Marmite_crumpet

That'll be from the ET tube the anaesthetist put down your throat, plus the device they put down into your stomach to measure it for the band. Will go in a day or two. I had that too. You will have swelling and soreness around the incisions, but mainly around the port site. Again, this will ease in a day or two, though I get it occasionally now 5 days post-op. The dreaded gas is causing this. They pump the spaces between the organs full of gas to enable them to get to your stomach, without nicking the other organs/structures. The gas is pressing on the phrenic nerve in your diaphragm and shoulder. I've still got that too This site will be a great resource for you.

Wow, well done on that weight loss! I know they are very busy, which is why they are operating on weekends now too. @Lisa-R: Yes, they pump the spaces between the organs full of gas. It separates them and makes it easier to work on the target organ, with less risk of damaging the surrounding structures.

Nail on the head I am enjoying your posts, IndigoGirl55 and am taking comfort and reassurance from them in these early days for me. p.s. Did anyone else feel sorry for "Food" in that letter?! :thumbup:

Fabulous resource! Thank you. :cursing:

Well, I'm done and now on my third day. Still very sore at the port site but ... I think ... starting to feel a leetle bit better there. Slept most of yesterday off and on - just kept nodding off with no warning. Gas still a problem, despite regular walking - though this has been slightly thwarted by the heavy snowfall we are experiencing. I don't want to risk slipping up outside, so my sojourns have to take place indoors, wearing away the carpet and totally confusing my poor dog Am experiencing tightness when eating sloppy foods like yoghurt or Soup, which are both on the diet sheet issued by my dieticians and Shaw Somers. Funny how everyone's instructions differ so greatly. I am relieved I don't have to stick to liquids only for 4 weeks, like some I have seen here. Have a feeling of calm which is not like me ... could be the remains of the anaesthesia I suppose

This was a fabulously informative post which also gave me great reassurance. Just what I was hoping to hear from from someone. Thank you Jodi

I was banded 3 days ago, but that is exactly the feeling I have experienced. Pressure from the "top stomach" being full, but the gnawing hunger is there permanently. I'm just hoping I get used to that as the norm. Not quite what I expected though ...

I was banded yesterday. I don't feel any restriction when I drink and I am allowed to eat slushy food (no lumps). I just ate a can of Scotch broth, liquidised right down, and still felt no restriction. I am very sore, but only on bending or sitting up. Look 5 months pregnant too. I did lots of walking around the wards which definitely helped with the wind. Funny thing was, I got to yesterday afternoon (after surgery at 11am) and felt full of energy and euphoric. I was all set to go home that night, but decided against it. Had a fairly decent night, but woke up weak as a kitten and kept falling asleep after my little Breakfast. Had to force myself into the shower at 12pm, as I felt so tired and weak - also depressed an weepy. Just seemed odd after being so up and energetic on day of surgery.

Your Blog is the only place I have found a reference to post-op sex! I've been looking everywhere! So, how was it for you?

Wendy! Good to see you here, considering it was you that first put my mind at rest after talking to me on the phone Anyway, this is the thread I mentioned that has been very interesting to me: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/ive-got-ask-85076/ I'll call you after your fill on Tues.

I have booked 2 weeks holiday as, not knowing how I am going to be, I can't afford to be less than 100%. My job involves a lot of driving, walking around hospitals and doing presentations/standing. Nobody is going to know about my op, so I will be expected to go full tilt on my return from my "holiday". Anyway, will be nice to chill for a fortnight

Thanks again everyone. Had my date confirmed as 31st Jan (they were waiting for Theatre time) and my pre-assessment is Fri 23rd. Getting closer isn't it :yikes: One minute excited, next thinking I am mad and will miss certain foods like bread, rice, pasta and some fruits. Shut up Marmite_Crumpet! :wink:

Thanks Steve, that is very comforting. And you, Sir, are looking amazing! :cursing:

I really want to thank everyone for taking the time to reply to my OP. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that your responses have put my biggest doubts to bed. I am back to being excited about the band again! Thank you all. You are, every one of you, an inspiration :grouphug:

Am i correct in concluding that you are yet to be banded als74? Just sounds that way from some of the things you said is all

Thanks Jaymie, that was very reassuring. Congrats on your progress and success too!

Thank you RestlessMonkey. I think that is the kind of thing I wanted to hear. I suppose I was getting the impression that the band doesn't do that much in the way of directly affecting weight loss. I have a theory that the fact that someone has gone through the surgery - usually paid for it themselves, has a large effect on their resolve to lose weight this time. Is that the case do you think? Or does the band have that much of a physical effect that, with or without the right mindset, weight would be lost? Gawd, I do overthink things I know! But this is how I process things - obsessively - and I have to explore every question in my mind to reassure myself I am doing the right thing.

New here and banding booked for 31st Jan in Chichester UK. I've been reading and reading these forums and they are fantastically informative. But something keeps hitting me and I have just got to ask about it: Over and over I am impressed and awed by everyone's success stories, whether at goal or well on the way. I keep reading that you are all watching carefully that you don't eat high calorie food that would render your bands useless as they are foods that would slip through easily - chocolate, crisps (chips), ice cream etc. I also read that you are disciplined in your exercise routines or, at the minimum, make sure you are active in some way during the day. Here is my question (and I ask it with the greatest respect): How is the gastric band making you do those things that you didn't do before you had it fitted? The band restricts the amount you eat, but it is still possible to gain weight if you eat high calorie soft foods. The band does not make you exercise. So why is it that you are now able to discipline yourselves to avoid those high calorie foods, whilst making sure you incorporate exercise into your lives? As I said, I am in for a band in 3 weeks. I have done all the things you guys have - the diets, the pills the whatever - and I am now at my heaviest. I am turning to WLS as a last resort and not feeling too proud of that. But, if I had the willpower, self-control and discipline displayed by the majority of the posters to these fora, I wouldn't be having the band! What is it about having the band that means you have these new-found strengths? Of course I am making an assumption that the strengths are new to you all, as why else would you have resorted to WLS, if you had the willpower, self-control and discipline to do it without surgery? I really hope my post doesn't come across as rude or impertinent. That is truly not my intention. I have nothing but respect and admiration for everyone on these forums. But I am going through a crisis of my own as I feel a failure for having to resort to WLS and I don't want to get to the stage after surgery of thinking "I could have done all this without the band as all I am doing is exercising self control and discipline"! I would really love to have your thoughts on this please.

Thank you ladies, I feel a lot better reading your posts. I will go back and re-read them when I am being hard on myself again. I spoke to a lovely lady from here this morning on the phone. She was banded by Shaw Somers and has put a lot of my doubts to rest. Thank you Wendy :thumbs_up:

(cross-posted to the general "Introductions" Forum) Hi all Been reading through these forums and found lots of very useful/helpful information. I first saw my Consultant - Shaw Somers - June 2007, where he said I would be a good candidate for WLS. It has taken a further 6 months for me to decide that I want to go ahead. I phoned the unit in Chichester on Monday and yesterday they told me I could have the op on 31st Jan - 3 weeks away. They initially said I could have 17th if I wanted, but there is too much for me to sort out for that deadline - plus it seemed too rushed. Anyway, I have lots of reservations, still, about all this but think it is the right choice when I weigh everything up. Today, after the initial excitement yesterday, I feel depressed that it has come to this. That I am a failure and rather pathetic that I can't use will power and just stop stuffing my face! I am disgusted that I am electing to have surgery when I am healthy, because I choose to overeat. I see sick and dying people in my job who would give anything to be in my position. Yet here I am, choosing to go through a surgical procedure to "be normal". Sorry to be such a misery, but I thought I might as well be completely honest from the start. All comments, negative and positive, are very welcome. Did anyone else feel this way?

Hi all Been reading through these forums and found lots of very useful/helpful information. I first saw my Consultant - Shaw Somers - June 2007, where he said I would be a good candidate for WLS. It has taken a further 6 months for me to decide that I want to go ahead. I phoned the unit in Chichester on Monday and yesterday they told me I could have the op on 31st Jan - 3 weeks away. They initially said I could have 17th if I wanted, but there is too much for me to sort out for that deadline - plus it seemed too rushed. Anyway, I have lots of reservations, still, about all this but think it is the right choice when I weigh everything up. Today, after the initial excitement yesterday, I feel depressed that it has come to this. That I am a failure and rather pathetic that I can't use will power and just stop stuffing my face! I am disgusted that I am electing to have surgery when I am healthy, because I choose to overeat. I see sick and dying people in my job who would give anything to be in my position. Yet here I am, choosing to go through a surgical procedure to "be normal". Sorry to be such a misery, but I thought I might as well be completely honest from the start. All comments, negative and positive, are very welcome. Did anyone else feel this way?

Quite. Good to hear things are going well for you though Lena

A month on the liquid diet?! :thumbup: