Parvathi

I've been banded just under 6 months and I ove my band. Here in Australia, banding would be considered the 'gold standard' among weight loss surgeries. That said, its been practiced here for quite a while longer than in the US. There were a couple of reasons I opted for the band, over RNY. The main reason, being the risks I read about when looking into RNY. I'm a huge lover of life and so not ready to give it up yet. The lap band, in my mind, was a much safer alternative. I wanted to lose weight gradually (albiet, not at a dead slow pace lol), to give my body time to adjust, my skin time to pop back into shape, my head time to get used to becoming thinner and to accustom myself to eating properly/healthy. I liked that the band was adjustable and/or fully reversible. I never intend to have it removed, as its become almost like a best friend lol, but I like knowing that if I needed to, I could. The only real con I can think of for myself with the band, is having a port lol. While it plays a very functional role and I wouldn't get rid of it for anything, my husband looks really grossed out when I say, "my port hurts!" hehe. I have a friend's mom who had RNY. She lost 150 lbs in 7 months and hit goal. She's estatic, loving life and has already had her tummy tuck to remove the excess skin. While I would love to be skinny practically overnight, I know its not the right option for me. Everyone has different priorities and different reasons for choosing the method they choose. Ultimately, its your choice. Do your research and good luck in whatever path you end up taking And if you have any questions, there's a good many of us who practically live on this board now lol...

I've always used Dove, cause its the only soap I've found that doesn't break me out. Loopy - you're right, the bodyshop rocks But I'm not sure if they have that in the US? Think the closest thing to it there would be Bath & Body Works...

After surgery, I was told to breath deeply, about 15 times, twice an hour (every 30 minutes). I'm a smoker, so it hurt a lot during the first few days, but after say 3 days or so, the breathing exercises really did start to make a difference.

I ran into that same problem. For headaches and such now, I take the minicaps, as they're so much easier to swallow. For my Multivitamin, I take a powder form that you mix with Water, juice or in a smoothie. It tastes horrible in water LOL, but in a good Protein smoothie, I can handle it.

Congratulations, Margo! Glad you're doing well

We eat out a good bit too. I've found that I can eat nearly anything, in moderation. The only food I've really had issues with to date is gnocchi. I'll never ever try that again LOL, even though I love it. The first few weeks (probably 6 weeks to be honest) were the pits for me. But you move on. You learn what you can and can't have and you remember to chew chew chew.

I had the disolvable ones, w/ the ends sticking out, but it took several weeks (about 5, cause they were still there when I got my first fill) before they went away altogether.

Just tossing in that I concur with what everyone else has said lol. You're doing fantastic!! I barely lost anything before my first fill. Keep exercising and keep your chin up. Before you know it, that weight is going to be falling off faster than you can buy new clothes

Sorry to hear that :/ Trust me, it gets better. Mine's a bit deep as well. After the first go though, the doctor knows where to find it better and you'll be better mentally prepared. Before long it'll be second nature And as ya shrink, it'll stop being so deep lol.

Congratulations! heh.. my hubby pantsed me when mine first started getting too big. As mad as I was (it was in the middle of a carpark! lol), I was sooooo happy that they no longer fit. Here's to many more NSV's to come

When were you banded? March 4, 2005 What was your weight ON DAY OF SURGERY? 119 kgs/262 lbs What is your weight now? 96 kgs/211 lbs What size do you wear? Then 22/Now 16 How tall are you? 5'7

Congratulations, Esmeralda!! What a happy and joyous time for you Wishing you an uneventful pregnancy.

My temptation yesterday, came in the form of warm, moist Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts LOL. We don't have a Krispy Kreme here in Melbourne, but it was one of my favorite places to visit as a child, growing up in SC. They built one in Sydney last year and as my husband came back from a business trip yesterday, he was kind enough (or is that sadistic enough LOL), to pick up a dozen of these wonderful little morsels. I could smell them as he stepped off the plane. My mouth started watering. Then I realized, they don't call them doughnuts for no reason. These tempting little demons were going to get in my pouch, expand and make the big ugly elephants walk on my chest - so I passed. They're still here in the house, but I'm being oh so strong heh. I shared them with a friend last night, several of them actually, in an attempt to sabotage any diet plans she may have and save mine. Hey - can't expect me to be good all of the time *g*

Depends on what pills your taking. If they're prescription, ask the chemist. Lots of pills are able to be crushed or cut in half. It's the big ones that get me. I'm able to take small Tylenol (minicaps) when I have a headache. The only other thing I take is my vitamin, which I've found in a liquid form.

Take your transition into solids slowly, to discover what you can and can't handle. I was able to eat pretty much anything once on solids, before my first few fills, but my dietician had me transition from mushies to solids over a period of a month. I do have difficulty swallowing pills, but popcorn and nuts I can still enjoy when chewed properly. The dietician encouraged me to munch on nuts, as they're a good source of Protein and quite filling. But of course, each doctor's going to have his or her own rules to follow. Just remember to chew chew chew and take it slow and you should be fine on your vacation. Enjoy it and say hi to Mickey for me

I think it varies from person to person. Mine started about 3 days after surgery and lasted for two weeks (the shoulder tip pain). It had me in tears a time or two, which isn't an easy feat (unless I'm watching a sappy romance movie lol). It will soon go away though, when all of the gas is gone and you'll be feeling fantastic.

In Australia, bikkies (or biscuits) are cookies, generally. Then again, some people here call crackers bikkies too. They've got a real knack for shortening words lol.

Mmmm ... I'd kill for a good buttermilk biscuit LOL. Luckily, its one thing my mother never taught me how to cook. She makes the best buttermilk biscuits I've ever had the fortune of eating! hehe. My great grandmother used to make good homemade apple fritters. They were unbelievable, but no one in the family has been able to reproduce them, even though we helped her cook them all the time. Almost dreading going home for Christmas, because Christmas Eve Breakfast isn't the same without biscuits and sausage gravy - can still eat the gravy of course, but those darn biscuits would be too doughy :/

Congratulations, Corrine!! Wear those 20s with pride, until you have to move on to 18s hehe

Its normal to feel much more restricted in the mornings, especially as you get closer to your ideal restriction. I'm lucky when I get my coffee down, or a Protein shake. The gurgling drove me absolutely nuts when I first started experiencing it. Now I gurgle after every meal lol - I've become used to it and so has the hubby (although he enjoys bugging me about it occasionally).

Five and a half months out and I haven't run into anything off limits We were back at it (albiet, taking it a bit slow), in a little over a week. Doctor said whenever I felt up to it would be fine. Enjoy

LOL .. add to that, don't try driving while eating a KFC Twister ...

Yeah, now when I'm there for my fills, I see Dr Baquie. Mr Crosthwaite was great though - hey, I'm still alive LOL. I didn't think it would be medically necessary either, but after I went in, they sent me for a respiratory test, then a sleep test. Found out I have sleep apnoea, pretty severely as well, which was all of the co morbidity I needed. Other than that, I was healthy as a horse - and as big as one heh.

While my daughter isn't overweight, she has lots of potential. She's the shortest in her class and a bit pudgy. She's quite active and loves to play, but she can put away the food as well. At 7, she's decided, bugger the kids meal when we go out and goes straight for the huge serve of whatever. I try to educate her on what's good for her vs what's bad for her. She knows meats, veggies, fruits good - breads, crisps, choccies bad. But I know her well enough to know that when faces with the option of an apple or a breakaway bar, she'll choose the breakaway no worries. I know what you mean about the lunch orders being rubbish! She's only allowed one on Fridays, but she wants the sausage roll with twisties and a fudge brownie lol. They've just introduced Sushi Fridays at her school, which she would love, but they load them with wasabi?! LOL It sucks, cause I don't want to see her go through the same struggles I went through as a child/teenager/young lady - but at the same time, I don't want to deprive her of the fun stuff.

I didn't have Professor O'Brien, because I didn't want to wait that long (he's the most popular in the practice). But from what I've been told, he's the best you can get. That said, I was extremely happy with Mr Crosthwaite. I saw several surgeons before making up my mind who I wanted to use and was quite pleased with his professionalism and honesty. I gave him a right good interview on my first consultation lol, even asking what made him want to do banding and such. You'll like the Avenue - its a nice hospital and the staff at the Clinic are fantastic Good luck!