SageTracey

The good news is that you are normal and the better news is that this too will pass. Hang in there!

Hang in there. Those first weeks/months post op are really hard until you achieve restriction and seeing results. All you can do is take it one day at a time. On the exercise front, it's one step at a time. Try to find something that you enjoy as that makes it easier to get started.

I am really sorry that you have been through such a tough time and have had to educate so many medical professionals along the way. Hope you are feeling better soon. But....it is really difficult to read your blog with so many typos! Any chance of using a spell checker so that we can read your blog more easily and offer you the support that this forum is so great at offering?

Two weeks. I am a desk jockey but I knew from past experience that a general anaesthetic always leaves me feeling wiped out for at least a week.

Or in Gippsland! Very cold down here, too (but not as cold as Ballarat!)

" I also notice that without the feeling of restriction I am wanting to eat bad foods I don't usually eat." This sounds like head hunger, to me. Just because you have the band, doesn't mean that you want to stop eating the bad stuff. Well, you probably do WANT to stop eating it, but the band won't stop you from eating it. The restriction you felt immediately post surgery was your body healing and it is normal for you to be able to eat larger portions again when you get back on to solids. Try not to eat until you are full - work out your soft stop signals. Might be a burp, sigh or an ache in your shoulder. Eating past that signal is over eating. It can also take several fills to achieve restriction or satiety so don't be surprised if you need more fills. Good luck.

I'm a desk jockey and my surgeon recommended two weeks off. I took them and appreciated them. I cannot imagine being on my feet for 9-10 hours so soon after surgery!

Fills are fully covered by the Australian healthcare system!

Also be aware that as you continue to lose weight, you may need more fills as the fatty pad around your stomach disappears and the band gets loser. I am sure your surgeon will be less aggressive with your fills from now on.

The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver to make it easier for the surgeon to move while fitting the band. One serving of popcorn is not going to undo all of the other good work that you did on the pre-op diet. Post-op you will have more success if you don't "cheat" but we are all human, living with other people, dealing with our own personal overeating/obesity histories, and it is totally unrealistic to expect us to be perfect. Heck, if we could do that, we wouldn't need the lapband! The important thing is to learn to control eating the wrong stuff - limit frequency and portion size, but don't beat yourself up over it. We have to learn to live in society with our bands. Keep your eye on the long term goals.

Cereals and icecream can slip through pretty easily so they aren't the best foods for testing your band. How do you go with a small meal of Protein and vegetables? and as others have said, it typically takes several fills for you to feel restriction/satiety. But the band is a tool and should not be relied upon to control or manage your intake. You need to use it in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise to achieve success.

There is no such thing as a dumb question - except for the one that you don't ask. Having said that, I don't know why, but it does seem to be reasonably common for there to be a delay in feeling restriction after a fill. Perhaps it is because we go onto liquids and then mushies after a fill so it can be a few days before we feel it. But then, my band can feel tighter for no known reason at times.

Haven't heard that one and I have just reread a lapband book from my surgeon's office (13 months post-op, just decided it was time to refresh.) It wasn't mentioned in there, either. Maybe it is to do with reflux?

One day at a time....it does get easier, I promise!

Looking good!

Congratulations on your restart, great success and superb attitude! You are doing so well and are obviously in a very good place in your life as well. May I ask why you are having a revision if you are now succeeding with the band?

I haven't been able to eat bread or toast for quite a while. Was fine with wraps (Subway or Old El Paso burrito wraps) until recently and now they get stuck. But, incredibly, I can still eat a dinner roll with no problems at all! But I only see them about once every month or two so no great white flour danger there!

Just losing weight will reverse your type 2 diabetes. But it is definitely a factor to discuss with your surgeon when deciding which type of WLS to pursue.

What elcee said!

You definitely need to undergo a change in your mindset. Follow up care is critical as is a personal support person or persons. For me, it is is my husband. He has been on this journey with me from day one and has supported me through all of the emotional and physical challenges of the last 13 months. He eats and exercises with me and while I have lost over 60kg and am enjoying a much healthier lifestyle, he has also lost 3kg (he really didn't need to!) and improved his cholesterol levels out of site - benefits all round. You can't undertake this journey on your own and while I love this site, I am not sure that I could have done it without my husband's support and my surgeon. Good luck

It's different for everyone (bet you've never heard that line before! ) My last fill was just 0.5cc and it made a difference. Now I am satisfied on smaller portions and do not find myself looking for food within three to four hours. Before this fill, I was eating progressively more and the scales had stalled. I feel as though a 1cc fill would have been too much and I would have ended up going back for an unfill. I generally rely on my surgeon's advice and experience when determining how much fill I should get - except for the two visits where I have said I didn't want any fill. 13 months out and I have not had to go in for an unfill, I have lost 60kg, so I guess he really does know what he is doing!

Lol! Couldn't tell you my ring size (other than to say all five rings are very loose and need to be adjusted), but underwear size has dropped from 26 to 12/14!

Congratulations and keep up the great attitude. It will help you immensely through the post-op weeks when weight loss usually slows right down. You can do this!

And remember that your goals don't all have to be about weight. Set yourself some other goals and be sure to Celebrate your successes along the way. For example, I set a goal to look awesome in my son's wedding photos - I did! I set a goal to be able to dance all night - I do now. I set a goal to be rid of sore knees - I am. I set a goal to get off my blood pressure medication - almost there, just one table to get rid of. And I set a goal to ride in the Great Victorian Bike Ride this year - have signed up with my DH and we will! I also set weight-related goals - the first biggie was to get under 100kg. Reward for that was a new gold watch. Then to get under 90kg - reward for that was a quality light for my bicycle so I can keep on riding through the winter. Along the way I have celebrated reducing clothes sizes, generally improved health, and a closer relationship with my husband.

Sounds doubtful to me - but why not ask them directly? Or see if you can get the lapband as treatment for a co-morbidity rather than for obesity....just a thought.