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This is somewhat of a strange query. Im hoping someone can offer some insight. I would appreciate if readers could concentrate on my question rather then trying to persuade me in another direction (eg suggesting I should just worry about my health). Recently my port broke through my skin. So the port was on the outside of my abdomen with the tubing going inside. I am awaiting further testing as to the underlying complications. However in the mean time i have nil tension on the band as all the fill came out when the port was cut off. Now i am piling on the weight. I have a small degree of self control to stick to small quantities without it. Is it possible to inject some fill into the tube and plug it up somehow? The tube that was connected to the port is still sticking out through a hole in my stomache. However there is nothing to stop any fill coming straight back oy

I'm 8 weeks post op and my port pain has virtually gone now. I say this but I haven't tried swimming yet - I'm trying to figure out how to keep the chlorine from leeching the color out of hair (just went from bleachy to auburn which is closer to my natural color. But I'm rambling.) My port hurt a lot of the time until about a week ago when it just stopped. If I sit leaning forward for too long wearing jeans it will give a little twinge but nothing like before. I'm taking this as a good sign that the pain will eventually disappear altogether. In answer to your original query, I think it's normal and nothing to worry about - unless it gets red or hot or oozy.

Wow! So here are a few places that have mens sections with larger clothing. Ordering clothing on the internet is also an option. Walmart has an Mens large dept (go figure) https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=mens+big+size&adid=22222222220216541480&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=b&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=66242571275&wl4=kwd-682876645&wl5=1016202&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&veh=sem H&M mens plus size section http://www2.hm.com/en_us/sale/men/big-tall.html kohls mens plus size dept https://www.kohls.com/catalog/mens-big-tall-clothing.jsp?CN=Gender:Mens+SizeRange:Big %26 Tall+Department:Clothing&kwid=p2112849007&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=Big and tall mens clothing&utm_campaign=Men's+Clothing&UTM_Adgroupid=58500000002003652&pfx=pfx_google_roi&cid=genericsearch&gclid=CjwKCAjw8O7bBRB0EiwAfbrTh3Thb9TqyJbse4QR-cbCxef6vZyysEDjdfXJhdemZEayNcXX4-YO0BoCLDUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKm-1Iax_twCFXsCrQYdoPAMZA K-mart https://www.kmart.com/clothing-men-s-clothing-big-tall-clothing/b-5001153 DXL http://www.destinationxl.com/mens-big-and-tall-store/?cm_mmc=PaidSearch*Google*DXL*Brand_DXL&Dmonetate=true&adpos=1t1&creative=278490656282&device=c&matchtype=e&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjw8O7bBRB0EiwAfbrThzY02IUrCckaKVmUbohNFaNcA2T8UQOrIjviKbRloeyxAjDrvupu2BoCN_IQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CI3uxrWx_twCFZQQfQod7n0B7Q Clothing marketers direct most fashion toward women not men. Does not matter about clothing size. Look at magazines and social media. We are usually the fashion spending force that keep money in their pockets. We keep up on trends have shoe and purse collections. Holy hell a $2650 blazer? are you kidding me. All depends on the designer. https://www.balmain.com/us/women/essentials

Hey guys, I was just wondering how many people on here are from the UK. I use a very busy UK site as well as this one and find them invaluable. It seems like regardless of where we live in the world all our worries, queries and joys are pretty much the same. I live in Colchester in Essex, where are all you guys from? Take care Laura x

First of all Gaffer...KUDOS to you for thinking of buying such a wonderful gift for Mrs Gaffer!!! Yowzers!!! I was told to wait about a week or so before having a bath (showers were fine.....just no soaking until the incisions were healed). But to be on the safe side, I recommend you pose your query directly to Dr. C's office. Again....nice one!!!!

Sorry - I posted this twice - once in the wrong forum!:confused2: Hi Guys. Im new here today. I had a band with WGA on 11th April. I have just submitted my formal complaint to the healthcare commission - here's a copy of my letter. Should any be considering using this company - I would strongly advise against it....:cursing: Dear Sirs, Re: Complaint/WGA GASTRIC BAND FRIDAY 11TH APRIL I am writing to inform you of my complete disappointment with the overall level of service I have recently received from The Hospital Group under their Why Go Abroad Company regarding a gastric band procedure. I visited the offices of The Hospital Group in Manchester earlier this year to discuss having a Gastric Band fitted. The consultation went ok and the staff were very helpful and friendly. I was provided with all the information regarding the two different packages I could choose from, the first being with The Hospital Group, and costing £8000, which included a year’s worth of aftercare and band fills . The second package was the ‘Why Go Abroad’ offer. I was advised that WGA was an economy package which cost £4950 and that the only difference with this package was that it the aftercare was only for 5 weeks, and didn’t include any band fills, just an X ray, and a final consultation to be discharged. I was advised at the initial attendance by a lady named Lisa that anytime I had any queries regarding the procedure, I could contact her, (even if I decided to go onto the Why Go Abroad package) and she would assist me as best possible. I was even given a mobile number to call her on should I require. I didn’t book for the procedure initially as I was still very apprehensive given the fact that it was such a huge decision. Lisa, rang several times to discuss the operation and any queries I may have, and on some occasions, to see whether I was ready to book, however, I was still very unsure at this time. After a lot of thought and discussions, I eventually decided to go ahead and I rang and booked my place. My surgery was booked for April 11th in Birmingham with WGA. Not very long after I had booked and paid for my operation, I thought of a few questions I hadn’t previously asked and decided to make use of the mobile number I had been given for Lisa. She seemed very surprised that I had rang and seemed reluctant to speak to me as I was (and I quote) “only on the economy package” (I don’t think a helpline was included in this option). Obviously I was shocked by this remark and felt very let down by it. She did eventually answer my questions, albeit very hurriedly, and made it abundantly clear she was very busy and didn’t seem to have the time for me anymore. My operation came and went very quickly. I was barley in hospital 24 hours for the entire procedure and I felt very rushed – like I was on a conveyor belt. The following morning, I was obviously in pain from the operation, however, was told at 6:15am that I was being discharged as my bed was needed for someone else. My Husband wasn’t due until 7am and I wasn’t even offered as much as a drink whilst I waited, despite previously being nil by mouth for 36 hours. Before I left, I was however provided with my ‘aftercare package’ which to my surprise was just a letter merely advising that there were 2 follow up appointments and pain relief included in the aftercare pack. There were no follow up appointments arranged, and no pain relief provided. My husband had to go and specifically ask for pain relief for me so that I had some for when I got home. A week or so after the procedure, I decided to contact WGA myself to arrange an appointment for my x ray to check that the band was ok – which I arranged without any problems – Only complaint here was that I had to travel back down to Birmingham, when I was previously led to believe that only my operation would be carried out in Birmingham – all following appointments would be in Manchester. Following my X ray appointment I rang WGA several times to try and book an appointment to be discharged but with no success. I was met with a number of reasons for this namely either that my surgeon was on summer leave, that I had to go to Birmingham (even though I was assured my follow ups would be in Manchester), or that I had to wait to be called back. My calls were never returned, and I was not offered a discharge appointment. I finally decided enough was enough after several attempts of trying to arrange a discharge so I contacted WGA complaints dept and spoke to Sarah with a view to advising her of my situation and attempting to speed matters up to obtain a discharge appointment as I hadn’t had any joy at all from the appointments department. She seemed to have a “couldn’t care less attitude” and was very blasé about the entire thing. She wasn’t interested in anything I had to say and merely stated that ‘they only accepted complaints in writing’. At this point I wasn’t even making my feelings about the matter official and it made me feel like she had simply switched off from listening to what I had to say and switched on to ‘auto pilot’ mode giving me an answer that didn’t even relate to my query. I finally seemed to make some headway this week and was offered a telephone discharge on Friday? How can I be properly discharged over the telephone? My wounds/scars are supposed to be checked, and my band felt to ensure it is the right position. I was desperate to be discharged as I am unable to have my band filled until this step is complete and at the moment, it is doing nothing for me at all. I didn’t need to worry however as I never received the “telephone discharge” call. I waited in all evening, by the phone but no call came. After this telephone call was arranged I was told I could go ahead and book my band fill with Obesity Care – which I did for Monday 16th June 2008 at a further cost of £125 which had to be paid for at the time of booking. My situation now is that I won’t be able to have my band filled as I have not been discharged – and I will probably be £125 more out of pocket. I felt that as soon as I made the decision to go ahead with the procedure, especially on the WGA package, no-one seemed to feel the need to make any further effort with me whatsoever as I had already been ‘reeled in’, and unfortunately this situation continued after my operation. I have received no customer service or after care at all with my so called ‘package’, despite it apparently including 5 weeks after care, and a further consultation in Manchester which, not surprisingly, has not even been provided to me. I am disgusted that I paid the sum of £ and received literally nothing more than a ‘no frills package’. I specifically chose to go private for this procedure as I was under the impression that paying privately got you not only a quicker all-round time scale, but a little peace of mind that things would run more smoothly, and that I would be taken care of in a more personal and professional way. I was sadly mistaken. I am aware that I opted for the ‘cheaper’ of the two packages; however, it shouldn’t mean that I have to sacrifice my right to decent customer service and after care. I honestly expected to receive the basic element that I paid for and I feel utterly appalled that this is not the case. I am disgusted by the entire experience I have encountered with this procedure at the hands of The Hospital Group/Why Go Abroad and in some ways, feel that I have wasted money that I could not afford to throw away. I paid an extremely large sum of money for a product that I have not received. Had this money, for example, been used to purchase a car that turned out to be faulty, or, a new bathroom/kitchen suite that did not meet the advertised requirements, I can assure you that such products would have been returned immediately and a refund demanded. Unfortunately however, in these circumstances, this is not the case as the ‘product’ I have purchased cannot be returned and I feel I am simply expected to ‘shut up and put up’. I feel completely let down and cheated by everyone concerned in this matter. I would therefore be obliged to receive any advice/feedback from you in response to all of the above, within the next 14 days. Yours sincerely,

Hi Cindy, Sorry I was a bit slack getting back to you! I have just been down to Calgary to see Dr Mitchell. I have been getting my fills from him. He seems to be happy with the fact that I had mine done in Mexico. He now charges $150, and I think he is planning to expand his time. He used to only do fills on a Tuesday or Thursday from 4 to 5pm. But he has been so busy that the time frame is now greater. I will go down in May for a 1:30pm appointment! That means we get home in daylight. Any other queries, I should be online till we head for home for 3 weeks. I can tell you the warmth in New Zealand is calling loudly! Dana

Hi Jennifer . I really hope you aren’t kept waiting too long . I know what you mean , I had been going and collecting information I was asked to get , and they never even asked me for it .Yes , it’s SO frustrating , and when you’re told one thing is happening and it doesn’t , and you don’t even hear anything from them. They asked me to make a special appointment with the surgeon to discuss when my surgery would be done, a 2 day performance for me to get there , and he told me November 2018, and I never heard anymore . I probably wouldn’t have done by now if the dietician I saw hadn’t queried it ! Stick with it Jennifer , it will be worth it in the end . I’ll definitely keep you posted. I know it may be different in the UK to the U.S. but it’s good to be able to compare notes! Good luck Peggy .

Hello. I'm waiting for sleeve surgery too. In my case I understood that the doctor intends to cut 70-75 % of my stomach, so it will contain just a volume of 150 ml maximum circa. Doing a research for a query similar to this topic, I found that the surgeon decides the amount of percentage to cut basing the evaluation on many factors. There isn't an only size for the result, that is decided depending on the patient conditions. The same surgery is made also for very different health problems of the stomach, for example to eliminate mutating stomach metaplasia. In this case the surgery criteria are the opposite of the aim of weight loss, so they try to preserve the maximum portion of stomach and give to the patient a post op diet studied to gain or keep weight... Inviato dal mio Redmi Note 2 utilizzando Tapatalk

Honestly this is the best place I've been ever. Nobody will judge you (well unless you need a complete reality check, LOL). There is so much knowledge and expertise and people are so willing to share. I would never have got to where I am now without these guys. Do you have a date or ballpark date for your surgery? So sensible to look at your eating habits well in advance. With respect to your original query - if you can eat soup then everything will be fine. 😍

This may come across as brusque to those with an overly active conscience, but I live my live by the following mantra: I owe nothing to no one. I am not an open book and I owe no one any particular thing, not even the unadulterated truth. Some queries are a bit intrusive. If some random stranger asked about your favorite sex position (missionary, doggy style, etc), would you divulge? If a convicted rapist who arrived home after serving the past 10 years in prison asked for your address, would you divulge? After all, the truth shall set you free! (sarcasm intended)... In essence, my weight loss surgery is no one's business. If not divulging is considered a lie, then call me a liar. After all, it is one lie that has caused me to feel at peace for the past 2.5 years.

I was in a similar situation to you whereby my whole family lives far away (Europe!) and I did not feel comfortable advertising to the whole world that I'm having lap band surgery. i actually went to the hospital and came home by myself. I've been told that 99% of people recover incredibly quickly (you even surprise yourself!) so I'm sure you'll be fine as well. I would strongly suggest staying in hospital overnight as having nurses and doctors around you would give you some reassurance that if something goes wrong they are there to assist. Once you are past 24hr (i.e. 24hrs post surgery) you'll probably feel no worse then when you are recovering from a cold. By 3rd day you can pretty much do your usual things (go to shop, go for a walk, have a shower, clean your house, etc.) but you might get tired quicker then usual and that shoulder pain might still bother you. In my personal experience having moral support for the the first 12-24hrs would really help. I had my surgery on Sat afternoon @ 1pm and stayed at hospital until tomorrow morning 10am. The day of the surgery was horrible - pain, discomfort, incisions hurt, unbearable shoulder pain (from gasses pumped into you during surgery) grogginess from anesthesia, and in my case a major dose of self-pity why/how did I allow myself to get to this point, why am I inflicting myself so much pain, I want all of this to disappear, etc. Luckily you start feeling much better 6-9 hours post surgery so these thoughts disappear. Woman next door had a friend with her most of the time who provided moral support throughout the evening and that really helped. Even listening (really eavesdropping) on their conversation helped me. By 9-10pm, I was off IVs and started feeling generally better. I started walking a few steps around 9pm and by 11pm I was doing laps around the hospital ward. No major problems sleeping, particularly if you get painkiller for shoulder pain. By 9am tomorrow morning I was itching to go home. I live in New York City so @ 10am I was already in taxi on the way home. Once at home I went for @ 2hrs nap and then for 2hrs slow walk along the Central Park. Interestingly enough you feel minor pain around your incisions (particularly when you stretch or when you are getting in and out of bed) but you don't feel pain of the band, no pain walking around the town, etc. They don't recommend lifting anything >10lb (even if you feel you can do it easily like I did). I stocked up on protein shakes but forgot water and multivitamins so I had to go out and buy some. I carried about a gallon of water and 2-3lb of various multivitamins home with no issues. Having friends stop by or call for moral support worked wonders. On Monday afternoon (surgery was on Saturday) I went back to hospital to pick up liquid painkiller and on a way back found myself in a subway station with 6 long flights of stairs to climb in order to get out (escalators broke down). While I was able to get to the top OK I felt a real shortness of breath when I got to the top but no pain. (Anesthesia and hospital stay really affect how much you can breath in the days after surgery!) Once I recover my breath (I had to sit down for 3-4 min) I realized that I climbed equivalent of 5-6th building floors 48hrs after the surgery. From that point I new I'd be good as long as I take it easy and do what I can. Hope this helps. Any queries just let me know. Good luck! PS. All my self-doubt and despair about the surgery disappeared within 24hrs. While the day of the surgery was horrible I would still recommend it to anyone needing it.

thanks! i can see the wisdom of experience in the post and i plan to make great use of it. one query-- why do people use so much coconut water? is it just for the flavor? it seems to add pointless carbs--all sugars by the way. a novice

Hey guys, I've got a question hopefully someone with puff pastry knowledge can help me with. I'm making a quiche, using puff pastry as the crust (frozen, from the store). It says to put it in a GLASS pie plate though, and I don't have one. I'm wondering if there's some secret I don't know that you can only do puff pastry in glass plates, (oven proof, I know) or did whoever made up the recipe just put that to mess with me?! Can I use my regular old metal non-stick pie plate?? Thanks Mandi

There are so many reasons why you may have experienced nausea, could be what you ate, could be acid reflux, could be you ate too fast, could be you ate too much, etc etc. What did eat that made you feel sick? How much did you eat? Are you taking acid reducing medication? How much fluid did you drink around the time of eating? How long did it take to eat your meal? Was it every meal or just one? So little information from you to help with your query. So many questions we have to be able to may be able to help you.

I think that was me, Sunwyse, and I'm going to go find it, copy/paste it here and put it in the post-op forum as a new thread as well, as this is by far the most common query that new bandsters have in their post-op period. I wish the doctors would warn us to expect this, so that people wouldn't get the 3 week post-op blues about it.

Umm, not actually. I agree there is not point on dwelling on the past one must move forward. I just wanted to make sure that you were plans to move forward and it seems like you have which is a good thing. This may not seem encouraging, but the opportunity for things to get better is ahead of you. Thank you! My plan is to keep fighting to get back to where I was Healthwise pre op in the first instance. Obviously now, I will have to manage the C Diff issue and it's complications. It is a tough infection to cure. The percentages on reoccurrence are quite worrying. Once all that is under control. I need to concentrate on slowing down the weightloss. I am still losing between 5 and 7 lbs a week and only getting in between 300 and 400 calories a day. I need to get my Vitamins, minerals, Iron and nutrient levels sorted out. Once all that is completed, and this could take months to achieve, I then need to get back to my pre op routine. Seeing family, friends, neighbours,attending church etc. It is heartbreaking to be isolated from your family due to illness. Now I have to worry about who I infect with C Diff. On visits, I need to be conscious about using people's loos etc. Beyond that, I plan to develop a good relationship with a GP that has enough knowledge to help me get back to health and to get away from the bariatric system. I may have to pay privately for this care. As I keep saying, I don't live in regret. I live in a fight for my life. I believe that I have had C Diff for nearly eight weeks now and the inflammation, blood and mucous presenting, makes me fear that this situation may become even more serious due to the neglect of the bariatric team in post op care. My GP believes the bariatric team should be dealing with me and the bariatric team wants the GP to do it. Meanwhile, I am in trouble. I live my life deep in my Faith. And because I do, I am told that there is a plan for my life. That plan appears to be perseverance with grace. Ultimately, I plan to consult an NHS healthcare advocate. I am going to ask that my case be looked over to ensure that I get better care and other people don't have to go through all of this. If your query concerns my dislike of my sleeve, I accepted the ultimate responsibility for my mistake weeks ago. We all make mistakes. I made the decision in error. There is no point in dwelling on this as it is irreversible. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Not one single solution to the original query: what does a man do to get a pair of jeans to fit well if he has a larger than usual belly and a flat butt.

Hi all, I havent been around for a few months as been o/s. having the time of my life on individual travel, coach tour and cruise. the good news is that i have put on only 2kg since having some fill out in August in preparation for my travels. The FANTASTIC news is that I had my passport photo queried 3 times, in Macau, Tokyo and again here in Sydney when i returned. I just love those countries where the staff had trouble recognising me from my weight loss. i cant go back to August to catch up on your postings, but i hope everyone is going well and have a happy Christmas.

Hi, I have a complicated story and need some input. I won't go into a long story as it is quite twisty turny. Long and the short of it is that I had an RNY done 3 years ago and lost all my weight to goal in 9 months. I kept it off and loved my bypass. Then at the 2 year mark, I developed a rare side effect and the decision was made by my medical to team to reverse it to see if it would mitigate or relieve the effects/complication with the intent to sleeve me as soon as I was healed to continue with the restrictive aspect. (because it is not a common situation, they knew it was possible it would not help) They reversed it in Sept 2014. Again, I healed great but promptly started gaining (Even though I did my very best to maintain my RNY eating habits) in January 2015, I was cleared to have the sleeve done and I have been working out like crazy daily to hold the weight gain at bay. The complication is still an issue but we have resigned ourselves to that fact and have been managing it quite well. My sleeve date will be mid june.... Here is my query... I loved my RNY. I loved the restriction and everything about it. I hear so much about people failing the sleeve/the sleeve failing the people and converting to an RNY. I am very afraid that the sleeve won't be enough. I regained 40 lbs and only need to lose 40 to get back to goal. I would like to hear some feedback about the sleeve. Do you have restriction? Is it noticeable? Average weight loss? IS it a tool that can work? I know how the RNY works. Can I (if I use it properly and respect it) have an honest expectation to lose weight with the sleeve?

My PCP scheduled me for a Bone Scan February 7th, perhaps,THIS is why; I am relatively certain he reads as much,as I Do, and folks I read lots! Self-taught at 2-and-half years, yeah you saw that correctly. I was the youngest person in my city and library to have a card, well before 4. Mama took me in there, queried the Head Librarian " How old do you have to be to receive a card?", answer was "late in Grade 1, because children don't read well until then". Mama said " But she reads already!" Librarian , her name was Miss Edwina Fitzgerald, went to reach an Early Reader to test me, Mama said :" No No, something without pictures" so a Grade 5 level was proffered, which I read 7 pages of letter-perfect, why not? One of the books I started with was the New Testament at home, matter of fact, the story in the family goes, I started learning to read because I got peeved, Mama wanted to do housework, like laundry instead of reading to ME. So-o-o! I really don't remember Not Reading that well. Any-whoo I am a RnY and 73 so Maybe It Is a GOOD THING.😝✌

Thanks @@QueenBeeBee I'm pretty chuffed to be here. Congrats on your sleeve btw... was the first post I read. @@steveelea thanks for that! the IIH is idiopathic intracranial hypertension.. too much cerebral spinal Fluid (CSF) which causes headaches. which I ignored for years. It was only after losing some of my vision in right eye that I started looking into it and after a bucketload of tests got diagnosed in April. I'm on tablet to reduce fluid but neurologist is hoping that rapid weight loss with cure it and hopfeully give me back the perception in my right eye (reversing the optic nerve damage) and I'm having the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass op which I have seen abbreviated to RYGB and which I have nicknamed rainbow bypass because it reminds me of the colours (red yellow green blue lol) I was going with the sleeve but after speaking with my surgeon have decided on the bypass as it better suits my needs and is a better resolution for the IIH long term we think. I'm really happy with choice, now just getting head around all the new information. Anyway, hope that answered your query. I'll be around and about... stalking all the posts on the forums *evil chuckle* Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Cheers Cath

You'll still have it... In fact, you'll need it more than ever!! But it's unlikely that you'll be able to down 16oz at a time... At nine months out, I usually go thru about 600 ml during my training session (1hr) each morning... So you'll certainly still be able to drink it... I hope that answers your query to some degree...

Thanks for this whole thread. I learned HEAPS!!! Just a query, my doctor has said he uses 9.75cm & 10cm Lapbands and the APS Lapband all 3 having a balloon capacity of 5cc. I have emailed him to ask what that means. Does anyone here know? My band date is 26th February 2008 in Mexico.

I'm booked in for 22nd October in London UK! I'll be starting the pre-op diet on Sunday - slightly earlier than the 2 weeks by Consultant's advice. I'm very nervous about the operation, but definitely glad to have found the site. There's very limited information available from my dietitian - and a lot of gaps which I'll have to query with her - so am delighted to have so much experience to access on this site!