Hello, *waves* I'm a newbie and I have questions:

[Katness 0]

Ok, so I have not been banded as of yet. But I'm seriously considering it.

I'm going to give a bit of background, and the reasons I'm considering it then ask my questions or question:

Ok, so I've been overweight all my life. As a kid I always had a big appetite but never really noticed it until my late teenaged years. Also when I'm stressed I eat a lot more. I think it was about a year or two ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. So now I'm on Metformin, I'm also on Thyroxin for an underactive thyroid. Anyway.

For the last year or few months I have been trying like hell to lose weight, and I was doing good at first too. But now it has sort of stopped or slowed down to a snails pace so much so that it has become extremely tedious. I've also been on anti-depressants and Anti-psychotics all my life and have only recently been able to get off them all together with little to no consequence emotionally or mentally. My appetite is as big as it always was, and after being told by my Endocrinologist that I have to lose weight I started paying very close attention to what I eat. And I realised that my appetite and hunger get so bad that I can eat a whole tin of the soy sausages (that I love) which is about 8 of them in one tin and two eggs before I feel remotely satisfied. It is not so much cravings as just plain old appetite.

I've tried everything else, and I'm doing all the things I need to be doing like exercising and eating right. Just my appetite is a hinderance. And I firmly believe that my appetite mixed with the battering ram my system (maybe especially my metabolism) has taken from the anti-depressant and anti-psychotics I've been on since I was about 6 is what is making it difficult for me to lose weight. Thats why I went off my meds, now I'm tackling the appetite front.

I was getting so worried that I started looking for things on the net to help me and found the Obesity Clinic in Sydney that does these surgeries. Well actually my sister found it and pointed me to it, so I've been up half the night reading, but I have at least one question I have not found the answer to, and as I write this I may think of more.

So for my question, After the surgery is done and you wake up and move for the first time. Is the band that is now there detectable in a sensation of tightness around your stomach or is it more like a, say, if you are a woman, a tampon in that you don't feel it?

Or if there is a sensation of tightness, is it the sort of feeling you get so used to after a while that you start to not notice it? and if it is the latter, how long has it been for most of you before you start to not notice it?

I'm also beginning to think that maybe I should not read anymore of this forum except for this thread, as having read about the port pain, I'm feeling slightly scared of the idea. At the same time though I'm also thinking that this could be, if not the only way I can control my appetite effectively and not feel like to have the feeling of not being satisfied. :noidea: :eek

I'm also considering this because I want to find a partner/girlfriend. But because of my weight I'm too self conscious and have absolutely no confidence. And partner, weight wise I'm now frustrated, pissed off and at wits end.

So any answers or advice in the slight case of fear and cold feet would be muchly appreciated. As I refuse to let my own life just slip past me and I finally decided, hey! I'm only 23, I'm still young enough to fight this and get to be where my heart desires.

[edieparks 2]

Too many questions.

Break it up for us okay?

edie

[Katness 0]

Heh, ok sorry.Let's see.

Basically my main question is after the surgery and all is done is there at all a feeling of tightness?

If so, is it something that you start to not notice after a while?

It may be a stupid question, but it is one that keeps coming into my head.

[Rastis100 0]

Hey Katness, no question is a silly question. This is a big decision that you have to make and one that will effect you for the rest of your life.

I was only banded 4 days ago, and things are going pretty good. I have a slight feeling of tightness at the moment, but it is not too uncomfortable. I do feel that once I am up and moving around that the feeling seems to go away. But I am only early days and mine could purely be a bit of swelling from the operation. You must remember that everyone reacts in a different way.

But if I were you I would read, read and then read some more info about lap band. This web site was a saviour for me (still is) and put alot of my fears to rest.

Good luck with your decision, what ever it may be!

[Nancy33 0]

Do not stop reading or asking questions just because it might scare you. You need to have all the answers and they are right here. If you don't see them just ask? You need to get over the feeling that your appetite is something that controls you. It's not. The band will make it easier to know when to stop eating but it is not going to do the work for you. Make sure you are emotionally ready, if you aren't you will have trouble getting approved. It's all what's right for you but you could not have a better more honest support system than this site. It has gotten me through a lot and I will contiue to need it for a long time.

[Wendell Edwards 73]

Ok, so I have not been banded as of yet. But I'm seriously considering it.

I'm going to give a bit of background, and the reasons I'm considering it then ask my questions or question:

Ok, so I've been overweight all my life. As a kid I always had a big appetite but never really noticed it until my late teenaged years. Also when I'm stressed I eat a lot more. I think it was about a year or two ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. So now I'm on Metformin, I'm also on Thyroxin for an underactive thyroid. Anyway.

For the last year or few months I have been trying like hell to lose weight, and I was doing good at first too. But now it has sort of stopped or slowed down to a snails pace so much so that it has become extremely tedious. I've also been on anti-depressants and Anti-psychotics all my life and have only recently been able to get off them all together with little to no consequence emotionally or mentally. My appetite is as big as it always was, and after being told by my Endocrinologist that I have to lose weight I started paying very close attention to what I eat. And I realised that my appetite and hunger get so bad that I can eat a whole tin of the soy sausages (that I love) which is about 8 of them in one tin and two eggs before I feel remotely satisfied. It is not so much cravings as just plain old appetite.

I've tried everything else, and I'm doing all the things I need to be doing like exercising and eating right. Just my appetite is a hinderance. And I firmly believe that my appetite mixed with the battering ram my system (maybe especially my metabolism) has taken from the anti-depressant and anti-psychotics I've been on since I was about 6 is what is making it difficult for me to lose weight. Thats why I went off my meds, now I'm tackling the appetite front.

I was getting so worried that I started looking for things on the net to help me and found the Obesity Clinic in Sydney that does these surgeries. Well actually my sister found it and pointed me to it, so I've been up half the night reading, but I have at least one question I have not found the answer to, and as I write this I may think of more.

So for my question, After the surgery is done and you wake up and move for the first time. Is the band that is now there detectable in a sensation of tightness around your stomach or is it more like a, say, if you are a woman, a tampon in that you don't feel it?

Or if there is a sensation of tightness, is it the sort of feeling you get so used to after a while that you start to not notice it? and if it is the latter, how long has it been for most of you before you start to not notice it?

I'm also beginning to think that maybe I should not read anymore of this forum except for this thread, as having read about the port pain, I'm feeling slightly scared of the idea. At the same time though I'm also thinking that this could be, if not the only way I can control my appetite effectively and not feel like to have the feeling of not being satisfied. :noidea: :eek

I'm also considering this because I want to find a partner/girlfriend. But because of my weight I'm too self conscious and have absolutely no confidence. And partner, weight wise I'm now frustrated, pissed off and at wits end.

So any answers or advice in the slight case of fear and cold feet would be muchly appreciated. As I refuse to let my own life just slip past me and I finally decided, hey! I'm only 23, I'm still young enough to fight this and get to be where my heart desires.

I never felt the band at all untill I obtained effective restriction on fill number 4, which was given 24 weeks after surgery.

[Katness 0]

Do not stop reading or asking questions just because it might scare you. You need to have all the answers and they are right here. If you don't see them just ask? You need to get over the feeling that your appetite is something that controls you. It's not. The band will make it easier to know when to stop eating but it is not going to do the work for you. Make sure you are emotionally ready, if you aren't you will have trouble getting approved. It's all what's right for you but you could not have a better more honest support system than this site. It has gotten me through a lot and I will contiue to need it for a long time.

Actually, I now keep the tab for this web site open all the time. Also, I'm more then emotinally ready.

And, thank you to everyone who replied.