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Noobie -band consultation 23/03 Op 29/03

BandedHun

BandedHun

New Member
New here, consultation for band on sunday and sepurgery penciled in for 29/03/14

I everyone, I'm new here and just found out about this app/site. After searching everywhere on you tube and the internet finally finding some UK support feels amazing.
I'm 30 years old and have a daughter and step daughter and fella. I live in Essex, just North of London. I've battled with yoyo dieting, binge eating and other weight issues since 9-10 years old. As I've finally got into my 30s i tried to change my yoyo and lost 4st I weighed my lightest ever 10st10lbs , then in what felt like minutes, (June 2013-oct2013) all the weight had gone back on and more. It has got to the stage, for me where enough is enough. So at first realising I'm severely depressed and all day all that consumes my life is food and weight and unhappiness, I've made the decision to have a Gastric band fitted. Im F509 tall and weight 220lbs. Ok that only makes my BMI 33.4 but for its time to not let this get to the stage where I'm 40-50 BMI and having more health complications as well as more excess skin than I've already developed from yo yo ing over the last 14 years. I've got a consultation booked this Sunday at the London clinic with The Hospital Group. Then they have kindly penciled my surgery date for Saturday 29th March so 6 days later in Dolan Park. I'm nervous as I don't know what to expect there, I've never been private for any surgery and I put my full trust in the NHS at all times so this is the main aspect scaring me. Plus it's taking my entire life savings for this. I have never wanted something to aid me more than I've wanted this. ( trust me )

Any thoughts, suggestions, experiences etc with the Hospital Group, Dolan Park, and the London clinic as an aftercare facility would be fabulous.

Your stories and help would also be great and I hope to make some real supportive relationships on here in the coming months, years of living life with WLS namely a banded life. I know the key is the support.

PS I'm doing this without anyone knowing hence the need to so desperately have support and reassurance somewhere. I feel so ashamed of my weight gain and being told surgery is a cop out. But I have truly had enough.


Look forward to hearing from you all xxxx ??
 
Hi and welcome.

I hope your consultation goes well.

We have lots of friendly banders on here :D x
 
Hi, I've been following the site for about a month an wanted to introduce myself.
I have been overweight since about 18, and struggled ever since. I am 33 now and feel like I have been on a diet for the last 14 years.. All in all I have lost and regained around 16 stone in that time, mostly on fasting diets. I currently have a BMI of 30 so only just big enough for WLS, however I have been bigger...! I also have a lot of obesity in my family.. I guess for me it's about prevention..
I have three young children and I do not want my food issues to effect them, I am going to find it difficult explaining things, surgery and small portions.!? They r 9,7 and 5.. I would love some advice on this.
At the moment my health is not too affected by my weight, I have some back and shoulder pain and some urge incontinece ?? all of which I hope will improve with weight loss..
So 8 days to go until I have my band at Dolan park.. Here's hoping all goes well and I will be a skinny minny in no time..
 
BandedHun said:
I everyone, I'm new here and just found out about this app/site. After searching everywhere on you tube and the internet finally finding some UK support feels amazing. I'm 30 years old and have a daughter and step daughter and fella. I live in Essex, just North of London. I've battled with yoyo dieting, binge eating and other weight issues since 9-10 years old. As I've finally got into my 30s i tried to change my yoyo and lost 4st I weighed my lightest ever 10st10lbs , then in what felt like minutes, (June 2013-oct2013) all the weight had gone back on and more. It has got to the stage, for me where enough is enough. So at first realising I'm severely depressed and all day all that consumes my life is food and weight and unhappiness, I've made the decision to have a Gastric band fitted. Im F509 tall and weight 220lbs. Ok that only makes my BMI 33.4 but for its time to not let this get to the stage where I'm 40-50 BMI and having more health complications as well as more excess skin than I've already developed from yo yo ing over the last 14 years. I've got a consultation booked this Sunday at the London clinic with The Hospital Group. Then they have kindly penciled my surgery date for Saturday 29th March so 6 days later in Dolan Park. I'm nervous as I don't know what to expect there, I've never been private for any surgery and I put my full trust in the NHS at all times so this is the main aspect scaring me. Plus it's taking my entire life savings for this. I have never wanted something to aid me more than I've wanted this. ( trust me ) Any thoughts, suggestions, experiences etc with the Hospital Group, Dolan Park, and the London clinic as an aftercare facility would be fabulous. Your stories and help would also be great and I hope to make some real supportive relationships on here in the coming months, years of living life with WLS namely a banded life. I know the key is the support. PS I'm doing this without anyone knowing hence the need to so desperately have support and reassurance somewhere. I feel so ashamed of my weight gain and being told surgery is a cop out. But I have truly had enough. Look forward to hearing from you all xxxx ??
Click to expand...
Hi bandedhun,
I was banded in January. I'm still quite new but I wouldn't worry about the surgery itself. It'll be over before you know it. I was banded at the parkway Solihull so i dont know about Dolan park but I've read good things on here about there.
Don't be ashamed about who you are or people seeing wls as a cop out. It's not! It's still hard work! I'm finding it a constant battle with my head but i know i have a great tool (the best chance possible) & I've done a positive thing for my health & the future of my children.
You'll find lots of support on here.
Good luck with your journey x
Emma
 
And now... 8 months later I feel great... I have had about 4 fills in my band.. I have lost 2 stone and weight 10 stone now, size 10... I am not to tight and eat everything apart from red meat unless it's minced or processed... I can eat bread without problem..
If I tried harder there is no doubt that I could loose a lot more, but I'm happy and not stressing about it!!
Food still plays on my mind and I still eat crisps biscuits and chocolate, but not in the quantity I did..

Good luck and well done ..

Louise.
 
Welcome to the boards and soon to be banded life :)

I'm 18 months post band op, a journey thats changed my life although up and down LOL

Good luck with surgery and if there's anything you particularly want help with, do holler :)
 
I know this is not going to solve my eating issues overnight but I'm prepared to work hard for the results.
Click to expand...
I think going into surgery with this thought is a positive way to start, the band is a great tool to aid with weightloss but it can be hard work. It isn't a fast miracle cure and as long as you know that it can take a while and a number of fills to find restriction then you are at least prepared :)

I didn't go with THG as I didn't like their initial consultation but if you browse through the boards you will find a lot of feedback and as always, good and bad. Go armed to the consultation with all the questions that you need answered, don't be afraid to ask anything that may concern you :)

And good luck :)
 
just wanted to say hi welcome and good luck
 
Hi hunni : just wanted to say a huge hello and welcome to a fantastically supportive site. I was banded 6 weeks ago via the NHS so just a baby bander LOL but im here for all the support you need :) wishing you all the very best of luck for your appointment and the op and of course beyond x x x x x
 
Hi and welcome, looking forward to supporting/guiding you through your journey. It can be exciting and frightening at the same time but the potential rewards (if you work with your band) can be well worth it. It's not an easy option or a cheat! Write down all your questions, however small they may be, as when you get into your consultation you may forget if you don't. I only asked one, and it was if I could still drink the odd glass of champagne :eek: of all the things I could have asked :rolleyes: dohhhh...food was my problem not drink! I had my op with THG at Dolan Park. My consultant was brilliant / very informative. My patient coordinator was in essence a sales person, but she had had a band herself and lost/successfully maintained so it was really interesting to speak to her about her experience but at the back of my mind I was always conscious she was after a sale ;). The staff and nurses at Dolan Park were real characters and looked after me well. One question I would ask at your consultation, would be about your 'check out' time and transport arrangements as you have a long journey.

Hope the consultation goes well, and you plan a shopping trip for those big cotton knickers unless you want to wear their teeny paper triangles attached by dental floss down to the operating theatre. You would think the medical professional would have designed bigger knickers for us pickers :). Good luck and keep us updated.
 
Hiya i was banded back in october privately at a spire hospital. Sounds like you understand you have to work with the band. Ive had a few bad weeks since starting my journey but understanding they are just bad weeks and not a reason to stop completely has helped me achieve a weightloss of nearly 4 stone in just over 5 months! Good luck with your op next week! x x
 
Hey everyone, wow the response is amazing. Thank you everyone. Louloumoo, I just want to say thanks for posting your story being a lower BMI.i truly am so unhappy and when you get to the stage where u want to give up on life because you know you always fail I figured for me I didn't think I could put a price on it.

Everyone I just wanted to thank with all my heart as I feel alone with it. I probably will have to tell someone eventually, but for now I feel that I just want to try and make a success of it.

Like many of you could possibly identity I was born a foody, when I was young I remember sitting in the car on long journeys and my parents would buy the travel tins... Bolied sweets in the powder, I remember they would open them and give us one and if they were put on the back seat with me I would literally focus on the tin until they were all gone. I'd often sneak an extra one when I took one so I had a "reserve" ... So yes I guess I've always used food. I figured the band was the best option for me because it offers a lifetime of control , I know at further expense but you can get filled all your life and that appealed.

As couple of questions for some of you....

* do any of you regret having the band?

* do you instantly feel different with it? ( unable to eat the way you used to etc)

* how long is the recovery realistically?

* how painful is the recovery, side effects?

* in relation to Dolan park, how is the aftercare and getting appointments for fills? Any London clinic experience out there?

Apologies for the bombardment, just wondering from a patients perspective. Also I'm trying to work out how to do this App thingy as it's not a simple to use as other sites.


Thanks everyone xxxxx
 
BandedHun said:
Hey everyone, wow the response is amazing. Thank you everyone. Louloumoo, I just want to say thanks for posting your story being a lower BMI.i truly am so unhappy and when you get to the stage where u want to give up on life because you know you always fail I figured for me I didn't think I could put a price on it.

Everyone I just wanted to thank with all my heart as I feel alone with it. I probably will have to tell someone eventually, but for now I feel that I just want to try and make a success of it.

Like many of you could possibly identity I was born a foody, when I was young I remember sitting in the car on long journeys and my parents would buy the travel tins... Bolied sweets in the powder, I remember they would open them and give us one and if they were put on the back seat with me I would literally focus on the tin until they were all gone. I'd often sneak an extra one when I took one so I had a "reserve" ... So yes I guess I've always used food. I figured the band was the best option for me because it offers a lifetime of control , I know at further expense but you can get filled all your life and that appealed.

As couple of questions for some of you....

* do any of you regret having the band?

* do you instantly feel different with it? ( unable to eat the way you used to etc)

* how long is the recovery realistically?

* how painful is the recovery, side effects?

* in relation to Dolan park, how is the aftercare and getting appointments for fills? Any London clinic experience out there?

Apologies for the bombardment, just wondering from a patients perspective. Also I'm trying to work out how to do this App thingy as it's not a simple to use as other sites.


Thanks everyone xxxxx
Click to expand...

Hiya! I'm nearly 4 weeks post op, so still on liquids and slowly moving over to puree.

Everybody's experience is slightly different but, I'll give you my take on your questions...

Regret the band..? It's early days for me but, one of my 'things' is to not look back, ever. What exactly would I be missing..? Binging in secret and feeling a failure? Feeling out of control about food? Hating my size and worrying about the health implication..? Nah! Don't look back - what's the point?

You're on thin liquid post op and I don't think anyone feels hungry straight away - you're too sore and swollen inside I think. My hunger is not how it was - and I'm struggling to explain it, even to myself. My tummy rumbles and I think 'Ok I should eat' but, the urgency to eat has, for now, disappeared. Previously hunger would rule my life and if I couldn't satisfy myself there and then I would get moody and crabby. So...*struggling*...my tummy tells me it's time to eat, my head's not too bothered. I've not had a fill yet and probably won't for a while so hopefully those that are a bit further down the line can answer this better but, this is my perpective on the early days at least.

Recovery - the first week was hard, in to the second week I felt almost 'normal' and was back doing everything but, felt tired from time to time. There's a guy here newly banded who is doing very well and feels good. I, on the other hand, was surprised at how bad I felt. I think that's really individual.

How painful is the recovery...It can be painful although immediately post-op you are given lots of pain relief. My op was in the late afternoon, I was up and moving and got myself (slowly) dressed by 8am the next morning. The port site was the biggest and sorest wound, the rest were so small that very quickly I forgot about them. The pain was nothing a Co-codamol couldn't cope with. The wind pain, on the other hand, can take a while to shift! It was actually that that made me join up here! I felt like a painful balloon! Peppermint tea and Windeze is a must for when you get home.

As for Dolan park, I wasn't banded by a 'group' but, I know many people here that were so - should be along shortly :)

Good luck xxx
 
Thanks that's a great insight.

I'm nervous as I'm doing it all alone. No one to see me after surgery or help me home. Happy Mother's Day I guess.

So lots of windeze and peppermint tea. Got it. ? sounds crazy but when I've been on fad diets I've often suffered with that type of pain so as long as in aware I should be able to mask it. Although my other half knows but isn't coming with me. Don't think he will be sympathetic. Lol
 
BandedHun said:
Hey everyone, wow the response is amazing. Thank you everyone. Louloumoo, I just want to say thanks for posting your story being a lower BMI.i truly am so unhappy and when you get to the stage where u want to give up on life because you know you always fail I figured for me I didn't think I could put a price on it. Everyone I just wanted to thank with all my heart as I feel alone with it. I probably will have to tell someone eventually, but for now I feel that I just want to try and make a success of it. Like many of you could possibly identity I was born a foody, when I was young I remember sitting in the car on long journeys and my parents would buy the travel tins... Bolied sweets in the powder, I remember they would open them and give us one and if they were put on the back seat with me I would literally focus on the tin until they were all gone. I'd often sneak an extra one when I took one so I had a "reserve" ... So yes I guess I've always used food. I figured the band was the best option for me because it offers a lifetime of control , I know at further expense but you can get filled all your life and that appealed. As couple of questions for some of you.... * do any of you regret having the band? * do you instantly feel different with it? ( unable to eat the way you used to etc) * how long is the recovery realistically? * how painful is the recovery, side effects? * in relation to Dolan park, how is the aftercare and getting appointments for fills? Any London clinic experience out there? Apologies for the bombardment, just wondering from a patients perspective. Also I'm trying to work out how to do this App thingy as it's not a simple to use as other sites. Thanks everyone xxxxx
Click to expand...
Good morning!
Thought I'd answer your questions
No i dont regret the band, but worry that I may do one day
U do feel instantly different because of the swelling from the op but it soon goes, restriction is what we're after & it can take a few fills to get to your sweet spot
My recovery was really quick. It had to be, I've got a toddler & a baby at home. I'd planned on going to work 48 hours after op & i did. I just took things easy.
It is painful for a few days. It gets better quite quickly. I noticed i was feeling better each hour. I found bending over hard & sleeping was uncomfortable.
The initial weight loss more than made up for the uncomfort
The hardest thing is getting used to your new way of eating & controlling the head hunger. I never realised how much i are with my head.
Hope that helps
 
I was banded at Dolan park on 5th January, cannot fault them at all, aftercare was fantastic. It does take a while to recover and I would say take two weeks off to rest afterwards as you will be tired and sore.

Jumped on the scales today and iv lost 3 stone, so it is working for me, you have to work with the band and follow a healthy diet. I eat well and I make sure I eat ever four hours.

Best thing I have ever done! It's hard work but definitely worth it.
 
1. No regrets whatsoever.
2. No immediate physical difference in feeling for me. Psychologically though I was focussed, organised and determined to make it work, so I focussed on helping my band work by counting calories, upping protein and increasing activity.
3. I had my op on the Saturday and was back to work as a trainer on the Wednesday, but didn't feel 100% myself for 2 weeks.
4. I have been lucky. No pain. No side effects. No defills or being overtight. No problems at all...I am over 2 1/2 years post op. Lost over 150lbs and more than 100% of my excess weight in 10 months.
5. Had my op at Dolan Park and aftercare (fills and dietician appointments) there too, so I cannot comment re London. Dolan service for me was without fault.
 
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