sarahkath

Hi everyone, I'm a band veteran but starting all over again after slippage and port issues, trying to make sure I do it right this time. The main goal I am working towards (besides wearing jeans again!) is starting a family. I'm 26 years old and my partner and I have been together 5 years, we own a house and I have a steady job that I love. I feel like it's almost time to start planning for a baby. I am basically just not sure how long to wait, how to know if you're ready for a bub and any advice on family planning (how many to have, age gaps etc.). I don't have any close friends who are mothers and my mum is plagued by reproductive issues (I'm an only child, and infertility runs in our family so I don't want to wait too long) so I don't have many people to talk to about it. Please anyone feel free to share your experiences about parenthood and any advice or wisdom you've got! I know I need to lose weight to give my children the best possible start in life, and to spend as long with them as I can. I want to be an active, fit and healthy mother and I want to be able to choose the size of my family without having my health dictate what I can do. How did people with the band find the early stages of pregnancy and cravings? Was it hard to see your weight balloon again after losing so much? I'm trying to start using Pinterest to inspire me to keep fit, healhy and active, and any book recommendations would be welcome too, I'm a nerd at heart and if I want to understand something I usually start by reading! Thanks,

Hi all, I'm a newbie here hope this is the right spot to ask - any idea what I should be eating after a port revision? I'm two days out and stuck to Clear liquids yesterday. Today I had a bowl of Soup for lunch, plenty of Water, a special cup of fruit juice as a treat and some softly scrambled eggs for dinner. I will have to call my doctor on Monday but does this diet sound okay to you guys? Thanks for any advice, Cheers, Sarah.

Thanks that's what I did and now am slowly having soups noodles and the like. I had a tiny bit of bread today and it was heavenly!

Hi everyone, I am recovering currently from my third surgery to do with my lapband. After my first band I had a lot of success losing weight, however it reached a point after about a year where I was unable to eat and was vomiting almost immediately every time I ate. I lost about 30kgs this way, but was (obviously) very miserable, exhausted an tired all the time vomiting up coffee ground-like blood and in and out of hospital. People thought I had an eating disorder and it affected my relationships, moods and ability to complete my job properly. The band was moving only when full so the first few attempts to find the issue were unsuccessful. Once we did an x-ray swallow with marshmallows to block the band and watched it move the issue became clear and I finally had a proper revision done about four years ago after starting full time work, and this was successful. However after the dramas of the last band I tended to panic if anything became 'caught' in the band (and still do) and tended to drink to flush the food through - after so many spontaneous vomits I was really worried about not keeping food down, and so I wasn't following the diet properly and my weight ballooned up again. About fourtheen months ago I realised the band wasn't working, even with 6ml in there I had no restruction. I knew there was probably a leak in my band, however due to personal circumstances which I won't get into here I wasn't able to deal with the issue at the time both emotionally and in terms of taking time off work. However, after seeing my weight ballooon higher than it was before the original surgery and becoming concerned that the band itself was perhaps a hazard to my health, last week I went in for a check up to confirm the band was leaking and was fast tracked into surgery to have my port replaced. I had this done on Thursday and am recovering well, although there's not much guideline on what to eat after this type of revision so I am stucking to Soups, soft scrambled eggs and low calorie drinks (mainly water). I am struggling a lot with feelings of self-loathing and disgust that I've let myself get to this point however I am trying not to focus on these as I know they won't help me to succeed. Has anyone got a similar struggle-story that might help me see the light at the end of hte tunnel? I am so frustrated with myself. Also any books someone can recommend would be welcome too. Sorry if this post is a bit rambly I just took some pain meds, usually I am quite articulate I promise. Just looking for any advice, a friendly face and maybe even some tough love.

Hi thanks for your replies, I am not sure if there's a Bariatric nutritionist I can access included in my after care but I will look into it. Feels a little counterintuitive ATM to be having liquids and purées but I know I need to recover from surgery before I start up on the plan again. Thanks so much for the advice. Cheers.

Hi there, I've just joined too. Good on you for making the decision to see your dr. - you've not given up so don't despair yet! I am looking to lose about 50kgs which is around 110 pounds, and I hate exercise but once I force myself to do it I actually feel good afterwards. Like it's horrifyingly awful while you're doing it but I feel proud to have done it. I have a Personal Trainer who was obese too and she is great, pushes me just far enough but doesn't leav eme unable to walk the next morning! If you cna afford it I think PT is the way to go for exercise.