Woodsy

Hi SkiGirlDenver, Did you get your band yet? I am so excited for you.

The day before surgery you can't eat anything except clear liquids and you have to take laxatives. This goes for any surgery you would have on you digestive system. I felt pretty good after surgery, only problem was the gas from the surgery. They give you liquid pain killer which I took to relieve the pressure of the gas. It helped alot. I had a c-section birth before and this is no problem compared to that. I went back to work on the 7th day after surgery, a bit uncomfortable, but fine for the most part. Dr. Schram was very quick, I was in and out of surgery in less than 45 minutes. My sister didn't even have time to start reading a magazine before he came out and told her I was in recover and everything went fine. I am on my 3rd fill and starting to lose faster now. Congrats on your surgery date. J-

Hi Stacey, Are you using the Barix Clinic? I did and I had a great experience. Clear liquid are easy, broth, water, juices anything you can see thru. Good luck with your surgery. Jackie

Which bodybugg did you get? $399, it was more expensive than I expected.

My Doc said they had to go to a training session to get the number. One of the nurses was sent to the training where she received the number and then passed all the info on to me. The surgeon had no idea what I was talking about when I initially confronted him about it but the nurse new what i wanted. The realize site has been updated, you can now enter your own recipes and the food list is longer. This makes it so much easir to track what your eating.

How is everything going? I have my 3rd fill next week. I have a hard time with meat, I have to cut it up so that it is about the size of a piece of corn or I choke on it. I am feeling fat today, those days suck. Anyway, I am worried what it is going to feel like after this next fill. Will I have PB's? will I know when to stop? Right now, when I first start eating, I feel it and I have to slow down. If I eat meat first,then I can only have about 3 bites of food before i feel like my chest is going to explode. But, if I eat veggies first, it seems easier. Have you found that to be true?

I won't miss: not wearing shorts fat feet ugly bathing suits lumpy butt Lane Bryant - Yes, I can shop for clothes anywhere! snoring

Meat hurts. no matter what kind, except fish. I can't eat anything in the morning.

Hi, Just got my 2nd fill today, now I have 4cc in my 9cc band. I have another appt in 3 weeks. They told me that usually 6-7cc works for everyone. My goal is to lose about 115 pounds, that would put me at a good weight ( I think). I will see what I feel like when I get there. I was down 2 more pounds today, YAH!

I have a friend who has had the band for 1 year. she said the first 6 months were just trying to find the right fit on the fills. She has lost over 100 lbs with the band and exercise. She looks and feels fantastic. I am sure we will all get there as long as we eat healthy and move our bodies. Looking forward to summer and more weight loss. I too have gone down 1 size in clothing. It feels good to say that. . . When you say you have good restriction, how do you know when to stop eating, just the pressure or hiccups or what?

That's great news. I didn't even think about contacting them. That is great news about your band working for you. I am sure mine will work once I get it to the right fill level. So what are you eating and how much are you exercising? How much do you want to lose?

What kind of band do you have and where is the port? My port is beside my ribcage and I can't even feel that it is there. When I had my fill, I didn't even feel it. But, I don't feel any restriction unless I am eating some kind of meat, then it gets stuck and I feel pressure in my chest. Anyone else have that feeling? Still haven't lost much weight, only 13 pounds since surgery but I am hoping that this spring I can get out more(Michigan weather can be nasty) Second fill is coming up on April 9th, hoping to get more restriction and more weight loss.

Oh yes, the Realize site should look at the Weight Watchers site. Their site is fantastic and has almost any food you can imagine. I hate that I have to settle for a similar food and somehow make it work. Doesn't make sense that they would put so little effort into a support site when this is such a hot industry???

How is everything going? Do you still feel restriction? Are you happy with where you are right now?

MamaJava, I go in for my second fill on April 9th. My first fill was 2.5cc, but before I left the office, he took 1cc out because I felt nausiated. He gave me some Water to drink and he could hear gurgling coming from my throat. He said thats not supposed to happen. So, now what's gonna happen on Wednesday? Will my body be able to tolerate more in the band or is this it? I can pretty much eat whatever I want. Have little or no restriction. My port, it never hurts and I can't feel it when I lay on my tummy. I am pretty happy about that. My incision is looking better, but I had bruising in one area and it it still there. My surgery was Jan 3, 2008. You would think it would be gone by now. I have only lost 13 pounds since surgery. I don't feel like I overeat but I don't exercise like I probably should. I am only getting to the gym 2 days a week. I am hoping that since summer is coming I can get out and about more.

Hi, I was banded in January of this year. I would like to attend the meetings. I live less than 1 mile from the meeting site. Can you let me know when the next meeting is?

Krista, how do you like Dr. Schram and the Barix clinic? I noticed that you got banded 1 day before me? Did you know you were getting the realize band? How did you first fill go? I got sick to my stomach and they had to pull some out before I left.

HI, I am glad you posted. I did a lot of research on the lapband before my surgery and then when I went in for my surgery my doc told me he was using a different band because he thought it was better (realize band). That really threw me for a loop and I almost called off my surgery because of it. But then I thought my surgeon is well known in my area and all he does is bariactric surgeries and I should trust him. I am glad I did because I rarely feel hungry. Maybe it would be true of the lapband as well. I think you get out of it what you put into it and both bands are a great tool to help get the pounds off. So far I am happy, but it has only been two months. Keep up the good work, your an inspiration!

Compare The Realize Band System to Lap-Band - REALIZEBand.com So what your saying is that the information supplied by J & J on this site is inaccurate and I should sue them for false advertising?

OMG! thats sounds painful. I can't believe that would happen so quickly. I am very glad you are okay now. Take care of yourself and goodl luck on your weight loss journey. This web site helps me keep focused. When I feel like eating something bad, I come here and then I realize how lucky I am to have my insurance pay for this and that a lot of people never have that opportunity.

How did you know so soon after your first surgery the band slipped? Xray?

How are you doing? Have you had your fill yet? I was supposed to have it, but it was on the day we had a huge snow storm. My fill date is now Wednesday teh 27th. I don't feel very much restriction anymore, I am glad I am getting filled. I have only lost about 12 pounds since the surgery and I can't wait to lose 100 more. Sometimes if I eat too fast I feel like its stuck in my esophogus but it passes. I am sure once my band gets filled more I will probably just throw up. Have you gone to the realize web site yet? It is a decent site for tracking your size but the food tracker is lame. The Weight Watchers web site is awsome for food tracking but you have to pay for it.

right now my incisions are just red, not raised or anything. all my swelling is gone and I am feeling good. How are you doing with everything?

I was pretty happy about the low profile port. Where is your port? Mind is a couple inches above the bottom of my ribcage in the soft area of my abdomine. About half way between my belly button and the bottom of my breasts. I never hurts, thank goodness, because I have read so much about port site pain.

I don't get my fill until Feb 13th. Did you have to go on liquids after the fill? I wonder if different doctors put the band in different (higher or lower) areas of the stomach. Maybe that's why I feel full all the time. I hope that doesn't mean that when I get the fill I won't be able to eat anything. J-