slm2007

Just set my TIVO, thanks! Curious to see if it is pro or con? .... Just have to make sure none of my family see it if it is "con" - - - they are fighting me on this as it is, I don't need to add fuel to the fire.

Actually, my insurance company is switching from 6 months to 12 months. My dr. wanted to hurry and make sure I had all my testing and approval done before they made this switch and I think that is happening at the end of June. Effective July 1, 2011, I believe that my BC/BS will be a 12 month diet...and I think that is insane. My physicians office said a lot of insurance plans are doing it now.

I am glad you posted this but honestly, I cannot bring myself to puree chicken or any meat? I just don't think I could deal with it consistency wise....chicken should not be like pudding....it's a physical thing and it might taste okay but I will stick with plenty of other mushie things that I can get down and I'll probably do the canned chicken, tuna and white fish the whole time. They (doctors office) also suggested baby food meat...seriously, no wonder babies spit that stuff out....

I'm assuming that because this was a voluntary recall in October 2010, taht the bands they used from say November 2010 forward were "corrected"?

I'm getting banded on 4/18 and when I met with the surgeon I had the same questions. His response was they both do the same, AGAIN...it is how you use it and he told me that honestly 90% of the work is up to the user and not the band. I'm going with the REalize because of the low profile port. I know the Lap Band has a low profile port too but the physician assistant told me that they don't use the low profile port for Lap, just the regular one..so I opted and told them I want the Realize band. There are supposedly pros and cons with both. I liked the low profile port and the fact that they say the Realize is a low pressure vs. high pressure band. But, that can be a negative because supposedly it might take me a little longer to get good restriction? It's a crap shoot, so my winner was the low profile port. If they used a low profile for Lap, I wouldn't have cared which he put in me. Not that I've helped you at all

I understand the cold feet.....I've been wearing A LOT of socks lately (*grin*). My surgery is 4/18 and I back out every day but then I look at myself and wonder who the heck is that in the mirror. I'm not this fat girl inside and I want to be healthy and happy and be here for my son. He is my motiviation. I've been here before and backed out...not as far as actually have surgery scheduled but doing the presurgery diet with the PCP etc. I wasn't dedicated to the life change, but NOW I am. I'm here and I'm ready. I read the pp about the cold feet being about giving up our "foods." And I get that...I relate so much and I think my cold feet and fears are about the pain after surgery, the month following and "will I ever be able to eat a little bit of _____ again?" SInce I've been making subtle changes to my eating, such as cutting out soda, cutting back sugar use and using SPlenda, my tastes have changed. I've cut back on my amount of food, eating off a bread/butter plate for dinner and even my "amounts" have changed that satisfy me. My husband says I can lose it "naturally" - which I agree, I can....I've done it quite a few times, but my problem is keeping it off and that is where I hope this band will be my friend and help me maintain control. I know it is a mind thing and I have to keep it together but if I'm full...I'm full...no more room at the Inn. I'm scared, scared of changes, scared of missing out but I'm so excited for all the things I'll be able to do when the weight comes off...riding on a rollercoaster with my son, playing with him at the park, not getting exhausted on a short walk, not embarrassing him in front of his friends (his mom is fat), etc. There is SO much more to gain out of this than what I'm going to be missing out on.....Good Luck to you and we are all here and I think we all have had some level of fear, anxiety, excitement so you aren't alone.

I've seen my surgeon twice...at the initial consult and last week at my pre-op appointment. I've had blood work (twice), EKG, chest x-ray, upper gi and montly visits to the PCP. These are requirements by the surgeon and not necessarily by the insurance company. I also have to have an upper gi again before I can leave the hospital because they want to make sure everything is in place and there are no problems before I go home.

EVERYONE is asking for SS #'s anymore and it is frustrating. I will not give it out as freely as they ask for it. I wouldn't give it to them...no reason for them to have it.

I am picky and want something that is just about as good as a Wendy's chocolate frosty. I've tried the Oh Yeah! brand of ready-to-drink shakes and "love" them (as much as you can love a Protein shake). Cold enough they are yummy and satisfy my sweet craving.

Congratulations, good luck and best wishes! Here is to a speedy recovery and great results! Keep us posted on your progress...I'm always intersted to hear about post-op stuff because I'm scheduled in April and want to know what to look forward to

Oh, I just have to add this for all of us fat, lazy people to read.....my husband says to me (and not in a mean way but he just doesn't get it)...." I really don't want you to get this surgery, just eat less and exercise more" - - My response.."Okay, honey, for example I got weighed on 2/25 and for the next month I've been going to the gym 3 or 4 days a week (I'm lucky I can fit that in) and living on Lean Cusines for lunch and a bread/butter plate for my dinner servings (and my son usually shares from that). Go to the doctor on 3/25...I gained a freaking pound! I'm starving myself and I gained a pound. If it was so easy for me to "eat less/exercise more" then I'd be skinny. " I've been on this 8 month diet now and I've only dropped 15 pounds (up and down a few). It is not a simple antidote of "eat less/exercise more" for some of us. I can work and work and starve and starve and nothing happens for me. I get frustrated, quit and return to eating like I did before. With the band as my friend, hopefully, I will see that scale moving....even a simple pound per week....and it will keep me motivated. If I lose motivation, I get frustrated. I wish people would stop thinking we are lazy fat people because, while that might be true for some, I think the people on this board are dedicated to success and the work that comes with it.

Great words and I even used that example of "easy" against someone who said that to me.....My comment back was...if it is so much easier, why is that a bad thing? The car makes it easier, the computer makes it easier, the microwave etc....you use them don't you? If it helps your quality of life why not? Thanks for the great post! Great Words, Great Message .....

I am so happy to see this post...you have no idea. Not that I'm glad you feel bad, don't get me wrong but I'm a prebander and so dreading the liquid diet. My husband is already telling me that I'm going to regret this surgery and I've told him for the first month I'm going to cry and wonder what the heck I did to myself. I am glad to see the same emotions are running through someone else and I'm not alone. I will do my best to follow the instructions but darn it....you get hungry and if you aren't "feeling bad" then you are going to want something to eat. Maybe they should give us a pill that will give us the flu for about two weeks, then we wouldn't want to eat anything but water and crystal light. I will just keep in mind that the first month is the hardest....if I can get through that it will be worth it. I'm sure you aren't the only one who wondered "what the heck" you did to yourself. I'll be saying those words on April 19th and April 20th but I'm hoping by June 20th, my 40th birthday, I will be a size smaller and feeling better. Good Luck to you, take it slow, do the best you can and you'll feel better soon. Everyone says so who has been there, so hang tight...the light at the end of the tunnel is coming.

I read this and it really made me stop and think. I'm a prebander and am not experiencing this but I'm experiencing what I consider to be "sabatoge-before-the-fact." My family is not that supportive, except for my one sister but I think the others are not supportive because they are also heavy and not succeeding (or even trying) to lose weight. They will complain and complain but no one is doing anything about it....I am. I sick of being fat and uncomfortable...20+ years is long enough. I also think that my husband is afraid for me to lose weight...I think he thinks I'll leave him (and if he doesn't straighten up, I just might but it won't be because I lost weight). I know losing weight will help me gain some confidence back and Yes, that will change me. Yes, I 'm going to be more confidence, yes, I'm going to be proud of the fact that I've worked to go from a 20 to a 10 (gosh, I can't wait) but WLS is not an easy fix. My parents are always telling me about so-and-so who had surgery and is just as big as they were before surgery. Sad for her, but it is not going to discourage me from becoming healthy and confident.....if you want to continue to hurt and be couch potatoes good for you, I hope it is working for you, but if what I'm doing is too much for you to deal with, then I just don't need to deal with you.

Are you living my life? Are my relatives talking to you? I totally relate. I get the "do it naturally, you've done it before." "You aren't that big that you need to resort to surgery." REALLY? I think that if my family new my weight they would be shocked and YES, i"ve done it "naturally" before...heck I've done it quite a few times but here I am. If I could keep it off, then I wouldn't be here. I am frustrated with family as well and as my surgery date is getting closer, honestly, I'm scared to death of this change BUT, I know I have to do it before it is too late and I develop diabetes or some other condition. So far the only thing I've dealt with is some high blood pressure. I have a 3 year old son that I want to be here for and at this point in my life, this is MY decision so I can be healthy and live a good, fun life with my son. I've shut other people out who won't listen or be supportive. My family is sort of coming around because they know I'm not turning back....they can either help me succeed or step out of the situation. I even looked into getting a taxi or taking the bus to my hospital the day of surgery so I didn't have to bother any of my non-supporters...funny how they want to be there now. You do this for you. If you are like me, yes, you can lose it on your own, but you can't keep it off or we wouldn't be resorting to this surgery. No, I don't want to have to do this but after 20+ years of up and down and fad diets and more weight gained back than lost...I'm tired of it. I admit I need the help and I think I have my mind in a good place where I can lose it and the band will help me keep it off. I'm scared, excited, nervous and have really, really cold feet but I know it is what I have to do. I have warned my husband that the first month he is going to hear a lot of whining and "what did I do to myself" moments but I know in the end when I purchase my first outfit that is not in the chubby chic section and my blood pressure is normal and I'm not longer exhausted and tired, it will totally be worth it. Keep heading down your journey...you only have one you and you need to take care of it. If this is what you need to do, do it and don't look back. Good Luck and we are all here to support you....we've been there, or are there or are heading there :thumbsup:

So exciting. I am not banded yet but getting out of plus size is my biggest goal. If I never reach goal.....if I get out of "W" sizes that will thrill me. I want to reach goal but my big dream is shopping in the normal section...even a size 16 without the W will feel amazing. Keep up the awesome work.

I met with the surgeon yesterday as my pre-op appointment, getting instructions and all that. We can choose our band and of course I'm researching and researching. I think I'm going to go with the Realize? Why? I'm not 100% sure, but I think the flatter port made my decision and reading about low pressure vs. high pressure? Thoughts, suggestions, do you like yours? Pros/Cons....lemme hear it....

I'm thinking if you go on Realize.com there is an option for patient support. www.realizemysuccess.com maybe something like that. Realize My Succss Program, if you search that you should find it. Also, If you register after your surgery, there should be numbers you are to register from your band card? I've snooped around on the site and registered even though I'm not banded, and can't access everything because I don't have numbers to register from my band. I guess this will also allow your doctor to see your progress if you wish.

I asked about this.....because I said if he "got in there" and decided that maybe a Lap was better, a low profile port is very important to me. The PA told me that they don't use the lower profile port for the Lap, just the regular one, so that is how I leaned more toward the Realize. I was actually good with either one but the low profile was important....If they would use the low profile for Lap, I don't think I'd care which they implanted. I like that the Realize is supposedly a low pressure, but then I've read things about it being a "triangle" shape when filled. In reality, the doctor told me, neither is better, neither has less complications, he likes the applicator for the port for the Realize but the Lap is fine too. He was quite honest and said, it's all how you use it. 85% of success is how you use it, neither band is magic and they can both fail you if you fail yourself. There you go......so I guess it just comes down to the port size for me...silly I know.

I've been using the ready-to-drink Oh Yeah brand. It does come in an 8 oz. bottle and has 15 grams of protein in that and the 14 oz bottle has 32 grams of protein. It has 220 calories in the 14 oz bottle but I can drink it and that is important. It isn't going to do me any good no matter how many grams of protein and how little calories if I can't get it down. I'd rather have 20 extra calories and be able to drink the stuff. I've gotten samples from ww.vitalady.com and the Dessert line is pretty decent. I've have samples of the Unjury and haven't tried those yet. I've also heard that you can mix your shakes with SF pudding mixes to add some flavors. Thanks for the tip, EAS is one that I haven't tried yet.

Here is my two cents. If I had more than 150 pounds to lose, I wouldn't do bypass but I'm pretty sure I would probably have the sleeve over the band. I'm not into the bypass and the malabsorption issues. I don't like the idea of them moving my organs around but I'm okay with them removing over half of my stomach. With the sleeve you have the early weight loss with the reduction feeling but as with other weight loss surgery, you can stretch the stomach and regain the weight. That is why I say "probably have the sleeve" if I had more than 150 pounds to lose. Things that I like about the band and am hopeful about....I like the idea of a little slower weight loss so my body can adapt and I don't have drastic changes to my body. I've seen people lose weight so quickly that it ages them and I'm still a little vain about that. I like that it is not a permanent change to my body. If I have an issue, it can be removed. I hope that if I'm successful and since it is in there, I will be able to continue with the "full" feeling through my life whereas with a bypass or sleeve, some people have learned to eat around it. I know you can do that with the band but this is where the discipline comes into play. So with that said, I no longer have 100 pounds to lose and I'm not a candidate for the sleeve because my BMI is not over 50....so the reality of being faced with the decision of the band or sleeve isn't right in front of me. I think I'd probably discuss the sleeve in more depth with my surgeon because if you have a significant amount of weight to lose and you aren't scared of the permanent removal of some of your stomach, this might be an option to consider? It doesn't have the malabsorption issues like bypass, it is faster weight loss but it is a newer surgery so a lot of insurance companies aren't covering it yet. I'm happy I'm getting the band and I see that a lot of people who have more than 100 pounds to lose are very, very successful with it. It seems like the heavier we are, the better the weight loss is in the beginning. Anyhow, that is my two cents. Good luck in your decision and I honestly think if you are ready to make the changes, do the things that it is going to take, you'll be successful with the band and it's not a permanent change to your body.

I'm a pre-bander but I've already said to my husband that I know I'm going to "regret" the first month so be prepared for a lot of whining and "what did I do to myself" moments. But, in the end, I think with the changes I've made so far this will help me succeed. I'm not looking to be skinny, I'm looking to be healthy. If I can get below 200, I will be thrilled...If I can get down to 160...look out!

Jiminyt - Thank you for this information. I do agree with a lot of it and was wondering why they would do this "research" with results from patients from 1994-1997 and I read that was only a small handful. That is why I wondered what others thought about this. I know that the technology and the knowledge has changes so much since 1997!!! Shame on them for even being able to report this OLD information?