Hello from Scottsdale Arizona!

Hello there from Scottsdale, Arizona!

My name is Jody I am a 29yr old married mother of 2. My husband August 10th had Gastric Bypass, and I am awaiting approval to have the Realize Band! I am currently 295 pounds and my goal well my "first" goal is to get to 200, anything below that is a bonus to me! Overall I would like to see myself around 160 give or take. Since my husband had his surgery last week I have completely cut off all take out food , started drinking much more water than I have ever LOL and generally following a healthier diet in preperation for when I do have surgery (plus I have to lose 15 pounds before surgery!). I have also started walking 5 times a week hoping to make the walks longer and longer as I adjust (and well lets face it in Arizona heat its still hot at 8:30am!).  I chose the Realize Band because of the support online. I was actually not even aware of the different bands really until It was almost time for my approval to be sent in and then I was asked which one!. I did my research and am confident I will be happy with the results!

Welcome to the boards Jody! 

How far are you into the process?  Have you already met with your NUT and surgeon?  Do you have a date? 

You can go with either band and use this as your support group.

The forums for all types of WLS are amazing on here.

Btw - you coming with me to the group tonight ? 

Well technically I should have had my a;pproval oh 4 weeks ago, but the office I am going through ( Scottsdale Bariatric) somehow forgot to send something, or my insurance los tit. Either way it was re-submitted yesterday but no rush since I am thinking I wont do it until October/November anyways. I have chosen to use Scottsdale Bariatric Center here in Scottsdale, az. I personally have no preference which doctor does my surgery as both have amazing reviews. Dr. Blackstone performed my husbands surgery August 10th.  I have seen everything from a psychologist, to a dietician lol

Good to hear from you again :) This is hap from your dh's streaming video after his surgery. How are you all doing?

Nissa

Great so far although I am having some serious second thoughts about having LAP band after attending a support meeting tonight. I am starting to wonder if RNY would be more for me!

Hi Jody, welcome!!! I'm down in the Gilbert area... had my surgery on June 8th.

One thing I've observed about support group meetings... people have good intentions... but sometimes you have to take the advice with a grain of salt. I would encourage you to really research the various procedures for yourself, and talk to your doctors about what they feel might be the best option for you. Just because one or two people at a support group may have had a bad experience with a certain type of surgery, does not mean that you will... and vice versa. So don't get discouraged!! :)

RNY is an excellent surgery that works amazingly well for a lot of people... but I opted for the Realize Band for a number of reasons. First off, I am still young (23) and am hesitant to make such a drastic change to my physiology. If I someday decide that I absolutely hate the band, they can remove it! Second, I did not want to have to worry about vitamin deficiencies and the other issues that can come along with malabsorption. Third, I want to have children eventually... and after discussing this thoroughly with both my family doctor and my surgeon, I decided that the Realize band was my best option... because I can have it adjusted as needed to accomodate the pregnancies. Also, since I'm short (5'1), I was considered a WLS "lightweight".... so I didn't have a ton of weigh to lose. My surgeon told me that weight loss is a bit slower with the band, which will give my skin time to shrink up.... I'm really hoping I can get by without plastic surgery!!! The quick and easy recovery also appealed to me!!! :)

Anyway, good luck!! I hope you get approved soon!! :)