free2bme

Good luck with your new band! Thank goodness we have these options open to us, I can't bear the thought of living the rest of my life overweight and unhealthy! There is a new Australian based chat forum like this one for support and information of all types of weight loss surgeries including the lap band:thumbup:

I recently heard that the Bunbury wait list might only be four or five months, good luck in your appointment on Friday, I hope the surgeon can give you an idea of the time frame (waiting to find out your date just sucks!) The gastric sleeve is the Vertical Sleeve (or tube) Gastrectomy, in which the stretchy part of your stomach that produces the hunger causing hormone, grehlin, is removed. It is restrictive wls in that you cannot eat as much food as your stomach is physically smaller, but you also don't feel hungry:thumbup: Its bascially a 'set and forget surgery', as in once its done you have immediate restriction and don't need fills or anything like that. It has slightly higher risk than the band at the time of surgery, but the long term risks and complications with the sleeve are far less than the band, and the expected weight loss is higher. Its not for everyone, its not reversible like the band (but I figure I don't want *any* chance that I will reverse my weight loss so I am happy with that personally). If you would like to chat with other aussies that have had the band or sleeve, there are local support groups and get togethers being organised here. m2

Ray there is a new Australian forum just recently started Home Page • Weight Loss Support Forums for all forms of weight loss surgery. m2

Which surgeon are you seeing? I am going public in WA as well, and don't have a date (although I have chose the gastric sleeve and not the band)...I have been told that the wait at Bunbury is not as long as here in Perth, but it depends where you live. m

If the dietician didn't help you much, it might be an idea to see one who is familiar with wls patients rather than just a regular dietician. The one I have seen is excellent, if you would like her name, let me know. I am not sure if there are any official support groups in WA, but there are a lot of 'unofficial' ones. There is a big group from the yahoo lap-band board that meet up at Kings Park every Sunday and a few others as well, made up of people who have been banded. We are also hoping to start up an informal support group for people who have the gastric sleeve (some of who are band revisions). m2

Miss P, I'm glad to hear your surgery went well! Pop over to Lap Band Surgery - Lifestyle Message Boards there is heaps of information there (although Yahoo has just done something a little while ago and and only the first page of posts are showing, but there are over 90!) and yes it is really important that you stick to the diet and time frames as recommended by your Doctor. Your body is healing and it need time, if you push things to fast you do risk increasing your chances of complications down the track. I have decided that the sleeve is the better choice for me, I have my appointment with the dietician tomorrow, but have no idea when the physicians appointment will be - someone else had to wait two months before they were even called for an appointment! m2

Well, its a go, hubby and I are happy with the surgeon and he is happy to do either the lap band or sleeve, whatever I choose (I am however leaning towards the sleeve as a better option in my situation). I don't have a date yet, I need to see a dietician and physician first (I have weight related medical problems) and then I will get put on the waiting list. Unfortuantely the dietician and physician are very busy and it may be quite a wait until I see them:( But, I feel more positive and motivated for the first time in a very long time. I know that whatever efforts I put in now (pre-surgery) will be worth it as the weight will not be coming back ever! My aim is to loose 10kg before surgery, but more importantly, I need to increase my fitness so that I go into the surgery as healthy as possible. I know I can loose weight (albeit slowly as I have PCOS and hypothyroidism) and I also know that I am unable to maintain weight loss without excercising for 3-4 hours daily which is totally impractical. Knowing that I will have surgery that will aid me in maintaining is very uplifting and quite liberating.

No, I am not seeing Dr Dolan - I am SOR and have been told it is advisable to use a surgeon closer to home (in case of band emergencies like needing urgent fill reduction), plus I have also been told that Joondalup are only accepting patients in their catchment area (wherever that is) and I definitely won't be. I see my surgeon this morning and hope to get some idea of time frame. Well, I guess he needs to accept me for surgery first!

Slimmy, if you pay private without health insurance it will cost between $9,000 to $20,000, depending on where abouts in Australia you are in and what Dr you see. For those in private health cover, the out of pocket expenses are betweeen $1,500 - $4,000 ish again depending on the Doctor and location. As far as loose skin, that really depends on the individual, it helps if you loose slowly and excercise to tone as you go. Also depends on how much weight you loose. There is some belief in 'other' weight loss circles that if you drop your BMI low enough for at least a few months, then increase your weight eating good healthy food that you can get rid of the loose skin. I think it is too indidivual to say anything for definite. However, the way I look at it is would I prefer to remain fat and unhealthy with ever increasing related medical problems or loose the weight and maybe have to deal with saggy skin that at the very least I can disguise inisde my clothes (at 37 I don't expect to wear a bikini ever again anyway!). So don't let the thought of loose skin stand in your way or sabotage your wl efforts, deal with it if and when it is a problem.

Dr Dolan is very highly recommended on the yahoo lap band boards. I was told 18 months when I rang Dolans rooms, but I have heard people go in a bit quicker than that. Just make sure you are in the Joondalup hospital are catchment area otherwise they might not take you in. I'm not, so I expect to go to Fremantle for mine. God only knows when though.

Congrats! I have my first appointment with a surgeon tomorrow. I am going public as well, so really scared of the waiting time that I will face. Now that the decision for wls has been made, I just want to get it over with and start my life:smile2:

Does anyone know what the wait time is at the moment for Public (no private health cover) patients in Perth? I have heard SCGH is 3-4 years, Joondalup 18 months?