JanB23

Slow weight loss is OK. I have had my band for nearly 6 months and i need to remember that we are looking at a 2 year period to loose the weight (on average, i believe). I lost 11 Kg pre op and have lost 14kg post op so a total of 25kg - 50 something pounds. I do get a little impatient at times. I have also had issues with my port and it has been hard to access it so i am not getting fills too often as they have to be done under xray and an emergency unfill would be a problem so we are proceeding with caution. And it is also about food choices and i dont always make the best choices, i am sure you have heard it before and you will hear it again, the band is a tool and you need to use it correctly and follow the "rules" to get the most out of it. Overall i am happy with how things are going, as i said before i do have my days though as i am sure everybody does. Would i do it again - in a heart beat. I feel this great after loosing 25kg, cant wait till i double that figure, i will feel like a teenager again - well maybe.

Some days i think this band is just another expensive gimmicky diet. I am nearly 6 months out and have only just reached some restriction. My weight loss is slow. This is the point where i would usually give up and return to my old habits but to my surprise the band has stopped me. I can not eat the volume i used to eat eat and if i eat fatty, stodgy food i feel like crap. My main concern is i tend to graze and the band does allow that so i have to make a conscious effort not to eat between meals. Mostly this is head hunger, not real hunger - the biggest hurdle of all. Since my last fill i am no where near as hungry as i was and not as frequently. For me the secret is to keep busy and not get too tired. But i am still loosing weight even though it is very slow, i am not putting it back on and i feel so much better than before i started all this. I exercise regularly which is important. Good luck with your decision.

In Australia it is illegal to drive for 24 hours after a general anesthetic. You should be really careful, my clinic told me 5-7 days before i should drive. I slept in my lounge chair for 3 days, couldn't lie flat. Congrats on your band.

I am nearly 6 months post op and vomited for the first time last week. It was my own fault i got too confident and did not chew my meat enough. It is a different experience, it was intense pain in my central back with a very rapid progression to up chucking. I was out, and only just made it to the bathroom. I am going to start carrying a plastic bag of some sort just incase, but hopefully i have learnt my lesson - chew properly.

At last.......i feel my band is actually working. Yesterday i had lunch and was physically unable to eat anywhere as much as i have been able to and today i obviously didn't chew my meat well enough and had this instant pain in my back and then had to make a dash to the ladies and throw up. I nearly didn't make it. Of course i was out at the time and not at home, lucky the bathroom was close by. To me this is a positive and it will make me be more cautious from now on and it also means that my slow leak maybe very slow or has sealed itself up Yeah!

Other weight loss surgeries reroute your insides or remove part of them, as far as i am concerned this is irreparable damage. My sister had gastric bypass, and yes she has lost a lot of weight but she has also taken on a whole new lot of health issues - anaemia being the main problem. I have lost 25kg and feel great. I may have a leak in my band, and if i have, it is an inconvenience not a health issue. If i need the band replaced i will get it done. I am learning to love my band. I just need one for my brain as well!!

Hope all went well. Enjoy your new life and remember it is up too you to get the most out of your band.

I posted this yesturday but it seems to have been lost. Update - I had another fill on Friday under fluro, there was only 4.5 mls left in my band when they put in 6mls a month ago. Radiographer thinks i have a slow leak. Any way, as per surgeons instructions they put back 9mls and then made me have a barium swallow as they thought it was a lot, 15 minutes later there was still barium in my oesophagus so back on to the table for an unfill of 1.5ml followed by another barium swallow. This was a shock as until now i have never had a barium swallow, not even post op, i am glad they checked though. Bu tnow i dont feel much difference. I have noticed i need to eat slower though, so that is good. How do they tell if the leak is at the port or the band? I have had contrast in my band before which didn't pick anything up - maybe because the leak is a slow one. Between the odd position of my port and the leak, i am fairly certain i am going to end up back in surgery. Don't see the doctor for a month though unless he calls me in once he gets the results from my fill. Hope everyone else is doing well. Keep up the good work everyone.

I was able to leave my underwear on but had them turned down low and then they got covered in pink skin prep solution. I had to shower pre op and wash my stomach with a special sponge and then the nurse came in and painted my stomach with pink Chlorhexodene. No shave.

Hi all, Well nearly at my 5 month mark. I am loosing very slowly. Haven't resolved my port issue and despite radiographer only getting 3.5ml back at last fill then topping up to 6mls the doc believes there is even more in my band, but i have very little, if any restriction. I am walking at least once daily and go to exercise class once a week. I am happy with my weight loss even though i would like to see it move quicker, and i am feeling sooooooo much better than before surgery. Hope everyone else is moving along nicely as well. Cheers

Hang in there. I sat for a whole week before i even attempted to do anything - thank goodness my kids are big. It was two weeks before i went back to work. Post op liquids are tough, but needed and you may feel weak from lack of solids and because your post op for a few days. I have never had a problem with my hair falling out. It is amazing how good those protein shakes are after you have been on clear fluids. Good luck. Thats another thing i learned, you either learn to love or hate protein shakes.

Burping and farting...........feels good though doesnt it?

Good luck, i have been having a similar problem but no surgery suggested yet. Let us know how it goes. From what i have read port revision is no where near as bad as the original surgery. All the best.

I didn't know fills could be so difficult and that it would take soooooo long to get restriction. I didn't know i would have to consciously continue to diet and exercise with the band in place . And i didn't know that with a supposed 8.5 mls of liquid in a 10ml band i would still be able to eat what ever i want! I am 4 1/2 months post op.

Thanks

I checked the link and like the sound of the port up towards the shoulder. Went to the doctor today and he didnt say anything about needing to move my port. Just said it will get easier as i loose more weight. He is happy with my progress even if i am not! Cheers

Is there a scar that shows? Does the port show? Do you have to wear clothes that cover it up? it sounds like a good place to put it.

Because we don't have control over food, it controls us - hence the need for the band in the first place, to helps us stop when our brain wants us to keep eating.

We don't have thanksgiving so that wasn't a problem but over Christmas i put on 1.5 kilo but i have managed to loose it again and another 1/2 kilo. I am happy with that. Well done to everyone one who managed to loose weight at this plentiful time of year.

Sounds to me like you are suffering from regular post op pains .... and guilt! 4 days post op your stomach will still be swollen, the stitches to hold the band in cause pain till they heal and the gas that they use during surgery to expand your abdomen settles under your diaphragm and causes pain for anything up to 10 - 14 days, maybe less. Eating all that stuff so soon is not wise but i am sure it shouldn't cause any major damage unless you ate until you threw up. If you are concerned, the best thing is to ring your surgeon, you will feel awful having to tell them you jumped the gun on mushies but it is better than getting sick if there is a problem. As for you BM's anything goes post op as your body adjusts. I was constipated for about 4 weeks, others suffer from what you described. Think about how you feel now if you are tempted again. Maybe you need to only buy things as you are able to eat them so they are not sitting in the pantry tempting you. I know what it is like, it is there, you want it and it is on your mind until you can resist no longer! (this is why i needed the band) Good luck.

My port has tipped forwards and it is very difficult to access. It is also very deep, because, where it has been placed is where i carry most of my fat. My question is, if i have to have a revision of my port is there any where else they can position it so it doesn't have to be so deep as this is increasing the difficulty of accessing it? It is half way between my sternum and belly button now. Thanks

Hi Laura, I am from Adelaide. I was banded 4 months ago and i have no regrets. I am slow at getting to restriction but am loosing gradually. Christmas has been tough but i am going to get back on track now. Good luck.

Stick to mushies, eat slowly and try not to be tempted to eat too much. Hope you had a good Christmas. Good luck and enjoy your journey.