Hi all,

I had the Realize band in Sept and really struggling with getting any weight off:cursing:

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Edited June 29, 200917 yr by bandfriend

I too have the Realize Band. I got mine almost a year ago now. I lost about 40 lbs. initially and that was about 8 mos. ago. Since then I have struggled not to GAIN weight and have in fact gained some back. I cannot hardly ever feel what I thought was going to be the restriction that helped me feel full and not eat any more. I now have 7ml in the 9ml band. I think I am just about at the end. It has taken me this long to get all that in there. Every doc appt. I hope that this 1/2ml fill will be the one to really make the difference but alas it has never happened. Now they are telling me I should not feel anything just that I am satisfied and to STOP eating. Well, if I could do that I would have before surgery, huh?? I have been really mad and angry about this band and now I am just in lah-lah land where I just don't care. I guess this isn't helping you much but know that there are others out here having the SAME problems as you. I hope as you get fills that you will feel it and it will begin to work for you. I have watched many people who is has worked for. Just not me. There are lots of us Realize people out here.....know that we feel your pain and problems. Maybe your doc will be more helpful than mine is. Basically they tell me it is all in MY head now and I am crazy. Believe me I do not sit and eat ice cream! I am pretty good but just not working. I am now trying to see if I can go back on the very restrictive postop diet. I was so hungry then my stomach hurt but hey--it might work. And I am not sure I can do it now--then I HAD to, now, I don't and my life doesn't work too well around it. Best of luck and keep in touch.....hope things turn around for you I really, really, do!! :thumbdown:

I too have the Realize Band. I got mine almost a year ago now. I lost about 40 lbs. initially and that was about 8 mos. ago. Since then I have struggled not to GAIN weight and have in fact gained some back. I cannot hardly ever feel what I thought was going to be the restriction that helped me feel full and not eat any more. I now have 7ml in the 9ml band. I think I am just about at the end. It has taken me this long to get all that in there. Every doc appt. I hope that this 1/2ml fill will be the one to really make the difference but alas it has never happened. Now they are telling me I should not feel anything just that I am satisfied and to STOP eating. Well, if I could do that I would have before surgery, huh?? I have been really mad and angry about this band and now I am just in lah-lah land where I just don't care. I guess this isn't helping you much but know that there are others out here having the SAME problems as you. I hope as you get fills that you will feel it and it will begin to work for you. I have watched many people who is has worked for. Just not me. There are lots of us Realize people out here.....know that we feel your pain and problems. Maybe your doc will be more helpful than mine is. Basically they tell me it is all in MY head now and I am crazy. Believe me I do not sit and eat ice cream! I am pretty good but just not working. I am now trying to see if I can go back on the very restrictive postop diet. I was so hungry then my stomach hurt but hey--it might work. And I am not sure I can do it now--then I HAD to, now, I don't and my life doesn't work too well around it. Best of luck and keep in touch.....hope things turn around for you I really, really, do!! :rolleyes2:

Hi,

Well it helped to hear your story and hear I am not the only one struggling. I was thinking of going back to the beginning also and just stop eating like after a cup. I know I am going to be hungry, but I don't want to be a failure at this either. I also have been angry about this band. Maybe we can stay in touch and help each other out. I don't have another fill for like 4 weeks. I have 2 1/2 ml in a 9ml band. I will try to get on line daily and stay in touch with others and yourself if you would like to. I need all the encourgagement I can get and I am sure you can use it also.

Debbie:bored:

Debbie:

I hope the very best for you with your Realize Band journey. I would love to hear you say yours is working really well as you go to be getting it filled. In fact, if I could hear from you again about how yours feels and stuff, maybe it would even help ME to talk to my doc about mine, you know? They keep telling me that I have mucho head problems and that the band is working fine. So don't go by my progress please! You will probably just do a lot better! Keep in touch please. :tongue2:

Hi BioTeacher,

Glad to hear back from you. I also wish you the best with your band.

You know mine doesn't really feel anyway. I only feel it still when I lay on my left side too long.

This doesn't sound like a head problem and I am not sure I would continue to go to a MD that told me that. Just being on this site for a couple days now I read several that are struggling. More are doing well, thank goodness, but there are those that are not losing weight. I work with a girl that had the band 2 years ago, lost 30 pounds and nothing after that so she ended up putting all that back on. I just wonder how the doc can say your band is working if you aren't losing.

See I am not losing. I have not lost since I think November. After reading blogs these past few days I think I am going to call the doc this week to see if I can please get in and get a fill.

So lets stay in touch and maybe we can help each other or at least pump each other up to stay with this. I so want this weight off. I started walking and am walking 2 miles a day now for 3 weeks, actually 5 days a week, I don't do it on the weekend. I am hoping this will kick start something:)

Talk to you real soon,

Debbie

I don't have the realize band but I know restriction is key to success for some of us. Many who lose from the start will diet and "white knuckle" it until restriction kicks in; I didn't do that and have lost 2/3 of my total loss since my 5/7 fill when I finally experienced "the sweet spot". AND one thing I know; the closer you get to restriction the less fill it takes so the poster who has 7ml in her 9 ml band shouldn't give up. Just keep at it.

For me, 1/4 (.25) of a ml made a HUGE difference. That is all it took, once I got close. Hang in there.

Hi,

I just read about this on another blog and am going to check it out. Thought I would pass it onto you. Apparently this test will tell you if your pouch is stretched.

Order the 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual

Hi BioTeacher,

Glad to hear back from you. I also wish you the best with your band.

You know mine doesn't really feel anyway. I only feel it still when I lay on my left side too long.

This doesn't sound like a head problem and I am not sure I would continue to go to a MD that told me that. Just being on this site for a couple days now I read several that are struggling. More are doing well, thank goodness, but there are those that are not losing weight. I work with a girl that had the band 2 years ago, lost 30 pounds and nothing after that so she ended up putting all that back on. I just wonder how the doc can say your band is working if you aren't losing.

See I am not losing. I have not lost since I think November. After reading blogs these past few days I think I am going to call the doc this week to see if I can please get in and get a fill.

So lets stay in touch and maybe we can help each other or at least pump each other up to stay with this. I so want this weight off. I started walking and am walking 2 miles a day now for 3 weeks, actually 5 days a week, I don't do it on the weekend. I am hoping this will kick start something:)

Talk to you real soon,

Debbie

Hi Bioteacher,

I am going to check this site out that I just read on another blog. Apparently you can find out if your band is stretched.

Order the 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual

Also, see the message to me from Restlessmonkey, great advise. :thumbup:

DONT ORDER!!!

It's been posted on here and essentially just gets one back to basics...I THINK it's 2 days liquids and 2 days mushies and then regular food. Let me see if I have it...if not you can post and ask for it!

Here's the one I got from here....

5-day POUCH TEST

Each day, at least 64 oz of Water

Limit caffeine

DAYS 1 and 2:

LOW CARB shakes, broth, REGULAR OR CREAM OF Soups

sugar free Jello SUGAR FREE pudding

DAY 3

CANNED FISH, BAKED FISH, eggs

DAY 4

GROUND meat, SHELLFISH, LOBSTER

DAY 5

WHITE MEAT POULTRY

BEEF STEAKS

PORK

I think that what it does is really more for the user than the pouch...gets us back in focus and on task! :thumbup:

Okay- you save me just in time from ordering it. I copied what you sent and am getting started on this. You have been GREAT... Thanks.

This will be me someday soon being able to help others.

Exactly! We're all in this together!

7 cc's in a 9cc band is not the end. You still have room for 2 cc's and when you are towards the end- that 2 cc's goes a long way.

I too have struggled with my band. (realize) I finally got to 7.25 and just the .25 made a difference but I'm still not there. I have every intention of using all my fill capacity to 9cc if need be.

I would discuss with my dr. that you still have 2 cc's waiting to be used.

I did talk to my Doctor Yesterday about how much I have in my Realize Band. 7ml in a 9ml. Because I read my brochure they gave me on the band at surgery and it clearly says it holds 9 and they can put in NINE! Also I asked my doc, how much liquid is in the TUBE that leads from the port to the band?? Now I am a science teacher-- ONE ml is not very much and with the length of that tube it surely is at least ONE! Well My doc did not know the answer to that question! And it is NOT in the literature on the band or the port. My doc says it is a very small diameter tubing. OK but I bet it MUST hold 1/2 to 1ml! That ain't much at all! So if they say you have 7ml you may not have all that IN the band itself anyway! Some is in the darn tubing. So I know I am focusing on silly stuff--just that they CAN put more in there and I think they will. My Doc promised me to take the time to draw out ALL the saline next time so I could see that it is IN there and not leaking out a hole or the tube got disconnected. I read the book and these kinds of things happened up to 10% of the time. I have been urged by many on the LBT to get that checked and he agreed to do it in 4 weeks. Also said he would immediately put it all back in there. Interesting..... Meanwhile no fill this time. And he did say he could put more in it. But is it up to me? (I think there needs to be a bit more!) NO. And when and how much?? who knows?? I have advised to UP my calories from 11-1200 to 1600 a day. They think I am in "starvation" mode and am using my calories too efficiently! How about that!? I am also exercising BIG time with weights, walking, etc. So I am to try this and lose very slowly at about 1/2 a week but just keep at it... if it doesn't work I am too switch off then. What a journey this is!

Thanks though! I need a BIT more in mine still and am GLAD to know I should be able to get it in there.....

My daughter has the Allergan band. I've just been banded so I'm not anywhere near getting close to max fill. But I know with my daughter who was at 6.00, had a fill to 6.5 and it was too much and went back down to 6.25. So even a half could be a big difference. But when she had plastic surgery recently, they had to remove the fill in case she needed to throw up after surgery. When they removed it, she actually had almost 7 cc in there. My dr. said that there's not an exact science to it all. That sometimes there's more or less in the band than they think, that they can be off. That's why they remove it all before putting more back in. So good luck. The next fill may just do it for you.

Trisha