Hey i tho i would post up a thread for us all to talk in.....hope this is ok :confused:

So start chatting away everyone...as for the herald sun here is a link to read

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21059191-661,00.html

Why Bronnie? Is it the pain? Do you have anyone who can duck out and get you some pain stop, I swear its HEAPS better than taking crappy old panadol. Keep your chin up, the worst will be over soon!

(((hugs)))

Hi All,

Hi Bronnie - congrats on joinng the club, I just had panamax & then went to Nurofen which was soooo much better. I am still getting some shoulder tip pain now, but I couldn't handle walking around, lying down for a few days flat is all the eleveated my pain.

Hows everyone else doing?? How are you going now Sussanah after your 1st fill ? mine Is on the 30th 5wks after my surgery.

I am slowly starting to eat stuff that not so mushy, i.e had salad yesterday and just chewed really well, had baked beans last night and again chewed really well. I am a bit worried that I can eat without any worries, like I am just stopping to eat because I think that should be enough not that I feel full. I am taking 20mins or so to eat the food but still feel I could eat more, is this normal??

I am taking 20mins or so to eat the food but still feel I could eat more, is this normal??

Totally normal Dionne! I didn't have any restriction until my last fill (my fifth) last Wednesday (and I am already considering that might need another tiny one in a couple of weeks cos the initial restriction I thought I was feeling has loosened already :cry ).

But I do think that up until then, a lot of the time, my self control had to come into play. I mean there is no way that I could have eaten the monster serves I did pre banding (I was totally gluttonous), but at least once a week since my band I could have easily gone back for seconds and probably thirds, but stopped myself by telling myself I didn't need it (where was that self control pre banding??).

Also, my band is a temperamental little thing. Some days I am famished, hungry as heck with a grumbling tummy when I wake up and others, I have a mouthful of cereal hours after getting up and just don't have the appetite to eat much more until well into the afternoon.

Try not to put too much pressure on your band or yourself to be losing huge amounts of weight until you have at least some fill in your band. You'll certainly notice the difference with each fill as you get closer to perfect restriction. And if you want to jump start the weight loss, I couldn't be a more strong advocate of exercise. There is no way I would have lost as much weight as I have already with out being committed to making exercise a part of my life now.

Hi All, Dionne I ate my first solids today! I was allowed to before as I have the newer band, but I was too scared to. I had some chicken, cut up and chewed until kingdom come!:biggrin1: I had some salad, hummous and tomato chilli dip. I was at my Israeli friends house and they eat pretty good food. I didn't feel full after I ate, but I stopped eating, estimating that I had eaten a cup of food, and that the upper part of the stomach can only hold that capacity after the band had been tightened.

I only allow myself a cup of food maximum at each meal in line with the bands capacity, even if I am still hungry. That way I know I am not overdoing it. Other days as Meredith said I may be only able to eat half a cup. The band is a fickle master! You think you have it worked out, and then it up and changes on you.

Bronnie, hope you are feeling better soon, I really do.

Susannah

Hi Dionne, Another trick is to drink a glass of water before you eat, and that makes you feel fuller sooner. We can't drink with meals of course. Susannah

Hi Again, Has anybody thought about doing a blog about their Lapband journey? What about a handwritten journal? I was thinking at the very least I should keep an exercise journal so I know what I have done, and when. Do you think this is a good idea?

Does anybody know of any good free sites? What about the journal facility on this site? Is it good?

Yay, it is a public holiday in Victoria tomorrow! You bloody ripper!:biggrin1:

Susannah

Hi Meredith & Sussanah,

Thanks for the tips and reassurance, this really is a great thread don't know what I would do without you guys!!!!

hi everyone... Shoulder tip pain is a problem and the suture lines ache. I usually sleep on my left side but at the moment i can only lie flat on my back or propped up with pillows behind my back which is basically impossible for me to get very much sleep.

Im having to basically force myself to have any fluid intake as i really dont feel like anything.

Hi Bronnie,

Nice to hear from you... I remember it well. I like you sleepon my side and trying to sleep on my back was hard to get used to, I found the wheat bag helped, I couldn't walk around alot because every time I did I felt really sick, so thats why lying down on the couch or in bed helped when the pain got bad. I had pain releif on cue every 4-6hrs, that way it didn't get to out of control.

I didn't eat or drink alot the first 4-5days as I just could not stomach it. I think the most I had was 1/2 a cup of tea. Just take some time and make sure that you rest, if you feel like moving move if you don't then don't, it's important to make sure you heal b4 you do to much so you don't risk a slip and then you'll be right when you really get into it later.

I think the big thing for me was that I wanted food because I hadn't eaten, mentally it was harder (and still is)than physically.

Take care of yourself and remember what a great group of people are here for support.

Hi Sussanah,

Here are the steps for your ticker, first go to www.tickerfactory.com and follow the steps to make your ticker, very easy if you can post here you can do this then follow steps below. Good Luck.

Once you've made your ticker: (i think the steps are:)

1. Choose the line design for your ticker

2. Chose the "slider" design

3. Put in the date, what you are "counting", and your time zone.

If your ticker is correctly "made" it will display on the last page that you click to.

To get the ticker onto your signature, you need to highlight and right-click "copy" on the information in the "bbCode" box (the top one), then come back over here, click "User CP" on the toolbar above, then click the link on the left hand side to "Edit signature".

Paste (ctrl+V) the code you copied from tickerfactory into the top editing box, then click the "preview signature" button at the bottom of the page, and if it has worked, go back and save it! et voila - a ticker!

** Remember - keep the ticker page open while you do all this - if it doesn't work the first time, you may need to go back, cut'n'paste and try again.

Morning all.... well i actually had some sleep and at the moment feel okay except for a dull ache in my shoulder. I ended up having 2 neurofen cut into very small pieces. No other pain relief i had was worked.

Now in regards to slippage..... um... can this happen from me just moving around too much??? Everytime i get up i feel what the port area get slightly pulled, doesnt feel good. Is that normal??

I really hope i never have to go through this again... I swear going through 26hrs of intense childbirth wasnt as bad as this.

Anyway... im happy ive joined you all...

I don't think you would actually feel a slippage of the band in the port area. Your port site is hurting because the port actually gets stitched into the muscle. So its the healing and the settling of the muscle and port that you are probably feeling. My port area hurt for about 3 weeks (progressively less over time of course). Now, I only know its there when I go for a fill and the Dr presses on it!

I just thought I'd share though that my Dr advised me against taking nurofen ever again. It is a NSAID (non surgical anti inflammatory) and can irritate the pouch. It has also been seen that a NSAID pill (even when crushed up) can sit in the pouch (and not make its way through to the big stomach) and erode the side of the pouch because there are no stomach juices there to keep it from directly touching the stomach tissue. If you must take a NSAID, a liquid/medicine option is your best bet. Do a search in the archives of LBT on NSAIDs if you want to know more, you'll get more thorough info than I can provide, I'm sure Of course this is just my Doc's adivce. You can call your Doc to discuss - he might have different views on this.

Okay ive got it.... no nurofen........thats a real pity as i took the nurofen at 4am and now its 12.30 and i havernt required any pain killers and im only beginning to get a bit sore now. I think it really worked but will take your advise and not have it.

Totally normal Dionne! I didn't have any restriction until my last fill (my fifth) last Wednesday (and I am already considering that might need another tiny one in a couple of weeks cos the initial restriction I thought I was feeling has loosened already :cry ).

But I do think that up until then, a lot of the time, my self control had to come into play. I mean there is no way that I could have eaten the monster serves I did pre banding (I was totally gluttonous), but at least once a week since my band I could have easily gone back for seconds and probably thirds, but stopped myself by telling myself I didn't need it (where was that self control pre banding??).

And if you want to jump start the weight loss, I couldn't be a more strong advocate of exercise. There is no way I would have lost as much weight as I have already with out being committed to making exercise a part of my life now.

Couldnt agree more with ALL of this. This has been exactly my experience. Here I am 15 months out contemplating another fill to FINALLY get some decent restriction and yet I've almost lost all my weight. I only need that real restriction for the last 8kg.

People often seen to get very offended when you say this. The old "if it were that easy I wouldnt have needed a band" line. But you CAN do it, and the band does help you to do it, it just doesnt do all of the work.

And exercise is probably 75% of it, I think. Honestly, if I werent regularly running I'd be gaining now, I have that little restriction. As it is I'm maintaining easily, just not losing.

Its the codeine in it that is the bad stuff unfortunately and thats what would have made the pain go away I found it hard not being able to just pop the pills I was so used to taking too (advil's not allowed either and I used to take them for my back pain). I even had to get the anti inflammatory I HAD to take for my back (I would have been a cripple with out it) in a soluble form.

So I just made an appointment for another fill next Wednesday. I've eaten like a pig the last 2 days, so the restriction I *thought* I had was a fleeting moment. I don't know if the hungriness has anything to do with being PMS-ing, but I guess it could do. Either way, now that I have had a glimpse of what proper restriction is like (for those couple of days last week) I know what I am looking for, and I want it back!!!!!