lellow

I woke up this morning and I feel OH so much better than I have the last few days. I was starting to worry that I'd never feel ok again.
 
This surgery was harder than the initial surgery. It hurt more. It took more out of me. Mind you, I *am* almost 5 years older than I was then. Maybe that's it, maybe it's just coz I'm an old chook now lol.
 
I'm still on a liquid diet - full liquids, with the thickest thing I am having being yoghurt, and I'm doing it easily. I'm rarely hungry and this reminds me so much of when I was in my green zone, when I nearly never felt hungry. I have great hopes of getting there again now I have a new band in.
 
I've also lost almost 5lbs since surgery. I'm not trying to take that loss too seriously but, if I'm honest, I'm ridiculously happy because I've been so careful with my intake and exercise the last few months and not lost a measly lb without the band. This is why I went back to get a new band, because it works for me.
 
Next stop: the green zone. I have my first fill in a couple of weeks, and then hopefully it won't be too long until I'm back there again, and I can go back to happily living my life with my band like I did for the 3 years before the leak.
 
Fingers crossed.

So here I am, 4 days after full band replacement surgery. Feeling weird because I've done this before so I don't really relate to those who have just gotten their bands for the first time, but at the same time, knowing that what I'm going through isn't much different.
 
S why did I get a band replacement?
 
Well my band has been leaking for 15 months now, maybe longer. I was first banded in 2008 and had great success with the band, losing all my excess weight and more. In fact the band was so successful for me that I eventually had to make a conscious decision not to lose anymore.
 
I finally settled on a 'happy' weight of 128lbs and maintained for 3 years before one day feeling almost like something 'popped' in my belly. I was able to eat more for a while before hand but after that day, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat. I felt no restriction. So I took myself off to see my surgeon.
 
March 2012, I got port replacement surgery. The tubing had an obvious leak in it. All done. Leak sorted. Right?
 
Wrong. I still couldn't keep any restriction and soon they realised that, yes, I was still losing fluid from my band. This time, in Aug 2012, when I went in for a port replacement though, they didn't find any leak, so they didn't change anything, just sewed me back up.
 
Fast forward to early 2013. I have given up on my band working. I've gained 37lbs and with diet and exercise, I lose 15lbs of that, but it's annoying me, niggling me, that the band isn't working, so I make an appt to see my dr again.
 
I've lost fluid from my band. Again.
 
So after all that, 4 days ago, I finally got a full band replacement. I tossed up the idea of revising to a sleeve but decided to stick with the band because when it works, it works a charm for me.
 
Right now I'm really sore and sorry for myself. I remember feeling better far more quickly after my initial band op. They also moved my port from my right hand side to the my left hand side so I'm sore in both places now.
 
I've got some localised swelling but I'm hoping that it's subsiding. In the meantime, I'm having liquids, and have lost 2lbs already in 4 days, though I know enough not to really count those lbs in the long run!
 
I have a fill in 3 weeks so I'm hoping that I've now rejoined the band life for real.