Hi from Ireland!

[Coco 0]

Hi Allure,

:wow2: Way to go Allure, welcome to the losing side.Here's to the restriction staying now its found you.:biggrin1: Looking forward to hearing about all the food related issues that you are about to experience.:biggrin1::biggrin1: NO MORE LURKING keep talking, good, bad or indifferent.

...............................................................................................................................................................

Hi Patrica Louise,

Greeting from LBT. Now you've discovered how to talk to us I look forward to reading about your band, have to say you take first prize for the most unpredictable band ever, Allure you get 2nd prize.:biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:. PL look forward to meeting you tomorrow.

[kermit 0]

Allure - I am so delighted for you ...you can really feel your happiness bubbling through that post! I am in the same boat - banded July and first feeling of restriction now! I can still eat three weetabix but that's about the amount for satisfaction and fullness. I have 4ml in the band (2 ml in op and two fills at 1ml each). After my first slime and PB, the elation followed the nastiness really quickly - at last the band is there and working.

I too am at the stage where the weight has to come off for me to start a family - married (and trying) 7.5 years and no babies to hold and love. Difficult at 36, surrounded by happy friends with beautiful children, as well as my pupils in school. This band is my investment in my future and when it wasn't working I was in the pits of despair (there's nothing like being given hope and then watch it recede away). But now, Taah Daahh! Hope springs again in the form of a slimy PB!

Fingers crossed we will both have healthy and happy babies soon.

[kermit 0]

Just bumping up the post and showing off my new ticker (finally it has something to say!)

[Coco 0]

Hi All,

I've been talking to Patrica Louise today and she has had an email from Jerome asking if any of his patients would be good enough to register their support for him by writing to the General Medical Council stating our satisfaction with our operation and treatment by Jerome so that it may go some way to him getting his licence back and in turn, us getting our preferred doctor back to Dublin. He also says letters of support of him, to that Journalist in the Mail on Sunday would also help. I for one will be writing in support but I don't want to force anyone who feels that they would rather not get involved. I understand that a lot of us want to keep our operation private and therefore respect anyone's decision to distance themselves from this matter. For those of you who are interested in getting Jerome back to Dublin please let me know here, I will be speaking to Patrica Louise later to discuss maybe one letter and lots of signatures or possibly an email address where people could send their support, I'm not sure how yet so any suggestions would be great.

*****************************************************

Kermit,

Love the new ticker.:biggrin1::biggrin1:

[Coco 0]

Hi All,

I got this little piece of wisdom from a longterm bandster on another site, it has more than a few home truths to it hope you all enjoy it.

You won’t lose the battle if you aren’t willing to work with the band and do your part but:-

You will have plateaus when you first switch to solids until your body gets used to being fed instead of starved. During many plateaus you will lose inches not lbs.

Your loss in the first 30-40 days is a never to be repeated experience so enjoy it. Then you begin the long slow journey downwards (not upwards).

You will learn the fine art of PB’s and what causes them for you, is it, swallowing air when you eat? Not chewing well or too big a bite…. Eating the wrong foods for you…or not recognizing the no longer hungry after ½ cup (satiation) versus I want to eat more cause I can or it tastes good or I crave (ie: Head Hunger).

You will watch your body shrink and will walk a bit taller literally and figuratively……. Start slipping into booths in restaurants, sit in chairs with arms, find it easier to, and have more energy to, walk, go up stairs, clean house and do a million other day to day activities. Slip in and out of bath tubs where the Water goes all the way around you instead of damming up…….. and it doesn’t kill you to stand up from sitting on the floor. Watch the years fall off your face and drivers license picture, go to restaurants and order an appetizer and still end up with leftovers to take home…….

Go through doubts and several fills/defills until you hit the sweet spot fill level for you.

You will have to stop several times along the way to reassess your eating habits, you can eat certain foods and get away with some cheating.

Remind yourself that ½ cup of solids 3 times a day only and drink water 1 hour after and up to ½ hour before meals.

Eat Protein first, fruit and veggies second and non-complex carbs last. Keep the fats, sugars and non-complex carbs low. Still have them just keep them low.

And believe it or not a plateau indicates that you need a fill ie:

1. No weight loss for four weeks.

2. You are following the band rules (sometimes we think we can break the rules and still lose weight figuring if we get a fill it will miraculously start us losing without us having to do our part).

3. You are eating foods that are hard and stick in you band for 3-4 hrs, not drinking your calories. You are hungry an hour after eating, really hungry not cravings, and the ½ cup doesn’t stay in the band for 2 ½ to 4 hrs.

4. You are drinking you 60+ Fluid ozs water a day and not drinking with your meals.

5. Once you move from mushies to solids. As much as possible get your nourishment from food that is solid. If you have problems with it sticking in your stoma try it again chewing it well, cutting it up finer or chewing it with other foods to keep it from recombining in your pouch and forming a plug (eg. Potatoes).

6. Try to avoid Soups or Protein Drinks if possible, if you are able to eat your protein you will be full longer some people have tight bands in the morning and can’t eat so have a Protein Drink.

7. Whenever you hit a plateau keep a food diary and log everything, including water, which goes in and measure the ½ cup of solids, it’s amazing how it can grow if you don’t measure it.

8. Try weighing in once a week to begin with not daily. Later move on to once every two weeks and then once a month. When you are losing slowly weight fluctuates daily with hydration levels etc. At least this way you normally will see a loss and not a gain. The losses will be smaller than the first month but they are losses all the same.

9. Measure yourself monthly, often you lose inches before you lose lbs.

10. Don’t compare yourself to others we all lose at different rates based on age/metabolism/food choices/activity level. But we all lose.

[Emerald 0]

Hey Coco,

They are certainly words of wisdom.....and a good reference point......I've gone a bit off the rails since my de-fill. Never thought I'd miss that feeling of restriction so much. Once you get back tasting those forbidden foods in bigger volumes its difficult to back-pedal......appointment for fill will be made asap! Good luck to all!

[penny2 0]

I am still waiting for ACS to come back to me to let me know what is happening and whether they have manged to get an operating theatre.Anyone heard anything recently? In the meantime can anyone explain the terms "PB" and "Slime" which I come across in reading a lot of the posts-sounds disgusting,please explain!

[allure 0]

Would you take a look at the signature. I have finally gotten under the 200 pounds mark! I think it might be 10 years since I saw that number on the weighing scales last.

I am having a wonderful time with this restriction thing now that it has finally kicked in at 7ml. Although it did leave me on Saturday night for a wee short hours - I was on my hen night and sure didn't I have a few glasses of vino with my dinner! Anyway I am glad to say that it has returned today and I have successfully restricted my intake of food today so I'm back on the loosing train!!!

I really cannot express the joy I am feeling at finally after 7 tough months I am using the band as it was intended - to restrict the food intake and to loose the continental quilt I have been wrapped up since my teenage years!!!

I have a special occassion coming up the end of February and I am going to set my self the challenge of loosing 2 pounds a week from now until then, and yes that includes over the Christmas period!! So if anyone else would like to join me in this challenge get in touch. I am available as a walking partner for anyone in the South County Dublin area too if anyone would like to hook up for Saturday or Sunday walks in Marlay Park, Dun Laoghaire Pier etc. to help in this endeavour. Just private message me your contact details and I'll get in touch.

A big thanks to Coco, Patricia Louise and Holly123 who have been a continuous support both here on the site and in the background in the dark days when I wasn't experience any restriction - or any weigh loss - despite being the best excerciser out of the lot of us!!!

And Kermit, I look forward to us sharing band baby pregnancy stories at some stage over 2008/2009!!!

I will definatly write an email to Jerome to share my support for him also.

Penny2 - welcome to the site - unfortunatly I am not a PBer so I can't really explain them very well but I know that if you search the site by that term you will get numerous explanations or what way it effects various banders. And I'm even more sure that when Coco gets on the site she will give you a most informed explanation as she is great with the indepth explanations!!!! Now don't deny it Coco - when you're good, you're good!!! he he

[Coco 0]

Hi Girls,

Well I spent the afternoon with doctors rubbing their fingers up and down my legs. Nice huh! Well the bumpy parts of my legs to check out my varicose veins:biggrin1: and the result is I go in for the op on Jan 23rd but only for my right leg my left leg will have to wait till my right one heals. Seems a straight forward procedure go in in the morning and be home by the same evening.

Emerald

Get that fill, you need to be sorted before the party season.:biggrin1:

Penny2

I've not heard anything about the ops starting up again why don't you phone ACS and ask them. Regarding your question about PB's and Slime, that I can answer, and yes it is disgusting, but here goes, and I won't go into too much detail suffice to say if you eat something that either doesn't suit your band or you eat something quite fast or maybe have a couple of mouthfuls in quick succession this is what happens......... first you get the pain, right between your boobs, then your mouth fills up with saliva (slime) and just when you've rushed to the loo you puke back (PB) the offending item. See, that's why you have to obey the rules. Chew, chew, chew and then chew some more. Put the knife and fork down between mouthfuls well really mouth-quarter-fulls. That way you can eat your meals without any trips to to loo.

[Coco 0]

Hey Allure,

This is great news about your restriction, keep an eye on it because as you lose weight you will also lose restriction so don't be afraid to have another fill. Stick with Lu she knows her stuff. I would like to join you on your weekly 2lb target but you know I'm a lazy cow when it comes to exercising. Let me see how my swimming goes, I'm on my third week of twice weekly swimming already so lets see how that commitment goes! Great you are going to give Jerome your support, the more of us the better and hopefully it will lead to him being back in Dublin to continue our aftercare. Talk soon.

[Coco 0]

Hey Coco,

They are certainly words of wisdom.....and a good reference point......I've gone a bit off the rails since my de-fill. Never thought I'd miss that feeling of restriction so much. Once you get back tasting those forbidden foods in bigger volumes its difficult to back-pedal......appointment for fill will be made asap! Good luck to all!

Emerald,

FYI Lu works every second Friday and every Saturday morning, make an appointment to see her, she will aspirate your band and tell you how much is in there and she will give you the fill you need based on that. Good luck and don't wait too long.:biggrin1:

[penny2 0]

I've not heard anything about the ops starting up again why don't you phone ACS and ask them. Regarding your question about PB's and Slime, that I can answer, and yes it is disgusting, but here goes, and I won't go into too much detail suffice to say if you eat something that either doesn't suit your band or you eat something quite fast or maybe have a couple of mouthfuls in quick succession this is what happens......... first you get the pain, right between your boobs, then your mouth fills up with saliva (slime) and just when you've rushed to the loo you puke back (PB) the offending item. See, that's why you have to obey the rules. Chew, chew, chew and then chew some more. Put the knife and fork down between mouthfuls well really mouth-quarter-fulls. That way you can eat your meals without any trips to to loo.

well thank you,Coco! that is a great and clear explanation(even if it is a bit yuk!!)you're great!

I DID phone Kim at ACS here in Cork (patient coordinator v.nice) and she said that Dr Jan is still trying for an operating theatre to work out of.Perhaps the delay is for the best if he gets it more organised.He was talking to me about seeing a Nutritionist and a Phycologist as well as trying to set up support groups-so all that would be very positive.

Thanks girls for all your help!!

[Emerald 0]

Hey Coco,

Got an app with Lu on Friday, so hopefully that will put manners on me! At least you'll be able to enjoy the party season now too knowing you'll have your pins sorted end of Jan!

Dee

[kermit 0]

Coco- Great news about the legs - you'll be Betty Grable soon!:whoo:

Allure - I can't WAIT to be under 200 lbs. Fair play and Well done.

Emerald - good luck with the fill....it's hard to say goodbye to the grub but when the scales are going down it becomes less of a crunch (listen to me - you'd swear I had lost STONES!):embarassed:

Penny2: hope the ops are sorted soon for you. It sounds like Jan is doing a great job of setting up - it is a good idea to work with a nutritionist and a psych too....I'd say a lot of weight problems are head related as opposed to just loss of gnasher control.

Although I have some restriction I can eat way more than the cup or so in Coco's brill post. My next one is in Feb so I'd better keep working on it until then.:hungry:

[Lyn2481 0]

Hi everyone. I have only read up to page ten of this thread and was wondering why Dr Jerome no longer practices in Dublin? I have actually booked a consultation with him in Belfast this Fri (eek!) and was told he worked in Paris but I was pleased to see he worked in Dub as this would be handier for me.

Anyhow in case noone saw my introduction on the other board, I'm Lyn, 26 and have been fat most of my life. Been seriously trying to get the weight off since last year (lost 3.5st on Lighterlife) but didnt 'refeed' properly and piled it back on. Been thinking of surgery for about 18 mos and I really think it's my only option now.

Really enjoyed reading your posts. :clap2: