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Well done on the changes you have made following your surgery sunrise. How wonderful to read of your success.

Some people after having surgery experience low mood, I think in reaction to the anaesthetic. I do remember how the constant tiredness and no energy really knocked me around for about a month or so after surgery. I don't think the band could cause your body to not absorb your medications but maybe the psychiatrist will know for sure. Remember to be kind and gentle on yourself at the moment, even if you don't feel like it, maybe try and do a little walking each day. What are the things that have helped you in the past when your mood was low eg. talk with friends, plan some enjoyable activities, exercise, eat healthier (which you are doing already), maybe journal what you are feeling each day as a way of seeing the improvement over time. But mostly, be kind to yourself

I will be sending helpful thoughts your way Teddy. Hopefully the other tests will give you some answers. Please keep us updated on how you are going.

sorry to hear of the break up Eeyore. Do you have friends and family around that you can talk with? You mentioned anxiety meds, is there a counsellor or doctor that you have seen in the past when you were having some problems as it may be helpful to meet with them once or twice while the pain is still raw. In regards to post-poning the surgery, it is a decision only you can make, if you have it as planned do you have other people who will be around for support for you? If you defer it how long would it be till your next surgery date? Talk to your surgeon if you can to ask their advice. My thoughts are with you

Hi CPurvis Have you talked to your doctor about the fact that you pb when eating solids? The purpose of the band is to allow us to still eat everyday food, just less of it and I would be concerned about the issue that you are only able to eat mushy food. Maybe you actually need an unfill to enable you to eat more. Are you writing down everything that you eat? It can sometimes help you to see it written down as you can add up the calories/kj. It can be surpirsing how many kj's we can put away when eating mushies! Also, are you chewing your food enough times before swallowing? I find that now I have my 4th fill if I don't chew enough I get a severe pain in the chest which is my reminder that I am banded. Sometimes people try to avoid this reminder by eating mushies and again I don't feel that this is how the band is supposed to work.

I haven't found any information about lap band cards in Australia. I am thinking of getting a medic alert id bracelet to say that I have a lap band in case of an emergency. And hope all goes well with your visit to the doctor on the 5th Suzi.

Well done on the start of your new life Red.

Oh that is so awesome Jetti. I know what you mean about always crossing your legs now that you can, I find myself doing it all the time and grinning in excitement.

Hmmm maybe she is too busy burying her hubby in the back yard!! Hope all is going well for you Dianne

How disappointing for you Jessica. I had liver surgery 18 months before my lapband and the surgeon warned me at the consult that if I had severe adhesions and he wasn't able to complete the operation laparascopically he wouldn't be able to put the band in. I was lucky that he did end up doing it however afterwards he told me that I had a lot of adhesions which resulted in extra time in surgery, not being able to make the usual number of incisions they make because of the adhesions and scarring and thus having some difficulty placing the band and some extra bleeding during surgery. He had warned me beforehand that he couldn't predict how bad my scarring or adhesions would be or if they would impact on the surgery.

Is the wound still open? If it is the surgeon may have an issue with operating again on you. I had major liver surgery 18 months before my lapband, and the a large incisional hernia repaired 6 months before my op. I have a huge scar and the surgeon had told me that if he was not able to put the lapband in laparascopically he wouldn't continue as I had also had a pulmonary embolism after the liver sugery (the hospital staff teased me that I didn't want to say goodbye to them so I kept getting complications!). The surgeon was able to put the lapband in though he mentioned that he first had to cut away a lot of adhesions from the previous surgeries.

I think the chances of finding a Perth person on a world wide forum going to Bali on the same date and flight as you wouldn't be that common. You would probably have more luck as someone said on one of the travel forums. enjoy your holiday.

What fantastic news for you Kendra. Those boots and your fighting spirit really have kicked butt.

Hi Lauren....I am curious, how can you be sure that this behaviour will stop as soon as you are able to eat all foods? My concern would be that when you are eating other foods you may decide to have one bite of a hamburger and spit it out, and the next time you may decide to have one bite and swallow it, the next time two bites and so on. Are you able to see a counsellor to provide some support for you as you get used to the changes in eating behaviours that are an important part of success with the band? I wish you all the best, let us know how you are going. :smile2:

Congratulations Bullpen. My own experience with the band has been that my weight loss is VERY slow however when the scale does move it keeps going down and more importantly I am keeping off the weight I have lost so far.

My condolences to you Karen, your brother and your families on the loss of your sister in law. It sounds like she and you were a great partnership for eachother. Start off with small goals and steps for yourself....eg. for my next meal I will make a healthier food choice and I will chew my food slowly. If you make an unhealthy or easy choice (eg. icecream, milkshake) go easy on yourself and rather than thinking "oh well I have screwed up today so I may as well eat what I want for the rest of the day and start again tomorrow" recommit to choosing a healthier option for the next thing you eat. Let your family know that you are making this change, ask them for support. Yes you have gained some weight but you know that you have also lost weight before your sister in law's death. You will be able to get back on track however it is also important to give yourself time to grieve... you may be findng it a little difficult to focus too strictly on your food choices at the moment. When feeling the urge to cheat, ask yourself.... will eating this get me closer to my goal weight. Is this something I would have eaten if my sister in law was next to me? Get back on track one baby step at a time and remember to ask for support when you need it, especially at this sad time.

LadyRose definitely read the forums here and talk to people you know and get a recommendation for another doctor. it is important to find a doctor that you feel comfortable with, that you feel listens to you and more importantly, that they also hear what you are saying rather than what they think you should be saying. I wish you all the best and look forward to reading about your new journey with your band.

Well done on your weight loss so far Luscious. Hopefully you will start to notice some restriction in the next few months, it certainly is wonderful to not be fighting hunger pains all of the time (I have just had my 4th fill and am loving this not hungry feeling)

I have had the inamed small AP band since oct 08 (I just had to cehck my paperwork to see what sort of band I have). I haven't had any problems with it. All the best for your surgery. (I am assuming that my band is the one you are talking about?)

I have had 4 fills and no pain or any problems. The surgeon gives me some local anaesthetic first so a tiny sting from that and then I just feel the pressurewhen he is putting in the fill but no discomfort or pain. You are getting banded on my birthday!!!!!! :cool2:

Hi all I thought I would get some feedback from you guys before I talk with my doctor on tuesday when I am booked for my 4th fill. He is very easy to talk to but I thought soe other thoughts would help me. It was only with the last fill that I felt the first signs of what I imagine restriction is like....I am feeling satisfied for longer in between meals and sometimes when I eat too fast now I get a pain and need to wait for this to go away. This only happens very rarely, maybe 4 times in the past month. I can still eat quite a lot for a meal eg. 2 large grilled sausages last night and vegies. In the past month I have probably lost about 1 and a half kilos (approx 3 pounds) which is nice after being on a plateau for three months so I am pleased about that. My biggest fear though is of getting food stuck or of pb'ing or sliming. I was thinking of asking my surgeon if he could give me a smaller fill than he usually gives me but maybe I am overthinking this and should get the usual fill. I have no idea how much I have already in my band - it's not something I have ever been interested enough to ask about. What would you do? Any thoughts welcomed.

It is common to want to help someone out when we feel that maybe they really can't see just how much they need our advice ..get a haircut, dump the boyfriend, lose weight etc however if a person is not ready to make changes themselves they are unlikely to actually hear what you are saying and may resent you. It sounds like you have a lovely relationship with your brother, next time he mentions his going to the gym etc maybe you can gently let him know that you are concerned about his weight and that if he ever wants to talk you are there for him. I have to tell you though, for years I had people telling me how I would look so much better if I lost weight and how they didn't want to hurt me but did I know how fat I was and sliding diets, exercise programs etc under my nose.... did I appreciate any of it...nope, it made me feel humiliated and hurt....it took a long time for me to be ready to make the changes in my life. Your brother is lucky to have such a caring sister.

Just remember to keep us updated on how you are going Hairband. :wink2:

Thanks everyone. I saw the surgeon yesterday and we agreed that he would put 0.5ml's in my band. this was my 4th fill and I now have 6.5ml in a 10 ml band. I am on mushies today and have been managing to eat them without any problems so I am feeling happy with my decision. :wink2:

I am less than halfway to my goal but already so far there are so many things I am thankful for 1. on a plane when I put the tray down it now doesn't get jammed in between the rolls of fat on my stomach 2. at the gym today a guy I hadn't seen for a couple of months told me I look great (and he was right....I did!) 3. My jeans don't leave an indentation around my stomach any more 4. I can get in and out of my sports car more easily now 5. there is a gap between my stomach and the steering wheel when I drive now 6. No more lower back pain (I used to wake up with it every day) 7. shoulder pain from an injury has significantly reduced since losing weight. 8. I smile more I think 9. I can look in the mirror and I am starting to like what I see (I am aiming to one day love the person I see there) 10. Trying on clothes I haven't worn for years and finding that not only do they fit...some of them are too big for me now. 11. going to the gym and not feeling like the biggest person there 12. the increase in my self-confidence is wonderful, I walk taller and prouder. oops more than 10 but my list is still not exhausted....I am so pleased I had the surgery.