Mrs.M

I'm now 3 1/2 weeks post surgery and chewing again! Yay! My weight loss has stopped, which I knew would happen and I'm fine about, but I'm not gaining anything either, which is a bonus. I went to see the doctor today for my (early) 4 week appointment. It was pretty much a formality. All he did was look at my wounds, put me on the scales and asked me a few questions about how everything was going. So far he's happy with my progress but warned me that I might start to put on a bit of weight again until the first fill in another four weeks time. I'm feeling really good about myself lately. I still have LOTS of weight to lose, but just getting a bit off the top has made such a big difference. I imagine that the exercise is also helping me, as much as I hate it! Nevertheless, I find that I miss it if I skip a day so that's really good. I am noticing a little bit of restriction, in that I get full a lot faster than I used to. My challenge is to now STOP eating when I am satisfied rather than when I'm full. But it's very hard to do, especially when the food tastes so good! But the fullness seems to really sneak up on you with just a couple of extra bites. Definitely something to keep my eye on.

Good luck for Wednesday fat2fit!

I'm glad all has gone well for you M. It really took me 2 1/2 weeks to feel pretty much back to normal, and before that I even felt a little blue. I hope all goes well for your recovery and you are soon back on your feet. Just remember to take plenty of time to rest.

This doesn't sound too good to me Dionne. My surgeon was very specific about coughing at night. He said that it shouldn't happen and if it does it meant the band was too tight and I would require an adjustment. (Mind you, I haven't even had the first fill yet!) Did you have acid reflux beforehand? I would ring the doctor in QLD and just ask him what he thinks. Maybe he can help you get in to see someone faster in Vic.

Great to hear that your surgery went well Labec. I'm glad you are home and doing well.

Good luck for Friday Kylie! Your surgery sure seems to have come around fast!

Keri, I didn't realise that the bands sometimes contained Fluid when they went in. I was under the impression that they were left empty until you healed. As for the blues... I was fine the first week, but half way through week two I have felt a little down. No tears though, just not really my usual cheery self.

I had shoulder tip pain after my surgery for about a week. Applying a heat pack helped but I think it just takes time for everything to settle back down again. My surgeon told me it was caused by the two things mentioned above - the gas and referred pain.

I agree that the optifast is really hard and I too had a headache and felt lousy for the first couple of days. I never want to see another diet shake again and hopefully with the band in place I'll never have too. I never got used to them I'm afraid. Anyway, I hope the time passes quickly for you. I know when you are in the middle of it it seems like an eternity, but soon enough you will be in the home stretch.

Good luck to both of you! I'm sure you will be just fine, since the doctors and nurses really do take excellent care of you. I completely understand about being nervous and excited at the same time, and let me tell you that the waiting is definitely the worst part about the whole procedure. I'll be thinking of you both tomorrow and sending good vibes your way!

Nat36, I think 20kg will be easy for you to lose... I would imagine you'll get the whole 30kg off by the end of the year, especially if you are exercising as well. I'm now at the 2 1/2 weeks point and fully immersed in the liquid phase. I'm finding that I'm quite hungry throughout the day and starting to long for something to chew. My doctor has said that I can't start eating any mushies until after 3 weeks, so I'm hanging out for Thursday! I've had a bit of a head cold during the last couple of days and all the sneezing and nose blowing has resulted in a little tenderness at my port site (or at least where I imagine the port is located). It's not too bad and I really only feel it when I'm bending a certain way. On a positive note I'm finally noticing a difference in the way my clothes are fitting. There seems to be more room in my pants! At the start of this process I thought I would be at the mall enjoying shopping for smaller items, but to tell you the truth, I'm actually enjoying how it feels to have loose clothes on. And maybe, just maybe I'm still a little nervous about buying anything smaller... just in case. I wonder if that feeling of "here comes another failed attempt at weight loss" ever really leaves.

Oh Nat, I can so relate to what you're saying! I have started avoiding friends and social gatherings and the thought of meeting my husbands colleagues leaves me cold. Thankfully he works remotely from home and his office is based in Sydney, so trips down there for all of us are few and far between. I had been tossing up about this surgery for about a year, but when I realised that I was starting to isolate myself I made the decision to go ahead and do it. And like both you and Soriminah, I have a little black dress, size 12, that used to fit me many years ago that is still hanging in my wardrobe as incentive. I don't expect to be there by the end of this year, but maybe sometime next year.

Well, it's now been a whole week since I had the band put in. My pain has mostly subsided now and I'm on a roll with the liquid diet. With everything I've read and all that I was told I was expecting not to feel hungry during this last week, and it's true to an extent, but my stomach has still be growling. Mind you, I guess the fact that I've even got to the point where my stomach has been growling is amazing for someone who LOVES to eat! Now that I think about it, I guess I haven't really been thinking about food too much at all. Before surgery I would constantly think about what's in the fridge, what to cook for meals, what to buy at the shops, which treat would be nice right about now... but I think that's mostly gone now. Hmmmm...... could this actually be working?

That's great news Soriminah! Congratulations on receiving your op-date. I'm sure the time will just fly by... it did for me.

I think you should respond something like this. When she next makes one of her comments say, "Yes, you have already said that before. I'm actually getting concerned with how obsessed you are with people who are overweight. I looked up your problem and discovered that psychiatrists say that people who are obsessed with a topic are usually suffering from a disorder. Maybe you should get some help." Or how about, "Yes, you're probably right, but at least I can lose weight. I don't think doctors have yet perfected a personality overhaul so you might be stuck with your insensitivity problem for a while yet." And then of course, you must strut away, hair flinging and a big smile! On a more serious note, her behaviour really does amount to harrassment and I agree with Sades that you should phone the anti-discrimination board. However, I think you should approach your employer first and get his / her reaction to the situation. Good luck with it all.