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I did not have to do this for the lapband since I paid cash but when I wanted to get the gastric bypass, my insurance company made me go through this. They want to see if you can lose weight the conventional way before they approve your surgery. Helen

I did not know that. Thanks for the info. I wonder though why anyone would put in more than the recommended amount.

You are going to feel that for several months. I still have twinges now and then.

I had my surgery in September and I saw the Lapband sample in July. He showed me the product and showed me how it works. I remember seeing that it went all the way around because he pointed it out. Allergan, the company who sells the lapband has a really good reputation and I have been really happy with my results. Maybe it would be a good idea to see both of them in person. Helen

That is really weird. I have never heard of a 4cc band before. I thought the smallest one was 10 cc. If you do have a 4 cc band and you also have 3 1/2 cc already in, how did the new doctor put in 1 1/2 cc more? The math does not work. There is something going on. You may need to call your original surgeon and ask some questions.

I know how discouraged you can feel after surgery when you are not eating very much but your body is resisting the weight loss. If you body is really resisting losing weight, you may need to increase your calories to about 1200 calories to fool your body into thinking that you are not trying to lose weight. I have done this for a week at a time and I always find that the following week, I lose weight faster. My dietician told me to also make sure my food intake is high in protein, low in carb and especially low in sodium. You may be retaining water.

Their Soups are pretty good. The hot and sour Soup goes down pretty well. I also like to order the spicy tofu because it is really soft. I usually order this and add about two ounces of their rice. This becomes three good meals for me. Helen

I think the goal of getting on a treadmill is to make sure you get a good workout for a good length of time. My trainer told me that to get an optimal workout, I have to do a steady walk with my heart rate at 135 -140 for at least 30 minutes. I started at 10 minutes and now I am up to 40 minutes a day and I am able to walk very fast. One day, I may be able to do a run for 30 minutes and be able to keep my heartrate to 135.

Everyone is a little different but I had pain in my port for about 6 weeks. There was also swelling and a hardness like a baseball for about three weeks and also a lot of bruising. As long as the area is not pink and hot to the touch, you should be okay. Helen

TQUAD64 is correct. You should do a lot of research. I chose the Lap Band because the innertubing where the saline goes is totally circular without any breaks which means that your stomach will not get pinched or caught in one area. I have also seen on this website that a lot of the complaints come from the Realize band. Helen

If you have insurance, I would suggest you ask your doctor to submit to them before trying it on your own. If your insurance does not cover this typ of procedure, you will find out pretty fast. If you do end of paying for this on your own, your surgeon should have a program for financing. I was approved in 30 seconds for 15k. I ended up paying for it out of pocket but financing is a good alternative and the monthly payments are as low as $190 a month. Hope this helps. Helen

My doctor told me this is a permanent surgery unless there are complications. I guess you can have it removed one day but why would you if it helps you to control your weight. Helen

I have been banded since September and am grateful for it every minute. I have lost 54 lbs so far and I am on my way to a healthy body. I did a lot of research on the internet. You may want to search the sites for your area and once you have found a few doctors, research them to see who has a great record and who is the leader in your town for bariatric surgery. I researched and narrowed it down to two doctors and then went to each of their seminars. Once I met with them for a consult, I had a pretty good idea of who I wanted to go with. I also researched the type of band they were using and the type of surgery they perform. I went with the doctor that used "LapBand" because I found that it had a great success record, and performed the surgery laproscopically. I have four 1/2" incisions and 1 1/2" incision and he used a type of "crazy glue" on the incision to close them up so I could shower the very first day. I am a firm believer in research and knowledge. I hope you Quest turns out great! H

I don't think you have to worry about losing weight until your sugeon tells you to. He will probably ask you to lose weight for a period of time right before your sugery so your liver will be nice and small for the surgery. In regards to gaining weight, it may actually help your case with the insurance company. H

Congrats on your surgery! Welcome to the family and make sure you drink plenty of Water to keep hydrated. H