elcee

I'm in Victoria, Australia and I pay $118.40 of which I get back $97.90 from medicare. I find it strange that the medicare rebate differs between here and WA as I would have thought it would be the same for the same service!

I agree with what the others have said. I also think that people sometimes think the same thing about some of my posts. When I reply I often have limited time and want to get the important stuff across without dressing it up in lots of nice flowery language.If someone doesn't like it then it is their problem not mine. As they say. "you can't please all of the people all of the time". But hopefully we can help some of the people some of the time!

That is one hell of a fill ! It also seems a really large total fill amount that you have. It also doesn't leave much room to play for future adjustments.I hope you can cope without problems.

As far as I know this type of programme was popular in the 70s/80s. HCG is a hormone pregnant women produce.(Won't go into where they get it as it may have changed).Most of the time the injections are combined with a very low calorie diet and like most of these fixes it is not really sustainable.

This was aked before and we never came up with an answer. However something came up in a conversation with a friend recently that may be the reason. She asked if I drink with meals(she doesn't know I am banded) and then went on to say that her husband never drinks with meals, he stops drinking 20 - 30 min before etc. Does this sound familiar? Apparently he was brought up believing that drinking with meals is bad as it interferes with the digestion. I decided to look it up on the net and yes there seems to be quite a lot of theories that say drinking with meals affects the digestive process as it dilutes the stomach acids and it can lead to various problems such as heartburn etc. Of course there are plenty of experts that disagree but I am thinking that this is probably where the rule has its roots.

I actually met someone the other day that got banded in March this year, has not had a single fill and has lost 28kg so far! Everyone is different. I'm still wondering how she has done it but obviously she has. We need to fixate less on the fills and more on how we are doing. if you are losing weight and are not hungry then you probably don't need that fill. Wait until you really need it.

Not sure. I know of people that have had a TT at the same time as a caesarian but have no idea of it can be done with the hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is fairly major surgery in itself and they are working internally whearas with a caesar they cut in a similar place. Let us know what they say and good luck with your op.

I think what you are feeling is fairly normal. Most people have a fear of the unknown which is what this is. Most of us, before surgery, question whether or not we are doing the right thing. It is possible that you will continue to feel horrible for a while after surgery. Surgery and anaesthesia have a major effect on the body, you will be eating very differently to before and if you are a comfort eater your support mechanisms will have been taken away. It shouldn't take too long though before you start to feel amazing. Losing weight that you struggled to lose previously is an incredibly amazing, addictive feeling. The diet you will be eating will be healthier than prior to the op which should give you a boost. You will look back and wonder what on earth you were so concerned about. So I don't think you are losing your mind i think you are perfectly normal. What you are feeling is probably compounded by the fact that it is all happening just before Christmas which in itself is stressful. All the best - you will soon be on the other side.

You are the only one that can decide if the band is right for you.But don't let all the negativity put you off. remember people post on support groups when they have a problem. They don't post saying everything is wonderful because they don't need to. There is a thread for successful bandsters that you may want to go into that may make you feel better. Some pain is to be expected after surgery as it is with any surgery. The surgeons prescribe painkillers which will sort it out. Personally I had very little pain but everyone is different.Some people have gas. Again that is not the end of the world and it is something that goes. Pre and post op diets can be hard but they are finite and in the big scheme of things it is a very small period of time spent on them. I look back now and cannot believe that i spent a month on a liquid diet but I did . It was horrible yes but it was soon over. To lose weight you have to follow the rules, make wise food choices and exercise. The band is a tool and will not stop you eating chocolate, icecream and other high calorie foods. It seems a lot of people expect the band to make these choices for them - they will be dissappointed. Until you reach the right fill level you may feel hunger. Some of it is real hunger some is head hunger. head hunger is something that you will need to learn to deal with. the other kind can be sorted out with wise food choices. I understand why you are confused and frustrated though as sometimes there is a lot of negativity. Some people do encounter problems and this is something that your surgeon will warn you about. The band does have risks but they are a lot less than the risks of remaining obese. A lot of the problems are caused by people having their bands too tight. The posts that drive me mad are the ones from people that say that the band is not working for them, yes they have lost weight but that is all due to their own efforts. Personally I think the band must be working for them as they were not able to lose the weight without the band. Oh and the other ones that drive me mad are the ones that say - I had surgery 4 days ago and I just ate a whole hamburger. I don't think I need to explain why this drive me mad! The best thing to do is research, research and then research some more. Go to the seminar. See the surgeon. Join a real life support group - to me this was the most valuable tool - speaking to people in person. Whatever you decide all the best.

I think the sweet spot is a myth. I am 6 months from surgery have had a number of fills but I haven't got to what others describe as the sweet spot. But I have still lost weight and am close to goal. I don't have great willpower but with the band my won'tpower seems to be working a lot better. If the band has given you the willpower to lose the weight that you were unable to lose before then I would say your band is working. I think a lot of people expect the band to do things that it does not and often do not recognise that it is doing what it should . I would be very hesitant about having the band removed especially when it has achieved what it was put into achieve. Obviously if it is causing major problems then this may be the only option but I would look at all other options first. maybe the problems are being caused by being too tight or something like that. You wouldn't want to have it out unnecessarily , regain the weight and then regret it.

Well said. So many people seem to forget that they are still in charge. Yes we can't control what life throws at us but we can do our best to deal with it in a positive manner. Sometimes it is really hard but it has to be better to get up and face whatever is being thrown at you head on than to lie there and let it win.

Me too. That's amazing. Sorry about your loss.

How long after eating did you drink the tea? Did you wait at least 30 min ? If not that probably caused your problem. It doesn't sound as though you are stuck or too tight. I would suggest sticking to soft foods for a while and if you are OK then add solids. i don't think you need an unfill just remember not to eat and drink at the same time.

Everything is dangerous in excess - even Water. I am sure that small quantities of Splenda are not going to do any harm.

Its a great feeling isn't it.

The band is designed to help you lose approx 60% of your excess weight so you have probably already achieved this. I imagine that to lose the remaining weight you would need to do it by upping your exercise rather than trying to restrict what you are eating. This may not be the case though. It may be that you are used to the band and getting comfortable and maybe not following the rules as strictly as you did in the beginning. You also didn't state your height or goal. It may be possible that under 200lb is not a healthy goal for you. Without height it's difficult to comment. Congrats on your incrdible success to date.

I can't see that this would be a problem.I have been allowed tea from day 1. There isn't anything in it that could do you any harm, its a clear liquid, your stomach doesn't have to churn to digest it so it should be fine.

This doesn't sound right. You should be able to eat more than 5 bites because although this sounds great it won't keep you full for 4 hrs.There also shouldn't be a burning sensation. Is the coughing voluntary or involuntary? If you can control it great. But if you can't and you keep PBing on such small quantities of food then it may have been too much Fluid for you at one time. Hopefully this settles down - if not talk to your Dr.

I can only see one picture!

I don't diet. I do portion control. So as you say I eat what I want within reason. I try to eat from as wide a range of foods as possible and I also try to eat fresh rather than processed.Sometimes I eat icecream but no not 3 times a day. LOL I also mix my foods up when I eat so would find it hard to eat Protein first then veg then carbs. I prefer to have a bite of this a bite of that etc. For me this has been one of the best things about the band. I now eat like a skinny person.That is I eat what I want and am satisfied with much smaller amounts. I also don't feel hungry the whole time in between meals.Sometimes my food choices might be strange but if that is what my body wants then that is what I am going to give it.e.g I just ate abowl of natural muesli with greek yogurt for lunch! Normally I would have tuna and salad or a sandwich or something but today I felt like Cereal. Everyone is different and each person does need to work out what works for them as there is no "one size fits all rule". Good luck

Are you chewing enough. Quite often we don't chew the food as much as we should and this causes problems. Also try to avoid dry food as it causes problems. For example dark chicken meat is better than breast and it is easier if you have it with some kind of sauce. I know bandsters who have actually gone to workshops to learn how to chew properly and they say it has really helped.

It sounds yummy but it does sound like a lot of food. Even reduced fat cheese is high in fat and I imagine that the meal has a fairly high salt content which is something else to be aware of. As to egg beaters I have no idea what they are. Surely if you want an egg you should eat the real thing - fresh and wholesome rather than something that sounds as though it is processed. The less processed a food is the better it is for you. I would say eating something like this occaisonally is probably fine. If you want something filling and healthy that you can eat on a regular basis why not try a poached egg on a slice of whiolemeal toast?

Never mess around with chest pain. Always see a Dr. You can't tell if its band related, indigestion or something to do with your heart so you should always get it checked out.

If I manage to get below my target weight I will decide what to do then. I will probably be over the moon. I do have a friend that has been banded a couple of years and she is going to get a slight unfill as she doesn't want to lose any more weight. So if i ever end up in that situation I am sure I will do the same.

That's crap. Doesn't sound like either of them are very good at it - how much experience do they have? I have been for a number of fills and with one exception the person has always got the port on the first try. No xray, nothing weird to drink, no numbing and just minor discomfort. Sorry you had to go through this.