Gastric Band....any fellow bandits out there?

[JessHelicopter]

Hello! I am having a gastric band fitted on the 23rd. I have only found a few blogs online and I am wondering if any mumsnetters have had it done / how you've done / how you found the pre-op/post-op diets etc. I am not scared of the procedure at all but I am scared of the post op liquid diet and subsequent life change!

Oh and so any advice welcome!

I use the Paul McKenna GB hypnosis cd. Why are you having this op if you don't mind me asking. Its quite a big thing really.

Gastric surgery? Wouldn't it be easier (and safer) to try lose the weight yourself. I've been very over weight before but managed to lose a lot through giving used a good kick up the back side and finding my will power and self control. I never thought I could do it, but I did!

The buzz I got from friends/family noticing was amazing and the fact I had done it on my own made me feel as though I had achieved something.

A gastric band really isn't always the easy way out. Think about the risks and think about whether you could lose more weight on your own steam.
I'm not having a go, just asking you to reevaluate.

You might surprise yourself!

Jess, whereabouts in the country are you? There are some excellent support groups around.

I don't mind anyone asking me why! :) I have struggled all my adult life with my weight.....recently more than ever. I have yo-yo-ed from 10st to 18st and have tried every diet under the sun. Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Atkins (tough for a veggie! even one that eats fish! aka a bad/not proper veggie), Cambridge, Detox, Vegan, Slim Fast, Cabbage Soup, many more....Some have worked but all only ever temporarily. Now I am in a position to do something a bit more permanent. I've booked and paid for the surgery and I am 100% sure I want it. I know it's severe but tipping the scales at 17.9 is also pretty serious.

I am from Cardiff. I have found a few sites online but I just wondered if there were any ladies on here who had been through the same experience.

I can't offer any advice but I hope it goes well and it works for you. It's a brave decision to make but I am sure you have thought long and hard about it. You could maybe keep us posted on how you are doing.

I hope you find a forum that can support you too.

Have you thought about not dieting. Diets do not work. You end up bingeing and regaining and then some. Gastric bands help you feel fuller but people do re stretch their stomachs and can eat more again. So what will you do if that happens? Have you tried therapy for the reasons you overeat?

I've had/got one.
Ignore the haters
I wish I had a sleeve though as my band has caused problems but that was due to the moronic surgeon who did it (then fled the country).
Best thing I've ever had done.

No one ever tells people who are having a boob job or teeth whitning to have counselling....

I don't think anyone's being a "hater". Yes, I do think people having boob jobs need counselling sometimes and teeth whitening can ruin your teeth as it strips the layers off. Even after a band tummys can be stretched again by overeating. It's not foolproof. Relearning how to eat like a "naturally" slim person and overcome your reasons for overeating can be helpful for life. I see you said your gastric band surgery went wrong and your so called surgeon fled the country. Hardly a good recommendation for having gastric band surgery is it.

But that was not the fault of the band but the surgeon.
The band has saved my life. Years of dieting and even eating disorders did nothing. With the band (now fixed) I have totally changed how and what I eat. My lifestyle had changed. It is not a quick fix even though so many thinking is. It is a tool that assists you with changing your life.

To have gastric surgery on the NHS you have to see a psychologist and jump through a lot of hoops. You only get there if it is the right path for you.
If it was as simple as counseling to learn to eat like a slim person then there would be a lot less obese people around.

Alot of people over the last 20 years have been helped and turned their lives around through cbt and other overeating relating therapies. Learning the reasons why we put food into our mouths for reasons other than hunger is a turning point. The Gastric Band has not solved this problem for many many people as they can still overeat and re stretch the stomach again as I have already mentioned. So what do they do then, have more surgery again to re inflate the band? The band does not solve the issues with overeating. You can still overeat with the band. It is not a cure all so wouldn't getting proper help to deal with your issues be better than putting yourself through that time and time again?
Operations are a risky business to begin with. Having your body played around with by surgery is not the way to solve an overeating problem.
There are no quick fixes. Overeating is your minds way of dealing with problems you have that you are not addressing. Gastric Band wont with that. Its just an expensive band aid. Your issues will still be there and will come out in some other way.

The band is regularly filled. It's not a surgical procedure - there is a port.

The OP asked for support, not criticism.

Ladies, ladies! It's ok...i appreciate both what HowsTheSerenity AND Bindibach are trying to say. Thanks for the support from all.

I have ordered this book for my kindle: www.amazon.com/Life-Hard-Food-Easy-Emotional/dp/0895260573 AND I am seeing my counsellor for post op sessions (I've already seen her for pre-ops).

I am aware that I need to change the way I approach food. But I also need to do something about my weight too. I am not a healthy weight right now and I want to be a good example to my kids.

I just wondered if others had been through it too....so it's good to meet you HowsTheSerenity! I know it's not going to be easy and that you have to work WITH your band. My view is that it will be a "leg up" rather than a definitive solution. ;)

I had a band fitted in 2006, I'm afraid it never really worked. I had it done in Belgium & had to go to Harley St for fills & check ups.
I found that my band was either so loose it didn't offer any restriction or so tight I'd vomit after drinking even water.
I'm now on the waiting list for an nhs gastric bypass.
To the OP, good luck with your op, things have improved greatly in the 8 years since I had my op.
It is a tool, as you know, it will not lose weight for you. It will help you to lose weight yourself.
Good luck, if you want to know anything about the op or aftercare, pm me.

I had a gastric bypass on the nhs in 2011, how much more is it to go for that rather than band? I ask because they're pretty much stopping bands on nhs due to so many issues, lots of slippages, cheats and general less success.

I still have a fat head though although I've had counselling

Good luck!!

Hmmm I think a bypass is a lot more and i've paid for the op now. I also like the lack of finality about it. I am hoping that one day I will be able to control how much i eat on my own. But that maybe naive. :S

I have the band and love it. Ive had absolutely no problems at all, not even the more common ones, for the simple reason I work with my band and dont expect the band to do the work for me. The band is an aid to weight loss, it will not do the job for you, it is nothing like a bypass or sleeve, with the band you still need to use willpower and get your head around why you have issues with food. The latter is something I could never get a handle on pre-band but now I know myself better than I ever have done. My life has literally come on in leaps and bounds.

I recommend a book called The Pocket Gastric Band Guide by Judy Williams.

Oh thanks Granny! Book recommendations are very welcome! :)

Hi Jess I'm interested to hear how you get on as I'm seriously considering this. Same sort of "diet" history as you. Good luck on 23rd!

I had a band ! After3 years it suddenly eroded into my stomach and in the space of 3 weeks almost killed me ! Think organ failure ! Think very carefully op , I treated my band with the utmost respect , followed all the rules and yes lost weight, the trauma of almost loosing my life makes me wish I'd never done it !! I'm doing it the old fashioned way now , joined the gym and trying to eat well .

I have a band, have had it for 4 years I think.
I've lost 6 stone, I could do with loosing a couple more but struggle a bit, that's me rather than the band though.
Never had any real problem, would like to loose the extra 2 stone but had they told me I'd be 6 stone down and that was all I would have taken it.
Had they told me I'd be able to run 5k I wouldn't have believed them, I don't have any regrets.

I think that if I were doing it now I'd seriously look at the sleeve too though.

Good luck!

I just think it's quite "telling" that the nhs has moved away from them and they're usually up for the cheaper option of course.

Either way, you'll be very happy with the result, sounds like your head is in the right place!