Cazzy

12 days post op is not long at all and you will still have significant internal swelling, it normally takes up to 6 weeks for you to heal completely and by then u may start feeling a little more in need of a fill, but if you dont its all good too, theres no set pattern for fills or not its a very individual thing just dont discount them this early on in the process

I have to say i think your brothers doctor was not quoting any figures i have ever seen on the lapband. A good question is how many people die each year from obesity related health issues, your brother at 400lbs which i initially weighed is at far more risk from his obesity than the surgery for a lapband .. Surgery lasts only 45 mins normally it is a minor operation and all care is taken with the surgery given that eveyone who has it is overweight ... I am sure u will do fine and be a great example for your brother

I agree with the above posters, this is about you and your band and your fills, not what some NP thinks you should have ... My doctor asks me if i need a fill as they accept the fact that with my band i am my own expert. Do not accept the ' well its usual, or its not normal etc those sort of statements ignore the fact that some people just dont fit into their neat little boxes .. I would ask them to let you have their criteria for fills if u arent meeting it and see ... if its just how they feel on the day then its doing u no good at all.. good luck with this, fills are one of the most essential parts to be sucessful with a lapband so dont give up and be strong

Everyone has doubts before surgery, no matter what u are having done, be more concerned about the health issues of not having it done, be scared of the obesity complications u will face if u dont lose wieght ... Lapband surgery is the least invasive surgery and is a minor operation .. i am sure u will be fine and it sounds like u have the determination to make this band work for you so good luck and let us know how u get on and look forward to the rest of your life being healthy

Why do u think u are a 'slow' loser ? the average u should be losing is around 1 - 2 lbs a week which u seem to be doing .. quite a few people dont lose much weight post surgery untill the fills start kicking in, you seem to be doing fine .. stick with what u are doing it seems to be working

Most ports become noticeable after you lose a lot of weight .. You can get low profile ports fitted if it really is a problem but most learn to hide them

Most people dont feel much after the first fill this is a time to get into practise things like chewing well, taking small bites and drinking plenty, it is not an easy time and is often called 'bandster hell' but this is not a fast track weight loss regime so u will have to be patient. I have a 14 cc band and really didnt feel any good restriction till around 7 mls of fill .. but equally my fills dont seem to kick in till a couple of weeks after a fill, so be patient and wait and see, if u still feel nothing then discuss another fill with your doctor. He may well want to take things slower than u would like but slow and steady is good when it comes to a band ... Make sure u get your exercise kicking in, it is easy to put on weight at this time and burning more calories than u consume will help .. good luck ...

I would talk with your surgeon about what meds u can contiunue taking again ! .. show him any research u have found, Everyone's surgeons are different and no one surgeon is right and another totally wrong, They may well have had people on your sort of medication in the past and been fine with it .. it is a medical issue that i would seek more discussion on. We can only say what is in our opinion really and not give medical adivce which is what u should stick too with issues like this

I agree sliming should not be a 'usual' u are either eating too fast, swallowing to big bites or your band is too tight, it may well be that your stomach was just swollen from being stuck and sliming when u were sick, but to be safe it sounds like u should get it checked out with your doctor... sliming should be unuusual not usual

Good luck with your surgery and welcome to the forum

laughing causes your stomach to move like coughing does .. hence u feel it hurts... if u need to cough i suggest u hold a pillow over your stomach and bend forward, this will stop your stomach moving and will reduce the pain. Pain on any movement from coughing sneezing, laughing is common after any abdominal surgery, even keyhole like the lapband, so give your self a chance to heal along with your muscles and all will be ok

It is still very close to when u had surgery, your body will be swollen in places particularly near where the port is until, it all heals .. if u are concerned get the doctor to check it out .. normal swelling will go down after time tho once the healing process kicks in

good to hear u are doing well, i didnt need much morphine at all either, its just finding a comfortable position to be in that was the worst part .. for me anyways.. keep us posted Wishing u a speedy recovery !

http://www.abdopain.com/gastric-volvulus.html seems this condition is common in animals more than humans, but evidently can occur .. i found this article when i googled it, its not specifically to do with the lapband it would seem but it may be more likely because of it, seems pretty rare tho .. It might be they dont know what a band slip is and thats a description more than a diagnosis good luck !

good luck with the surgery .. i am sure u will be fine .. keep us informed how u get on

Nice one Karen I hit my 58 birthday today and my scars from the plastic surgery are doing well other than one small stubborn to heal spot .. never thought 58 yrs old would feel so good

Good luck

Well done and keep up the good work Its amazing isnt it how us heavier models find that the loss of a few lbs can be the inspiration to lose the next few keep going next goal will be ' Onederland' !!

I found a heat pad very helpful and some sugar free candy/sweets etc to suck on if u are allowed I am a little concerned that u say u will set up 'camp' in your room .. to be honest u need to start moving arolund as soon as u are able to, this not only helps with the gas but also prevents things like DVT from forming, so walking to the bathroom is a good thing Some people return to work within the week some dont feel like it but we all recover at different rates so just do what u can as often as possible !

I think a lot of people on here have started using a stool softener and given the sort of problem u have it sounds like it might be helpful to you .. if not more natural remedies can help like prune juice and dtrinking plenty of water ..

Sounds like u are bored or inactive of an evening and that is when your mind starts playing tricks on you, i know if i sit around after my evening meal just watching tv i get head hungry so i dont do it, i set my exercise bike up in front of the tv get a few sugar free sweets/candy to suck on and i cycle ,, go for a walk, get to the gym or just do something to take your mind off food. Drink plenty of fluids and dont have temptation food in the house. Do you need a fill ?

Everyone goes through the scared phase of this process, i think most will have sat down and thought about not living through the operation. What u need to concentrate on is doing exactly what your doctor has advised u to do, and to concentrate on the fact that this is a minor operation, normally no more than 45 mins to 1 hour, its keyhole surgery and u can home soon afterwards.. What u need to do is put it into perspective in the grand scheme of things, u are more at risk being obese with all the medical complications than ever you are having a band fitted .. and yes sometimes things do go wrong with the band, but i am prepared to have mine removed if that happens and that is the good thing about the band, it is removeable .. so look after yourself and your band and no reason why this shouldnt be a great success for you ..

Awesome before and after pictures, well done on the hard work

I agree entirely with Mis73, some, like me, cant lose any weight at all eating more than about 50 carbs a day at most, i also dont eat more than 1000 calories, no reason why u cant adjust both carbs and calories.. I also have to burn more calories than i eat by exercising, intially it was easier to lose wieght as i was very heavy, now i fight for every lb but i know how to fight .. make yourself the 'expert' on you and that way u learn lessons that will last you your whole life.

Grats to you both, now comes the hard work, just do as your doctor advises u to do, be determined to make this work and move around as much as possible.. welcome to 'bandland '