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Gastric 2 weeks on, not what I expected!

Posted , 6 users are following.

isabella20010
isabella20010

Hi all, so I've had my gastric band for two weeks now and I'm very surprised that all I had read really wasn't anything like my experience so far. Firstly although my op went well the pain and recovery has been difficult to bear. I felt like I had been hit by a bus for the first three days! I am still on painkillers now because aside from two of my wounds being very painful still I have alot of back pain when I'm sat in lectures sad

Secondly, my diet has been a bit odd. Bearing in mind my husband had a gastric band fitted on the same day and it has been a joint venture our experiences have been similar. The first few days was a struggle eating over 600 cals in fluids but since week two we have both been as we were before the band hungerwise. So we eat our small meals and snacks (soft foods) and we are hungry less than an hour after, and neither of us get a feeling of fullness, we simply stop because we are determined to lose weight. At the mo I am trying very hard to stay under 1250 cals per day but I could easily have over 2 thousand if I ate didn't choose very healthy options. My husband is really struggling to stay under 2000 cals as he works nights and is eating more than me. This is only 2 weeks post op, I thought we'd still be struggling to get enough food! 

Anyway we are both relying on our not so fabulous willpower and are eating super healthy. It is basically like being on a strict diet, in which we are depriving ourselves and having to choose very low carb and fat foods. This has been a shock as we've read a lot of experiences where people have nausea and sickness (pbing) in this period. 

Thirdly, the weightloss, or lack of. Since the band I lost 3.5 pounds the first week and 3.5 pounds the second week. I am happy with this but it seems odd because on my pre op diet I lost 7 pounds my first week and 5 pounds my second. I am still happy that I am losing but it is definately slowing down. My husband lost a stone pre op and lost 3lbs in his first week of the band and none in the second. We are both morbidly obese (or just under now at bmis of 39.8) so we have a load to lose. 

So all in all it is different and strange knowing there is a band in my body but we wouldn't have a clue it is in there because we feel normal eating as before. We have our fill on the 15th of august so I just hope our will power stays strong until then!! 

Please share your experiences!!

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Vickihowe
    Vickihowe isabella20010

    Posted

    Hello

    Bear with your band I have lost nearly 5 stone now since March my bmi was 51 and now it's 40. I didn't feel

    Anything for weeks and still don't now totally and I have had 4 fills. I just exercise and watch what I eat.

    I'm hoping August will be my last full 😀

  • Ginagirl
    Ginagirl isabella20010

    Posted

    hi there!

    i had a band fitted in 2009 and have only lost 3 stones in 6 yrs it is very slow and a tool to help avoid eating huge amounts. My suggestion to you is to make soups and avoid carbs like soft rice puddings and mash potato porridge..milk. Drink water which helps hydrate you. During hot lemon water before you eat thi help get the gut going in the morning..High Protien meals like scrambled eggs with grated cheese.. Yoghurt alpro with strawberries..

    you will lose but need to have your regular up to 6 fills. Men lose quicker than women also.I have only had three fills and really need another. But we all need to reach the sweet spot where it is comfortable re tightness. Make sure you cut up your foods and have a sauce with it not dry foods.. Chew properly. Exercise is good Walking I suggest.. I also felt like I had been hit by a bus pot two ops. my port flipped and had to be secured again.

  • billie26157
    billie26157 isabella20010

    Posted

    Hello,

    I had my band fitted in April this year and I felt the exact same as you I started to get worried that maybe my band has slipped or something but it hadnt.. They should tell you really that it doesn't start working properly until you have had a few fills. Iv had 3 so far which gives me 5ml in a 10ml band. And I have only just started feeling satisfied eating very little. I think 1 more ml will hit the sweet spot personally everyone is different.

    Your recovery will get better. I found that one day I was in agony with trapped wind in my shoulders and next day I was normal again. Just make sure you keep moving it helps.

    Best of luck x

  • isabella20010
    isabella20010

    Posted

    Thanks guys! I'm glad I'm not alone, from what I'd read (over a year of research) it was a lot of the extreme stories out there and not much of what we've experienced. Although Rumbly tummy I had read a fair bit of what youve experienced and it was something I was really worried about! I even put it to my surgeon! 

    My surgeon was Paul Super at the Hospital Group and from what I had researched he places the band slightely lower than other surgeons - which could explain my lack or restriction! Also he told me the bands come in 2 sizes and luckily we managed to get the smaller size on both of us (I had no idea of this!). My husband and I waited extra long for our op just so we could have him operate on us because he has a high success rate and performs tonnes of banding. Needless to say he was amazing on the day of my op and even came to collect me for surgery and gave me a long pep talk! (He's quite lovely too lol). 

    Anyhoo this isn't to say complications can't happen and we were aware of this but I chose the band over bypass because the bypass is longer recovery (I have lots of little children to look after!) and because with the band it is less likely to be malnutritioned (also need to be as well as possible for looking after the little ones!). I would consider it if the band fails me though!! 

    Billie that shoulder pain is awful. I get it on and off and I can;t burp!! I hope it goes soon sad Well done Vicki!!

  • billie26157
    billie26157 isabella20010

    Posted

    I got some Rennie deflatine for the shoulder pain which I thought helped me out. I got it from boots.

    I had my band done with healthier weight at the spire hospital birmingham, and my surgeon was my Singhal, he is amazing and is a senior lecturer at birmingham university for bariatric surgery also which is why I wanted him for my op.

    It will get better its just a wait and I no it's frustrating because of the money it has cost but hold tight it will happen smile

    • isabella20010
      isabella20010 billie26157

      Posted

      How much weight have you lost (if you don't mind me asking), and have you had weeks when you have plataeud or put on??
    • billie26157
      billie26157 isabella20010

      Posted

      I lost about 5 pound after surgery, then I ended up putting that back on and I stayed in the same place since last week and I'm now down 9pound.

      My start weight was 13st 7lb though, the reason I had the band was because I have PCOS, and being overweight is dangerous for the condition. So I expected a slow loss.x

  • greg041272
    greg041272 isabella20010

    Posted

    sounds like the Band is little help for the danger of surgery. Think I will go for a Bypass

    • Bandid
      Bandid greg041272

      Posted

      all surgeries carry an element of danger and the band is less invasive than other types of wgt loss surgery so therefore the least dangerous  - all types of wgt loss surgery have their negatives and positives - but what is a negative for one person can be a positive for another and vice versa - the band is slower cos it works purley by restriction and does not have the double whammy of malabsorption such as RNY - be guided by your surgeon as to what is most suitable for you personally - consider the negatives of all types of wgt loss surgery available to you and decide which you could and could not live with - like all types of wgt loss surgery, the band is just a tool to help you lose wgt and it is how you work with that tool which will get the best results - good luck with your chosen surgery 
  • Bandid
    Bandid isabella20010

    Posted

    I think everyone is different and will have varying experiences so even though you and your husband had your bands fitted at the same time will not necessarily mean you will be able to compare notes all the way along the line - the band is a slow way to lose wgt but congrats on what you have lost to date - also remember that the main purpose of the pre op diet is to shrink your liver in readiness for your op and any wgt loss is a bonus - at the min your band will not be fully functional, if at all, and you will need to rely on your willpower - you will need several small fills to build up restriction over a period of time so just hang on in there and you will get there - good luck
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