Have been lurking....

Hi Happy,
That is fantastic, once you start opti you just know you are getting closer.
Hang in there you will feel fab very shortly.
Hugs Gail

Thanks for all the support guys. I really do love this site, is great to be able to talk openly.
Best not write too much at present, you know what they say about drinking and typing! Needless to say I have had my last hurrah so to speak. Had a barbie with the family and a bit to drink. Feel really ready for opti tomorrow, just want to kick it and get it over and done with. Not feeling so scared at the moment, just want to start my new (not so fat bastard) life.
Must go find all the crap food in the house and dispose of it (or give it to hubby - same diff).
2 more weeks to go-o (you'll have to update me on how to type-dance Gail)!

hi happyone, you will be fine. as i said let your body be the judge of what you can and cant do.. im sure u will bounce back in no time.. when u feel comfortable then tell people. because it isnt a fast weight lose im sure u will be fine..and when ur ready tell ur dad or tell him that ur trying a new diet.. believe me time will fly and u will enjoy reaping the benifits of the new u. as for the shakes i had one for breakfast then ate salads for lunch and low carb veggies and a bit of meat for dinner... must admit tony fergusons range was quiet nice range tasted like a milkshake not powdery at all

jane

Sorry to hear about your nasty sister in law, that's something you certainly don't need. All my inlaws live very far away so I don't have any issues there thankfully.
Jane, thanks for your advise. I'm going to stay in a motel the evening before the surgery and my husband will collect me when I am discharged. I'm going to make sure that I am a-ok when I leave the hospital, as when I get home I have the kids to look after (the downside of not having any extended family around). Not looking forward to that really but so be it.
So what are the chances of me not telling my Dad at Christmas that I have had the surgery? I'll have lost weight and by the sounds of it, 7 weeks after surgery, I'll be eating like a bird. Me thinks he may twig.
Confirmed all my appointments today and got the list of food I could and couldn't eat for the fast. Must get cracking and order the optifast. Will have to read all the posts and figure out what flavours to order. I hate powdered mild so I will have to find a way to disguise the taste. Will stop my whining now.................

hi happyone,

good lick with the op.. I drove the day i got home from hospital.. my doc said not to drive for a couple of days cause of the morphin they gave me in hospital...as for moving around i made sure i had my gorgeous white stockings on, my daughter is 4 bit still loves to be picked up.. we explained to her that i couldnt lift her up all the time but could give her little cuddles... i was lifting things pretty much when i got home, i just let me body tell me if it was ok....i was a bit hesident at first cause i have stitches staples and glue... u will be fine... just take it easy and walk as much as u can...as for telling family thats ur choice.. i had told my husband and sister and was open with it at work...didnt want to shock them to much: me who could eat a horse suddenly have minimal appetite... (plus looking forward to being skinny and have them envious of my great body...LOL

jane

hi happyone,

good lick with the op.. I drove the day i got home from hospital.. my doc said not to drive for a couple of days cause of the morphin they gave me in hospital...as for moving around i made sure i had my gorgeous white stockings on, my daughter is 4 bit still loves to be picked up.. we explained to her that i couldnt lift her up all the time but could give her little cuddles... i was lifting things pretty much when i got home, i just let me body tell me if it was ok....i was a bit hesident at first cause i have stitches staples and glue... u will be fine... just take it easy and walk as much as u can...as for telling family thats ur choice.. i had told my husband and sister and was open with it at work...didnt want to shock them to much: me who could eat a horse suddenly have minimal appetite... (plus looking forward to being skinny and have them envious of my great body...LOL

jane

Happyone

I haven't told many people about my surgery including my family. My husband, one sister and my neice know.

My reason for not telling my mum is i knew she would worry about me because a friend died 30 years ago from weight loss surgery. She doesn't understand that things are different with modern medicine.

I was going to tell her after but I don't want my brother and sister inlaw to know because I know what the comments would be my sister in law who is a very nasty lady.

Hi Happyone,
No problems about the hippy comment I thought that it was hysterical my daughter breastfed my grand daughter forever and I was begging her to stop LOL

I am with you on the meditation by the way this is roughly what happens to me

Thanks everyone for your advice and encouragement. I'd love to respond individually to everyone but I'm not that diligent I'm afraid. I have checked out the gallery photos and they look amazing. Am looking forward to being able to add to it.

Nicole, your kids are very similiar in age to mine (DD 5, DS almost 3 and DS 20 months). Sounds like you don't have any family around either. Fortunately I have a supportive husband, but with our own business it will be hard for him to be home much to help me during the days after the op. I'm thinking I'm going to have to put the kids into daycare for the week of my op and then a couple of days the following week. Also may have to arrange to stay in beautiful downtown Wagga for a night after the hosp stay before I drive home. Will be VERY strange being away from my family for so long. Not looking forward to being in hosp on my own either, but heh, it's what needs to be done.

Nice advice on the weaning Linda. And sorry for the hippy comment Gail My DH is always giving me grief about the breastfeeding. He says my son is too old at which point I have to remind him that the World Health Organisation would disagree with him (always works that one)! At least I have a cutoff date now, DS can't be breastfed when I am in Wagga for so long.

Had to laugh when I read all the diets you guys had tried, I also had tried most of them, I also just recently bought a book by Jon Gabriel called the Gabriel Method. Basically you use meditation to train your body that it no longer needs to be fat. OK, may work, my problem was that everytime I tried to meditate I would fall asleep!! I don't think it works through osmosis.

Am really enjoying being able to talk about this people who understand.
Thanks!!

Welcome Happyone,

I have opted not to tell my work collegues as I know they would think it was a cop out. And in a way I know it is a cop out but, like you and most people on here, I have been on every diet imaginable but have never managed to keep it off.

I did tell my family who were surprisingly supportive. I have told a couple of close friends who haven't really said anything coz they saw the band fail for me. I think it will be a matter of 'wait and see' with them. It I loose the weight then they will be happy for me, if I don't then it's just another surgery - to them.

My doctor didn't tell me anything about not driving or lifting but then I was in hospital for 7 days.

Hi Happyone,

Welcome... I am in exactly where you are right now!! I am now 12 days out from surgery and all this week I've been on my own with my 3 little ones (6yrs, 4yrs and 23months who has only just started walking more frequently this week cause she is so damn quick running on her knees..

I came home from hospital last Friday night so had 4 nights in hospital and today was the first time driving because my daughter sits in the middle car seat and I just couldn't not have physically got her in & out of the car.

If you were to drive your self home from hospital, I would be staying in hospital or at a nearby hotel for an extra night so you are close to the 7 days after op - which I think most surgeons are say it's ok to drive after the week.

You will get tired easily so driving 2.5hrs is a fair drive - so think about that one.

I didn't and still havn't told anyone except for a school mum who looked after our eldest son after soon for the week, my husband, my sister (who was original looking after the kids but then didn't) who then told my parents. And that's it.

AFter having the band and was told I was "unsuccessful" after losing 4kgs and then had it removed cause of leaks and port flipping I just didn't want to jinx the sleeve so I have kept it to myself so can understand you coming from a small country town where everyone know's everyone elses business.

As far as the kids go this week it hasn't been so bad. My husband has been going into work early and finishing early so he is home around the 6pm to do showers as I found doing all 3 showers really is stressful and I'm just buggered...

I have been able to cook all ok for them this week and nappy changes for most of the week I have been changing her on the floor but today I have managed to pick her up and change on the change table as I can feel my body healing but I'm still not pushing it either.

Getting her into the cot was another one, Sunday and Monday I tried her sleeping on the spare bed which she could climb onto and she would stay there until she worked out Tuesday how to get off LOL...

So I ended up just picking her up really slowly and carefully and then putting her down as soon as she was over the rail.

I havn't done any housework and have just basically been having sleeps at lunchtime when she is asleep and being school holidays the boys are watching DVD's and playing with trains.

I am so glad however, that I have another week up my sleeve (pardon the pun..) before my eldest goes back to school and then doing lunches and school run either once or twice a day if my DH drops off in the morning cause if it was this coming Monday I just wouldn't have the strength.

Basically this week we didn't have any other choice as my sister was going to come down this week but didn't, so it's had to be this way.

Us mums are pritty tough when it's just you, but I have really listened to my body and just really have taken it easy and have kept until yesterday pritty much on liquids as my body wasn't ready for the extra stress as too with the walking. I've been a couple of minutes here & there on the treadmill but thats it, cause there is just too much else going on with my body looking after the kids etc.

Sorry, for the ramble if you need to ask anything just fire away.

oh. And the other brilliant thing I've had this week is having Coles delivery the groceries so I havn't had to carry anything or go out either..

Nicole xx

Welcome Happyone... Yes this forum is fabulous and everyone is soooo lovely.

I too have done sureslim and yes it did work but unfortunately didn't help in me keeping the weight off. I was talking with a friend of mine who is trying to lose weight as well. We went through how many weightloss programs we have done..... Weight watchers, gloria marshall, jenny craig, sureslim, trim-a-weigh, another delivery food one, reductil, Zenical, tried diet shakes, joining a gym.... need I go on... I have also been reading a few books lately and the thing they have in common that all diet programs people are successful in losing weight but none really help you keep it off. After 5 years only 1% keep the weight off.....1%...... so I am sure with having a sleeve this % rate will be a lot higher..... more in the 90%'s for sure!

I also hear you about "small town gossip"..... it is up to you about who you tell and who you don't. Just do one thing..... keep your head held high and don't let gossip get to you. You can stand up to people and be confident in saying what you have done. You are doing what is best for you and your family. You want to be healthy for your children and to be there for them when they grow up. Don't be embarrassed about having surgery, be strong and know that you are doing it for the right reasons. If you don't say anything just make sure you an hold your head up high and be proud of yourself for looking after your health and your family! It does not matter what anyone else thinks.....

I am really looking forward to hearing your progress...... and once again welcome to the forum!

Hi again Happyone,
I understand exactly how you feel, especially about the small country town bit!! I lived in a rural, coastal town for nearly 30 years before I moved to Canberra then to Qld..... There are always gossips. Yhen as for the weaning...... i don't think I would have ever gotten my youngest weaned without the assistance of my best friend, she took her for a weekend and then we just told her feeds had gone.(she was nearly 2 by then some was getting most of her nourishment from diet etc, BF was just a comfort thing)
Good Luck!

Hi Happyone,
We all do it differently, tell people or not.
I was in a great position, I just turned 50 and didn't give a black rats bottom what anyone thought LOL
I have a hippy shop so I got a chuckle out of you saying I'm not a hippy with the breast feeding it really cracked me up .

Anyway back to the thread every one of us does it differently to tell or not and you just go with what you feel comfy with because in the end you are the one that is important.
I have lived in a small country town myself so I hear you there, everyone but everyone has an opinion don't they !

Enjoy the journey.
Hugs Gail.

Gosh, so many responses, great. I will ask the surgeon/nurses a lot of these questions but I just want to be a little prepared as I am not meeting with the surgeon until 13 days before the op. I guess one of my major hurdles will be to get my youngest child off the breastfeeding! I'm no hippy but it was just easier to let him feed than to ween him. I'm guessing I should stop breastfeeding by the time I start the optifast.
Err, Gail, I'm not entirely sure why I'm not telling people. If I'm honest, and I don't mean to offend anyone here, I think I am coping out. I feel guilty and ashamed that I do not have the willpower to just say no to food (and wine)! I live in a small country town where people love to gossip. I feel that people will be like, "wow, she's lost so much weight, (but behind the hand, "we know how she really did it"). Does that make sense?? Pathetic really. My Dad has also been a yoyo dieter all his life and likes to tell me how I should be losing weight (despite nothing working long term for him). I may tell him about the sleeve after I have lost the weight. Of course I have to make sure that no one thinks I have an illness when I start losing weight!!!

Hi Happyone and welcome aboard,

As with the others I have no little ones but I did drive the day after I got out of hospital. I checked with the surgeon and not a problem at all. Mind you I was a little timid and drove slowly LOL

Is there a reason that you haven't told anyone, I found that people are very supportive and can be very helpful in times of need.

Congratulations on getting a surgery date the time will just fly by.

Cheers Gail.

Welcome happyone.

I was sleeved 8 weeks ago. I don;t have children so i will let others help you out with that one,

as for driving, my surgeon said don't drive for 1 week but I reckon I was well enough to drive. I did however follow my doctors instructions.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

My daughter was 18 months old at the time of my sleeve, and I didnt pick her up for the first couple of weeks, but I did walk into my post op checkup at about 3 weeks, carrying her (without thinking) and my surgeon said that I was fine to be carrying her around at that stage.
As for changing her nappy and things like that, I put a little 2 step ladder thinggy next to my bed and got her to climb up that and onto the bed. She was already in a cot converted into a toddler bed so she was able to get in and out by herself.

Good luck with everything, and done hesitate to message me if you have any other questions.

Hello and Welcome Happyone,

Congrads on your decision to have the sleeve you will soon be going trough a very new and exciting journey in your life

I dont have little ones except my grandkids so cant help you on that onebut someone i know had a boob reduction done and she had her childs cot against her bed side down so her baby at the time could just get out that way cause she wasnt allowed to lift for i think it was 6weeks But there are others on here tha have little ones and may have some suggestions for you
I believe its 6 weeks till you are so suppose to lift after the sleeve i lifted my client at the time a week after being sleeved she wwas the weight of a child (she has cereble palsy and i lifted her from her wheel chair) i was fine but its not recommended i wasnt told of any lifting restrictions at the time

Looking forward to reading more of your journey

Cheers Sue

Hello and welcome Happyone,
Well as to the little kids at home I can't help, but with the driving, check with your insurer if they allow you to drive and also your surgeon. I do remember someone saying to me it depended if you could stretch your leg. Personally I had no problems and could have driven straight away. Good luck and look foward to hearing how you go.

Thought I'd best bite the bullet and register. I've enjoyed reading everyones' posts, I've got loads of information that I was previously clueless on. Ok, my very droll story.
Been fat all my life, was on Jenny Craig at 11, had shrinks tell my parents that I was carrying puppy fat (some puppy)! My parents were supportive but I always cheated (a bit hard to admit really). My weight has fluctuated depending on what diet I was on at the time. Got down to under 80kg on Weight Watchers before I got married. Put more weight back on then tried Sureslim. Hated it but I lost a heap of weight, unfortunately I also turned into a right cow, wasn't sleeping, got aneamic etc. Stopped and put more weight on. Moved to the country, had 3 kids and have been getting progressively larger. My Dr suggested getting the band. When I went to the info session last month I decided that the sleeve was right for me. I live 2 and half hours from where the doctor is in Wagga so I am having all my appointments on the 20th October, start optifast on the 19th October and my surgery is booked for 2nd November. I have a heap of questions.
My husband is the only person who knows I am having the surgery and he has to work. How did other people cope having small children at home after the surgery? I am concerned about picking my 20month old out of the cot etc. Also are you allowed to drive after the surgery? It would be a lot easier if I could drive myself to hospital and back rather than hubby having to take time off work and bring all the kids with him.
I'd best leave it at that I think. Be warned, I will have loads more questions.......
I look forward to getting to know you.