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Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. Recently I read a post of a poor woman who had to have multiple surgeries because her Realize band came apart at the port. She tried to contact the manufacturer to ask them to pay for the surgical revision as the problem stemmed from their defective, and already recalled product. The manufacturer declined. In her post she said she sought the help of lawyers. One of the first replies from posters was a comment on the fact that people are sue happy. She never said she was going to sue. She was simply seeking help to get the manufacturer to pay for the surgery as her doctor would certainly charge her. Several people made comments about lawyers and lawsuits. I could tell this poor woman was misunderstood. She was simply seeking help and advice from lawyers and frankly I think she actually does deserve some compensation for lost wages and suffering but she just wants her band to work. The point is, people flamed her for no reason which is the premise for this original post of this thread. Support, answers, sharing no matter what the situation....not negativity and flaming.

You are absolutely right. Weight loss surgery isn't all rainbows and butterflies. What I'm saying is that all issues should be discussed but sheer negativity for the sake of trying to bring other people down is really uncool. There are people out there with serious weight loss surgery gone awry issues. They need answers, support and guidance not negativity. So let's keep the flaming, accusations, negativity and finger pointing to a minimum and the support, love, & understanding and valid answers priority one.

I just found his website a few days ago when doing research for my own blog. He's got some great info on there. I am the official blogger for my doc, Dr. Titus Duncan in Atlanta so shhhh, don't tell him I'm secretly getting info from other docs. Dr. Duncan is still my favorite though. I liked Dr. Simpson's informtion on sous vide cooking. I am a vegetarian now but my husband is in the meat industry and he says that thismethod of cooking, when done right, yields very flavorful and ultra tender meat. I try to understand as much as I can about the band for my sake and for the sake of my readers. All information is helpful.

Ditto here. Seems like people don't want to hear that you've had a breeze of a time. I'm glad when I hear it. My journey has been so easy that I am the official blogger for my doc and now his marketing firm has offered me my own professional blog. I can't say that I havn't had to work at figuring this band out but I can say that it's been a million times easier than any other weight los option I've tried and a hundred times easier that I could have ever dreamed. Thanks for the post. It made my day.

I agree with Rsilversea. I have avoided this board for a while because of all the negativity and issues. I consider myself a successful bander as well. Down 86 pounds and no problems. Loving banded life. I'm actually the official blogger for my doctorbecause I've had such a good experience. My doctor, as well as many others, highly encourages ongoing education and support groups at the local level. Being a therapist myself I found it easy to cope with the changes that came with the band and I try to use that to help others. I'm not exactly sure what your post-op problems have been but if you need people to talk to who are positive and helpful think about emailing them privately. You are welcome to email me or find me on facebook and I'll try to help as much as I can. Best of luck and please email if you need to.

I'm not big on law suits either but you are absolutely correct in expecting them to pay for corrective surgery if their product was defective and recalled. I've read other posts of people who had difficulty getting manufacturers to own up to their defective products. Frankly, if you have to go through surgery AGAIN because of their defective product I think they owe you compensation. I hope you find the answers you are looking for and feel absolutely terrible about some of those posts people wrote. Best of luck.

Oh, the small victories of weight loss, sexy shoes. 10W to 9 regular.

Banded in August of 2009 and would do it all over again in an instant. No problems and nice low and slow weight loss. 86 pound down and 20 away from my goal weight. You can read many many comments about good experiences and bad but in the end you have to go with your heart. I too, paid out of pocket. 15K and it was a choice of my money or my life. I chose to part with my money and it was the best decision I ever made. The Lap-Band is a proven 'Tool' to aid in weight loss. All I can say is find a good doctor who provides all of the necessary after care and support systems. Drive-thru docs just don't give you the aftercare you need. My doc provided self-payers with a full year of after care and fills for free. I now blog for him and will soon have my own blog site via his marketing firm, that tells you how happy I am with my experience. Just use your best judgement, follow your gut instinct, and go forward when you are perfectly comfortable with the decision. Good luck and if you are in the Atlanta area I can recommend a fantastic surgeon.

I did. AWEEEESOOMMME! It's been 18 months. I'm down 85 pounds and still losing. Amazing office, amazing staff. Please check them out.http://www.realresultswls.com/ You won't be sorry. I'm getting ready to schedule a tummy tuck with Dr. Duncan. I have so much confidence in his abilities. He and his staff gave me my life back.

Seems like if the appointment involves a doctor you should be able to use your FSA. I used mine for fills and never even bothered to look it up. At the end of the year I get a statement to give to my accountant showing how much of my FSA was 'distributed' but it doesn't show where I spent the money or on what.

There are some good tips on the thread "Your favorite tricks & tips for eating out". Just started a few days ago. Is there something in particular you were looking for? Calories, band friendly foods, how-tos? I'm sure folks on this site can give you some great tips & advice. Here are mine: #1. Know before you go. Try to know if a restaurant has options that work for your particular band issues. If meat sticks for you or issues of sticking, make sure there's a Soup or mushie (like potato, grits, etc.) option you can have. #2. If portion size is an issue try ordering from the sides menu. appetizers can sometimes be a good way to go but be careful because many restaurants have HUGE appetizer portions. Sides usually consist of veggies anyway so you are off to a good start there. #3. Share. If your band is tight and you are eating that 1/2 to 3/4 cup portion and hit FULL. See if you can share. This works best with family. Your few bites isn't going to ruin their dinner, after all, most restaurants serve portions big enough for 2 anyway. A few bites of their entree' (protein) and order yourself a side and you can have a band friendly sized meal. #4. If calories are your focus ask for a box immediately. Just take what you need and take the rest home. #5. It might take some time but your brain will eventually get comfy with ordering a cup of soup instead of a bowl, just sides, & leaving food on the plate. It feels weird at first but it becomes habit and it's better in the long run. I don't always explain myself to wait staff but sometimes I do. I simply say, "I've lost over 87 pounds by eating smaller portions. The portions here are enough for 2 who aren't even dieting. I just want to keep the weight off." or I'll even say, "I have a lap band I physically CAN'T eat the portion served. I'll need a box....etc." Most people are so impressed you've lost weight, agree with the freakishly large portion size, or understand the obesity epidemic in the U.S. and are more than obliging to whatever unusual requests I have. I've never had a problem with ordering simply sides, kids portions or a cup of soup if I give a quick explanation. Sometimes I think an explanation is nice because it raises awareness regarding obesity to others and you might even be helpful to someone else considering the surgery. Don't worry. You'll develop your own tricks and tips on your lapband journey. You'll get the hang of it in no time. It just feels weird at first but eating out will get easier.

Learning how to function with a band can be a little challenging. Places like this forum are a good place to share your insights and tips that you think others might want to know. So please let us know what your stragegies are for eating out. Here are some of my favorites. #1. Don't be afraid to take stuff home or even just let it go #2. Share. Why order an entire portion if you can just have a little off your family member's plate. After all, most restaurants serve enough for two. You'll be doing them a favor anyway by reducing their calorie count. Admittedly, not a good strategy if you are on a first date, but with family it works pretty well. #3. My personal favorite...Order off the 'sides' menu. Portions are closer to what we people should be eating anyway. Generally sides consist of veggies so your off to a good start for making a healthy decision. #4. Order a CUP of Soup, not a bowl if they offer it. #5. Know, before you go. If possible, know what the restaurant has to offer. We know our favorite restaurants and wether or not they have anything our bands will tolerate. #6. Never be afraid to just have a drink & chat. I used to meet a friend a lot for lunch several times a week. She would get a little freaked when I wouldn't order. I couldn't eat anything at the sandwich shop she liked to go to. I spoke up and told the truth..."There's not much here I can eat but I don't care, I just want to hang out with you and talk. I appreciate our time together. If I'm not distracted by eating I can really listen to what's going on in your life." What are your favorite restaurant dining tips?

Yes. Dr. Duncan did my lap-band surgery 1 1/2 years ago. I've lost over 87 pounds now. I could go on and on about Real Results staff & Dr. Duncan but it's easier to say that they are simply amazing. They are with you every step of the way before AND after! Whatever you need they are there for you. I would highly recommend them. I've worked with a lot of doctors in my life and I've never met one who actually seemed to care about your weight loss success AND getting you healthy and off medications, but Dr. Duncan does. All of his staff, at either office are always there to help. I've called or come in with the dumbest questions, problems and of course successes and they are always helpful and make me feel like I'm not just another patient. They really want you to succeed and will do everything possible to help you. You aren't just another number with these people. I'm so glad I got my lap band. It not only changed my life but probably saved it. Dr. Duncan and his staff have apparently done over 5,000 weight loss procedures. With all that practice he's got to be good at it. Good luck.

What helps me, even now, is my Vitamix blender. Or any other high quality food processor blender like Blendtec. I can blend anything in it. You can make great Soups, smoothies and well, just about anything in it. This way you don't have to rely on canned soups or simple cottage cheese. They are sort of pricey but worth it in the long run. I make whole vegetable smoothies, fruit smoothies, home made nut butters, soups, Protein shakes, shaved ice, sorbet, low cal ice cream, hummus, chicken salads...well, the list goes on. I use mine about 4 times a day for myself and my family. I often add in tofu for extra protein without changing the taste. I got my Vitamix because I simply couldn't get enough greens & nutrients in. The option to make green smoothies & vegetable drinks helps me get in vital nutrition without stretching my pouch, which at one point I did. I'm a vegetarian so I needed ways to get in other Proteins besides shakes. A mixer will help you do that. You still have to watch calories and intake but a mixer give you some variety and keeps you from getting sick of Protein Shakes.

Yeah, when the develop a surgery or a pill that will take away PMS hunger I'll be all over that! I do get almost an urge to simply eat right before my period. I've just resigned myself to realizing what is triggering the hunger and making every attempt to just put my head down and power through those few days. So far I've found no other way around it. As the scale goes down, down, down it gets easier to deal with. Remember, the habits that got us overweight will take a little while to break, but they are breakable. I learn something new about my band, my eating habits, my thought process regarding food each month. Sometimes I wonder when this journey will end. In the meantime, it sure is interesting. Good luck. Let us know if you find any tricks or tips that help get you through your period hunger.

Because I consider my personal food issues an addiction or a psychological issue I had difficulty at first. I would get quite upset watching the TV show Man Vs. Food. I likened it to a recovering drug addict watching people do drugs on TV. I realize now that obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. and places like restaurants are quiet co-conspirators in that genre. I am hoping to win the lottery soon so I can open a great vegetarian/healthy restaurant so people can see how you are really supposed to eat. Now when I eat out I order sides, Soups & anything I know is a small portion. The other day I had grilled green Beans & a bowl of Soup at Ruby Tuesday's. The waitress asked me if I wanted anything else. I said now and quickly gave her my story and she agreed that the portions are way to big for one person. I may not be able to preach to those sitting at the tables next to me but my 8 year old daughter sitting right across from me is learning something. But yes, I did and still do freak out about the portion sizes I see.

One thing I have noticed over the years is how uniquely personal weight issues are and just like the being banded, it appears that no two people are ever exactly the same. Yes, I agree, that a lot gets lost in translation over the net and sometimes people are just plain mean. But I'd have to say that over all this is a pretty good site with a lot of good input. You just have to sift through it to find the answers and support that are unique to your situation. After all, we do tend to discard 'live' input from friends & aquaintenances that don't serve us, we also have the choice to discard internet input that doesn't serve us. I personally know 18 people who have been banded and I can honestly say that no two have had the same experiences. And being the 'individuals' we are, each brings to the banding table their own personality issues & weight baggage, as well as their experiences with the band. I wish you the best of luck and really hope you stay around. Your input is important too. Look at this tread, for example. You brought to our attention an important issue and maybe even helped people have a new perspective on how they comment. It helped me.

If there is anyone out there that has actual diagnosed band slippage I could use some help. About a week and a half ago I had pain in my upper right side almost immediately after eating. BTW, been banded about 16 months now. The pain seemed so symptomatic of gallbladder. Well, not that I've ever really had gallbladder problems but from what I read it sounded like gallbladder. So I waited a few days, tried some natural remedies & then saw my doc (actually his. P.A.). She knows I have a lap band but apparently she knows nothing about the procedure or apparatus. She ordered an ultrasound. I suffered for a few days until my ultrasound. That was on Wed so I didn't expect to hear back until next week and of course I havn't. Meanwhile, the pain sort of came and went and then I started getting reflux, day and night. So I went to my doc to have a bit of an unfill, Thursday. Since the pain was pretty much gone I didn't say much to him about it. I never thought it could be related to my band considering how far over to the right it was. Anyway, even after my unfill I am having reflux, pain which worses when I am laying down. Worsens when I eat or drink, even in small sips (I've pretty much been on liquids for over a week now). When I roll over to my left side I can hear the Fluid slosh and then go down but the pain sort of worsens on my right. It's so odd. It's not like one thing immediately triggers pain and one thing makes it stop. But drinking (and I'm sure eating) really makes the pain worse. Liquids are going down but not well. I have a 10cc band with 5cc in it. I'm going to call on Monday to have them check it out, even before I hear from my family doc about the gall bladder. I looked up the symptoms of slippage and NOW I seem to fit perfectly. I've lost 87 pounds and Im 20 pounds from my goal. I'd be ok if they had to remove it. I've worked hard on overcoming my food issues. But this pain is really getting annoying. It's tolerable, I don't need to go to the ER, but I was just wondering if anyone out there had actual diagnosed slippage and what your symptoms were. Why do these things always happen on the weekends???

As a Certified Herbalist by trade I actually rarely recommend that people take anything every day, with two exceptions. Those being CoEnzyme Q10 & either Flax Seed Oil or Fish oils. I don't generally even recommend Vitamin supplements daily. If you are getting enough nutrition from your food you shouldn't need to supplement heavily. With that being said, we banders may not be getting enough of the general nutrients found in four foods due to the sheer volume decrease. I would recommend a high quality liquid vitamin supplement from like Nature's Sunshine Vitawave or Life's Fortune Liquid Vitamin for general multi-vitamin purposes. If you have listened to your body and/or your doc and you feel you need extra Fiber, calcium, amino acids or other supplemental nutrients like powdered greens or digestive enzymes I would suggest an all encompasing website such as vitacost.com. Nature's Sunshine is one of my favorite product companies but you do need to purchase a membership. It's $40 for a year but they give you a $40 credit on your first purchase and 10% back in cash. If you don't want to hassle with that Vitacost is a good site with cheap shipping and a multitude of brands you would find in your local health food/herb shop. They also carry health/beauty products, organic foods, & Protein supplements. I work in an herb/natural health shop & I shop at Vitacost because their prices are excellent. Most everything you need in natural supplements can be found in liquid, chewable, powdered or tea form if you just google or search for them. To answer your question regarding supplements that make you feel better during this journey....Well, if I had a client come to me and ask me that we'd really have to sit down and discuss what their problem areas were, what your expectations regarding "feel better" were & where you were willing to start. I never like to overload my clients with products just to sell product. I actually want people on the least amount of product that makes them feel the best. I actually hate it when I see folks on 20 different supplements at the same time. Not because it's bad for them, but because it might just be overkill and a waste of their money. So without knowing your history, if you were my client I'd say....Try to get the most nutrients out of your food first. Then make sure you are getting plenty of fiber. Soluable fiber can be tricky for us because we often have problems with psyllium based products. So I'd recommend Flax seed oils or a good powdered 'greens drink.' like Ultimate Green Zone from Nature's Sunshine or Green Drink from Barlean's. Barlean's also makes a great tasting Flax Seed oil in flavors so tasty even my 8 year old will take it by the spoonfull. Keeping the digestive system running at peak efficiency will help keep you from getting that terrible sickly feeling that can come with a backed up toxic colon. Also, a good liquid multi-vitamin supplement with B Vitamins and amino acids may also help with general 'feeling better', but check first because you might be getting plenty of those in the Protein Drink you supplement with....see what I mean about possible overkill? And of course, keep the Water coming. You don't have to drown in it, but sometimes banders forget their water. So, in general, fiber, water, good food, & a liquid vitamin (maybe even just every other day) if you feel you aren't getting enough nutrients from your food. And if you were really into taking care of you heart and were willing/able to do it, I'd suggest a little coq10 each day. There are liquds and disolvables online. I personally like the ones that dissolve. They taste like orange. And of course, plenty of exercise, exposure to fresh air and a little sunshine. If you were my client, that's probably what I would recommend without knowing a full history. But before you do anything I suggest talking to your doctor. Some advocate supplements, some don't. You will have to be the judge. We have many folks who come into our shop who were sent by their doctors with specific lists for everything from Red Yeast Rice for lowering cholesterol to Kava Kava to help them sleep. They were told to try natural before the doc would prescribe medication, that always amazing me knowing how prescription happy docs can get. I know one cardiologist who recommends pomegranate juice to his clients for heart health and I know others who don't believe in natural supplements at all. Here's my experience with my family doctor & supplements you might be interested in: During my pre-op bloodwork it was discovered I had hypothyroidism. Something that seemed to come and go with me over the years. In the Army they said I was fine. I hadn't seen a medical doctor in over 10 years prior to my pre-op, because despite being overweight I was active, rarely ever sick & took a lot of herbal/natural supplements. I had to find a local doc to treat my thyroid because, eventhough I wanted to treat it naturally, I didn't want anything slowing down my weight loss...So I chose to take the medication. Anyway, at this time she wanted to put me on cholesterol medication. I was 265 pounds and I told her I had just had my surgery that week. She insisted on writing me a prescription for Nystatin. I took the prescription but never filled it. Each 8 weeks I kept coming back to have my thyroid checked and my cholesterol, tryglycerides, weight, & liver functions were slowly (and sometimes quite rapidly) getting into the normal range. Apparently my family doc thought I was taking the Nystatin and didn't see the numbers dropping as rapidly as she would have liked so she wanted to put me on Crestor. Again, I took the prescription but never filled it. I simply kept on losing weight and when I would remember I would take some flax seed oil and some CoQ10 but admittedly I only managed to get those in a few times a week. At the year mark I went in for a thyroid check up and all of my bloodwork was well within the normal range. Once again, she asked me if I needed refills on my meds. I said, "I have a confession to make. I never took your meds. I took a little flax seed, some CoQ10, ate some dark chcoclate here and there and lost 75 pounds and apparenlty that was enough because I'm well within the normal ranges for all my bloodwork." All she said was..."Flax seed oil isn't effective. Your thyroid looks good. See you in 6 months." I was so deflated. I wanted to do the "I TOLD YOU SO!" dance all around her office and I didn't get a chance, especially because I had asked her for the natural Armour Thyroid and she wouldn't prescribe it because it was natural and she said she didn't believe it was effective. Anyway, that's my natural health story. Hope you find the supplements you are looking for.

Yep, tried them all. My issues with food addiction were to deep, to powerful & to hard wired to overcome my eating issues without the physical help of the band. So now I use the band as the tool it was intended. It helps keep me from being overly hungry and using food to 'medicate' myself through any emotional, stressful, or just general day to day struggles. I use it to sort of free up brain space so I can concentrate less on food and more on dealing with issues appropriately. The weight loss is just a happy side effect for me. Weight loss was my original goal, but now I see it for what it is, a happy side effect as I deal with developing a healthy reationship with food that doesn't include struggling. So, yes. I did try it all and actually spent more than the cost of surgery over my lifetime on things that didn't work because I wasn't addressy my unique individual issues. It is my personal opinion that this banding journey becomes most successful when it becomes a complete mind, body, spirit experience. But, that's just me. I work each and every day at developing a healthy relationship with food so that one day if my band no longer works well or it has to be removed I will have all the mental tools I need to have a happy relationship with food, without overeating or using it to medicate my emotions. I don't know how long that will take but I'm working on it.

It's not a silly concern. I was also concerned about vomiting due to the anesthesia. They gave me some meds to take home but I'm generally not a med taker. So in preparation I brought a thermos full of ginger tea to sip on after the surgery and it worked just fine. I never did have nausea and the fluids helped keep me hydrated. Ginger is a fantastic for relief of nausea but for others who aren't heavily into herbal medicine like me, I'd suggest you take the medication. I've used ginger many times in the past and I know I react quite well to it and how much I need. If you are going to use natural methods of pain reduction or anti-nausea I would suggest you know how your body reacts prior to using it for something like surgery. I have friends who are knocked out after a single cup of chamomile tea and yet it doesn't do a thing for me. My personal trainer was a former pro football player (big guy still) and one capsule of Kava Kava puts him right to sleep, yet it takes me 3. So know your body if you are going to use natural remedies but don't let the fear of nausea keep you from getting the surgery. After all, they know this might happen and prepare with the medications at hand. You'll do great. Best of luck.

I am thankful to say that this is the first year I have NOT needed to put "Lose weight" on my New Year's Resolution list. As a matter of fact, I have very few things I want to change in the new year. It has been a blessed last few years and spiritual growth has taken me to a place of loving myself. So in the new year I feel that I need to use my life long experience with weight, weight loss, food issues, & banding to help others. So I vow to be an active advocate for obesity awareness. Oh, I'm not planning a campaign or anything, just helping a little here and there, starting with my own family. I think that if people here things over and over and from different sources, sometimes that sticks a little more than a full throttle campaign. That little voice saying 'proper portions', 'healthy choices', 'nutrition'....we've all heard those things for so long they are FINALLY starting to seep into popular culture. So I intend to be another one of those little voices that repeats those phrases and with the help of my band, lives the lifestyle, so that maybe, just maybe, the next generation doesn't have to suffer through the obesity epidemic as we are now. I notice in this past year that the general food service public seemed very confused when I ordered extra small portions of things or asked for less of something. I generally didn't go into detail about why I wanted less but on a few occasions when I did explain people seemed surprised, almost like a little light bulb went off over their heads, that less is ok. For example, every time my daughter and I stop at our local ice cream shop for a cone I have to literally yeall "STOP!" as they are scooping. I say "That's plenty." Inevitably, the kid says, "Are you sure." I have had to explain that their 8oz portion of ice cream (which the kid informed me was in reality a 9oz portion) was far to much for both myself & my 8 year old combined and that a 2 to 3 ounce portion was more realistic for a healthy lifestyle. The confused look on their faces speaks volumes to the obesity epidemic here in the U.S. Throughout this whole process I have tried to teach my 8 year old daughter that it's about health, not weight. She is a head taller than most kids her age and has a very sold frame (thanks to Eastern European genes). According to governemtn growth charts she would have to lose a whopping 20 pounds to be considered 'normal." 20 POUNDS!!, from where I ask? She isn't overweight. She is heavier than almost all the kids in her class except for one who is her height but she is most definately not fat and she's 5 feet tall. She has already voiced concerns about being fat based on the weight of her best friend who is of Asian decent & at age 8 is barely out of a size 6x. That worried me so I spoke to her about exercise, nutrition & the fact that we are all different body types & she was good with that. Admittedly I had to throw in the fact that she will probably grow to be 5'10" like my mother. That really perked her up. She loves her grandma. Proper portions, enjoying food for it's health benefits, & enjoying our favorite treats in the right portions. So I figure if I start with her an maybe catch a few unsuspecting people along the way I'll be helping the community. So, how will you help enlighten folks based on your weight loss experience? Good luck.

Don't worry. Remember, you just had the surgery and your band won't officially be 'turned on' until you get it filled. I lasted about 4 days on the post-op liquids before I was so hungry I wanted to eat my dog. I called my doc and he approved semi-soft items and gave me suggestions. He said that not everyone lasts the full post op time on liquids. At about 2 1/2 weeks post op I could (and wanted to) eat just about anything I wanted. I was in a panic thinking the thing didn't work. I called, once again, with my issues and they laughed that laugh of experience and told me not to worry. They reminded me that my band hadn't been adjusted yet and it was essentially "inside me but not turned on yet." After my first fill at 4 weeks post op I was off and running and hopefully you will be too. Give your doc a call and see what he'll approve. As for the hunger.....Don't worry. Soon you'll have that band up an running and doing it's job.

To tell or not to tell, that is the question.

Had that happen to me once, years ago. Turns out a new wallet I bought had a little paper-like security thing inside one of the zipper pockets I had yet to use. The alarm went off in just about every store I went into or out of. A sales clerk asked me if I had purchased anything new lately. When I mentioned the wallet we looked through it and sure enough a little security strip about 1" x 1" was in a zippered pocket. Once we took it out and tested it we had found the problem.