jojo33

Gawd, they'd have to be HUUUGE to come up over my bandages!!! Lol, I might see if I can find some though, good idea, thank you. 2plus4, I know how you feel, I only had to wait 2 weeks from booking it to going, but it dragged by. Try to keep yourself busy... maybe even take some exercise to pass the time, because believe me, you'll wish to hell you could move freely and walk upright in the week after the op. Plus, it certainly won't hurt your fitness levels for the op.

I noticed that yeah, lol. We should have a combined 1 year and 2 year bandiversary! I can buy myself a little black dress especially for the occasion (can't wait).

Thanks Garry, that's such a relief. Jumping around and doing sit-ups?? Are you having a laugh?? LOL. Thanks for your support and concern hun, it was just what I needed. :biggrin:

I've got a question for anyone, when I'm getting up or sitting down I'm still in a bit of pain but I expected that. I'm starting to worry a bit though because I keep getting a "popping" sensation along with the pain, around the area where the port must be (not sure which bandage is over the port and which is over the main scar where the band was inserted). I'm panicking that something has come loose, and I feel like something isn't secure, like I have to hold my hand over my bandages if I need to cough etc. I sneezed earlier and it was agony. Is this normal?

Thank you Kerry and Julie, I'm so pleased it's done now, as you both will be soon. My weight loss is from the start of the pre-op diet, not since I was banded, but glad to have rid of it. Another pound to go until I'll be the lightest I have been in 3 years!! Small goals lead to big achievements. No problems if either of you have any questions, ask as many as you like and I'll be glad to help. 2plus4, I personally wasn't too strict with myself on the pre-op diet, I just cut out all the stuff that was obviously bad for me, though I've heard a few people say they followed a weight watchers style diet. A typical day diet for me would be porridge with semi-skimmed milk and artificial sweetner for breakfast, low fat crisps or fruit or go-ahead biscuits for snacks (1 morning and 1 afternoon), soup and bread for lunch, and then a healthy-ish tea like chicken and veggies or a filled jacket potato. I miss bread so much, I'm not feeling hungry on the post-op liquid diet (yet) but every time I see someone eating a sandwich I crave it like mad!!

From what I can gather, the crash was on the same line some of the trains going through Vilvoorde use, but was slightly south of the central station, so would have been unlikely to have anyone on it we knew (Vilvoorde is to the north east of the centre). I was quite shocked to think that I had been travelling probably the same route only the day before it happened. Scary stuff, and my heart goes out to those who were on it and their families. Freckles, my aunt was doing the same for my grandma for years before it became time for her to go into a residential home. I know she felt very guilty at first but my grandma has been in there two years now and is enjoying life far more with the expert care she is receiving. My aunt is also living a better quality life even though she spends much of her time at the home. I know it will take time, but you will come to realise that it was the best decision to make, for both of you. x

Hey all fellow bandsters!! So glad to be able to say that now. I'm going to try to write down my experiences before I forget them. Like Eric said, take your passport with you to hospital, no-one told me to do this and the last thing you want is stress the morning you go in. Luckily I had my driving license with me and they were happy to accept this as ID. A couple of things I wasn't aware of before I went.... The night after the op in hospital, they wake you about every hour or so for blood pressure, blood tests, clotting injections etc, so sleep as much as you get chance to, you'll be knackered through the extremely long night. Also, you will have to inject yourself for 5 days after leaving the hospital with anti-clotting stuff. It's only a small, painless injection in your tummy, but if you are scared of needles you may need to get someone to do it for you. I didn't know the wind and swelling would be quite as bad as it was, I look pregnant!! And the barium stuff they make you drink for the xray is a laxative, so try to empty you bowels as much as possible before the op. I struggled with the wind and stuff after because you can't tense your tummy muscles the same to erm... get it out . Still gurgling away, but hoping that will ease a bit over the next couple of days. Ok, info part over, wooooohooooooo I'm done!! Don't regret it for a minute to all of you due to go soon. :hurray: I'm a little sore still, mainly when getting up and down out of chairs / bed, but this is getting better by the day. Oh, one last advice bit... USE THE PAINKILLERS THEY GIVE YOU EVERY 4 HOURS!! Possibly even take some of your own. They give you pretty strong paracetamol, but I got some effervescent over the counter co-codamol which I reckon are a little stronger, they seem to help more anyway. Jeanie, hope you are feeling better hun, thanks for letting me crash out on sunday aft!! Thanks to Eric for updating on here. See you soon no doubt.

Hey all, as with Jeanie's post, my last one as a fledgling. Flying out tomorrow morning, nervous as hell, but very reassured by this forum and all the advice and support I've had. Haven't decided yet whether to take my laptop (depends if it fits in my luggage). If I take it I'll try to get on to give everyone an update post-op for myself and Jeanie. If not, speak to you all next week as a fellow bandster!! :thumbup: Again, thank you all so much for your help over the last few nervous weeks. :rolleyes2:

Loads of helpful info and tips over the last few days since I was on. 4 days to go now until the start of my new life Jean, I might not get chance to get on again before Thursday, so I'll text or phone you when we get to Manchester airport and see if you are there.

Hi again Puddlejumper, Glad you are going for it, exciting times!! I paid my deposit last week and there is a £25 bank transfer fee, doesn't matter whether it is going abroad or not. A word of advice, make sure you've booked an appointment at the bank... not everyone in the bank is trained to do it, turned into a real headache for me.

Tracy, GOOD LUCK!!! All the best hun, though I'm sure you'll be fine. Speak to you soon as a bandster!! :thumbup: Cankster, well done, I bet you are relieved it's all over eh? Shame about your fall, but it's good to hear the rest of it was a good experience (nerves are getting to me now!) Bigsis, you made me giggle so much with all your daft posts, along with Gillian's in January last year, and you two also directed me to this thread which I'm very grateful for. Julie, I'll be sure to keep you posted hun, just a shame we aren't going at the same time. I know you'd be there with me next week if you could. And damn right what you said about people not even being worth a mention hun.

That's brilliant both of you! I know exactly what you mean Carrie, I'm probably differently proportioned to you though, my main gripe at the moment is the leg size of pants. If they fit my waist they look like clown pants. I can get hold of great big handfuls of material around my thighs and calves and bum... I want to wear pants that fit properly all the way down (skinny legs look ridiculous on this body!) Bra sizes, used to love being a 34D, hating the 40F, with the band squidging in between my back fat dreaming of the day all will be smooth!!! (ish). Just hoping for not too much excess skin.

:frown: Thanks Freckles, though I'm not sure about the looks OR the brains! I just hope the next couple of years are transformative in more ways than one. I've wasted too much of my life already, don't want to be feeling the same in another 10 years. Thank you so much. You have done brilliantly so far and I'm sure you will continue to do so. Thanks Bobo, I already know I won't regret it!!

I am so excited about it!!! If my plan goes ok, I can wear a nice dress at Christmas, that's my goal! I know I won't quite be to target, but it will be nice to go shopping for a relatively "normal" sized dress instead of passing rails of floral tents hoping to find something reasonably fashionable. I'm really chuffed actually, I've managed to get my BMI down to 36.9, I thought my surgery BMI was going to be 37.8. I just wish I could sustain this without having to go through surgery!!

Yup!!! Put on a stone a year for the first 5 years of working there!! 5 more years on and it's time to lose it again, lol. I was always slim before I worked there, too many excuses to eat, too much temptation, not enough exercise. I'd love to take voluntary redundancy but it's not on offer at our place at the moment (HMRC). I'm in the middle of doing an Open University degree in my spare time though, which will hopefully be my ticket out of there once completed.

Thank you Carrie, I've added you, I hope you don't mind. Your journey is almost identical to the one I'm hoping to have (roughly the same starting BMI). I hope I have even half the success you have had, you look incredible!

Cool, well.... we all go the pub in Preston Friday dinner and after work (can you tell I'm a Civil Servant, lol). Feel free to give me a shout if you may have to do any waiting about. I managed to get a friend of mine to come with me yes, I was a bit dubious about asking him, I didn't want anyone to know I was going to be honest. I'll probably tell more people after the event. Anyway, after giving me a hard time for a couple of weeks, telling me I don't need surgery and I should just diet, telling me I'm not big enough for surgery... and the list goes on.... (he's built like a bean pole) he finally agreed to be my bag carrier, lol.

I feel sorry for you Garry, it's a S**t-hole!! This Friday or next? Next is my Op!!

Oh dear, that sounds rude!!! lol Hmm... I'm not one for chat-up lines, and on top of that, all I'll probably want to talk about in 2 weeks time is burps, vomiting and farts!! Not very sexy, lol.

I'm closer, lol

WOOP WOOP, gillian and bigsister!! Yay. Sorry if this sounds over familiar, you are probably thinking "who the hell is this nutter??" You two kinda inspired me to go ahead with surgery and to go with Chris (booked in next friday) coz I started off on the other thread and read all your pre-op posts from last year. So anyway, after that little over-reaction... thank you!! p.s. Seems you'll be needing a bucket of cold Water there Garry, lmao. :frown:

I was hoping to find out about the fills when I go next week. I'm guessing I'll have to travel a bit too. I didn't worry too much about it as will have to wait a few weeks post-op for first fill anyway, was just going to ask whilst I was over there next week having my consultation etc. Next week! All of a sudden it seems so close!! lol

Ok, I know I'm new, not even banded yet but I thought this forum was the one thing I could get involved in where your size wasn't something for people to hurl abuse at you for. No doubt we've all had enough of that from ignorant people that don't know any better, and we all know how it feels! Timeisnow, "big sneaky women"? Really? I think you may have just crossed a line there, and although I am a newbie and you may think it's got nothing to do with me, I have to say I've seen no evidence of people on here being anything but supportive. I'm sure MMM had best intentions at heart, even if her advice may have inadvertently scared you, and EVEN if her advice was wrong. And for the record, I was very grateful for the advice given by Freckles, in all it's gory detail!! Better to know what to expect. This is a forum related to surgery, which includes conversations about post-op problems / side-effects. Ta Freckles :confused: Everyone else, thank you so much for being so friendly and making me feel welcome.

Ok guys, I've read the last few posts and I have to say I'm a tad confused. I know the band helps you to lose weight BUT..... I ain't read anywhere that it increases your libido too!!!:confused: I shoulda got one sooner. :bored:

Aww, thank you all for reassuring me, I feel a lot better about it now.. I guess I wouldn't be thinking seriously enough about it if I didn't have the odd wobble. I'm feeling far more positive, can't wait now. And YES Jean, 12 days to go until the start of the rest of our lives!! I've been really good over weekend (and somehow not put any weight on over the last couple of weeks of being REALLY bad!) so I'm already a couple of pounds lighter than I thought my starting weight was going to be, every little helps! Looking forward to meeting you too, my train gets me into Manchester quite early on Thursday so just give me a call when you get there, myself and Jonnie will probably already be there. He's got loads planned for Brussels, I keep telling him that Thursday will be the only day I will probably want to do any sight seeing etc, but he's determined to make the most of it. Hope him and your hubby get on ok, we can send them off together so they'll leave us alone a bit!! See you in 11 days hun! x :thumbup: :thumbup: