Suffolkgirl19

Hi SunnyCorner & Allybee, Also, I’m not sure you will see this post but I just came across yours and had to reply. I also had a gastric-band/lap band fitted about a year and a half ago and I’ve lost about 1 stone (14lbs) in total. It has not been an easy journey. I believe in my situation I perhaps did not have a lot of weight to lose but have been trying over the past 10 years since having my children to lose 4 stone and could not seem to get past 7lbs each try. I am not very tall, 5ft 4” and was once a quite petite frame but over the years I had steadily started to gain weight bringing my weight st my heaviest to 14stone 6lbs. I decided to have a gastric band after trying several diets. I and those around me said I don’t eat a huge amount but my problem is lack of exercise and my love of carbs....potatoes, bread etc I went to see the surgeon to have the band fitted for advice and he said I was on the borderline of what they would accept to undergo the surgery (but of course as I was paying for it privately they are hardly likely to say no.....) And yes, he insisted the surgery was only a tool! After the surgery, I also took a while to completely recover and followed all dietary advice to a tee....soups, protein shakes (I found got stuck as they are quite thick)....watery soups and yogurt for the agreed time. It took for me about 6 visits to get my last band adjustment where the nurse filled my band to 6.5 mls to notice a difference. I’m not sure how they go about it in America but at my clinic in London they ask you to wait for half an hour after and have a drink (from the complimentary coffee/tea machine to make sure you can tolerate liquids before sending you home. In one occasion whereby my band was given a ml and a half, I could drink a coffee and swallow after the adjustment but when I tried something more substantial later that day nearly choked on my own saliva....I had to sleep upright that night because I could hardly swallow my own saliva I had to go back 2 days later to have the fluid removed.....I have not enjoyed the experience at all, it’s been more difficult than I anticipated at each stage and believe me, I knew it was going to be hard work but after paying £5000 I was determined for it to work. Now after a year and a half, I’ve just given up, my after care package is ongoing until July but I’ve just given up, i don’t look forward to eating anything anymore and enjoy my coffees more frequently. Eating meals has turned into an uncomfortable chore. I don’t/can’t eat breakfast, sometimes lunch gets missed too and I substitute with a latte to feel full. Food just gets stuck and I spend half an hour to an hour over the sink releasing all the saliva that has built up and I just can’t swallow, our evening meal with the kids is usually me stythere at the dinner table after they’ve all left because it gets stuck and I have to wait even thouyive chewed it for several minutes.....I’ve given up eating bread, any kind, al dente pasta because it’s too painful, most meats, things like shepherds pie and spaghetti bolognese are ok, salad leaves get stuck, it’s very difficult! So yes, I wish I hadn’t had it done. I know it works for a great many people, I must be the 1 in 10 it didn’t work for, so now I spent £5000 and can’t enjoy a meal anymore!