SageTracey

I am three and a half months post op and have had a bad head cold for the last 10 days. The last time I remember coughing this hard I actually had pneumonia. I am on the mend now, so not worried about pneumonia, but the cough is very deep feels like its coming up from my boots. Fortunately hasn't had any effect on my band that I can feel. In fact, the cold has made me less hungry than normal so that's a bonus. I am working on cardio-type activities to improve my lung capacity again. Good luck with your journey

I can't tolerate dairy in the mornings, so usually start with two weetbix and boiling Water for Breakfast. lunch is tuna and salad, or tuna and risotto, max one cup total. Sometmes a banana and Greek style yoghurt. I often have a no fat cappucino during the afternoon. dinner is white meat (chicken, fish, turkey) plus vegetables, again, max one cup total. If I get the evening nibbles, I find that four or five prunes takes care of that! Exercise - 30 minutes made up of exercise bike and elliptical trainer, or a 40-60 minute real bike ride (it's winter here in Australia so a bit difficult to get outside except on weekends.) Plus I go rock and roll dancing at least twice a week which would total 60 -90 minutes of energetic dancing each time. I allow myself at least one day off from exercising per week. Weight loss- 60 lb since being banded on 13 April this year. Good luck for reaching your goal for your wedding. I am working towards a goal for my son's wedding in April next year.

Hi Brandon, I have a phobia about vomiting, too. It helps me to keep on track with my eating post-band because I don't want to do anything that I know will make me vomit. So far, so good. I haven't vomited at all since being banded. Closest I came was last night and that was from a severe bout of coughing (dang head cold!) rather than anything I have eaten. I would say I have pretty good restriction and have been lucky not to have any stuck food or inability to eat any particular foods - just much smaller quantities. I am older than you but still enjoy the occasional alcholic drink - one thing I have discovered is that I am now officially a cheap drunk! One or two drinks on a smaller, empty stomach is more than enough for me to get that really drunk feeling. This means my husband and I have to be really clear about who is driving home before we go out. Good luck.

I was in overnight and then took full two weeks off work (fortunately second week coincided with Easter so didn't have to use too much sick leave.) I am a desk jockey, too, and would not have coped going back any earlier than 10 days due to effects of anaesthetic plus shoulder pain.

Go for it, Greg. You've given up drinking and smoking, you will go great with the band.

Hey Amy, just let it all out here, that's what is so great about this forum, we can be ourselves and express our true feelings. There may be some judgemental comments at time but you will almost always get the support that you need and are not getting with family and friends. That's cos we have been where you are and understand what it takes to get banded and the benefits of it,not to mention the work that it takes. Good luck and stay strong!

Remind them that it takes a long time to put weight on and just as long, if not longer, to lose it safely. You're doing it safely and with the long term goal in mind. They may want instant results, but it's not their body!

Wow, how tragic for all of you. It sounds like you have the support of a wonderful husband who will be there with you and for you through your journey. Go for it and live a longer, healthier life.

Thanks everyone. You'll never guess what reward my boss had for me - to write two more tender responses. Aaargh! But the best part is that they will keep me so busy that I won't have time to get head hungry in the next six weeks (yay, I found a silver lining

So this morning I came into work after being off sick yesterday to some fantastic news....we've won a major project that I had been very involved in. It's the biggest single deal in our company's history and I managed our bid team. It's a million dollar deal and I reckon that the adrenalin of the win more than compensated for the thin slice of cake I had with the team as we celebrated. (Although I think I shall still hit the elliptical trainer when I get home tonight.) It's not related to WLS, but gee, it was a fabulous feeling!

Hi Torirose, so sorry to hear about your friend. Make sure you talk about her with your dr tomorrow. He may be able to put your mind at ease or he may suggest you wait a while. Either way, best of luck.

Congratulations, that's fantastic.

Definitely. My hubby and I order a meal to share and he always gets the lion's share. We used to do the same thing before I was banded but he got so much less then than he does now.

I was feeling a bit slow in weight loss when I read of people losing 40-50 pounds because we work in kilograms here in Australia. So I pulled up a unit converter and found that my 27kg is like 60 pounds!

Congratulations! That's a great achievement.

Wow, I would have thought a fill dr would know better than to judge whether you are in the green zone or not by how much fill you have! Be very clear in telling him how you feel after eating, how long you feel satisfied for etc. Remember, it's your body and you know what you are feeling.

You've definitely come to the right place for support! Hang tough and keep your dreams in sight. Good luck!

In Australia my banding was almost entirely covered by private health insurance, just $1,000 out of pocket expenses. And Medicare covers fills and follow up appointments.

Good question cos I lost an upper ear piercing because I had to take it out and couldn't get it back in. They made me take it out but when I said I couldn't remove my rings because they were too tight, they just wrapped them in tape and left them on my finger!

Hi JoJo, I'm in country Vic, banded April this year. Hope you are keeping well and enjoyed your theatre production.

congratulations, that is awesome!

Can you keep the food you don't want to eat out of the house? Easier said than done if you don't live alone! But removing temptation may help.

On the other hand (and other side of the world!), we had a super cold morning here on the weekend and I couldn't eat my breakfast because I couldn't swallow - first time ever! I simply put my baked beans into the fridge and tried again at lunchtime - no worries.

Just be sure to have someone you can call on who is only a phone call away if need them. I found it wasn't the physical but the emotional (danged anaesthetic!) that had me wanting people around on day 2/3. Good luck!

I have only drunk twice since being banded and both times it only took a very small amount of wine for me to feel the effects! I am usually happy to be designated driver as this gives me a good reason for not drinking. Besides, I can't dance properly when drinking and I can't rehydrate while dancing if I'm drinking alcohol, so it's water all the way - usually!