Gordon C

I found that for the first week (I guess when there was a lot of stomach swelling in the band area) that it took me about an hour to drink a protein shake. Now I can manage about 400ml in half an hour. It all really depends on how tight or how swollen the area of your band is.

Yup Cold all the time too since surgery. I suspect it is due to a big switch over in my metabolism. The post op liquid diet makes it very hard to get more than about 1000 cals per day and I think this is enough to make me run with a very low sugar / low body glycogen level all the time. I dont know when or if it will get better but I'm sure its nothing to worry about and its a small price to pay in the long run Gordon

Hi Bimby Like you I was worried about how I would deal with life without being able to turn to food. I decided to go for a few sessions with a counsellor prior to my op and it was one of the best things I've ever done. It gave me a whole new insight into what makes me tick as a person and let me see some of the reasons I'd come to rely on food as a crutch in my life. I know that approach might not be right for everyone but it certainly helped me a lot. I'm sure you can get through banding and succeed anyway but do give it some thought - it allowed me to relax prior to the op and also allowed me to focus on some other areas of my life that needed real attention too. Good luck. Gordon PS - Gill - my four counselling sessions did take me back to my childhood and I discovered a whole lot of stuff that made sense in terms of how I dealt with food as an adult (and more particularly what food was a substitute for ... ). Nothing scary and nothing distressing but certainly well worth doing.

Stick with it - Angie is right, it does get much easier as you go on. Promise !!

I think its all a bit individual but I'm typing this from my desk at work on day 6. I'm a family doctor and have managed to sit through a three hour session dealing with about twenty patients without any major problems. (phew !! .... touching wood as he types !!) I think you should be fine to return to studies by day 10. If watery stools are a problem then taking some medicine that you can buy over the counter in a pharmacy should resolve things. Good luck Gordon

If if works for you - and your band tolerates it - and you're losing weight - and you enjoy what you eat, then ............... why not?

Yup I get the same thing. I was banded on 19th March. It seems to get better after some tomato Soup or smooth yogurt. I've kinda worked out that it might be my "new" hunger signal. Try forcing yourself to take a little soup or similar (maybe some soft custard) and see if it helps Gordon

Almost certainly just a reaction to all you've been through - particularly if you've had pain. It should improve over the next week.

Hi Marissa Trying to deal with my own shoulder pain at the moment - shoulder tip pain post op seems to be a very common problem - much better today - day 6 Gordon

I'm six days out from banding and crush all my meds at present. I find that taking the powder with a spoon of yogurt helps. I'm sure some people do manage to swallow the tablets at an early stage but I'm too afraid of triggering a blockage and then problems.

Hi Kelda It sounds like you need to get a bit of nourishment into your system now. I think some tomato soup would help - I had pretty similar symptoms and they all eased after some soup. I figure that this might be my bodies new way of saying it's hungry. I think that my hunger signals might have changed after the banding. Try to push yourself to take some nutrition on board - its a hard enough time to get through without starving yourself too. Gordon

Hi Rowshan I guess it's a bit variable between all of us as individuals but I was banded five days ago and have no problems with lifting. The wounds are small and are not really causing any major problems. I'm not sure my abs would be up to a sit up or two but simple lifting should not be a problem Hope that helps Gordon

Hi I'm back to work tomorrow - day 6 after banding - and I'm sure I'll manage it without too much problem. You should be OK by day 9 but I guess we are all different so its hard to be certain. Take care with ibuprofen though - my surgeon has barred all anti-inflammatory medication because it can upset the stomach lining

No catheter for me - I guess it depends on your surgeons preferences

Chin up x-ray - it WILL get better. The night is always darkest just before the dawn - and relax, cos the dawn will surely come ! Gordon