Fanny Adams

Bill, have you found that people who know about your wife's surgery but don't know about yours have become even more judgemental of her now? I would be worried about people making the comments "Look, HE was able to do it all on his own, so SHE should have been able to, too!" I can understand people wanting to keep this private, when they've had such negative feedback from people around them. I guess I've been extremely lucky, in that I've had nothing but support from my wonderful family. I also tell anyone who even hints at asking, because I want to spread the message. I get quite evangelistic about it, LOL! I actually have to restrain myself from running up to obese people in shopping centres and taking them by the hand to say, "Please let me tell you about this wonderful tool!" The main thing that stops me is remembering how humiliated I would have felt if some stranger had done that to me when I was obese .

Congrats Jill! It feels great, doesn't it?

Lol!! Rofl!

Hi again, Very. It's good to hear that everything went well with your banding. I'm sure the nausea will settle down soon but it may actually be a good sign! Restriction is a very individual thing and some people need a lot of Fluid in their band, while others need very little, in order to feel it. Some have even never felt the need for a fill at all! Nausea is pretty common for the first couple of weeks but if yours goes on for longer, it may mean you won't need much in the way of fills to get to your sweet spot. One thing the band will do for you is to teach you to LISTEN to your body. Don't be in a rush to get fills just for their own sake. Listen to the demands your body is making and, if you're hungry, by all means get filled, but if not, let it ride for a while longer. Regarding liquids with meals: There are two reasons why we are told to avoid drinking with our meals. Firstly, if you don't have much restriction yet, the Water will wash the food through the opening quickly, leaving your pouch empty and reducing the effectiveness of the band. Secondly, if you DO have good restriction, the water can fill your pouch and not leave much room for food. If you are tight and something gets stuck, DO NOT try to wash it through with water - almost always, the water will just come straight back up again...ew... White breads are usually one of the hardest things to eat when you are quite restricted. What happens is that, no matter how well you chew the bread, it can still glug back together to make a kind of glue in your stomach (ever made paste glue from flour and water as a kid?) and plug up the opening. Multigrain breads are easier or toasting the bread can help. I find I avoid white carbs (white breads, refined rice, pastas) when I am restricted and that is a good thing - lots of calories for not much nutrition! However, at the moment, I'm still getting back to my sweet spot after my PS surgery and I can easily eat a whole sandwich! (LOL - it would have been 3 whole sandwiches a couple of years ago!) My personal sweetspot point is where I can eat small amounts of anything I want, if I take it slowly and carefully but foods like bread and Pasta are usually too much trouble so I avoid them. That's still such an odd thing for me to say given that I practically lived on sandwiches and various pastas before being banded. You don't have to miss out on anything at the right restriction level - you still get to taste it, you just don't get to scoff down the whole thing (like I used to...)

Tweety, the first 3-4 days on the shakes ARE hard but I promise you that it DOES get better. Starting at around Day 4, the hunger fades, they shakes/fuzzy head clear up and the whole thing becomes more manageable. Hang in there for just 2 more days and you will be through the worst of it and sailing for the finish line. Keep your eye on the prize!

I think we all have the fear that it won't work for us. Like pdmarkle and cocoabean pointed out, if we hadn't previously tried and failed at many diets, we probably would never have considered anything as drastic as surgery. I won't lie and say that it is guaranteed to work for everyone. There are a number of people here who have not been happy with their results, but the VAST majority of people have been successful and have never regretted making this decision. The same cannot be said for any other weightloss method - diet and exercise alone is notoriously unsuccessful in the long run, as we all well know... In my humble opinion, there is no better option out there for safe, steady LONG TERM weight loss. That being said, you do need to understand that it isn't magic and the tool DOES require hard work from you, in order to get the best results. You've said you can follow a plan - excellent! This tool will give you the edge you need to STICK to your plans long term and achieve the results you want. My best advice to you is to read, research and ask questions over and over until you really feel you understand how the band works and how to make it work for you. Most people in here are happy to answer questions, but you will also find that most questions have already been asked and answered over and over, so invest a little time in learning how to search threads for topics of interest before re-posting the same questions again. Good luck with everything! Feel free to PM me if you want to ask about anything...

I hope it all went well, Barbee, and that you have smooth sailing for your recovery time! Good luck from DownUnder!!

Hi Alli, I hope everything went well and your recovery is swift and as painfree as possible! Cheers from DownUnder!

If you are allowed steamed green vegetables, which most pre-ops allow (i.e. no starchy veges), one tip that helped me was to "practice eating like a Bandster". Even though it wasn't necessary, I practiced cutting up my food into the smallest possible pieces (e.g. no bigger than your thumbnail) and then chewing everything thoroughly to liquid, resting 30 secs between bites, etc. It was a good learning curve, gave me time to really savour the food that I was allowed and drew out the meal time for ages, which actually helped to make me feel satisfied on the small amounts.

I haven't seen Mederma in the pharmacy here, but I've only been using the Bio-oil for 2 days and already I'm noticing results, so I'm fairly happy with it. Bio-oil is also specifically formulated to treat scars and stretch marks, and makes many of the same claims as Mederma. My surgeon says it is not really the product that makes all the difference but the process of massaging it in. Mimi, I has silocone implants as those were recommended by the surgeon. The initial result after surgery was for VERY high perky breasts, but most of that was because the incision line underneath was so swollen and hard, it acted like a built-in underwire. The effect was actually very "fake" looking, as the shape was conical. Now that the swelling has almost gone, the shape is much better - more natural and breast-like, although a teensy bit lower than I was expecting. Still, I'm an E to F cup so I can't really expect completely sagless boobs. These puppies are HEAVY!! The implants alone were 440 ml each which is about 14 fl oz in your language. I'm not sure if they are the same weight per volume as Water though. In metric, 100 ml of water weighs exactly 100 grams, so 440ml would be 440 grams = 1lb, but I don't know if silicone is the same (i.e. it could well be heavier for the same volume). Either way - I'm figuring each boob (flesh and implant combined) weighs in at a couple of kilos - 5lb!

Hi very.rara I was banded in Perth by Dr Stephen Watson in December 2007. I have to say that it was, hands-down, the best thing that I have ever done for myself and I have not regretted it for an instant. I think I can safely count myself as one of the "success stories" , as I am now just 5 weeks post-op from having plastic surgery to repair all the damage that I did to my body by carrying so much excess weight for so long, and I feel FANTASTIC! With regard to your questions: What can I really expect from the surgery? If you've ever had surgery before, you can expect that this will be an easy one in comparison. If you've not had surgery, it is hard to know what you are up for and some people have been surprised by the fact that cutting through skin and muscle will actually hurt somewhat and take some time to heal. I've had a lot of surgeries over the years and the band was one of the easiest but it IS still surgery and you don't get over it completely overnight. how long were you in for? Hospitals are not my fav place in the world. I was the first patient in the theatre in the morning and consequently was allowed to go home that evening - if I had been scheduled for later in the day, I would have had to stay overnight. As like many I hate vomiting, so at all lengths I want to avoid it, what foods would you advice I stay away from? You should get an eating plan from your surgeon but here are some pointers in general: Immediately after surgery and for the next 4-6 weeks, you will be on a special "recovery" plan. The time periods differ from surgeon to surgeon but they all have the same basic pattern. Mine was: Days 1 to 4, Clear liquids (clear Soups, jelly, juice, teas such as peppermint or ginger ), Days 5-14 thick liquids (creamed soups, yogurts, milk/fruit smoothies, etc), Days 15-21 very soft foods, called "mushies" in this forum (scrambled eggs, chunky soups, really soft casseroles, tuna with mayo - fat free of course!, etc), Days 22+ gradually work back to normal solid foods, focussing on lean meats, vegetables and fruits and avoiding processed white carbohydrates such as white bread and Pasta. You'll find a lot of advice about food here but there does seem to be a real split between what our Australian doctors advise and what most of our US counterparts are told. The US seems to have an obsession with Protein and Protein drinks and with avoiding carbs at all costs. I don't subscribe to that opinion at all and truly believe that protein drinks are one of the worst choices you can make after you've finished with the healing process and not much of a choice during it - there are so many better tasting options out there!! You'll find that as you heal (probably about 2 weeks post-op), you'll start to feel hungry again and feel that you can eat anything, especially if you chew it enough. DON'T DO IT! You won't have "restriction" at this stage, so it might be easy but it can be damaging long term. The soft diet isn't because eating will be hard at this point, it is mostly to stop your stomach from having to churn to digest the food, which can prevent the stitches holding the band in place from healing properly and can lead to slippage much later down the track. The best advice I can give to avoid vomiting (after the healing phase) is to chew every single bite slowly and thoroughly and to stop and listen to your body in between each bite. It takes time to change the eating habits of a lifetime but it can be done. If your band isn't too tight, you should be able to eat just about anything you want if chewed slowly and thoroughly but you should find that you can only eat between a half and a whole cup of food at a time. Try to eat solids rather than "slider foods" like chocolates and icecreams, so that your band has something to work on. The whole point of the band is that it holds solid food up at the top of your stomach, triggering the Vegus nerve and fooling your body into thinking that you are full. If you drink your calories or eat foods with no fibre/substance to them, they will slide straight past the band and you won't get the "full" feeling. I think I've been pretty successful with the band - over 2 years now, down over 50 kg and feeling fabulous. If you want to ask any other questions, feel free to send me a private message or post the questions in this thread. Good luck!

I know just how you feel. Sometimes it takes all the self-control I have not to run up to strangers at the shops and start babbling about the band!! I have to remind myself over and over how humiliated I would have felt if some "slim" woman had done that to me when I was at my biggest. As it is, I take every opportunity I can to tell people about my journey (LOL - no "keeping it private" thing here!!) and to tell them to tell anyone they know to look into it...

I think most of us feared that when we first contemplated having the band, but I believe that it is the best tool out there to help us achieve safe, slow and permanent weight loss. Yes, there are ways to work around the band and cheat but given a sensible approach and persistance, it does work. For me personally, the biggest difference between the old yo-yo dieting and using the band was that the band gave me the edge over hunger control. In all the diets I have been on in the past, I constantly battled feeling hungry and inevitably gave in to the "demons" raging within - and the minute I gave in once, I gave up completely and promptly stuffed my face till I put it all back on. The band doesn't do the work for you - it just controls the demons enough that you can make sensible food choices and stick to the plan without waking up in the middle of the night thinking "oh my god, I'm STARVING!!" Good luck with it! If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

Oh dear - just realised I haven't posted in my own thread for a while, though I have been following Alli's and Kate's, etc. So...time for an update, eh? I'm healing up very well for the most part. Flew back to site on Monday night and just about finished up my second day at work now (Wed afternoon). Saw the surgeon's nurse on Monday before I flew out and got the all clear to stop taping up the incisions - thank goodness for that!! I had been cheating and had stopped taping up the boobs a couple of days earlier, as they seemed well healed and the itching from the tape was driving me mad! The rest of the itching is really easing off now that I don't have to have that glue all over me. There are a couple of things that I'm not completely happy with, but the nurse assures me that it will all settle down in time. The LBL incision has popped open in a couple of places across the front and looks red and nasty. I thought it was a bad infection but the nurse says it is very minor and not to worry about it - apply Betadine at night and let it dry out in the day and apparently it will close over again and still shouldn't scar badly. I'm not so sure about the last part - it looks like those spots will be quick thick icky lines Also, the line above my mons is quite puckered, like a drawstring, and I'm not sure that will settle out fully - hope it will! I've started scar massage with Bio-Oil, which I was told not to do until now (i.e. not until the incision had healed over). My nipples are doing great but the line under the boob is still quite red. Also, now that the swelling has just about gone from under there, the boobs don't stand up nearly as high and perky as before and DAMN but these implants are HEAVY! I wear bras with underwires constantly (yes, I know it's probably too early for that) because if I don't, I can practically feel the skin stretching and boobs sagging under the weight. Still, the shape is much more natural now and much less Barbie-doll plastic looking. I can't get over how hard and flat my tummy and hips are. I knew I had been doing some hard work on my abs prior to the surgery but I had never been able to see/feel the results. Now that the swelling has almost gone, I feel so buff and taut!! YAY!! The hard work pays off at last - can't wait to be allowed to get back to that! All in all, I think the most spectacular result has been the effect on my bum. It's so smooth and round and compact. I'm getting so vain about it now - every time I pass a mirror, I have to turn around and look and think "Is that REALLY me??"

LOL! My partner, Chris, says he's never known anyone who can survive on as little sleep as I do. I work away on the mines and am always up by 4:45am when at work, so if I make 5:30am at home, that's a real sleep in. I'm usually in bed by 10pm but will be up again between 12 and 1 for a half hour and then again at around 3am. I never used to be a morning person but my whole body clock changed when I started mine work and I am now bouncing off the walls with energy between 5 and 9am (and usually ready for a nap again at 9:30, LOL!). My energy levels have tripled also, since I lost the weight - in fact, that's probably been the best NSV of them all.

I hope the Magnesium helps soon, you sound like you're in a bad way. I've been having some incredibly frustrating itching going on too. Where the LBL incision goes over my hip bones, I get a horrible itching deep inside, like ants crawling over the bone and no amount of rubbing or pressing on the outsides seems to get to the itch. My boobs are also driving me mad with itching! I've tried lots of different creams, including several that I swore by in the past (e.g. pawpaw cream) but the only one that has given me any relief has been a steroid cream - Dermaid 1% hydrocortisone. It doesn't fix the problem entirely but does dull it down more than anything else I've used. With the restless sleep, that's my normal pattern anyway. I rarely sleep for more than 3 hours at a time normally, so not much has changed since the op. I usually get up every 2-3 hours throughout the night, go to the loo, play on the computer for half an hour and then go back to bed. Still, as my mother (and Hans Christian Andersen) would say: We must suffer to be beautiful! LOL!

I really hope the Magnesium helps. I have suffered from night cramps in my legs and feet and restless legs for years and years and only discovered Magnesium a couple of years back. It has really helped! I don't take them every night (although I probably should) but whenever I wake up with that horrible urge to lie on the bed and do "bicycle pumps" with my legs till they hurt, I take one and the feeling goes within about 20 mins. I found that was hitting me a LOT more during this recovery time and I have been taking the tablets most nights since the op and it has really helped.

Happy New Year to you, too, Kate and Mimilou! And to everyone who reads my thread. Mine was a great night, hope yours was/is too!!

Kate, if you're having problems with restless legs at night, get some Magnesium tablets and take one every night before bed. If you forget and wake up with the problem, take one on the spot. I find I get relief within about 20 minutes, when this happens to me. I have a lot of trouble with restless legs at night and Magnesium really helps! PS: I know just how you feel about the supersensitive and itchy boobs!

The skin of my boobs is hypersensitive all over, right up to the incision line around the nipple but it is absolutely numb inside that line It's weird - they are so sensitive outside the nipple area that it is painful and they feel every stitch in the seams of the compression garments or bras, but cross the incision and nuthin... de nada...zilch. I really hope the sensation comes back!

I lost a shoe size (8 down to 7 AUS sizes) and also, now I can wear high heels all night long. Previously, even 5 minutes in heels would have the soles of my feet feeling bruised and painful; 15 minutes and I'd have been unable to walk. I've fallen in love with shoes all over again :thumbup:

You know what? I read this thread first and all the way through, wherever you were making comments like "this has been MY experience, don't judge me, everyone does it differently" and so on, I was nodding my head and thinking "fair enough, each to their own...". I had a few moments of disquiet when I read comments from people who were pre-op or newly banded and were taking your example as a positive one that they would like to emulate, but still I thought "oh well, it's good for people to know that there is more than one way to skin a cat". THEN I read your other thread, in which you discuss your medical problems. THAT was when the disquiet turned to alarm and I thought it only fair that others who might be swayed by your "positive" experiences with a tight band should be given fair warning about your less than positive experiences. As for the rich man and the plastic surgery... *shrugs* I'm exactly 21 days post-op from my plastic surgery, which I paid for out of my own hard-earned money. You see, instead of setting my sights on nabbing a rich man, I set my sights on becoming a rich woman by my own efforts, making me now a WEALTHY, HOT, THIN, SEXY and NO-LONGER-SINGLE BANDSTER. PS: Dunno where you got all that stuff about "superficial" and "thin-obsessed" but neither I nor Jachut said it - I think that's your own thoughts being projected on us.

PS: You know, if you're going to tout the joys of living with a tight band and how it has been the secret to your success, in such a way that newbies would seriously consider following your advice, don't you think you owe it to them to tell the the full picture of how life has been for you? I was amused to find this in a thread started by you: "So, I started having constipation pretty much right after surgery. Surgeon said to take a suppository every day if I needed. So, guess what happened? I became dependant. Throughout the course of that and as the weight loss progressed it got worse. It got to the point where now I had to do the warm Water enemas. I started seeking care from a colorectal doc about a year ago. I had the MRI defecografy, a CT scan and a colonoscopy. MRI showed weak pelvic floor, CT scan showed nothing and colonoscopy showed nothing. I was diagnosed with IBS with constipation. So, in addition to having IBS, I can't even get the stuff out of me due to these muscle issues. I have to take 3 Dulcolax oral pills every night, one Colase morning and night, and all that does is put me in a state of constant anxiety. My docs have me on pain meds which I try not to take since they cause further constipation. I have been given every prescription medication there is including Amitiza, but it didn't work. My life revolves around the pain, and bloating, and stress of knowing when I go out or have something social to do that I'm going to feel like crap, so I spend the hours before trying to get relief by getting it out of me. I'm to the point now where even creamed spinach is my demise." Anyone reading this thread and considering following Steph's choices might want to consider the full picture, eh? Life with a correctly managed band is NOT meant to cause these problems.

LOL! Of all the things I might "judge" you for, this is the one that's most likely to get me on my soap box!! Who needs a man to get what you want in life? Did our mother's burn their bras for nothing? ARGH!