Hi Most pharmacists (drug stores) esp. the big ones, sell Optifast powder and bars Regards John

I had a coffee with milk and 1tsp sugar every morning and that kept me on the straight and narrow. Yes we were also told that we were not allowed the milk and sugar but after talking to others , they had broken the rules far worse than abit of milk and sugar.The yukky mouth is "proof" that you are burning ketones so its normal. Just brush your teeth regularly and you will be fine.Did you get ALL one flavour for your 2 weeks on optifast? That would be abit tough. I had vanilla, cafe latte, honeycomb, chicken soup, strawberry and chocolate. A different brand to yours but still the same result. The surgeon provided it. It was called Dr McCleods and that is an Australian compnay but I believe the product is only available thru surgeons.Gosh , why did I choose the sleeve......probably as many reasons as why you chose the band. I did not wnat to have to go back for fills and pay more money, there were a couple of cases of infections with the bands, some patients were still very hungry even after fills and were gaining weight,lapbanders complained of food getting stuck and that doenst happen with the sleeve, I travel alot and didnt want the worry of getting the band attended to overseas,the sleeve procedure removes the hormone that tells us we are hungry........phew thats alot of info isnt it? Its a personal thing and you have to be comfortable with whatever you choose. As far as pain during or after surgery is concerned, what pain? I only had parecetomol for 2 days in hospital and nothing when I went home. They gave me more parecetomol but I didnt need it.I was back at work ater a week.You will find that the water is vital otheriwse you might end up bunged up.. Why would you want to change the band down the track. I didnt go into this thinking it was something that I might want to reverse.This is a permanent solution to an ongoing problem.My surgeon told me to go with my gut feeling and my gut said "sleeve" I considered the band but its ongoing maintenance was not what I wanted.

Hi kannie, we have all been where you are at. Day 1 on thre optifat stuff was abit of a shock to the system and I thought , how the hell am I going to survive 2 weeks on liquid. I woke up with a headach on day 2 so I made myself a cup of coffee as thought it might be the caffeine withdrawal. We are not supposed to have anything other than the meal replacements and steamed veggies.But for me it was a means of survival. It did the trick. The headaches are also caused by the toxins I think so unfortunately its more water.Drik drink drink. Its all for the best and most certainly helps the op itself.I didnt use optifast, it was a different brand. On of the flavours was vanilla so I started adding instant coffee to that and that fixed my coffee craving first thing in the morning.Once I got into the routine , I found the 2 weeks passed without too much trouble. Yes you do have to remove yourself from temptation at times cos you are human afterall but just remember this is your health on the line. Its well worth the sacrfice.Your hunger will be a thing of the past so welcome to our world. Are you having a sleeve or a band and why?? anne

I had this also after my gastric sleeve earlier this month...under my collor bones for about 2 weeks. All that helped was a hot pack on the area. Maybe try that if you havent already! good luck, and it does get better!

Hi Sinead hope you are getting your paid under control, which operation did you have and where did you have it done. I would call the doctor and find out what pills will help tramal drops are strong but sometimes ineffective, what about a suppository like indocid? hope this helps Donna