Cazzy

I am surprised that they only unfilled u half way the first time, most places i read about slips, it needs to be unfilled completely and you need to go back on a liquid diet for a slip to stand a chance of righting itself. I am sorry to hear u have got reflux again, ive never had this so not sure of tips and tricks for you ... i am sure if u google it u can find a lot of good advice or do a search on here. Just be cautious about fills next time u go back and i think u are right .. ask for another x-ray to look at the band again .. good luck with it !

It probably wont matter that much that u havent lost as much weight as they wanted u to, and many people do have a somewhat difficult time during this 'liver shrinking' phase, but u wull have to get used to maybe not dropping much weight and being on liquids as that is what happens post - op. You will probably get frustrated and hungry much more than u realise u would, but this is following all normal patterns of the lapband story. It may take a few fills till u start to feel some restriction from it and that could take a few months post op, just follow your doctors guidelines and all should be ok .. u seem to be doing fine

Loose skin is not a given for everyone, there are many factors which can affect whether u get it or not. Age, genetics, hormones, amount of weight to lose, diet, exercise etc, the list of factors is quite extensive. As u already have stretch marks it may well be that your skin might be a tad saggy afterwards but not a lot given your starting weight. Unlike me I had so much to lose that it was almost guaranteed that i would get it and boy i got a ton of it , i recently had plastic surgery to remove it and i also had a repair to my stomach muscles. From what u describe you have exactly the same problem that i had its called Diastasis Recti i suggest u google it and do the self test u can do to see if this is your problem, i used to eat just a tiny amount and my stomach would stick out like i had eaten a feast. The ab muscles have lost their ability to keep your stomach in place and it sticks out. Its unlikely if this is your problem that this can be cured, it can be helped and improved but it is unlikely to be a 'flat stomach' ever again without surgical intervention like i had to have ... I lost all that weight but was really ashamed of my tummy due to this problem as no clothes could hide it, but now i cannot tell you how its so nice to have a normal looking stomach again.

My port is on my breast bone, they tend not to move /fliip as much sited there as it is stitched to bone and not muscle. You still dont have much fluid in your band so u are unlikely to feel much different with the restriction as yet. I can feel the fluid going in if the fluid they use is very cold, if its nearer body temperature i cant feel it. Its still a matter of willpower for you at the minute but be patient the next couple of fills should see some difference

If your tattoo heals ok then it might be ok to go ahead with surgery, u have to consider tho that there is a chance of infection which could delay your surgery u have to consider is it worth the risk. The other thing to consider is that if u are overweight any tattoo wherever it is may change its shape/design if your weight drastically changes .. Decision is yours tho

After 2 months post op it is unlikely u will be feeling much restriction from the band yet so any weight u do lose will be down to your own willpower and exercise, u can sometimes not get to some retriction with the band 3 or 4 fills later so it will be down to you.

Are u exercising ? sometimes u need to start walking walking walking after surgeryu to kick off your metabolism again,

i used to make a smoked salmon pate which i made slightly runnier than a solid one so u can blend the salmon but get a nice taste too if u like salmon. I made green veg soup which was literally pureed cooked green veg added a few chilli flakes and parmesan , still have it everyday for lunch a year and half later, i put 4 mug fulls of frozen peas in it as they have protein in too. Home made soups are an ideal puree food tons of recipies on the net, broccoli and stilton, carrot and coraiander just make a big pot to l;ast u a good few days .Just dont go adding cream, add greek yoghurt or creme fraich or ricottoa all )% fat ofc . and no 3 weeks isnt bad for pure, i was on that 4 weeks

Fish is a great source of protein, salmon has simliar amounts of protein to talipa and smoked salmon too, i eat smoked salmon every day for breakfast keeps u fuller longer too if u eat your protein and not drink it

U might find a heat pad soothing, but everyone recovers differently, i was almost pain free from waking up after surgery, just a alittle discomfort from gas, but i find warmth does soothe things so wont hurt to try it. Otherwise its just a case of being patient till u get more healed ..

If it was me i would be more concerned over losing a lot more weight, but if that doesnt happen with the sleeve then good .. I wish u well and a speedy recovery

I did hear that over time the fluid in a band can dissipate a little so u may not have quite as much as u think u have, If u do have 9cc i would think it unlikely they will give u another fill if your band is only a 10cc one.... If you know how u gaianed some of that weight back then u stand a good chance of getting rid of it agaian and keeping it off ...

Try eating your protein not drinking it, u may stand a chance to feel fuller then .. u also dont mention how much fill u have in your band. You tend to lose hair if u have lost a large amount of weight quite quickly, u arent gettting enough protein and other nutrients in, hormopnal changes or anxiety .. The lapband in its self wont cause hair loss so maybe look at the nutritional value of the food u are eating .. good luck

Oh so true

Weight Watchers tomato soup is a great filler and low calorie, the other flavour WW soups are just ugh, I make a green veg soup every week and still do even now, i love soup, if u are hungry get some fresh parmesan make sure u grate is small and add that to a soup, makes it a little more filling and ofc it is protein the cheese will melt so its still just a soup

I could eat salads almost from when i started solid food, but i still cant eat carrots .. i chop up my salad well tho. If u can eat solids and carrots why wouldnt u try some salad ?

Some people on this forum havent felt restriction till they have been on fill 5 or 6 its not about how many fills you have its about how much fill is in your band. Even with restriction the band isnt going to make good food choices for you or burn those extra calories off you like exercise does. It is rare for someone to be banded and not change what they eat and do not exercise to lose weight, some will but the majority of us wont, The band is hard work for most of us. I am surprised that your surgeon didnt explain this to you before u chose a lapband. Maybe u will be lucky and once u hit restriction u can just eat small meals and dont bolther to exercise and the weight will just fall off, but how does that help u remain fit and healthy for the rest of your life skiinny doesnt always = healthy .. I really wish you good luck !

I have prune juice to keep things moving, or sometimes just stewed prunes, they are a natural remedy and taste really nice, full of fibre and no chemicals.

Wishing all you getting surgery a speedy recovery

Grats on some great NSV's

Your story here could have been my story, i never realised how much of a rollercoaster emotional ride this would be, everytime i fix something on my body like my weight, my tummy, my arms, my back my tummy muscles, i find something else to hate about myself. I am exactly the same as u, the weight went from the face and now i see every line, without even thinking last time i was at my hospital appointment to see my plastic surgeon for my recent surgery check up, we were talking thighs next, i have a lot of loose skin there too so then i mention a mini face lift .. DH, after we got outside was like when did u decide on that so i said everytime i look in the mirror, then he says and after that whats next, do u really know when to stop.. and i was like mentally i know to stop but emotionally how can i have nothing to strive for anymore and just be satisfied with what i got .. YOur pics are of a beautiful woman who is obviously very much loved .. if u find an answer to this problem we have let me know .. huggs

Isnt it strange how things like tea and coffee in the UK are allowed and to my knowledge that seems pretty much across the board here with all different surgeons. I never drink it strong and i always add a good slug of milk, maybe the US surgeons think if they give u permission to drink coffee u will get to drink starbucks ( or another make ! ) non stop all day long lol etc ... Now i would have died without my cups of hot tea

What are u eating ?

I am with 2much i love my bike and either go out on it on have an exercise bike at home, i follow my bike rides with strength training. I cycle around 20 to 25 miles a day 7 days per week i would look up the exercises u can do with that gym equipment on utube and then just go for some cardio and strength in the time u have there .. I wish u luck with it .

If u feel the need to tell them, tell them afterwards, u can say its done now, lets move on