dream to be slim

hi all , I had my third barium xray on Tuesday - all ok . radiographer said barium went through fine but no pouch ? a few months ago I had a barium and 0.5ml was put in which produced a pouch which previously I was told I did not have , that particular radiographer said one is not present until sufficient restriction is present ? I subsequently had to have that 0.5ml removed as eating was extremely difficult and sometimes Fluid also , so again told no pouch formation ? I am confused ?? I have restriction but not sure if too much at times because meat as a Protein is almost impossible in fact a normal looking type meal is ie meat /veg etc , the softer the better to be honest ; I have 5.5 in a 10ml band , weight stuck so frustrated too , do I go tighter or looser , I have been both , HELP , anyone similar out there ?

sorry your work environment is so miserable , just do what you can , try not to stress , you will no doubt get no thanks . whilst at work maybe just stick to Protein drinks and yoghurt so limiting any stuck episodes which may cause your unsympathetic boss to find reason to moan . I find my band is more likely to play up if stressed so I would keep the diet simple while in a stressful situation , I wish you well x

hi anyone else have lapband at Nuffield brentwood uk ? I was told there was a support group but hasn't been , would love to hear from anyone else who had op there . this site has been a god send , but wondered if anyone else was out there who had op at same place , surgeon mr khan .

what a journey you have been on , thankyou for sharing it with us , I wish you well x

goodness you have been through it ! I would ask your new surgeon if they can do a barium xray to check if he/she feels all is ok , and rule out slip etc , it sounds like you also need your port area checked out as it should not be that difficult to find it and do a fill , the amount of attempts they have does not sound at all right to me . I know port areas are in different places [ mine is covered by base of bra ] but accessing it should be pretty straight forward , hope things get sorted for you , keep in touch x

great advice from the previous members , as tomuchfun says the food demons never go away , I struggle too and need to do better but it is not easy when you have battled with your weight for a long time even prior to wls , keep going x

hi you have done well especially as you have had an infection , as said before you are still healing and in early days still , glad you have an appointment booked though , needs checking out just to be sure , then hopefully you can fly ! this journey is full of ups and downs along the way , keep gong and goodluck x

hi I agree with those above on all counts , get medical advice sounds like you could be too tight , in the meantime just take shakes to work and perhaps a yoghurt , if that's causing a problem then that's not right , get advice , goodluck , keep us all posted on your progress

hi jclo , since February this year you have done great , I had my band done 23/11/12 and lost just over 3 stone since then , my weight has not shifted for several months now which is frustrating , stress has also played a part in my journey so far which I was not prepared for really but now understand to be quite common . 6.5ml is a fair amount in a 10ml band but remember we are all different and what works for you may not for someone else , some loose with no fill but I think that is unusual . I would look at your diet firstly , do you feel restriction ? when you eat ; I tend to have only a slimfast shake for b/fast as until lunchtime or beyond I often find eating food difficult , meat/ bread are a problem for me , as with many . Are you in the uk ? have you access to a dietitian where you had your surgery , if so it may be worth speaking to them and/or your surgeon for advice , you don't want to be too tight but if you don't have sufficient retriction for you more may need to be put in , feel free to keep in touch . best wishes , dream x

wow , wow ,wow !! WHAT A DIFFERENCE , YOU MUST BE SOOOO PROUD OF YOURSELF ! You look fab , well done . out of interest have you had to have many fills during your journey ? my green zone still alludes me , not far off I think , thanks for sharing your success x

well done you , I think you did well to not gain a lot more , goodluck to you on your fresh start . stress Is so hard to get control of , it is my biggest demon , as I always turned to food for comfort when infact It was my enemy , I just did not realise it , I wish you luck and hope Monday is the start of the regained new you x

hi bandista , I thought the same as you describe pretty much , until radiographers mentioned , pouch , or lack of , I have always understood your fill and how you are re red/green zone was your real indication not whether you have a pouch , it has thrown me to be honest when mentioned , I have several books I have found useful which I refer to on and of and of course this support group . I have had numerous fills /unfills but not yet hit the green zone totally , I have thought I was there only to then find I am not , when I have a fill it can take several days or so to settle , my last clinic I had 0.5ml removed as too tight , that seemed fine but think I need some of that put back in ? I have trouble eating any meat but unlike before now want to pick between meals which I am finding a struggle , its a fine balance and I never seem to hit it just right , frustrating , before my last defill I had sore throat trouble eating all most everything and sometimes drink too , definitely too tight which is not nice , sick quite often too because of it , not pleasant , I hope to reach my green zone real soon . 5.5ml in 10ml band .

Anyone from Essex ? banded 23/11/12 could do with some one from uk to be a buddy , stuggling weight not shifting , feeling fed up !

Hi your so called friend is not a friend at all , she obviously has her own issues and should be with that in mind more understanding , this is your decision for your health and future and not hers ! If she was a real friend she would support you in what is your choice , it is for this type of negativity I have told so few people about my choice to have a lap band 18 months ago, it certainly is not cosmetic surgery or an easy decision to make , for me and probably many others on this forum it has been a last resort after years of battling with their weight ; yes it has risks but so does crossing the road . We have only one life and you have to do what you feel is best for you ; do not listen to this persons negative opinions , do what is right for you , we here will support you in your journey . I wish you all the best

Well done the difference is amazing ! you have done extremely well and its great to hear and see how others are doing . This journey is not always easy but is certainly helped by hearing inspirational stories like your own and receive help and advice from others on the same journey thankyou for sharing your experience with us .

hi I agree with 2muchfun and lisacaron , things change , regular checkups are a must ; I have only last week gone to a new bariatric provider as unhappy with new consultant who I felt was not listening to me after my surgeon left ; having to pay privately anyway may make that option far easier for me ; I know stress can effect things it has with me but my latest adjustment with new clinic seems to have made a huge difference for me so far . I you haven't had a checkup/fill for sometime maybe now is the time to make another appointment and if like me fill your not supported see if you can go elsewhere . Goodluck and don't give up xx

keeping everything crossed here too ; I am hoping after 18 months that I have finally arrived at green also , I was too tight could only eat soft stuff , left things too long really before having .5ml removed , diet now much better and varied ; heres hoping I have arrived finally !!

hi sounds like you could be too tight , my symptoms were not as bad as yours but had trouble eating even soft things at times and occasionally drinking , I let it go on loner than I should have done but last wed had some fluid taken out , pain stopped and diet much better , wish I had not left it so long . I think you should at least get advice from your drs office , but sounds like some of your fill may need to be removed ; goodluck and hope things get sorted soon x

My last fill was done during barium xray , all fine but told no restriction so half a ml was put in ontop of the amount already in , soft things and liquid normally ok , mornings things seem tighter so anything more than yoghurt or Protein shake a no no , my throat feels sore but infection has been ruled out , is it a clue to being too tight despite it being done under xray conditions ?

Never heard of drainage being a problem , I have been put on omeprazole , buscopan and motilium , feel like my life is ruled by tablets at mo which themselves can be difficult to get down , prior to my op my life was ruled by food and worrying about my weight , now food doesn't bother me as far as hunger is concerned more now worry about getting sufficient nutrients , weight is shifting again now but don't feel its a particularly healthy way as normal looking food causes problems , it is a battle to find a happy medium , I cant carry on as things are that's for sure . I don't understand the nurse telling you if you were too tight you would be throwing up everytime you drink or eat ; surely that is something we don't want incase it causes problems like slippage ; I think a bit of an unfill is what I will arrange for next week at clinic , I would rather extra will power be needed than feel like I do ; I haven't come this far to completely blow it now . Thankyou both for your feedback , this really is a far from easy road , more so than I imagined .

Hi thankyou for the response , I hear so much about people reaching their sweet spot / green zone , but for me I have had several fills and unfills but either felt things to loose or like now , I don't now ever really feel truly hungry which is amazing really but that doesn't bother me , what does is the worry I don't manage Proteins easily especially as most say to concerntrate on them first in the diet . I dread eating out amongst others unless having something like Soup anything else generally causes me to bring it up or despite chewing well pain in my chest / port area which makes me feel unwell - when this happens I dare not even drink until the pain feeling goes , have you ever had this ?

Small world we live in , my nan when she was alive lived in Dagenham ! I never thought this journey would be so up and down , I had hoped it would make my weightloss journey some what easier , but alas no . Initially it was and I have now lost in nearly 17 months 3 stone , but I am now back to feeling frustrated . My original surgeon left the hospital I had my surgery and unfortunately I do not have faith in the one that has replaced him , the hospital do not extend cover once finished , and I feel just see you as a way to make money ! I was not able to have surgery on nhs despite my struggles with weightloss for years , so desperate I looked into private in a hope of ending my battle . My doctor assured me nhs should help as I have tried for so long to end my struggle with the weight , my current problems may be stress related as my doctor first thought but wants things checked out just incase , which I am glad about , a second opinion would put my mind at rest ! Apparently the band can be affected by stress which I did not realise ; it causes me migraines but never dreamt it could affect the band , had I known I may of looked into something else [ the last two years have seen health problems with my daughter etc , without surgery I may have kept putting weight on , I am convinced of that ] , I am sick of soft foods , sometimes I long to eat a normal type meal like a carvery , but no chance at mo , just trying to eat meat is a struggle :-[ Are you still on soft foods ? until 6 weeks post op , has your hunger disappeared ?. I was always a comfort eater , and would eat if happy or sad etc ending up in a vicious circle of despair , my weight would yoyo ; when in a good place I would loose weight but as soon as I hit a stresser it would go the other way ; all steming from the bullying at school and the subsequent lack of confidence around others and feeling I didn't measure up , I never told my parents until years later by which time the damage was done . I met my husband who has always loved me whatever my weight but his dad was never excepting of me so again I felt I never measured up , [my mother in law was lovely but died years ago ] , these things were at the root of the depression I have suffered over the years which of course hasn't helped the battle with weight either . I hope your getting along ok , do you have to have regular checkups ? do you have much weight to loose ? [ I still have a further 3 stone to go ] , has your struggle with weight been similar to mine ? hope to hear from you again soon ,xx

hi Gemma , hope your getting on ok . MY WEIGHT STILL NOT SHIFTING , infact I have had a barium xray [ last month ] , to check all ok which it was but no restriction so half ml fill added , I had problem though so been to my gp as continually having problems eating food unless soft , sometimes even then , so I have been given medication to take prior to trying to eat and my gp is referring me via the nhs to a specialist for a second opinion as not convinced all is ok . My weight has not shifted for weeks now despite going to gym and struggling to eat , its so frustrating !!!! I don't know much about the sleeve really , what made you go for that instead of the band ? might have been better for me , did you have it done privately or nhs ? don't give up though I know it is hard but I am determined to succeed , we can support each other along the way . I live in the Maldon district of Essex .

thanks 2muchfun , I will watch them . I don't have much protein because I have a hard time eating it , not that I don't like it or try , I will se if the films help , thanks again

2 weeks ago I had a barium xray/fill , all ok , no slip/leak or pouch . no pouch as no restriction , half ml fill put in upper pouch formed , all ok restriction good . kept to liquids for a few days before gradually trying out foods , 2 weeks on having problems eating again even struggled to drink half cup of coffee and small amount of juiced fruit ! NOT FEELING HUNGRY BUT THIS CANT BE RIGHT ? can it ? watch everything I attempt to eat , the softer the better really unless like this morning no chance . doing gym 3/4 times a week , but weight just seems static , feeling totally fedup , any suggestions ? my surgery was done privately didn't fit criteria for nhs , not heavy enough ?