Dan5099

I can't address all of your concerns, but you definitely can fail to succeed with the GBP as well as the LB. You can overeat and gradually stretch the stomach out to its original size. Or, you can eat all the wrong foods, not exercise and fail to lose significant weight. Why do you think that your friend had little success with the LB? Is he/she following the instructions of the surgeon and nutritionist? Getting exercise? I had the Realize band placed on Jan 11th. i have not had a fill so there is minimal restriction at this point, but I can still only eat about 1/3 of the normal amount of food that I used to eat. I am losing a couple of pounds a week, which is less than one would lose right after GBP, but this isn't a race. I am happy losing slowly and, because I lost a substantial amount of weight during my presurgery diet, I expect to be at my goal weight by late summer. I don't know how much self-pay is. i had insurance coverage. Weight loss is generally 2-3 pounds every 2 weeks...usually more early on after first fill. Complications can include band erosion, slippage, infection, blockages, and all of the other complications of any major surgery. I can tell you that I personally had none. I had very little pain and only a couple of incidents of not chewing thoroughly and getting food stuck. VERY painful until you soften it with fluids or burp it back up. I wouldn't call that a complication since it was my fault. First fill usually 6 weeks after surgery and every month until you are properly adjusted....can hold about 4 ounces of food and swallowing is not restricted. I'm a band PATIENT, not a health provider, but I would be happy to answer any of your questions based upon my personal experiences. Dan

I discovered that I am intolerant of Xylitol, one of the "alcohol" types of artificial sweeteners. It causes gas, cramping, etc. I take some Gas-X when I inadvertently consume some and it takes care of the problem. It seems strange that you would be intolerant of all of those artificial sweeteners since many are not even chemically related. Does your surgeon require you to consult with a nutritionist as part of your pre-op plan? He/she would be the best person to help you with this issue. This should only be a problem for you during the liquid diet phases. Good luck........Dan

Hot tea. If that doesn't work, kneel over the toilet, bend over and burp it back up. I can't explain exactly how to do it but your body just kind of figures it out when you try. You definitely want to avoid vomiting so burping it up yourself is the best way out of a stuck food situation.

I'm sure you'll be fine but be honest and tell them everything you ate. Red clears? I assume you mean something like red gatorade or crystal Lite. Not a problem. It's just that it could be mistaken for blood if you throw up. again, just tell the anesthesia people the truth when they ask you the million questions tomorrow. I was just banded on Jan. 11th. It was WAY easier than I expected. Very little pain. No nausea, none of the common shoulder pain, just crampiness and some gas. Good luck. Keep us posted with your experiences. Dan

The protein shakes are thicker than the other liquids you are drinking and can quickly fill your new "pouch". Make sure you drink them SLOWLY, allowing your stomach pouch to empty between sips. This will help prevent the nausea. Remember, even though you haven't had a fill, there is swelling at the point of the band and healing needs to take place. You will be fine!

I posted in the "Surgery Day" thread, but forgot to post here. All went well on Jan 11th. Very little pain. My Dr. has all of his band patients spend the night. I'm glad I did because I had some problems with urination and some pain during the night which was well controlled with morphine. I finally did pass urine right before I was to get catheterized. I've been recovering well. No pain in the incisions or referred pain to the shoulders whatsoever. I was suprised at how long the incision for my port is. There are 11 staples in it, but no pain. Some crampiness and a lot of gas being passed. Fortunately, I have tons of leave accumulated at my job, so I am taking a full 2 weeks off, but I could easily go back today for administrative duties. I'm on Clear liquids with 1 or 2 Protein shakes per day. If I drink the Protein shake too fast I can feel the small pouch fill. All in all, much easier and painless than I anticipated. Dan

I was banded yesterday morning (Jan. 11, 2010) and came home this afternoon (Jan. 12). I received the Realize Band at Hazleton (PA) General Hospital. My surgeon was Dr. Michael Bono. I arrived at the hospital at 0615, went through the usual pre-surgical routine, was taken to the O.R. around 0730, received some IV Versed while waiting in the hallway, and was taken in to the OR a few minutes later. I briefly woke up in recovery but don't remember much of that. I was in my room in the step-down unit by 1000. The thing that stands out most in my mind about waking up from the surgery was an amazing LACK of pain. All I felt was a little discomfort in the center of my abdomen. Throughout the rest of the day and night I would experience waves of mild to moderate pain, but the nursing staff was great about taking care of my pain. I had nothing to eat or drink for the rest of the day. The scariest part of the whole procedure was my inability to pass urine until almost 7 pm. I was literally minutes from getting a "straight cath" when the tried and true method of running cold shower water over my hand finally worked and I was able to at least partially empty my bladder (phew!). Today, I have more of a nagging pain and tightness. I was "topped off" with 10 mg of morphine IV right before leaving the hospital so I didn't need any Vicodin until just now (8 pm) and it is already working. My surgeon congratulated me on my pre-op diet (i lost 65 pounds in 6 months) and told me that it made his job much easier. Luckily, I have NONE of the shoulder pain from the gas used to expand the abdominal cavity. I'm just crampy and have some stomach and bowel gas which I am treating with Gas-X. My biggest regret is that I did not have this done years ago. Good luck to all who are about to have the surgery and thank you to all who have offered me words of support throughout this experience. Take care, Dan

Thanks. Good luck to you and everyone else. I'll post my experience as soon as I am able. Dan

The problem is that I've gone back and forth from 300'ish to 225'ish about a dozen times so I definitely need the surgery to help me break this cycle. It's safer to get the surgery now that I'm at the low end of the yo-yo cycle. Between the band and the fact that I am retiring in April and will have much more time to focus on my health and fitness, I hope to greatly increase the length of my retirement. Good luck you you too, Phil.

I'm nervous too, but if you aren't nervous about surgery, you're NUTS! As far as the pre-op liquid diet, I've heard from many people whose Drs. don't require them. The main reason for the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so the surgeon can see everything better. The "liquid" diet is so that your stomach is not irritated, your GI tract isn't full of lots of solid stool, and you are better prepared for the post-op liquid diet.

I'm also set for a Jan 11th banding. I'm getting the Realize band. My pre-op diet was not a big deal, mainly because I am too nervous to eat anyway. Lots of sugar-free Jello and GNC whey protein drinks, soups and low fat yogurt. I even splurged and ate some fat free cottage cheese last week. I lost 12 pounds in the 2 weeks. I hope this goes smoothly and I can post my experiences Tuesday or Wednesday.

The band is a tool which will make the patient feel full after eating much smaller portions. This will help the patient to lose weight and maintain the loss. If you fill the pouch created by the band with high calorie fatty or sugary foods, you will probably not lose weight. But if you are committed to eating high protein, low carb, low fat foods, the band will greatly help you eat LESS of it and enhance weight loss.

I'm 47, male, work in law enforcement (retiring in April) and have passed all of my pre-screening examinations. Just have to attend a few nutrition classes while my 6 month mandatory diet is completed. I reached an all-time high of 308 in late May after a prolonged bout with pneumonia and several courses of IV and oral steroids. All of that is resolved now and I am already down to 251 (I'm 5'11"). Generally good health, but was on the verge of pre-diabetes. I have well controlled HBP and some GERD and lower back pain; all of which are caused or aggravated by my weight. I'm trying to lose as much weight as possible to make the surgery as easy as possible. I know that if I don't have it, I will regain the weight over time. I'm located in northeastern PA and will be having the Realize Band placed by Dr. Michael Bono at Hazleton General Hospital. I would love to have someone who went through the banding procedure, preferably around my age, but not necessarily, to kind of baby sit me as I go through this. although I have worked in law enforcement for 25 years, I'm a big baby when it comes to medical procedures. Thanks! Please contact me. Dan

Wow! That's a busy day for you. My insurance requires a 6 month medically supervised diet, so I get to spread my consults out. Doppler vascular was a piece of cake, no problems. Psych was actually kind of fun. We realized that we knew each other a long time ago and it turned into a gab session (well, a $200 gab session), pulmonary was ok, but since I had pneumonia in May he was VERY thorough and had me take a pulmonary function test which was no problem. Cardiac scared me. The cardiologist said I had a murmur, then said my resting ekg was good and later said there was something on it that he needed to look at further. I had to have an echocardiogram and sestamibi stress test. I worried for a week that there was a problem only to return to the cardiologist and find out that my heart is fine and the murmur benign. Just had the Upper G.I. today. Piece of cake. An injection of propofol, you blink and it's all over. Felt fine afterward. All I have left is the dietician and physical therapy clearances since I had some history of lumbar spine pain. Surgery will be in December. Hope all works out for you tomorrow. Relax!

Other than my wife and closest friend, I'm telling everyone that I'm having hernia surgery. Don't ask me why. I don't know.

GERD, arthritis, sleep apnea, knee pain, pre-diabetes, ......you SURE you don't have any of these? My BMI is now 37.8 but I'm on HBP meds and have GERD so bad that sometimes I aspirate into my lungs when I'm sleeping. Also, sugar hanging around 100, so Type II Diabetes is definately in my future if I don't take action now. Good luck to you.