I have a definite date for my first fill - 19th January. It seems a long way off right now but I hope the time will pass quickly. I'm anxious to move on from this temporary state of affairs to a situation where my band is actually doing the work. At the moment I guess I am doing most of the work in terms of trying to eat sensibly, eat slowly, chew a lot and eat small portions. Once I have some real restriction in my band that should help to deal with any hunger. Though I must confess I am not really finding it very hard at all at the moment. I am still eating about 850-950 calories most days and finding that quite comfortable.
I've been reading the material I was sent about the fill process and getting an x-ray. I have to drink barium, a chalky white fluid, as this shows up on the x-ray and allows the doctor to see how much restriction the band is giving. Apparently I will be able to see the x-ray myself as it is produced, so will be able to see the band and port inside me! How weird is that going to be! Once they have put some saline into my band, via a large needle (!), I will then be asked to drink some water to make sure it goes down OK without any problems. I have read a few horror stories on some of the forums about people who've really struggled to even drink water for several days after a fill - I guess these have had their fills done by less than careful providers. In this respect, I really do feel every confidence in Healthier Weight and have no concerns about them doing the job properly. They have been really excellent at giving me all the information I need at every step of the way.
I have my very first meeting of the HW Support Group in Manchester tomorrow - I'll post when I get back and tell you what is was like. I really have absolutely no idea what's it's going to be like - how many people, or what we'll actually do for two hours.....!
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Hi Theresa
ReplyDeleteI have been reading all your blog over last two days, so interesting.
I am about 7lb over your starting weight at the mo and deperate for the surgery. After every diet failing (as 6 months was my limit before stopping) my Doctor put me on appetite suppressents as I don't seem to have the ' I'm full up gene '!! These had no effect at all. Last October she referred me for a band aid like you. After waiting and waiting for an appointment, had a letter saying the NHS in Manchester were changing their contracts in April 2009, and my referral was returned. It is so frustrating, I just want my life back, I am single and 54 years old, so not getting any younger. If I can get an appointment after April, goodness knows how long the waiting list is and I can't afford to go private.
At least I can read your blog and know you are on your way back and hope one day I will be too.xx
Hi Mel. I am so sorry about your bad luck. Please don't give up - keep trying with the NHS - there do seem to be an increasing number of people getting gastric surgery on the NHS. Stick with it. In the meantime, don't set your expectations too high - try cutting back a little bit on what you are eating and try to fit in a little exercise each day - Healthier Weight recommend simple walking. Even fitting in 15 minutes walking each day will burn calories! Hang in there - I wish you luck with your NHS and Doctor. Theresa.
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