tellie

I have not been in to this site for a very long time. My band did NOT cure my obesity ( I am still a size 20 -3 sizes smaller than at my highest weight pre-band) but it cured my life long depression. I had my first band in 2003, revision in 2004 after I moved it by overeating. The second one I did not fill until 2 years after my surgery (was trying to have a baby, then was pregnant). My band expands to suit my needs. I can eat as much as any NORMAL person with no problem. This has not allowed me to lose a lot of weight, but the feeling of being normal, for the first time in my life, has actually changed my life. I am happy for the first time in decades. 30 years I struggled with my hunger, constant, painful, desperate, unsatiable urge to swallow, didnt matter what...never enough. And thanks to my band I finally have limits. The fog lifted and I am enjoying my life tremendously. Is it an ilusion? am i not willing to do the work and lose more weight? is it wrong to be enjoying this "freedom" to enjoy food with limits. My husband asked me the other day why I was not "using" my band if its there. I tried to explain that I am happy like this! But is the whole point of the band to be thin? Isnt being happy, healthy and fit ( and LOVING the lifestyle in the process) enough? What do you think?

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I was here so i have heaps to read! I would love to hear any of you ladies out there who has been through pregnancy with the band because I am indeed 8 weeks pregnant, very scared (miscarried in september at 7 weeks) and having tremendous morning sickness ( I dont know why its called that, evenings are worst, but anyway I was wondering if there is any written material regarding what happens and why. My band is actually not tight enough that I cant eat a normal size meal, but tight enough that I must eat very slowly. I also have this feeling that it has stopped me from throwing up with the nausea, since the gurgling and indigestion all happen under the band, i dont get that yucky taste i did when I was pregnant with my daughter. I havent called my doctor with the news, and I want more info before I do, because he tends to not listen ( busy guy) and just do, and I fear he will want to empty my fill, and I dont want to unless there is any medical reason ( something like a half filled band will put too much pressure whenever or the port can flip when the stomach gets big and many other creepy things I spend my nights hallucinating with. Sorry this is too long. If anyone has any info or knows where I can find written info into this, I will appreciate your help a lot. cheers Tellie

Has anyone had pain like this? Today while making dinner I just had to throw myself in the floor with really severy shoulder pain, both sides, just like I got post op..... Have no idea what brought that on!!?? very freaky.... is this even possible or was it something else? Was fine after an hour lying down.

I react badly too to the glue on the bandages.... When I removed them ( a week after surgery as indicated) they peeled the skin off, so i was left with worst scars from that than the actual incisions. Maybe she developed an allergy?

hunger, fear of eating in public, frustration when I forget the "rules" I still do unfortunately....

wow! I just saw this today. I am sorry you had to go through all this. But I am glad everything went well. I am happy for you!

In my experience, yes it certainly does.... BUT like any muscle, once you start excersising it again, grows. After my second surgery, and since my band had slipped and I had been eating almost nothing solid for 3 months by then, I was never hungry, so after the liquid and mushy stages, I really believed I was in control of how much I ate.... and I was, up to xmas that is, when I went back into binge mode and ate everything in sight, but couldnt manage to eat as much as I would before banding... after that, and with regular binges (not proud, just sacrastic), I ended up eating as much, if not more than before banding, and ran for fills.... This little excersise taught me that unfortunately, I am what I am.....

Australian doctors ( well, at least the ones at the clinic where I had my surgery) have no problem with carbonation. I have and continue to drink diet coke whenever I feel like it, except when I have too much restriction and cant even drink water fast enought, but thats another story. I was told when leaving jospital after surgery to start by drinking it flat, then mixing it with fizzy, then just fizzy. Hey I am against drinking the stuff anyway, and would reccomend to everyone that you should give it up, as should I, but I still drink it because sometimes, I just have to, and sometimes I must add scotch to it too. Alcohol is a nono, empty calories, but occasionally, in moderation, is like everything else. I am bad with the drinking, although was told NOt to drink 2 hrs after a meal. Before meals they encourage drinking ( here, as long as non caloric).

Hi Mark, I am sorry you have had such a rough time, some people react really badly to anesthesia, but even without that, just the pain and the huge change to life ( specially during those first 6-10 weeks, is mind boggling. I have had the surgery twice, both times I felt like I had made the worst mistake of my life, and regretted it for ... well, 6 or 10 weeks. Then it just became life as usual. It will get better. take care

Just try to take it easy for a few more weeks, even if you have been taking big bites and not chewing properly, etc. Healing is so important to prevent problems in the future. Then go get a fill and start "enjoying" restriction. take care Tellie

I am so afraid of my band leaking. After my second surgery I swore to myself that if anything else went wrong I was only having another surgery to take it out for good. The fear ( rational or not) pre surgery, the anguish is too much, so if this is leaking.... I dont know what to do! get a fill every week I guess...at least for a while. For now I am going to concentrate on the baby thing, my daughter is 3 1/2 and desparate for a sister/brother and I fear I have already waited too long, didnt mean for the gap to be too big between my children (if I ever get pregnant again), but had to lose some weight before attempting another pregnancy. I always try to figure out what I am missing, the big picture when things dont go as planned, specially when so carefully planned as I thought I had them.... I just cant see what is it that I am supposed to be doing now! anyway, Hi Teresa!! please tell me everything about your friends pregnancy! was the c section band related or not ( I would have one anyway), did she have restriction during the pregnancy? take care

ugh, my last reply is not here! Oh well... Sassay, tell me more about your first band not working. I am afraid mine isnt either. A couple of days ago I just lost restriction. I went for seconds ( a no no) after dinner and it got stuck for one second, then I lost it. My portions are getting bigger and it just goes through ( still have a little restriction, but a joke compared to last week) ((background)) When I got my first fill in this band, I got 2 mls is, because IO was travelling overseas and didnt want trouble far from my doctor, after 5 weeks, when I came back for more, my 2 mls were gone. He didnt comment on this, just put more in, but I have been fearing that my band might be leaking, ever since) or can it just be a fluke and I will get my restriction back with a vengance next week? judy, my band is inamed "advantage" 12 ml, I have ( had?) 6 ml in. fauxnaif, please tell me about pregnancy with the band! Did you have to get the band completely empty? did your port look funny? did you get morning sickness? Sorry about all the questions, and the change in topics tellie

I finally got some (plenty actually (restriction of course)) with my second band, yet the experience is completely different from the first time around. So I am wondering if it is different for each person, or if its due to the fact that I am "wearing" a different "model" ( inamed too, but 12 ml) this time. The first time around, I was very restricted in the morning, but could have a couple of bites of something or other, a bit more for lunch, and yet a bit more for dinner. This time, I can only manage liquids until 3-4 pm, when I can start having solids, very very slowly (2-3 hrs for a tiny portion). By 8 pm, I actually have to control what I eat, because anything and everything seems to go in easily (within reason). First time around, i had lots of PBing. This time, none so far, can even have bread!!!! (a no no last time around) as long as it is at night, which is not a good thing). Last time around I would get that pain in the chest, like the esophagus was about to split in half, and the pain would travel to and through my neck, jaw, temples and give me the most agonizing headache. This time, i feel pain in the chest, lots of noises, feel the food moving around, settling. No sliming, no PBing ( not yet anyway). So, what does it feel like for you?

Its such an emotional topic for me. While I do believe surgery should be the resort for everyone (young and old), I believe that a MO child (of 8,12, or 15 or 18) will continue with the trend like most of us here did. I also believe that parents CAN NOT do a things to stop the behaviour (my mom controlled everything available at home, but I found ways to eat loads of food everywhere else). I also KNOW its not about excersise, I was the fat kid in dance lessons, tae kwan do and swimming, I would get over 2 hrs of excersise every day, and still get fat (very fit and very flexible, but very fat). For some people I am certain, the only alternative to being obese is something as radical as surgery. And if it was my child, I think I would feel happier with the band, knowing that it can be adjusted to include enough nutrition while restricting the urge to overeat. It would be so hard to allow my child to have surgery, but I can only imagine how heartbreaking it would be to see her grow up obese, deal with the limitations of the size socially, physically, emotionally, only to have to resort to surgery when she is older and can decide it herself. At the same time I often wonder if having gone through this made me a better person somehow, but there is no way to answer that. A thin version of me would have had many more choices available, much less depression too. In conclusion ( sorry I just cant get the thoughts organised) I think the band is a very valid option for kids in very specific cases.