Anyone from Essex ? banded 23/11/12 could do with some one from uk to be a buddy , stuggling weight not shifting , feeling fed up !

GL, there are a lot of people here from UK. You will find a bud, but remember we are all your buds!

ah thankyou linda ! I could do with another fill but have a trip to florida soon , first time I have flown since having band , so waiting until I have been and returned home , in the meantime my weight has just stayed put despite really watching what I eat and increasing exercise

I'm in France and would be happy to provide you with support; I love mentoring. You can PM me if you like.

Dream, I wish you sunshiney days here in Florida. Right now we are having cool wet days but if you go towards Miami it will be wonderful!!!

I am sure you will get over the stall soon! Have a great vacation!

Anyone from Essex ? banded 23/11/12 could do with some one from uk to be a buddy , stuggling weight not shifting , feeling fed up !

Hey Dream to be slim.

I'm from Essex, grew up there and moved to Bristol a few years ago. I go back to Essex regularly, sometimes every weekend to see family and friends. Which part of Essex are you from?

I was sleeved on 1st April this year so about 2 weeks ago & could do with a buddy as well. I'm feeling the same as you, I've lost 2 stone since starting my pre op diet but not lost any weight this week which is very disappointing as I'm eating less than my brothers 1 year old son lol. Anyway drop me a message if you like? I'm sure we could support each other.

Gemma

hi Gemma , hope your getting on ok . MY WEIGHT STILL NOT SHIFTING , infact I have had a barium xray [ last month ] , to check all ok which it was but no restriction so half ml fill added , I had problem though so been to my gp as continually having problems eating food unless soft , sometimes even then , so I have been given medication to take prior to trying to eat and my gp is referring me via the nhs to a specialist for a second opinion as not convinced all is ok . My weight has not shifted for weeks now despite going to gym and struggling to eat , its so frustrating !!!!

I don't know much about the sleeve really , what made you go for that instead of the band ? might have been better for me , did you have it done privately or nhs ? don't give up though I know it is hard but I am determined to succeed , we can support each other along the way . I live in the Maldon district of Essex .

hi Gemma , hope your getting on ok . MY WEIGHT STILL NOT SHIFTING , infact I have had a barium xray [ last month ] , to check all ok which it was but no restriction so half ml fill added , I had problem though so been to my gp as continually having problems eating food unless soft , sometimes even then , so I have been given medication to take prior to trying to eat and my gp is referring me via the nhs to a specialist for a second opinion as not convinced all is ok . My weight has not shifted for weeks now despite going to gym and struggling to eat , its so frustrating !!!! I don't know much about the sleeve really , what made you go for that instead of the band ? might have been better for me , did you have it done privately or nhs ? don't give up though I know it is hard but I am determined to succeed , we can support each other along the way . I live in the Maldon district of Essex .

Well I hope they get to the bottom of problem I can understand how frustrating it must be. It doesn't make sense so I'm sure they'll find the problem. I'm surprised your private consultant hasn't resolved this issue for you.

I had my sleeve on the NHS due to my diabetes. I was going to go privately last year but all the consultants I was seeing for my health advised to wait for NHS to do it. What they said was that if I paid privately then the NHS wouldn't help if I had problems further down the line if it was connected to my surgery. I was also going to have the band but the surgeon thought the sleeve would best suit me as my history of disordered eating was usually binging which can cause the band to move. Plus the sleeve removes the hunger hormone which when I heard I knew that was the right treatment for me. Plus I had heard that the band can cause lots of problems. Maybe you should consider having the band removed and at the same time they can do the sleeve? It would defiantly be something to look into if the consultants can't find a solution to not loosing weight & not being able to eat harder foods. You must be so fed up with soft foods, I know I am already lol. How much weight have you lost since having the band fitted?

I'm also determined to succeed, we'll get there it's just going to take time.

My family live in Gidea Park near Romford so not too far from you. Obviously years ago now but I also used to live and go to school in Chelmsford.

XX

Small world we live in , my nan when she was alive lived in Dagenham !

I never thought this journey would be so up and down , I had hoped it would make my weightloss journey some what easier , but alas no . Initially it was and I have now lost in nearly 17 months 3 stone , but I am now back to feeling frustrated . My original surgeon left the hospital I had my surgery and unfortunately I do not have faith in the one that has replaced him , the hospital do not extend cover once finished , and I feel just see you as a way to make money ! I was not able to have surgery on nhs despite my struggles with weightloss for years , so desperate I looked into private in a hope of ending my battle . My doctor assured me nhs should help as I have tried for so long to end my struggle with the weight , my current problems may be stress related as my doctor first thought but wants things checked out just incase , which I am glad about , a second opinion would put my mind at rest ! Apparently the band can be affected by stress which I did not realise ; it causes me migraines but never dreamt it could affect the band , had I known I may of looked into something else [ the last two years have seen health problems with my daughter etc , without surgery I may have kept putting weight on , I am convinced of that ] ,

I am sick of soft foods , sometimes I long to eat a normal type meal like a carvery , but no chance at mo , just trying to eat meat is a struggle :-[

Are you still on soft foods ? until 6 weeks post op , has your hunger disappeared ?. I was always a comfort eater , and would eat if happy or sad etc ending up in a vicious circle of despair , my weight would yoyo ; when in a good place I would loose weight but as soon as I hit a stresser it would go the other way ; all steming from the bullying at school and the subsequent lack of confidence around others and feeling I didn't measure up , I never told my parents until years later by which time the damage was done . I met my husband who has always loved me whatever my weight but his dad was never excepting of me so again I felt I never measured up , [my mother in law was lovely but died years ago ] , these things were at the root of the depression I have suffered over the years which of course hasn't helped the battle with weight either .

I hope your getting along ok , do you have to have regular checkups ? do you have much weight to loose ? [ I still have a further 3 stone to go ] , has your struggle with weight been similar to mine ?

hope to hear from you again soon ,xx

Small world we live in , my nan when she was alive lived in Dagenham ! I never thought this journey would be so up and down , I had hoped it would make my weightloss journey some what easier , but alas no . Initially it was and I have now lost in nearly 17 months 3 stone , but I am now back to feeling frustrated . My original surgeon left the hospital I had my surgery and unfortunately I do not have faith in the one that has replaced him , the hospital do not extend cover once finished , and I feel just see you as a way to make money ! I was not able to have surgery on nhs despite my struggles with weightloss for years , so desperate I looked into private in a hope of ending my battle . My doctor assured me nhs should help as I have tried for so long to end my struggle with the weight , my current problems may be stress related as my doctor first thought but wants things checked out just incase , which I am glad about , a second opinion would put my mind at rest ! Apparently the band can be affected by stress which I did not realise ; it causes me migraines but never dreamt it could affect the band , had I known I may of looked into something else [ the last two years have seen health problems with my daughter etc , without surgery I may have kept putting weight on , I am convinced of that ] , I am sick of soft foods , sometimes I long to eat a normal type meal like a carvery , but no chance at mo , just trying to eat meat is a struggle :-[ Are you still on soft foods ? until 6 weeks post op , has your hunger disappeared ?. I was always a comfort eater , and would eat if happy or sad etc ending up in a vicious circle of despair , my weight would yoyo ; when in a good place I would loose weight but as soon as I hit a stresser it would go the other way ; all steming from the bullying at school and the subsequent lack of confidence around others and feeling I didn't measure up , I never told my parents until years later by which time the damage was done . I met my husband who has always loved me whatever my weight but his dad was never excepting of me so again I felt I never measured up , [my mother in law was lovely but died years ago ] , these things were at the root of the depression I have suffered over the years which of course hasn't helped the battle with weight either . I hope your getting along ok , do you have to have regular checkups ? do you have much weight to loose ? [ I still have a further 3 stone to go ] , has your struggle with weight been similar to mine ? hope to hear from you again soon ,xx

Well a second opinion is defiantly a positive thing. I had no idea stress can effect a band either. I would keep hassling your GP and try and get a referral as surely if you can't eat a nutritional diet and hard protein foods this far down the line something needs to be done. Plus if your not able to eat properly you should be loosing weight quickly. You should mention how low you are feeling as well. I've always been an emotional eater as well which has always been a struggle. Have you tried counselling? I hated it at first but stuck with it and still see someone once a week. I started counselling 3 years ago. I wouldn't describe myself as depressed but do sometimes feel low. I also wouldn't say I've had a terrible life it was actually very good but Couselling has helped me look at why I turn to food to fix the way I feel. It really has helped and is maybe something worth looking into. I also attend OA meetings (overeaters anonymous) which has also really helped me. You can find the meetings by looking on their website. It's not a diet club and might sound weird but it could help. There's loads in London and all over the country. It might be worth a try. Everyone will welcome you and be very supportive and friendly I promise. It's just a suggestion as I feel it helped me understand my eating issues & to not feel so alone. I think that's where paying privately can sometimes be an issue as my assessment for surgery on Nhs was a long process with help and support from the specialist dietician and also psychologist. Then on top I was attending counselling and OA meetings. So I've had a lot of time to work on myself which I'm sure will help with this part of my journey.

Weight loss surgery is only a tool to support you feeling fuller quicker. I'm sure you know this so sorry if I sound patronising it's not meant in that way. What I'm trying to say is that it sounds like there's definitely issues with your band but you could also benifit from other forms of support.

Yes I'm still on soft foods but should be able to eat a little of everything 4 weeks post op so in another couple of weeks. I've not really felt hungry only a few times but it's the head hunger which is horrible. Like you I keep thinking about the foods I love and miss which seems to be the harder part. Do you feel hungry? I might be wrong but I thought with a band you shouldn't be on soft foods for long? I thought the idea is to be able to eat harder/more solid foods so the nerves where the band is feels the food passing through so you then feel fuller?

I've still got a good 5 more stone to loose to get down to my bmi goal weight. Don't give up, hassle your GP until you get somewhere. My GP was really supportive with this process and got the ball rolling but she then left. I then saw a different doctor and I had to hassle much more to keep things going with my referral & funding application. It's not right that the NHS can expect you to carry on with the way things are. Let me know what the second opinion consultant says. Keep your chin up and message me anytime. XX

Anyone from Essex ? banded 23/11/12 could do with some one from uk to be a buddy , stuggling weight not shifting , feeling fed up !

Hey I'm from Essex,

Does anyone know of anywhere to get your band filled in Essex, that doesn't break the bank?

Thanks