Booked in for 27 July in Sydney - any fellow Canberra sleevers out there?

Hello and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your proactive steps to weight loss and good health. Look forward to catching you on chat sometime.
I have lost nearly 39kg, mydiabetes and high bp are gone, thank goodness. It is a very exciting journey.

There is lots of support and information on this forum. pm me any time.

I am definitely having a sleeve - I couldn't think of anything worse than having another band! They truly are rotten things.

I've heard that Charlie is a bit more expensive than some surgeons, but his team are the only ones in Canberra that do weight loss surgery. I guess he's kind of got the market cornered!

Your surgery is the week after mine....we'll both be turning into skinny minnie's at the same time! Drop into the sleever's monthly, there is a group of us who are having surgery in July...

Hi Kirsty!
I have been to the information sessions here and actually met Dr Charlie Mosse, and although he seems to be a fantastic surgeon, the fees here were too out of this world for me! And I'm not prepared to dip into my super just yet, although there seems to be quite a few people who have done that.
My GP is a personal friend of a surgeon in Sydney who runs Circle of Care, who has done thousands of successful operations, and also offers a payment plan for the surgery. Everything is inclusive, including anethetist fees, psychologist and dietician, and follow up appointments for the following 12 months.
It is also much cheaper (<$5000 total cost) -and all I need to pay is $250 two weeks before surgery, and my private health excess for the hospital stay ($250).

Are you getting another band, or opting for the sleeve this time around?

Hi Rozzie and welcome to the forum.

There are a few of us here from Canberra, me being one of them!

I'm booked in for my surgery in July 2011 with Dr Charlie Mosse here in Canberra. I had my gastric band removed in March 2011, so by now my weight is slowly creeping up and July can't come quick enough for me!

Is there any reason why you're travelling to Sydney for your surgery? The team of surgeons in Canberra is fantastic, of course you probably have your reasons for going to Sydney, but I can't speak highly enough of Charlie and his team.

I'm due to start optifast in the next month or so which I'm dreading. I remember when I did it prior to my band surgery in 2009, and the only thing that got me through was knowing that I'd NEVER have to do it again....and here I am two years later and facing the awful stuff again!


Fingers crossed this will be the last time!

So welcome to the forum and all the best for your journey.

K.

Hi Rozzie

Welcome to the forum.

I am a near neighbour from Gundagai.

Congrats on taking the first steps to a heathlier and happier life.
You are going to love the sleeve.

Good luck with your surgery and journey.

Hi Rozzie
I am not a Canberra person but just wanted to pop in and say congratulations for taking the first steps to the new you. I know there are Canberra people out there. Why don't you check out the Sleevers Get togethers and you can even post a thread to organise a get together if there isn't one already there.
All the best
Tash

Hi everyone,

After being overweight all my life, and having tried every diet under the sun, I have finally bitten the bullet!

I had my first appointment with Dr Roy Brancatisano at Circle of Care in Baulkham Hills, Sydney, on 5 May. I'm now preparing myself for my liver ultrasound and barium swallow (I've been told they're not very nice!), and of course the Optifast diet pre-op.

I'm scared and excited. I'm also in disbelief I think, because it is so hard to imagine myself ever being a normal weight. The scales at the Drs told me I was 178kg. I'm absolutely mortified that I let myself get to that weight, and I know that if I don't tackle it now then I am in for a real hard time later in life.

I turn 40 in November, and I'm ready to tackle my new and thinner life head on! If there are any fellow sleevers from Canberra, I'd really like to get together for a chat to get a personal view of the whole procedure.