johnsydney

I did my own fills for the last 3 years I had the band ( in know I'm very naughty ) !! It's very straight forward. 1 huber needle, 1 syringe and some saline, oh and perhaps a band aid. Took me 30 seconds. I wouldn't advise it though. It kinda defeats the object, I would un-fill for a holiday, special occasion etc. Also risk of infection if not done properly. I am in the medical field so was a aseptic as possible, still don't try this as home lol !!

I wish I was the same as you guys, I'm convinced that I can eat way too much. I'm 5 weeks post op and can pretty much get a cup of anything in. I wish I could only get a couple of spoons in, it will increase as the swelling subsides and given time. I'm just concerned about how much I'll be able to eat in the future if I can get a cup in now !

I'm 5 weeks post op and I'm doing daily 10km and once a week 20km power walk / jog.

I like the new app and don't mind the pop ups and It doesn't freeze up or crash for me. The only thing I don't like is that some of the ads are almost x rated and I don't like to see them.

Hi TMF, I travelled to the South of France to have my band 10 years ago, the surgery was performed by a highly regarded, well know surgeon, at that time he used a Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band which was placed via the pars flaccida technique. Which I believe may have been fairly advanced or new at the time. I'm not to sure about this peri-gastric method to which you refer. Anyhow to respond to your comments further, there were no issues regarding the safety of my procedure and my band was not sold to me as a panacea it was clearly sold as a weight loss tool only. However, I was told that the band was totally reversible and would not cause the stomach any damage (not true) and that it will stay in for life (not true). I'm not knocking the band, it got me down to my goal weight, but I probably had 100 doctors room visits over the 10 years it was in and then started having severe reflux and needed less Fluid which for me equalled weight gain. It was a relief to have it taken out, the sleeve for me, although it's only early days (5 weeks) so far has given me a much more 'natural' feeling of fullness. Which is great. Thanks for your good luck wishes. Regards John

I had the lapband for 10 years and I have to say, it never really did anything for my hunger. I was hungry the whole time, just couldn't eat much. I always said it was similar to how it must feel having your jaw wired. Still hungry but just can't eat ! Hence it's removal and converted to sleeve last month.

I chew gum without any issue, it's not like it gets swallowed !

Thanks for the links ! Interesting reads :-)

How about quantity of food ? I think I can eat more than most, did you end up with a larger bougie / new stomach than most because you went band to sleeve ?

Hi, I was sleeved August 14th I'm jogging / power walking 5-10km (3-6miles) a day and weekly on my day off I'm doing a 20km (12 mile) walk. That's about all really, 28lb down so far. :-)

How have you gained ?! What are you eating ? Are you exercising at all ?

When did you get sleeved ? Do you have any links to the research on similar weight loss regardless of bougie size ? I'm worries that I'll be able to eat too much and regain weight. I do feel as though the sleeve has done something good to my brain ! I seem to have lost my sweet tooth and carb cravings and so far the weight loss has been good, so not complaining !

They said it was like a dogs breakfast in there. The lower part of my stomach had moved up through the band and stretched the top part out. Very tricky to remove, was fortunate enough to be able to have the band out and the sleeve done in the same op, but it was touch and go, my surgeon was going to call it off and the whole op took about 3 1/2 hours as a result my sleeve is a bit bigger than most at around 250ml which is about 1 cup US I think. Op for me was easy, no pain, no gas, no reflux. Just hoping that the weight loss continues and can be maintained with the larger sleeve.

Yeah band to sleeve, relatively low starting BMI, wanted to lose 56lb so half way there in 4 weeks. Band was in for 10 years. Lost 110lb with the band then regained 60 or so. So took the plunge and had the sleeve last month.

28lb four weeks out

I don't use any trackers / methods to monitor carb / fat / protein intake, sounds like too much messing around. I just ensure that I eat 3 small meals a day which are high in protein, low fat and low carb. I have a protein drink in the morning, tea and coffee during the day with skim milk and no sugar. A vital greens in the evening. If I feel like something sweet I have a sugar free, low fat jello, which I make in advance and leave in the fridge. Want to lose 56lb in total, so far 4 weeks out and lost 28lb. Pretty happy so far :-)

Make the most of it ! I had to go on a 2 week partial liquid diet, 2 optifast shakes per day plus one low fat, low carb, high protein meal. I was good and stuck to it until the last 5 days when each of my one meals a day was one of my favourite meals from one of my favourite restaurants. My surgeon didn't seem too bothered, perhaps because I had a relatively low BMI and no health problems. Stuffing my face prior to surgery still probably wasn't that smart though !!! We are still obese and the lower the weight and smaller the liver during the op the less time spent on the table and the lower the risk. The silly thing is, all the food I stuffed in my face I can still eat and enjoy just in much smaller quantities :-) good luck !!

Sticks and stones......

I was affectionately called 'Tubsy', I liked it :-)

No weight loss required for surgery here, just 2 week optifast meal meal replacement, 2 optifast per day and one low fat, low carb meal to shrink liver a bit. Only 1 appointment with surgeon and nutritionist prior to op.

I've also never had that 'oops I've have one spoonful too much feeling' either. Just get the feeling that what I've eaten is backed up to the bottom of my throat so I should probably stop. Anyone else similar to me ?

My sleeve is about 250ml think that's about 8/9oz in US. I am on soft stage at present, I am worried that I can eat a little more than that though. Everything tastes the same to me as before surgery. I can tolerate any protein drinks, vitamins, any food as long as it's soft, haven't tried anything that isn't soft yet. Can drink heaps of fluids without any feelings of restriction pressure. From what I've read my experience appears to be much more plain sailing than many others, I'm just worried it's all a bit too easy and I'm getting too much in given that I'm only four weeks out and my sleeve will relax a bit more and make it easier to eat / drink. Does the game really change when you get to solids ? I wish I could only get sips of fluids in and a couple of spoons of food :-(

I went band to sleeve in the same op. Band was in for 10 years. Pretty difficult to get out, operation took twice as long as expected. Woke up after the op, felt groggy for a few hours then all was well. No pain, no gas, no complications, felt good enough to go home on the same day ! Was asked to stay in for 2 days for observations, which were all normal. Almost 4 weeks out now and the whole thing has been an absolute breeze so far. I've lost about 26lb. Not feeling hungry, bit of head hunger at times. Far better to have the band removed and sleeve done in one operation. if your surgeon thinks it's safe to do so, then you only have 1 hospital stay and one operation to recover from ! Obviously if your surgeon things it may not be a good idea once he has a look in there then best to wait. For me no regrets, wish I'd have done this years ago. Good luck :-)

My doctor said give it a week or two post op before having a glass of wine. I'm almost 4 weeks out now but haven't bothered to have a drink yet !

Thanks for the link ! Never knew about that, lost another couple of pounds so feeling better :-)