Newbie - excited and scared

So glad to see that your health fund saw sense.

Its normal to be a little scared ,its a big step. You have made the decision now teh wait until the date.

As always use this forum get as much info as you can and I did look at the "complications" forum because I wanted to be fully aware.



its ajourney well worth taking

Congrats on taking the step. It is exciting and scary once you do. Normal reaction. I was sick of struggling with my weight. My hubby narrowly escaped having a heart attack, while he was in hospital I told him I wanted to have a sleeve. He said go for it, as he was still coming to terms of his health scare. So a year down the track I have lost 42kg, given diabetes, high bp and cholesteral the flick. Picked up more energy, enjoying buying clothes from a normal shop. Size 14 no less. I don't think you will regret taking this step. It is the best thing I have done.

There is lots of support and info on this site, take advantage of it.

Enjoy the journey, it is exciting and has a learning curve attached to it. Exciting stuff!!

WAY TO GO ENVIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is amazing news l truely and very happy for you. You must be feeling so many emotions right now FANTASTICO! So many fantastic OMG momments ahead and l am looking forward in hearing all about them. keep us posted.

Oh kell four weeks of opti :{ all l can say is good on you for getting threw it, my surgeon said he would rather me do two weeks of opti and stick to it then three and break lol l love your recipes the lettce rap sounds yummy as and l will give it a go tonight.

It all sounds so familiar to me :) I'm so excited for you that PHI came through, that's great news!

In terms of opti, I have to do 4 weeks of it (I'm 128kg). It's not fun, but I am motivated by knowing it makes surgery safer and recovery better. I have done 1 week thus far. I've NO idea what else to do with only non starchy veggies. :/ I don't get super hungry though (aside from the first 3 days) so it's not TOO bad and opti has a few choices (soups, desserts and bars as well as the shakes). I can't wait to hear how your appt goes on the 22nd!

Well, the news is in!......................................................................................







They've approved me!!!!! And NO back pay!!!! I felt sick when the phone rang and the number was NIB, I could nearly not bring myself to pick up the phone! Since hearing that they'll let me have it my frame of mind has shifted and I'm much more positive about the life ahead.

1st appointment with surgeon is on the 22nd of November. I started Kate Morgan about 1.5weeks ago and I had lost 1.4kgs when I weighed the other day so I'm going to continue on with this until I meet with the surgeon, there's no point in me slacking off now when I could be doing my best to shed what I can now! I'm also hoping that because I've been doing this he will allow me to only have to do the optifast for the 2 weeks (I was concerned about having to do it for a longer period because I'm over 160kgs).

Yesterday was a very emotional day, there were tears sporadically throughout the day knowing that providing everything goes well with the surgeon I will be getting my life back! Well, I should say actually getting a life because I've been overweight my entire life so I've never experienced life as a "normal" person!

I have mixed emotions. Excitement, fear, sadness, fear, happiness, did I mention fear? LOL I'm scared of the pain, I'm scared of not waking up, I'm scared of putting the weight back on or if I'll even be able to suceed at losing it in the first place. I've had 2 babies but I've NEVER had a surgical procedure EVER so I'm really, really freaking about it. It won't stop me having it though, I'm doing this, I have to, I don't have a choice!

Welcome <3 Good to see you :)

Hi and welcome to the site envious. Good luck with you insurance company I am really interested in what the outcomme is because most companies just wont budge on things like that so its great to hear tha some will help people out. I waslucky that my insurance covers itbut still I'd be intersted in hearing how it all goes. Good luck.

Hi envious,

l really hope that things go your way and the doors open. maybe you could look into your superanuation? Well lm on my first day of optifast and the thought of swollowing another shake tomo makes me nearly vomit, l will try another flavor tomo fingers crossed that goes down better. So hard making food for the kids and not even getting a spoonful lol but one day down 13 more to go! lm booked in on the 14th of november.

Good luck with trying to find a way, if you ever need a ear to vent just hollar!

Wow, thanks guys for being so welcoming <3

I called my health fund this morning and I'm not covered for the sleeve on my level of cover. Apparently the procedure was pulled from my cover in June last year! I'm so devastated! :( She said my only option was to upgrade to top cover and serve the waiting period.

I called back and spoke to a supervisor and put my case forward - I'm almost 32 and have had a good level of cover since I was 18, I've never defaulted on payments or allowed my cover to lapse, I'm 166.9kgs and desperate, it's come to a point where I can't spend another 12 months at this weight, for my physical and mental state, I pleaded with her and told her I don't want them to give it to me for nothing, I'm happy to pay for the top cover but please, please don't make me wait the 12 months, I simply just cannot afford to wait anymore. She listened to me and said she would put together a file and present my case. She told me she was almost completely certain that they would say no, but she said she was fairly certain they would allow me to go on to top cover, back pay the difference between my current cover and top cover for the duration of time that the proedure has been gone from my cover and they'd allow it to go through, she said she was confident it would be okay because she had seen similar cases with that outcome.

So that means that I'd have to pay an extra $2550 backpay on top of the $170 extra per month for top cover! I've been on maternity leave for 12 months now and due to go back in January, we've been on 1 wage that entire time so it seems like an awful lot to have to come up with, I'm sure if my parents find out they will pay the $2550 to make the surgery possible but it's going to be a HUGE stretch to find another $170 per month! :( I really can't put a price on my health though so I guess we just HAVE to find it! I guess there is always the option of dropping back to a lower level of cover once the operation is completed too. I do feel terribly bad about my parents paying for this but without them the operation isn't possible because we simply cannot afford it at this point in time.

Sholley, the surgeon here will not do self funded and unfortunately with 2 small children I don't think it would be doable to have the procedure in Sydney, there'd be no way I could get there for follow up visits and appointments :( How have you managed to get it done for a total of $9003? The receptionist at the surgeons here told me my out of pockets would be about $6000 :(

Louie, I know what you mean, there does come a point where you MUST put yourself first when it's gotten to the extent where the choice is do nothing and die or do something and reclaim your life! When are you booked in to be sleeved?

Hi envious,

l am new to the forum too altho l have been a avid reader for months. l am paying for mine and total cost is just under 20 thousand l am not insured but l am at critical point where my kids would rather have me than the money l just for once had to put me first.

l have read of some people using there superanuation to pay for the procedure lm sure l read a post on this site somewhere. Good on you for taking a step forward and l wish you well and look forward in hearing how you went.

Good luck!!

Hey hello

Welcome welcome .....come and join us in our November Sleevers 2011..... i will add you to our gorgeous list .........

Welcome ..........

100%er - I'm not even sure what APRA is (???) but my Mum has said that her and my father will pay for it as I'm currently still on maternity leave so we only have 1 wage coming in and have for some time, she said she's more than happy to pay for it if it means I will get my life back and finally be truly happy. My family have had a rough few years with family members sick and watching a very close one die from cancer and I know that my weight really stresses her out and is part of the reason why the poor thing has alot of trouble sleeping, so she's keen for me to get the process happening and get healthy, bless her.

Lela, weight struggles are a terrible thing. I guess each and every one of us here have ALL been in the same boat so we can all sympathise with one another. How very exciting for you, I understand your nervousness though, come operation day I think I'll be a raving mess and not having slept for a whole week before! I'm not expecting this to be some easy way out, miracle cure operation but I think it may be just the perfect tool to help me regain control of my spiralling life. I wish you all the best for your surgery and look forward to seeing the kilos fall off for you

congratulations envious!!



It is definitely not an easy decision to make UNTIL you see how successfully people are losing their weight.....



I am the same and have struggled with my weight ALL my life for example...i was on Jenny Craig at 12!! nothing seemed to work and then once i had kids and a car accident soon after, all hope was lost, until that day in April this year when i made the decision to do it.



I cannot help with the health fund question because we are paying for it all ourselves (APRA) but i hope for your sake that it is all okay.



I only have 3 little sleeps till i have my sleeve done so i am a LOT nervous/anxious at the moment but i am sure that will all pass once i am at the hosptial and they are pushing me through the theatre doors. ( well i hope so anyway!).



I look forward to hearing your outcome and if you do have to wait that year we will all be here to get you through it.



Lela

Congratulations on taking this big step to improve your health...and life!!
Good thing to see if operation is covered by your PHI, are you thinking of applying to apra too?? Good thing to research what that entails now too.

Good luck with the rest of your journey!

Hi everyone,

I'm 31, almost 32, have a wonderful hubby, 2 beautiful girls - almost 3.5yr old and almost 11 month old and a wonderful family. I have everything I should need to make me very happy but I'm not! As of this morning I'm 166.9kgs and very unhappy with myself!

Today I feel like a weight (pardon the pun! lol) has been lifted from my shoulders though, I had fleeting thoughts for a couple of years about WLS but always quickly forgot about it as I thought I would be met with nothing but negativity and people full of concern trying their hardest to talk me out of it. Well, today I have finally discussed it with my family and have been met with nothing but support! I have been given their full blessing as they have seen how much I have struggled over my whole adult life trying to lose the weight to no avail. So tomorrow starts the investigation. First stop, call NIB to see if my level of cover is sufficient to have the op. PLEASE, please, please let it be! I need this, I need to get my life back, please don't let there be anything standing in my way! Does anyone know if NIB safeguard level family is sufficient cover?

I'm so excited, but absolutely terrified at the same time!!!