Carriejess

Hello everyone thanks for all your well wishes...baby is due at the beginning of November x

Hi Carriejess CONGRATULATIONS, I hope your keeping well, my daughter put on 1 stone during her pregnancy, but sprung straight back to her pre pregnancy weight within a week of having baby, and now that she is re-filled is lossing even more. Good luck on this next step in your life, when are you due?.

Hey thank you!

Did your daughter have Fluid taken out of her band? How does it work when the baby is bigger, can you still find the port? I dont think i have a problem with my fill level at the moment but i am worried that i am not getting enough Water in comparison to how thirsty i am! I do my own fills which i know alot of people dont agree with but its my choice to do. Do you think i am better off taking everything out and just leaving it empty until after the baby is born?

Thanks for all your help xxx

oops sorry, if your friends with me on fb please dont post anything on there...i know you wouldnt but just incase...thanks! x

Hi Everyone

Sorry i am a bit behind but i found out i was pregnant a few weeks ago so its been a bit mental.

So looks like we will be having a band baby join us. Considering i have rubbish ovaries and was told i probably wouldnt be able to have children...its amazing how losing weight and being healthy can change your whole life!

xx

i lost about 100 pounds and 10 dress sizes 16 to 6 so maybe the 10 pound rule worked for me!

I think its the easy way out, that doesnt mean theres any thing wrong with it. We all know that it is harder to keep weight off without the band or none of us would have had it done. Yes its still hard but not AS hard therefore its the easier option. I am forever gratefull that the option is available.

Hi Mandy

Wow all the posts from threads from the start? Thats impressive! I was banded in Oct 08 and it took me just over a year to reach goal but everyone is different and it all depends how much weight you have to lose etc. I probably could have done it quicker if i was really strict wth myself but i didnt want it to feel like i was on a diet because as we all know diets never work!

I now have my restriction back so i know that i will lose the 6 pounds i put on in a couple of weeks...my clothes are feeling a little on the tight side at the moment.

Its funny because i still wasnt happy with my weight, i wanted to get down to 8 1/2 stone but putting on 6 pounds has taught me that i was actually happy where i was before and didnt need to lose any more...guess theres a lesson in everything.

Congratulations on your decision, Oct will come quicker than you think x

hi all is it true you can only have band in for 10 - 15 years then u have to get it removed:ohmy:

Thats what the current research thinks although the band has not been around long enough to give an answer one way or the other. Anything plastic that you have in you body will eventually suffer from errosion, however you can just have a new one put straight back in, or by then they hope that you would have learnt how to eat a healthy balanced diet! Plus in 15 years time god knows what new things they will have developed!

Hello

Sorry i have been MIA, internet broken at home!

Not happy at the moment as i have put on 6 pounds due to my massive unfill! Should be up to proper restriction next week....cant wait!

Hope everyone is well

xx

wondering why being thin does not fix everything and why relationships are so difficult!

I havent had a fill since the beginning of Sept, i was quite tight but i didnt feel too tight, a few weeks after the fill i started having some slight reflux especially after eating fruit or drinking wine it then got worse and worse over the last 4 months. Two days ago my band tightened so much that i could not swallow and had to have an emergency unfil of 1ml. I guess this shows that you should not keep a really tight band...eventually you will have a problem. 1ml was quite alot to have out but i feel absolutley fine now and i am finding already that i am making better food choices because i can eat meat which i havent been able to manage rather than low Protein slider foods all the time. I am not going to get another fill until i have given my throat time to rest. I actually think that i will be able to maintain because i will be getting more Vitamins, be able to drink more Fluid and have more energy for the gym!

Freckles

Sending you love and hugs xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

haven’t posted on here for a long time but needed to have a good moan. I was banded in August 2008 by Dr Chris and have since lost 5 and a half stone. I have never felt any real restriction and have had 6 fills bringing me up to 5.5ml. I went for another fill a couple of days ago at my local private hospital and told him I was getting hungry a lot and haven’t lost any weight in the past 6 months and asked if he could do a complete de-fill to check how much was in there. When he checked there was only 1.5ml in there. No wonder I have been so bloody hungry all the time.

I’m obviously very worried that I have a leak somewhere and have E-mailed Dr Chris on Friday and I’m waiting for his reply.

I have been going to the gym 4 days a week and swimming for an hour 4 times a week and still haven’t lost much weight. I know you gain weight by going to the gym as muscle is heavier than fat but I would like the scales to go down, this is ridiculous.

I just want to point out that I am not blaming Dr Chris and I don’t regret having the band put it, I still think its the best decision I have ever made. I am just gutted that it’s not working for me at the moment. I think I may have had a problem with the band for about a year as that’s when my weight seemed to go up and down like a yo yo. I just wish I had asked him to check the level of Fluid in the band beforehand instead of wasting money on fills which were obviously going in one end and coming out the other.

Hello! Great to hear from you!

Sorry to hear about your problems, keep us updated with what Dr Chris says about your band. Has he got back to you yet? x

Carrie as you know I had an overfill 2 weeks ago reflux, couldnt keep anything down etc. Now I can eat normally but if I drink wine Im getting burning in my throat and also Im getting reflux only if I drink wine. Strange as I was at the point of going to local hospital for a defil, now I can eat and drink normally. This band is bloody twisted, my husband says its just like its owner! jx

The wine thing is what i have been like since before xmas, very annoying. I am not sure but i think the reflux i have been suffering with for ages had irritated my throat/stomach and the other night my body just said thats its you cant even swallow now! Although i have taken some out im actually feeling much better and although i have already notcied that i can eat/drink quite a bit more i am hoping that i will still be able to maintain. I have not had any issues with staying the same weight since my last fill but eating has ben a bit of a battle as it has been much easier for me to eat slider foods and carbs etc so that i know that at least i have eaten something. Last night i ate chicken with no problems! I havent eaten chicken or meat really for months because it was too difficult. So i think i will be eating more but with better quality Protein and food to give me more energy for the gym etc. Plus i drank white wine last night and did not suffer with any reflux! In fact i feel pretty damn good! Just going to see what happens over the next few weeks before i even consider another fill!

Thanks! xx

p.s homecare be carefull with the acid etc from wine and fruit causing you pain/burning as thats how it started with me and its taken 5 months for me to irritate my throat so much that i needed an unfill x

So something weird happened to me last night. I have been suffering slightly from acidy reflux type stuff over the last couple of weeks. Anything fruity even wine etc has been really affecting my throat and making it burn etc. Went to bed last night feeling quite tight and like my throat was sore. Woke up at 1am couldnt swallow anything wasnt in a massive amount of pain or anything carried on until 2am until in the end i had to give myself an emergency unfil of 1ml. I havent had a fill since the beginning of Sept so no idea why this has happened! Today i feel fine, still have restriction...i did mange to eat a whole jacket potato with tuna which is alot for me but i wanted to test how much i could eat to see how much taking out the 1ml affected my restriction. So i ate it all at 12.30 its now 6.30 and i still feel really full but not in an uncomfortable way. I dont think its slipped or anything and will just be monitering over the next week or so to make sure my restriction stays, i think my band just magically tightened for some reason!

Weird...any thoughts appreciated??

Starting at size 16/18

Current size 4/6

I feel .... lol boney!

I need to work on: more muscle....less bone

Thanks very much for your info on flights Garry. But I still need your help. I have read that people have stayed in the Camponile but there are two, one in Vilvoode and one in Zaventem. Would you know which one is the most convenient one to stay in?

Everyone stays at the Camponile in Vilvorde xxx

Good luck to everyone going soon although i am sure that you will not need it!

Fatpants, glad your ok...i have done the foamy mouth thing and it's not fun! I know that they have taken alot out but at least you are giving yourself a bit if time to let your stomach settle down a bit x

Put on a pound...not happy!

xx

Hi Freckles,

I tried the lemonade, and as you said it was very painful, so much so that I had to make myself sick, the lemonade is all that came out though! Anything is worth trying.

Take care

Fatpants:thumbup:

Ahh honey i feel bad for you, having a slight defill is better than sleeping in the upright position for ages, i'm sure that Freckles will agree with me! xx

I weigh 126 pounds, some days i still feel fat. I think all women have good days and bad days no matter what size they are!

My boyfriend always says, "loosing weight is 80% what you put in your mouth. How good you look afterwards is 80% exercise". He looks damned good. So I am gonna go with what he says. (not trying to say anything about what was posted, just adding on)

I totally agree with this, i lost nearly all of my weight without excercise. However i wish that i had excercised throughout as perhaps i wouldnt have to work so hard to tone the muscles now so i look like a godess with no clothes on

Thanks CarrieJess, I hope my granddaughter looks like you when she grows up, she is called Jessica. Ps you've done great on your journey , I think well done doesn't do it justice. You are an ambassador for the bandster clan. Thanks again. Paul

thank you, that was an incredibly nice thing to say x

Congradulations to all new Bandsters, this will be me very soon. I fly out on Thursday and have the band Friday. It's been great reading all your posts, I've picked up some really good tips and advice from you all, thank you all very much. I'm looking forward to it but feeling slightly anxious at the same time. There is one thing that really confuses me though, and that is, the fills. Is every body different, and how often and how many do you have and how long In between. I've read most of the posts and I'm still none the wiser. Any claritiy on this matter will be much appreciated? Confused Jeaniejink.

Lol this is the question with no answer! Ok here goes...after surgery you will prob lose quite alot of weight with no fill because you are not used to it and swollen etc approx 4 weeksish after you will need a fill and you will keep needing fills until you get to between 5 and 8 mils, although this is different for everyone. Ok now some fill providers fill slowly and steadily which can be frustrating..this is when you go through bandster hell (ie being able to eat what you want and wondering why the hell you paid all of this money for a useless peice of crap :woot:) some providers aim to get you to a descent restriction level within 3 to 4 fills like wendy from wls. Occasionally you can be filled too tight and not be able to swallow your own spit in which case you will need to have a defill this is to be avoided if at all possible, they will make sure you can drink something after your fill to try and stop this from happening. If it does happen, then its a lesson well learnt and you will never do it again! As you lose weight you also lose weight from your insides this is what causes you to need fills to keep the band tight around your stomach. Even when you do have a good level of restriction eventually you will need another fill unless you are at goal. When you are at goal like me then the only reason you need a fill is because Water does eventually evaporate. The last fill i had was September and i don't have any plans for any more as yet.

So the moral of this story is that everyone is different but i would guestimate that you will need between 4-8 fills to get to goal depending on who your fill provider is and how well your body reacts to the band. You MUST reconcile yourself to this fact and understand the cost involved.

The happy ending is that everyone goes through the above and its just a natural part of having this kind of surgery. However its all just a learning curve, i had my surgery in oct 08, i can now eat what i want within reason and my band is not the focus of my life anymore. You will also get to this point but it does take time.

Sorry for the blunt post but i wish someone had said that to me before i had my op.

What i can say is that although the above sounds scary, its not devastating or bad its just different and i totally 2 million % percent worth it! x

plan even, sorry! friday night just got home after a bit too much red wine!

I am wondering what I should be living on in the 2 weeks before my operation, Frederik mentioned low fat etc etc.

Any suggestions as to what falls into this catagory with variation so boredom doesn't creep in ?? All suggestions welcome. PS I don't need advice on alcohol, as I rarely touch it, last time I was sozzled was 6 years ago on my 40th---Good excuse then ha ha.

hey

2 week pre op doesnt have to be drastic, just a weight watchers type meal pan is fine.xx