dragonfly34

I have the Realize Band and I was banded on 2/11/09...I found out yesterday under fluro that my port has to be replaced...My doctor was having trouble hitting my port during fills so he decided to do it under fluro...Once he was in the saline didn't move up the tubing so he tried dye and it didn't move either so after several attempts he thinks my tubing has a kink in it...So I'm scheduled for surgery as of right now on Jan. 27th...My question is has anyone else had to have their port and tubing replaced and what was your experience? I know everyone's situation and experience is different just curious...Thanks for any replies...

Hi guys!! Need some input please?!?!? I had to have my port and tubing replaced to my realize band...We didn't know why until my surgery on Monday but the tubing came un-screwed from the port...Doesn't make me a happy camper...I believe I'm more sore this time the my original surgery just a year ago...So has anyone had this problem before? Would love to hear from some of y'all...I have posted before and never got any answers from anyone...Thanks in advance!!

Hey Lambishop, Glad to hear your surgery went well. And also glad you were able to stay here in the states. Hope your recovery goes great and you are back on track in no time. I'm doing ok...still not tight enough but have appt. in couple of weeks. It really is amazing to me how quick you can seem to forget what you have been doing for the last year or two when you don't have enough in your band. Good luck and please stay in touch...

JayTee562, I totally agree...LOL!! It's been along road...Thanks!!

Hey Lambishop, Wow, that is a lot out of pocket. Will your doctor here not let you make payments? I am doing better, thanks, went to the dr. yesterday and for the first time since all this has happened with my 2nd surgery he actually listened. For my second surgery I had it on a Monday and went back to work half a day on Friday. With both of my surgeries I came home the same day. I stayed sore longer with my 2nd surgery then my first. My first surgery was much easier. I hope all goes well for you and you make the right decision for you. It's tough I know cause you are basically starting over and for me that was tough to grasp, the starting all over and it had already been a year....Thanks for keeping in touch...Look forward to hearing from you soon!!

Lambishop, thanks so much...You went to Mexico? Wow!! I have gained some of my weight back as well. Before surgery I told my dr. I was hungry and he was like well I don't know why you would be because he thought my tubing had a kink in it...I've gotten 2 different stories on him on what happened...He told my mom after surgery that the tubing had come undone from the port and he put a smaller port in there and was able to use the same tubing...At my 2 week check-up he told me and my mom that the tubing had gotten tangled up in my scare tissue...So I'm not really sure what happened...I really hope your surgery goes well for you and get yourself in the right frame of mind...I look forward to hearing from you and I hope your appt. goes as you would like on Monday!!

Hey Lambishop, I am very fortunate that I am not a self pay but none the less of course I still have a hospital bill since both surgeries. I'm still waiting on the "final" total after insurance pays. My anesthesologist bill was around $1900 before insurance and the doctor/hospital bill was around $17,000 before insurance. I had my port replaced. My doctor was able to use the same tubing he just shortened it. My band was never touched so I still have my original realize band. My doctor did tell me if he ever had to go in again dealing with my band that he would have to replace the entire band again cause he left just enough tubing to go from the port to the band and he didn't like my answer. I told him if he ever had to go in there again for any reason he would be taking everything he put in there OUT!! And wouldn't be replacing anything. I know everyone's experience and surgery is different. For me my 2nd surgery was harder then the first. The main reason for that I think is because I wasn't happy about having to have it done but I felt like I had come to far to not do this atleast one time even though I really have lost very little weight. But what I had lost I felt so much better. Plus he went in 3 of my incisions from the 1st surgery making one of them about 3" long and it was like 1" to 1 1/2" before. I did use more pain medication with my 2nd surgery then my first. And this time the anesthesia kicked my butt. No nausea or anything like that just no energy what so ever since my surgery I still feel sluggish and I'm 6 weeks out. My 2nd surgery was 3 days shy of being a year from my 1st surgery. I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach when my dr. said welp were gonna have to replace your port and tubing. My office will call ya and set up a time for surgery. Of course my doctor is a whole other issue.... So is your doctor replacing your entire band (band tubing port)? I hope your surgery goes well and you recover quickly. I also hope you will be able to afford the surgery. I feel for you cause it's really frustrating and discouraging to find out you have to have surgery again for basically the same thing. Please keep me posted. E-mail me if you want on the site if you want to keep it more private. Thanks for your post and I look forward to hearing from you!!

Thanks so much for your response...I hope your revision continues to go well for you as well...And I totally understand your thinking during this time and I do mean totally understand...I'm the same way and need to get out of that myself...For me it's pretty much starting all over...Everything leaked out of my band so now there is nothing in there but what my doctor put in there during surgery and I don't know the amount...My doctor doesn't tell you how much is in your band which by the way I think really sucks and I have argued with him about it but have yet to win that one, LOL! Thanks again for answering me and good luck!!

I had to have my port/tubing replaced because my doctor thought I had a kink in my tubing...however when we got into surgery he discovered that my tubing had come unscrewed from my port so he replaced everything but the band itself...For me this surgery was more difficult then my original surgery on 02/11/09 more pain and soreness and I have taken more pain meds...I know some of it has to do with having my 2nd surgery less then a year later on 02/08/10 only 3 days shy of my 1st lapband anniversary but none the less a difficult time for me...I hope to never have anymore complications with my realize band but if I do and it requires surgery I'm going to insist my doctor remove my band/port/tubing...I would consider gastric before allowing anymore repairs on my band...Good luck to all on your weightloss journey!!

Hey CASSIEME1, thanks for your reply...I totally agree...It was really hard for me to grasp and come to terms with having the have surgery 3 days shy of my year anniversary...I'm glad to know what the problem was since I had only lost about 20lbs with 11 of the pounds being the 2 weeks of liquids before my original surgery...I am very sore from this surgery...I have taken more down time this time as well as more pain medication...I have decided that if my doctor has to go in my body for anything else dealing with my band I will ask him to take it out...all of it out...I would consider gastric before I let anything else be done to my band...I just pray this works this time...Thanks again with your input and good luck on your weightloss journey!!

Hi Guys!! Would like to know if there is any of y'all out there that have had to have your port and tubing replaced because the tubing came un-screwed from the port? I had to have that done on Monday...when my doctor went in we didn't know why I was going to have to have my port/tubing replaced but after the surgery he was obviously able to tell me what the problem was...Not happy about having to have the surgery less then a year from my original surgery...Just wondering if there are other's out there with the same problem...thanks in advance!!

I was banded on 2/11/09...I have the Realize Band...I found out today under fluro that my port needs to be replaced...The saline didn't seem to go anywhere so my doctor put in a dye and it just sat in the port and didn't go anywhere...He tried several times...My doctor seems to think the tubing has a kink in it so therefore I will have to have surgery to replace my port which I'm assuming is the entire port with the tubing...I will find out more tomorrow after a call from the doctors office...My question is has anyone else had to have their port replaced and your experience? I know everyone's experience is different just curious...Thanks so much for any replys...

Hi everyone! I'm so frustrated! I have the realize band but not sure how many cc's it will hold cause my doctor doesn't tell his patients that. I have had 5 fills and I know that after my 4th fill I have 4 1/2 cc's only because the PA told me again my doctor doesn't like for you to know what you have in your band. My doctor did my last fill so I'm not sure if he brought me up to 5 cc's or 5 1/2 cc's or maybe even 6 cc's. But I hardly have any weight loss at all and some restriction. I eat healthly most all the time. I walk 2 miles everyday. Work out with my trainer 2 times sometimes 3 times a week. I go on Monday to my Dr.'s appt. and hope he will give me another fill. I don't know how much more I can take....I'm so frustrated. I know the band is a tool to help me and I'm doing what I think I should be doing and feel like I'm getting no where fast!! Has anyone else had this problem or anything similar? Would love to hear from you. Thanks for your time!!!

I wouldn't say it is all your own fault...I have discussed in length with my doctor and my trainer that everyone is different and the weight just doesn't fall off for everyone. Although I am really frustrated both my doctor and trainer think that my body isn't ready to let go of the fat that I have carried for years and years. And no matter how much I exercise, eat healthy if my body isn't ready to give it up...then there isn't much else I can do except stay with what I am doing and hope each fill will help me get closer to where I want/need to be...

Hey Peachwood, if you don't mind sharing what brand is the unflavored liquid you can add to drinks to get in your protein? Thanks bunches!!

I was banded a week ago today and I have to say I must beg to differ on the not being hungry while your stomach is swelled--My surgery was on a Wed. and by Fri. I was hungry! I had chicken broth. My doctor is more into the Optisource and water and any liquids that have zero calories after surgery so I've had to follow the nutrionist menu to include broth/drained soups/sugar free popcicles/water/skim or 1% milk--I did the sugar free jello and while it didn't make me sick it didn't really agree with me either but I don't know if I ate too much or it just didn't agree with me. You need to get your protein in so sip on your protein drinks. I did find that Special K has protein water but it does have 50 calories and they also have packages you can add to your own water that is only 30 calories. I've been doing that to help me get my protein in my system. I (knock on wood) have been very blessed that other then the jello anything I have tried has been easy on me but also keep in mind I haven't gone overboard either I've stuck with the soups, protein drinks, etc. Good luck on your journey and I hope you feel better soon!!

Asking questions is the only way you are going to learn what you need to know. I am on the 2 week Optifast liquid diet as we speak. This is my 7th day. I will be banded on February 11, 2009. The same day you start your liquid diet. I will be totally honest with you--it has not been easy. I would say today has been the hardest. Today I seem to be more hungry then usual. Now the last 2 days I only drank 4 boxes instead of 5. Don't know why just didn't feel hungry I guess. I had the option of chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. I choose 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla. But I got more vanilla then chocolate cause they ran out of the chocolate. Make sure you put them in the fridge and I even crush ice in mine. The are much better cold. And to me the chocolate is much better then vanilla. But at the same time I do get tired of drinking it with the crushed ice so sometimes I just drink it cold from the fridge. I haven't cheated unless you count communion on Sunday and chewing sugarless gum. I can't help chewing gum--I feel like I need to chew something. I have been blessed that my mom is seeing to it that my daughter is getting dinner at night. Of course she has school during the day for lunch. And she's not a big eater for breakfast so she fixes herself ceral or toast. Mom has helped a lot on the weekends too. I drink a lot of water and diet green tea. My doctor said I could have as much zero calorie beverages as I wanted and if it needed to be sweetened use splenda or something like that. I stay away from people eating if I can. And being on this diet has seemed to make time stand still. These things so far have worked for me but everyone if different. I hope your 2 weeks is easy for you and goes by QUICK!!

On my first visit to my doctor they showed me a model with the lapband attached to a stomach. Then on my last visit he showed me the realize band he was going to use on me and I said that's not the same band you showed me to begin with--so what is the difference and he said the 1st model is the "lapband" and the 2nd is the "realize band." So I asked the differences and why he was switching. He said the realize band was made by the sweds(i think) and now offered in the u.s. by Johnson & Johnson and the sweds are very well known for their advancements above the americans in the medical fields. He said the realize band had a wider width the the lapband. He also said the bladder in the realize band on the inside where your saline fill goes is one whole bladder. The lapband is like 6 or 8 little compartments. He said the realize band should give you a better fit when you are filled. He said he felt the realize band was a much better made band with many more benefits and that's why his team of doctors chose to use the realize band instead of the lapband. If you have a choice and choose the realize band it does come with online support and it is great!! But remember you have to get a number from the doctors office to be able to make your profile and then you should get another number after your surgery to unlock the part you can only get into after surgery. I had a friend who had the lapband and had some complications and they had to take it out and her doctor called the lapband the model t of lapbands. She now has a realize band and her doctor calls it the cadillac of lapbands. We go to two different doctors who are not even in the same practice. I find comfort to know these 2 doc's recommend the realize band.

Hey! Good luck with your surgery. I hope all goes well. Not to bust your bubble but before you treat yourself to a pedi you might wanna make sure it's okay to have your toenails painted. I was told I couldn't have polish on either my fingernails or toenails. Just a thought--no need to spend $$$ and have them take it off the next day! Good luck! Keep us posted!!

Hey everyone, Just wondering if there is any folks out there in or close to Eastern North Carolina? I'm new to all this and looking for folks to chat with about the lapband and life in general. I have have my 1st appointment and my required education class. Waiting on my appointment schedule now. Should have by next week. Look forward to hearing from ya!! Have a great day!!!

Hi Everyone, I'm being banded on Feb. 11th at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC by Dr. Pender. I live close to Greenville. Anyone in North Carolina? Maybe close to Greenville? I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I wish each and every one of you lots of luck with your bands and will keep you all in my prayers!!

Thanks!! How are you doing 8 days out? I hope all is going well with you and your recovery! Please keep me posted! Thanks!!