JanB23

Had my first consult early July - given 2 weeks to think it over - next visit given instructions for pre op diet and a surgery date 5 weeks later. Now 7 weeks post op and feeling great. My sister went public for weight loss surgery - waited 2 years and was talked into gastric bypass instead of the band - which she was leaning towards anyway. Wasn't advised to go on pre op diet and had an open procedure and took 7 weeks to recover. 2 years later she has lost 60 kilo but has low iron levels.

If they are taking out/bypassing intestine and reducing stomach size it sounds like a full on Gastric bypass. The GB has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages - malabsorption and vitamin deficiency for a start. My sister had GB and she can eat almost anything in small amounts but is suffering, she is 2 years out and is still loosing weight - about 60kilos now - but is very iron deficient and lacks energy often.

Mine was the same as Shelly. But now things are "unblocked", so to speak, the pain has resolved. I think i ate food that was a bit heavy and slow to move through.

I am now nearly 6 weeks post op and remember that pain.It wasn't until i read through my post op instruction day 3 that i realized i could take ibuprofen on top of my panadol and wow what a difference that made and i turned the corner. Please check with your doc as i know a lot do not allow ibuprofen as it has been associated with damage to the stomach lining.

I am nearly 6 weeks post op and had a similar pain and i havent had a fill. It was on my left side lower than my stomach and i had radiating shoulder tip pain - typical gas pain. It was worse when i breathed in and i could feel the gas bubbling away. Every time i was ready to call the doc it would settle down. Lasted about 4 days - worse in the evenings. I think i was backed up - no BM for 4 days and had some fluid on board. It was scary but i did not feel unwell and was able to continue as normal so i decided it wasn't anything nasty. I am fine today. It will be interesting to see what happens when i eventually get a fill. Hoe you are Ok now too.

I was banded 30th August. Went for my first post op visit this week expecting to get a fill or at least an appointment for a fill. Doc said i was doing so well i didnt need a fill yet and to come back in 6 weeks!!!. I told him my weight had been the same for several weeks now so he finally agreed to see me in 2 weeks and if my weight is the same he will give me a fill but if i loose i will have to wait. I think i am starting to eat more slowly and i am not always making the best choices. Dietician said there is no liquid in my 10ml band and that the surgeon usually puts in 5mls at the first fill - seems a lot!

WTH type of vit B are you taking? Fluorescent green? Bright yellow/orange maybe. I was a nurse for more than 20 years and have never seen urine i would describe as any type of green that i remember.

My clinic recommend benifibre and say to stay clear of metamucil as it can swell in your pouch. I also made a vegie soup with cauliflower and broccoli, that helped but also gave me gas.

What are grits? I'm an Ausie and if we have grits they are called something different and i hear about them all the time.

Fay, yes you may have some pain from the surgery and at times discomfort but.... it goes away! And for me, who is only 5 weeks post op and i have lost 1/3 of my excess body fat (according to the dietician), my back pain has also gone away along with my struggle to bend down to put my shoes on and off and to walk up the stairs without getting puffed and many more positive things. Getting into clothes that were too tight a few weeks ago, not so paranoid about if i am too heavy to sit in that chair, the list goes on and on. So any pain or discomfort is just about forgotten because the positive out weighs the negative. There is alot of negative here because that is what we need support with so we can then focus on the good things and some times you need to have the good things pointed out to you. Good luck with you journey.

My dietician gave me a web address in Queensland where i can get chewable vitamins - Bandbuddies.

Yes, about 2 weeks post op though. It felt like something was moving around/fluttering under my skin - a strange feeling, not unpleasant or scary . It stopped after a week or 2 and i have no idea what caused it.

Just got home from my appointment with the dietician and the surgeon. Dietician says i have exceeded expectations. Yay! He told me i have a 10 ml band and that there is no fill in it. Said the doctor might do a fill today and usually puts in 5 ml. Surgeon looked at my wounds and said i will see you in 6 weeks. I was like "6 weeks before you look at doing a fill". He said because of my good weight loss i didn't need a fill yet and that he normally doesn't do them till then and that i obviously wasn't eating too much. I told him i had lost very little in the last few weeks and that i was afraid i would start eating too much so he will see me in 2 weeks. If i haven't lost any more weight he will do a fill. So now i am thinking if i am not so careful then i might get my fill but i think i am more keen to loose more weight! I have been booked in for my exercise classes and they gave me a calorie counter and cook book. Dietician said not to focus too much on calories but to make sure i get enough protein.

Could it be old blood from the surgery that pooled in your belly button oozing out because of the sitting position in the car or if you got a bit sweaty? I had lumps of dry blood and betadine in my belly button that i found a few days after surgery. Good luck at the doctors tomorrow. Hope it is something simple.

I had 100 grams of grilled Barumundi Fish marinated in soy sauce and lime juice and a small tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Buy chewable ones, ask at the pharmacy.

Yesterday was a great day. I got into a pair of jeans (stretch) that wouldn't fit 5 weeks ago and my son told me how good i looked. Today - it all started with an argument with my husband. I told him he looked scruffy and needed a haircut & beard trim, he got offended and said "how would you like me to tell you that you look fat". I heard, "you look fat". Then we went into the city and i ate some candy and as we walked back to the car i caught a glimpse of myself in a store window. I might be feeling thinner but i don't look it, not today anyway.I have my first post op visit on Tuesday and was hoping to have lost in total 20 kilos but i am still 1 1/2 kl off the mark. Oh well, i suppose tomorrow is another day!

My sister is 2 years out from having Bypass and has lost an amazing 60 kilo and still loosing. Even so i would not have it done and chose the band. I get a little jealous at times because she can eat more things and if she is bad she just gets the runs and never puts weight back on. But, she has a lot of excess skin now and is constantly anaemic, she has just had to have a hip replacement and needed lots of blood because her levels were so low. She didnt like the idea of a band inside her, i didnt like the idea of not being able to reverse the procedure if, like her, my health was suffering. I actually would have gotten the band about 5 years ago if my sister had not been so against it, then she went and did the bypass.

I am 5 weeks post op and my port is buried deep within. I can not feel it at all but my surgeon says it is half way between my belly button and sternum. I was not given a choice of where it went.

My husband went on the pre op diet with me and is continuing to keep his portions down so between the two of us our food bill has dropped by about $75A a week. We had roast pork a few nights ago and would usually only have enough meat left for sandwiches the next day, well we got two evening meals for 4 and one lunch and i fed almost half of it to the dog this morning. A chicken does 2 meals now and i am not buying my lunch at work. Saving money is a real unexpected bonus.

Just had lunch - minced chicken cooked with Taco seasoning - rolled in mountain bread with low fat tzatziki sauce and shredded lettuce.Yum. About 200-250 calories.

I am 5 weeks post op and still get those days. Gurgles and spasms. Like the term Grouchy Pouch, it is a good way to describe it.

It is 7.30am Saturday here in Adelaide, i just had breakfast - 2 corn cakes with cottage cheese.(this is usually lunch but couldn't be bothered cooking eggs this morning) Now hanging out for my half hour to be up so i can have a coffee.

I live in Adelaide , South Australia. I have a back ground in nursing but am now an Intake officer for aged care services - accept referrals for community services and aged care assessments. I am also a Mum to 3 teenagers.

I have taken Elfiepoo's advise and upped my calories a bit and have started to loose again - about 1.5 kilo this week. Last night i was really hungry and for the first time i ate until i was full - fish and about 1/2 a cup of vegies - but still wanted to eat more. This happened all the time before my band, i would be really full but still wanted to eat more, i am concerned it has started again. I hope i get a fill on the 5th, not sure if i will or not. Tonight we went out to dinner and i had a small serve of risotto - not the best choice but i am still supposed to be on soft foods. I didn't over eat but am still feeling full 3 hours later. I will need to go for a really long walk tomorrow, just as well we are set for a nice day. We have a long week end with a forecast for warm clear weather so i am looking forward to lots of outdoor activities.