Hello everyone. I am dipping my toe in the water having agonised for weeks about being able to post again. I am still adjusting to life with a band. My op was a traumatic experience - and I am not going to go into the details - I still do not know what happened and the hospital have yet to provide me with any explanation that makes sense. So...no point in dwelling on it. I am going to work with this tool just like everyone has to.
I have been reading posts and good to see everyone is making progress.
I want to send a message to Neen. I am sorry if I contributed to your decision to stay away. I know immediately after my op you were trying to help me and I was not in a good head space so my reaction was not as it should have been. Come back - we are all really missing you.
Well I am not really sure what I should be feeling with the band. All my research was on the bypass. However, just to let you know how things are for me right now. I am still experiencing pain on a daily basis. I have spoken to the hospital and they assure me that my insides got a going over during the op and that I am probably still swollen from that. They tell me it will pass eventually. Sleeping is the worse part. I was blessed with a rather large bust which is not going to go with weight loss. I just cannot find a comfortable position to sleep in as my bust is pressing down in all the wrong places
. I have been told to invest in a sleep bra. Tried to find one in a size that will fit and have ordered one - not quite a fit - online which will turn up who knows when with the weather and Christmas. I am hoping that will help.
My provider has a very odd regime in terms of post op eating. They tell band and bypass patients to follow exactly the same diet - 4 weeks liquids then 4 weeks puree/soft food. After fills it is back to two weeks liquids then 2 weeks puree. I may or may not get a fill at my follow up appointment which is on the 14 January so it will be the 14 February before I really try anything solid and know what kind of restriction I have.
The 4 weeks on liquid were fine. I left it until today to go onto puree and so far today I have had 1 weetabix with lots of milk - which made me feel a bit nauseous but stayed down. I then had a muller lite yogurt which went down OK and that has been it. I must admit since the op I have not felt hunger. That I think has been due to the pain I have been feeling and perhaps because of the shock about not getting the op I expected. I am sure my appetite will come back. What is really concerning me is that I am struggling to drink enough fluids. Today for example apart from a cup of tea this morning I have had about a quarter of a litre of water. I am going to have to find a way to force myself to drink more water - it is always something I have struggled with. The problem is I can only drink so much and then I start to experience pain in my pouch. I have water with me all the time and just try and sip as much as I can as often as I can.
As for weight loss well I managed to gain 9 pounds during the op and as of last week it was still there. Again the hospital have said it will go and it is the trauma of the op and the fact my kidneys are not fully functioning so I am probably retaining. So no more weighing because for me that would be soul destroying and frankly I have been through enough given the fight I had to have to get the surgery in the first place. I have put my family and myself through enough without bringing on a total breakdown with no weight shifting. I am not sure how I will measure my progress. I am sure they will weigh me when I go to my follow up appointment. After that I will probably just go on how my clothes feel.
Right I think that is enough for now. I cannot promise I will post everyday. Mentally I still feel very raw about what has happened. I will do my very best to be supportive of all my fellow bander's. We will do it - it will just take that little bit longer
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Hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
tranquil
