Hi there, I am new to this forum. I have my first consultation with the surgeon next Friday March 30th:) . I am so excited but also nervous.

I have been reading through a few posts and it is so good to see that the majority of the feedback is positive.

I will be having my surgery done in Dublin and I was wondering if any of you have any advice as to questions I should be asking the surgeon next week.

Thanks so much. Brenners x

Hi Guys, I would be up for the northside meeting but I want be available that day but if you lot are meein gup again count me in. I love the inspiration you get when you meet other bandsters.

Allure, Elsie, and Coco. Lovely meeting yous and I relly enjoyed our chat. I look forward to the next meet up.

Anywho I got another fill yesterday off Jan of 1 so that brings me up to 5.5 . After my last fill i had restriction for about wo weeks and then it went, not totally but enough for me to pig out. I didnt put on weight but I feel if I had have gone on any longer I would have. So fingers crossed that I hit my sweet spot very soon.

Im getting married in May and I so want to have to get my dress taken in by loads, I would be so chuffed as that would be a first for me.

Well I am down 13kgs since July 27th. :frown:I think that it is not enough. It works out about 1lb a week. The scales are going the right way but not quick enough. I would like to get another 10-15 lbs before the end of February, my hen weekend. I need to get off my fat lazy Breakfast roll and get out and walk or swim of something. Whats making it worse is that im out of work for a while and the food press is my best friend. After my fill now I hope I will find a new best friend, like the receptionst at the gym where im saying im joining the last few weeks. :pray2: .

Anywho got to go.

TTFN

Hey Alesha,

I thought you were starting that spinning class. I was looking forward to hearing how it was going. If you want to shrink your bod thats the way to do it. I speak from others experience you understand, I don't acutally do it myself. :lol: Go on girl you go for it.:wink2:

Hi there, great to meet you all, I was banded by ACS in October last year but haven't lost much since, a lot of my weight loss was pre-op, have yet to experience restriction and have had 3 fills so far. Dr. Jan did my op and fills - who is Lou? I am so glad to have found this site as was feeling so lonely and like a desparate failure, whilst I'm not gaining, I still don't feel like I'm losing the weight I should be after spending 10k on this. My DH knows and a couple of BF's, one who is v. knowledgeable (she works in nutrition) and v. good to talk to and the other I totally regret telling as I think she might have told others plus she's constantly on my back about the lack of results and that I should sue ACS etc, she goes on about it being BS that I have to keep on having fills etc to find my sweet spot (is that the spot after so many fills that you finally start losing? - just picking all this up today). Anyway, hoping to make some friends here so we can all give each support/info/tips etc. Nice to meet you all.

ps - what's pb'ing?

Hello to all, as I mentioned in my previous posts, i am new to this site and really havent been able to share any of my LbAND ?'S with anyone since no one but my Dh knows i had it done last August at ACS.

As I wrote, had lots of early complications but then got to be fine about 8-9 wks post op. Anyhow, had my second fill and now should have 4cc in the band. This was last week and I am struggling here. Not able to keep hardly anything down and lots of pb/sliming. Surviving on Protein Shakes and juices but starting to feel really tired today. Should I defill? Could I have slipped or is this ok to be so tight a week after? Should I just start eating chunkier foods to stretch myself a bit? I am happy to have lost 3lbs since last wed. but I have to go away with friends this weekend for 2 days and don't know how in the world i am gonna pull off eating b.l. and dinner with them all. they are gonna think I have got an eating disorder! Any suggestions would be great pls.

J

Hi JJ,

It might be wise to have a defill if you feel no looser after a week. If you are happy to carry on with the Protein Drinks and yogurt and custard(lowfat) for a couple more days then do. As for your weekend away with your friends, tell them you have a tummy bug and thats why your not eating. If you loosen up you can say your on a low carb diet or something, its only 2 days you can cover that, and just imagine how good you'll feel when you weigh yourself when you come home.:pray2:

Coco, thanks for the good advice. i was finally able to eat a few bites of my kid's Pasta for lunch and so far so good, it has stayed down without any of the nasty slime.....

Princess, welcome and I hope this site and the internet in general will let you know you are definitely not alone. Until I logged on last week, I didn't realise what a load of banders there were worldwide and especially in Ireland. Lots of great info. I know everyones journey is very different, but I think you are doing great losing what you have in 3months time. Multiply that by 4 and you will really be happy when the year anniversary rolls around I hope. My loss has been slow, but steady. 25lbs since early August 07. So really only just about 5lbs or so a month, but the doc said this was fine and it is better to take it steadily and healthily so that your skin has time to shrink too.

but, on the other hand I would be lying if I said I would'nt love to down 3-4 stone by now!!! My original goal was to be into size 14 comfortably by this stage, but it hasn't quite worked out that way, but I am hopeful.

Tell your negative friend her comments aren't helping your weight loss and that you just need positive support or a listening, non judgemental ear...Best of luck to you and I hope this journey won't be lonely for any of us!

Thanks Justjules, I suppose it's not the worst. Just booked another fill with Dr. Jan for tomorrow week. Hopefully this will help. do you mind me asking if you have been able to follow all the rules ie. no drinking before or during meals? I keep forgetting this and before I know it I have drank a glass of Water with my lunch, I'm sure this can't be helping, was considering hypnotherapy to help me with thsi habit - worse than smoking!!!

anyway, glad you're feeling better and can eat a little, must say I look forward to feeling some restriction soon though

hey there

i just popped in to offer... hopefully some hope,i was banded december 06 at acs and found like all of you that it was harder than i imagined those dreaded bloody scales going sooooo slow ,waiting for restriction to be right feeling a failure for needing band and worse not able to make right choices after ,having to keep brave face as people around me watched intently to see what i was eating ..i.e( the choices and amounts) and because the whole world seem to think it was stupid idea i didnt want to appear negative at all so kept saying im fine and going through inner tormoil as i worried it wouldnt work out for me ! well its been 13 months now and i got a surprise as i fell pregnant 6 months ago and all my fears of failure had got so much worse as i had lost 64 pound and terrified that the hard work id undone would all be done but im happy to say im 28 weeks pregnant and have lost 97 lb baby doing fine band open completely ,though i feel restricted guess it baby doing the restriction now but im smaller than ive been in years and im delighted i have band.

i do worry about complications from having band but before i worried before ,about my blood pressure ,getting diabetes and the back ache i had from lugging around all that weight .i worked out i lost about 1.8 lb a week so not by any means fast but slow and steady has paid off so think of it as more a long term investment in yourself than a quick fix ,just relax ...it will work just give it time :pray2:

hey there

i just popped in to offer... hopefully some hope,i was banded december 06 at acs and found like all of you that it was harder than i imagined those dreaded bloody scales going sooooo slow ,waiting for restriction to be right feeling a failure for needing band and worse not able to make right choices after ,having to keep brave face as people around me watched intently to see what i was eating ..i.e( the choices and amounts) and because the whole world seem to think it was stupid idea i didnt want to appear negative at all so kept saying im fine and going through inner tormoil as i worried it wouldnt work out for me ! well its been 13 months now and i got a surprise as i fell pregnant 6 months ago and all my fears of failure had got so much worse as i had lost 64 pound and terrified that the hard work id undone would all be done but im happy to say im 28 weeks pregnant and have lost 97 lb baby doing fine band open completely ,though i feel restricted guess it baby doing the restriction now but im smaller than ive been in years and im delighted i have band.

i do worry about complications from having band but before i worried before ,about my blood pressure ,getting diabetes and the back ache i had from lugging around all that weight .i worked out i lost about 1.8 lb a week so not by any means fast but slow and steady has paid off so think of it as more a long term investment in yourself than a quick fix ,just relax ...it will work just give it time :tt1:

Hi Nikki,

Great to hear from you and I'm delighted the pregnancy is going so well. There are one or two other bandsters who will be delighted to hear you're doing so well too as they hope to become banded mothers soon.

That is a really positive post you written, it is so true, when we are early into our banded lives we want the weight loss immediatly, and it can be disheartening when it takes longer than we thought. Its also more difficult when we have people looking over our shoulder to see how much we are losing. Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy and keep us informed of how you're doing.

Hi Coco, JustJules, Princess and everyone

Firstly Coco thank you so much for your recent advice on my overfill. I am now back on fluids and am not having any problem Not only that but the weight is shifting again - about 5 lbs down since last week.

I think my problem was taking medication on an empty stomach at night. Am now taking it in the morning after a Protein Shake and its causing no problem. I will try to go back on mushies soon .... but not too soon as the weight is moving so nicely now for a change.

Jules, I understand you have been in the same position. I think mine is loosening slightly now after 8-9 days. Hopefully yours will too.

Princess, I know exactly how you feel but its just a question of continuing to go back for the fills until one day you get the magic one that is different. For me that was my 4th. I read something quite consoling on a website yesterday (not sure which), along the lines that the early fills aren't meant to provide immediate restriction. Their purpose is to slowly accustomise your stomach to having a filled band on it until such time as eventually the optimal level of fill is reached - when magically you experience restriction. I wish I'd read that when I didnt have restriction and was feeling that there had to be something wrong with me.

Best of luck to you all

Ellen

Oh Yes, I forgot to ask does anyone know anything about hernias (God, what a sexy ailment a hernia is - even the sound of it makes me feel like a 110 year old).

I have developed a hernia (inguinal) which may need to be operated on if it worsens. Does anyone know if a hernia repair is the same thing as a "muscle repair" which often accompanies a Tummy Tuck or is that something different. Can I combine my hernia repair with a tummy tuck I wonder?

Ellen

hi princess jules Coco& all out there. so good 2 see so many posts thank you all for the advice i 2 was banded in oct ober by jan i have lost 15 lbs so far not what i was hoping for . im learning patients coco is great she keeps our spirits up, we are so lucky to have experinced banders .to give us advice, im back on feb 8 for a fill with lou but i might change that 2 jan .Lou is very nice but talks alot. im not expecting any restriction this time from reading the posts i feel it will be my 4 fill till i get any restriction. i have a 6 mil band in, are they the newer band. there seems to be alot of talk about slippage, does anyone know if we had a slip where do we go .i dont expect jan would fix it coco you had a slip some time ago how much did it cost to have it fixed. , we would need to have a little something put away just in case.ill sign off now from the one finger typest .

can some one tell me where im going wrond with my ticker i cant get it to paste for me im probably doing the whole thing wrong tanx luv roe

Hi, I am from Nashville, TN and I have been banded for 2 years this year but just now found this forum. I have done really well with my surgery. I have lost 150 lbs. going from 280 lbs. to 130 lbs. So I am very happy with my surgery.

Debbie

HI Debbie and welcome, you must have lots of great stories to tell us. Were all ears, are you living in ireland or Nashville.Ilived in NY my self for 12 years. I love the USA I try to visit when I can. Keep posting.Its nice to hear from you. luv roe.

Welcome To The Boards!! )

hi princess jules Coco& all out there. so good 2 see so many posts thank you all for the advice i 2 was banded in oct ober by jan i have lost 15 lbs so far not what i was hoping for . im learning patients coco is great she keeps our spirits up, we are so lucky to have experinced banders .to give us advice, im back on feb 8 for a fill with lou but i might change that 2 jan .Lou is very nice but talks alot. im not expecting any restriction this time from reading the posts i feel it will be my 4 fill till i get any restriction. i have a 6 mil band in, are they the newer band. there seems to be alot of talk about slippage, does anyone know if we had a slip where do we go .i dont expect jan would fix it coco you had a slip some time ago how much did it cost to have it fixed. , we would need to have a little something put away just in case.ill sign off now from the one finger typest .

Hi Roe,

Your band is different to mine, my one is an 8ml band. As you know I was banded by Jerome, my band slipped 5mths after the op. I was text book lap bander up until then and was loosing 2lbs every week even while on hols. I was in complete panic when it slipped as I thought it would set me back months. Thankfully, I was dealt with very quickly and within 2 weeks I had my band repositioned and was back on track. Although I was overfilled and suffered with some heartburn and was only able to have fluids the whole time I was away (the whole month of August) I lost 10lbs in that month, (not the best way to do it, but had no choice as I was out of the country) I finally got my restriction to a comfortable level (with some defills and refills and an barium swallow xray) within six weeks or so of coming back from hols. Anyway, as regards the cost, I was told by Debbie in ACS that the 10K I paid for the op covered me for the life of the band and that any problems I had with it I was covered. So it did not cost me an extra cent. That is the main reason I went with ACS. that and the fact that they were based in Ireland. I know that they have received a lot of crap in the media, but I have to say, and I do regularly, that I have no complaint about the way I have been treated. Dr Jerome, the nurse Lu and Debbie have been nothing but respectful and helpful and professional any time I have needed them. You must not expect a slip, it only occurs in about 2% of people and it doesn't always mean a re op. in many cases it can be fixed with some defills. So don't worry.:seeya:

Is everyone enjoying our new look LBT? Maybe it will work better than it has been for the past couple of days.