RedDirt

This one always struck a chord with me. Redgum: I Was Only Nineteen Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing-out parade at Puckapunyal It was a long march from cadets. The sixth battalion was the next to tour, and it was me who drew the card. We did Canungra, Shoalwater before we left. And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean. And there's me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens. God help me, I was only nineteen. From Vung Tau, riding Chinooks, to the dust at Nui Dat I'd been in and out of choppers now for months. But we made our tents a home, VB and pinups on the lockers And an Asian orange sunset through the scrub. And can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep? And night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16? And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only ninteen. A four week operation when each step could mean your last one on two legs It was a war within yourself. But you wouldn't let your mates down til they had you dusted off So you closed your eyes and thought about something else. Then someone yelled out "Contact!" and the bloke behind me swore We hooked in there for hours, then a Godalmighty roar Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon, God help me, he was going home in June. I can still see Frankie, drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel On a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row. And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real. I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel God help me, I was only nineteen. And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep? And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet? And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only nineteen.

I was driving the day after surgery, and I took a two hour flight home four days after. Unless you're on pain meds, you should be fine. Regardless, call your surgeon and ask his advice. I'm sure he won't mind.

Judy, Firstly, I am only very new to the Lap Band, so take my opinion for what it's worth. I was banded last week, so the Optifast nightmare is fresh in my mind. I went into the Optifast phase with what I considered a realistic approach. The reason we all get the band is that we have problems controlling our food intake, so to beat yourself up over slipping up and eating something during Optifast seemed to me to be unrealistic and counterproductive. Yeah, I slipped up and ate a couple of times during Optifast. I still lost six or seven kilos though, and my surgeon was perfectly content with how much I lost. Of course, try your best to stick with Optifast, and if you feel like slipping up conjure every little bit of willpower you can to resist. If you do slip, though, don't get too down on yourself- a bite to eat isn't going to be the difference between a successful surgery and problems. That said, one binge may well be. If you must slip, make it something reasonably healthy. I grew up with an Indian mother, so curries are my favourites. When I slipped I just curried a chicken breast and had it without rice, so it was low in fat and carbs and mostly protein. Personally, I think you'll do less damage by having a small meal if you can't deal with the hunger than by picking over the course of the night. It is far easier to keep track of how much you have eaten (and limit the amount as much as possible) when it is all on one (small!) plate. But I would definitely make a priority of buying a set of scales. When you are putting in the effort, it is a great feeling to see a few numbers coming off when you are weighing yourself. I would consider them to be a necessity for a bandster. The weight loss directly after surgery is more likely to be fat than fluid. I know I have kept well hydrated, having sipped water almost constantly since I woke up from the operation. But my calorie intake is extraordinarily low (lower even than the Optifast program), so my body must be getting the energy from somewhere to keep my upright, and I am losing pretty consistently each day.

I just saw the pics in your thread- you look like you are doing amazingly well. I take it there are no lasting effects from your recent hospital episode? So the farting doesn't let up for a while, eh? The missus will be SO pleased to hear that. Yeah, I'll look for you on MSN during the week. I had to do a reformat on my laptop, and having been away I haven't managed to download Messenger until this evening. Oh, I will. Luckily, I'm in house-husband mode for the next couple of months, so I can take my time recuperating. Speaking of bruising: I ended up with a whopper bruise on my forearm where the IV was inserted. It is probably the size of two 50c coins, but thankfully it isn't particularly tender. Glad to hear it's going well for you also. With some of the horror stories around here, it's a relief to get through the first little stage unscathed.

My experience is probably a little atypical, but I had essentially no pain at all. When I woke up from anaesthetic, my throat felt scratchy from the intubation and I would have happily knifed someone for a sip of Water, but I wasn't feeling any pain. I was in hospital overnight, and every time the nurses came in asking if I wanted a painkiller I declined. It just didn't hurt. I ended up having a couple of soluble paracetamol at the surgeon's insistence. The only real discomfort I have felt has been the gas, but that is far from a major issue. Also, I flew home three days post-op, and the changes in air pressure made the gas pains a bit more intense.

There seems to be a huge difference in the post-op dietary requirements between doctors. I can't believe some people are being told to stay on liquids for anywhere up to six weeks. My surgeon gave me a info sheet that said that I could go onto very soft foods (scrambled eggs, mashed veges and the like) from five days post-op. The only proviso is that I have to make sure that I eat tiny portions and eat slowly. I only had to do Clear Liquids for a couple of days.

Just got back home after a week in Perth for surgery. Things were a bit touch and go before the surgery- I came down with a cold last week and I didn't really know if the anaethetist was going to OK the surgery until the day of the operation. Luckily, the cold was gone by Tuesday evening, so I was able to get banded on Wednesday as scheduled. The surgery went unbelievably well. I woke up from the general anaesthetic with literally no pain at all, aside from a bit of wind. I was up and walking around the hospital (laying in bed was boring me shitless) about two hours later, and the ward nurses ended up insisting that I had a couple of panadol after I refused painkillers for the first 12 hours or so. I honestly wasn't trying to be some sort of hero- I just wasn't in any pain that needed it. The flight back home was a bit uncomfortable. During the ascent and descent I could feel my stomach churning away which wasn't a lot of fun. One unexpected side effect: I don't remember having expelled so much gas in my life. Without a word of exaggeration, it has been probably every ten minutes since I woke from the surgery. Luckily I had a room to myself in hospital. Unluckily, my wife that is on the verge of making me sleep on the couch- or at least forcing me to wear a magic tree around my neck... I have to say, though, that I can't recommend Stephen Watson and SJOG Murdoch highly enough. Watson is a pretty direct sort of guy, but he explains everything in detail and answers whatever questions you might have frankly and concisely. As for the hospital, the nurses and ward staff are great (with the exception of one of the theatre nurses, but you'll be unconscious for most of the time you are around her) and the rooms are comfortable. If you are thinking about getting banded in Perth, they are definitely worth a look.

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Well, seeing as I've been lurking around here for a few weeks, I thought I may as well say hello. I am booked in to be banded on April 16 with Dr Watson in Perth. I live in the North West of WA, so I will be flying down on the Sunday the 13th in order to have my pre-surgery consult on the Monday. I am planning on staying in Perth until the weekend, depending on how I feel afterwards. I am starting my pre-surgery diet this Monday. The surgeon recommended that I do two weeks on Optifast, but due to circumstances I have decided to kick in an extra week. If nothing else, any extra weight I lose before the band is just weight I don't have to lose after it. I have decided to take the highly unoriginal but wholly therapeutic step of documenting my thoughts and experiences in a blog. I am starting the Optifast phase at the frightening weight of 177kg (up until this week, I was under the impression that I was around the 160kg mark- those bloody scales sneak up on you...), and at 6'6" tall I am looking to get down to around the 100kg mark in time. Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who have shared their experiences (the range of information on this site leaves any publication I have seen for dust) and given me the inspiration to go ahead with the surgery. Hopefully I can add my own perspective over the coming weeks and months.

Good job. I have to say, those pics are a hell of an inspiration for me. I am currently a month away from being banded, I weight the same as your starting weight (161kgs) and I am pretty much the same age. Thanks, bro. Seeing how well someone in basically the exact situation is going has given me a real buzz.