yet but I've seen on those plastic surgery shows where they inject something in your G spot to enlarge it or sensitize it somehow. I think it was expensive around $1,000. Anyone else heard of that. I'm no expert in the G myself but always willing to learn more!

The Comic Margaret Cho just had this done a while ago on her short lived reality series....you can probably youtube Margaret Cho g spot injection and can find the video.

This isn't a really common thing up in Northern California, and I suspect doctors do this a ton in L.A., but you receive an injection of collagen directly into the spongy gspot tissue. They have to access the area with you laying down and using a speculum to get inside. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, but the effects last about 4 months or so.

It's true what Denise said, that every women has a g-spot, but it's not such a sensitive place for everyone....some women find the gspot really annoying and don't like it to be stimulated because it makes them feel like they have to pee.

Does the penis get longer as you lose the weight?

Hey there,

Men's penis' actually have the ability to grow until they are in their early 20's, the average being around 6 inches. If you measure, remember to count the area from your scrotum up to and including the head

The penis size question is kinda funny because size is kinda like an optical illusion....one of the reason's so many men "manscape" their private parts now...tends to make them look bigger :cool:

Thanks for the responses...I am feeling much better this morning, but had a heck of a time trying to get to sleep last night.

Ok I totally overate at dinner tonight, which was a very yummy lean chicken dish.

What quick tips do you guys have that will help alleviate this awful feeling in my expanded tummy?

Should I drink some Water so it passes? Go for a walk? Fellow bandsters please help out an overstuffed gal with some healthy (ie no puking) ideas :thumbdown:

Gaz,

I was banded 2 days before you!

I had some great initial weight loss (15 pounds right away), and then my weight stagnated around the time I progressed to mushies....I even went up a few pounds too :thumbdown:

Now that I've been on real food for a while, the scale finally decided to move down again.

I'm done 18 pounds since my surgery and am totally happy with my progression.

I'd love to lose weight at a quicker speed, but slow and steady is much better for my overall health and for my sensitive skin.

Phendymetrazine IS harmful.

It made my blood pressure spike in a matter of days, and it gave me an itchy, uncontrollable rash.

I can not believe anyone would believe these type of weight loss pills are harmless......even the doctor who prescribed them said that they have lots of complications!

This must be spam.

I could sleep on both of my sides about 1 day out of surgery.

It took me a few more night before I could sleep on my belly......I actually felt that the weight of sleeping on my stomach oddly comforting after my surgery....go figure!

I also found that I was a bit tight in my port area right after surgery as well. I think that might have had something to do with the way my surgery glue bonded....a little uneven. Come to think of it, maybe that's why I had that weird surgery indentation that I was talking about in an earlier thread.

Hang in there, I didn't envy my husband the night I was banded. I could not get comfortable from all the gas, and woke up every hour like clockwork

Hi everyone!

Today was my first day back at the gym since my band!

I did a very leisurely ride on the recumbent bike for about 30 minutes.

My weight definately plateaud when I began eating more mushies, but it's finally decreased over the past few days...I can't wait to see how much exercise makes a difference with my scale!

I had the same kind of strange indentation after my surgery too.

I really noticed it the most when I was sitting down, I kinda looked like i was deformed!

I was banded just over a month ago, and I think it was just part of the post-surgery swelling or edema. You are going to be a little puffy for a while and that's what I chalked it up to.

I still have some surgery bruising, but the indentation is definately gone!

Hope that helps a little.

And yes, every woman has g spot.

You can find it pretty easily.......try curving your fingers and feeling inside towards your belly button. You will feel a spongy like feeling and some pressure when you push down.

I don't want to break any rules of posting, so hopefully you get the idea

And did you know that there are 3 types of orgasms for women! Clitoral, vaginal, and blended....we're awesome huh!

If you send me a private message with your address, I will send you out a smallish sample container of the liquid silk, or you can get it online from Good Vibrations, the company I am affiliated with. Find them at goodvibes.com

Hey everyone!

Yes, the warm washcloth is a great idea

My personal favorite lube is kinda hard to find, but it's called liquid Silk.

It's so good that once you use it, you will never go back to others!

Thanks for replying eveyone.......I know that everyone has a different experience with the band, but I'm glad to know that my bigger port bruise is not that unusual. I feel much less neurotic now

I have always bruuised easily and the part that remains is at the port site.

I was hoping it would be gone by now, and it is definately not an infection.....just gross bruising.

My other incision sites are kinda just a red welt like color.

Winnetka, IL

Where all those John Hughes movies were filmed!

(North Shore of Chicago)