Amy*

Thanks so much for your reply. You’re right, it could be the TORe that my surgeon is planning on doing, he had mentioned an endoscopic procedure so I made an assumption about the ESG but I could be wrong. I’ll find out on Tuesday when I have my appointment. I’ll definitely ask those questions. Hopefully it’s a good option for me.

If you're looking at revision options, my surgeon is discussing a non-surgical option with me of an ESG (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty) which is where they go in via your esophagus and stitch the pouch to be smaller again from the inside. There are no incisions and it's done quite quickly. I have a consultation with my surgeon next week to get more information but it looks like a good option with some success. Edited for spelling

Hi all, I had the RNY (revised from gastric band) 7 years ago and had amazing success. I got to my goal weight in 5 months and kept the weight off for over 5 years. In the last 18 months, I've had some medical issues that have resulted in me regaining almost all of the weight. Now that I have resolved those issues, I am maintaining my weight, but finding it impossible to lose again like I did before. There has definitely been some stretching of my pouch, which my surgeon has confirmed. So I guess my question is, has anyone out there had the Edoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty done? I have an appointment with my surgeon next week to discuss non-surgical options and I think this will be one of them. All of the research I've done shows it's a great option for regain after bariatric surgery but I'd love to hear from someone who has had it done. If you have had it, how did you recover? Did you lose as much weight as you did with your initial surgery? Did you keep it off? What was the post op diet like? Any and all feedback and comments welcome! P.S: I'm in Melbourne, Australia

Thanks so much for that link, I was banded in Australia in 2006 and had revision surgery due to a slipped band in 2008. Before the revision I lost 35kg (77 pounds), but while waiting for the second surgery I had to have all of the Fluid out of the band and put on 10kg (22 pounds) and have since really struggled and never managed to lose that last bit of weight. I came on this site regularly before and shortly after my first surgery but stopped visiting when I was regularly losing weight and happy with my results. After my recent struggles I thought I would come back and see if anyone else is feeling what I am. After reading that link I have realised that I have become someone who is looking to feel full and not for the soft signs. So simple but I guess you just fall into bad habits and learn how to cheat your way around the band. I'm now remotivated and I'm sure I can lose that last bit of weight, maybe not in time for this summer but definitely by winter! Thanks again

So what exactly is a "hard protein"? I'm assuming you mean chicken or tuna or some other meat or fish?? I'm having trouble eating solid meat at the moment and you can only eat so much tuna! Any suggestions?? I'd be very grateful as I'm in the "too much carb" zone at the moment where I know a piece of toast will satisfy me and is so easy to prepare.

A similar thing happened to me this week. Had my first fill on Monday, 1.5 ml in a 4ml band. Everything seemed fine, I was so excited about "testing it out" to see if I had any/enough restriction. Anway, on Wednesday a group of us from work went to Fifteen for lunch, (not sure if you'd know of it in the States, Fifteen is a group of restaurants opened by Jamie Oliver where he gives disadvantaged young adults a second chance by recruiting them as apprentice chefs, and the whole process is filmed for a reality tv show) Anyway, I was sitting in the restaurant with 7 other people from work, and started eating my first piece of chicken since the fill...needless to say I now understand that you aren't exaggerating when you all say chew chew chew chew chew chew chew and chew again! I ended up in their bathroom (which was very nice by the way!) for about half an hour with such intense pain in my chest and the lovely "sliming" before eventually PBing, I think I've learnt my lesson! If every cloud has a silver lining, I now know what the warning signs are, and I know that the band is working!! Oldspark I'm glad you went right back and had some Fluid taken out, my surgeon told me the worst thing you can do is wait and see if it gets better, because it won't unless you have some fluid removed

Hi Jenny, congrats on being banded, I had my surgery just over 3 weeks ago, so I know what you're going through. The sore throat is most likely caused by irritation from the tube you had placed during surgery to help you breathe. For me it almost felt like I was catching a cold, a sore, scratchy feeling. It went away within the first week so you shouldn't be in pain for too long. I was lucky in that I had barely any bruising, but what I did have was around the port cut, probably because that's the biggest cut, and the one that was "stretched" the most, to get the actual band in. Not too sure about the chest pain, I was very bloated and felt a lot of pressue from the gas, but mine was in the abdominal area, not the chest. This went away after about a week and half for me, but it did get better every day before finally going away. Good luck with the recovery, I know I wasn't able to sit up at my computer 5 days post op, so you're doing well!

Hi Muggle, like you, I have experienced depression associated with my weight. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when your mental state is so closely linked to something over which you currently feel you have no control. Like almost everyone here, my advice is to tackle your problems one at a time. Even though they are closely related, it is less overwhelming to tackle each problem one by one, rather than all at once. Why should you have to go through therapy at the same time as barely being able to eat?? Doesn't the hunger just remind you of how down you are?? Surely having an unfill will enable you to start making those healthy choices you've mentioned, plus you'll actually be able to keep some food down Don't even worry about having another refill down the track, just concentrate on getting through the next little while as easily as possible, without the stress of not knowing whether you'll be able to keep your eggs down. I truly feel for you, it's never easy having health problems drag out for so long. Baby steps are always easier

Thanks, I'm glad to know it's not just me! My appointment with the surgeon is exactly a month after my surgery, so if I'm still in pain then I'm sure he can sort me out. The Water aerobics sounds like a great idea, I've done it before, years ago and I remember it was fun. Plus I didn't feel so self conscious about my weight when I was surrounded by other ladies who obviously didn't care what other people thought!

Thanks Fee, I think I'll give him a ring tomorrow How long did your pain last? I want to get back to the gym!

Hi all, I'm fairly new around here, and you all seem so friendly I thought I'd ask for some advice. I was banded just over 3 weeks ago and so far things are going well. I'm booked in to see my surgeon for a follow up and possibly a fill in another week, but I'm experiencing quite a bit of pain where (I think) my port is, and I'm not sure if it's normal. I start off the day ok, but around lunchtime I feel pressure (I'm still bloated from the gas in surgery), and before long there is a stinging, burning pain just below my largest cut on my left hand side. I can relieve the pain if I "lift up" that area of my stomach a bit, or if I lie down, which is hard to do at work. Did anyone else have this happen to them?? I'm starting to worry that maybe my port has flipped

The peppermint definitely works, I was given peppermint tea while in hospital and found it helped with both the shoulder tip pain and the gas. Also a heat pack laying over my shoulder, so the heat was both in front and behind the shoulder, and laying flat so you're not tensing any of your shoulder muscles seems to help too