lifebegins2012

My personal targets for 2013 include reaching my goal weight and to have paid the surgery off both my 12 month anniversary-29th March. Neither will be easy but I'm determined to keep trying. Exercise in 2013 will also be a big thing for me as I haven't tried too hard in that area and I really need to tone up now I'm nearly 50lb down. Seasons greetings to you all and here's hoping 2013 is a good year for each and every one of us! x

HI. I was aware that my surgeon sometimes 'primed' gastric bands with a bit of fluid at the time of surgery but he was the only one at the hospital who did. My records showed he had put a whopping 4mls in my 10mls band so I was hoping to get to restriction with only a couple of fills. When I went for my first fill the nurse drew the fluid out the check how much was there and it had reduced to 3.5mls. I was told this 'sometimes happens'. I've had 4 fills and am at 6.85mls and am doing well. ( I was told to expect restriction at around 7mls). I doubt I'll need any more fills but I do have to watch the amount of 'easy slider' foods like ice cream as that goes down a treat and far too easy!

My surgery was also at end of March but I got 4mls in my band at time of surgery(by my first fill it has reduced to 3.5mls). I've lost but wasn't good last month and loss was minimal. I put off ringing the dietician as I kept thinking I will do better tomorrow... When I finally spoke to one of the team she just said it showed I was ready for my next fill. All that guilt and she shrugged it off!!!! I had my 4th fill one week ago which has taken me to 6.85mls in a 10mls band and wow!! I have restriction. ( I had been told it happens around 7mls or at 70% capacity if band is bigger). I can only eat 2inches of a banana in one go( I'm sad, I measured) and am experimenting again with what I can eat. As per my norm I have dry cereal in the morning, chicken salad for lunch and vary my evening meal. 6 weeks ago I could still have eaten a Sunday roast!! Hope you weight loss kicks in properly soon. We can't help compare ourselves to others, I think it's human nature. I have a friend who still hasn't achieved 14lbs loss after 12months and another friend who has lost 70lbs since surgery Feb12- both have bands. xxx

Congrats on your weight loss x Some people gain in the first month never mind losing small amounts. Yours is a MASSIVE amount. I think I achieved about 9lb in that time. x I'd be feeling pretty smug if it was my loss. Your doc might have been having a bad day maybe?

xxxx hugs xxxx

Hi. Relatives can't half be hard work at times!! My mom can get irate very quickly out of the blue. She doesn't swear or be offensive directly but does lots of slamming, banging, etc which for someone of 60 seems really silly! If I were you, I'd try and make a stand. It sounds like people have put up with her ways but she has really overstepped the mark. If you don't do this now then you're giving out the signals that it's ok for her to continue doing things like this. We can all say things in anger/temper and I really do hope she regrets her behaviour but she does sound stubborn so it might take some kind of 'meet in the middle' actions, maybe instigated by your dad to help move forward. Do you picninc as a family? Maybe dad could suggest going somewhere away from 'her territory'. I hope you get a happy outcome xx

Hi. My surgeon 'primed' my 1mls band with 4mls at time of surgery. When the nurse checked at 1st post op appt, this had reduced to 3.5mls. She said it happens!. 3 fills later I'm at 6.25mls in my 10mls band and am still fighting the demons of bad food choices on an evening and all the wrong things go in and down(and not small quantities). I'm not winning this week! I do find I have restriction morning and lunch so maybe need to munch some crispy lettuce mid afternoon to keep it going. I wish I'd had the full 1ml offered last week instead of chickening out and only having 0.75ml. Last month it was 5 days after my fill that some restriction seemed to kick in.

Lol! Not sure those particular 'house guests' would work for everyone but heck! Whatever works for you xx

I have no regrets. I'm 12 weeks post op and 30lb down. Last month I lost 8lb but this month I've only lost 4lb so far but have been off track more than on in food choices and keep going back to the cupboards.My target set by the dietician is 4-8lb a month so I'm ok but am still knocking myself as I know just how often I have eaten badly. My dietician wants me to eat everything now, all food types so it's an experiment as to what doesn't suit me. I've found broccoli, apples,crumpets and some bread have been a problem. I have had alcoholic drinks 3 times and for me it was the same as pre-op. I can drink a whole mug of tea at 'normal speed' and my dietician has even said I can drink while eating. A couple of times this has proved problematic though.. I'm really enjoying the feeling of weightloss. I remember being this weight and I feel so much better and happier. My confidence is returning. My journey hasn't been plain sailing. Constipation has been a problem, particulaly in the first couple of weeks. I have to push myself to drink more fluids as these daily volumes havn't been part of my routine for the last 40+years! Some days I suffer the '2nd bite stuck' sensation where I have to wait and wait before eating any more as it's kind of 'stuck'. When I haven't waited long enough , I'm sick. Sometimes I can eat and eat and eat. I am suprised at some of the portions I can still have - but know I shouldn't be. Crunchy foods are my best friends. They fill me up quick and keep me full for longer. I eat chicken at least 4 times a week which is the same as before having my band. A tip is not to compare yourself and journey to others. It's really hard not to but our bodies do work at different rates. This site is one of the best tools you will find. Initially I could be on here for 5 hours a day every day. I've needed it less as I'm finding my way and might only log on for 10 mins every 3-4 days now. xx

Hi. I think every Healthcare provider varies. I have been private pay, had some fluid put in at time of surgery and have now had 2 fills. I'm 9 weeks post op and up to 5.5mls in a 10mls band. Since I have paid for a two year aftercare package, I kind of think they are proactive to get you to restriction asap as less fills mean less appointments required. My handbook advises what to expect from The Hospital Group and at what stage but in reality they have cut corners ie... no 1st bandfill under xray (just the nurse giving a fill), no follow up appointment with surgeon(left to dietician and nurse) and not even the pedometer it says we have to count our daily steps! I don't have a date for my third fill but it is going to be early July as the dietician dropped heavy hints about just how busy they were in June!

Sometimes I think I would have liked to have kept my op quiet and see who comments on my weightloss but I am the type of person who tells all about myself. I started telling people one by one at work but they all knew before my op. The only thing is now( 9weeks post op) people like to ask how I'm doing. They seem to wait until I am alone with them. SInce trhere are about 20 people at work this is getting a little annoying as I can be spending soooo much time talking about the band. There are loads of people on here who have been there and done that with certain issues and can advise you of their experiences so use them. I've found I was spending hours and hours every day on here initially but now feel more confident so I come on for 20mins every day or even every other day xx

Hi. I seem to have a hungry day every third or so day. My weightloss has been ok, alot less than others but I'm pleased. I have been having treats but mostly within a calorie allowance. I don't see it as a problem as I know my food intake will become more and more restricted so what I eat day might not be possible in a month. I'm not hard on myself(anymore). I had my second fill this week which has taken me to 5.5ml in a 10ml band. The last two evenings I felt I was eating almost hourly as I wasn't satisfied. Today tho some restriction has kicked in because I can't manage more than 4-6 forkfulls of food as I have vomited. Hope I get that with every meal as I'll be well on my way!!

I had 4mls put in my 10mls band at time of surgery. When I went for my first fill I was told the 4mls had reduced to 3.5mls.Apparently this isn't uncommon. I had 1ml added to this on 5th May and am due my next appt in 3days:)

I've eaten more over the weekend and must have touched 1500 easily but have dropped 2lb in two days. Maybe I do need more than I was having. Am due a fill in 3days so will chat to dietician then x

Hi. I was banded at Dolan Park on March 29th. I got an email with my first appt but when the dietician rang(13days post op) she brought the appt forward slightly and also booked my second fill( which is this Thurs, my first fill was 5 weeks and 2 days post op). My hunger started at about day 5. Although you might feel fine immediately after surgery, your energy level increases and the swelling from surgery reduces so you naturally have more of an appetite. I have had ups and downs all through, lost weight immediately gained about 4lb then down more and up a bit. I think it's only when you've been through it that you realise daily weighing is perhaps not the best thing lol.I do still weigh daily tho:)

HI. I was the same but the hunger came about 10days after surgery. Some days I didnt want breakfast and others I wanted lots but I found the evenings really tough going. You do have to stop yourself from eating too much and too fast. I was sick from doing this. Someone did say to me that we've spent how many years doing certain things like overeating, habits aren't all broken overnight!

Congrats on the weightloss.. My surgery was 3 days before yours and I'm 24lb down overall. I'd like another 4lb by the end of the month when I see the dietician but once I've been to work and walked the dog a couple of times, I have no more energy left for more exercise! I can't imagine having lost another 14lb at this stage. It really is a fab loss

I got my appt via email and it said not to eat for 4 hours before the fill and no drinks for an hour before the fill

I was told by my surgeon that as a guide I will probably have 6-8 fills/unfils to get restriction. I'm hoping it's more like 2-3 tho ;0)

Yes pus and discharge is a sign of infection and need sorting asap. xx

Many congrats!! You're a bander now! Fear of the unknown is normal and I'm still taking stock of how easy it was. I had no pain or nausea following surgery, just shoulder discomfort for a couple of days. Sit back and rest a while:)

Hi. I couldn't exactly 'place' mine initially but then I suppose I didn't want to touch it incase I unsettled it. I'm over 6 weeks post op now and mine tends to sit below and to the left of my scar. As I'm sitting now, it feels it's only an inch below.The port is stitched to your muscle so won't seem to go far but as we're losing weight/body fat, things will shrink and reposition slightly. My port does sit slightly tilted so that could give the impression of moving but it was no problem when I had a fill. Before I had my band, I joined my local support group for banders/bypassers and sleevers and had a feel of 3 peoples ports. They all felt very different and the positions varied.

I'm over 6 weeks out and have a personal target of 800cals a day but find evenings I need more so sometimes end up at 1,000-1,200. I have gotten a dog 2 weeks ago and we walk 2-3times daily. My weight has remained the same for up to 5 days in a row and then it will start dropping. I dropped 1lb on May 13th, 1lb May 18th and can feel I might be down again in the morning. i dropped 3lb overnight on the 6th May after a slight gain the week before, what a great feeling! I'm really happy with the speed of the loss overall but it's taken some time to realise that it's true that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others as our bodies deal with everything a little differently including burning fat etc.