Goannabanda

I was banded on 5th Oct 2006, in Australia. I have been given the new AP type band. I think it is an Inamed band, but I honestly don't know for sure. I didn't get the usual post-op booklet or card (which the other bandsters done with me got with their VG bands), and even the post-op nurse didn't know anything about it when I went yesterday to have my staples out. I will find out more when I see my surgon on 25th Nov, but until then, I am interested to find out how many other LBTers have this band, and what we know about them. So far I know the following about them: they are either APS (small) or APL (large) they are considered by some to be "the next generation in AGBs" they are more concentric (rounded) when inflated than other AGB types they have the locking mechanism isolated from the stomach the silicone material is much softer than other AGP types they are considered less likely to cause blockage or obstruction than other AGP types they are considered less likely to slip than other AGP types they are considered to be less likely to cause band erosion than other AGP types Post away all ye AP bandsters!!!

G'day fellow Aussies! Our section of LBT has been a little quiet lately - there seems to be a few regular Aussie LBT posters, but I am sure that there's many more of us lurking around... ...so, it's now time to show yourselves. How about a quick post onto this thread to let us know who you are, where in Australia you're from, your progress so far etc. You are welcome to include any questions / issues / information you have for discussion, or any support that you may be needing right now too - after all, we're all here to help each other! Okay - I'll start: I'm Anna from Aspendale. I hang out here at LBT most weeknights, and sometimes over the weekend too if I can get time. I particularly enjoy reading the Aussie posts on LBT - the Aussie perspectives are highly relatable, common sense, and refreshing to read. I'd like to see more Aussie involvement around LBT, and in our own little corner of the forum (one of the reasons why I started this thread). I am counting the days until my pre-op fast begins (16) and operation (30). I'm currently enjoying the last days of not concentrating on chewing every bite, but also wanting the banding to begin! Worried / working on strategies to deal with head hunger issues post-banding - this is one of my biggest concerns right now. Looking forward to hearing from all the other Aussies around LBT. So it's cheers from me, and good-onya mates!

Hi tarajane - glad the men's clothes were a success. I still have the ladies' bag - hoping to have a clothing exchange at the hospital sometime soon. We missed you last night at the meeting - we met the new nurse, and the speaker was awesome. I can't remember the girl's name, but she was a fairly young girl (mid 20's??) She'd been banded 4yrs, and had a full body lift, additional tummy lift and inner thigh lift. She was going back for arms and boobs soon. Her PS was a fellow down on the Mornington Penn somewhere. She looked amazing. It was great to see everyone - Mark and Rosie both asked after you. Cindy, Nat and Jenny are all looking fantasitc - they have really lost a lot of weight each. Rava - hope that your doc / hosptial can support you with additional diet info. Maybe you could suggest that they give their patients some written instructions to help them in future. Susannah - life here in Assy is great, thanks. Sorry you had to join me in the land if the unfilled - I am keen to get some restriciton back. I put on about 1kg in the last 2 weeks, not as bad as I thought as I have been eating badly (stress due to job interview / contract negotiations). I will have to work and watch now to lose it again, and not put any more back on before my refill. I am booked to go back on 11 May for a review. Bring it on!!!! blythes - you are right, it is hard to accept that this is long term. Wish we could just wake up after the surgery and be slim aready!!! LOL! Wish also that they banded my brain as well as my belly - aaaargh! And for chicke, fee and anyone else - Please don't think my silence is due to a lack of care or concern for anyone of us. I find it hard to keep up with everyone in such a large group. Sometimes I just don't have anything to add, or am not here long enough to respond to everyone. Feel free to PM me at any time if you need a hand or chat, or pop over to band2gether.net and find me there as I tend to be there most evenings, and here at LBT every couple of days or thereabouts. Hope that everyone enjoyed their ANZAC Day - we went to the march in Melbourne, to watch DH's grandad march, to remember all of our service men and women and give thanks for the things they have done to bless us with our Aussie way of life. Grampy is a veteran of the 39th Battallion, who were the first boys on the Kokoda Track. They did it really rough, and because of them that the legend of the Kokoda Track was born. We are so proud of him and all his mates for what they did for our country. Grampy went on and had a long army career, eventually becomming the RSM - and is very well known in military circles for his service in WW2 and Vietnam. Apart from that he is a classic old time Aussie - but to us, he's our precious Grampy above all else. An ANZAC Day reflection, the Ode To Rememberance: They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Lisa - something I forgot to add before. If you are hungry on liquids, try having a Protein based Soup for your main meals (eg. chicken, lamb, seafood). A protein boost by adding a generous dollop of low-fat yoghurt, sour cream into Soups / smoothies also helped me heaps. Protein shakes work well for many bandsters as a means to manage hunger, but I can't stand them. Just a reminder that ESV Bandworks meeting is on at 7pm at The Valley Private tomorrow night. I am looking forward to seeing many of us there!

Hi Lisa, Personally I would wait for soft food until you are allowed by your surgeon. You should have been given some sort of post-op meal plan / diet guidelines, whcih should be followed carefully, so as to give you band time to heal and settle in place. If you didn't get any post-op diet advice, you should talk with your surgeon about that. Your liquids should go down easily with no effort, that's the whole point, as the diet is designed to let your stomach rest, and to minimise any digestive motions that could disrupt the healing of your band. Your band has been sewn onto your stomach. It needs about 6 weeks minimum to heal and build a scar bed around your band to help hold it securely in place. The liquids and mushy foods stages help with the healing by giving your stomach a rest. For me I had 3 weeks full liquids, then 3 weeks mushies, with a gradual transition to solids by 6 weeks post op. We were advised that if we were hungry during liquids or mushies to have more, but only the allowed food texture for whatever stage you are at should be consumed. As above, you should talk with your doctor about what they require / recommend, and good luck!

Hiya Jenny, thanks for the info. Looking forward to catching up with you soon - my coffee quota has dropped considerably over the past couple of months! LOL! Anna.

Hi everyone - I have been MIA from LBT for quite a while. Good to see you all, and thanks for the new thread Susannah. Susannah - if you stay too tight for more than a few days (up to a week)after a fill, you need to talk to your doctor. You might need a slight unfill. It is fairly common to be too tight in the morning. I am in the hot drink before Breakfast brigade, and then only usually manage to eat soft things for brekky like yoghurt, porridge, wheet bix. By lunch / dinner time, you should be able to eat solid food, albeit in small portions. I am just recovering from a too tight band incident. I was in constant back / chest pain for about a week over Easter. I had 1 PB / vomit mid way through the week, and the rest of the time just killer pain. I was on liquids / mush for several days, but it din't help. It got so bad by the time I could get to the doctor that I couldn't lie or sit comfortably. I got in trouble for not getting unfilled sooner, but the timing over the holiday was not going in my favour. I went in last week and had a partial unfill - 1 ml was taken out, leaving me with 2ml in my 14ml APL. The restriction crept up to too tight quite gradually - I can't put my finger on any one incident that triggered it off. I am going back in a couple of weeks to see about a refill, not sure if it will be 0.5ml or the full 1ml to go back in, I'll have to wait and see what the doc says. I need a refill - I am eating too much for a bandster!!! Yikes! I'll try and check in here more often. I am in the process of changing jobs etc - I'll fill you all in when I have more time. Gotta go now and run some errands. See you all soon! Anna.

I have a bag each of mens size XL / 107 and ladies size 24-26 clothing to give away to any local bandsters who'd like to come and have a look / take them off my hands. I am not keen to bother with postage, but will consider it if you are prepared to cover the costs yourself, and are in desperate need of something to wear. If you'd like to have a look - please send me a personal message (PM) by APRIL 15 2007. It's first in, best dressed (literally! LOL!). I have also advertised this at band2gether.net , and will be asking round at my local support network, so it's first in, best dressed (literally, LOL!). If I haven't got any takers by the 15th April, I'm taking the lot down to our Church's Op Shop in Chelsea. There's enough in each bag (especially the ladies' bag) to kit someone out for work & weekends as you melt down through the sizes. I've chucked out any rubbish - all the things in these bags are pretty much in new or near-new condition. Some of the ladies things are BRAND NEW, with the store tags still attached. I am too lazy to try and sell the stuff on ebay, LOL! There'll be more of the ladies clothes to come in a few more weeks. In the ladies size 24-26 bag there is, for example: several pairs of shorts several pairs of long dress pants several tops suitable for work a few t-shirts several tank tops (great for working out!) dress jacket (black) suit (plum colour) - jacket and long skirt casual jacket (camel) at least 4 lovely cotton / linen skirts for work 3 or 4 summer / party dresses satin PJ's (really warm) 2 or 3 lacy nighties In the mens size XL / 107 bag there is, for example: several short sleeve cotton shirts and t-shirts 1 or 2 Rivers long sleeved shirts double breasted dress suit, with matching tie and pocket handkerchief black cotton cargo pants Cantebury long sleeved polo / jumper Good luck, and enjoy! Cheers, Anna.

Bumping this for anyone who missed it. It looks like I've got a taker for the mens bag, but the ladies gear is still going for FREE!!! Come on and grab yourself a bargain!

Hi everyone, I am sorry that I missed today's get together - we had free tickets to the Garden Show - so now I am exhausted after traipsing around there all day, and also frustrated about how much work and money our yard will cost to do up... ...sigh... ...at least the exercise of doing it up will be good for me! LOL! Congratulations to those among us who trained and / or ran in this morning's Run for the Kids. Great work!. You are inspiring me to train and go in a fun run once I get a bit more weight off. That's too bad about your PB Bronnie - chicken can be either okay, or not - depends on the day and how it's cooked for me. I am going to bed - exhausted after a big weekend! Anna PS If you need some clothes to wear while you are losing, I have some great stuff to give away, both ladies and mens. Have a look at the separate thread, and send me a PM if you are interested. Cheers.

Hi Colleen, Have a great time on your trip, and happy birthday for April 9th. I don't think I'll make it to the get together to wish you well - this time of year is madness for us. I can't wait for late April when hopefully things will settle down again! Look forward to seeing you when you get back, Cheers! Anna.

Hi everyone - just checking with you all after another couple of weeks away from LBT. Welcome Paulie and Christie - hope you enjoy hanging out here with us. Bronnie - sounds like you are doing great. And speaking of great, I just realised how fast Meredith's weight is falling off!!! Almost 30kgs since November - you are a STAR!!! Well done! Congratulations Jacqui on finally going for that fill AND on schieving your normal BMI!!! That's fantastic!!! That last 8kgs will be gone faster than you know. And good on you for doing so well with your blood tests. Hope that your low Iron levels and other issues are sorted out with supplements and a visit to the gyno. Hope that Susannah's port doesn't need to be revised. What a bummer. Keep us updated. As for your lizard friend (me), I have finally made it under 120kg!!! What a miracle! I haven't been under 120 since just after I got pregnant with my son, when I lost 6kgs due to morning sickness. Finally achieving this mini-milestone has made a BIG impact on how I feel about my banded life, and also how physically well I feel. I've dropped from size 26+ clothes to comfortable 24-26 in pants, and 22-24 skirts. My tops have gone from 24-26 to 20-22!!! Whoo hoo!! I am starting to get my face back now - I have just one chin again, and am starting to see some evidence of cheekbones lurking there somewhere!!! I was at my cousin's wedding on Saturday, and met another Avenue bandster (Jess). she is gorgeous - long blond hair, and had on an amazing beaded gown that she said she'd loaned from another bandster. She went out for lunch with some of the Melb girls recently - any one know her? She uses the Vic bandsters site, so I guess I'll drop in there some time and try and track her down. Anyway, time for me to go back to work. See some of you at the Mulgrave support meeting tonight (7pm), or else online soon. Cheers, Anna.

Welcome to the land of the restricted Meredith! I've had good restriction for a couple of months now - but still haven't got my head around the fact that only 1 wheat bix at Breakfast is enough. Or that 2 VitaWheats with salmon & cottage cheese is lunch. Or that 1/2 omlette can be dinner. If only I the restriction worked on one's head too! LOL!

Thanks faithmd - that's the best info I've read yet about this bit o' silicone inside me. Much appreciated.

Hi everyone - just popping in to say hi and catch up. Sorry to hear about your flipped port susannah, that's too bad. hope it settles down by itself so you don't need a revision surgery. Good luck for surgery on Friday Bronnie!!! That has come around quickly! Sounds like you're all set to go, so I'll catch up with you once you've "joined the band". Meredith - I can't make Saturday - but could come and meet you on Friday somewhere if you like. Send me a PM to organise if you want to get together. As for me - I went to see surgeon last Thursday - but no adjustment this time. I had lost 5.5kg in the 5 weeks since my last fill, and were happy with my restriction, so they left me be. That's 13kg lost since surgery and 18kg all up since I started the process. People who don't know about my surgery are starting to notice. Woo hoo! See you all later! Anna.

Hi sandraane - I have an AP band, and started a thread for AP bandsters to post information about the new type of bands. Here's the link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/ap-bandits-t24564.html?t=24564 It would be great if you can update that thread with any new info you find. Cheers!

Hi everyone, I went to see the surgeon today - he was happy with my progress since the last fill, so no new fill for me today. Hooray! It is our 10th wedding anniversary, so it meant that I could enjoy dinner out without having to stick with soup! LOL! Also had some major NSV's with clothes shopping today - I went to Big City Chic to get a party dress and some new tops. So I march into the change room with an armful of the usual sized 24's, 26's and XL items. ALL TOO BIG!!! Most of the dresses and tops I grabbed off the rack were too small!! One strapless size 24 top FELL OFF TO MY WAIST!!!! ROFL!!! HOORAY!!! YIPPEE!!!:sun: I ended up buying a dress (size 22, AND it needs taking in a bit around the top), a top (both size 22), a second top (SIZE 20!!!), and the best bit - a bolero cardigan - SIZE M!!! That's right, M for MEDIUM!!! WTF!!! HOOOPLA!!!! :rockon:GOTTA LOVE THIS LAPBAND!!!

I have plenty of spicy foods, and enjoy the occasional alcoholic drink. No problems with either, and nobody ever said that I couldn't have them. I have heard good things about your doc from other bandits, but as I am in Australia, have no personal experience of him to share with you. I would ignore the sales pitch and go with the lapband. It is the safest, least likely to cause short or long-term complications, has great success, is safe, and is REVERSIBLE. It sounds like that has been recommended as a good option for you, and at the end of the day, you still have the option of the other surgery in the rare chance that you might need it. Once you start with a gastric sleeve, there's no going back for a lapband later. Follow your heart, and good luck in your journey.

Hi everyone! I haven't been to this thread in ages - so thought it was time to check in with all of you. I so far have lost 35 pounds. Woo hoo! I have had 2 fills so far. I am booked to see my surgeon this Thursday, I have reasonable (and variable) restriction so far, but feel that I am still eating a bit much, so am hoping for a slight increase in my fill. I've been going to outdoor group training sessions 3 times a week for strength training, and am working on getting more cardio into my days. I love the training sessions. So far I'm not as good at being regular with cardio exercise as I think I should be. Doing some cardio every day (any type or duration) is my current challenge that I am working on. At the moment I am scoring about 3 to 4 days out of each week, of very light intensity and short duration stuff (eg walk kid to school etc). Great to hear how everyone here is doing. Keep up the great work! Cheers, Anna.

Hi Jess! Great to see you back around here! We've missed you - I thought you were still swanning around the Maldives, but you have been a busy little real estate mogul. LOL! Congratulations on buying your house. Working from home is the way to go - I live in Aspendale and work in Abbotsford, which takes about 2 to 3 hrs driving per day, sometimes more if there is bad traffic. I am negotiating a deal with my employer to work at home for two days a week. I will have to go in on my third day. You might be lucky enough to work for yourself, but if you have to negotiate with an employer, I've got some great tips having just gone through the process, and found a great template for a written proposal online. Send me an email or PM if you'd like to know more. Cheers! A.

sussanah - I use Bio Oil. It's very good, was recommended by my surgery. I have heard others suggest using pure Vit E, if you can't get it in a bottle, they open the capsules and tip the liquid onto the scars. There is also a silcone type gel dressing that is reusable and washable that has been used with success. Can't remember what it was called, but someone on LBT (Aussie section??) suggested it once. If you asked at the chemist, they'd know what it is.

dionnem - Great to hear you are healing up well. Sorry that I can't offer you any advice about your child, as it's beyond my experience with parenting, but I'm sending you a hug anyway. Jacqui - Good luck for Fraser, and good on him for having a go at the exam! I also have a fill scheduled for Thursday (morning). Bit of a bummer that Thursday's our 10th wedding anniversary, so no nice dinner. Oh well, at least champagne is a liquid! LOL! I am hoping for a little more fill to kick me along a bit, but don't want to be too tight. I feel like my restriction is almost at the sweet spot that everyone talks about, maybe I am already there now. I don't know, I think the only way I can find out is to get a bit more and see how it goes. I'm looking forward to seeing the Mulgrave bandsters at Bandworks tonight. 6:30pm for the walk, or 7pm for the meeting.

Karen - I hope you find a pool that you can use. Silly me just remembered that you are in Adelaide - no hope of using our local Mordialloc pool from there very easily! Pity, because it has a hoist, AND is always only heated to almost cold! Susannah - Hope you get somewhere with your bill - if you have to pay it anyway, at least you can think of the savings you'll get in other ways - after all, small clothes are cheaper, and you'll be needing a whole lot less food! LOL!

Welcome to LBT Cleo!

Karen - a few sessions with a personal trainer might be a good option for you - if you could find someone who specialises in exercise for the disabled. Have you tried a web search for other ideas? What about water-based exercises? Are you able to swim / get into a pool? If so, you could try Water aerobics or deep-water running - it can be great cardio. Water-runners often wear special flotation waist-belts to help keep your head above water. Many pools offer classes / sessions in both types of exercise, or you may be able to get a pool staffer or personal trainer to help you devise your own program. I don't know what area you live in, but our local council facility (Don Tatnell, Warren Road, Mordialloc) has great support available for groups of people with special needs, as they have a Scope centre within the complex, and have a COTA program (over 50's) going there. It's also very reasonably priced. They have a 25m pool, spa, sauna, steam room, fully equipped gym, and great trainers & staff. I've seen plenty of special needs / disabled people working out there - even people in wheelchairs working out in the gym! Hope that you find something useful in my post. Happy exercising!