TheWorshipDiva

Well, I thought I had better get off of my blessed assurance and get back to exercise! Prior to my operation my usual walk was 4.5 kilometres at least three to four times a week and water aerobics once a week. I also went for a seriously strenuous hike a couple of days before the operation which made me feel on top of the world. I have had a bad cold so have slept a lot while home from work and have hated not getting out and about since coming home from the hospital. Today was the day! I rugged up for the cold Melbourne winter weather and started out for the big one. 4.5 kilometres in the icy cold. NO WORRIES MATE! I did it with no problems whatsoever and was only about 4 minutes off of my best time ever! I have lost another 3 kgs since last week. I have lost 27 kilograms in my combined pre and post op run!! I am so excited about my future! I just can't wait. GOD IS MARVELOUS!

Get a new doctor sweetie! This is FAR too important! Whether they are doing what they think is right or not, you are not happy and do not feel supported. Find someone that you can talk to and that has time to understand you and explain it to you. I will say it again - this is far too important!

Well, I thought I had better get off of my blessed assurance and get back to exercise! Prior to my operation my usual walk was 4.5 kilometres at least three to four times a week and water aerobics once a week. I also went for a seriously strenuous hike a couple of days before the operation which made me feel on top of the world. I have had a bad cold so have slept a lot while home from work and have hated not getting out and about since coming home from the hospital. Today was the day! I rugged up for the cold Melbourne winter weather and started out for the big one. 4.5 kilometres in the icy cold. NO WORRIES MATE! I did it with no problems whatsoever and was only about 4 minutes off of my best time ever! I have lost another 3 kgs since last week. I have lost 27 kilograms in my combined pre and post op run!! I am so excited about my future! I just can't wait. GOD IS MARVELOUS!

My operation was fantastic and 5 days after I have no pain! No left shoulder hurting, no pain where the stiches are, no pulling on the wounds . . I am totally amazed at how well everything has gone. I even started sleeping on my tummy after the third night! I went into hospital Thursday morning and went home Friday evening. From the time I got to my bed after the procedure I have had nothing other than Panedol! And I stopped taking that on Saturday! I had to argue with the nurses after the operation when they kept trying to feed me food. They kept telling me "But it is in the notes that you are to eat!" And I took out my lap-band book and tried to show them that it was to be fluids only or they woud damage what I had done. They kept bringing the food. LOL I just drank the broths from the soups but left the chunks and ate the jell-o and ice cream. I survived. ) I have had some beautiful friends make me some fantastic soups since I have come home and I am loving it! Cream of Broccoli, Cream of Cauliflower, Pumpkin - yummy! And all pureed and smooth as anything. I feel like a million bucks and am so happy about how this has ended up! AMAZING!

My operation was fantastic and 5 days after I have no pain! No left shoulder hurting, no pain where the stiches are, no pulling on the wounds . . I am totally amazed at how well everything has gone. I even started sleeping on my tummy after the third night! I went into hospital Thursday morning and went home Friday evening. From the time I got to my bed after the procedure I have had nothing other than Panedol! And I stopped taking that on Saturday! I had to argue with the nurses after the operation when they kept trying to feed me food. They kept telling me "But it is in the notes that you are to eat!" And I took out my lap-band book and tried to show them that it was to be fluids only or they woud damage what I had done. They kept bringing the food. LOL I just drank the broths from the soups but left the chunks and ate the jell-o and ice cream. I survived. :confused:) I have had some beautiful friends make me some fantastic soups since I have come home and I am loving it! Cream of Broccoli, Cream of Cauliflower, Pumpkin - yummy! And all pureed and smooth as anything. I feel like a million bucks and am so happy about how this has ended up! AMAZING!

You can go back to water aerobics? YAY! I am wondering when I will be able to go back to water aerobics and have not had my first post-op visit yet. So, how long has it been since your surgery? It will be 11 days after by the time I have my next session.

No more waiting for me!! June 11th I was banded!!!! I cannot believe that I am standing here on the other side so suddenly! I was only on the waiting list for 12 months! In November 2008 I made a decision to lose as much weight as I could in preparation for the surgery that awaited. I lost 24.8 kilograms (54.5 pounds) by May 2009. I saw my surgeon for my 12-month appointment and waiting list follow-up and informed him of my excitement for the procedure and how I had lost 24 kilos in preparation of the surgery. He commended me and said that he wanted to take advantage of the good eating and exercise momentum that I had going. He then wrote a letter to the hospital to get me in as soon as possible for the operation. One week and 2 days later I got the phone call. I had a pre-admission appointment a few days later and less than a week after that I was on the table! I was expecting to get a few weeks notice before the surgery and then be on a liquid diet for that few weeks. But I was just called and then in! Wow! All this happened because I moved forward without waiting for the lap-band. I stepped forward for myself and it has done so much for me! I am so proud of myself! If I can lose that much on my own, I can only imagine what I can accomplish now that I have a new tool to help me with my weight loss! YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

No more waiting for me!! June 11th I was banded!!!! I cannot believe that I am standing here on the other side so suddenly! I was only on the waiting list for 12 months! In November 2008 I made a decision to lose as much weight as I could in preparation for the surgery that awaited. I lost 24.8 kilograms (54.5 pounds) by May 2009. I saw my surgeon for my 12-month appointment and waiting list follow-up and informed him of my excitement for the procedure and how I had lost 24 kilos in preparation of the surgery. He commended me and said that he wanted to take advantage of the good eating and exercise momentum that I had going. He then wrote a letter to the hospital to get me in as soon as possible for the operation. One week and 2 days later I got the phone call. I had a pre-admission appointment a few days later and less than a week after that I was on the table! I was expecting to get a few weeks notice before the surgery and then be on a liquid diet for that few weeks. But I was just called and then in! Wow! All this happened because I moved forward without waiting for the lap-band. I stepped forward for myself and it has done so much for me! I am so proud of myself! If I can lose that much on my own, I can only imagine what I can accomplish now that I have a new tool to help me with my weight loss! YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

I am so disappointed. Let me start from the beginning . . . . . August 2007 I am refered to a bariatric clinic that performs lap banding. After a barrage of appointments and tests I am told that I am a good candidate but unless I have insurance or $12,000 they cannot help me. The Dr. tells me to go back to my GP and have him refer me to a local hospital to get put on their waiting list. December 2007 Through a friend of a friend and an awesome God connection, I was referred to a surgeon who does lap banding on the public health care system. (turns out he also works for that private place I went to in August that specialises in lap banding! Small world!) The office told me that I have to wait three months for my appointment. March 2008 I have my initial appointment and I am belittled and treated like a stupid fat person. I am given a book and told "Go home and read this and come back in 2 months if you still want to procede" May 2008 I have my second appointment and am treated much better. He puts me on a waiting list and tells me that the wait can be up to 4 years for the op. He then tells me to make an appointment for May 2009 to follow up and says "If you haven't already had the operation by then." December 2009 I get some blood work back (from another Dr.) that has some issues with it. I call the surgeon to ask if I can be moved up to more urgent because of it. The surgeon calls me back in January and moves me to a new category for the waiting list. I am told that this new category is an urgent one where it will get done in the next 3 months. I am extremely excited March 5th 2009: I call the hospital to check up on where I am on the waiting list as I am expecting it to get done this month and I have to arrange leave from work etc. They tell me that the surgeon is on long-service-leave and won't be back until the end of April or May. I am so disappointed. That will be over 12 months that I have been waiting to get this done. I want it so bad I can taste it. I have been working so hard to lose weight so that the surgery will be easier on my body. I am excercising, doing optislim and have lost 12.5 kilos (27.5 pounds) in preparation! I know it will be worth that wait though.

Hi Tiffany, I do not know where you live as far as getting public aid. Here in Australia we are blessed to have a public health care system. We do not pay anything for operations. If I wanted to get it done sooner, I could have gotten private health insurance and it would have been done after a year of waiting. But I cannot afford private health insurance so I am on the waiting list for public health care.

And there are more people ahead of me when he gets back in a couple of months. So I might be looking at June which is why I am so disappointed.

I am so disappointed. Let me start from the beginning . . . . . August 2007 I am refered to a bariatric clinic that performs lap banding. After a barrage of appointments and tests I am told that I am a good candidate but unless I have insurance or $12,000 they cannot help me. The Dr. tells me to go back to my GP and have him refer me to a local hospital to get put on their waiting list. December 2007 Through a friend of a friend and an awesome God connection, I was referred to a surgeon who does lap banding on the public health care system. (turns out he also works for that private place I went to in August that specialises in lap banding! Small world!) The office told me that I have to wait three months for my appointment. March 2008 I have my initial appointment and I am belittled and treated like a stupid fat person. I am given a book and told "Go home and read this and come back in 2 months if you still want to procede" May 2008 I have my second appointment and am treated much better. He puts me on a waiting list and tells me that the wait can be up to 4 years for the op. He then tells me to make an appointment for May 2009 to follow up and says "If you haven't already had the operation by then." December 2009 I get some blood work back (from another Dr.) that has some issues with it. I call the surgeon to ask if I can be moved up to more urgent because of it. The surgeon calls me back in January and moves me to a new category for the waiting list. I am told that this new category is an urgent one where it will get done in the next 3 months. I am extremely excited March 5th 2009: I call the hospital to check up on where I am on the waiting list as I am expecting it to get done this month and I have to arrange leave from work etc. They tell me that the surgeon is on long-service-leave and won't be back until the end of April or May. I am so disappointed. That will be over 12 months that I have been waiting to get this done. I want it so bad I can taste it. I have been working so hard to lose weight so that the surgery will be easier on my body. I am excercising, doing optislim and have lost 12.5 kilos (27.5 pounds) in preparation! I know it will be worth that wait though.

I have not had my operation yet - I am still on the waiting list - but I have never heard or read anywhere that I have to give up coffee. In all my reading that the surgeon gave me (including a huge 150 page book written specifically about lap-banding) it actualy says to drink coffee and tea as long as you do not have sugar. They only specify that you must stick to zero calorie drinks and that fizzy drinks might cause you some pain. Why did they say that you cannot have coffee? I will die if I can't have coffee!!!!!! :confused: Or soemone else will because, without coffee, my bad mood might cause me to murder! :confused: Cheers! Diva

Ben, that made me cry. Thank you for opening up your wonderful heart regarding your decision and your experiences. It only serves to solidify the decision I have made and makes me more excited than ever. I have not told anyone about my decision and am in the same boat as you. When I get any attitude after the fact, I am going to show them your blog. It speaks of my heart an experiences as well. Miles of smiles - Dawn

You are inspiring! Thank you! The humour you use to relate your stories makes me feel so much more comforatble about what I will be going through as well. Thanks Ben! :cursing:) Dawn

My feelings exactly! ) I love reading your blogs - they remind me to remember the lighter side of things. )

So I have decided that for every 10 kilograms of weight I lose I will get a charm bracelet and then charms. I am so excited because I will be able to pick something fun and cute for every milestone as well as look at the bracelet and remember what hard work I have done. I have not been banded yet, but I am confident my turn on the waiting list will be soon. :frown:) I have lost 11 kilos since November 20 :confused: so I am going to lay-by my bracelet this weekend. It is so exciting. The charms and bracelet I am getting are here: www.thomassabo.com.au They are so so much cuter in person! I can't wait to add the last charm! xoxo Diva

I have picked out my first charm for the next 10 kilos. It is a puzzle piece that says "Does it fit?" PERFECT!! It will serve as a reminder to me about whatever I am doing at the moment and question whether it fits into the lifestyle and future I have planned! Life is good! God is good!

So I have decided that for every 10 kilograms of weight I lose I will get a charm bracelet and then charms. I am so excited because I will be able to pick something fun and cute for every milestone as well as look at the bracelet and remember what hard work I have done. I have not been banded yet, but I am confident my turn on the waiting list will be soon. ) I have lost 11 kilos since November 20 so I am going to lay-by my bracelet this weekend. It is so exciting. The charms and bracelet I am getting are here: www.thomassabo.com.au They are so so much cuter in person! I can't wait to add the last charm! xoxo Diva

Hi! I am all new to this. I have not been banded yet, but have been "lurking" in here for a long time reading comments. This site helped me make the decision to lap band and has answered a lot of questions I have had that my big lap band book has not answered. :rose: I have been on the waiting list for 9 months so far and do not know how long it will be until the operation - I can hardly wait. I have decided to lose as much weight as I can before the operation in order to make everything optimal in my body before the stress of a general anaesthetic. Since November 20th I have lost 11 kilos! (24.2 lbs). YAY! It has gotten me even more excited about the band! I am so excited to get on to the next stage of my life (and scared)! I know that God has so much He wants me to do that is not possible aty my current weight. Is there anyone else here from Australia? How do I get one of those weight trackers on my signature - I love that! Thanks for "listening"! Miles of smiles - Diva

I love your post! I am so glad to read number 2. I have not been banded yet, but have had a lot of thoughts about your number 2 (and I am not talking about poo! LOL). There are so many people the the outskirts of my circle of friends (friends of friends etc that I see often) that are just down right rude to me because of my size. And I know that they are shallow enough to want to be my friend as I lose weight and start to look "acceptable". And that is so hard to explain to your other friends! LOL I have also worried about having to explain myself a billion times a day . . . I don't want all the attention really. But I am still so excited for the band and can't wait! Thank you so much for posting that - I feel more human about my feelings. I thought it was just me! Miles of Smiles - Diva