pennreporter

i have only had one fill in my Realize C of 3ccs. I had restriction of about a minute. lol. I really liked the restriction right after surgery. So I'm hoping I can bully my surgeon into at least 2-3 ccs in two weeks. I'm basically just back to plain ol simple dieting and trying to convince myself to get on the exercise bike. With my metabolism and my sedentary job I really have to keep calories well below a thousand. If I go above I HAVE TO get on bike. Don't mind the dieting but with even a little restriction it would make it easier to stick with it. I have days ..oh, well, we all know those days. My daughter is in a Lap-Band at 6 ccs now for the next ten pounds and then will drops to maybe five for maintenance. I have a friend/acquaintance who goes to same facility, which is ultraconservation. She goes tomorrow for a her second fill also. So I'll have an idea what to expect and how much I need to either butter up or bully my surgeon to get at last 2ccs. May have to stop at Panera and buy them lots of fattening stuff and make nice lol Trisha

my daughter had lower body lift, breast lift, yahoo lift (use your imagination) and fat injection into her butt, total cost was 27k and thas was with a discount for the surgeon's fees of 10 percent for cash. But that was everything, three days in the hospital, lymphatic massage in surgeon's office and all of her follow-ups which aren't many because she lives in NYC and surgeon was in Houston. But he is going to have to do some tweaking on one of her breast incisions. But she's not regretted one single dollar spent. So good luck to all. Trisha

Luvmydogs, are you banded with Realize or Realize-C. The Realize C holds 12 ccs. I've only had my first fill, which of course has done absolutely nothing after the first few days. So I go again in two weeks for another fill and I'm gonna try to bully my doctor into doing at least another 2. My facility is ultra conservative since they don't do a lot of bands and would rather err on the side of caution. But I play the "I live 100 miles away, can't we just do more so I don't have to come back again" card. We'll see if it works. Still happy with decision but happier when there's restriction. My daughter was banded last year, Feb, had plastic surgery last month, but is still keeping her fill at 6cc (out of a 10 cc band) because she still has about ten lbs to go but she will always keep a fill in, likes have the reminder to slow the roll down a little on eating. Good luck Trisha

My daughter had her LBL, breast lift, yahoo lift and fat injections in her butt on June 4 by Dr. LoMonaco in Houston (from TV show Big Medicine). I have to say I am totally amazed at how quick her recovery has been. She had her surgery on a Thursday and exactly two weeks later she was on a plane flying back to NYC. She went back to work exactly two and a half weeks after surgery (granted it was four hours a day for the first week). I would have been down forever if it had been me. She only had one day of the crying spell of "what have I done." But that's it. Some suggestions for anyone contemplating a lower body lift: Rent one of the recliners that raise you up almost to a standing position. Also, Dr L had a massage therapist in his office that did a lymphatic massage at about a week and a half. She now goes to one in NYC once a week and then will switch to every couple of weeks. The massage helps your body release fluids from the swelling. Plus, she's showing her how to massage the incisions. She wasn't massaging hard enough. Her only complaint is one of the incisions at the breast may have to be tweaked. The incision along the front along the pubic hairline was the last for the scabs to come off. But the rest are amazingly looking great at barely just six weeks. She's not had any regrets at all, especially buying bikinis from Victoria Secret has made it all worth it. She still swells because she works on her feet (a hair colorist). So by the end of the day she's ready to take the compression garment off. She now only has one more procedure to do but not until next year and that's to remove the excess skin on her sides like underneath the armpit. I know all people are different on their pain levels. She was sent home with a pain drip that went directly to her midcore section. So she was discharged with five tubes. the dr. had her remove her tubes herself, the pain med one after 3-4 days when meds were done. Breast tubes once the discharge had dropped to almost nothing and then he removed the lower drains when she went in for first week follow-up. So all tubes were out in a week. And she was religious about taking her Vicodin every four hours around the clock whether she needed it or not for the first 10 days. So talking to her on the phone, if it wasn't within the first hour of taking meds was out of the question. She was big time loopy. So good luck to all are considering surgery but I know she has felt it was worthing every dollar of the thousands she spent..:wink2: Trisha

Jilla, don't beat yourself up. I had only lost 18 by the time of first fill and that was all the first two weeks. The two weeks before the fill, I will feeling like I was slipping back into my old eating habits (grazing), but didn't gain anything...not sure why, but I also hadn't gotten to my last stage of food, which happened this past Tuesday when i got my first fill. It was only 3ccs but it at least made some difference. I go back in 4 weeks for another fill. But almost eveyrthing I've read is that once the swelling goes down from the surgery, you really have almost no restriction. Especially if your surgeon doesn't leave any fill in there from surgery, which a lot of doctors do...it's kind of 50/50 on that. So don't stress your self out. I still keep track of my food on an ap on my iphone because I'm really trying to keep calories below a thousand. Good luck Trisha

NH-Pam, boy, your dr is very aggressive. That's really a lot for just starting out. Are you feeling okay? I got 3ccs and asked my daughter what she started out with and hers ...she had 2 from surgery and then they added 2 and then she went six weeks later and went up the 6 and stayed there for about six months. I'm hoping to get another 2 when I go back in a month, but my dr is somewhat conservative. but I was glad to get the 3. Good luck Trisha (pennreporter)

NYGuy, I have the Realize C also and I also have a lump. And he still had me put a pillow in my low back and push out. But my surgeon can count on both hands how many bands he's placed. So I was perfectly fine with him numbing the area first, especially if I'm his test rat. I only got 3cc but was fine with that only because I was expecting him to be ultraconservative. I'm at least getting the "full" feeling back that I hadn't had in a couple of weeks. LBNDOC, I never thought of a horse needle. Now I really have to take a picture of it next time...lol No, no liquids but to be careful for a few days. But I had my first fruit today, sugar free canned peaches with cottage cheese. it sure doesn't take much to make me happy these days with food...:smile2: Trisha

Banded 6/1/09 and had first fill yesterday (3cc) and have my next appointment in a month, but another patient at the same hospital who was the appt. just before me with a different doctor, got the same amount of fill but now she doesn't get another appt for 8 weeks. So even within the same clinic/hospital it can vary. But I think my daughter was 4-6 weeks out and first fill was 3 ccs also. So I'm assuming it will take about 3 months to get up to 5-6 ccs. But the 3cc was at least better than what I expected. I went in thinking I would get only 1-2 because of facility being conservativte on everything else. Good luck Trisha

I was banded 6/1/09 and had my first fill today, 3cc. I had watched my daughter getting a fill a couple of weeks ago so I could see what the procedure was like. Clearly my doctor hasn't done it as much as hers. They just switched to the Realize band, so I'm also one of their test rats, lol. Just curious to hear from other Realize banders if the needle the doctor uses for your fill is huge? Thank gawd he did a numbing shot beforehand and luckily I really do like him and pretty much trust him, but I knew going in that he hadn't done hardly any bands, lots of bypasses, but I also knew he was a little more aggressive than the chief of surgery (who also attended while my dr. placed band). My daughter's doctor, the needle she used didn't look much different than any other needle. My needle was about six inches long. My daughter thinks I'm exaggerating. So I'm taking a pic next time just to prove to her...lol. Was very glad to get the fill because the last two weeks since swelling had gone down, I wasn't having any restriction. So life is good and go back again in five weeks. But I was released to eat veggies now and can't wait to have my first salad. Could care less about red meat and potatoes. :biggrin: Trisha

My daughter has the Allergan band. I've just been banded so I'm not anywhere near getting close to max fill. But I know with my daughter who was at 6.00, had a fill to 6.5 and it was too much and went back down to 6.25. So even a half could be a big difference. But when she had plastic surgery recently, they had to remove the fill in case she needed to throw up after surgery. When they removed it, she actually had almost 7 cc in there. My dr. said that there's not an exact science to it all. That sometimes there's more or less in the band than they think, that they can be off. That's why they remove it all before putting more back in. So good luck. The next fill may just do it for you. Trisha

Was banded June 1. Had first fill today, 3ccs. I had went a couple of weeks ago with my daughter when she went to get a fill just so I could see what it was like. Clearly her doctor who has done 700 bands, it's much easier for her, took no time. My doctor, although I think he's great, when he pulled out the mother-of-gawd long needles (about twice the length of my daughter's doctor), my first question to him was "surely you know what you're doing." He did an initial numbing shot...thank god. So otherwise, I didn't feel anything, bled just a little. My daughter thinks I'm exaggerating. So when I go next month for a follow-up/fill if necessary, I'm taking a pic of it. I won't say I feel as full as the two weeks post-surgery but a vast improvement over the past two weeks where I had no restriction at all. Weight loss is 19 lbs since June 1, which I'm fine with. I'm actually okay with the Weight Watchers suggested weight loss of about 2 lbs a week. But I will tell you the needle was huge. Luckily my doctor and I joke around with each other all the time and that took the stress off...just told him if I felt pain he might get kicked...:biggrin: But i'm now off all restrictions on foods. Finally can have veggies and don't have to see the nutritionist for three months. So all is good. Good luck to the rest of the banders who are coming up soon. I was shocked to hear a June bander has already had two fills and going for the third. I haven't heard of any doctors that aggressive, even my daughter's doctor who is one of the original team that introduced the procedure to the US and has done 4,000 plus waits until at least 4-6 weeks post op for first fill. Just goes to show the variation in practice/diets post and preop that is out there. Trisha

I think my doctor will be on the conservative side also, but 3cc is not an uncommon first fill. I should be so lucky...:smile2: trisha

Also, some surgeons leave a certain amount of fill in at the time of surgery. So some people do have more restriction right from the get-go. I'm almost four weeks pre-op. don't really have hunger but definitely can eat just about anything. I do take it slow but it's clearly not the 1/2 cup of food anymore that does it. My first fill is July 7. Can't wait for that because, along with you, afraid old eating habits of grazing will return. Hang in there. It did help when I could add solid food but with no restriction I have to be very careful. Trisha

my hospital/surgeon will not approve lap-band for higher BMI patients. I'm not saying I agree with them. But anyone with over a hundred pounds to lose, they will not approve for banding. I've asked them why and don't ever get a straight response. I think they just believe that with the higher weights, they need to faster weight loss of the bypass. I personally would have never agreed to the bypass even if I had been in the higher BMI range. I would have saved my last penny and gone self-pay elsewhere. But even with my lower BMI, every time I went in for an appt, I had to always make them aware that I was only going for banding because they would always ask if I was doing bypass. I even wanted to write on my stomach BAND ONLY just to make sure they didn't make a mistake. So there are doctors out there with that mindset out there. Trisha

Big Medicine isn't on here anymore on DirecTV in NE Pennsylvania. My daughter had her lower body lift done by Dr. LoMonaco from there. what a sweetheart of a guy he is and so far (only three weeks out) does really great work, but it's still early. Daughter started at 265 and is at 170 but is five-ten, will probably go for another 10 and then she's done but she lost at a good healthy Weight Watchers recommended weight loss, 1-2 lbs per week. I will be thrilled if mine keeps that pace. Even five pounds a month would be better than I did before, especially if it stays off. Good luck all trisha

since you are very close to goal, have you considered removing some fill? I've not my first fill yet, but my daughter is banded. She never started having any reflux problems until she went to over 6ccs, but she stayed at 6.25 ccs because she was losing really good at that fill. But not that she's within 10 lbs of goal, she's going to remove a cc and start figuring out where her maintenance level should be. Also, like, how can a job fire you for a medical procedure? I work in the legal field and I've never heard of that. Lots of folks have problems with reflux and have to take meds. My daughter also figured out that if she drank just a very very small amount of a carbonated drink before she went to bed it also helped her...not sure wht the logic is in that. Good luck trisha

I was banded June 1 and go July 7 for mine, but went with my daughter recently to watch hers being done. Now I'm not comparing her doctor to mine because hers has done hundreds of bands, mine not so much...but I at least I wanted to get an idea....it truly took the doctor about five seconds. Now she didn't have to drink the Water until she got up off the table before she left. My doctor also doesn't do it under fluoroscope and neither did my daughter's. There's mixed opinions on that procedure...some people on here say it's the only proper way to do it. My doctor's comment is "why would I subject you to more radiation?" My daughter's doctor just used a syringe/needle also. As little time as it took, I'm thinking it will be fine. Good luck, and let us know how it goes. trisha

Isopure is 170 calories, no carbs, very low on sodium and 40 grams of Protein. So if you get one of those down a day, you're 3/4 of the way through. Plus is a clear juice flavored drink...I didn't particularly care for the passion fruit but at least cold with ice it was easier to get down than soy-based drinks good luck p.s. remember pretty soon you can do away with as many Protein Drinks and replace with fish/chicken ....there is a god...lol trisha

Pangea, it is totally up to your doctor/surgeon. I go for my first July 7 and have struggled trying to locate other banders from my hospital to see how much they do on the first fill. My daughter on hers had 3ccs which I think is what's done a lot but they make sure you can drink water afterwards to see if you have any problem because everyone is different. Good luck trisha

The only choice I had was the Realize band, that is of course unless I wanted to self-pay, which was not an option. I'm only banded since June 1 and haven't had a fill yet. So I have to hope my surgeons know what they're doing. They switched because of the low-pressure blah, blah, blah. In reality (and I've had another bariatric doctor tell me the same thing) the hospital probably got a better financial deal to switch to Realize, but the chief of surgery has a good reputation and again, it comes down to trust. In the end, hopefully they all do the same thing and that's all I care about. Stomach sleeping was never an issue for me because I sleep with a CPAP machine but I received an elastic abdominal binder at the hospital which helped with side sleeping for the first few days and have been side sleeping ever since. Good luck Trisha

StartingOver, I'm going to show my ignorance here. I was just banded and haven't had my first fill yet, but I've gone with my daughter to her doctor to get a fill just so I could watch. What "machine" are you talking about? Her doctor just had a needle and syringe. So I'm confused on what you're describing. My surgeon has said he doesn't use the fluoroscope. Is this what you're speaking of? thanks Trisha

Are you a Realize or Realize-C? The C holds more than 9 ccs, I believe it's 11 ccs. Trish

I like the Isopure drinks...40 grams of Protein, very very low on sodium, no carbs and fruit flavored. got to where I couldn't drink the soy based drinks anymore. Trisha

I was banded June 1 with the Realize-C. I didn't have a choice unless of course I wanted to self-pay..NOT. My surgeon said they switched to the Realize because of blah, blah, blah. I'm pretty sure the hospital just got a better deal from them than Allergan. That was kind of confirmed when I went with my daughter to her doctor's appt to get refilled after having plastic surgery. Her surgeon does both, mainly Lap-Band but she said usually when a facility changes completely to a different brand it's because of financial reasons. But in the end, they both do the same thing (at least hopefully they do...lol). I go for my first fill on July 7, but I have a feeling my surgeon will be extremely conservative and not do more than 1 or 2 ccs. Trisha

DanBar, what an incredible journey your whole family is doing. Talk about a support group!! That's amazing that you are all doing it together. My daughter had hers last year and tried to get me to do it at the same time, but I wanted to wait. Banded June 1. But you guys win the award for the family support group. Good luck to all of you. Does your son live at home? Will you guys have someone with your for at least the first day? Although you don't need much (just the pain meds for a day or so), but it's nice to have someone there if you need them. Again, kudos to all of you. Trisha