RestlessMonkey

Respectfully you need to just chill out. I am 7 months post op. I have 6.25 ccs in my 14 cc band and I have pretty good restriction AND I eat steak, and shrimp just fine. I even eat bread. If you're worried, try things at home first. I honestly have never heard of a person getting something stuck and needing surgery to remove it...except chewing gum, and that isn't surgery, just an endoscopic procedure. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but the odds are very very VERY slim. You may take too large a bite, not chew well, and "PB" it back up (kind of burp it back up) and it isn't necessarily fun but won't require a trip to the doc etc. Seriously discusss this with your surgeon or nutritionist if you can't move beyond it. While it's understandable to not want to try different foods out in public, you shouldn't be afraid to try them at home. Order things at restaurants that you've already tried and know you can eat. And FYI for many (not all, but many) of us...until we get some fills, our bands are wide open and there are no problems eating anything!

Headhunter I really am NOT trying to stalk you and contradict you (but I think it seems that way even to me and I KNOW I'm not! ) so forgive me please.... but... coffee isn't really all that bad, or at least not bad for everyone. In smaller amounts (they are finding) it ISNT a diuretic, and in fact it can help delay or prevent diabetes II (research is ongoing so don't everyone start chugging it) and it also helps with parkinsons. A little caffeinated coffee can help you be more mentally alert (without the sugar high and subsequent crash) and so on. So people shouldn't be knee-jerk about coffee; for some, it is a GOOD thing, for others, maybe not. And of course...ALL Things in moderation..

Try this link: Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band

They are very comparable, I think...and I have the lap band. The realize band has a smaller port I believe so as you lose it's not as likely to stick out. I would be FURIOUS that they put something different that what I asked for without clearing it with me, and I would think the surgeon should come clean with you, (although they are so scared of malpractice lawsuits that may never happen even if they WANT to say ... I messed up, sorry... so you may be out of luck there). Having said that, though, they both work. Many people just let their docs decide; unless you had a very strong specific reason for wanting the lap band over the realize, I'm sure you'll be fine. You could demand that he fix it...but I don't know that I'd want to go through surgery for that because they really are both very good pieces of medical equipment.

I agree, at least a week. It is very personal; depends on how well you handle everything...physically AND emotionally! Some pop up ready to go the next day (almost) and some take longer than a week to recover. A week is a good base guess!

We're all different....I got the band so I wouldn't HAVE to diet and as a good friend of mine says..."I didn't go through this to eat cardboard the rest of my life!" I try to eat healthy and make good choices as I'm sure most of us do; but if I want an occasional food that isn't healthy I'd hate for the lap band gods to strike me dead or something. The point of the band is to be able to eat regular food in smaller portions. If that means an occasional junior burger or part of a corn dog, so be it. We each have to pursue this weight loss thing in our own best way; we of all people should prove the truth of "one size does NOT fit all". That applies to the band, too. There are very few absolutes with the band, thank goodness! :w00t:

Check with your stylist.

Hang in there! I'm shocked it's taking so long, unless you have a insurance-required period where you have to try dieting, under a physician's supervision. I didn't (but them I started out REALLY obese) and from seminar to surgery was just at a month.

Why would the saline just "disappear"? To where? That's not logical! More likely there's a leak or they didn't put any back in or they missed your port...or some other such thing. I'm sure you're upset; I don't blame you! Are you sure there's no way you can get back in before you leave?

Call your surgeon and ask what to take (they all have different preferences). You're smart to do it now! Esp if you've had opiod pain relievers, constipation is a definite risk post op.

I'm sorry that it hurts you to eat. I don't think it should. I have 6.25 ccs in my 14 cc band (I didn't even know there was one that held 12 cc's...4, 9, 10 and 14 but never heard of 12 before! ) and if I eat too fast or too large a bite I feel it, but if I'm mindful I CAN eat anything. (Including a cheddar biscuit from Red Lobster) have you discussed your pain with your surgeon? My doc has been very conservative with the fills...so I've been slow to start losing, but as he promised, I'm now restricted (1/2 to 3/4 cup of food and full for 5 hours) and losing, but able to eat anything. I am sure that doesn't work for everyone and we are all different, but hopefully as you progress it will be different for you. Personally if it hurt me to eat the healthy stuff, my "band would fail" because I'd eat slider stuff. No "anabuse" analogy would keep me going back to pain and anguish. I think of my band as a helpful friend and buddy. Not even a deterrent. It is like my contacts; helps me see how things really are. I don't do well with a taskmaster though..if I felt the way you did I'd go nuts! :w00t: So I'm glad you found a mindset that works for you...I don't really understand or embrace it but that's the beauty of the band, I guess...we really can each use it in a way that works best for us! Amazing, huh?

remember the old saying "nothing ventured, nothing gained"...or lost, in this case! :w00t:

Glad you called and got the "pro's" advice! :w00t:

I'd consider the source, honestly. I have a BFF who's been my friend since we were 6 (and that's 48 years now! LOL) and if she told me I was obsessed about something, I'd have to listen to her. She's always had my back, never ever tried to undermine or hurt me, and loves me like a (good) sister. So if she said I was obsessed, I'd know she'd struggled and worried about it before telling me, and I'd have to talk to her and find out why she feels that way. I have some (more short term) friends who are more competitive and if they said I was obsessed, I'd probably still ask them why, but just to chuckle to myself about their opinion. So only you know your friend and your aunt and your relationship. My friend isn't overweight and has never been...but she loves me and wants me healthy and happy. In the final analysis, only you know the answer to this. If you live and breathe weight loss, maybe they are right. If you've just changed, they need to get on board...maybe just talking to them about it (and their own struggles) is what's indicated. You probably are changing, and they are both probably a little scared (or at least put off) by it. Help them see your side.

Call your doctor. We aren't physicians and can't diagnose you...we can feel for you, but you need your doc's advice on this one!

Welcome! If I were you I'd contact my insurance to even see if the procedure is covered, and if so, attend a seminar. There are also some really great books out there...check on Amazon or your favorite book store. And finally, look around this site and others like it. It's a big decision...but a good one for some of us!

As you can see there are various reasons. Ask your surgeon his/her thinking on the subject. Mine wasn't worried about anything except the appetite stimulation aspect and since it does NOT stimulate my appetite (as I say, apparently one of the few things that doesn't) I did go without caffeine for 2-3 months but now enjoy my unsweetened iced tea and 1 cup of coffee daily. (FYI decaf coffee can be as hard, or harder, on the stomach because it is generally more acidic). Find out what your surgeon says and discuss it.

What will likely happen is you will "stick this through" and end up in the emergency room over the weekend! Call and get a slight unfill now! You can get dehydrated fairly quickly!

I have only bought travel insurance in conjunction with a specific trip...and in that case everything is pre-existing. I guess things are just different over here in the USA! My medical insurance covers me when I'm in the country anyway...but when I ever travel abroad I'll make sure I have something that would cover the band.

I'd go with experience. Just because you can play an oboe doesn't mean you can play the flute. And aftercare is more than fills. What if you have a weird pain by your port...your surgeon won't know if that's common, if it's kinked, infected, leaking, or in your head! Sure people have to learn sometime...but are you getting a big discount since you're a guinea pig? I'd pass, and get someone with experience.

I don't count calories, not everyone does. I just try to eat a healthy diet, and I'm losing well now that I have restriction!

I didn't drink coffee (or my beloved unsweetened iced tea) pre op or about 2 months post op. Now I do.

Mine won't. It's too early. This isn't bypass....you need to heal first. It will happen!

The ONLY thing I'd have done differently...is to follow my doctor's instructions precisely from the start. I didn't and had to have 2 surgeries because he couldn't place the band the first time. So my advice is to do what your doctor says, not what a friend says, not what you read here, etc! And I don't know about a post op stool softener. I had a preop bowel prep (as most of us do) and it wasn't that bad. It's important that you be cleaned out before surgery...it's for your safety.

The initial time is to heal, not lose. Hang in there. This is the band, not bypass....you are on track! Eat per your doctor's instructions. As you get fills and start to exercise (once you are healed) you'll lose.