jojo33

Hey all, I just thought I'd come on here for a catch up, it's been a while! I hope you are all doing well on your weight loss journeys, the old and the new folks. Personally I'm doing rubbish! Had an emergency de-fill last November as I was having real problems not being able to even get water down / reflux etc. It was such a relief not to feel constantly ill, I guess I filled my face... a LOT! I've put on about a stone since end of November and really need to get back on it. I've just sent Freddy boy an email to enquire when he's next in Manchester. I'll try to make more of an effort to come on here from time to time, it's been such a lot of help to me in the past. Jo.

Slinky - Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! Wow what a relief and now it's sorted I'll tell you the story of the last few weeks. I had my last fill in the middle of May (3rd fill to bring me up to 6ml) and everything was fine, was starting to feel some restriction and loving it. Then for some reason around the end of August, I started to struggle. I had good days and bad days, but on the bad days I struggled to get anything down and I was getting reflux all night every night. I started to panic at the end of last week because I was even bringing water back up so I came on here to ask if anyone knew where I could get an emergency de-fill. Thankfully it was just before the site was taken down for "improvements" (yeah right) and Slinky gave me Julie's number. I called Julie who was very helpful and advised me there are two ladies that can do the de-fills, one in London and the other in Glasgow. That was a bit of a blow as I live in Preston, almost exactly half way between the two!! But I was desperate so I checked out trains then phoned the lady from Glasgow on Friday evening. Her name is Mary and she is marvellous!! I said I'd give her a mention on here. She agreed to see me first thing Saturday morning and even offered to come and pick me up from the local train station!! She did the de-fill in her house and for some reason could only get 4ml out of my band when there was supposed to be 6ml in it (odd). Anyway, she put 1ml back in as apparently this is best to retain the shape of the band. Instant relief!! I GULPED down a huge glas of water, it's the nicest drink I've ever had in my life!! So, Mary has been trained by Chris Deprez and is authorised to do the de-fills and if anything goes wrong it's covered with CDB. I said I'd post her number on here in case anyone ever needs it, it's 07763 697120. She is lovely and has been banded herself so knows exactly what we are all experiencing. Once again Slinky, thank you so much.

Help! Doing this on my mobile so short message. Anyone know where next fill clinic is / what's best to do for emergency de-fill? Don't know what's gone wrong but I can't even get water down and constant reflux. So tired and sore, need it sorted ASAP. Any advice? x

Hi all, I haven't been on for a while so thought it time to catch up. Sorry if I missed any posts directed at me since last time, there are too many for me to read back on!! Well, I'm really confused, haven't had a fill for a few months, as the weight loss has been slow but I'm happy with that. Had 3 fills altogether and although I didn't feel like I'd found my "sweet spot" had an inkling I was pretty close to it. Here's where the confusion starts..... for the last week or so I've had virtually constant heartburn and been struggling at night, think this is the dreaded REFLUX :biggrin: A couple of times I've woken up with, what I think of as sick in my mouth (though probably just liquidy stuff that hasn't passed through the band before I've gone to bed). I'm not really sure why this has just started happening now when I haven't had another fill, I hope to God the band hasn't slipped or something!! I'm trying my best not to eat or drink for a while before I go to bed, but I'm a big drinker (soft drinks only) I like to take little sips often and I'm struggling to break the habit. Really concerned that even drinks don't seem to want to pass through the band all of a sudden. Any advice please? I almost feel like making myself sick to shift whatever is sitting above my band just to get some comfort. :crying: On a positive note, I officially passed the half way point on my weight loss journey this week!! It's happened slower than I thought it would (back in February I imagined myself in a size 12 dress by Christmas) but I'm more than happy with it, and sooooo many people are noticing my loss now. One of my mates has taken to calling me "Twiggy", love it!! Love to all.

Freckles - CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can't wait to be "overweight", what a target to have, makes me giggle so much!! But it must feel like a fantastic achievement, well done you. Lemma - The Campanile you will be staying in is the one in Vilvoorde (think that's how it's spelled) that confused me too because two were coming up on an internet search. Anyone going to Manchester on the next fill date? If so when is it? I feel like I'm so close to being at my sweet spot, just not quite there yet. 4lb to go until I officially reach the half way mark on my weight loss journey.... I'm hoping to blitz that 4lb in the next week, been doing some extra hard physical work this weekend so I'm hoping I've burned off a fair bit of fat with it (lugging paving stones around and laying a path). However I'm absolutely knackered and aching all over, although I know it's done my physical fitness some good, I've got a feeling I'll have put weight on in muscle, lol. Good luck to all going soon. You'll be fine, best decision you will ever make!! Love to all,

Hi all, It's been ages since I visited the site (moving then not moving, buying then renting, long story!!) It's taken me most of the afternoon to catch up on all the posts since I was last on! Good to see so many new members and really glad to see everything has gone ok with the recently banded. Slinky, you've done it!! Well done girl. My weight loss has slowed right down, only lost a few pounds in the last couple of months, but I'm not too worried about it, I'm eating well but not over-eating which will do for me. I tried on a pair of jeans today that I've never been even close to fitting in since I bought them a few years ago, and joy!! They fit me!! I think it's about time I had fill number 4, so I was just wondering what the next date is that Freddy-boy is in Manchester if anyone knows? Glad to see the old guys are still doing well, sorry to hear you've been poorly Freckles :mad:. How're you doing after your op Garry? Love to all. xXx

Hey all, I haven't been on for a couple of weeks so I thought I'd catch up. Paul, well done on your loss so far, I wish you were measuring in lbs, not kilos... my conversion skills are rubbish, but I think you've overtaken me now? Good on ya and keep going! Freckles, from what you mention you are eating sometimes, if I were you I'd definitely feel like I didn't need another fill! I've not really lost much in the last 2 to 3 weeks so I don't think I have restriction yet. I can eat as much as I like as long as I take it really slowly. I tend not to finish meals completely as they have usually gone cold before I can finish, but that's the only reason why. I think I might be doing this wrong though, I get backing up after a few mouthfuls, then I wait for that bit to pass through the band and start again! I should probably stop eating at the first bit of backing up! But really, that can happen after two mouthfuls so that can't possibly be right can it?? I can pretty much eat anything at the moment. I tend to avoid chips as they can be quite painful. Fresh bread goes down easily, but oddly enough toast doesn't, I was told it'd be the other way round! As I've had 3 fills and now have 6ml in my band, I was hoping I could do a few months before my next fill, but I think I should get to Manchester on 8 July. :thumbup:

Hiya slinky, I'm down another 3lbs today but I'm not counting on that being accurate, I think it may just be dehydration. Way too much wine last night! Regarding the diet, I lost over a stone straight after the op on the liquid diet. I just didn't feel hungry at all for at least a couple of weeks and it just fell off. After that I didn't start losing again really until my 3rd fill. I could eat pretty much anything so long as I ate slowly and chewed well. The 3rd fill has changed things for me though. Bread, potatoes and pastry are off the list of foods I can eat now. I pretty much have anything for my meals that doesn't contain them, but I can now only eat roughly a side-plate of food instead of a dinner plate, and I don't really tend to feel hungry that much. I try to eat relatively healthy foods but tend to fail most times. Surprisingly, pasta seems to be the easiest for me to get down! (Brilliant!) Julie, well done hun, I bet your really pleased with your weight loss so far. Get yourself a ticker!! :thumbup:

Thanks honey, you aren't doing too bad yourself! Happy with your fill level now? Mine is great since my third fill, I've had just over a week of hardly being able to eat a thing but it's just relaxed over the last couple of days so I can eat small, sensible meals. What you said about the PB sounds like what I get, except I know it isn't just that I've tried to eat too much, it usually happens after literally 2 or 3 very small mouthfuls of food. Like you said though, after getting rid of the gloop and chilling for a couple of minutes I can normally eat a bit more. What I miss the most is eating hot food! It's always gone cold these days by the time I can eat it, grrrr! I can live with it though, my confidence and self-esteem is growing by the week! Hope to meet you again, but I'm thinking not too soon! I really hope this level of fill does me for a good 2 or 3 months! :tongue2:

Idiot, Am I right in thinking, after reading your bandster profile, that you already had a history of pancreatitis before your surgery? In which case I agree that your surgeon should not have allowed you / put pressure on you to have the surgery. However, your initial post only served to scare-monger... as far as I am aware (and I did a lot of research before deciding on the surgery) there is no link between it and pancreatitis. I can see how the surgery could have worsened a pre-existing condition and for that I feel sorry for you, but please think before you act, your individual problems, and I will reiterate, PRE-EXISTING condition, shouldn't have been used to scare others out of doing what is right for THEM. The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is many years of heavy alcohol use. The chronic form of pancreatitis can be triggered by one acute attack that damages the pancreatic duct. The damaged duct causes the pancreas to become inflamed. Scar tissue develops and the pancreas is slowly destroyed. Other causes of chronic pancreatitis are hereditary disorders of the pancreas cystic fibrosis—the most common inherited disorder leading to chronic pancreatitis hypercalcemia—high levels of calcium in the blood hyperlipidemia or hypertriglyceridemia—high levels of blood fats some medicines certain autoimmune conditions unknown causes I hope you recover and feel better soon. Well done on your weight loss by the way. :thumbup:

Regarding the vomiting, I personally do vomit a lot when I've had a couple of mouthfuls of each meal.... it's like at first it just WON'T go down, no matter how slowly I chew and how long I wait before my next mouthful. However, don't let this put you off, it's not like real vomiting as it isn't coming back up from your stomach... just what's sat in your throat and has nowhere to go, kinda like regurgitation (if that's how you spell it!). Please don't let it put you off though, everyone is different and you may not have the same problems as me. Also once I have vomited that little bit and waited a few minutes, I can normally go on to eating a reasonable amount of my meal. I do struggle with certain foods after my third fill, but I'm still so unbelievably happy I had it done! I hit the 2 stone weight loss marker today and actually jumped around my bathroom with joy! I know this is now proper weight loss happening and not just that initial loss of water retention etc you get in the first couple of weeks of a diet. People are starting to notice I'm looking smaller and I'm now only 3.4 BMI's away from being just "overweight" instead of obese!!

My God Bobo, I just noticed your weight loss, you've surely got beyond your target now?! Wow, well done... don't be getting skinny on us will you.

Hi all and congratulations to the recently banded! I bet you wondered what you were so worried about. Karob, I was the same for about 2 to 3 weeks post op when trying to walk at any pace etc. Have you taken your dressings off yet? I found putting a strip of plaster over my port scar just whilst I was out and about made everything feel a little bit more "secure". Anyone still on liquids and feeling cold, don't worry. Your body isn't getting enough calories to do all the jobs it normally does, so your energy is kept for the important stuff rather than keeping your extremeties warm. I noticed a couple of comments about the pink stuff they give you. I got the impression it was for cleaning your skin before doing your injections, not for cleaning your scars, but maybe I got it wrong. Got my third fill tomorrow in Manchester. I really hope it makes a difference, I've only lost about 5 pounds in the last couple of months. At least it's going in the right direction. Anyone worried about not losing within the first couple of fills, DON'T. They reckon it usually takes 3 to 4 fills to start to get restriction.... your band is not yet doing the job it was designed for. Think long term and be patient. Great way to spend my birthday, getting prodded and poked by Frederik (I can think of worse things!) :smile2:

Well, second fill was Thursday... was lovely to meet Paul and Angie and to see Freckles again. Finally I feel like I have a little bit of restriction! I've been eating, but very small quantities, which is great because I was starting to worry a bit as I could eat literally anything in as big quantities as I felt like. Happy that my restriction even seems to be happening with the stuff that's bad for me too (crisps and biscuits) because it definitely wasn't before the fill. I know I'm nowhere near the "sweet spot" yet, but even if I can lose a bit, so long as it's going in the right direction. How are you feeling a couple of days post-fill Paul? Still on liquids? I didn't even manage a day on liquids!! lol Freckles, has the reflux died off a bit? I know you said you are happy to cope with it being that uncomfortable to achieve your goals, but it can't be pleasant! Also, I couldn't imagine the cider vinegar helping anyway, isn't that acidic? I suffered from heartburn for years (thankfully the band has got rid of it, amazingly!) and I couldn't think of anything worse than vinegar when my heartburn was bad. p.s. What was that lippy woman like??? lol :biggrin:

Got my appointment for 2nd fill, 1pm Thursday so I should definitely still be there when you get there Paul, and possibly still be around for Freckles getting there too. I have a question about a recent discussion regarding restriction. How does it feel to have proper restriction? I currently don't think I have it.... I can eat as much as I like so long as I eat REALLY slowly, some things take longer to go down than others. For instance, if I'm eating chicken, it tends to back up after 3 or 4 well chewed mouthfuls, but once I let that pass, I can eat as much of it as I like. The only way I can think of to describe it is that my band feels like it is completely closed at first, but once the first bit of food pushes it open, I can eat like normal. I think what I'm trying to ask is, should I be stopping eating as soon as I get that first backed up feeling? If so, I can't imagine getting enough nutrition to get me through a day if I'm honest, 3 meals a day of 3 or 4 small mouthfuls of food doesn't seem right to me.

Ohhh, thank you, I'll try that!! I've been quit a week, the patches are helping and I feel loads more positive than I have done in the past, but as they say, every little helps!! Cheers for that, and well done, keep going!! :smile2:

Just got your email too, lol. You are right, it's a disgusting habit, I've been trying (and failing) to kick it for a couple of years now, but it's a 21 year addiction that appearently is almost as hard to kick as heroin according to my lovely nurse from the GP. I'll ask Freddyboy if he has an appointment around that time and look out for someone in the waiting room who could rival him in the looks department, that would be you right? :smile2: Freddy is dreamy

Hahaha, Paul that was odd!!!

Hi Paul and Freckles, Hoping to see you both on Thursday, I'm just about to email Freddyboy now to ask if he can see me. I've left it a bit late but needed to be sure my finances would allow this month's fill, lol. Paul, don't get your hopes up too much regarding your first fill having any effect. It didn't for me unfortunately. I was supposed to be on liquids for a couple of days afterwards, but by the following morning I was hungry again and back to normal eating levels. You may feel more of a difference than I did, but I've never heard anyone say the first makes any difference. I've well and truly stopped losing weight, not shifted any for the last 4 weeks, but I'm happy I've not put any of what I originally lost back on. Fingers crossed that fill number 2 helps a little bit for me. I've given up smoking though so I'm not too concerned so long as I don't gain weight really, for now. I'm starting to feel like I have a bit more energy, even bought myself a bike! Let's just hope I don't buckle the back wheel, lol. Carrie Jess - CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm really happy for you hun. :smile2:

Julie, Great to see you back on the site hun, I wondered where you'd got to. Try not to be too nervous, you'll be fine! Has the time dragged waiting? And don't you dare chicken out on me!! But do try to stick to the pre-op diet hun, it makes the surgery a lot easier for them if you don't have a fatty liver when they do it (just think of it as getting a head-start on your weight loss) :smile: Paul - I'm hoping to be in manchester on 8 April too so I may see you there. What time are you booked in for?

Sorry Jasmine, everybody has to do the injections, but really don't worry, they are painless and easy to do. One of the nurses in the hospital will show you how when she does your first one for you.

I haven't booked yet, I'm going to see what my finances are like closer to the time. The actual office building is called Regus and you just go to the reception and tell them you are there to see Frederik. They know who he is and tell you where to go. I'm guessing he doesn't get the same rooms each time or I would give you directions to the room he was in last time. He seems to do most of his appointments in the early to mid afternoon so I may well see you there.

Jasmine, Seriously don't worry about the injections, I didn't know about them before I went and the first time I did my own I was a bit nervous but it honestly didn't hurt at all. Kerry, I know what you mean about the pulling sensation around the port scar, I felt like that for a couple of weeks afterwards, like I might do some damage if I moved a bit too quickly etc. What really helps is if you know you are going to be moving around a lot, just stick a strip of plaster over the wound, but make sure to remove it once you've done whatever physical stuff you were doing, the more air that can get to your wounds the better. I felt the plaster made me feel far more "secure". I didn't know what advice to follow regarding coming off liquids, but started on mushies around 10 days post op. I think so long as you eat VERY slowly and chew really well you'll be fine. Your body will tell you if you've over-done it, the food starts to back up into your throat.

Susan, I went for my first fill in manchester 3 weeks and 6 days post op. Frederik said this was fine but because of the scar tissue that was still a bit swollen he had to prod and poke around a bit to locate the top of the port which was quite uncomfortable. That was just over a week ago and I feel no restriction at all, I'm probably eating more than I did before the fill!! I know I've got two or three more to go before I feel any real restriction so I'm hopefully going for my next fill same day as you (finances allowing). Manchester is really easy to find, right next to the airport. If you have a satnav it's even easier putting the postcode in. What time are you booked in for?

Well done Paul hun, half a stone already! You need to get yourself a ticker now, you'll be so proud of your loss, knowing it's never going to go back up! The bending etc, the main problem for me was standing up / sitting down, as the port is sewn to your stomach muscles. It kinda felt like I might damage something if I tensed my muscles too much. It gets loads better after the first couple of weeks, but even now I get the odd twinge. Freckles, thank you for your very kind comments hun, a couple of people have said I don't look like I need to lose much but I can assure you I do! I must hide it well. And as for Freddyboy fancying me, I wish!! He's dreamy. All mums out there, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! Hope you all enjoyed it, minus the big roast dinner of course! :thumbup: