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Its a personal preference of the surgeon. When I was banded my surgeon did not do the pre op diet thing- Yesterday he told me that most of the time he does now. His bggest reason for changing was that he need for his patients to understand that eating patterns etc will need to change and that it still required "work" rather than thinking the band was gong to do everything. He added that shrinking the liver etc was an added bonus but not his major reason

I'm a dog person, I have a 3 yr old female Cavalier spaniel who is my child substitute

Hi Synichalchick you can actually get "bottom wipers" that come in a variety of designs- they are basically tongs that will hold onto a wad of toilet paper and extend your reach then let you drop the paper down the loo. http://www.supersizeworld.com/hygiene.htm here is a link to one site that have seen but if you do a search in most on line medical/rehab suppliers you should find others too!- it is a more common problem that you may realise for both severely overweight and physically disabled individuals

I would prefer that the memorials remained in the cemetries too. I think ts really sad that regardless of how long the person lived, it is the moment of there death that gets memorialised and not their life. A lot of these roadside shrines very quickly become tatty looking garbage heaps that certainly do not honor the persons life. As Jacut said, they are distracting when driving past but I also feel for the residents that live in the street if it is a residendial area. There is one that i drive pass occasionally it is near a school bus stop in a resdential street outsde private residences. It marks the spot where an 8yr grl died years ago and I know that it causes dstress to the people who live nearby to have their yard treated like a cemetry and be constantly reminded of the tragedy on ther doorstep. I worked in Palliative care for a number of years and we recognised the need for people to memorialise there loved ones, teh organisation that i work for has a yearly rememberance gathering for familes and staff to get together to remember their loved ones lives, not where they took there last breath

Ihave experienced these sort of problems, for me I was diagnosed as having Multiple sclerosis that caused nerve damage to the esophagus so that it did not contract efficiently to push food down- I have had the fluid removed but because it took a long time to wok out what the problem was, i ended up with a diverticulum ( bulge out the side of the esophagus)- for a while it looked like I may have to have the band out, fnally I have worked out ( with the dieticians etc) how to modify the diet to foods that I can eat and I have lost 56 pounds since nov. Although ms was my problem, apparently some of us just simple have slightly less efficient esophagus motility than average- they can do tests to see how well it functions. Do I regret having the band- no not at all, it was bad luck that I developed another health issue. even without fluid in the band,if I am careful i will still eat less than with no band at all. No body says that there are no risks with wls, it is major surgery- you make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time!

If t hurst to take a deep breath get it checked out. if eating drinking etc don't make it better or worse, same with movement it is best to make no assumptions about what it is. I note that you have only recently had a fill, it could be irritaton from the band being swollen, or a bit too tight- go back to fluids only for a day or so, but perhaps give you doctor a call as continuous pain is less common and I am concerned that it hurst you to take a deep breath- better safe than sorry

No need to feel guilty about being pro active about your health, most of us have been able to lose weight by traditional dieting etc- its the keeping it off that is the problem, why on earth should you wait until you have a much higher bmi because of an extra 10 yrs or so of yo yo dieting.

HI I was banded sometime ago, I live in Adelaide South Australia but don't really know anyone here who has been banded. I know a couple of you from online boards but it is nice to meet other Aus bandster

I started with a bmi over 60 and have now got it down to 51.2, I was banded in 2001 but have no fuid in the band and failed to lose weight due to unrelated medical problems that almost lead to losng the band and having to rely on baby food consistency food and fluids. I finally have the other issues undercontrol and I have been able to modify the usual band rules ( with the guidance of dietician etc) and have been able to lose 56.5 pounds since november!! Its always seemed an almost impossible task to lose over 50 % of my weight - it has been so good to find other people who need to lose such large amounts of weight and are doing well- it make it seem like a challenge that can be met

Its really hard to repdct s going to have excess skin, skin elasticity decreses with age but some people have less elasticity than other anyway. THe more over weight you are the higher the chance of some loose skin too think. As for stretch marks, once you have them they are there for good, they will fade over time but will not dissappear (unless the skin is removed as in a TT)- its a case of weight and see with loose skin and if t happens then perhaps PS is warranted if it bothers you- I certainly would not avoid being banded because I may end up with loose skin but it is a personal choice

Have they checked your gall bladder, you can get these sorts of pain including the shoulder tip pain from gallstones, it is also possible to have gall stones form in the common ble duct ( not often) even if the gall bladder has been removed- if you still have pain go back to your doc, if its musculo skeletal pain a chiro may be able help- but if the prilosec is helping it doesn't really sound musculo skeletal

you need to see a counsellor, I would be very suprised if your campus does not have access to a free counselling service, even if it is a peer support arrangement. All the time you see your self and your world in such a negative fashion, that s the way others are likely to to see you - you need access to someone trained to help you to learn to challenge your own negative thoughts- it is possible, I have been through it and I am sure that many others here have too. As for Karen Carpenter, she was a very successful singer in the 70's ( teamed up with her brother) She died of a heart attack at a ridiculosly young age as a direct result of anorexia. The fact that you can't see the MK is anything but healthly looking is a major concern- She looks like she is a refugee from a famine area who just happens to have access to designer clothes and make up!! It is vital that you get help to deal with all you negative self issues

It goes down easily even when you are tight because it melts and slide through- for lots of us it can be hard to stop at a small taste- i think thats the only reason some of say its a no no, if you be satisfied with the occasonal small taste its probably a reasonable treat- for me it would be like a double whiskey to an alcoholic- tough to stop!!

the idea of a health professional who withdraws the offer of treatment because the patient as asked questions is trulley disgusting! I have been an RN for 26yrs and find this to be unacceptabel. Ther is an issue of informed consent, this does not simple mean consent based on what they decide to tell you, it means making sure that you have a clear understanding of risks benefits etc- the only way you can have a clear understanding is if you have had the chance to ask and have your questions answered- Its sounds like you have made the best decision- He may have been a tecnically superb surgeon but his arrogance in avoiding answer your questions raises a lot of doubts- No one would thing t reasonable to be asked to sign a blank check these days and signing a consent without having your questions answered/addressed woul amount to the same thing

they wll probably give you some intructions, if your puch is enlarged they usually wnat you to go back to fluids/mushies etc and smal volumes like you did post op- they want you pouch to shrink again, it will not do that if you eat larger amounts- you may feel hungry like you did prefill but it is only short term and is worthit to get things to shrink down so that you can be refilled

I have been there too, I find that I need to avoid etating late at night and have certan foods that will cause problems most of the time this is enough to deal with it- sometimes an unfill and meds can fix the problems - but if you knw what makes it worse you may have to manage it that way long term too to prevent recurrence. For me once its under control I can be a bit more relaxed but persistant straying will lead to problems- I prefer to play it safe and avoid the pain

As someone with permanent esophageal probs I really agree with Alexandra. having a short term unfill is far better than the alternatives- if fluids only and perhaps medication as suggested do not improve things- see your MO

I'd be contacting your doctor again if you are still getting nausea etc after your unfill. especially if they have been worried about erosion/slippage prior to your unfill- hope all goes well

if you are still on the fluid stage the guide is usually fluids that can be taken through a straw ( but don't use a straw as they say you swallow too much ar) hope that helps- it would pay to check with your own surgeon/nutrionist to be sure though karen

HI TB07 Do I guess correctly based on the fact you are more comfy with kg than pounds that you are another Aussie- if thats the case double welcome ( I am in Adelaide south Australia) The amount of pain etc that people get post op and how quickly they recover varies tremendously and ther doesn't often seem to be much rhyme or reason why one person sails through and another struggles a bit- It will get better though, it s major surgery so even a week off work s not that bad really. the gas pain etc is usally the cultprit, for some people t causes irritation that s felt as shoulder/chest pain evn after the gas has been absorbed The post op diet I was given was pretty much like yours but you are right it varies a whole from surgeon to surgeon I was banded quite some time ago but have had a lot of other medical problems to deal with that kinda put a stop on weight loss- so I am a born again bandster and have gone from 175 kg(385pounds) to 150kg ( 330pounds) since November- still a long way to go but gettng there nice to meet you - i'm new to this board too but it does provide great support Karen

I struggled withweight loss even with the band due to medcal problems that made it tough to follow the band rules- late last year I decided that enough was enough, I spoke to nutritionist and my doctor ( for me a speech pathologist as well to help assess swallowng problems) and now since november I hae gone from 385 to 330 pounds and thats wth no Fluid in the band. If you know you are not following the rules, is because you physically can't, emotionally can't or some other reason- if you can't follwo the rules go back and speak to your nutrionist and doctor- but journal what you are eating and when, how much etc first and then take this with you to you appontment its not an easy process but you need to work the band, it is possible but you may need so professional help with advise on how you can get your band to work for you- do not give up but don't think that it is all simple because you have the band. wether it is gastrc bypass or band, wls is only a tool and you need to know how to use it to best effect- goodluck

Hope this helps recovery is quick, I was back at work in a week ( office work) Pain was minimal, iwas kept in hospital overnight as I have other medical problems and live alone- but would have been fine to go home the same day- I did not need strong pain killers. Can'thelp you with this one as I can't lie on tummy for other reasons, I don't think it would be an issue after the initial post op perod though Excercise, your energy levels may be low for the first few weeks from healing from surgery, anesthetic, and the restrcted calore intake of the immediate post op diet but they want you to increas activity asap really- i know thats vague but I am wheelchair dependant After the first day you should be Ok by yourself, would be tougher if you have young kids but if you get things up to date as much as possible pre op eg shopping etc it helps Can't think of anything else that I would have asked pre op, there are things I learnt more about myself along the way post op eg. i used food for comfort and non nutrion reasons far more than I previously realized Definately am not small now, I am a work in progress but am beginning to see the differences hopefully a few others who are further along than me will give you a repsonse soon Good luck with your choice

It is possible to get you RDA of nutrients in on a low calorie diet, it just takes more care and you do have to try to make sure that you make good food choices the majority of the time- thats fine for me, i have used food in non nutritional ways for a long time (food addict etc) so for me it is best to avoid potential problems completely- there are a few nutrients that I have to take care with and for those I supplement with vitamin and mineral supps. This approach is not for everyone, for example, if I were not so immobile i would have a more average muscle mass and that alone would increase my BMR- I was scared to death when I was told I need to keep between 600 and 800 calories but it is working for me- we are all different- be guided by what your nutrionist and doctor suggest, they can monitor you accurately with blood tests occasionally to make sure you are having what you need

I told immediate family once I had made my decision, as for others- i did not hide the fact but did not openly volunteer the information pre op. Afterwards, my eating patterns etc were signficantly different- i was asked about it and was open about. I must be lucky because I never had any negative comments at the time

there is a saying in the medical profession "the Doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient" - what does that say about a patient who treats himself?? I have been a practicing Registered Nurse for 27 yrs, I have experience in accessing a variety of medi ports- would I adjsut my own band, for any reason- not on your life! You commented that you feel full quite quickly after you eat but then the food passes into the lower pouch too quickly- unless you have had motility studies done that is an assumption not fact ( regardless of what type of band you have). Do a bit more research, it is possible to damage the structure of the esophagus including the nerve supply- some people have reported limited restriction when in fact they have streched not just the upper pouch but the esophagus as well- not common but it can happen - the ability to swallow 6 oranges in 15 minutes makes me wonder. As for the graph you keep mentionng, am familiar with it but it is a static comparison only ie comparing the bands when they are not inplace- there is so much more than just volume in the band, some bands are called low pressure bands, some high pressure bands, some soft and some hard. Add on top of that no two individuals have the same amount of fat around the stomach and it makes that graph of little practical use- it is not meant to be used in the way that you have- as for people harrassing you, if you feel you are being harrassed- you can stop it quite easily- drop the subject, do what you want to with your own body, accept that others don't agree with you and leave it at that- no need to make threats