RestlessMonkey

My doc said that we'd all need a good multivitamin (that's not uncommon...even un-banded people would usually be well advised to take a good multi!), a calcium supplement (don't know if that's everyone or just women) and we might need b-12. That's IT. We're given (most of us) some type of prescription pain med post op but that is very short term.

Well it took me 5 1/2 years plus; it won't take you that long! You can't compare yourself; it's not a race.

I guess it depends on how you look at it! LOL I've WANTED the band since about 2003 (tricare didn't cover it back then) but changed my mind about 1000000 times until July 2008 when my PCP FINALLY said "you need to do something drastic" YES! LOL I went to the seminar my surgeon held on 7/10 and had my first band attempt 8/11. Insurance approval took just at 48 hours.

Sorry I can't help because I have Tricare Standard and my process was really fast! BUT i will say that many people say the 6 months flies by ... so hang in there. Just get going on it; it'll happen for you!

Ok good luck. I know I have the 14 cc band and I KNOW we're all different but right now if I had 8 cc's I'd be dead! LOL

I'd call. I don't remember (if you shared it!) your band size but 8 cc's is a LOT. Especially as close to surgery as you are. Give them a buzz and see what they think...you shouldn't feel things in your throat and you seem pretty even-keeled. I mean, you MAY be a drama Queen but you don't seem that way in your posts; you seem to really think things through and be pretty calm and practical, so if you think you may be too tight, you probably are. BUT it probably wouldn't hurt you to see how you do overnight, either. You know best! :wink2:

Sarah I don't know what time it is where you are (I can barely keep track of my OWN time zone) BUT.... I think you need to call and tell your doc. You probably need a wee bit removed. Take care of yourself, chickie! :wink2:

I hope you don't mind if I post here because I have the lap band, not the realize band.... with that caveat, may I say that the statistics are really against you losing/keeping weight off on your own? I think around 5% are successful with diet and exercise alone. Especially those of us who have to lose more than 20 pounds or so. I personally gave WW a true hard try and lost only to gain it back in a year. Like the other posters who think of the band as a tool more for maintenance than just weight loss, I agree. Now if I am frustrated and WANT to overeat, I can't. If I get bored "making healthy choices" well, so what? I do agree that I could make a concerted effort to gain, by drinking milkshakes and eating candy bars and chips, but I've never been THAT self-destructive as to intentionally TRY to gain! And with the band, it is SO darned easy to, once you have restriction, just eat something filling and then forget about food for the next 5 hours. I will NEVER be as fat as I was as long as I have the band. I can say that with 100% truth and conviction. This thing is a miracle, to me. It took a LONG time for me to get to "the sweet spot" but now that I am there...hallelujah! :wink2: If it works as well for you, you will never spend an instant looking back in regret.

My preop diet was like yours, except NO NO NO Snacks. period. I've done it again, though, with my surgeon's full approval and oversight, just to get things rolling for me finally. May I say that it is about 1 MILLION percent easier to do when you have good restriction? Anyway good luck! :wink2:

Welcome and good luck! Remember most often people post here because they DO have problems or issues...many many happy bandsters do not have any trouble whatsoever and so don't post "Hi Things are great here again today!" LOL The "love the band" types far outnumber the "what did I DO" types, although you are right, there are both. It isn't for everyone. I love mine, I'll say that! But it did take me a LONG time to get good restriction and FINALLY see what all the fuss was about. It's been worth every penny though!

Followed my doc's orders explicitly (as I've posted before, i cheated on the preop diet and didn't get my band placed right away so I learned the hard way) I'm at almost 11 months out and no issues at all. LOVE my band! no gerd, no nothing! :wink2:

Hi all! I FINALLY have restriction (as of May 7 but who's counting?) and am finally losing weight! However I'm coming up on my anniversary date and want a year benchmark. BUT?? Do I count 1 year from the date I started the preop diet? Or 1 year from the date I got the band? Big difference for me (7/25 or 8/29) and will make an impact on my 1 year "loss" because as I said I am finally losing as of 5/7. In the vast scheme this isn't that important, but I wondered what you did, or will do when your "date" approaches? Count it from preop, or from true "band" date?

I think you should both go to a seminar or two...it will clear up some misconceptions you both have, and perhaps help you decide if it's right for you.

I tried them. I found that 1. I don't have any trouble taking my old 6-pill multi pack (as more vitamins in it than the bar. advantage tabs do) and 2. I thought the bariatric advantage stuff tasted vile beyond words. Not usually a weenie but I knew I wouldn't take them consistently.

If my surgeon ever spoke to me like yours did to you, he wouldn't be my surgeon. I lost 41 pounds preop and post op then gained back 15 of them before I FINALLY got restriction May 7th! (yes I remember the date...it was a BIGGIE! LOL) He NEVER implied I was failing. NEVER. He worked with me and we'd discuss things to try etc every time. In fact he said he hadn't expected any loss for about 6 months post op because many of his patients don't lose or gain during that period. He has never ever once made me doubt that, while he is a surgeon and has to generate an income, I am important to him, my success is important to him, and he will do whatever he can to help me achieve that. Go get another surgeon. Life's too short to dance with ugly men or to tolerate obnoxious imperious doctors.

What does your INSURANCE say? That's where you need to go to find out.

I had my surgery friday morning and was back in class (nursing school) that next tues afternoon. Big issue was risk for clots; i was told to get up and walk around every 30 min or so.

You'll be approved with those stats..and if by some weirdo quirk you aren't you have excellent grounds for appeal. Enjoy your vacation!

usually yes ins. pays. Check with your provider to be sure.

Yep this one is one for the doc. What you describe isn't good nor how the band is supposed to function. You need medical intervention.

didn't mean to insult you Sarah but I don't think age or being old has much to do with it...unless maybe the surgeon's age? LOL J/k They never mentioned in school, either, that older people are more prone to get catheterized. Especially now that, in the USA, medicare etc won't pay for UTI's caused by catheterizations, I am sure they'll be done less and less.

Glad to help! There are a bunch of us "type A" types who want to "master" everything etc...but it's a process. I KNOW you'll do marvelously!

That's my point exactly; one can only assume the chosen surgeon stays current on the science and adjusts his/her practice as circumstances warrant. For example while I was going through the preop phase my surgeon adjusted the time he wanted us to wait to have liquids...from 1 hour post meal to 15 minutes. But his preop diet hasn't changed (I got another copy of it a month ago) Do what your doc tells you, essentially. If you don't trust your doc, get another. If you trust him/her but just "wonder"...ask their rationale. They are the pros, not we.

of course you need to go see your doctor.

I have an educated guess as to why the guidelines vary...(caveat...I don't KNOW, just guessing! LOL) Lapband has published guidelines for band useage. Surgeons take those guidelines and modify them based on the research and their own experiences. Different patients heal differently, they respond to the band differently, and even surgeons have different "styles" if you will. Some are very conservative with their patients, some more "experimental" (all within legal and moral boundaries of course). My conservative surgeon, for example, fills us slowly, likes us to stay overnight post op, has a conservative pre- and post-op diet. Others are more "let's see how you tolerate mushies". My surgeon has had patients cause slips in the first few weeks by overeating so he's cautious. Apparently yours hasn't had this experience! I have learned the hard way (through reading here and disregarding my surgeon's orders because of what "other people" were doing) that it's safest to pick a surgeon you trust and then trust him. By all means, question his rationale if you're doubtful...but overall, my surgeon and I are the ones responsible for my recovery and success, not anyone whose posts I read here, no matter how well-intentioned. Your doc should be the final answer for you and if you don't feel comfortable with that, you really need a new doc (and when I say you I mean "a person" lol not YOU specifically) They interpret what we should do as filtered by their own experiences, in other words.