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Congratulations Goanna, that would have felt great!

I love my chilli and spicy foods, banding has not caused any problems at all in that regard. As for alcohol, I chose not to drink because of other health issues and medication ( plus empty calories) but there is no reason why the band would stop me- you are advised not to drink any fluids at the same time you eat ( easier to get used to than you may think!) Out of interest, was the patient centre that suggested the sleeve a US based centre?? It has been suggested in some articles that I have read that some surgeons in the states still lean towards the RNY, DS, sleeve etc as the band has been done for a relatively short space of time in the states- plus innamed insists that all surgeons are proctored by an someone experienced with the band- it was suggested that some surgeons chose not to go down this route as it may cause dsruption to their practices. The same procotoring is not required with the other techniques. IF you are comfortable with your surgeon, and have done research about both procedure ( look for artcles on pubmed etc- not just practice web sites and forums)- have confidence in your decision. Ask the person who gave you the negative info to give you a reference for where the information came from- its too bigger decision to make based on anecdotal evidence,

Just be careful if it is the type of fibre product that swells and turns into a gel ( like metamucil), You need to be able to drink quite a reasonable amoutn of Water to wash these through or they can make you feel Stuck, particularly early after being banded. Plus, if you don't drink adequate fluids with this type they can actually add to the problem by firming things up! Benefibre is the product that was recommeded to us post band- it dissolves easily, you don't need to drink it quickly after mixing. Its guar gum based product in contrast to the physilum husk types like metamucil Vitamised vege Soup or pureed fruits are Ok if you are on mushie stuff- pureed cooked apple etc

THe only ting I would describe as a big mistake was not being more assertive with my surgeon when I started having the swallowing problems- I allowed him to fob me off as not following the rules when I had been trying as hard as physically possible. he is a very eperienced bariatric surgeon and I allowed that to overide my "gut" instincts ( pun not intended) great news about the bill btw! Jachut KNowing how stubborn the final few kilos can be, and how hoard you excercse ( has to counteract the occasional chokkie you mention), if I were you I might be tempted to try a small fill. You have your tool in place and a tune up to help you reach your goal is worth a try- Im sure you can manage without it but that inc in restrction may jsut make it a bit quicker

It should improve, but probably will not seem the same as pre op simpy because you wll be eating less. I find that because my food intake is low, my fibre levels could be better- I add benefbre to my drinks to boost and drink a minimum of 64 oz per day ( often quite a bit more than this). Don't usually have a problem, on odd occasions I will use a mild laxatve

getting comfort from food when you are distressed is one of the first things we ever learn- Even as an infant, we cry and get fed, we feel good and the link is formed. I did not recognize the extent of my emotional eating until after the band and from talking to others this seems common. Eventually we can change habits but the new habits take quite a while to become automatcally- in the meantime we have the hole that food once filled. I can honestly say that this is something I am still dealing with- yes I have been treated for depression in the past and I have seen councilors as well, both were valuable but I found the councillor was particularly useful. Having someone to help re frame negative, self defeating thoughts/behaviour and also to challenge the less rationale thoughts and internal dialogue that crops up. For me I needed someone else to help me do this while I started to learn to do it for myself ( still learning) It will get better, you are so early post op I honestly think you have some of the post op blues too- as someone else mentioned, anaesthetic has this effect on a lot of people. Someone else pointed out to me that often the hoop jumping and run around that goes on before surgery may be a factor aswell- quite often it has taken quite a long time to decide on surgery, get approval and surgery date- like training for a marathon, excpet that when you have your surgery you still are not at the winning line yet ( or so it seems) its like the finishing post has been moved again. Hang in there it will get better

Certainly will look it up, I'll do it from work as I have access to some fantastic medical databases there and as long as it is medical/nursing related they are quite happy for us to use company time in moderation of course. Must be handy working for a neurologist, at least you hopefully will not be subjected to some of the negative stereotypes of having a neurological condition in the workplace!. My supervsor found out about my MS about the same time i was diagnosed and I spent the next 12 months fighting to save my job- one person with a poor understanding can make such a differance. I won eventaully but it took help from an advocate from the MS society employment support service and a union rep threatening legal action- sitting through 3 days worth of neuropsych evaluation and 12 months of fighting- but I survived!! As for the stuff about Tysabri being scarey, i don't scare easily, I believe in leraning the best possible outcomes as well as the worst, what the liklihood of each are etc then evaluating where I fit into the scheme things. I can live with a bad decision I make for myself but not a bad decision someone has made for me ( but meaning well). betaferon has some potentially scarey side effects too but long term studies have now said that these sorts or meds are so important they should be started sooner rather than later- apparently with RRMS even when we have no active symptoms, it has been shown that the inflammatory changes that lead to damage can still be occuring. I have decided to be fairly aggressive with MS treatment but that is mainly because I was already physically disabled before the MS- even relatively small changes from the ms can have an effect on my overall independance. Interesting to know that they think this new med can lessen established lesions- I will deifnatley do some reading!- keep in touch

I was on copaxone for a while but had an anaphylaxtoid reaction- my face an airway instantly swelled to the point that I could barely breathe, it was so quick ( i still had the syringe in my hand!). I have been on betaferon for about 18 months now and I am doing quite well on that- no major side effects. Have not heard of the Tysabri but do remember reading something about a med that was being trialled, stopped then re released- I will do some reading. I also try to follw some of the dietary guidelines that are thought to reduce the inflammatory changes of MS ( not quite the swank diet but similar) basically low fat, minimal red meat, omega 3 oils but not omega 6 etc. It fits in well with weight loss principles so can't hurt! I am assuming that MA is medical assistant, is that correct? Never seen them here in Australia but I am sure that we will. What sort of area do you work in?

the only suggestions I have re other liquid choices is home made soups, you can make much more liquidy versions of things like bolognese sauce or mld curries- just make them so that they are mainly liquid and depending what stage you are up to, you need to vitamise them- it is a frustrating stage of the diet- you just start craving anything that has some texture or crunch! it will get better though. Can't help much re the other issue though, I am not a parent and don't have much paeds experience- from what I have observed from friends with kids though, it seems like the degree of support available can vary considerably from school to school in this state (SA). It would be worth doing so research through dept education and/or dept human services to see what is meant to be available, what sort of waiting times etc exist. I know it is a very frustrating problem to deal with!

The one thing I would add is GO SLOW, don't go straight to something really solid- you may be someone who has restriction from the word go and this would be a tough way to find out- I was advised to use a smilar approach to that used when starting kids on solids- make your mushies less mushy, try things like cottage cheese and gradually work up to thngs like moist chicken etc-this is an approach I have to use after every fill ( back to fluids for 2 days, then mushy for 2 days then solid) f I don't do this I run into problems. part of this process is working out how you as an individual react to the band- you will not know exactly what you can manage until you try, jsut to be too quick to try too much too quickly

You should get some( if not most) of the anaesthetist stuff back, as for the $2500 for the surgeon, i am guessing that is a gap- don't those gaps hurt! Don;t for get to keep records as you can claim some of it on your tax ( it used to be any medical expenses over $1200- not sure what the current minimum is). Its a lot of money to hand out but it is a good investment

What I have done in this sort of situation is go back to fluids for 1 to 2 days, then gradually increase to mushy, and then more solid food. I f you can't swallow fluids you need to see Dr, if you keep waking in the night with a gullet full of fluid you need to speak to Dr. Like Jack said, I think you have some inflammation at the moment and that it should improve. Are you able to speak to your Dr over the phone??

You could be a bit tight but you could be swollen and irritated. After a fill it takes me close to a week to get back to my normal eating pattern. If I pb or regurgitate at all I go back a step for the next meal and try again- for me that seems to work. You do need to speak to your doctor though as you are at rsk of inhaling that stuff in your sleep- not eating for 3hours before bed time is a sensible idea. Fo some of us it is a fine line between restrction and over fill. Don't panic if you have an unfill- the whole idea of the band is that it can be adjusted according to need. I fyour Doctor thinks that your problems are being made worse because everything is really irritated he may unfll it partly or completely, give you a few days for everything to setle down then refll you. When you are reflled you will know what cause the problems to start and can modify what and how you are eating until you get used to it again. you can and will get through this

I agree with you totally, I was on a disabilty pension for 4 yrs after my amputation/chronic pain stuff- I am grateful for the fact that we have access to beneftis. I had been buying my own place back then too but lost it due to my health problems- I was homeless for about 4 months (went from friends to friends sofas)- I was granted a housing trust unit (same as housing commission) and have been here ever since. I like the security of knowing that my rent is based on my income. As I have needed alterations they have been done with minimal fuss. My unit is in a nice areas with great neighbours- we are lucky here! Even our health system is pretty good- When I hear our US commrads talk about how tough it can be to get their health funds to agree to care I thank mylucky stars that the funds don't have that degree of power here (yet). Even meds- thanks to the PBS we have ready access to the meds we need. I still have a healthcare card so get my meds for $4.90- the betaferon alone is worth over $1100 per month. OUr system has flaws and cracks but it does its best and works quite well most of the time. Speaking of centre link, if any of you are working/studying etc, Do you know about the mobility allowance?? its only about $72 per fortnight but it s not income tested, meanstested, its not taxable and it gives you a health care card - thats the big thing. As for the career change, i understand that- its scarey though! I was lucky to get a job as an RN despite being in a wheelcahir but have been acutely aware of how vulnerable i am in terms of employment. There are not many RN positions around for a a morbidly obese, one legged, wheelcahir dependant person with MS! I actually got a redundancy note last year along with about 160 others ( government contract went to a different company)- I was one of the lucky ones to be able to get my hours back at the same place ( made unredundant). I haveonly ever been a nurse! Anyway I had already started doing a Bachelor of information technology at flinders uni ( very part time)- its skills I can use in my current role but also gives me a different option for the future.Thankfully IT is very adaptable for people with disabillites - I start back on tuesday! I'd hate to be stuck at home again- i need to work to maintain my sanity

HI Bronnie 13 days and counting! it must be seeming real now! Sounds like you are a bit excited and nervous now- remember that being anxious before surgery is common. Even second thoughts at times- just keep your eyes on the prize though! I just realized, you are paying the anaesthetist pre op, I have never heard of that being necessary here in aus

Hey meredith, it does feel good when you get restriction but it took me a while to get used to it! I can only manage liquids at breakie, mushie stuff at lunch time then more solid in the evening. SOme times I will only have about half of what I measured out and feel absolutely full- this took me a while to adapt to it jsut seemed impossible to believe that such a small amount of food could be right! more headwork was needed As for gulping water, I used to have to watch that- getting a lot of fluds in a day has never been a problem- I have always drunk at least 3 litres a day- When I used to work on the medcal wards with clients on 1 litre fluid restrctions i often used to think that I would not cope in that situaton! Gulping accidently has caused me some dscomfort at times but these days I can get away with a cross between a gulp and a sip. I always have a drink bottle hangin off my wheelchair.

I can't eat bread even if it toasted, I f I really feel like a sandwich, I can manage part of a wrap but only if it is toasted. I also fnd that if I do pb, slime or get the pain in the chest after eating, it takes a while to get back to normal. I don't pb often theses days but if it does I go back to fluds for 24 hrs then mushy for 24hours before going back to my normal foods. I definately get some inflammation so I have leart to be careful. As for being worried that you can't eat bread- you may be able too but t would not be one of the early solid foods I would suggest for a bandster. I thought I would really miss bread but not anymore! I agree with the comments that you food tastes can change post band, my certainly have.

Congrats Dionne, everything you describe seems normal to me- and Bronnie, we are all waiting for you, ready to greet you on "the other side"

I had the outer case of a scale crack, my current scale is a speaking scale, it says hello then has to calibrate it self, once its ready it announces "im ready" but t really sounds like it is through gritted teeth because I am about to inflict pain on it! why couldn't they use some like harrison ford as the voice instead of a very whiny little old lady! BTW Jachut, I can relate to almost destroying a set of scales because I did not like what they said. Have not broken a chair but have been folded up inside one, one of the folding camping chairs folded up when I sat down- I could not budge as my weight on the seat kept it in the folded position! I was with friends around a camp fire, they only helped me out AFTER they had all run back to thr tents to find there cameras to take pictures!! What are friends for!

Hi Bronnie Ether MS is being diagnosed more often these days or it seems there are quite a few RN's around who just happen to have ms- I know 3 other non banded ms RN's another 4 who have Lupus. I met someone at the cinemas yesterday who was struggling to get her wheelcahir up a ramp, I gave here a tow with my electric chair- we got talking and it seems she is an RN with MS too! I work 2 days a week ( sat sun lates) in a health advice call centre. dont forget to remind us as your surgery date gets closer

H lady T Nice to meet you! I think we may have a 3rd thing in common besides the band and MS, I note your profile says you are in the medical profession, I am an RN. 25 was young to get diagnosed but it sounds like you have been lucky in having only one exacerbation! Congratualtions on the weightloss- I am down 63 pounds as of this morning!

Hey susannah the lesions can ( in theory) affect any past of the CNS. MS sufferers do have a hihger rate of depression than the general population but t s not certain wehter that is due to lesons or to havng to deal wth a chrnoc health problem. THey are recognzing that various cogntive problems are more prevelant in ms than once thought but most are susually subtle. I have had bouts of depression and I am fairly sure that it is jsut dealing with the physical issues that causes my problems- I have used medication at times and it does help. I have had some wonderful support from the councillers at the MS society, they did refer me to a psychologist ( in the public health system- no cost) and that has been very useful. I get more emotional about things than I used too, I think that is MS related but it s only subtle. I actually think that the MS fatigue can make you feel pretty low too- its been so stinking hot recently that I am not surprised you are feeling weak and tired! talk to the councillers/RN's at the MS society feel free to PM me anytime, not promising answers but I'm happy to try ot share a load if things are tough- I start back at uni next week but will stll check the boards at least once a day and I will get back to you as soon as I can Not saying that I enjoyed finding out I had MS but I think it was easier for me to "adapt" to the idea as I already had significant disablities. I started accumulating all the strange MS stuff without knowing what was gong on so once I had a name to put to it i was almost relieved- its easier to fight a known enemy than an unknown one. Knowng what the issue was has allowed me to be as proactve as I can. I do feel as though I am better off since I started the betaferon, i can't cure it but I can slow the bastard down!

I don't really have an issue with ths either, as long as people are awre that it happens- From the time I started using the internet in the eraly 90's I was always told that any thing you post or even email to a degree, is best thought of as though it has been stuck up on a public notice board for anyone.

Thanks Goanna, melbourne is just a bit too far to travel to use a Pool, mind you gettng there could be an excercise challenge in itself!! I thought the idea of seeing a physio was really good, if necessary they can perhaps refer me to an appropriatte personal trainer. I have appled to see one of the physio's at the MS society, I figure it is worth seeing someone who has a specalist knowldge of the MS issues- it may take a while to get in, but if it seems to take too long I can always ask for them to suggest a private physio. in the meantime I will keep plodding along using the theraband resistance bands for some general toning- a gentle but safe start! Would love to get back to using a magnetic rower though!