CarolineDC

I've been a slow loser, and I definitely identify with what y'all are saying. I was self-pay, so there's been an element of kicking myself -- "Did I seriously spend thousands and thousands of dollars for another failed diet?!" I got the Realize band; my fill nurse and other nurses at the surgeon's office told me that in their experience, people with the Realize band take longer to get to the sweet spot, but then lose at about the same rate as people with the Lap-Band. This has definitely been true for me. I was staying away from the boards and feeling a lot of guilt and fear for several months after my surgery. I did not feel significant restriction, early satiety, or appetite suppression until about six months after my surgery! My 11 cc band had 9.2 cc in it before I felt like I had a band. Now that I've FINALLY got good restriction, I am getting all those benefits, and my weight loss is speeding up. Meli, I love what you wrote about weight loss being a marathon, not a sprint. We're in this for life, not for a quick year or two. I have to remind myself sometimes that i's not a race!

She said she's having those things "once in a while". Even if indulging once in a while slows down weight loss, it shouldn't stop it completely, right?

I've googled this a few times, and it seems like hair loss happens to a lot of people after surgeries. (Not just WLS, I mean.) So maybe there's some truth to the theory that it's caused by the general anesthesia. If it gets really bad or bothers you a lot, you could try clip-in hair extensions!

I can totally sympathize with your post. I also have the Realize band, and at 6.5 cc, I had no restriction. I was really discouraged. It was about three months after my surgery -- and about 9 cc in the band -- before I really felt good restriction, and I'm still not at my sweet spot. But I'm definitely feeling it! I just had a talk today with my doctor's nurse, who told me that they've noticed it takes a little longer for Realize patients to get really good restriction, but once they get there, they take off and do great. Try not to get too discouraged. I know how hard it is, but you're still early in the process. It's hard to remember that the surgery alone doesn't give you the benefit of the band; most people don't have much (or any) restriction before they get their fills, and I've heard many, many people say that they didn't feel any restriction until very close to their sweet spot. We just have to hang in there, keep working the band, and stick it out. You're gonna get there!!

I'm going in for a check in a couple of days. The nurse told me to call and come back in if I could eat more than a cup of food at a time. I can definitely eat more than that, though I'm trying not to. She did say that if I didn't feel good restriction after the most recent fill, or if it didn't last, she would want to check whether I have a slow leak.

I had my surgery on June 12 (11 CC Realize band). My first fill was in mid-July. I've had three fills total, and the nurse has put 8.5 cc total into my band, but at my second and third fills, she couldn't draw back out as much as I should have in there. At my last fill she could only draw back out 7 cc. Is this within the range of normal? Can 1.5 cc be "hiding" in the tubing? I'm definitely feeling less restriction now than I did a week after my most recent fill. Hoping I don't have a leak. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I had surgery on June 12. I'm still burping quite a bit, but a little less than last week or the week before.

Houlihan's is a smallish chain that serves tiny desserts and tiny martinis. I guess that would come in handy if you were having a really bad day. :redface:

I got the okay to swim two weeks after surgery. I'm two weeks and four days out from surgery, and I swam for the first time today -- actually, I just sort of dog-paddled, as swimming was uncomfortable. I'm definitely feeling it around my port incision tonight.

Your description sounds like what I was told to expect would happen if the seroma below my port incision started draining. I'd think one of the doctors you've seen would recognize that, though. Hopefully you can get some answers or a resolution soon!

Thanks for the replies. My doctor doesn't give an antacid for post-op; they told me to take something over-the-counter, and that took care of it. I had liquids today and was fine. Peas... man, I specifically asked the dietitian from my surgeon's office whether they would be too tough to eat. That's disappointing, because I love field peas. Hopefully I'll be able to eat them later on.

Thanks for your response. I did ask them whether there was anything in the band, and there's not. Right now I'm feeling like "Oh my gosh, what did I do?" I'm afraid something's wrong, and I'll end up having to get the band taken out!

I had my surgery on June 12, so I am currently 13 days post-op. For the first 10 days, I was on liquids only and did fine. I developed a seroma, which is putting pressure on my port incision. On 10 days post-op, I had a check-up appointment with my doctor and dietitian. I told them I hadn't really been hungry since surgery, and dietitian thought maybe the swelling from surgery and the seroma was making me tighter than usual. Her recommendation was to start mushies slowly with applesauce-consistency foods, 1/8 cup at a time. I followed those instructions for about a day and a half, and then I started to have reflux after eating. Called the doctor's office, and the nurse said she thought it was probably some smashed peas that irritated my esophagus/stomach OR residual swelling from surgery. Recommended that I go back to liquids for a couple of days and then try again. I never had reflux before surgery. Did any of you have new reflux BEFORE getting your first fill, and what do you think caused it? Did it go away? :bored:

It's a little bit labor intensive, but if you're interested and have time, you can make seitan at home. People sometimes call it "wheat meat" because it has a meaty-like texture and can be seasoned to taste like chicken or beef. If you haven't had it, don't let the appearance throw you; seitan can be really tasty, and it has about 8 grams of protein per ounce. There are lots of recipes online; we've made the one from Vegan With a Vengeance, and it turned out good.

I've been a vegetarian in the past, and now I eat a primarily vegetarian diet, but I do eat fish occasionally. I'm not seeing why being a vegetarian would be a problem; if it's too hard to get enough Protein from the small amounts of vegetarian food you can eat with good restriction, you can always supplement with a Protein shake. Is it possible that your nutritionist isn't very educated about vegetarian diets? Just like meat-eaters, some veg*ns have a healthy diet and others don't. Just thinking this out... 1/2 c tofu scrambler for breakfast: 9 g protein 1/2 c black Beans w/1 tbsp LF sour cream: 8.5 g protein 8 oz skim milk: 8 g protein 1/2 c quinoa: 12 g protein OK, so that's 37.5 grams of protein and about 680 calories. Add a protein shake and get up to about 57 grams, 840 calories. The protein goal I got from my dietitian was 50 g/day, so I could easily meet that goal with the off-the-top-of-my-head diet I laid out here, right?

I chose the Realize band after my consult with the surgeon and doing some research at home. I liked the shape and the low-profile port, as well as the idea of the port attachment prongs. I wonder if those prongs make any difference post-op? I know everybody is sore around the port, but I think I might actually have tweaked the port funny yesterday. I had a sharp pain as I rolled over, and today I have a fresh bruise and new swelling around my port. I can just imagine those little teeth biting into my muscle all over again, and I wonder if that happens with the stitches that are used to secure the Lap-Band port. Even if this isn't something that would happen with the Lap-Band, I would still choose Realize again. I really like that smaller port. I think there are getting to be more and more Realize people here as more Realize bands are used in this country.

I had my surgery yesterday, and I've been having an uncomfortable muscle twitch or spasm in my abs, near my port, since sometime overnight. It comes and goes, and it's not terribly painful, but I'm just wondering if anyone else had/has this? Thanks!

I lost about six pounds (mostly water, I'm sure) during the first week of my pre-op diet, and then I plateaued. I haven't lost anything during the second week of my pre-op diet (surgery is tomorrow), and it's making me worry that maybe I won't lose after the band, either. I've stuck to the diet, and I can't figure out how I've cut my calorie intake so much and haven't lost. How is that possible? I keep track of calories, so I know I'm staying in my target range. Any thoughts?

Just thought I'd update this thread in case other people happen upon it later and decide we all perished from the pre-op diet! I started feeling better within a few days. My pre-op diet includes one solid snack per day, and I discovered that if I eat the solid snack earlier in the day (instead of saving it for night time), I feel better. I hope everybody else is feeling a little better by now, too!

That's my philosophy, too. It comes up with doctors when they assume that because I'm a mom, I gave birth (I didn't; my partner did), or when they ask about my plans for birth control, or when they ask if I'm married. Those pregnancy tests are SOP; they can't risk operating on a pregnant woman and causing a pregnancy loss. It has nothing to do with you personally. And yeah, if I came out to a professional who couldn't be professional knowing I was gay, I'd fire the person and find somebody else. But that's a privilege I have, because I live in a place where it's not socially acceptable for doctors to mistreat patients because they are LGBT. I know not everybody can just walk away from a doctor.

That sounds bad! Have you talked to your surgeon or nurse about the pain in your neck and shoulder? Is it possible your meds need to be adjusted to accommodate the amount of food you're (not) eating? I think the reason I'm feeling bad right now is just the dearth of calories (<1000/day); I'm hoping my body will adjust somewhat. Hope you're feeling better soon!

I'm only on day 2 of my pre-op diet, but I'm not feeling good at all. I'm not too hungry, but my head hurts and I feel crabby and a little shaky. I'm starting to lose confidence. I'm afraid I can't keep this up for two weeks, and even if I do, how am I going to get through the liquid weeks after surgery?! Anybody got insight or encouragement to share?

When I first read your post, I immediately put together the phrases "coping" and "cake". No big mystery how I got so overweight!

I'm not keeping it a secret exactly; I'm just not telling a lot of people. It feels like a personal thing that I don't want to talk about with most people. I did tell my best friend, who is a doctor, and he was totally supportive. I might tell some more family members when it's closer to time, but I haven't decided. It's not that I'm ashamed of the band; it's just that I'm a pretty private person.

Hoping somebody can share their experience! The only co-morbidity I have is high blood pressure, and it's actually well-controlled without medication now. It was high last year, and I took meds for about six months. Came off the meds, and I've been within normal limits since then. Does anyone have any experience getting insurance coverage with a co-morbidity that's successfully treated without medication?