HonkyTonks

hello i have been banded since october 2005 and went from 155kg's to 74kg's however i have gained about 15 kg's since and now weigh around 90kg's. i have had a fill recently but for the last few months i have been experiencing gas and pain in my stomach and chest which is getting worse and more constant than ever. it sort of builds up for ages and i can feel it it's like i want to burp but can't for ages and when i finally do there is a bit of a relief but only 10 or so mins later it will start to build up again. i also have quite smelly farts (gross, sorry but true) and have been trying Probiotics to see if its a stomach bacteria thing but so far to no avail. also tried nexium and antacids. i'm worried that my band has slipped though i am able to eat food (and probably too much, i think atm even though my doctor says i have a couple of ml's in the band) though from time to time if i eat too fast the food will get stuck and i will throw up a lot. does any of this sound familiar? the pain in my chest/stomach etc is pretty bad atm i cannot even sleep

i went to the doctors on friday and she said its possible inflamaton of the stomach and recommended i take some antacds (she gave me a sample pack) and gave me another fill without measuring it she is one of the few lapband fill doctors in my area but i am a bit wary that she didn't do a proper examination.. i am trying to decide if i should go and see my original surgeon - i will need a referral tho so i might see a GP.. i am not sure my doc is giving me proper duty of care maybe i'm just worrying too much! still getting the pain but giving the antacids a go

i have made an appointment for friday with the doctor that does my banding - is this too late? i am a bit worried that it's an urgent thing - if the band has eroded does this mean there may be an infection around my port etc and that it could be potentially very harmful ?

I have recently had another 1ml fill and have had 2 other 1ml fills previously. Just before I had the 1ml fill I could eat a fairly large amount (a 200gram steak, chips and salad for example) and although I have lost 70kg's my weight started to slowly creep back up which scared me. After the fill, I could still pretty much eat that much. How do I tell if my band has slipped? I have heard various experiences with band slippage and some say you can eat lots, or that you throw up. What are the symptoms that you know of that could be signs of band slippage? Anyone had their band slip and can share experiences? If your band has slipped, what do you have to do to get it fixed?

Hey - I have BIG problems with constipation. I eat lots of fruit, take a lot of metamucil capsules (like 8 a day) and I still have constipation. In fact, to be honest (this is gross but true), it caused a fissure and now I am having a lateral sphincterotomy in a couple of weeks time so the fissure will heal. Going to the toilet has been painful for me since the operation. I actually don't know what to do to fix this issue, I guess drink lots and lots of Water. Laxatives usually stop working after a while, you need more for it to work. :eek:

My port has been bugging me lately and I've been instructed by my doctor not to sleep on my stomach etc. cause it has been hurting! Kind of sucks cause I can't really sleep any way comfortably so often have difficulty getting to sleep. The port sticks out and sometimes I get a pinching feeling there... I haven't heard of this kind of thing before, but it's something I'm considering now.

I really relate to what one of the above posters talks about in terms of body image issues. I am not yet down to my goal weight, I am about 10kg off but I'm told I should be really happy with how I look and that I look wonderful - but I still obsess over my weight.. I used to be 155kg's and I feel like if I stopped obsessing I'll slip and end up back where I started. I know this isn't really likely, but that's my fear everytime I eat a 'bad' food (despite trying to remind myself that there's no bad foods, just moderation) There are days when I still feel as dissatisfied with how I look as I did 2 years ago at my biggest and I know it's irrational but it's just the way you feel some days. I don't know really how to kind of accept that I look this way now, and I'm attractive and fine and shouldn't worry any more...

Hi, I am about 18 mths post op now and I have lost a fair bit of weight but I often worry about my stomach stretching. I sometimes don't notice I'm full until I stand up and then I feel slight discomfort.. Since my last fill I feel like I can eat a lot more than maybe I should and I worry that it might be a result of stretching from regular slight overeating. Does anyone know anything about this? From what I'm reading on here a lot of people seem to not be able to eat much at all. I can say.. a whole 200gram steak and a handful of chips in a sitting... Is this a lot? I have slowed down in my weight loss and think I need to change something to improve it unless my stomach is permanently stretched?

Hello, I'm sure everyone has felt the same way I have in the past - lead a similar journey in some ways... I have written a story about my journey through the lapband surgery and posted it on my blog at honkytonksonline the title is "Life After Fat" I welcome constructive criticism regarding the structure and content of the story. I'd love to see more people publish their stories on the internet, especially from the forum. You seem to have all lead interesting lives and felt a lot of pain in the past. I hope you enjoy the story and I'd love to hear comments/feedback. Warm regards!

I have sort of found it harder to eat regularly and three small meals a day.. My day usually consists of only two regular sized meals.. Is this bad? I want to eat breakfast but I find it difficult to eat in the morning when I first wake up. Breakfast: Nothing.. I usually have two flat whites made on skim before lunch Lunch: Usually a burger or fish and salad or steak and salad or chicken filo or smoething along those lines.. Will differ from day to day.. Today I had a small serving of butter chicken, rice and half a naan bread Dinner: Usually a serving of meat and vegetables.. Last night I had steak and salad I usually sneak in something for dessert - like a lowcal icecream/sorbet or some yoghurt I was banded in October 2005 and have lost 80kg's

haha, during my mushies phase i was processing small amounts fo butter chicken and rice. i dunno why but it was HEAVEN

I guess I get a little bit hungry after a couple of hours. It's been about 2 hours since I last ate and I haven't had anything to drink.. I'm just starting to feel less full.. I should try different times and see which ones work. Kinda sucks cause I always feel thirsty after I eat. How do you guys get through it?

Hi, I alerady posted about this elsewhere but I've written a story about my experience with the lapband surgery. I'm only 22 and got myself banded when I was 20! It's been weird cause I spent my youth really overweight and didn't have friends or men who were interested. Losing all this weight and becoming young and I guess 'beautiful' (whatever that means) is reallllly weird and sometimes kind of hard. You'll have to deal with your peer group - they may be judgemental , I don't know, I don't mention it to many people though. You'll find life will change for you in ways you can't even imagine. My story is at honkytonksonline

I just posted something a couple of mins ago referring to the blog entry I made about my lapband surgery - it's nothing new or interesting but I really felt I wanted to tell my story.. I haven't been keeping a journal or record of my weight loss at all! I've kind of just relaxed and let it happen rather than weighing in regulalry.. I used to weigh myself a lot but have eased off a bit. I don't even have scales atm! honkytonksonline is my blog where I've posted befoer/after pics and my 'story' it's a bit long

Hiya - just wondering how long before/after meals you guys drink. I usually do 10 minutes before and 30 minutes after. I need to drink lots of water so I can't really wait an hour or so (I've heard it being recommended and thought it was completely nuts)

I just want to say this is a great thread. I am only a few kg's off my 'goal weight' now and I have to admit being slim isn't always what it's cracked up to be. I am only 22, and I've been obese since I was 14 years old. I have never known what it's like to experience friendships, love, etc. as a 'slim' person. My whole life used to revolve around my weight... now, it's like - who am I? what am I supposed to be? It's also weird (I hate to sound arrogant) but I have a pretty face so I'm becoming more attractive.. and I've developed a bit of a sense of style in my clothing so I guess I appear more intimidating without meaning to. I find it actually hard to deal with, I'm not used to the attention.. girls hating me for how I look and guys becoming interested in me when they NEVER would have been before. Life is soooo different now and nobody knows how it feels

Hello everyone. Just a quick intro - my name is Lara, I'm 22 years old and I live in Brisbane (Australia). I got my surgery done in October 2005 and at the time weighed 155kg's. I now weigh 75kg's (I have lost 80kg's). I have a question about handling new people who don't know about my surgery. I feel a bit concerned about telling people about the surgery (there is a fair bit of judgement) especially when I first meet them. But I sometimes have problems where I have to make an excuse not to drink after I have dinner (on a date, for example). I find myself in situations where I have to explain why I can't do certain things or eat certain things but don't know exactly what to say. I don't know how others deal with this, I'd like to hear your thoughts

Thanks Suzannah - the secret was basically I do count calories a fair bit (try and limit myself now to about 1600 a day) and in the first few months I was gyming a fair bit.. I am finding it easy to lose weight just by limiting my calorie intake and I still surprisingly eat as well as I want to I went to a QLD doctor - Dr. Bowden at the Wesley Hospital.. I found him pretty good and I recommend him. I am currently dealing with a plastic surgeon Dr. Broadhurst but I have been waiting for months for a quote and still haven't received one. I think there may be a legitimate reason for it though

Hello I have another question pertaining to the band. I have dropped from 155kg's to 75kg's and am starting to feel a lump on my stomach. It is quite large and I assume it is the port or band, has anyone else started to experience this as they gradually lost weight? Occasionally I have difficulties sleeping as when I am on my stomach there is some discomfort and pain. I don't know if this means my band has slipped, I think it might all be OK just need reassurance that it's normal.

Sorry guys, I screwed up the original post (several times) I have included one after picture (long shot, can't see very well cause the area was too bright, I am on the left) And here is one where you can see my face My op details are Date of Op: Oct 2005 Weight at time: 155kg's Current weight: 75kg's