louise162

I am still losing but only because I'm finding this willpower from somewhere !!lol!! I will get another fill in a couple of weeks when my consultant comes back off his holiday! Thanks for your help.

I've just managed to eat about 1.5 cups of casserole without any tightening in my throat. I am still losing but only through having the willpower not to snack in between meals.

I had a huge hiatal hernia that was repaired during my lap banding surgery. I'm not a doctor but I've done some research and they can be caused by a number of factors; genetic tendency and obesity being two big ones. I think mine was caused by 9 months of being sick when I was pregnant and obese. My hernia was so bad I was suffering from anaemia, severe acid reflux and difficulty in breathing when I undertook any exercise. My surgery took 3 hours and the recovery was 3-4 weeks and was quite uncomfortable. However since the repair and banding I feel the best I've done for 10 years; in fact I didn't realise how bad I felt beforehand. Best of luck with your surgery!

I'm not sure about the type of food; it seems that everything (that includes yogurt) if eaten too quickly causes pressure in my throat. I've slowed my eating down due to the advice on this thread and it seems to have helped a lot. However I'm still able to eat more than I should be able to if I had proper restriction. Mr Krysztopik said that he is always conservative with the first fill so I think it's very likely that I need a top up.

Thanks for your advice. I've slowed my eating right down (I spent 15 minutes eating 1 slice of toast!!lol!!) and I didn't get the pressure in my throat. I still don't get a feeling of satiety so I think I will need another fill. I could go this week but I think I'll wait a couple of weeks for this one to settle down.

Hi I'm from the UK and was banded in February. I paid for the surgery privately. I had my first fill on Wednesday but have not noticed too much difference. I could go back this week for another fill but my consultant is away the following week so wouldn't be available if I had any problems with being too tight so I am waiting for the following week. I could have gone on the waiting list for the NHS if I'd been prepared to try weight loss drugs etc first but I wasn't prepared to do it due that. I also didn't like the idea of having to wait ages for fills. I was treated privately last year for two other operations which were covered by my health insurance and was really impressed with the level of care. I also believe that quality of the aftercare is a major factor in the success of the lap band. The package I received from BMI Healthcare included all operation/hospital fees, all fills/adjustments, 1/3/6/12 month appointments with my consultant, monthly one to contact with a nutritionist/dietician and a support group. I have been very happy with the whole experience so far!

A nasogastric tube inserted without care with a lap band could result in the piercing of the stomach wall which would create a life threatening situation in itself. I'm not a doctor but I think for the sake of a few $$ a tag is worth it!

I will do now. I have just order a medi tag from a company in the UK. Thanks for the heads up!

I'm so sorry to hear about your complications. You are in the right place and will be well looked after. Something like this is bound to make you aware of your own mortality; it's only natural. You will recover from this and go on to benefit from the surgery. Now I've recovered from my complication (no where near as serious as yours; I had a huge hiatal hernia that had to be repaired) I don't regret it for a second. Take care of yourself and I hope you feel better soon.

I'm with the exercise challenge too! Although I'm restricted to walking for another 2 weeks due to the hernia repair. How do these challenges work?

Thanks for the advice. Mr Krysztopik said that he deliberately underfills this band to begin with so I'm fairly certain I'm not too tight at the moment. Maybe this is just an adjustment phase I'm going through. I still think I should be feeling some feedback from the pouch though!!lol!!

I've finally had my first fill. Now I'm too chicken to eat!!lol!! I haven't eaten for 6 hours and I'm starving. Apart from the local anaesthetic injection it was relatively painless. I've been told if I need more I can go back next week! So my weight loss begins in earnest!

Hi there, I'm a British Bandster as well! I was banded on February 13th and I am having my first fill on Wednesday. I haven't weighed for over a week but last weekend my weight loss stood at 18.5lbs which isn't bad considering I didn't have to do a pre-op diet. I live in the West Country so if you live in or happen to be in the same area you're very welcome to come round for a coffee !!lol!!

I'm with you on being ready for the first fill. I don't seem to have any effects from the band at all at the moment. I'm due to have mine on March 28th and it can't come soon enough. I'm still losing but it's down to willpower not the band!

I was surfing the internet this evening looking for photos of hiatal hernias and I came across this site called WebSurg. It is amazing if you like watching surgery footage. You have to register but it is free. Once registered if you search for Lap Band and go to the top result you get a 20 minute fully commentated video of the whole procedure. I am totally in awe of the skill involved in this operation. www.websurg.com Note: the videos only seem to work on Internet Explorer

I had an enormous hiatal hernia; the hole was about 2-3" in diameter. My surgeon repaired it and then placed the band. My recovery was longer and it was quite painful afterwards. I'm 5 weeks post op now and feel the best I've done for 10 years. Definitely find another doctor if he insists on the bypass; it's your body after all!

That's the date of my first fill as well. Like you I feel like I could eat anything but I have managed to find some willpower from somewhere and I am eating very small meals and continuing to lose. Hope your fill goes well!

I had an enormous hiatal hernia repaired during my lap banding surgery. The surgery took 3 hours in total instead of the usual 45 minutes. I experienced problems breathing deeply for the first two weeks but I'd recovered completely after about 4 weeks. I'm not allowed to exercise at all until I'm two months post-op because it was so large and I risk tearing the stitches that were placed to close the hole in my diaphragm. As for the pain; I did require morphine for the first night after surgery and I was very uncomfortable for about 10 days. Hope this helps!

Does anyone have any news about Fay? Last time I heard anything she was waiting for a phone call to go into hospital to have her band removed due to the MRSA. I keep thinking about her and hope she is doing ok!

I didn't think for a minute you were going to give up!!lol!! That's the beauty of the lapband you can't give up! I was merely implying that you have no alternative but to lose weight in the end.

:teeth: I had 2 weeks with staying the same but I have now started to lose again. I really think after the initial post-op loss the body needs to get over the reduction in the amount of food. If you don't eat enough your body can go in to starvation mode when it tries to hang on to every last ounce of fat it has. I only started losing again when I ate more. Be patient and I'm sure you'll start losing again. One thing is for sure if you give now you definitely won't lose anything .

I decided to take my measurements again this morning and was amazed at how much I've shrunk so I thought I'd share. Bust ...............-3.5" Waist .............-2.5" Hips ...............-2.5" Upper Arms .....-3.0" Thighs ............-2.0" Total lost = 13.5" No wonder all my clothes are hanging off me:D:D:D:D:D

Just to let you know that I am thinking of you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I had my post-op assessment today and was told that I will have my first fill on March 28th. My consultant does do them 4 weeks post op which would have been today but due to my large hiatal hernia repair he feels happier waiting 6 weeks. I'm also not allowed to do any exercise for another month to avoid any strain on my diaphragm. Guess I won't be losing much in the next 2 weeks :cry:cry:cry:cry

Oh to be a size 18 again!! Unfortunately I have no idea on where to get one cheaply. Why not treat yourself to a really expensive one when you reach goal?? BTW. How did it go today?