I have a date!

Thank so much for your great ideas...I really am not as creative as I could be...:/..

I am having Opti for breaky at the moment and having some V8 juice as well when I don't have vegies ready. I still have 2 months to go but like you, if I make an effort now I won't put any more on till then.

Good luck with your band removal. I am so glad I had mine out. It is strange that my surgeon didn't make me diet before hand. I guess they are all different. I had mine out on the 22 June. I was hoping they would operate after 3 months but no...I couldn't book a day till Dec 17th.

Oh well....I must admit, I am enjoying food at the moment....

Kity- I am taking it for breakfast and lunch and having a meal at night...then when Nov 8th arrives it should be easy to transition into full Optifast. I make a diabetic jelly, add about a cup with lots of ice cubes and the Optifast into the blender. it makes a HUGE shake, and it tastes GOOD!.I used orange jelly with chocolate shake and got Jaffa, and lime with vanilla shake is good too...

Vicki- Glad you are feeling good about the band exit! I have that to look forward to! I had lunch with friends on Sunday and only ate a small amount of a pork mince stirfry... ate carefully, slowly, no drink, but still had to excuse myself to hurl it into the porcelain bowl-ekkkkkk....I will be SO glad when that doesn't happen, eh! With all the hurling I have done, you'd think I'd be skinny now, but, nope.

Ho hum...

I have a date as well...not soon enough but hey...better late than never.

17th Dec.

I tried to start the optifast diet just to help with the weight but I couldn't get passed the third day...eeghh!!

Sorry you have to wait soooooo long to have your band removed. I guess those Auckland Doctors are very busy...

Its great having the Curse gone, still getting rid of plenty of wind, have my post op visit with my surgeon on Friday, so will ask him then if he will do ByPass before Xmas, otherwise it may be late Jan as they all take there hols about that time..

Take care Teeli, have to go I'm just so tired today & I've done nothing ... Vicki :)))

YAAAAAAAAY Vicki! Congratulations! How does it feel? jeepers! It's just as well you got it out when you did, isn't it! Yes, I'd pass on Xmas nosh too, if I could get mine out and the sleeve in before Xmas! Way to go....I am so pleased for you.

My date is 22Nov...then sleeving in Feb...

Hi Teeli

Had my band out on the 4th October so glad The Curse has gone!!! My band had adhered to my stomach & a piece of bowel had to be cut out. Not the first time this has happened to me over the years. I had wind trapped under my left rib for over a week, thought I was going to die, felt like I was passing a kidney stone, the pain was horrendous.

I'm going to ask Blair if he will do my ByPass befor Xmas, I'm willing to forgo Xmas dinner for my new slimmer, thinner life.

Hope you are well Teeli, take care Vicki :)))

Yes it is very rare that a surgeon will do both operations in one. (Not for lack of trying...I practically beged...but I was told 'no'..:( ) Looking back now I am glad I didn't. I realise that I was so greatful eating all the foods I couldn't eat with the band in...eg..meat, bread, pasta, salad...yes salad.... and i didn't put any weight on..

What I found when I had the band out was I had wind caught up inside and also a few spasms inside. Not bad but I put it down to everything getting back to 'normal'. I will ask surgeon on wednesday.

I hope he can do my surgery soon...I hate being in limbo....

Talk soon.

Hi Teeli

I started Opti today and feeling a bit crap. I am really going to give it a good go so that I can lose some of the weight that I put on. I'm drinking a stock cube in hot water as I type this, craving savoury.

I think the thing I miss the most is my coffee with milk and sugar, black with artificial sweetener just doesn't do it. My Opti is also modified in that I can have a piece of lean protein with my veg at dinner.

I didn't have a lot of pain with having the band removed. I was back at work 5 days later. I was still limited on how much I could eat for about 3 weeks after due to the swelling. Sometimes if swallowed my food without much chewing I would get some pain from the top area of my stomach (probably where the band had been). As one of the other posters on here says the stomach has to unpleat itself which makes sense considering its been all squashed up with the band.

Good luck trying to get your surgeon to do the 2 ops at the same time. Wouldn't it be great!! Some surgeons do it at the same time but most prefer to wait for the old tum to return to as normal as possible.

Have a good week!!

Nicky

Thank you both so much for your replies.

Nicky, how does it feel to have the band removed? I am sure you won't mind not having the pain and the tightness, eh? The surgeon told me I would be able to eat normally after the removal, he didn't caution me about swelling etc, but maybe he will when we meet up in theartre.

Kity...very interesting that you didn't have to do the Optifast before you had surgery, and how wonderful to have not put any on! That's a great thing!I know when I had a month with an empty band and on optifast I did not gain- but I didn't lose either :(

I am starting a modified Optifast regime today. Yeah, I know, it's 8 weeks out from surgery, but I thought I would try and see if I can drop a LOT of weight, maybe then my doc will look at doing the 2 cnd surgery at the same time...lol... worth a try.

Yes, I agree, banding and unbanding is something that no two people share exactly.I thought I did more than enough research to be sure the band would work for me...and I really did stick to the rules. Now, when I read that I am not the only one who had problems I feel a bit better about the whole thing.

Stick with it, you two! You are close to realising your dreams and we can watch what happens and be inspired. :)

Hi, I just thought I would share. I had my band removed on the 22nd June. It all went straight forward. I actually didn't have to follow a pre-op diet to take band out. Like you I was so scared to be band free for 3 months. Well it has been 3 months and I can say I havent put any weight one....I feel fat but I was putting weight on with the band in. I will see my surgeon this wednesday to talk about gastric bypass..I am so depressed at the moment as My weigt is really getting to me. I wish I could get it done tommorrow. I will keep posting here so people can read about my experience. I think it is abit like chid birth...every body's experience will be different....:)

Congratulations Teeli

You certainly won't know yourself without the band.

Do the best you can without the band in place. Try and make good food choices. Your tummy will be swollen for a week or so after the band has been removed so this will help to keep your weight in check. If you're like me I wasn't able to eat fruit and veg much with the band, you will think its heaven to eat without the band.

I'm coming up to 4 months since I had the band removed and I have unfortunately put 11kg on. Please don't let this worry you as you may not put that much on. I was told the your body goes into storage mode as its been in starvation mode whilst the band has been in place.

I found it very hard to deal with in the beginning but just had to accept it knowing full well that it would come off again.

I have got 5 weeks to go until I am sleeved and can't weight. At least you only have to weight 3 months between ops.

I'm starting Opti in a days time so will see how that goes.

I know what you mean about being excited waiting for your date with the surgeon.

Nicky

...No, not with a guy...well, yes, with a guy, but not as we know it. :)

I saw Grant Beban last week in Auckland and also the psychologist, the dietician, the blood people and the radiologist for barium swallow xrays.A whole week of appointments...whew, was I stuffed at the end of it all.

Had problems with the xrays, had to drink 5 glasses of liquid plaster-of-paris ( urk) and one glass of fizz(urk) two glasses of water and a marshmallow.The pain was pretty horrific...having to swallow all of that, plus the twisting and turning, the upending and jiggling.... oh my.

And, then there was some confusion because the port and tubing showed clearly- and no sign of the Band.It must BE there, but nobody could see it anywhere.I dunno where it is exactly, but Grant says he'll find it on the day.

That is the 22cnd November.( *takes a bow*)

2 weeks of Optifast prior, starting on 8th Nov.Then Band removal. Then we wait 3 months and sometime late Feb the Sleeve is done.

3 months without the Band is stressing me out, heck! I've gained weight WITH the danged thing, what happens in 3 months WITHOUT it?

So, there ya go, ladies and jellybeans- not just one date, but two! Whoo hoo! ( how sad is that? Getting excited over a "date" with a surgeon) ROTFL.