Macro

Surely I'm not the only banded lesbian from down under on here??? M

Might have to, lol

Just wondering how you got on at the doc?

What is biotin? Who sells it? I'm in Australia.

What is biotin? Who sells it? I'm in Australia.

I have definitely experienced all the things you describe. I get goosebumps a lot! My whole body temp has been thrown out and I found myself with an electric blanket on a few weeks back when everyone else was sweltering under an aircon! The dizziness was put down to changes to my blood pressure (after years of it being high and me being on two lots of tablets to keep it lowered) I am now off them completely. One doctor suggested benign vertigo, but my regular GP (in whom I trust explicitly) didn't agree. I have had blood tests and they have revealed my sodium levels are dangerously low, so I feel I've had some health challenges on top of blood pressure lowering and they have all added clinically to my lethargy, lack of concentration (...and possibly chills????) Out of the blue I have had the past two days of battling with my band and not being able to keep anything down. I went back to my surgeon's rooms just this morning and had 1mL taken out of the band just to help it all settle down again. Today has been way better and I feel like I've had some quality of life restored. I think on top of all the other health stuff (related to dizziness) and a hectic work load, the bariatric nurse said that stress had played a significant part on my troubles. In total I have lost about 22kg since being banded in July. Very happy with it all, overall. But there have been a few challenges over the past 2 months, so life is still interesting :eek:)

Hi all, I'm relatively new to all this and am still trying to work out what is "normal" for me in relation to how my body works now when I swallow food. I had my second fill (total in band now 2mL) on Thursday just gone, and on the nurses advice I am supposed to go back on soft foods for two days after my fill. Here I am now 4 days since the fill and have moved back to solid food (although I still keep it on the softer side), I still find that 3 or 4 bites of food is causing pain in my back. Last night I didn't recognise it for what it was (first time I experienced it) and had about an hour of bringing up very frothy saliva. The saliva only stopped when the pain went away. Tonight I again experienced the pain but stopped eating straight away. Now the pain has gone, and I have not brought any saliva up, but have also only had two bites of food for dinner. So, form all the experienced banders out there, I need to know whether the general consensus is that I need to go back and have some fill taken out? I mean I know that we all are supposed to be eating less with our bands, but I would think that after two fills only, and so much pain when I eat more than two bites, that can't be quite what my surgeon would be wanting me to experience, is it? All advice appreciated. Mandy

Hi all, I'm Macro (37yo female) from Australia. Banded on 2nd July, 2009. I have just had my second fill and am now really learning the lesson of chewing and eating slowly. Didn't have ANY restriction with first fill, and didn't think the second one would make a difference either (how wrong was I!!?) So glad to have found this LGBT forum, thank you so much whoever started it!!!

I have a friend who had a stomach sleeve done rather than a lap band. The data is only about 5 years old for that procedure, but she has been warned my our surgeon (the same doctor did my lapband) that the thinking is that there is a chance that the stomach may stretch if over-filled repeatedly. Of course, that's for the sleeve, and I know we can't generalise about the band. Perhaps talk to your doctor? Mandy

In hospital I commented to one of the nurses that I couldn't get a really deep breath in. She had noticed overnight that she could "smell" the anasthetic on me, which apparently dissipates with deeper breathing. So, she went off and brought me back one of those 3 ball breathing "toys" where you have to suck in to get the balls to move to the top of the chamber. Post surgery, I couldn't even get the first ball to move!!! But, the "toy" was a great motivator for the deeper breathing, and progressively, over two weeks, I was able to get all the balls up in each chamber. So, you need to work at the breathing, because like you, I was scared of developing respiratory complications. Good luck, Mandy

Thank you so much, Ange. Just wanted to hear that I wasn't on my own with this latest challenge. Mandy x

Hi all, I had my second fill two days ago and have definitely felt different since it. I now have 2mL in my band. I felt a little nauseous after my fill and I put it down to the nurse hitting the side of the port before eventually finding the middle. I followed advice and kept on soft foods until dinner tonight. I had a small scoops of mashed vege, some soft broccoli and one lamb cutlet (no crumbs) for dinner. This was such a tiny meal in comparison to my pre-band days. Anyway, about half way through eating I felt a bit of pain in my back, but stupidly ignored it. Then did I pay for the next hour!!! My backpain has only just left me, but I can assure you it was excrutiating! In addition to my stabbing pains in the back, I was bringing up some very frothy saliva, about 3/4 of a cup over the hour. (I apologise for too much information). Does this happen to anyone else? Is it from eating too much/too fast a combination of both? The pain took an hour to subside, now I am back to normal! I seriously don't want to go through that again!!! Any advice is greatly welcomed. Cheers, Mandy:blush:

Hi all, Just looking for some reassurance... I was banded a month ago, lost about 12kg from pre-surgery Optifast and the week after surgery. Haven't lost anything since and I am getting hungry again. My first fill is scheduled for this coming Tuesday...so do you think that will assist with my hunger? Mandy

Still on mushies, so I really appreciate your advice on what more solid foods may provide. My dietitian has asked me to try toast for the first time on the 30/7, so that will be a bit of a milestone. Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what does "PB" mean in people's posts? Mandy

I posted similar concerns a few minutes ago on another thread (sorry mods, should have checked!). I've been worried too about feeling hungry. My first fill is in two days and like everyone has indicated here, the impatience of wanting to drop the weight is frustrating once the decision has been made to make a difference. I am trying to distract myself rather than reach for the fridge. I don't want to put on at all, whether I have any fill in place or not. That said, I am peckish a lot of the time (guess that's what got me into this situation in the first place!!), so I am determined not to let it beat me. Cheers everyone, Mandy