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May 2015 Surgeries

...I have no need for my teeth!ha ha

Haha this made me laugh. :D I missed crunching too until someone told me to make no added sugar lollies. I used barley and peach and they were yummy. It was so nice to crunch! :)
 
I'm only one week out and in fluids but have had some crackers and skips as they totally dissolve and have not given me any trouble x
 
Just wondering if anyone is booked in for their 1st fill?

Mine is 2nd July under xray when I'll be 5 wks 5 days post op.

The surgeon wouldn't put any restriction in the band during the operation despite me requesting him too,

I see the consultant 22nd June for review when I'll be 4 wks 2 days post op.

Hope you are all well xxx
 
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Day 9 - Felt pretty lousy today and just couldn't face any more soup so had some cheesy mash tonight and not had any after effects. It was soon nice.
 
I've felt louse y'all week too! I'm putting it down to the fact that I found the first two weeks pretty good! So I've got the three week blues!

Aud xx
 
Ooohhh I'm dying for a taste of a salt & vinegar ringo crisp...I've even considered just licking it!

First day I've really craved real food with taste 11 days post op.

Mind battle today.
 
I'm 12 days post op today & made pea & ham soup ready 4 my purrees starting on Saturday...only ended up drinking half a cup of it just to check it tasted ok b4 I froze it in to small portions...god it was bloody lovely.

I've ended up sat in the sun having a Smirnoff Apple slush the ones u buy from tesco & freeze...so nice & no doubt packed with sugar!:D

Felt ok after both the above & no pain so may start my purrees tomoz a day early.
 
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I'm 12 days post op today & made pea & ham soup ready 4 my purrees starting on Saturday...only ended up drinking half a cup of it just to check it tasted ok b4 I froze it in to small portions...god it was bloody lovely. I've ended up sat in the sun having a Smirnoff Apple slush the ones u buy from tesco & freeze...so nice & no doubt packed with sugar!:D Felt ok after both the above & no pain so may start my purrees tomoz a day early.

Both sound delicious! Xx
 
Found this from Mazza posted in 2012...interesting read...

I thought the following may be of use to some of you newbies / soon to be's or those with a bit of buyers remorse:

1. Bands don't work without fills. It is occasionally claimed that even an unfilled band can lead to significant weight loss; however if that is ever true than it is far more likely to have been a psychological effect (similar to placebo tablets). For this reason, bandsters should always recognise that there must be an aftercare programme in place following their operation, and this is especially important if their surgery took place abroad. Very few bandsters achieve adequate restriction with less than 4 fill steps. Modern bands are designed to withstand several thousand port membrane perforations, so having a lot of fill adjustments is not a problem as long as a non-coring Huber needle is used.

2. Most bandsters lose little weight until they reach good restriction following several fills. This is in contrast to malabsorptive (permanent) surgerywhere much of the overall weight loss occurs early. Any weight loss in the first several months while the band is being filled in a stepwise fashion, is a bonus and likely to be the result of voluntary food limitation. Bandsters lose most weight in the 12 months following the restriction kicking in. It is common for bandsters to think their operation was a "failure" because there is little weight loss initially, and more than a few give up on their band quite quickly - DON'T!

3. The initial fills to achieve restriction must be carefully measured and spaced out in time. Even though most patients end up with a long-term fill volume in the region of 6 - 9 mls (some band types are designed for less), it would be madness to try to get there in a single fill. The top of the stomach, including its blood supply, is becoming gradually "strangled" by the expanding band, and if any increase in the pressure exerted by the band on the stomach is too sudden or too much, restriction becomes total and a medical emergency is on the cards! For this reason, filling the band must be done in several steps, and the individual additional fill volumes will get smaller and smaller.

4. Good restriction is a moving target. Restriction can change over time with natural processes such as periods (water retention leading to a tightening), illness (e.g. dehydration leading to a slackening) and changes in barometric pressure such as during extreme weather and on airplanes. Restriction normally changes even throughout the day - early in the morning after a night spent horizontally, body water is equally distributed everywhere along the length of your body and your restriction will be tight, making breakfasting difficult. Once you get up, gravity displaces some body water downwards from the upper part of your body, getting rid of "baggy eyes" and loosening band restriction as the stomach wall gets less oedematous. Following significant weight loss and reduced eating volumes, your stomach itself will also have shrunk, and the band thereby gotten looser - this is normal.

5. There are two distinct phases to your postoperative life: Excessive weight loss, and maintenance. The first needs tight restriction and should not take much more than a year; the second requires some (less) restriction and lasts forever after - or however long the implant lasts. During the weight loss phase, you must be sufficiently restricted to have food/fluid regurgitation (productive burping) at least some of the time. If, prior to your operation, the prospect of this is a problem for you then gastric banding may not be the right approach.

6. Every type of weight loss surgery can be defeated through persistent high-volume or high-calory food intake. This is why psychological evaluation is so important - if the patient is fundamentally unwilling to change their eating/drinking habits, the surgery may be ineffective. Gastric banding is far more than simple plumbing; even with a band in place, half the battle will still be in your head. Anyone that tells you otherwise lives in cloud cuckoo land.

7. Temporary defills may be necessary. This usually occurs after too large a fill step, in the setting of illness (especially when it involves nausea and repeated vomiting which will set up an inflammatory cycle that damages the stomach and causes more vomiting). Dehydration from excessive restriction, if allowed to persist for too long, can become life-threatening - see point 3 above. Unfortunately not every hospital has a bariatric surgery programme, and while patients unable to keep fluids down can be rehydrated by an intravenous drip, unfilling by a trained professional may be necessary and this is currently unavailable in many district general hospitals. Note: Attempts to access a port with ordinary needles are likely to cause damage to the port membrane resulting in leakage and the need to replace the port - insist on expert care with specially designed (Huber point) needles!

8. There is a small but not negligible percentage of post-surgical complications. These include band slippage, port flipping, filling leakage, band erosion into the stomach itself, acid reflux, and gastric bleeding. These need to be recognised in a timely fashion and treated appropriately if the band is to remain effective and harm is to be prevented. At this point in time, many GPs do not have sufficient in-depth knowledge to be able to confidently distinguish between self-limiting and serious problems, so if your restriction changes noticeably or you experience persistent stomach problems then you may need to insist on a referral to a specialist. Gastric bands have an excellent safety record, but

9. Weight loss surgery has been scientifically proven to be the only currently available medical cure for high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoarthritis in obese patients. Tablets can control the symptoms but will not lead to a cure - weight loss does.

10. Most bandsters tend to believe any problems they experience are unique to them and quite possibly their fault. In all likelihood they are mistaken on both counts, but it takes effective communication to discover this. Patient-led websites and community blogs can be enormously helpful in this regard!
 
I hope everyone is enjoying the weather its been lovely in London today.

This week I started on mashed/soft food and I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I had baked potato with cheese and it tasted like caviar - not that I know what caviar tastes like! After I ate one half of a small potato I felt really full and couldn't eat anymore. Its the first time I've actually felt really full and I was beginning to believe that something was wrong.

Flirty I know what you mean about the taste of crisps. I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually licked a pringle and this morning I chewed a few nuts then spit them out. I hope thats not the start of a new disorder???
 
Baked potato sounds amazing! Can't wait to have mashed food!
Went for a walk in the countryside with mum today :) In town there was lots of delicious smells going on and I felt some food jealousy for the first time! I guess I've been locked away on my own for 2 weeks really so haven't been exposed to anything that I can't have!
 
Its hard isn't it Venture. I thought all hunger would go with the sleeve, but I must admit I do still feel hunger. I know its in the head and I must try and deal with it.
 
I started on mash today and my good it was great. Not sure I ate enough, dos I have been kinda hungry today. After a long walk with hubby and pup. I had 2 small spoons, then had another 2 and now I can't wait for more. I.m going to have half a potato like you this time GIll. Or something is defo wrong lol
 
I hope everyone is enjoying the weather its been lovely in London today. This week I started on mashed/soft food and I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I had baked potato with cheese and it tasted like caviar - not that I know what caviar tastes like! After I ate one half of a small potato I felt really full and couldn't eat anymore. Its the first time I've actually felt really full and I was beginning to believe that something was wrong. Flirty I know what you mean about the taste of crisps. I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually licked a pringle and this morning I chewed a few nuts then spit them out. I hope thats not the start of a new disorder???



Lucky you Gill with that weather I live on the North East Coast and it's been blowing a hoolie here today!

I too am guilty of chewing and spitting out!

How's being back at work going?

Aud xx
 
Hi Aud. being back at work is terrible. I need a lottery win. I can remember reading somewhere that they said when you lose fat you lose your insulation so therefore you feel colder. It sounds a bit simple but it could be true. How are you doing?
 
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