kermit

Hi got rhis last yr...hope still valid 0851979081

Hi got rhis last yr...hope still valid 0851979081

hi - thought I'd drop back in after a long absence. I was banded by Dr. Jerome through ACS July 07. I took a year to get the right restriction - two fills by ACS didn't work very well but a third by Frederik Serneels was just the ticket. I have lost 93 lbs / 42 kilos / nearly seven stone/ from size 28 clothes to size 18 to 20 and I feel great. My restriction is grand - not too much as I can eat pretty much anything but quite slowly and it's tight in the morniing but loose enough to enjoy my grub in the evening. In fairness, the band isn't really the only element of the weight loss - I took up swimming three nights a week and it has helped shed most of the weight I think - but the band is like having a good insurance policy/ pension plan...always ticking away in the background. I find that I have periods of no weight loss (but that's because I get out of the right mindset and start eating too much junk/ skipping the pool..ever noticed that cake and chocolate are really band friendly while vegetables and meats are hard work?) I am really hoping to have the 100 lbs lost by mid November. It sounds good to lose that much but my BMI is still high and I could do with losing at least another 4 stone after that, but it will happen eventually. It has come to the point where most of the time I forget I have it at all. I enjoy my food a lot more now and have my occasional treat if I want it (but only half of what I used to eat). Just wanted to drop in with a fairly positive story and hope that you are all doing ok. I hope that you all hit your sweet spot and life is good. Take care of yourselves, bandsters and sorry for the long post! kermit Ps: a good tip I found that worked is to stop eating sloppy food and buckle down to only eating proper 'hard work' food for a few days, e.g. muesli, meat, fish, vegetables, salads, raw fruits. It retrains me to eat slowly and I'm full before I know it. Hope that helps someone. Also I found that keeping a food diary for even just a week showed me that I was living on chocolate/ biscuits and potatoes ...nearly died as I had been nibbling on the run and would have sworn I was only having one major meal a day...the shame....

hi there sorry not to post in ages. I was banded by Jerome july 27 in 2007. It took until Nov to get filled and was really downhearted but after a second fill with ACS in Feb 08 I was getting places very slowly. My last fill was done in Dublin with the belgian team in May 08 (after a week on lipotrim to try and break my binges) and it is working a treat. I have to be careful with food but if I avoid breads/ cakes and stuff that forms a wad or ball I can manage almost everything. I have lost a total of five and a half stone and that is not being angelic either (I have choc every day) BUT I have to say that I drop a pound a week if a I go swimming twice in the week. I still have a very long way to go but I take heart in the fact that I am over half way to my eventual goal. Just wanted to tell my story in the hope it will help anyone who is completely disappointed in their band. Keep going for fills until it is working for you and then enjoy the foods you can eat while exercising. It gets better. Kermit

hi Coco - well done on the weightloss - that's a really impressive amount and I can only imagine the impact it must have on your life and self esteem etc. For those in the West - I got a text from ACS a couple of weeks ago (galway office) with available dates for fills in February - I think 27th is available.

Ailbhe, Elsie and Ellen - the very best of luck to you on your procedures. Alesha, buddy your news is great! I would love to be overweight! coco - thanks a million for the recipes - the barley pot sounds lovely in this cold weather! Have been upping the vitamins since I am in the middle of my second bad cold since January....cannot seem to get over it at all and the nutrition could be having an impact. Greaqt news on the weight loss front though - I had put on about 8lbs between Dec and Jan. Happy to say I got rid of them and another 3.5 to boot! So from 312 to 279.5 is 32.5 lbs lost!! yahoo, etc!! Loadsahugs Kermit

hi guys great to read the successes and the lovely advice from people when things aren't going very well. I have to say a huge thanks to Emerald and Coco for the fab and confidence boosting posts. I am digging away at the Christmas pounds and it is slowly working. I am really fighting the chocolate cravings every day but have given up the bread (once my biggest weakness) completely so I am proud of that. Roe and Paulina - keep hanging in through the bad times because it goes in swings and roundabouts (I am learning the hard way!). My latest fill has really shown me what restriction is supposed to be like. I thought I had restriction before but now I find that I am PBing if I don't chew the protein like mad - meat and nuts. I can't manage food in the morning (feel nauseous at the thought of eating) but I have porridge at 12.30. Does anyone have a tip for light/easy/ quick morning food? I need to address this cos the afternoon after school is a killer - when I get home I just want sugar in any form and end up prostrate on the couch for an hour and it's downhill from there...the rest of the day I am insatiable and crave food! Any suggestions gratefully accepted guys :-)

hi guys - sorry to hear that people are having so many problems with ACS aftercare. Might be a good idea to document any problems as they occur in case there is an argument to be made later for refund/ compensation/ better treatment. Got my 3rd fill and have some restriction but no willpower. New resolution begins Monday for sure.

hi guys great to hear you are all in good form and working at it. Got mt 3rd fill last wed and I feel more restricted. Managed to losae a couple of pounds that I had gained up to that point. Coco - hope the recovery is going really well and the driving is manageable - Congrats to Skinny and Alesha for great results! Sorry to be away so long but have been bed ridden for a few days - back problems. Good news about possible fills by Belgian docs for the future - was worrying if ACS would continue to offer them after the year was up. G'luck guys.

hi girls Thanks for the supportive comments when I was down. I had a major episode of feeling sorry for myself and then had to kick myself in my own ample ass. The fact that I can now do this is cause for hope. I have begun to embrace the good news and chill out about the bad. I have lost two stone and kept it (mostly) off. First time ever. I have a forum with loads of people who understand the band journey. I have a fill next Wednesday and I have a new resolution to stop sabotaging myself by drinking with meals. SO - Alesha, band buddy, after reading your post I realised we have both lost the same amount in the same time - cannot be bad, eh? We are doing something right! Only positive thoughts from now on. PS - I started Aqua aerobics again after Christmas - the thought of going is awful but once I get into the pool I feel great (sweaty and grunting and bobbing maniacally but great nontheless). I had to buy a new pair of togs because my old ones had become too big and I was in danger of knocking some lady's eyes out with the unrestrained boobs. SUCCESS. Thanks again guys for the positive words.....I think January is a misery for everyone.

hi guys hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. It is great to hear all the positive stories and good luck to all the people who are thinking of having the op. Sorry not to be on the forum for a while - very depressed about the whole thing and don't want to bring everyone down. Will pop back when things improve!

hi Roe - don't worry. I know how hard it is when the restriction isn't there.....I am on my 2nd fill and have a lost a little bit but I need to go back. I think the answer is to keep going back until you can only eat a small amount of food slowly. coco has been brilliant with encouragement and I have to say I am very slow about causing a fuss about things, but she told me to get the fill when I was hanging around and upset about it - best advice ever. I had my last fill in Nov and it was a bit more restrictive but I can still eat a good bit without feeling full. I have been given only 1 ml each time so I suppose that is the safe limit. I am supposed to last on this until Feb but my weightloss has stopped and started to creep slowly up again....I can't maintain the atkins type diet I tried. I think I will have to book in again for a fill. I feel that I am 'nearly there' and hope one more fill will give me the sweet spot I need to be losing steadily. Good luck Roe and don't beat yourself up....the weight loss will happen and you will get there ....it is just a matter of adjusting the band fill to suit you. Good luck!

Great to hear from you Alesha - it is great to have a band buddy so we can compare...sorry about the de-fill...what a bummer to suffer with blockage - but another fill is great news and you'll be slinking down the aisle in a smaller dress! Hi Roe and welcome to the site - good to hear fromyou. I am stuck at 28 lbs and getting annoyed again - all fine for two weeks and now I'm back to bigger meals and hovering over the scales. Back for another fill methinks - and I was told to comeback in Feb but I need it sooner than that or I swear I will EAT CHRISTMAS! So if Santa does not come you will know that I didn't get a fill and ate him with ketchup. Toodle oo and good luck!

hi Ellen and welcome! Hi Coco - good on you with the weight loss and the new and improved blingin' bangers. Dini- don't worry about them - maybe they need some time to adjust..after all it was lovely and comforting for them to have a bigger friend. Now the group status has changed and they have to deal with it (not you!). Like all of us, you had ages to come to terms with being the 'fat girl'....when the worm turns some people cannot deal with it very well. Kermit

wow Coco - didn't realise you guys were trying to set up a support group. Bummer that the clinic weren't supportive of that - and surprising. Anyhoo - glad to hear everyone is in good form and working away at the weight loss. I am stuck at 24lbs loss for at least a week and I felt great until today when I suddenly craved bread (which I have given up with no bother for ages) and chips (which I never really ate much of in my life). What do you guys eat every day?

Coco- Great news about the legs - you'll be Betty Grable soon!:whoo: Allure - I can't WAIT to be under 200 lbs. Fair play and Well done. Emerald - good luck with the fill....it's hard to say goodbye to the grub but when the scales are going down it becomes less of a crunch (listen to me - you'd swear I had lost STONES!):embarassed: Penny2: hope the ops are sorted soon for you. It sounds like Jan is doing a great job of setting up - it is a good idea to work with a nutritionist and a psych too....I'd say a lot of weight problems are head related as opposed to just loss of gnasher control. Although I have some restriction I can eat way more than the cup or so in Coco's brill post. My next one is in Feb so I'd better keep working on it until then.:hungry:

Just bumping up the post and showing off my new ticker (finally it has something to say!)

Allure - I am so delighted for you ...you can really feel your happiness bubbling through that post! I am in the same boat - banded July and first feeling of restriction now! I can still eat three weetabix but that's about the amount for satisfaction and fullness. I have 4ml in the band (2 ml in op and two fills at 1ml each). After my first slime and PB, the elation followed the nastiness really quickly - at last the band is there and working. I too am at the stage where the weight has to come off for me to start a family - married (and trying) 7.5 years and no babies to hold and love. Difficult at 36, surrounded by happy friends with beautiful children, as well as my pupils in school. This band is my investment in my future and when it wasn't working I was in the pits of despair (there's nothing like being given hope and then watch it recede away). But now, Taah Daahh! Hope springs again in the form of a slimy PB! Fingers crossed we will both have healthy and happy babies soon.

hi everyone. Coco- cannot believe the hassle you are having. Fingers crossed for you. Nikki - great work - you are an inspirational story for the rest of us. I can't wait to see a real difference like yours! Welcome newbies and hope you all see loads of success (but don't worry if it slow going at the start) Great news to report - I got my 2nd fill 10 days ago and the clinic told me I lost 21 lbs since the op! (July 27th):whoo: Funnily enough Jan told me to stop eating bread..despite the fact I never had a problem with it...he doesn't advocate it apparently. It seems to be working though as since my fill I have lost another 5lbs which is bringing me closer to the two stones mark!! Thought I would have more gone in nearly four months but half a stone a month isn't too bad I suppose- think the rate of loss might increase now though with restriction. I also had my first slime and PB tonight after the lovely birthday dinner my hubby cooked for me. Never knew what it was before and don't recommend it but I was weirdly delighted that my band has 'woken up'.:heh: Talk to ye soon

hi babes - sorry have been off the radar for the mid term hols. I was so sad to hear about the death of a person who had braved the decision to make a positive new start in life. I don't know all the facts of the case so I have nothing to offer except my experience which was mostly positive. The one thing I would say is that Dr. Jerome is not a maverick, merely someone who works within a bigger system and therefore shouldn't be made a scapegoat for the incessant rantings of 'health/ HSE/ political' interest and lobby groups, or indeed, fodder for journos with one beady eye on the career ladder while the other one is on the lookout for someone's pain to splash all over the front page (because it is in the 'human' interest). I hope it does not put off any desperate people out there who are trying to battle their obesity every day. I am still battling and was on my way to the clinic on Thurs last (for a much needed second fill) when something told me to call and confirm my appointment again. Apparently it didn't exist. I am going up on Saturday. I don't know which is worse - the obesity, the lack of restriction or the dread of being told off again. Alesha - I have about 14 lbs gone as well and I'm happy we both have the same weight loss.... I was beginning to feel as though I should have spend the ten grand on (a) hypnosis to make me believe I am actually thin and ( cake. Take care gals

Hi guys I didn't read the article last sunday. What was it about? Coco - congrats on the weight loss - and you too, Dini! Nikki - continued best wishes for a comfy and happy pregnancy. Hi Alesha - any craic? The wedding approacheth!

Coco babe, SO sorry to hear about the total unfill! Fair play to you for being so positive and upbeat about it - I think I would be a grumpy old witch in your position - but then again you are very strong and encouraging all the way along. Good luck with the xray and keep us posted. Debb - congrats on the band and best wishes for a successful time ahead. Hi Marge - welcome to the forum and if you read back through the posts here you will see all the ups and downs of band life - I would definitely go for it. for me it was the final straw - and it works. I am a very slow loser but in the same time frame in the past I would have lost and then gained back twice as much. I have lost about a stone in total since end of July but after my first fill I was more restricted. I am due another in two weeks when I hope to be droppin' them kilos as fast as I used to drop doughnuts down my cavernous gullet.

Hi Dini - great news re the weight loss! You are doing so well...good on you! Didn't know Tara was leaving. Coco - best of luck on Saturday and hope you can get the xray....maybe the repositioning has optimised the band and 2.25 will be plenty for good restriction! Fingers crossed for you! Debb - good luck and don't worry about the band - it seems to always ends up working in the long term and if you accept that weightloss will decline or stop until the first or second fill, then you will have no need to stress or worry pet.

hi Coco - I was browsing around and found a thread under the 'fills' forum related to reflux and heartburn. You might find some info there? Sounds like it is the band complaining alright. Pity that the solution is a small unfill but the alternative of sore tum and restricted diet of bland food then go for it! Hopefully a tiny unfill will do the trick and keep the restriction. I saw some US bandster posts where they had a fluoroscope...wonder if it is available here? Good Luck!

hi Coco Congrats on the weight loss but I know the acid reflux can be a pain - I used to have it nearly all the time - luckily since the op I gave up coke and haven't had any more problems. I used to die with pain from any kind of juice also. Sounds like the lining of your stomach is under stress - ifit is still bad in another week or so I'd say a call to the dr. is the best bet...after all they are gastric experts! Good luck with it and thinking of you today:girl_hug: Kermit