janer55

I have had my band for over five years in that time ihave had a couple of complications including a slip band that required surgery that was sucessful. I still have the odd bouts of reflux where i get fill taken out but in all i am really happy with my band and after losing over 40 kilos ( about 80 lbs ) i am so glad i had the band. I am doing things i would have never thought of doing including skydiving. Like anything the band will have the odd hiccups but don't let it get you down.

Hi my name is Jane. I am 52, have been overweight for as long as I can remember and I am being banded on Monday. I am having mixed emotions as the day gets nearer.:nervous Some days , hours or minutes I am so convinced that this is the best thing to do :clap2:and other times I wonder what am I setting myself up for. Having said that my whole process of thinking about, researching and actually committing has been very fast. In all it has taken about 8 weeks since I first decided and went to an information night . From there I talked to my local doctor and then went for some blood tests etc before getting to see my surgeon. By the end of that first appointment I had a date booked and a month ago started on the Optifast. Over the month i have lost 8 kilos but today has been a no goer in I seemed to have told myself that it is okay to have the last meal etc. I am not thinking banding is going to be a magic pill or cure having lurked in this and other message boards and reading other bandsters blogs I am well aware of what is ahead of me. I I guess I am interested talking to others who are due to be banded soon as well as people who are older ( I have been looking at the over 50 thread) a

I just checked in again to this topic and just wanted to add another thought. When i first had my surgery I told very few people mainly because I needed to get my head around it all. I didn't want people watching what i ate making comments etc. There are some people I will not tell. However now 5 months after my surgergy and 30 kilos lighter I am finding I am more open about it all. I am at easy with it all. I think we need to give ourselves time to adjust to this new life (well that was the case for me ). It does take sometime to get your head around the new lifestyle, sharing hubby's dinner, eating slowerand eating a lot less and the side effects if you don't follow the rules I think you need to do what is right for you and tell people when you are ready not because you feel you have to Take care Jane

Like most of you i have not told many people and don't plan to for quite some time partly because of the "cheating' aspect but also because I don't want the pressure of people looking at me and expecting the weight to drop off etc. I am happy that i was banded as it is the first time in my life that I have lost this amount of weight and honestly believe I will not put it back on as have in the past. However i wonder if the "cheating" aspect sometimes comes from our own reactions to getting banded. I have found many people who do see the band not as a quick fix but as a means to stop eating. I read about people who can't wait for their first fill so they wont be hungry etc. Others who will eat the wrong foods but thats okay I'm not eating much because I have the band But I think as we progress along the banding journey we find that it is not a fix but a tool just like the treadmill, diet pills, shakes weight watchers etc . It is not easy it is hard work and we have to work along with it. Maybe we should not be so down on those who think of banding as cheating but explain to them just how hard work being banded is and the problems etc that we experience so that we can change their opinion and maybe we would not be so hesitant in telling others. Wonder what others think Take care jane

Hi Ginka and Sades Couldn't help reading your posts and just wanted to add my bit. I was banded just over 6 weeks ago and can relate to some of the feelings you have gone through and just wanted to say you both need to relax and take time out for yourself. Re liquids I didn't worry too much about how much i was drinking just stuck to the saying "should be able to drink through a straw". Found oxo cubes in hot Water great for savoury cravings, prune juice helped the bowels. I would often make a cuppa and only have three four sips and that was it. I progressed over the first week to Soups (pumpkin tomato non bitty soups) By end of the first week I started into custards . I think I found the mushies the harder stage as really wanted to chew things. Heaven was a shepherds pie I cooked for the family and mushed up . The main thing you need to do is take time for yourself ( I know this can be hard with young kids ) but if you need a nap take it. My husband would often come home midday and find me asleep on the sofa. I would highly recommend getting up and walking around just a little and changes of scenery do help. In all just remember your body has gone through major surgery give it time to heal. It will tell you what it wants and welcome to a new start in life. Take care and thoughts are with you Jane

Hi 4leafclover I have no idea how I got the tear and the doc didn't or couldn't say either. I still have a tightness that I can feel around the area but it gets less each day. I am assuming that is the tear healing. I can eat anything (including bread- which based on what I have read surprised me) but do get a very bloated feeling and a hardness of my stomach above port scar about an hour after. In all feel good just frustrated:bored as want to get back into exercise etc but can't. :angry Please don't get worried re yourself I think this is just one of those freak things that happen to trhe odd one of us now and then. As said in early posting uptil this was feeling great. I am sure your fill will be fine . Let us know take care jane

I think we all go through the same feelings. I sat and wrote a letter to my family that I sealed and put into my bag telling them how proud I was etc of them . I figured they would find it if anything did go wrong but it didn't.

I had my first fill last Tuesday felt great. However by Thursday had this massive cramp and after going and seeing my doctor I have a tear with some bleeding. Have no idea how got tear all I know is it is very painful and my stomach above the port incision is very swollen. Any one else had similar experience Jane

Hi Hestie Great to hear you are doing well. I understand that sense of hunger as was starting to experience that just before I had my fill. I thought it was due to the fact that I was off the mushies and liquids and was starting to eat solids but my Doc told me that was a sign of needing a fill. I want to get back to the gym but have been told to wait for a couple more weeks. I played squash the other week and it felt so god I could actually run a little faster to the ball and in my first game beat a friend for the first time ever. mind you second game he came back and thrashed me. Keep us posted and let us know how the fill went Take care Jane

Hi all Was wondering how everyone who has contributed to this thread is going as would love to hgear from you all. I had my first fill today and have found I am no longer morbidly obese just obese which is great. Lost almost 15 kilo and have been feeling great through the whole process . How about others love to hear Take care jane

I am not sure where I read it or in what thread but someone had posted a challenge for all people who were banded last month to log in and record weights at beginning of month and then spur each other on. Any one have any idea where it was thanks jane

Thanks it was had looked at it several times but finally found it . see you were banded at the same time as me How is it all going? Jane

Hi I was banded on the 24th September and have spent the last two weeks on liquid and am now on mushies. I am surprised at how hungry :hungry:I can feel when I eat a meal but then when I look at the size of what I am eating it is so small. Like everyone else I hop on my scales and weigh myself and worry if the scales are not going down. I also find it hard to believe the numbers that come up as I have not been that low :faint:( but still high ) weight for ages. Because my scales are new and bought after my op I am not adding the loss to my total loss but since coming home and on the scales I have lost about 2.5 kilos. I will confirm this next visit to my Doctors I think we all get caught up in the numbers but then that is why we have all done this to lose weight. We forget what we have put our bodies through- this was major surgery - and forget that our body needs time to heal. From what I have read it is also a time when we can gain weight. Most of us have been overweight for as long as we can remember and we are looking for that overnight big loss Sorry I am rambling and I don't mean to . I suppose what I am trying to say is that we have all made this big desicion to change our lives for the better and we should be so proud of ourselves for it. We need to look at the postives and not be ruled by the numbers. Take care all and again sorry to have rambled on Jane

Hi lblack66 Being nervous is okay. I think we have all been there. Just keep reminding yourself why you are doing this and how great you will feel. Keep us posted on how you are going and feel free to ask any questions we have all been there or are going through it. You are not alone Take care Jane

Not quite sure where you want to put your pictures but try quick links and select edit signature . Hope helps Jane

Hey you don't need good luck all will go terrifically well. Look forward to hearing how you are doing . Take care jane

Wow only 3 days of liquid I have to do 2 weeks ( another 5 days to go):eek:. Lucky you

Hi Marcy , All the best for tomorrow. You will be fine and like so many of us at the moment be enjoying liquids. Sorry I have become a bit liquified of late. They get worse. All kidding aside it will be all okay and my thoughts are with you. Keep us posted how you are doing Take care Jane

Hi Sades I think we all worry about not coming out of it, especially as my doctor had to keep telling me the dangers but as everyone says it is all fine. However not to make you feel alone I sat down on the morning of my surgergy and wrote a letter to my family that I hid in my bag in case something happened. Looking back it seems really funny now but at the time it was my major concern. I think the last thing I said before going under was make sure I wake up. I don't think we get rid of those fears but it is all okay and so many lapbanding operstions are now being done . Keep us posted how you go and when your date is. Take care jane

Hi Novalady and Irisheyes 123 What fantastic loss Mary Ann thats almost 20 kilos here in Australia. You must feel so good. The Blood pressure is one of the things I am really looking to get down. Irisheyes 123 how are you going on the liquids. I must admit I am starting to get liquid out and have started to look at thicjer liquids pumpkin Soup tonight and I also made some jelly. I would love to be a banded buddy with you especially as we are so close in dates. Keep up the good work one and all Take care jane

Hi Klover Dad hope all went well for you and your wife. Let us know how you are feeling and coping. Take care jane

Glad to hear you are doing fine and even happier to hear the guys in Belgium spotted your problem. Who does your fills Belgium or UK

Sirusman glad to hear you made it back home safely. Agree guys on the cheating . I don't know if its my band or if its my headset but I do find my self talk is a lot more postive and when I find a thought about doing something wrong I straight away go into No you don't want it or need it. Feeling a little sore around stomach area today especially if I bend down. But apart from that I am amazed at how good I have felt. Take care Jane

Sounds great. We have a bird feeder in our back yard and I love watching the galahs and parrots that come along. I think our record is 8 at one time Take care Jane