Cazzy

so sorry to hear of your problems ... you are in my thoughts and i hope u have a speedy and successful recovery

we have in effect 2 stomachs now that create twice as much gas .. just be aware of swallowing air when u drink or eat.

There are 2 solutions that would be safe, firstly there are low profile ports available so maybe if yours could be changed, or secondly mine is on my breastbone the only time u can see it is when u have no bra or bikini top on and it sort of blends in with the other bones i can see now lol .. getting the band and or port removed seems a little drastic when there are other options, changing it to a low profile port i think can be done while u are awake so i dont think the costs would be that bad good luck with it ..

I am in the UK, I was self pay in a private hospital.. I was dreading the Op at my age of 56 but it sincerely was a breeze. Caesarian was much worse of an operation. Did your brother have post op pain ?

The reason ypou are on puree food is to allow u to heal post surgery, if you arent following the doctors rules and schedule of eating you stand a chance of damaging the band or you. Why on earth would u take those risks having just put yourself through surgery .. Werent you informed about the process before you were banded ? This requires work on your part as well as the support from the band, you need to contact your doctor i think and tell them what u are doing .. good luck

the tablets are large capsules but strangely i didnt have problems swallowing them, the shape i can't swallow are like the bullet balloon shape caps .. normally Omega 3 is in them ... i am also using the Biotin shampoo and conditioner its not that costly and lasts ages ... http://www.amazon.co...34661353&sr=1-1 thats the link to the caps i take

1. No pain at all, just uncomfortable from gas. Its just a minor Op takes 30 to 45 mins normally. 2. My doctor fully prepared me and the nurses imparted a lot of info too so i never felt unprepared. I think i realised that having my wisdom tooth out was more painful than the band..

You obviously still need more fills, not everyone feels restriction at the same time or with the same amount of fill, believe me you will know when u start getting close to your green zone, so give it a chance and be patient, if u can go for another fill then make an appointment. most people need around half their band filled to start feeling it

Of course not, you are healing and will have a good appetite now till u get some fills under your belt. I am sure you must have been told this isnt a fast weight loss surgery so be patient and follow the rules things will start happeneing with a few fills

U need to speak to your doctor before you start piling in masses of protein, your body can only absorb so much in one meal and if i remember a post by Alex the number was around 25 grms, greek yoghurt is fine if u get the unsweetened, very few carbs in that one, add some mashed up raspberries or some mashed fruit to it and add some skimmed milk, make your own protein drinks.

I take Biotin caps 5000mgs my hair has thinned a lot, My surgeon said it is an effect of rapid weight loss or long term weight loss, i eat enough protein so i know its not that and my age of 57 is against me too, the Biotin really helps tho, it may not stop you getting thinner but it stimulates regrowth, u get nice long eyelashes too i get mine from Amazon. Your hair normaally recovers expecially once you hit maintenance mode so dont panic too much ..

There is no way at 1300 calories you are any where near 'starvation mode' that is where the body starts using muscle to maintain its nutrients and given that we are all over weight we just dont get anywhere near that unless u are burning over 1300 calories a day too... If you arent losing at 1300 then u need to reduce it, following pre-set guidelines and rules works for some but not all, i would put on weight if i followed my RMR of 1750 so i dont .. you need to become your own expert about you, know what foods u can eat and cant, you didnt mention exercise, for many its essential to burn off some calories otherwise the scales remain static. so get moving eat a few less carbs and sugar and try that, make sure u try to do 1200 a day for a few days then reduce again to 1100 if necessary. I have eaten 1000 calories and burned at least 500 every day for over a year now and look how much weight i have managed to lose... foreget being and 'average' and start finding out what u have to do for yourself

Its understandable that this can happen given your circumstances, but isnt caring about others too much what put the weight on in the first place ? you have to become quite self centered when u have a band otherwise it just wont work. Having the band means looking out for you first making decisions about what is right for you. Unless you ate pure fat and carbs while grandma was with you you should be ok, the pre-op diet is about shrinking the liver, some people have managed to cheat a little and it not affect things, but if u are really concerned u need to speak to the doctor, or just keep quiet and fingers crossed Next time tho remember its you and your food decisions before anyone else however old they are !

The few weeks after banding is about healing that is why you need to adhere to what the diet is you have been told to follow. The stomach cannot heal if it has to cope with eating solid food too early. If you dont follow the rules you risk all that you have been through for a moment of pleasure.. is it really worth it ? the simple way to get through this time is to not have such foods in the house .. unless you have enough willpower to ignore the junk food then remove the temptation. Many people dont feel restriction till their 3rd or 4th fill u may have some time to go yet to start really feeling the band so u need to work out some strategies for getting through this time till then so you dont end up putting on a lot of weight ... you should discuss with your doctor the way you are feeling and any deviation from the rules he/she gave you ...

Salad isnt mushies so i wouldnt eat that to be honest... A small amount of mash with some fish mashed into it is good, also u can pure more cans of soup with veg in etc so that they become puree, check out the food and nutrition part of the forum here it has many food ideas for all stages of diet

Good luck to you both

have u had any fills in your band yet ? if u need to yake pills for your appetite it sounds like u only just got banded or need another fill. Please call your surgeon and discuss this with them ..

I found a heat pad the solution for me

As one of the more 'heavier' members of this forum i can honestly say that the band was the best choice i made because i was a 100% committed to making it work. There is no WLS that you can have that u do not have to adjust your eating habits for. To me the band was the least intrusive of the choices, but also carried the .. requires extra work tag too. The term diet is not about weight loss its about nutrition, it simply means a certain list of foods that one can and cannot eat, are we on a diet .. the answer is yes, are we on a slimming diet i would say no.. i am on a healthy eating diet .. The band allows me to reduce my portion sizes, not feel so hungry all the time and it helps me keep that in check. I can eat bread, not the soft doughy white bread, but wholemeal crust bread goes down fine, i make my own fruit loaf each week, i have a slice daily, made with wholemeal. I can still eat a small steak cut up really thin, there isnt much i cant eat if u know how to use a sharp knife. I choose not to eat all the junk food available as its just not healthy and that is my baseline .. If i want to put junk in me i will make my own junk food and not have someone else cook it for me

Lulu going to the seminar will probably answer nearly all the questions u asked and be more relevant as the answers will be more specific to where you are having the surgery done. I agree with the above poster tho, write your questions down and ask them at the seminar. I would also take notes on what they say, you would be surprised how much info people forget after attending these sessions good luck and let us know how u got on !

Would the department of health preclude women because they were single and no children ?, if its only men it seems very discriminatory, you should ask for a written copy of their criteria so u can see it in writing and not over the phone .. Have u applied for things like biggest loser, Obese, a year to save my life ? .. or some of the tv companies might be willing to sponser you in exchange for doing a film of your WLS journey. i would also apporach your local church/community centre for help financially or ask them for help to do some fund raising for you like a ( we call them jumble sales here ) i think you may call them rummage sales ? where u sell peoples cast offs etc .. I am sure a lot of people in the US including some here could donate some big clothing to sell as against give money in this economic climate .. You got to get creative in this day and age where money is tight and people cant afford any spare cash to help others

I found a heat pad on the shoulder helpful, but talk to ytour doctor if the painkillers arent working .. the pain will pass it is only gas

Ice pack .. eeek i found a warm heat pad much more soothing .. as elcee said where are u putting ice ?

You need to set yourself up a routine and stick to it, laying around in bed till mid day is just not condusive to losing weight or staying healthy, it also is just a waste of life, instead of a 1/3 of your life when u are 80 yrs old being sleep you are aiming for 1/2 your life sleeping .. we only have one life so make the most of it .. the more sugar u eat .. i.e choch the more you will sleep .. dump the chochccies and get moving u havent put on much weight so it wont take you long .. You obviously want to do it otherwise u wouldnt have posted here so get that alarm clock set and dont delay your breakfast time good luck .. !

You need to ask them the reasons why they declined you otherwise you will be appealing blind.