melaniematters

Hi there, your pain might be something else entirely unrelated to your liquid diet - appendix, gall bladder or something. It could also be constipation or bowel obstruction. I don't want to be a panic merchant but you've got to consider that it's unlikely just to be lack of food I think. Hope it works out soon Mel

Hi all, I live in the Hunter Valley about two hours north west of Sydney Australia. I'm having surgery in sydney Dr Michael Crawford on July 31. I'm married with two kids, my son aged 12 and my daughter aged 15. At 46 I've struggled all my life with weight issues and now I have paroxsmal atrial fibrillation which my cardiologist says will improve if I lose 30 kg, hyperinsulinaemia which makes my body think it's in a starvation state even thought it's overweight, PCOS, patella arthritis which is from constant exercising while carrying too much body weight and now makes it painful to walk up or down stairs. With a strong family history of Type 2 diabetes and ischaemic heart disease and stroke I know I'm a disaster waiting to happen. As a wife and mother this is concerning - hence I've been mulling on taking this step for nearly a year. My insurance covers about half og mu costs which will leave me having to pay about $8000 I think. My husband, Steve, says I should proceed in any case - we'll have to extend the house mortgage - he says it's a small price to pay for my health. He has never complained once about my size, calls me a "sex goddess" and has been married to me for 21 years. Optifast starts 17th July - I understand now why it's necessary - defat and shrink the liver. I love this site as I read of the successes and challenges everyone is facing. Can this whole thing work for me? Can I become healthy and slim? It's scary and exciting but I'm off to see a counsellor to discuss my feelings about this - I scared about how I'll react to "no food" and just Optifast for 2 weeks, I think I'll grieve for large servings of food - I scared about this post surgery; I'm also scared about becoming a thin person - it's been a long time. What will I do if a man makes a pass at me? Ha HA. But seriously, I wonder whether my weight has become a shield I hide behind - what happens to me when it's just me? Scary, fat person thinking maybe???? I was thinking of setting a goal weight of about 75kg but I know it should be 65 kg - any hints on setting goal weight - do you do it yourself or are go given it by someone. Most guides say 58-70 is a health weight range for me. Does anyone work in kg or should I be talking pounds? I think we're talking around 130lbs. Thanks for being there everyone.

When I did Atkins I used to blend up ice water and ice cubes, a shot of black coffee, Splenda, a tablespoon of cream and some essence - eg Hazlenut. You can even have some whipped cream sweetened with Spenda on top - carbs...nil.

Okay, I've done it. I've renamed my blog www.melaniematters.blogspot.com Wow that felt good. No longer a bandit mel., Thanks Megan.

Hi, I love your user name - Megan matters. Yes, she does. And you've made me realise, so do I. It's really struck a chord and I'm going to change my blog address from bandit mel (sounds like I'm doing something wrong - and maybe deep down I do see it as wrong - weird fat thinking keeps me thinking I should have been able to manage this on my own (without surgery) whereas clear thinking says "Mel, your body has a problem and this could fix it so it son't work against you anymore" - I hope you don' mind but I'm going to change it Melaniematters - coz I do. This lapband is going to be my tool to a better life - not the sole solution but a tool - one that has never been available to me before. What do they say? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, the lapband is not the same thing and will deliver me different results - because we all matter. thanks Megan.

HI there I'm being done on 31 July in Sydney Australia - scared and excited but can't wait to see some results. thanks Melanie (banditmel) Banditmel's blog

I'm dreading the 2 week Optifast - good on you for getting through to day 4! I start next Thursday.

Wow, thanks for your well wishes. You've already dont really well and that's before the lapband. I'm not sure whether I should be eating like mad - a last hoorah so to speak or whether to start cutting back now in preparation. I'm on Optifast from 17th July and I'm dreading that more than the surgery - I think it shows my "addiction" to food. I'm seeing a pschologist about this issue next week. I know I'm going to need heaps of support through this and I think it might be best to get outside help rather than always burdening family and friends? What do others think?>

Minou Hi it's Melanie (Banditmel) - I'm surprised that you're only on fluids so long after the surgery. I'm not being banded until the end of July but all my research says you'd be on quite normal food by weeks 4-6? Is this not the case? I would have thought you'd need some more protein but I'd be glad to hear what our more experienced posters say. All the best Mel

I just scrape in 31st July is the big day.

Hi to all who contribute to this site - I am in Australia's Hunter Valley and have a surgery date in Sydney with Dr Michael Crawford on July 31. I'm nervous and excited; dreading the Optifast stage (quite panicked about this actually) and hoping that this decision is going to work for me. Thanks to EVERYONE who contibutes to this site - I've learnt so much in the lead up to this decision and so much of it is from this site. I've started a blog journal - it seems important to document one of the most significant decisions of my life. I knew that one day it would come to WLS - I nursed some of the early gastric bypass patients in the late 70s and early 80s as a student nurse (not a nurse anymore) and it was such risky surgery back then. Lapbanding is such a great leap forward - I hope it's right for me. Cheers and I too hope to make a great contribution to this site. All the best to everyone here. Melanie