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I have the lap band in which I was able to find a lot of information on and as far as my support group, I have this website, my Doctor's office (they are great) and my immediate family. That's enough for me. As for the realize band I have just started seeing commercials for this a couple of weeks ago so I don't know. The commercial I saw advertised didn't appear to be exactly in line with the band as far as weight loss statistics but if you have been on this site then you know that the weight loss is contingent upon the individuals diet and exercise so in other words the product can only be as successful as you allow it to be (lap band/realize). If you can't make a decision on your own then let your Doctor do the surgery that he is the most familiar with that way you limit the risk of complications. Good Luck!

I had my band done nearly 3 weeks ago by Prof Toouli at FPH. I was very pleased with everything. He was recommended to me several years ago by a girl i worked with.

I haven't taken measurements yet. I will do that this week. I can tell I've lost some. It's hard to notice. I also didn't take proper before pictures, which I regret big time now.

So mondays are my official weigh days. I try to stay off the scale (I don't own any, work at a doctors office and use those) except for one day a week. I had surgery 12/28 and last week I didn't lose any from the week before. I was on my cycle, and I"m hoping that was the issue... but I'm honestly scared to weigh tomorrow and not see the numbers the dropped. I know that is ridiculous, and that this isn't all about the numbers, but I don't want to feel defeated if it stays the same. I am getting my Protein in, all the Water I can (which some days is below what I should be... but 99% of the time I get it and then some). I also started working out this weekend, I'm hoping that will make a difference. I know this forum is full of "stall" posts and I'm sorry to add to that... I just worry about getting down on myself.

I am 3 weeks out going from band to sleeve. Still have pain under left rib cage. Just started pureed and hurts under shoulder. Have no energy. Trying to get everything in(protein, fluids) but makes me uncomfortable. Also, still have nausea issuse. Anyone else have this at 3 weeks?

You will do just fine. We did it one week apart and things have gone well for us. The wife goes in 4 weeks for a check up and then the 1st fill. I am going to try and get it so that we both are filled on the same day. The wife is able to drive and lift, she just needs to watch what she does. He said the same would be for me. Funny thing witht he interns they said I could drive starting on Sat. but felt I should what for his word. Plus I had another surgery on Friday that sidline for a few days also. Glad to see that everybody is doing well so far. I think that this will be a great thread to keep going for couples.

I went to my Dr. about 2 weeks ago and he told me that it look like my band had slipped and also have a hiatal hernia. I have no fill in my band but food still get stucks in my esophagus somtimes and my stomach feels like it is on fire sometimes, I drank lemonade today and it almost killed my stomach so do you guys think i might have a stomach ulcer along with all the other, i am worried that there may be erosion or something worse, am i just paranoid or what? Please i need advice. Thanks wkhodges banded august 2002 :help: :help:

<TABLE class=formtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=margin></TD><TD class=field><INPUT type=hidden value="Things are going as well as can be so far since surgery. I went in on Wednesday about 11:00 A.M. and did all the pre-op paper work and blood work. I was taken to the surgery holding area about 12:15 and had more reviews and I kept a real postivie attitude. One of the questions was why are you doing this and I said that Iam doing this to make my life better for myself and the family. At about 1:30 P.M. I was taken into surgery and slide over on the table and they gave me some drugs and the next thing I know I was in recovery. About 2:30 P.M. About an hour later I was taken up to my room and then I was allowed to get up and take care of business. Then I was able to walk around. I know everybody is differant in how they handle pain etc. but I must admitthe only pain that I had an nothing work was the gas pains. That hurt most of the night but I ddi keep up walking etc. On Thursday went for the barrium swallow and got to see the band work and was able to start on liquids by 10 A.M. and was home by 4:00 P.M. on Thursday. I went to see the doctor on Friday because my incision (I have 6) the one by the belly button/now port was very red. He put me on some liquid antibotics. While there he said that it only took him 41 minutes to get the band on me. He said that there was a little fat but not much. The week before my wife had the band done. Since we were not sure if she had a cold or allergies we both did the lquid diet. The biggest mistake for me was going off of it and then restarting back again since Iam allways feeling hungery even though iam eating enough. Just something I will have to get used to over the next few weeks. Thanks again to everyone for all there help and advice. Chris Banded 9/19/07 St. Louis Pre/Surg/ 250/231/? " name=message> <TABLE class=wide cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom> Things are going as well as can be so far since surgery. I went in on Wednesday about 11:00 A.M. and did all the pre-op paper work and blood work. I was taken to the surgery holding area about 12:15 and had more reviews and I kept a real postivie attitude. One of the questions was why are you doing this and I said that Iam doing this to make my life better for myself and the family. At about 1:30 P.M. I was taken into surgery and slide over on the table and they gave me some drugs and the next thing I know I was in recovery. About 2:30 P.M. About an hour later I was taken up to my room and then I was allowed to get up and take care of business. Then I was able to walk around. I know everybody is differant in how they handle pain etc. but I must admitthe only pain that I had an nothing work was the gas pains. That hurt most of the night but I ddi keep up walking etc. On Thursday went for the barrium swallow and got to see the band work and was able to start on liquids by 10 A.M. and was home by 4:00 P.M. on Thursday. I went to see the doctor on Friday because my incision (I have 6) the one by the belly button/now port was very red. He put me on some liquid antibotics. While there he said that it only took him 41 minutes to get the band on me. He said that there was a little fat but not much. The week before my wife had the band done. Since we were not sure if she had a cold or allergies we both did the lquid diet. The biggest mistake for me was going off of it and then restarting back again since Iam allways feeling hungery even though iam eating enough. Just something I will have to get used to over the next few weeks.Thanks again to everyone for all there help and advice. My wife had here done on 9/12/07 and is doing fine.</PRE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>

My surgery was last Friday in Hurst with Dr. Marsden and everything went great except I did get the dreaded shoulder pain. But I am a week out now and my abdomen is feeling much better and my stomach doesnt feel so swollen. I am back to almost normal even my shoulder is just sore not that stabbing pain like a few days ago. I HAVE LOST 13 LBS!!!! Wow, I am so proud!!! But it is so funny how our brains work, this morning when I got up I didnt lose any weight and I was disappointed. Isnt that silly. I have lost 13 lbs in less than a week and I was bummed this morning. I am going to have to change so much about my thinking. Anyway, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I have posted some on this board and have always received great feedback but more than that just being able to come here and read and read and read about everyone elses journey has meant the world to me!!! Love, Teresa 295,282,175 Banded 8/11/06 Dr. Marsden

Hey, hey! I was at 2.2 for the duration of my weightloss. Didn't need anymore fills. At times the scales would move only .3, yeah 1/3rd pound in 2-3 weeks. But I always said to myself..... as long as it's going in the right direction..... Congrats!

Thanks guys, I am 2 weeks out and I have lost 7 lbs...Not bad at all! So I have a good one...thanks for all your support...you all make it easier to go through this change we are all going through.

I didn't tell anyone about my surgery except my mom and I am self-pay as well. I asked my doctor about FMLA (family medical leave act) and he filled out the papers for me to turn into my company. The papers simply stated that I was having surgery (no specific type) and would need to be off from work for 2 weeks and upon returning could not lift anything over 5lbs for 4 weeks. If you have FMLA and your company employs 50 employees or more then legally they can't deny you time off from work regardless of whom is on vacation. It is the law. Even if it is elective, the surgery is to improve your overall health which is why I was able to get FMLA. I was given 2 weeks off from work. Please speak with your doctor about it and I'm sure he or she will fill out the necessary papers for you to have the required time off from work. I hope this helps and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow..... you are Superwoman. At day 5 I wasn't even able to walk more then 10 minutes at a time. And the movies...no way...The last thing I felt like doing was wearing real clothes and looking desent enough to go in public. As far as rough house with dog.......... nope..... even my little shih tzu was sad she couldn't jump on me. I took off 3 whole weeks and am SOOOO glad I did. I work for USPS and when you come back to work they don't care what you went through or what you can and can't physically do. If you are there then you better be able to do 100%. A woman who had surgery the same day I did thought she could go back at day 7 since she had a desk job and the insicion where her port is opened up a little and she got an infection. YIKES! Everyone is different.

I am a manager at my job , and all you have to do is tell them your having surgery, and want to take a week of medical leave. and if they still wont let you have the time off, ask for FMLA. It's true it is the law and they really can't say No. You are giving them enough notice that there is No reason to deny it..... If there is still a problem, Call your HR Dept, or the next level manger and talk to them......

Bending down is always rough for the first few weeks/months.

Agreed, Dan. For me, the first few months were all willpower. Restriction still comes and goes depending on where I am on my fill schedule. Usually right after a fill I'm fine for a couple weeks, and then the next couple weeks I feel hunger sneaking up because I'm losing weight internally and loosening my restriction. However, with each month/fill, it gets better and better. But I have also read some bandsters on here who had restriction almost immediately and a year out are only getting their second or third fill (I just had my sixth). We're all different, our doctors all fill differently, and some just simply lose easier/faster than others. Men seem to do especially well (as usual). I read a guy on here just the other day who lost 100 pounds since late JANUARY! Try not to let the stories freak you. This poor woman has obviously gotten a shit for a doctor. You have to feel really comfortable with whoever you choose as you'll have a relationship with him/her for some time. If you feel they don't listen to you now, they sure as hell won't later.

Besides what has already has been mentioned, there were three things that my surgeon said that stayed with me and led me to choose the sleeve. First, at some point the band WILL stop working. it might be 20 years from now but that was a real concern since I am in my 30's and in for the long haul. Second, there are lots of ways to cheat your band such as drinking with food to push the food thru so you can eat more. Last but prbably the most important to me, you have a foreign item in you. My husband had hernia repair with mesh. We found out three years later that the mesh had been recalled the day before surgery and his surgeon didnt know and used it. It can cause death but too risky to remove. It was an eye opener that made me scared to consider the lapband.

I just paid the hospital there share this morning, before doing my prep. My surgeon will get his next week. I tried to get this approved 8 years ago with Aetna, and ultimately was denied after 6 months of hoop jumping. This time, when I decided I wanted to try again, my husband and I decided to pay cash. I wish that I could have relied on my health insurance to cover most of it, but I am glad that we are in the position to cover the cost.

Green - I'm was really interested in your post regarding a history of chronic depression. I've been on every anti-depressant at one time or another and know the utter exhaustion that can come with depression. I don't expect surgery to fix everything - just hoping to lose 60 to 75 lbs so that I have more energy for my 10 year old and to eliminate weight as a reason for various aches and pains as I age. I don't go to the dr much because they just tell me to lose some weight and try to keep my stree levels down. Sure, I'll get right on that after I mow the lawn, get the pets to the vet, have my child evaluated for ADHD while working my exhausting but low paying job!:rolleyes Growing up my sister was the fat one. She's probably 350 or more now. When I zoomed by 200lbs a few weeks ago - something I would have thought impossible when I was in my 30s - I knew I didn't have the resolve to do this on my own. Now I just have to get someone to go along with me for the surgery! thanks for listening.

Marimaru......sounds like you are doing the right thing, the safe thing for your body. I had a complete unfill last summer before I had PS.....and I still felt like I had restriction for about 3-4 weeks - that was a relief!! I could see myself gaining 20 pounds while my 'fat apron' removal was healing. But it didn't happen. I think the key may be in avoiding the white carbs.....they cause your blood sugar to bounce and make you think you're hungry when you really are not. You won't feel deprived and you'll be able to control your eating and staying on track. Be sure and track your food intake on something like fitday and keep your Protein count high to keep your metabolism going at full speed. I, too, have a slipped band and am going thru the 4 wks of liquids til we can figure out what to do. We can do this!! It's too important to not be successful in getting thru this bump in the road. Hugs, Gayle

Hello new friends, I am probably on here super early. I don't have a doctor, surgery date, or any of that yet. I can only tell you that about 4 days ago, I got to a point where I was disgusted at the weight I've gotten to. I began crying to my mother (who by the way is 100 pounds and tried to tell me she understood) and I haven't been able to stop crying since. I hate that I can't bend over to tie my shoes, I hate that I can't keep a pair of jeans for longer than 4 months without getting holes in the crotch from the rubbing, I hate that I can't cross my legs, I hate having rashes and the way I smell, and most of all I hate that my poor kids are always bored because I never want to get up as I don't have the energy to do much more beyond getting myself to work every day. You would think that all of this would give me enough motivation to just take the weight off but it doesn't. Instead I get even more depressed, and I eat even more. I know it's wrong yet I keep eating and eating…3 helpings sometimes and then I proceed to eat what is leftover on the kids's plates because I can't bare to waste food. I'm sick. I don't know why I can't stop but it's really spiraling out of control and I need to do something. I got to talking to a couple of friends both of whom I've known for many years. One has had a lap band with much success and the other has had gastric bypass with much success. They both recommended the sleeve ironically. I'm trying to read up on all the surgeries and I guess I feel it may be the right one as well. I've been reading non stop for 3 days now and my next step is to see a doctor. What are the opinions of others on the differences between the three surgeries? My other dilemma, and I know I've read this already from others on here, is am I taking the easy way out or should I just do it with diet and exercise because I have done it before? I've struggled with weight since I was a child. I come from an Italian family where everything revolves around food. I remember my grandmother would make ravioli and at the young age of 6 years old, she would encourage me to eat 10 of them. Then when I ate 10, she would encourage me to eat another 2. Then there was dessert…and never just one choice. It went on like this for years until finally I moved away from my family and decided to try and see what I could do to lose the weight now that food wasn't around every corner. I did everything from good old diet and exercise to fasting. I could never keep it off longer than a month or so. Finally, around the age of 25, after my first son was born, I took most of it off and got down to 125 pounds, which is still heavy for a 5 foot tall woman. It took so much effort that my life had to revolve around diet and exercise. I took Xenadrine, which is now off the shelves (hmmm, I wonder why), I walked to and from work, was on my feet at work teaching all day, ran 4 miles or more each day on top of that, ate absolutely no dairy and very few carbs, ate 5-6 tiny meals each day, and never ever ate after 4pm. I followed every diet tip known to man and was still considered overweight for my height and build. All that work and all it took was me taking a desk job for it to all go to crap. I had lost my teaching job and began working in an office that I couldn't walk to, sat all day, and immediately the weight gain started and I was back to 180 in a matter of months, even though I kept doing most of the other things. Xenadrine was taken off the shelves and there went another 20 pound increase. My lifestyle now would not even allow for part of that. I have three children, barely have time for myself, and I work at a desk for at least 10 hours each day. I get home at 7:00pm starved and just start shoveling the food in. I am really just doing a lot of venting here and would love for someone to tell me I am looking in the right direction with the option of surgery. I plan to make an appointment here in the next few weeks with a doctor but it always helps to have the support of others who understand. If someone thinks I should just suck it up and get myself to diet the normal way again, please say so Thanks for hearing me out and I will be around reading more and more and educating myself as much as possible. I will keep everyone up to date on what the doctor says once I get the appointment.

Hi i knoe exactly what school you went to. and thank u. i used to live in houston texas and it was hot and humod didnt like it. i love cali. lol i had surgery sept 19, 2013 and nov 11 had my first fill of 4cc but had no restriction i just got another fill this week and i got 2cc for a total of 6cc and still no restriction my weighloss is super slow im down 40 lbs since surgery and at my last appointment i found out i have a 14cc band of all the forums i read alot of people have a 10cc band. what size band do you have and how long did it take to get to ur sweet spot?

thank you, I need 2 knee replacements decided to do this first and thensee how the knees go. I will remember what you said no nutrients don't consume .congrads. on your weight loss, hope i do as well..hopefully this site and lap support at docotrs will help a lot I am sure... I also have a hard time getting around have to use scotter at stores, cannot walk a distance, or stand very long.. doctor says for me to loose 30 lbs before using step machine at the Ymca because of my blood pressure... so I use a floor pedal bike at home for starters, can't wait for it to warm up so I can use my pool.. should be April... Hopefully hubby will support after surgery, but he is not going to stop me, I take care of my motherinlaw who lives with us she is 83 and in a wheelchair on some days and a walker the other, also is on dialysis 2 times a week so I have o get better to take care of her better and hubby has a pacemaker defib. so I am needed by both of them.. have to do this for many reasons health being the first and looking and feeling better after that... so thank you for your support and advice !!!!

Thank you all for the great responses! OK, so I have conclused what my doc told me at the beginning, I am a grazer indeed! I just like to fill my friggin face! lol. :thumbup: Lets just be grateful for the band and know it's doing it's job, we just have to kick ourselves in the A$$ once in a while. Ok, so week 3 I still have not eaten at my desk. I know I could eat healthy foods as one of the posters suggested, but give me an inch and I'll take a MILE! :tt2: Also, I am a workaholic and am ALWAYS at my desk, so I needed to get this under control. I also have 2 Protein shakes a day and plenty of drinks while working. I do allow myself to eat my healthy lunch at my desk somtimes, but I realy don't miss the crumbs and ickies on my keyboard! Thank you all for your support. :smile:

im a receptionist for aerospace...i sit all alone...bored out of my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!! i use to snack on boxes of cheese its...sunflower seeds (were my favorite) along with whatever else i could find at 7-11...lol...the week b4 i had surgery i threw it all away...it was kind of embarrassing...now i snack on a super big gulp full of crystal lite....and that seems to keep me occupied when i want to reach out for something...but it was really hard in the beggining...i ate a lot out of pure bordem!!!!!!!!!!