FattyPatty

Woo hoo!!! I have now lost 2st 1lb in 7 weeks since my last fill, just shy of 5 stone loss in total. I am absolutely delighted, it is really dropping off now, this is the lowest weight I have been since I was 20 and I finally had a monthly this week, first proper one since I've had the band (and first proper one in yonks without medical intervention!) so this has made me even more positive about becoming a mummy! If the weight loss carries on at this rate we will be at the docs at the end of the month to get our referral for IVF in again, and they won't be able to say no again because of my BMI, maybe now though the battle is going be that I am about to turn 35 . Feeling very encouraged that it could miraculously happen all on its own now, as I've been reading on other threads on here about ladies who have been cured of all PCOS systems after losing onwards of 40lbs and have gone on to fall pregnant. Please let 2011 be our year Anyhow, nice to see lots of peeps back on the thread to keep Slinks company! Congratulations to Carrie Jess, been keeping an eye out for your news so nice to see you back on here, and you too Freckles. Well done everyone else for the progress you are making, good luck to those getting back in the swing of things after Crimbo, and to all the newbies of course xx

Hi Slinky I have had 4 fills now so have got 7.5 mls in my band, I had 5 month gap between fill in June and my last one in Nov due to a holiday and then lack of funds, so would have been much further along my journey now had I had a fill sooner. Hey ho I'm on my way now. What I am struggling with most is the amount of mucus I have which seems to block the band all the time and takes up to 4 or 5 productive burps before I can keep down my little bits of food. sometimes just swallowing a few times creates a layer which then has me dashing off to the loo and bringing most of the food from say an hour before back up, and drinking water at any time seems to make mucus worse, so all I have to drink most days is cranberry or pomegranate juice which seems to cut through it and pass ok. Very odd. Pureed food just doesn't work for me either, but lots of liquid does, so lots of gravy on a few matchsticks of meat is good. Soups and petite filou are my staples. Does anyone else have the issue with mucus? C x

Hello Bansters and all the newbies! Congratulations Scooby Doo x x x Hope everyone had a Good Crimbo & New Year. I lost 8lbs Christmas week taking me to 19lbs lost in the last 5 weeks, 63lbs in total now and boy have people started to notice since I have been back to work this week after the Crimbo break. Finally broke my silence and told someone at work what I'd had done, as I couldn't lie to her about how I'd lost weight when she was asking me for tips. She is totally intrigued and wants all Dr Chris's info as she is considering it herself. The last few weeks have been tough as still having odd days when I can't keep a thing down, but now that the scales have started shifting again I feel great! My whole body is changing and it is amazing to see it and feel it. Chucked out loads of fat clothes and cut off all my long hair into a little bob cos my confidence is growing. Went for my first run yesterday too which was ok actually, want to start doing that 2-3 times a week as I need to start firming up. Good luck to everyone to those already on this journey, and of course to all those about to start it. xxx

Hi all Nice to see some more peeps back on here, and welcome newbies. Sorry to hear about your mum Freckles. I am still struggling with anything more than sips of water, cranberry juice and 1-2 cup a soups a day, and after losing 12lbs in the 7 days post 4th fill, I have some how gone back up 1.5lbs in the last 2 days??? How does that work??? I thought it would carry on just falling off . . . Really missing tea and coffee, makes me nauseous, & can't even manage to pass my trusty crispbreads or sloppy mash. Think I will be having just a sniff of a crimbo dinner at this rate Also freezing cold and in this weather too have really struggled. I've been in an all in one fleecy adult baby grow, extra socks, hoody, scarf, and gloves, with heating on and still had hands and feet like ice cubes. Mind you I remember feeling like that a good few weeks post op. fingers crossed for the next few weeks, and good luck everyone xxx

Hi Kerry Totally understand your frustration, I had 5 months of that before this fill. How much have you now got in your band now, I cant remember? Hopefully next time they will fill you to the max like they have done me. I still can't tolerate anything more than liquid. Slim fast ok but again only managed 3 mouthfuls and 1 cup of coffee taken in sips all day. Tried baby food last night and sloppy mash tonight and its not having it. Need to find me a good liquid vitamin, if anyone has any recommendations pls? Go and have a bloomin good holiday, eating, drinking and enjoying yourself hun as I am sure that next fill will do the trick. Take care C xx

Evening All I am absolutely delighted to announce that after 4 days of hell since my fill on Thursday I have now lost 12.5lbs!!! Woo hoo! I cannot beleive it, and today I feel absolutely fine, and have managed to keep down sips of tepid water, cool coffee and 3 mouthfuls of a ready made slim fast shake. I was still being sick up to 5pm last night so think it was a mix of a bug and the tight restriction because I felt rotten and have never had heartburn and pain in my chest like it. Fot those of you that have seen my posts and panics over the last few days, thank you so much for all your advise. I am so glad I stuck it out and didn't rush off for a defill. I actually got a reply back from Freddie this morning, bless him, who again just reassured me that the full restriction is the big learner, tiny portions for my egg cup belly, only sips and not gulps of drink, but he also said no hot drinks if swollen and vomitting as hot will make the swelling worse, yet funnily enough after Claires advise it was hot water I could keep down rather than cold. Any how I am now going to attempt a little savory offering of cup a soup, fingers crossed, and must stop jumping on the scales everytime I pass the bathroom! Thanks again and good luck to all x x x

Thank you Claire, glad I am not the only one, I really want to persevere and not have a defill but I am worried about doing damage by throwing up so much. Eating is the last thing on my mind at the mo, finally after 34 years!!!! So yes will defo stick with liquids only for quite a while yet. Hubs has been quite concerned too, and thinks I know everything that should or shouldn't happen with this band, but I'm trying to educate him that this is all new to me too! Thanks god for this forum to ask questions and get advise although it is very quiet on here lately, where is everyone I wonder??? Fingers crossed things will continue to improve in the next few days, will try hot water instead of cold and carry on with the protein drinks, I defo signed up for not being able to eat much but its the vomming and heartburn I struggle with. I'll report back on how I get on. You have done amazingly well by the way, well done you, and thanks again for replying xx

Hi All, and Slinky and Scooby thank you for replying. Well I have lost 6lbs since having the fill on Thursday, but it has not been the most pleasant experience! So after posting in the early hours of Friday morning I continued being ill and bringing up slime and any sips of water I took and could not lie down, was up all night and went to work for 7am and proceeded to be ill another 5 times before I could speak with Julie at 9am. I queried that after the fill it felt tight drinking the water which did go down but made me burp alot (which I also queried at the clinic and was told this was normal at full restriction) and she again said that was normal, and that because I was getting over a cold and was very gunky that was probably why I was bringing up slime and bile as that would struggle to pass the band. She said continue on liquids only and if after 3 days had issues then to come back for emergency defill. Now I also had a fever yesterday so thought that perhaps I had the sicky bug as I seemed to be bringing up way more than I was actually drinking. I have manged to sleep in only 20 minute bursts and have woke choking a few times, but last night and this morning managed a tiny amount of ice cream which I thought I should try in case I had swelling. I have also had wicked heartburn which has caused some pain at times. Today Ive only been sick 3 times, and have felt alot better and managed half a cup of hot chocolate protein shake meal replacement (from Tesco, not bad tasting actually) and a sip of water at a time, however hubs just made me a cup of tea, had a couple of sips, waited a while then got heartburn which took my breath away and made me leap up and I just made it to the loo and I bought up the hot chocolate which I had over an hour ago. So, clearly now that the band is so tight anything I drink stays in my little tum above the band for ages, so I need to learn to space out the drinking and sipping. But is the heartburn normal or because its too tight? I know I still need to leave it another day or so for everything to adjust as its not been this tight before, and I am trying not to worry about things but going from hardly any restriction to full on restriction is quite scary I have to say, but the weight loss is fabulous Has anyone had this and it has settled on its own, or is a defill the only answer? Many thanks for the advise xx

I may have spoken to soon, not been able to sleep due to contstant gurgling when I lie down, even when propped up on pillows. Have bought up some slime, yuk, but when sitting up fully I can sip water and hot tea and it is going down just making me burp lots. Praying its not an overfill having just scraped the money together to finally have this fill : ( Any advise welcome please Thanks xx

Hi all I saw Dr Chris Duprez at the London clinic for my 4th fill today, and he managed to get 1.5ml in taking me up to 7.5ml. I am delighted he managed to get so much in, and boy can I feel it even just drinking a cuppa. We had a really good chat about me getting a bit disheartened at only losing 6lbs since my last fill in June, which is why he said he get whatever he could in, and the fact that it had really slowed down was a good indication I needed quite a bit more. He also said that he thought this would probably be my last one for a good while, possibly for good, but if I really felt I still needed more restriction to make sure I go back in 4-6 weeks and not leave it so long. My fault really for leaving it but I did have a holiday inbetween without then having to have a defill. Fingers crossed that this is the one! Good luck all xx

What a nightmare trying to get back in here! Hi Scooby, gutted that you've not lost anything since your 4th fill, I've got my 4th on Thursday and I am praying it gets things moving. How much more did Freddie say he would be able to get in after the 4th one? was really hoping I wouldnt need anymore for ages, but looks like me and you will have to keep going with teeny fills! Good luck chick x

Hi Kerry Glad everything is ok with your port, I must admit mine is sometimess very obvious, well to me it is, and also can feel quite tender there. Other times it seems really far in and I can prod and poke to find it. Weird huh. Lets hope this is the one to really get things moving for you. Keep us posted on how you find it for the next few weeks. Still got 4 weeks til my 4th fill which will take me to 7ml as well I think, need to find my card. Take care C x

So there could be another one on the way for you soon then Slinks! ; )

Thanks Freckles, you have done really well. I will be glad to get to a continual 1lb a week rather than the big gaps of nothing, but I do love my food x

Thank you & good luck to you Charlene x

Hello Newbies, those booked and those still contemplating it, My hubby did the deposit transfer online and it was straight forward, no probs at all. As for concerns of the op and whether you are doing the right thing, I think I can safetly say that we all felt like that. For me personally this site, well this thread, has been an absolute godsend for me. My decision to have the op was made based on what I had read on here, and it is, without a doubt, the single best decision I have ever made to change my life for the better. A gastric band is something that I had thought of for a number of years, but having looked at the costs to have done here in the UK was just not possible for me, but I was totally intrigued by Fern Britton's success so it was always in the back of my mind. Anyway after a particularly dark period in my life from around October last year over my inability to conceive (I have PCOS) and the constant battle with weight after putting back on an additional stone as well as the 3.5st I had lost on the Cambridge, I joked to my best friend in February that I needed someone to wire my jaw, because I just couldn't see anyway of losing and keeping off the 8st required for us to have IVF, and at 33 then the clock was ticking. Anyhow she remembered someone who'd had the op 2 years before and lost 6st, so she called her, and found out she had it done in Belgium by Dr Chris De Bruyne. My immediate reaction was, there is no way I'd go to Belgium for surgery, but when I googled Dr Chris and found this forum, read hundreds of pages of truthful experiences and successes, I posted and asked some questions and I had my op just 3 weeks later. The last 6 months since the op have been a huge learning curve, and although I am not even halfway through my weight loss journey yet, I have never felt so positive about the future, knowing that I will achieve my goal weight and more importantly that I will be a mummy one day, and trust me I have battled for both since I was 19 years old and I'm 34 now. So, to anyone undecided, I would say go for it, it's not the quick fix that the media claim, you do have to work at it too but it is definitely worth it. Good luck to all of you C x

Hi Kerry Feeling better today ta. Cant wait to hear how you get on after fill number 4, as I still have a few weeks to go till mine, but I have dropped another 2lbs when I hopped on the scales this morning! Absolutely delighted, after several weeks of not even an ounce coming off. I'm the same though in that I can still eat a normal portion of food sometimes and not get the full feeling, and other times it's after only a couple of mouthfuls. Good luck with your fill & weight loss. C x

Hi Freckles, thank you for your advise. I must admit I was getting a little worried about any damage it may have done, but thankfully after taking some motilium last night the sickness stopped, I kept sipping water and I have been ok today on coffee and a bag of cheesy wotsits. Should have taken the motilium sooner perhaps? Will remember next time. Just my bunged up nose and chesty cough to deal with now. Take care x

Hi All Can't stop throwing up today, got a bad chest and cold so think its probably cos of the all the gunk, but god I feel rotten, can't keep anything down even soup and coffee. On a plus I've lost 3lbs in the last week, finally the scales are moving again! 4th fill booked for 25 November. Well done to all on recent losses. xx

Skinny Pants! Just read your story, WOW and well done! It's stories like yours that make me feel positive again about reaching that end goal, especially when I'm struggling, as I have been the last few weeks. How is the scarring after the TT? I am sure I will have to have this done once I've lost my 100lbs. Was the recovery really less painful that the banding? What is the skin like everywhere else if you don't mind me asking please? Well done again x

Got it working x

Oh and can anyone remind me how to update my ticker please, its been that long I've forgotten : ( Thank u x

Thank yoy Scooby Doo, Freckles and Angel fizz for replying. Having the band sure is a roller coaster of a journey that's for sure, I'm like you Kerry in that I can't really eat til lunchtime, unless I have had lots of hot drinks, somedays I'm sick no matter what I try and eat, and other days I can eat and eat and not get the full feeling. I try hard with portion control, but the days when things get stuck and I bring everything up I'll revert to eating cheesy puffs and crisp breads as these go down first time everytime. Have started on whey protein shakes today, and plan to have these twice a day and a little dinner. We'll see what happens! I wish in a way that I had told no one except hubby, and that way wouldn't have the contstant questions or comments of "you not lost any more then", and I could just be getting on with it. I know that the slower loss is better for the skin as well so I hopefully wont be left with yards of excess, I just dont want the next 6 months to pass with no significant loss to show for it. Will regain my PMA soon I'm sure! Good luck everyone xx

Hello all So my band is 6 months old tomorrow and although I did really well in the beginning I have only lost 1.5lbs in the last 8 weeks. I really need my 4th fill but pennies won't allow til November. Please can some you tell me how you had done by the 6 month mark, and whether the next fill will really make a difference? Feeling a bit P***sed off to be honest as had a couple of negative comments recently from the very few people that know I've had this done along the lines of "it's not working is it" or "seems like a waste of money". I know from some of you experienced bandsters on here and the results you've had that it does work, but, admittedly I thought the weight loss may have been a little quicker. Just looking for some reassurance I guess xx

Hi Kerry You sound exactly the same as me! everyday is different since my 3rd fill 6 weeks ago and I absolutley must have a hot drink or 2 before I can even eat a dunked rich tea biscuit! Yesterday I had trouble with scrambled egg and Beans and was sick 3 times so gave up, but then managed to eat lamb curry and rice and a little bit of a chapati last night. I reckon the next fill when I'm back from hols may be the one to get me to the perfect spot and cut my portions down to literally a couple of mouthfulls. heres hoping anyway. Good luck x