MichelleInCA

I really think you need to find a new surgeon, hon. Or a lawyer to scare the one you have into treating you properly.

Oh, I think most companies insist it be medically necessary. But usually a high enough BMI with some other health issues is enough to prove it is necessary. For me it was BMI in high 40s, sore joints, mild sleep apnea, borderline high BP, and acid reflux. That is quite a basket o' problems. :shades_smile:

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and it covers LB, but it's a special plan from my employer. I don't know if their self-insurance plans have the same rules. Good luck finding an insurer.

I'm March 5 too! Just 2 days! (I'm in the bay area, California.) I really can't believe it. I haven't had a surgery since my tonsils came out at age 6. I'm sure it will be fine, but I just want to be over and home recovering. 8 days off work sounds pretty nice right now. I've also been on the liquid Protein diet for 2+ weeks. I didn't faint, but I have felt pretty crappy at times, and very hungry. I know what you mean, though! I have to admit I went out with friends to a "last supper" on Friday and ate a nice dinner. Don't tell my surgeon! :thumbup: I've still lost about 6 lbs in the 2 weeks so I think it will be okay. Good luck to you in any case and let's compare recovery notes when we get home!

My surgery is Wednesday the 5th, and I've been on the liquid/protein diet for nearly 2 weeks. It really is hard to find drinks you enjoy, isn't it? My favorite is the Elite Protein powder, which I blend with milk and ice, and maybe half a banana. Right out the blender it tastes good. They have it at GNC. I have to admit I went out to a "last supper" with friends Friday night. I just felt I needed some closure on the foods I love, and a last cocktail. Didn't pig out, but definitely ate a variety of foods. Just bought some Isopure today, and boy, it's not that tasty IMO. But if you drink 3/day, that's 120 g of protein, which should be enough. Hang in there and good luck!

Hey all. I'm one week away from my March 5 date! My doc put me on liquid/ Protein for the 2 weeks prior. I'd lost 8 of the 10 lbs she required, but she wanted to speed it up. Then on the day before, just Clear liquids. I'm already sick of Protein drinks, that's for sure. I had to eat some lettuce and tomatoes last night. Ha. Still drinking 1 c of coffee/day, but no more diet coke. Tragedy! :biggrin: I think I'm ready to just get it over with at this point. And it's about time to make a ticker, I think. I love all your tickers!

Fair enough. The meta study shows the older LapBand = Realize in effectiveness, complications, etc. So the logic you are putting forth is that the older LapBand is every bit as "horrible" as the Swedish Band, but the AP is so much better, it makes the older one look like crap? Innamed might disagree. From my research the AP was developed because the company knew the wider/lower-pressure Realize band was coming to the US and they had to compete. You keep telling everyone to do their own research... well as you can see there are not a lot of studies with the AP band to look at. Maybe another view is I don't want to use a brand new band model, just like I don't want to use Windows Vista until it gets fixed. (Plus I'm a mac user so...)

For anyone still interested... my surgeon sent me this reference to a "meta" study of over 4500 band studies, conducted by independent researchers. They used studies from all over the world to compare the Realize band to the Lap Band. The studies covered 4273 patients in SAGB (Realize) band studies and 24,707 patients in LB (Lapband) studies. Here is the main conclusion: CONCLUSION: In a systematic review of the published world SAGB and LB data, at 1, 2, and 3 years, the weight loss, resolution of diabetes and hypertension, and complications appeared comparable. This sure agrees with what my surgeons have been telling me... it's just a matter of choice.

I have GERD and Crohn's disease. The latter means I'm not a candidate for bypass, which is fine with me because I wanted something less severe. My surgeon said the Crohn's should not be disturbed by the band -- it should be the same. The issue is getting the pills down every day since they can't be crushed! As for the reflux, I'm hoping it will get better as I lose weight but I suppose reflux is a pretty common occurrence with a band. I plan to continue my Prilosec for that...

I just spoke to my surgeon about the assertions made here about the Realize band. He is going to pass them on to the J&J ethics department to see what their reaction is and let me know. He said there are no huge studies comparing one band to the other in a controlled, double-blind way. All the data he sees shows very little difference between the current design of both bands, and his current preference for Realize is based on their great on-line customer support. How each band feels in your hand before surgery does not indicate how they behave in place around your stomach. In any case, he is willing to give me whichever one I want. Oh, and he said reports of more erosions with the Swedish band were likely due to early surgical techniques in which the bands were sutured in place very tightly, with many stitches. Now there are just a few stitches to loosely hold it in place. I'll pass on whatever else I learn.

This is really terrible. I'm trying to make a life-changing decision and I have no idea if what I'm reading here is real or total crap! I've already emailed my surgeon's assistant with my worries about the Realize band. I hope she doesn't just tell me to find a new surgeon, now 6 months into this. :thumbup:

Is the APL model also available in the US now?

I just made plans with my surgeon last week to go with the Realize band, largely because of the on-line support site. She also said, I think she did anyway, that it would be a new Realize model. But now I'm going to go question that a lot more. I sure don't want an old design. Is the Lap Band AP widely available in the US now? I definitely want a lower-pressure, higher volume band. The surgeon said they are easier to get right fill-wise. And, they work better when you have to take pills that can't be chopped up, which is the case for me.

Hey Sandy! Sounds like you had a lot of good reasons for surgery. I have told my close friends and family what I'm going to do, and so far 90% have been very supportive, the other 10% sort of worried. But I felt good telling them; I'll need their support once it's done. And most people need to watch their weight even if they're pretty thin, I find. Once I have the surgery I'll check in here with you. At that point I'll be a fellow bandster. :tt2: My pre-op appt is tomorrow. I hope I've lost the rest of the weight I needed to!

Good luck Sarah! Mine will be March 5 and I'm freaking out a little more every day. :smile2: Pre-op is this Friday. Can't wait to get all those complicated instructions. :thumbup: I turned 48 last week. Wish I'd done this a few years ago but no use regretting it. I guess I had to come to this at my own pace. I hope my skin has some elasticity left!

Oh, thanks so much for replying -- I'll be sure to request Dr. Foster for my fills if that's the case! My mom will be visiting for the surgery and after. I'll let her know she can stay with me. I might need my mommy all night, even though I'll be 48 by March 5. I haven't been in the hospital since I got my nose broken in high school... When you left the hospital did you feel you had all the instructions you needed? It seems rather complicated all in all. How soon were you able to drive, and return to work? I'm hoping not to miss more than a week. :eek:

Hi all, I'm in Sunnyvale. I'll be banded on March 5 at El Camino Hospital, by Dr. Pamela Foster of the Burlingame Surgical group. She operates at Mills-Penn as well as ECR Hospital. It's great to hear stories from the locals, so keep them coming! It seems the post-op can be pretty easy or somewhat tough depending on the person. I hope I'm a lucky one. :smile: Michelle