Sarah.R

Usually the reason that they call you cheaters is because there jealous themselves because they can't have it and really how is it cheating when your going to be able to keep off the weight instead of gaining it back like you would if you where using a fad? I hardly call that cheating

Honestly we all go thru it - I even went to Mcdonalds and could still eat a quarter pounder - Imagine my dissapointment about that - But now I can eat maybe 3/4 of a cheeseburger and just feel like I'm about to burst and I'm 6 months out. Just try to be realistic about this entire thing, like the second person said get used to chewing your food heaps and cutting it up really small and not drinking with meals, because when the time comes that you do hit the sweet spot and your not used to that? You're going to have alot of issues - Like me who always gets stuck after a fill and is in pain for about 2 hours - SOOOO NOT FUN lol =(

Uhh I wish I could help out but even when I did have clothes before they where kinda bleh if you know what I mean - Now that I'm on the way to skinny and beyond (hopefully) I'm definitely in need of nicer clothes though lol

I was meant to have it like early last year when I would have been 20 and then it changed and I was meant to have surgery 6 days before my 21st but I got it when I was 21. Yay

Honestly I don't excercise - right now I don't have the motivation I guess. It definitely sucks and I have started walking like once or twice but overall I really need more motivation =(

I feel normal, actually I hate getting fills, only time I haven't had issues with a fill was the very first one, but every one since then, everytime I go to eat the next day after the 24 hours liquids it ALWAYS gets stuck. I know it's my fault and not eating slow and taking too big a bite but it always happens =( But on the bright side I found out I lost 7kgs in 2 months last time I went to the hospital =D YAY *7kgs is 15.4lbs for the americans =)

Considering there aren't any nerve sensors in/around your stomach, no you can't - You can however feel the port, the more you loose the more you'll be able to feel it

I suppose if you have enough medical conditions and you feel more comfortable wearing one then why not?

How is it cheating when if you had someone exactly the same as you that started dieting same time as you and then in 10 years your going to be the one keeping the weight off? The band is definitely not cheating - considering all the pb'ing and getting stuck that we go thru, those that say it's cheating are usually the ones that want it themselves or don't know enough information about it

Just because you can eat chicken fine doesn't really mean anything. I've got 9.5 mls in my band after 3 fills and just getting restriction after the 2nd and 3rd one and can still eat chicken fine.

Yes theres going to be huge issues about this because if your getting the band then shouldnt you be unhappy with who you are? I'll put my 2 cents in - I'm 21, I WAS happy with my weight, I liked my curves, I liked my boobs BUT my health has been crap since I was 10 and had chemotherapy and has gone down hill ever since. If I didn't have this surgery I was looking at a possible lung transplant and being rejected for it, now I know that if that possibility does come up, I will hopefully not be rejected for it. If I could have stayed the way I was and have been healthy, I would of been happy, who I am now defines me - I've always been fat and it's hard to change my persception with that - In saying that. I have never had a date, so yeah there are some downers for it - But overall I wasn't miserable when I was fat - I could find clothes, friends liked me for me and so did family - If I had negative things from friends/family then maybe the situation would have been different.

There's 2 BRANDS of band the realize and the johnson and johnson brand - The johnson & johnson one comes in like 5 sizes I think - 4cc, 6cc, 9, 10 & 12. And the realise only comes in 2 sizes - Not sure what those are though. It's great that you've lost 15lbs, I didn't really loose much on my post op fluids which was annoying but what can you do? I'm pretty sure I have the biggest size band there is which is the 12. I have 9cc in at the moment and let me tell you I can definitely feel restriction. Last night I had only about 3/4 cup of food for dinner, the night before that it wasn't even half a cup. But I only just got my second fill on wednesday so it may not even last - Just gotta wait and see. As for the gas, have you been walking? I feel bad for those that get the gas because I never had any, no shoulder tip pain either - although I have had shoulder tip pain from a previous surgery so I know how painful that can be. Good luck with everything.

Some surgeons actually do put fluid in during surgery - I was under the impression that my surgeon didn't do it, then I went for my first fill last month and turns out he stuck in 4ccs during surgery so it just depends on the surgeon.

Theres several people on here that have had the band done twice. I can only think of one off the top of my head - Corliss - she recently went to mexico for a tummy tuck and to get her face done and also had another band put in. If you wanna talk to her she's usally in the chat room at nights

That's like I was watching a thing on big medicine about a teenager who was 18 and was already at like 600lbs and I just thought - How can that happen? I mean yeah I know people over eat but that weight that early in life?

Theres a comedian here in australia - Mikey Robbins and he had it as well.

Why not just get the large and then if you are a medium size when the wedding comes around you can take it somewhere to get altered? Or if you don't wanna do that then buy both and whichever one you don't wear sell the other one on ebay?

I haven't had coke in over 3 months - OH MY GOD LOL. In saying that - I actually don't miss it which is weird. I'm paranoid that I'm going to do something wrong to my band if I do drink it so I don't. Plus I would have to wait for it to go flat and flat cokes just isn't that great lol. But it does get tiring living on water, milk, juice, chocolate milk. I'd love more variety =( Edit* One more thing to add - I think that the amount of sugar in them even if I attempted a sip I would probably feel sick from the amount that's in it - You look at the amount of sugar in a can of coke and you might as well eat 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Honestly, does it really matter? As long as your loosing the weight and becoming healthier isn't that the more important thing?

Well I COULD have had the band done 6 days before my 21st so I would of been 20 but they screwed me around and I was 21 lol. But I didn't really care as long as I got it done =)

Like always before surgery. The pill only has like a 99% success rate. So hey go ahead but if you get preggers you know you were the 1%

Hey Sarah. The majority of the aussie bandsters on here I've found are from south australia. I think there's maybe 5 in brisbane? Including you and myself

Pumpkin soup already? Wow I wouldn't of risked that personally but that's just me. Congrats on the 6kgs =)

Honestly, I didn't even get hungry until like week 2 but that's just me. Maybe try drinking a little more liquids to help.

My hospital paid for my entire surgery and only the lapband was offered. Even if the bypass or sleeve where offered I wouldn't do that. Just something about the fact that a bypasser can loose up to 100lbs in 3 months is completely unrealistic and sounds dangerous to me. Also I never want my insides rerouted and the fact that your stomach is cut off but still producing acid and what not while it's sewn up in there is kinda nasty.