Hi - newbie from the Hunter Valley

Hi joliec just wanted to say hi we're going though the same dr I'm a bit ahead of you as I'm (hopefully) getting sleeved by dr costa on the 3rd of March his whole team has been fantastic so far but I'll keep informed with how everything goes. 

So far I've had an appointment with his dietician and a psychologist and yesterday I had the gastroscope thing done I was $hit scared but it was fine they knocked me out so it was all good. I'm going for my 2nd appointment to finalise everything and pay! ($5000) my bank account will be empty :( on Tuesday

3 weeks to go!!!! Only 1 week of normal food

Let me know if you have any questions

Hi Jane, 
I'm good....very impatiently waiting for the 11th march to roll around, but insanity at work and my twin sisters staying with us for a week from. Nz has helped the time go by. 

I haven't told my sisters - they're 28, all they eat is crap and are both skinny Minnie's, and (bitchy sister alert!) they're both pretty judgemental and removed from reality, so I'm not telling anyone that isn't going to be wholly supportive and devoid of pressure....so pretty much nobody in our families at this stage apart from my dad (,who's on his own and guards confidences well!)

Jane, I'm sorry they couldn't give you a tentative op date...hopefully the surgeon might be more forthcoming? Less than 3 weeks to go for you....how are managing to keep patient? I'm so anxious to get the ball rolling that I'm trying to make little projects for myself to keep from climbing the walls in anticipation, ha!

Hi Jo,

How are things? Counting down the days. Only 20 days till my appointment. 

I did call and explain I work for a surgeon and asked if they can pre-book surgery for me so it fits with my surgeon's schedule as he is going overseas twice and so it would work well for me to be away. But they said I would need to pay before they can book a date. So hopefully those dates will be OK once I get to my consult. 

Hope all is well with you, Jane

Jane, hahaha let's say that means neither of us are crazy...I'm calling and asking to be put on the cancellation list on Monday morning!

And the 27th all of a sudden is not very far away - it's this month! Woot!

Thanks Jo. I mentioned it to my boss this week, he is a surgeon and he said Craig Taylor is the best and they know each other. So even though I was initially looking at another surgeon I have an appointment on 27 Feb with Craig. And crazy or not I asked them to put me on a cancellation list.

My boss' wife said I should call them and tell them I work for my boss and they will likely move it up.....hmmmm...feels a bit rude. I haven't but they asked for some paperwork so maybe I will send it ack from my work email and mention I then?

Anyway, still feeling very calm about it and ready to just get the show on the road. 

Cheers, Jane

Oh, and today I told the first person outside of my DH and GP about this - my best friend. She's in Wellington, NZ but it was so nice to talk to somebody about her. And she was thrilled - I think she's been secretly hoping I'd make this decision. Yay! I'm not planning on telling many if any others - my family (and DH's) are all in NZ and tend toward being quite critical and will all weigh in (pun intended!) with their opinions, add pressure, etc and I've decided I just don't need that just yet. Let's see how I feel about it after the fact.

Ooh I hope you don't have to wait too long for an appointment FatgirlThin!

I am so impatient to get this ball rolling - I am sorely tempted to ring and ask if they've got a *call in case of cancellation* list...but that may appear a little nuts, and potentially work against my favour, hahaha!

Hi Jo. Thanks. The info night got off to a rocky start. The surgeon was called away to do emergency surgery on the lady hit by a bus in the Sydney CBD today. Then the laptop he had would not work.  So he just talked and answered questions.

I had to go to the info night before they accept you for an initial consult so I will call tomorrow and book in. I would like to have surgery as soon as I can and get the show on the road.  I guess we'll see what they say!

Yes, once I understood that I am getting ill because my body isn't coping it makes sense. I have been this weight for a long time so I guess I just expected I would keep going along like this. Ageing just complicates it I suppose.  I see a personal trainer once a week and do Pilates with a Physio but it has got to a point where that level of activity makes me want to go to sleep for a few hours in the middle of the next day!

Fingers crossed. Cheers, Jane

Dafstar, funny you should say that - looking at the 2 procedures side by side now, the lap band seems way more dicey and risky.
And wow - congratulations - that is a spectacular start. No doubt you've worked hard for it, how lovely that it is paying off for you - can't wait to follow the rest of your journey!

Fatgirlthin - that constantly-being-sick-and-tired gets pretty old, non? Would love to hear your thoughts after the info night!

18:25:05Hi Jo. I felt like I was nodding my head while I was reading your post. I am 47 with just the one 7 year old to chase around and the last year I have been sick so often and not just a little bit sick. It culminated in me ending up in hospital with tonsillitis, ENT sending me for a sleep study which found no sleep apnoea but some irregularities, went to the respiratory physician who recommended the sleeve.

Going to the info night tonight and hopefully get the ball rolling soon after.

Hope your appointment goes well. Cheers, Jane

Hi JolieC
I'm glad you have had a change of mind from band to sleeve. When I saw my surgeon he said he would have refused me if I had asked for banding. He will only undertake this if the patient is extremely persistent. I am now day 7 post gastric sleeve and have lost 14 kgs since the start of my journey(3weeks). Look forward to hearing about your next episode

Hi!

I'm Jo, have just started this journey - last week I told my DH that I needed to do something to sort out this excess weight (and its resulting impact on my - and my family's quality of life) once and for all, and talked about the lap band. I was embarrassed and scared telling him (don't know why - he's lovely, and it's not like he was hallucinating and thinking I was an energetic size 12 this past decade and a half, ha!) but he was completely supportive and enthusiastic for me. 

Dave and I have been together for 20 years, married for 12, and we have gorgeous 7 year old twins, Cole and Imogen, who are full of energy and enthusiasm for the world. They're starting to become truly aware that their mama doesn't do much of the physical stuff with them that they love, and I am sick of being too big and unfit and unhealthy to join in. I'm tired of being tired and headachey and sick so much. My kids deserve better, my husband deserves better, and hell, I deserve better! I tend to be a bit of an emotional eater so am looking to sleeve to help keep me on the straight and narrow whilst I get my head right. I was fit and healthy and slim until 18, and I know I will get back there - jut need a little help.

I went to my GP on Saturday and got a referral to a surgeon in Newcastle to talk about banding. Then (being the research whore I am!) I spent the weekend researching like mad and by the end of Saturday realised that the sleeve would be a much better fit for me. I want something permanent and durable, without mechanical devices...the thought of bands slipping and the frequent risk of vomiting really turned me off. I also discovered that the Surgeon I'd been referred to does plenty of lap bands but hasn't done many sleeves. The fantastic surgeon page on here gave me plenty of information, and I decided to go with the very experienced Dr Costa in Lake Macquarie.

So, this morning I called my GP back, and she was wonderful about giving me a new referral to Dr Costa. I rang his office, and have my first appointment on Tuesday 11th March. I am so excited! And petrified. 
Like everyone at this stage, I guess!

It's going to be hard waiting this next 5 weeks but I've decided to put it to good use and give up coke zero. I don't drink tea or coffee but consume an awful lot of cz so I'm going to get through that hurdle before I even meet Dr Costa - once less set of withdrawals to deal with, right? And I have no intention of going back on it post op, so may as well stop now. 

So that's where I am at. Hi, and thank you all already for the fantastic contributions to this forum - I've devoured so much information already - such a mine of helpful stuff!