Newbie here

wow, 17 kg down is amazing!
I am actually hoping to have not too crazy fast weightloss because I am hoping that my skin will stay in place instead of hanging like an apron....
Also I am hoping not to shock my hair and gallbladder:)
Be happy with steady progress, main thing is: it is changing in the right direction:)

I can't wait to have mine!
agus

Hi Agus

All went well - I went with Dr Jorrie Jordaan on the Gold Coast and he was amazing.  I had no problems with recovery and have lost 17kg since pre-op.  It feels slow, and minimal, but I do need to readjust my expectations - I'm not going to lose 50kg in 2 months!

When is/was your surgery? And who's the surgeon?

Hi TamF

how did you go? hope you are ok
which surgeon did you choose?
agus

Got my date! 1 March - close enough to February :)  Looking forward to a fresh start!

Fingers crossed Tam F! 😊

Need to do bloods, chest X-ray, see dietician and dr to see if I'm fit for operation, then back to surgeon for pre op appointment with all results. 10 days of optislim prior to 22 February. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan!

Lizz X

Woohoo Lizz! 🎉 That's coming up really quickly! I have my appointment on Monday- fingers crossed for February.

Hi and welcome to everyone else who's joined this thread! 😊

Welcome!

Hi for your life! Welcome!!!

Ladies!!!! Just saw surgeon!!! And ..... 22 February!!!!

Sooooo excited!!!!

Hi Lizz and Tam,
I am new too, and finding this place so helpful!
All the best on your journeys, I am awaiting PHI to fall into line, so no sugery for me till September! And I am so impatient!

Looking forward to watching and learning from your experiences, we really are all doing awesomeness for our wellbeing!

(Sorry about all the edits - was trying to work out the feature!)

Shaming by GP's gets me so cranky!   

Kat, I spoke to my OBGYN about doing the surgery and how absolutely unqualified I am to determine whether a surgeon is a good one or a bad one, and my fear of being under the care of a bad surgeon resulting in all those side effects.  I felt so much better when he told me that you'd be unlucky to get a bad surgeon as those who do this work are all competent at it*, and some just provide better aftercare than others, and that complications arise when people don't follow their surgeon's advice pre- and post-op.  So, my take away from that is to follow your surgeon's instructions to the letter!

(*it's possible that he was talking about surgeons in the area I'm in; and I acknowledge that it's possible he was only trying to calm my nerves)

Anyway, glad to 'meet' you all, and I look forward to commiserating in Feb/March! Thanks for the invite to the February board, Lisa - will make my presence known there as soon as I've read through the thread there. :)

Hi Lizz
It's very unfortunate anout your experience with a GP. Some have no understanding that we are all different and one solution does not help everyone.

Im glad you are seeing a surgeon and may have surgery soonish. Its a really good thing, to take control and do something that will benefit our health.


Best of luck for your surgeon app. Let me know if the surgeon tells you about the risks involved. The surgeon really scared me telling me that if I have a leak I could be in hospital for 3months. My surgeon has had a patient that this has happened to, making me a little worried now. So I'm not sure if its the surgeons lack of experience or just bad luck.
Thanks
Kat

Hi !!

I'm new too! I can identify with GP issues! 

I recently moved from one part of Melbourne to 60 km away which meant a new doctor. Although I honestly did not have a doctor before as I had an awful experience the last time I went (3 years) ago and asked her for weight loss help. Her reply 'eat less, move more .. Simple'  

I have surgeons appointment on the 20th and am super hopeful for Feb date.

Lizz

Hi !!

I'm new too! I can identify with GP issues! 

I recently moved from one part of Melbourne to 60 km away which meant a new doctor. Although I honestly did not have a doctor before as I had an awful experience the last time I went (3 years) ago and asked her for weight loss help. Her reply 'eat less, move more .. Simple'  

I have surgeons appointment on the 20th and am super hopeful for Feb date.

Lizz

Hey Tam and Kat, come and join us in the February group (doesn't matter if you don't have a specific date yet.) We're all at the same stage as the two of you.

Lisa :)

Hi TamF
Thanks for the response.
I understand everything you are going through. I had a GP like that also but I got sick of not being on the same page as her and changed GP's. Ive been trying to lose weight for 15 years and tried every diet inclusive of meds without any long lasting result. You would think the doctor would suggest surgery after 15years.
Your Dr is funny re:scars. Scars add character. I have many, lol. When I was younger, i was horrified to see a mark on my body but as you mature you see beyond that. Its funny how we change.

The surgeon I saw today was fantastic. He was telling me that many GP's are not informed about weight loss surgeries nor weight scales, meaning what we should weigh according to our height. He said that for me to be healthy and not pre dispositioned to diabetes my weight should be at 75kilos. My GP said I should be at 60 kilos. So really thats a huge difference. All those stats are wrong.

Yes I also know how hard it is to have the energy to play with kids. I have 3 and did struggle. I would love to kick the ball around with my son or to go swimming with him but Im constantly tired or my back hurts.

I had to do a fitness test today. It was 6 mins on a bike. Im so unfit that even the excerise physiologist was shocked at how unfit I was for my age. Now I have to exercise daily and do.more than 5000 steps per day before they will operate. Ive always been this way even when I wasnt overweight. The surgeon said that March will be my surgery date. Im a little dissapointed as Im very impatient but I suppose everything happens when it should.

Good luck with your appointment. Its a very exciting process. Just think within 6 months or so we will be much lighter and chasing our children and hopefully partners, lol.

Thanks for the welcome :)

Kat, my GP is dead-set against WLS and "wouldn't want to see a scar on such a young girl" (young girl must be relative, as I'm approaching mid-30's here).  He made me come back over 5 different appointments, each time giving me another hurdle to jump (go and research it / see a dietitian / see a free information session / speak with the surgeon; and then come back).  He was willing to refer me for a gastric balloon right off the bat, but I had researched it and I don't think it's suitable for my circumstances, and so the circus started.

I know it all sounds very reasonable on his end, and perhaps it was, but I ended up feeling shamed because I was getting a strong vibe of "eat less & exercise more - if you tried harder you wouldn't want to take the easy way out".  Also, I have to take time off work for every appointment with him, as well as some of the other hoops I had to jump, and it was just very frustrating.  

I meet the BMI requirement (39 with co-morbidities) and have several weight-related conditions; have been through several intensive weight loss programs which work in the short term but not the long term and have been doing so for about the last 12 years, and he was the GP overseeing me!  I have PCOS - needed fertility meds to fall pregnant the first time, and my weight has gotten to the point where the meds aren't working any more and I need knee surgery to stabilise a (legitimately not weight-related) bad knee because I'm too heavy for it.  I'd been toying with the idea of getting some drastic intervention for years, but this gave me the push to do it.  It is so hard to see my baby play with her dad in a way that she can't play with me, because I can't play (or even sit) on the floor, or crawl around with her, or spend too much time outside with her because I'm so unhealthy.  :/

Wow, even reading all that back makes me feel a little (or a lot) embarrassed about where I am in life now. TMI?  Sorry!

Anyway, I have managed to secure an appointment with the surgeon on 25/1, and he tells me that the surgery is likely to occur within 4 weeks of that date, so I'm hoping February is my month too!  Good luck with your appointment - I know what you mean about wanting this sorted *yesterday* - fingers crossed for February!

Welcome tamf,
Best wishes with your coming appointments.

Ginger x

Hi there,
I've just started the same journey as yourself. Im 40 nearly 41 at the end of the month. Im from Adelaide and have just had a few appointments to see a GP and dietitian regarding the sleeve. Tomorrow is my appointment with the Surgeon. Ive had all my pre op blood tests and ECG also. Here's hoping the surgeon is happy for me to go ahead with the surgery. I think his next surgery date is at the end of February. Im so excited and want it done tomorrow. Im hoping to get this done ASAP. Im so sick of this extra weight.
Can I ask why is was so hard to get your referral? Are you under the 35% BMI?
Im at 32 BMI but as I have been through breast cancer treatment, Drs say that it will help with prevention of recurrence.

Hi everyone - I'm new here! I'm an early-30's in Brisbane, Au, and I finally received a referral from my GP for "weight loss options" yesterday, after a months-long battle to get it.  I'm very excited to start this journey, but a little scared too, and so grateful that this support group exists so that I can talk to other real people who are doing the same thing I am.  So, hi!