A friend of mine who had the lapband done earlier this year received a card that basically says she's had a surgery done and that it's medically impossible for her to have large amounts of food. Therefore restaurants are to allow her to order off the child menu, buffets charge the child price etc...

I asked about this and people looked at me like I was crazy... Does anyone else have one of these and if so how/where did you get it?

I guess I should mention she had her surgery done through the military Tricare and lives in Las Vegas. Maybe that's the difference since there's so many buffets there?

Nevermind, found my own answer...They're called restaurant cards or special menu requests... they're all over the internet for you to be able to print them out.

No wonder my friend was saying they were having such a hard time with them in vegas and that places weren't taking them because they were getting so many fakes.

Restaurant Card Bariatric Surgery

RestaurantCard

Interesting...

you can get one from the lapband site www.lapband.com The card is really nice ... like a credit card and has a picture of the band on it

but, the print at the bottom on the back of the card is so tiny you can hardly see it. I also got one of my sergeon's cards where they rubber stamp the request on the back of the card. I have never really used either of the cards. There is nothing on the kids menu that I would want to eat. If I go out I usually order soup or chili.

My dr. gave me the card, it is like a little library card. I have saved money when it comes to a nice breakfast buffets. I haven't tried many places.

I got a temporary card from the doctor. When I used the temp card to register online, they sent me a nice permanent card to keep in my purse. It's made like a credit card.

I haven't used it yet though - I've been ordering regular portions and taking most of it home. dinner from a restaurant is used for 3 meals.

My doctor gave me a card too, but I haven't used it because I normally take leftovers home for another meal.

My doctor here in Atlanta has it printed on the back of his business card, which I have laminated. I plan on getting another one from Realize as soon as I figure out where and how to request it.

My doctor gave me one when I went for my pre-op visit. I haven't had to use it yet but I'm sure it will come in handy.

I have one but I often eat from the kid's menu if it's allowed. There are lots of good kid food if you're eating somewhere that is a bit nicer than a McDonalds, etc. I love to eat at Cracker Barrel so I can have a nice bowl of soup.

I have one. I got it like a week after I registered on the lap band site.

You can get the card by joining my lapband journey at lapbband.com. The informational packet my dr gave me had a temporary one and a card to fill out and mail for a permanent one. I mailed mine and it came back because I forgot to fill something out on it. You have to know what size band you have.

Does anyone know about cards for people with Realize bands?

I dont have a restraunt card, I have a medical ID card. It has information at by band and my surgeon. At the very bottom it says "Note to restraunts: Please allow this person to order smaller portions, as the amount of food this persona can eat has been greatly reduced".

The package I got from the doctor on surgery day had a punch-out temp card I used to go onto the Lap Band manufacturers site and register, and then they sent the permanent one.

While mine does have the restraunt note on it, it is basically a medical alert card so in case of accident or emergency, they know I have a lapband, its size and my surgeon.

I have the Realize band and there was a card in the packet I took home on the day of my surgery. Basically, these cards are a 'request' to the restaurant which the restaurant does not have to honor.

Personally, I tossed my card because there is nothing on the children's menu I would eat. I usually take a small portion from my husband's or son's meal since there is usually way too much food to start with or, if I'm out with someone else, I'll take the leftovers home. Buffets aren't an issue since I don't eat at them anymore. Even the charge for a child's portion is exhorbitant given how little I can eat at a meal these days.

.

I only keep my card in my wallet in case of emergency. Other than that, I don't even bother when I go to restaurants. I order what I want and then take the rest home and eat it for dinner. I then go back on my menu plan the next day. I just didn't want the hassle of trying to explain it to people and then trying to figure out what to order, etc. If I am going to splurge and go out, then I am going to eat something decent and not fried children's crap. I don't eat at buffets so I don't know how that works. That is my other no no. If I am gonna pay for it, then I want someone to bring it to me. I used to wait tables so it's not a snob thing, it's just a thing period. So far, I haven't gained any weight doing that. It works well for me.