jen_e

Should I be feeling hungry? I could eat a horse! I am behaving & sticking to fluids only as I dont want to do any damage. Has anyone else experienced this & what did they do?

Well at long last I've had my 1st fill. Thank-goodness, as I was getting a bit despondent about the amount of food I was eating.(luckily no wt gain) The Dr said he put a large band in ( said he was going to use a small one:sad:) therefore it was just like nothing had been done! He put 7.5mls in and I can certainly feel the difference. Yay! Now I feel properly banded. :frown: That 8 weeks was a long time to wait when I didn't know why I was so hungry & was worried that I eating too much.:w00t: All good now. Jen

I had to wait 8 weeks before my 1st fill (which I've just had...thank goodness). I was quite despondent as I was eating pretty well as much as before banding and didn't understand why I was so hungry & could eat so much. The practise nurse just said to eat more protein & less carbs!!!! At my fill the Dr said he put a large band on (he'd told me he was going to use a small one ) so there was absolutely no restriction. He put 7.5mls in & I can certainly notice a difference. I am so relieved & excited to feel I have truely joined the band brigade at last.:w00t: (even though I had a nasty experience with grain bread last night.:frown:) So keep on keeping on Carol. Those next few weeks will pass & in no time you too will have some restriction!:tt1: Kyla you are so fortunate that you dont feel hungry. It's so hard for us hungry fiends to hear of you guys who are not hungry right from the start. Jen

Still hungry. The dietician told me to have mainly vitimised meat with a few vegies made into soup, & to cut down on milk products such as yoghurt & even home made egg custard. So more protein, less carbs. I think I'll develop water toxicity if I drink more water lol. Went to State of Origin last night (shame job QLD) had beer & hot chips (shame job me). All went down no probs. But wont do it again. Hopefuly I'll feel better next week when I start mushies.

Check out brisbanebandsters.com

Hi, I'm Jen, fair, fat and 52 & live in Australia. It's been great reading all your stories and the support provided to everyone is wonderful. I was a skinny kid. My Mother had me on iron tonic LOL. I was always careful with watching my weight from my late teens tho I was never overweight. I jinxed myself when I was in my 30's when I went to see a cardiologist with my Mum. He wouldn't operate on her as she was female, too old & obese. He commented I was nice & slim. I replied I had no intention of getting like my Mother. Ha! Famous last words! Since my late 30's I've being on every diet going. Finally decided I'd be fat forever & gave up for some years. Deluded myself I wasn't really that bad. My DD told me gently that she was a little embarrassed when we went out. So I managed to loose 50lbs and was feeling pretty good with another 35 to go. Never happened. LOL It all went back on.:huh2: I wanted to see my girls get married & have children so here I am. Good luck to everyone and keep up the inspiring stories.:sad:

Mine gave me a BMI of 27 but I'd like to get to 23-24

Congratulations on giving yourself a healthier life to look after that boy of yours. Good luck with your journey!

Hear Hear to all the above. Slim people have also said it's the easy way out or a drastic thing to do. But they dont understand what it is like to yo-yo diet and feel like crap and worry that you'll die or have a stroke and be a burden, not see your children/grandchildren grow up, not enjoy life cos you are uncomfortable/embarressed, cant get around so well, buy nice clothes etc. etc. Hell no! We aren't cheaters...we want to live healthy, happy lives!

A few posts with dates have been missed between 8th & 12th July. Just lettin ya know... :-)

I was done on 2nd. I stayed in hosp 2 days as I had to drive myself home. I think I was pretty lucky as I could lie on either side 1st night (with a bit of discomfort). I used liquid analgesia for the 1st 3 nights & mornings at home.Probably didn't need it but I dont like pain & my biggest incision would really sting for a while when I 1st got up in the morning. No gas pain really, tiny bit of L) shoulder tip pain on occasion for 2 days. I have a longish lump going from largest insision across to next incision that was tender for 8 days. It's still there but not as big.Also had an uncomfortable feeling under the tip of lower L) rib which no position could relieve. But it went on day 9 too. Now I feel great tho hungry. I was on clear fluid for 1 day now on low cal, higher protein fluids for 3 weeks, then sloppy, pureed normal food for 2 weeks then normal for 3 weeks then 1st fill. I cant wait til then. I'll have put on all the weight I've lost once I get onto pureed & normal food. Argh!

I think because you swollow air when you chew gum and it can give your already gassy body even more air and gass to deal with. Thats what my banded friend told me anyways when I asked her. Im a gum addict. Thats gonna be a hard one to kick. All my info says what you said. Im a gum addict too and have kept chewing..I burp more. I also swallow it. :eek:Told the Dr I'd have to remember not to any more. He said 'well it's not a good habit but probably small enough not to cause problems.' I have forgotten to spit it out and luckily it hasn't caused problems.

When were you banded? What are you supposed to be eating now? I was banded 2nd July with no fill. Some days I'm not too bad but frequently feel I could eat a horse. I was so hungry last night I ate 2 slices of bread no worries. then an hour later had 2 slices of toast!!!! :crying:Argh!!! I'm sposed to be on fluids for another 2 weeks. Will be phoning Dr. on Mon as I dont want to cause a slip or stretch my pouch. :confused:

I was banded on July 2nd and have experienced a similar thing. It has been the only painful thing post op. I thought it was muscle but haven't been to see Dr, just waiting to see how it goes and if no better in a few more days I was going to ph him. Today it is actually much less painful and not as hard. So hopefully it will keep getting better. I had also been getting an annoying, discomfort rather than painful, feeling under the tip of my left bottom rib. I couldn't find any position relieved it but thank goodness it seems to be gone today. Hope you are better soon.

July 2nd...Good & done!

Luckily I live alone & am not yet back at work. My breath is now far worse than pre-surgery shake diet..so bad I can notice it myself! I also need charcoal tablets..vulgar I know, but that end has changed too.

Wow Iris! That's fantastic! I was banded the same day as you. I have 6 incisions! Only the big one is tender. Otherwise I've had no problems either. I'm a lazy toad & taking 2 weeks off work lol. How are you going with your post op diet? I feel like I could eat a horse at times but am sticking to the instructions as I dont want to do any damage. Good luck with your journey. You're off to a great start Jen

I was banded on the 2nd too. My instructions were clear Fluid 1st day then anything I could suck up a straw until week 3. I'm having V8 vege juice, clear chicken. tom yum, tomato, potato,corn & bacon, pea&ham Soups, drinking yoghurt, home made egg custard, diet jelly, lo fat yoghurt, up&go Breakfast drinks as well as Optifast shakes. I stick to 3 'meals' /day plus 3 'snacks' so really 6 feeds a day plus 2lts Water, coffee, tea & diet cordial. I asked my Dr if I should stick to 120mls at a time over 1/2hr but he said to drink until I felt satisfied which worries me a bit cos sometimes I feel like I could eat a horse. I do feel fuller if the liquid is a bit thicker tho. I dont want to stretch my pouch!!!!

Good luck Shasha. I'm sure you will find them very supportive.

Hi Kyla, Thanks for your best wishes. That's what my Dr said 'why wait til you are bigger and have more health issues'..if you have had wt issues for years and tried really hard to lose weight numerous times he will do the op if your BMI is under 35. It does depend on the individual situation though. I lost 20kg 18mths ago and of course...put most of it back on. Good luck with your opti fast & op. I shall look forward to hearing how you go. Take care, Jen

Hi Shasha, My Dr is Doug Nicholson. He's at Sunnybank.He's a no nonsense person, good sense of humour & very supportive. Dr John Copp is in Ipswich Dr Mark Doud, Dr Phillip Lockie, Dr Blair Bowden and Dr Justine Greenslade are just a few Brisbane surgeons. Check out their web sites. Good luck with finding one who suits you. Jen

Hi Kyla, My op went off no problems. I stayed in hospital 2 nights but only cos I had to drive myself home (1hr drive). At 4 days post op I feel pretty good, only a bit stiff when I get up in the morning and if I move around too quickly. Dissolving panadol takes care of that. Re the comments I have heard, which have been from slim people. One couple said of a person who was banded 'we think it's really irresponsible of her & her Dr. She's not that fat that she needs an operation'. I said that they shouldn't make a judgement as they dont know what she has tried to do re losing weight and they dont know if she had any co-morbidities. One of my close friends, who knows how I've battled with my weight, commented on another person ...'why cant she go to the gym, go walking, eat smaller amounts, join a diet group like weight watchers..you know, do normal things to lose weight instead of having surgery' It seems it is only ok to have surgery if you are so overweight you can barely move. And to hear the comments on those who have had the sleeve op! How crazy they are and all the disasters that MAY happen to them. Oh brother it makes me mad. I'd like for those people to experience what overweight people go through. So I shall continue to say nothing but quietly try to educate these people if the subject comes up. Jen ps I think the general thought is that surgery is a drastic way to lose weight. I haven't heard anyone say it's a lazy way to lose weight.

I'm a nurse and am getting banded in 2 days:eek:. I have told a selected few people I am having a hiatus hernia repair and that I have to lose weight because my cholesterol is high and my fasting blood sugar was higher than normal...which is true.The only people who know whats happening are my 2 daughters. The reason I said I was having a hernia repair is that so many people at work are scathing & judgemental about others who have been banded. These people are supposed caring professionals!!!!:cursing: Plus the scars are the same as banding scars. I am a little concerned about having to explain what I'm eating initially when I return to work as I will still be on slops. Arh! I'll think of some white lie. It's none of their business & I am the one who is doing something about staying alive & healthy to enjoy a fantastic future.:tongue2: I brought in a certificate from the Dr for 2 weeks off...no explaination needed. Good luck with your journey :thumbup: Jen