hi everyone,

I am still in the researching stage of banding, but really looking forward to having surgery before the end of this year.

I am avidly reading as much of the posts as I can, and am getting worried about all the talk about exercise!

I am currently about 310 lbs (5'8") and am so exhausted all the time. By the time I have cleaned up around the house, taken care of the kids, cooking etc, I am ready for bed again!

My question is, how do you all find the energy, just after surgery, surviving only on liquids, and then mushy food, to go for mile long walks, and swimming and all the other things I am reading about?

I am scared that I'll be shattered after the op and practically WEAK from just living on liquids that i won't be able to exercise and will miss out on essential weight loss.

I can see being able to lose weight when I have gotten rid of maybe 25% of my excess fat but what will I do until then to speed up the weight loss?

Sorry this is so long but I can't seem to find any information on this miraculous energy surge?! Maybe its just pure enthusiasm and "Band High"????!!!! I'd be so grateful for any of your comments

thanks

Bright,

Thats fantastic. Not terribly expensive. Does it cover a place to stay before and after the surgery? Fills? A lapband companion? Airport pickup etc..? You could probably have your band within the next month!! I am very excited for you. SOunds like a good option.

Lets stay in touch!!!

Babs in TX

334/297/180

hi babs

I've had a chance to read thru the info from Sharon at DMC - sounds great so far - yes you can have a "buddy" go with you to france but it costs from 500 euro! Fills aren't included either but I'm hoping to have those in the uk - apparently this surgeon has done 3600 bands and is considered the world expert! doesn't say anything about airport pick up but i've been to Paris a good few times and am familliar with the metro etc so I don't think that'd be a problem. Also she says france has the best healthcare system in the world according to W.H.O. which is pretty cool too. I need to talk to her in detail to find out what exactly she does offer - heres an excerpt from the mail she sent me:

Should you decide to go the ‘French route’ then the cost does not change and I will not present you with a bill but wil arrange it all for you including sending you a medical questionnaire in preparation which I triage in conjunction with Dr Frering.

sounds good - I'm so grateful to you babs for finding this website for me - how are you feeling today? Must be tough waiting almost two weeks for a weight loss - I know I always drop a few pounds even now (!) when i get bloated etc once a month so I'll bet that's what it is!

take care - chin up xx:)

Hi Babs:

Thanks for the info on the band. I was operated in France, but I have no idea which band I have! All I know is that it has a fill capacity of 9 ml, rather than the 5ml I heard of previously. It's supposed to be filled to 4ml, but if it is, it must be a very big band.

I'll see the surgeon on Friday and hope to get a fill then, although, as I'm quite new to being banded, my motivation is quite high and I'm being very careful what I eat. The problem is, without the restriction, I'm not sure how long I can keep the motivation up! My best weight loss attempt 3 years ago was 11kg in 3 months with Weight Watchers, but 3 months seems to be my limit for sticking to a diet so the band should help me get past that.

Don't worry about the plateau, apparently that happens quite a bit - you'll probably lose quite a lot in one go soon!

What's the weather like in your part of Texas? Until 2 weeks ago, we had 42 degrees centigrade (105 F?) in our garden here in France - we nearly melted, but I guess you must be quite used to that sort of heat where you are?

Well, gotta go, kids to feed!

TTFN,

Sarah

Bright/Sarah

Bright: SOunds like things will work out for you. I am very glad about this. You'll just have to get through the Frenchlish!!

Sarah,

Hang in there. I now have restriction and it helps a lot. I feel like I am not eating enough now!! So the struggle is the opposite to convince myself to eat enough!!!. Never had this problem before..... Even though I do not notice a whole lot of loss despite the fact that I am almost 16 kilos lighter (37 pounds), I can see the inches. Small victory: I am now 5 inches from the steering wheel instead of 1. I fit in the chairs at my doctors office. I no longer have edema (swelling in my ankles) and I can run up two flights of stairs without passing out!!!

Yes, it was very hot here for several weeks, but now the temperature is much lower. We have had rain for three days on and off!

Babs in TX