elcee

So long as you follow the rules(small bites, eating slowly, waiting between mouthfuls etc) there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to eat most foods. I still go out to eat, I still go to dinner at friends - even ones that don't know I'm banded and I still eat and enjoy myself. You will probably end up eating the burger without the bun,you may decide that you would prefer a nice moist chicken kebab rather than an overcooked dry piece of steak but you will still be able to join in. For dinner last night we had garlic prawns - yum.

Glad you found it - I've only just got up ! It is interesting that you think you may have found a link with your insulin and hunger. I hope so as that may be easier to control than having to undergo another surgery. I have nothing against the sleeve and would probably consider a revision if something went wrong with my band but it does concern me that it in many ways is so similar to the band so if you are not successful with one then potentially you may not be with the other. Yes there is the ghrelin element but reading the board it does seem that not everyone experiences that benefit and actually reading the board it seems a lot of people struggle in similar ways to those who are banded.

Interesting info from your surgeon. I know that they are constantly learning new things about the band - I didn't realise that it was supposed to have an effect on the hormones. I thought it worked more because of the pressure on the vagus nerve as that is the nerve that helps give the sensation of saiety . You know that same wretched nerve that has been causing all your shoulder pain. Cleo's Mum - I understand what you are saying about your bottom stomach being empty but do you realise that it is not empty for long as the food is passing through the band a lot quicker than was initially thought. That is why when you are stuck you feel it instantly. I was reading the VSG board a couple of days ago and there was a thread on their about hunger after being sleeved. There were a couple of people who did not seem to have the desired hunger reduction due to the decreased ghrelin levels. So it is possible that you could revise and still have the same issue. Do lots of research before you decide what to do. Look at bypass as well. Nanook had issues with the band where it did not work for her and she has since successfully revised to bypass. Maybe PM her and ask some questions. It may be that you need the malabsorption as well. Its a pity that there isn't some kind of test that thye could do prior to surgery to match people with the one that would be most suitable for them. Good luck.

The difference in mls needed to reach restriction with a lap band or realize band is not because of the capacity. It is because the Realize band is designed and marketed as a low pressure band and that is what seems to make the difference.

Elfie Just wondering why you are thinking of revising to the sleeve? As a purely restrictive procedure (same as band) if you are not having success with the band then I imagine that the same would be true with the sleeve. It might be that bypass of some type might be a better option for you. I have been doing a lot of reading on the sleeve board so I can try and find out more about it. Most people at this point seem to be extremely happy with their sleeves. Some points that I have picked up include:- That you still have to watch what you eat. That you still have to exercise. That it does not stop you from eating those sliders. That there are people who at a year+ out are concerned about possible regain. I don't think there are as many stuck issues as with a band but I think(not sure) that I did read somewhere that you still have to be careful. That some people still have hunger issues (head or otherwise) There seem to be less foods that people have issues with. Most sleevers seem to be on permanent acid reducing meds. This one I find really strange as a reflux is often quoted as a reason for swapping from band to sleeve. If I was you I would join the other board, read as much as possible, ask lots of questions and also discuss the pro's and cons of the other types of WLS with your Dr as well. There are some sleevers that are still members of this board too.MP8BTPC had a sleeve a couple of months ago , is doing really well and is really nice. Why not send her a pm and ask her a couple of questions. Stacie hope you go well with your exams and also find a way forward with whether to revise to another kind of surgery. At least you know that you had the issue beforehand and it wasn't caused by the band.

Leigha that's good to hear. I was worrying that you were cleaning out a rental house for YOU to live in. It is scary how some people live isn't it. It's one of the things that puts me off buying a rental property(apart from lack of funds). It seems that people can mess the place up, not pay rent etc etc and the rent board always seems to rule in favour of the tenant. I still think I have a back to front band. Most people complain of being tight in the morning. Generally mine is fine then but it sometimes gives me problems at night. Last 2 nights couldn't get dinner down - major sliming episodes. Yesterday i think it was due to stress. We had an appointment for someone to come and quote us on a Pergola. The company told us last appointment was at 6pm and that they needed to see both myself and my husband. This meant hubby had to leave work early to get home on time. 6.20 no rep, no phone call so I decided to phone him. He was still at his last client which was about 30 min away. Yes I understand people can be delayed but what happened to manners. He could have called us and informed us that he was going to be late. He eventually arrived just before 7pm (no Bollywood class for me again). Was here for about an hour. Didn't like him. He was very arrogant, spoke to us like we knew nothing and instead of telling us what he could do and pricing various options was more focused on our budget. He eventually came up with a price of +/-$29 000 but could give us a discount of 15% brining it to +/-$24000 plus $ 2000 for a permit and insurance!!!! I think he must have been smoking something. This was more than double the price that someone else had quoted me for something similar. Because we told him he was way out he did not even leave a professional quote but scribbled the price on the back of his card - this is supposed to be the biggest pergola company in Aus. Heaven knows how/where they get their business. However as a result my dinner (mince) was drier than it should have been and I probably tried to eat too fast as I was starving. Eventually had to give up and resort to a glass of wine, small bowl of icecream and a couple of squares of chocolate. What was that about sins Elfie? I don't think there is any hope of redemption for me!

I was discussing this with my husband the other day. Asked him if I was now too bony and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. He does not like fat women but to give him credit he never once told me that I needed to lose weight.He's getting a bit thicker around the middle himself and it would be nice if he toned up but it certainly doesn't make any difference in bed. 90% of sex is in the mind anyway so if you close your eyes you can imagine anything/anyone you want. I do think that if it is such a big issue there is something deeper going on. Therapy could be the answer but if he is not willing to go to therapy then that is an indicator that he is not interested in fixing whatever it is that's broken. Maybe he finds it easier to blame your weight loss than to tell you what is really going on - particularly if what is going on involves him.

Me too - I've got my toes and fingers crossed.

There is a whole board dedicated to this surgery. Just scroll down the left hand side of the page and you should see the link.

I wasn't big enough either. Or at least according to my GP who refused to refer me. So what did I do - I went to see the surgeon anyway, have been banded almost 18 months am at goal and happily maintaining. Do I have any regrets? Just 1 - that I didn't do it sooner.

I wouldn't have told them. It's your business not theirs. The only person that needs to know and be supportive is your husband and you already said that he is. Your Mum is probably scared. It's surgery, elective surgery and she is scared that something might happen to you. Reassure her by telling her that there are less risks from the surgery than there are from remaining overweight. As to the rest - tell them to butt out or bug off!

I agree that it sounds like a slip. Sorry that you are having such a tough time at the moment. Hope it all starts going right soon.

Dave I think you have hit the nail on the head. The band helps by controlling hunger. If you are not permanently hungry then it is much easier to stick to your diet/healthy eating plan. But as both of you have stated it does not do it for you. You still have to choose healthy , high nutrition, lower calorie foods. you still have to exercise. But it's like the difference between fighting a war with tanks instead of bows and arrows.

A sado/masochist

There are a couple of British celebs as well. Fern Britton - there was quite a scandal when she got outed as she had been in numerous magazines promoting diets/ryvita and other things. Vanessa Feltz has just had hers done. There was some other person that I read about in a magazine but I can't remember her name.

Elfie you sound as though you are doing really well. Resisting all that temptation , I am proud of you. Keep it up and the scales will eventually have to concede defeat and start waving the white flag. Leigha hope you are OK. Housecleaning doesn't sound like fun but think of all the calories you are expending! Are you getting a new tenant or are you moving? I had a fairly busy weekend. Saturday i worked. I have an upside down life - didn't work all week but have to work on a saturday! It does have it's upsides though. Came home and hubby had cooked a delicious dinner. Beef strog in the slow cooker.He had also made dessert which I only had yesterday as I was too full. I know that I don't need all this sweet stuff but when he put so much effort into making it it's a bit hard to refuse. Yesterday was monthly support group meeting. I love going to catch up with people and see how they are doing. Today i am going to a class to finish the Christmas wall hanging i started last week. Should probably go and jump in the shower and get ready. Keep up the good work everyone.

Shads glad you got your fill. Now I don't know how fluoro works as I have never had one but do they take an actual hard copy like with a normal x-ray? If they do then give it to your new surgeon and I am sure that it will help to locate the port quickly and easily. Hope the upset stomach resolves itself soon.

Christie - You go girl - you look amazing. Nothing like a toy boy to boost the self esteem. You know I think it is time they overhauled the marriage/polygamy laws. Currently they have it all wrong. There is no way 1 man can afford to keep even 1 woman in the way that she would like to be, they should change it so that a woman is allowed more than 1 husband. That way there would be 2 husbands salaries to spend on shoes, bags, holidays etc. I think 1 husband should be a hot toy boy - something nice to amuse you when you feel the need - doesn't have to have a brain, no conversation required! The second should be older , someone that you connect with on a cerebral level.................. OK it's not going to happen but it's nice to dream isn't it!

I agree with Elfie. It sounds as though you are doing fine at the moment so if you don't need the fill don't get it. I am wondering when you say you stick to soft foods what you are eating? Are you eating things such as meat,fish,chicken? These are important as Proteins help to keep you full longer and are the type of foods that the band works best with. Or are you avoiding these kind of foods because of your fear of getting stuck/vomiting? If you are avoiding these kind of foods because of your fear I think that needs to be addressed. Yes getting stuck hurts but it can be avoided by following the rules - small bits, eating slowly,chewing well etc. Most people do not vomit postband. They slime or PB which is totally different. It is nothing like vomiting. It is more like when you have bad post nasal drip and you have to cough up a lot of mucus. No bile, no sour taste, no stomach contractions. Don't let your fear put you off using your band to its full potential but also don't go and get a fill if you don't need one.

Most surgeons require you to be obese at the very minimum. With a BMI of 29 you are not even obese.I assume that you must be self pay? I don't know if you would be able to get a surgeon in Mexico to band you I very much doubt (although I don't know) that anyone in the US would be happy to do it. You do realise don't you that the band is not a magical solution? It is a tool that you have to work with. You need to make healthy choices and exercise.It is possible that if you commit to this you may lose the weight without the band. I am not saying that it is right or wrong that you cannot get a band unless you are heavier, just stating what seems to be the situation at the moment.

6 meals seems to be a lot. Most Dr's advise 3 but will bend on allowing a healthy snack between meals if required. That still only makes 5. When/what are you eating? Did your Dr advise you to eat this often? I have no trouble eating before I go to bed although its not something I do often.

there isn't really any food i miss because I can still eat just about anything. It would be nice though to be able to eat a piece of nice medium rare steak and not worry in case it gets stuck.

No I don't feel deprived. I eat enough to not be hungry and I eat a wide variety of foods.It is normal to be nervous at this stage but once you are on the other side you will be thinking 'hell I wish I had this done sooner"! All the best.