Kygie

first few months is about looking after you band, letting the swelling go down and letting scar tissue grow over.....You will feel hunger if there is no fill in the band...liquids go straight through!!! and some surgeons like mine don't put fill in during surgery. Everything you are doing right now will change so much once you are on solid food and you def will feel a restriction!!!!

You need to get your head around that this is a life change...it is the start of something so positive and so rewarding....The surgery is daunting and so is the recovery and life with the band is different but It is so overwhelmingly worth every second....I am different to alot of people I still eat little bits of what I enjoy (that the band is ok with) but my portions are so so so much smaller than they ever were, I try to get low fat versions of my fave foods.....I lived on potato and leek soup the first three weeks.....It was so filling. Remember that the first few months is more about caring for the band rather than losing weight!!! good luck I wish you both so much happiness for the future!!

im 3 years post op and can still have trouble burping depending on what I have eaten!!! it becomes normal, but it is certainly different to the post op pain of gas!!

Join in the ride!!! I had my revision after being assaulted in feb 2009 and my band slipped horribly due to trauma....Since then mentally I have gone down hill so far and I ended up putting 34kg of what I had lost back on. I am not back to my original weight, so I am proud of that BUT in saying that I felt like I failed myself....but that guilt could just eat you away and it is not worth it!!! I see my last 3 years as I could of put on so much more and I would of been dead.....so I am glad I have lola that has helped me with that........I have had my band readjusted and fingers crossed I am now on my way!! good luck with your journey!!

I have friends that when I say I can't eat cakes, donuts, pastries, steak, etc...they feel sorry for me...At the end of the day, being alive is so much more important. I struggle with the emotional eating and you can easily cheat the band...so then you are cheating yourself. Instead of cheating myself out of something I really feel like, I have it, in moderation if It looks after my band and doesn't cause me to PB as donuts n steak would do...I eat a casserole with beef in it and I feel satisfied. I do love the yummyness of food, but I am learning that food is more about sustenance, than living or enjoying it. In saying that I have taken the approach not to "diet" I have changed my choices, we buy low fat, low sugar things, but I don't beat myself up if I have something fattening. It is about balance!!!! I craved to eat food....after 2 weeks on the liquids I couldn't wait for something mushy....but I have not one regret. I have had a very bumpy road but I love my Lola!!!

that happened with me too hun....Sometimes it is hard to find esp with your first fill...We must of tried a dozen times to find it...then I had fill put in by xray.....I got my doctor to draw a diagram where mine is, as it is under my scar and I have to tell them everytime I need a fill!!! You are so far from a failure its not funny!!!! I didn't have my first fill until I was 12 weeks post op and I was a freaking mess. I had lost weight but it was so hard....These early times it is all about looking after your band, letting your tummy settle from the swelling and trauma, and allowing scar tissue to grow over the band to keep her in place.....I am as I am sure most people who have the band suffer from head hunger......The really great thing is the band slows what you can eat and that full feeling really does stop you from eating things that you shouldnt BUT unlike alot of people I eat what I want too...its just cut down into smaller portions and I find low fat/sugar versions of the yummy things I love!!! It took about 6 months to find me sweet spot and then we were off like a rocket....this time I have struggled emotionally, which has made it more difficult!! good luck hun, keep us updated on your fill!!

I have so much fat that it is hard to find!!! it is hard to feel and knowing that the site is only as large as your thumb nail it is so easy to lose them.....especially early on...I guess it also depends where you are your biggest....My doctors say it is unusual to be under the scar...above the scar I don't have as much fat so it is hard to find mine!! I cant feel it myself...well I probably could but ive never tried!!

there is Mylanta and gaviscon....there is also alka seltzer, but it is fizzy so you might want to stay away from that one unless u let it go flat first!!! Mylanta helped me lots too!!!

I made them draw a diagram on my notes so they know from now on!!! but I have a pretty high pain threshold lol!!! and well 4 years In I am so used to them.....But I do remember back to my first and it was all still tender!!!!! so it would of been uncomfy!! xox

Good luck to all of you on your banding journey!!!!

mine was empty and had first fill 3 weeks after to let the swelling ease, but each surgeon is different!!

huge hugs hunny!!! I have PTSD and agoraphobia from an assault 3 years ago. I also had to have a revision as my band had slipped after the assault. first time round I lost over 100 pounds in the first 12 months. Unfortunately that has not been the case. My revision was on the 25th of March 2009 and since then I have gone from 149kg to 187kg, down to 176kg and now back to 183kg. It has been a roller coaster of emotional stress, of me not feeling good enough to care for myself. I have had a fill and I am pretty sure I am at my sweet spot now....But it took me 2 years to even go back to see my surgeon to have one fill and I falter alot....You are not a failure hunny. My doctor said to me the other day without the band and with the head hunger I would be dead now. HE is so right I would of ended up being over 250kgs!!! he said that with all I have gone through he is proud of me!! I am seeing a counsellor weekly and the one thing that has always stuck in my mind that a very wise lady said to me "if your best friend was struggling like you are now, would you put her down, call her names, scream at her or be cruel to her" NO I snapped back......I would be gentle and soft, offer support and care and love........she looked at me and then it hit me!! instead of being my own best friend!! I have been my own worst enemy. Be gentle with yourself hunny and feel free to message me if you need a chat!!! I will leave you with a little saying that this beautiful lady taught me....When I am feeling sad, down, suicidal, anxious or frustrated, stop take three deep breaths, close your eyes and think of something beautiful and say this as many times as you need to May I be filled with loving kindness May I be happy May I be peaceful and at ease May I be well <3 <3 <3 <3

chicken is ok for me if it is smothered in a sauce or gravy...I can't do steak of any description but I think I am at my sweet spot...We have alot of stews here that help...could also be the cous cous...I can't eat rice, not one little bit of it!! so we have rice noodles...it is funny what sticks and what doesn't and its so different for each of us!!!

Oh gees to find mine can take 7 or 8 times lol!!! even when I tell them where it is....its under my scar which is unusual so they start poking where they think it it....I watch as this huge needle is sticking out of my gut as I have a drink to make sure there isnt too much in there!!!! we dont have the numbing cream or anything here either...I did have my first 2 fills by xray at my largest but now I am confident of where my port is it usually takes about 3 goes and I have lil band aids everywhere...It does feel a lil tender that first night, especially if they have poked n proded alot!!!!! good luck