Houston Area Band Support Group???

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope everyone is having a pleasant morning. I was wondering if there are any Houston area Band (Lap or Realize) support groups out there? I am soon to be 3 months out from having surgery and I am starting to get frustrated. I know that I should not but I going to be honest with myself, I am irritated with the ups and downs on my weight loss that I am having.

It seems that the support groups *I*  have come in contact with are mostly filled with other surgery procedures. Mostly RNY. Unfortunatly when in those environements I regret the fact that I had Realize band surgery. Sure it has its good points and bad points to it and everthing but I don't know.

I am just frustrated. So I need some help. I need some new friends that have been through the struggle or going through the struggle of living a banded life. My friends don't understand when I tell them I am frustrated at all and frankly some do not even want to be bothered with me much since I had the surgery.

Okay I am getting long winded....

Have a good day everyone!!

~Dee~

Sorry to hear you are getting frustrated like that. A support group would be really helpful for you I think. I am not sure what part of Houston you are in....but there is one meeting this coming Saturday June 6th @ 10:30am at the Starbucks in the Panther Creek Village in the Woodlands. Here is the thread that Rachel started about a few days ago...

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/TX/3946090/Looking-for-BAND-patients-near-The-Woodlands-TX/#31824265


There are a few support groups I go to that have a good amount of Lap-Band patients in addition to other WLS patients. You might try one of these....

1st Tuesday every month @ 6:00pm - The Woodlands TX - St. Lukes Hospital off College Park Drive & I-45.

2nd Tuesday every month @ 7:00pm - Cy-Fair Hospital

3rd Wednesday every month @ 6:30pm - Memorial Herman Woodlands Hospital on Pinecroft off Research Forest Rd.

I know there is a great support group that meets in the Pasadena area and one in Katy that meets too. Have you tried those?

Thanks Mary for the information. I am actually in the Clear Lake area.

You're welcome. Wow...those would all be a bit of a drive for you. LOL I have to drive a bit too as I am in the Kingwood area and have yet to find a support group on the northeast side. So I drive to the ones I listed above except for the Pasadena & Katy meetings. Pasadena is the only one I know of that is close to you then.

Hopefully some one else will chime in with some more info for you.

Dee,

Did you contact your surgeon?  Usually they have an entire program but if not, they may know other support groups or individuals that would be willing to walk you through something known as "bandster hell".  Trust me, I know how frustrated you are and it makes it worse to be around RNY's all the time because they lose faster than we do.  But I assure you, your band WILL work.  You just have to learn how to use it.  It's a tool.  It's like using any other tool, before it can perform at its best; you have to learn how it works and how to utilize it in your world.  Don't compare yourself with a gastric bypass patient.  If they lost 30 lbs in one month that is great for them, but it will most likely not happen that way for you.  You may loose 10 lbs and it feels like a failure compared to them but it's not!!  In the end of three years, we loose about the same amount.  Ours takes longer, but it WILL happen and you can do this Dee trust me. 

This is only my opinion about the realize band, but from all of my research I’ve done and what owners are telling me, the band is softer than the type I have made my Inamed. Don’t get me wrong, the realize band is FABULOUS!  It slips less and has a smaller port but, it's softer than other bands.  So you will not feel that immediate "don't eat another bite" feeling as obviously as you would with my type of band.  BUT you will feel it.  My band is a cruel mistress; she doesn’t let me get away with nothin’!  You have to learn what that “feeling" means for YOU.  Okay, let’s say you’re eating a meal and your eating in proper WLS style, doing the 30-20-30, which is stop drinking (unless you have first bite syndrome and need a hot beverage to soften your stoma before eating) make your meal last 20 minutes, eating lean protein first, then veggies and do not drink for at least 30 minutes after your meal.  Okay BUT at 15 minutes you begin to burp or hiccup or feel a kind of tightness in your chest or throat…. that is known as a soft stop!  SO STOP!  Don't eat anymore.  You see, a realize band (for some people) will let you eat a little more past your stopping point  (maybe three bites) so you have to learn how to use YOUR band correctly and learn what and when to stop eating, learn all the band rules, etc, etc...  and when you do, you will start to see results.  You may need more restriction, but you may not and you need to give it a full two weeks AFTER a fill to be sure.  It can sneak up on ya! Dee, the truth is you have to work as hard as your band does.  That means, eating really well and eating good “bandster" foods, getting all of your protein in, water loading between meals and working out EVERYDAY.  Seriously.  I don't care if you just walk or swim or whatever.  It doesn't have to be the super intense power90 work out (which is awesome, by the way) just do what you can.  Also, contact SandyR.  She really is the queen and can help you soo, soo, soo much.  I hope that helps sweetie.