whisper43

Hi everyone... Was wondering if anyone on here is from Newcastle NSW. I would love a buddy to support each other through this!

Surgery was 14/11/15 Currently 52kgs down!! I have 23kgs to go until my goal!!! This was the best decision I have ever made!

I had my surgery in November at Gosford!! Who is your surgeon? I have officially lost 50kgs as of today!! I have never been this thin or happier!!! I can't stress enough how much this will change your life! The sense of achievement you will feel is amazing.

How are you going with it Tracy!?

I have been on a massive fight the last 4 months to access my super to pay for some of my surgery. I finally found out today I am eligible. However the wording the letter uses is terrible!!! It states that I am eligible for $xxxxx (net charges and taxes) and I know it sounds silly but I'm not sure if that means that taxes and charges will be taken off that amount or if they have already been taken off. (I am aware what net means but I was under the impression that my super company may have their own charges) Can anyone help? I spent 45 mins on hold today to ask and ran out of time on the phone.

My op was in November.

I know it's not a full body photo but it's the best I've got!! Down 31kgs! And feeling really great!! Surgery date was 12 Nov 2015!!

I know! It's a fantastic start. I'm now up to 22kgs lost!! It's so good. I saw a friend the other day for the first time in ages and she actually walked past me!! Couldn't believe it! Liquids going great. Got the all clear to have 250ml an hour. I've been struggling with ways to measure. Especially in the heat it's hard when your dehydrated not to drink too much. So at Kmart at the moment they have little "sipper jars" just a little mason jar with a straw in it. Exactly 250ml. Much easier to fill and then sip over the hour. Only a $1 too! I don't want to bang on so much about this BUT we had a guest over and we made juice (which is what I normally do in summer) and it didn't seem to raise any question on why I was drinking out of a mason jar. I think cause they are so in. It's so normal. As for the gas pain. Basically all gone. Sometimes I might get a littler but nothing like the first couple of days. My incision sites are so itchy from healing and have been getting quite sore now that I'm moving around normally. I'm still not lifting anything heavy but one week post op. I feel comfortable going back to work. But that's me. Thanks so much for the encouragement! It feels so surreal. Ps be prepared to buy new shoes. I've already gone down a size! Haha

Hey! liquids were hard the first couple of days. Dr said I am a slow healer so second day post op was horrible trying to get liquids in. The hospital only gave me apple juice which I couldn't stomach. I managed to get convince to let me dilute it with Water. I have never liked apple juice and it's just so sweet. I am now home today I can start free liquids. Can't wait for something savoury. I am drinking a lot of sugar free Powerade though. Pain is basically gone just some discomfort and random gas pain. Also something that I wasn't told by my Drs that helps is to sleep on your left side. I have a pillow there to help. But it gets the gas moving around a bit more. (My father had his whole stomach removed due to cancer and this is what he was told) All in all I feel really normal. I have lost so much weight since the start. I'm up to 20kgs! It's worth all the bloody pain the first couple of days!!

No I couldn't find any dissolvable gas x. Seems to be very much a American thing. I'm struggling to get down 100 Mls an hour so far. So painful. So I am unfortunately still on a drip. I actually did Optifast for 4 weeks. I needed to lose 12 kgs to make sure that I my liver was safely shrunk. I lost 16kgs and my liver was perfect. I would love to lose 75kgs in total! So I know the feeling of having a lot to lose!

No pain button. But I will tell you this. Not to scare you but to give you hope. When you wake up you will be in so much pain! They will drug you up and you will go I and out of sleep. But by nighttime when you are more awake. You will probably barely sleep. Walk!! I did. Nearly every hour I did 2 laps of the hallway ( couldn't manage anymore) and I am feeling so much better today. Still have pain. But it's mostly uncomfortableness. Laying down is worse. Stretches you out. But I have been laying here thinking how amazing my new life is going to be. Makes me wonder how people can go through this and stretch out their stomach again!! If you have any questions ever just let me know. Happy to help. Also found a lot of people on here are American and it is done very differently.

Hi Racytracy. I had my surgery today actually. Feeling a little rubbish but am improving over time.... I'm actually at Gosford hospital (I didn't want to run into anyone I know) and the staff here are amazing. Can't do enough for me and no judgement! Who's your surgeon??

I have followed the pre op diet for 4 weeks and unfortunately had two episodes this past week with a few cheats... My surgery is next Thursday and so far I have lost 31.5 pounds... My Surgeon had requested that I lose 26 pounds. I am starting to really stress that my liver hasn't shrank enough.. I think stress is an understatement, I am in complete panic! Can anyone shed light on if there is a direct link between weight loss and liver shrinking. I know it seems obvious but I have read a few people say that they only lost 5 pounds before the surgery but the Surgeon was happy with their liver shrinkage.

Amazing work lovely!!

I appreciate the help. Also I don't think I wrote that I ran out of patience. I ran out of TIME! I had to go to my second job. I'm working double so I can take an appropriate time off after the surgery. I'm a little confused how you can compare waiting on hold 45 mins to following instructions.

Did you not have to do a pre-op diet?

I'm in Newy, too. Sleeve booked with Tim in early December. Are you using Tim or Costa (or going somewhere else)? I am going with Dr Wong in Gosford.. I didn't want everyone knowing around town... I know a couple of nurses and didn't want to risk answering questions i wasn't ready for! Im booked in for Nov 12!

Holy Heck!! AMAZING results lady!!!!!! You look stunning!

I have found that whenever I get hungry OR head hungry if I busy myself I forget. So I have started a scrapbook (just an art book). I spend hours a day cutting out pictures of future outfits (I'm a massive fashionista) places and things I want to do etc etc. i focus on one theme wash page/day ie lingerie, florals etc I use scrap booking bits and pieces to decorate each page. This sounds ridiculous but it works!!!!

Does anyone have things they are looking forward to finally doing/trying that you felt you couldn't do before!? I personally can not weight (get it! haha) to try rock climbing and getting back into casual bike riding!

After some serious nosebleeds (up to 45mins long) and headaches so serve I can barely lift my head, my GP has told me to stop Optifast until blood tests come back/head scans AND he is able to speak to my surgeon (back next wednesday from overseas). I am so confused on what to do in the meantime... Do I stop? Or do i carry on despite the risks.. Has anyone else had these problems? I have 12kgs to lose before November 12th and can't risk not losing it.. So far I have lost 6kgs. Also my mac has autocorrected optifast to optimist

Its a surgery requirement. and yes only 6kgs to go... which i also felt i could do in a month.. the problem with small towns is that all the pathology gets shipped off. My Dr called them but was unable to say anything about me. (red tape i assume) I have decided to not take Optifast for now. and will be having only Protein and vegetables at meal times no carbs (rice, Pasta etc), no dairy and no sugar.. even if i only lose 500g a week this way at least its a loss and not a gain

I have no medical conditions... I drink minimum 2.5Ls a day its currently summer here so very very hot! My surgery date is Nov 12th... and it will take at least 1 week for the blood work

No. Just him and the receptionist.

I have 6 weeks to complete the optimist diet and 12kgs to lose! And I am so terrified. Im scared I won't have lost the 12kgs in time and therefore can't have the surgery... I not only have a goal But I also have a very strict time frame! What happens if i don't lose enough? Im also afraid that my stress and worry is only going to effect my loss even more... Anyone else have these fears?