Leah28

Liquid stage is very tedious. I think I could only think about having Soup now 7 months later cos I just couldn't stand soup by the end of it! The lolly isn't bad in terms of hurting your band cos it was dissolved before it got to your stomach but probably not in the spirit of the whole thing :tongue2: My doctor said though that the first 6 weeks after are about healing, not losing weight. I struggled to get down much at all for the first few weeks, so struggling with 50mls isn't uncommon

I won't be able to make a Saturday lunch, unless maybe it is a late-ish lunch cos we'll be driving down from Roxby that day! I'll wait and see where you guys decide and then see what I can do!

I would love love love to! I will be down in Adelaide on the 17th, 18th and 19th of October. Of course I don't expect everyone to work around me, but would love to be able to go. Maybe a Sunday lunch would be good? I don't mind where, happy to travel where ever suits everyone!

Hi, I was banded by Dr Bessell. After mushies is soft food. I stayed on soft food for about a week and a half, then started introducing more solid foods. On soft foods I had stuff like macaroni & cheese, mince meat, baked Beans and steamed vegies. Hang in there - remember that the end is in sight and you won't have to do it ever again!

Hey there CallieOzGirl. I was banded by Dr Bessell as well, back on 04/02 this year. How are you going with everything so far?

You have done so, so well! Congrats :thumbup: I am just over 6 months out too and have lost just over 26kgs now, countless inches (at least 10 off both my waist and hips) and have gone from a size 24 to a size 18 (but even bought some size 16 clothes this weekend!). Yay for us!

Don't get down on yourself Sue. I was the same for a long while, because my first fill didn't do anything. Its hard not to, I know, like I haven't lost anyting in the last 2 months but I have lost cms. Are you doing your measurements? Perhaps that may make you feel a bit better about the situation. In the 2 months I lost no kgs, I lost 2 inches off both my waist and hips. How that works, I dunno cos really muscle can't weigh that much lol

hair loss is completely normal and there is bugger all you can do about it. My surgeon told me before the operation that 60% of patients will lose their hair - they don't know why, and there isn't anything you can do to prevent or stop it happening. My hair started falling out about 3 months after my operation, and fell out rapidly for two months. It then stopped, but just the other day it started again. I do everything right - multi, right amount of Protein and nutrients, take very good care of my hair etc and it still happens. I have lost about 40% of my hair, I reckon. Luckily it was very thick before so now is like a normal head of hair!

Hi All, I got my first fill just over two weeks ago and it all went fine, apart from the pain when pressing on the port, but got the saline in there and off I went. I went back the other day for my second and after five very painful tries, the doctor gave up trying to get the needle in my port. I was really upset, half from the pain and half from the disappointment, and walked out in a flood of tears. Thank god my fiance was there with me this time! I have to go back on the 16th and get my fill under x-ray. Just wondering how many others have to get their fills under x-ray? And is getting fills really painful for anyone else? I can handle the needle, but the pressing on my stomach really hurts me. Also, where is everyone's ports located? I thought that generally they were off to one side... Mine is smack bang in the middle of my belly, about an inch above my belly button. I'm worried it is going to stick out once I have lost more weight... Also wondering

My port is twisted, and I have to have fills under fluroscope. It does hurt sometimes when I lay on my stomach, or my fiance rests his arm over my belly. And it does stick out a lot, but otherwise its no problem.

I am definitely tighter in the morning. I can manage mushy Cereal and that is it. Even scrambled eggs get stuck! By about lunch time it loosens up and I can eat normally. By dinner time, even things like bread and steak aren't a problem! I also agree that I am a little tighter around that time of the month as well. Don't know why, and it doesn't bother me any so I'm not worried about it.

Mine is smack bang in the middle of my stomach about 2 inches above my belly button!

Hi Sue and welcome. How exciting! I remember the anticipation of waiting. Good luck with it all!

Hi Choney. I am with Dr Bessell and team, so can't really offer any recommendations for others though Jess is with Dr Lillian Kow and she swears by her. I have finally reached 25kgs lost! Though I suspect tomorrow I won't be... I think its the result of severe dehydration from a night out lol Though I did walk 5kms most nights last week as well as 2 PT sessions!!

Tuna, shepards pie (vitamised the meat part), mashed vegies, spaghetti bolognese (again, vitamised the meat part and broke up the spaghetti into very little pieces), rice custard, macaroni and cheese... And the list goes on. My slow cooker got a work out during the mushie phase - it makes the meat really tender so easy to vitamise and still tasty!

Hi Trish. Sounds like you might have a 12ml band? I hope that your new fill does make a difference for you. I am at a point where I reckon I definitely need more fill, but the problem is getting it. I can't get to Adelaide for a while now, so I might just have to ride it out. I'm not starving or eating heaps or anything, but I'm not really losing either despite monumental amounts of exercise! I'm hoping its hormonal lol I almost got stuck yesterday for the first time in a while - while eating an orange! Fruit is one of the hardest things to eat, I think. I can handle bread and steak, but cos fruit is so fibrous I can feel and sometimes even hear it go through the hand haha. I've had pineapple stuck before which wasn't fun. But the good news is that I ordered a dress online for Roxby Races on August 1. I got an 18, and was expecting to need to work my butt off to fit into it by race day but it fits perfectly and I reckon if I lose my 5kg goal for this month, it'll be too big! Such a dilemma!

Spaniel, hospital cover is pretty much all you need really. Dr Bessell charges a surgery fee of $3500, of which I paid $1900, private health paid $1092 and Medicare paid the remainder. But you can always use another surgeon that doesn't charge a surgery fee. The hospital stay is what is expensive - my private health paid out $9.5k for my hospital stay! Definitely give your fund a call and find out. Hope it is covered for you!

Hi Spaniel, I read somewhere that they don't do public patients (medicare funded) in SA, but happy to be proven wrong. If they do, then the wait is pretty long. Do you have private health? That would be the easiest way to have it done. You do have to wait 12 months though. Luckily I already had private health so as soon as I decided I wanted to have the surgery I was ready to go. I was banded by Dr Justin Bessell at Calvary Wakefield. I highly recommend him and his team. He is a little more expensive than others but the service his clinic offers is second to none, in my opinion. My out of pocket cost was about $3500 all up. That including a $1900 gap on the surgery, $400 private health excess, pre-op appointments around $500 and a few other bits. Post op costs are about $150 every 3 months (that's after claiming dietician and psychologist costs from private health and fills on Medicare).

Congrats on being banded, Kitty, and good luck with the next four weeks of liquids and mushies. I was sore and bloated for about a week after, so I know how you're feeling! Its definitely all worth it in the end though.

Yep, I was 24-26, and am now down to an 18 in most things. Loving it! I'd be happy to be a comfortable 12-14. Re: your pain... I know its gross, but is there a chance you are constipated? Some times I have to resort to laxatives when Benefibre just doesn't help. I hate doing it cos I abused laxatives for a long time and it totally stuffed my bowels. Only got back to normal about 6 months ago. But sometimes I am in a lot of pain because I can't pass a bowel movement and it does feel like period pain. Gas also feels like period pain to me, so could be it! Hope so anyways, at least its a simple fix!

Hey Trish, Yes, I have experienced lots of different pains related to the band!!! When I have pain all through my abdomen its usually gas. I'd never had an issue with gas before the band, so the first couple of times I had no idea what it was... Degas tabs help me out there. I've also had pain around my port after a big of a hard slog at the gym. Especially when my person trainer has me on my stomach on a swiss ball, I find my port site is tender for a day or two after. What does your pain feel like (other than painful...)? Is it sharp? Stabbing? Constant? Aching? And where is it? All over, centralised in one spot and if so where? On another note, my god you are going so well with your weight loss! I am totally jealous :thumbup:. You'll be able to tell that mother-in-law of yours to go jump very soon!!

Good luck Kitty! 7kgs is great for pre-surgery loss. I lost 7.2kgs before surgery. It was a great kickstart. Looking forward to hearing how it all went!

I could sleep properly after about 10 days, including sleeping on my stomach.

Hi Kitty, welcome! I told everyone about my intentions getting the band. No one said I shouldn't - because, damn, I was 135.6kg! I needed to lose weight. At 111.6kg now and people ask how much more I want to lose, and I say around another 30kgs more and they all say "But then there'll be nothing left of you!" until I tell them that would still make me 80kgs! Where are you having your surgery done?

I had a lot of pain as well. Getting up out of bed was very difficult. Everyone is different - some people are lucky sods and have no pain at all, then there are ones like us that are in agony! You'll notice a difference in a couple of days. Oh, and congrats on the banding!