elcee

Thats one of the reasons I'm not telling anyone that I don't have to. My BMI is 32 and I know that I am very overweight and cannot lose it permanently on my own. I don't want or need people saying that I'm not fat enough or have taken the easy way out or I should just eat less and exercise more.

I finish my preop tomorrow- surgery Tuesday. Some days I have been fine. Others I have had the shakes,pains in my upper abdomen etc etc. I think it is a major shock to the system as we are used to eating so much more and not letting ourselves get hungry. I am actually looking forward to the postop as although I won't have bars that I can chew at least i can eat yogurt,custard etc and have real homemade soup that doesn't taste like chalk!

I'm also wondering what has happened to the site. I no longer seem to be able to get the page that showed all the latest threads, Now it just gives me a page with a list of all the different forums. Very frustrating - I want to be able to see what is new at a glange not have to wade through all the different forums searching. Is it just me - am I doing something wrong or are others having this problem to? I also don't see a help or contact us button so don't know how to ask the site managers if they can fix this.

OK No probs. I agree people get upset over the strangest things. A thread starts off with one thing and then ends up in an all out................ Not being able to see a persons face, body language etc makes a post easy to misconstrue.

elcee-----No, you're the poo-poo head! ????? I don't believe that name calling is either necessary or justified. In fact its pretty juvenile. However it does prove my point that it doesn't take long for things to deteriorate . Hope you have a fabulous day:smile2:

I didn't think parrothead was being rude. I am still amazed at how easily things are misconstrued and how quickly things can deteriorate into some kind of attack on these boards. Oh the joys of the internet and electronic communication!

Hi Linda just wondering how the op went? I think it was you that was posting with queries about your preop diet and having to eat extra to get through, am i correct? Did you end up sticking to the preop diet in the end or not and did it have an effect on your surgery?

That's fantastic. Its so great to hear words of encouragement for a change - I'm getting tired of all the negative stuff!

Well I wasn't telling anyone either but what should happen at the surgeons office yesterday - I bumped into someone I know. OK not a friend, not my hair dresser but a beautician I know . LOL. Thats almost the same as a hairdresser. She asked what I was doing there and I said the same as her! Plus side is that being banded herself she can't be negative about the choice to have a band. She just had surgery 2 weeks ago and is having a lot of pain at the moment so was telling me (jokingly) not to do it!

I agree with the others. However if this surgeon was working under the supervision of a highly experienced Bariatric surgeon then it might be OK. And by under the supervision of I mean that the experienced surgeon would need to be in theatre the whole time!

I am in Aus so things here are a bit different. I had to have a chest X-Ray and a spirometry(lung function ) test. It was decided I didn't need the sleep testing. I see my surgeon this afternoon so not sure what that involves. My op is next Tuesday.

Well I finally did some preparation. I spent the morning making a big batch of Soup . I made leek and potato with chickpeas,cauliflower plus chickpeas and tomato , lentil and carrot. I wouldn't mormally have put chickpeas in but on my list of foods it is suggested that legumes be added - I am sure that is for the Protein. Those of you who have been for your final preop app what does it involve? I have mine tomorrow and although I am sure mine will be different as I am in Aus I am still curious? Now I just wish it was over and done with already. The waiting is killing me and I seem to waste most of my time reading the threads on the board. Probably not such a good idea! Op 2 June 5.30pm. Not sure what the time difference is so I might actually be 1 June. Only 5 more sleeps!

I am due to be banded on 2 June and am halfway through preop diet which includes 3 Optifast or similar per day(shakes,bars or soups) and 2 cups low carb vegies. Since starting it I seem to be burping a lot more than usual. (I thought this could be due to extra air swallowed when on a mainly liquid diet). More concerning is that I keep getting a strange pain in the upper, middle abdomen. I do not normally suffer reflux and as far as I am aware don't have an ulcer. I am hoping that it is just hunger pains - something with which I am obviously not too familiar! I am worried that if it is reflux or an ulcer that this may be a reason for the surgery to be cancelled. My final preop app is on Friday and I will raise my concerns with my surgeon then. In the meantime I would like to know if anyone has had anything similar.

Thanks for all the responses. I also thought it was probably extra gas just not sure why, maybe it is some kind of food intolerance. It can't just be from extra vegies as I have just woken up, eaten an Optifast BAR and I am burping again. Can't switch to half skim as the shakes here are all mixed with Water so the problem would be with something that is already in them. Still wondering about the pain though. Normally (for me at least) gas pain tends to be felt low down in the stomach and is often accompanied by bloating etc. This pain is much higher up under the ribcage and seems to occur a couple of hours after eating. Any ideas?

Fang , that was a great, easy to understand explanation.

Whereabouts in Melboune are you. I go to a monthly support group in Werribee and they always have a clothes swap. Its a good way of finding things that fit without having to fork out a fortune.

My surgery is on 2 June and so far I have done nothing to prepare. I will shop for foods I need on Monday, probably pack my bag over the weekend and thats about it. Just wondering what you need to prepare in the bedroom, bathroom etc?

Not looking as though I am pregnant!

I went to my GP and said I wanted to be referred for a lapband and he refused! Said I wasn't big enough and that the risks outweighed the benefits. Then in the next breath he told me I needed to lose weight, bring my cholesterol down etc. What the @ does he think I have been trying to do all my life? Admittedly he's a new Dr as I moved last year but that is beside the point. So I made the appointment to see a surgeon myself.

I have been reading lots on this forum in prep for my op and am seriously starting to wonder: - Are sleeves the answer to easy, problem free weight loss? From what I have been reading there are soo many problems with the band and so many people that are unhappy with it, whearas so far I have only read good things about the sleeve. It seems that there are very few side effects with the sleeve except for initially. All the posters on here that have the sleeve seem to be exceptionally happy, problem free and wish they had done it in the beginning. I'm especially interested in people that have had the sleeve for a while and what their experience has been. Would love to hear the positives and the negatives(if there are any).

Sorry to hear that things are so tough for you at the moment. What I find with life is that bad things happen in a run and then things get better. e.g a number of years ago I became a single Mum , moved into a new home with my daughter, got broken into with lot's of irreplaceable stuff stolen, had all the washing stolen of my line and had a brick thrown through my car window whilst I was in it and my bag stolen all within the space of a month! When its happening to you it feels as though your luck is never going to change but it does. When things are so bad it can only get better. I am sure being banded is hard (I'm not there yet) but its done and the money can't be unspent. I am sure you know that deep down it was the right thing for you to do as no-one goes into it without lots of thought.Remember that eating doesn't make you feel better for long - the satisfaction is fleeting and then you feel bad for having eaten so much! As to the financial problems they are hard. Is there something you could do like a skills swap. e.g maybe you could do someones ironing(or whatever you are good at and enjoy) in exchange for them doing your yard.Or maybe you could get your kids to help. I don't know how old they are but a task is always easier when shared plus you could make a bit of a game of it and you'll be spending time together. Hope things start getting better soon.

A meat pie is pastry with a meat filling - no sweet stuff. Typically the meat is braised(don't know if that is the correct American term) in gravy . Common varieties include beef, beef and muhroom, chicken and mushroom etc. They are a national institution in Australia but were invented originally in Europe(UK I think) in the middle ages. Can't believe that you don't have pies over there, they are divine.And of course not very good for you because they are loaded with fat!

I have a BMI of 32 and my GP refused to refer me to a surgeon so I just went to see one anyway.

I am just about to run out of the door and go to work so don't have a lot of time to respond. Thankyou for confirming that as I was beginning to wonder.......... Wasa I never pointed the finger at you personally.I did and still do believe that there is a lot of band bashing on the boards. As a non expert how was I supposed to know that the other persons information was incorrect and out dated. I was just happy to see a different side because as I said previously I like balance. Everything has a good and a bad side.When someone comes onto a board like this how do they know what is correct and what isn't.By the same token how do we know that your stats are correct? I'm not implying that they aren't just how do we know? What I think would be a good idea would be if someone with a lot of experience (possibly yourself) posted a sticky somewhere with all the accurate facts about sleeves. Both the good and the bad including possible side effects etc. People who are then undecided about which WLS to go for could be pointed to this. I also think that when people use stats or info gained from other sources that the source should be quoted.This then gives people the opportunity to check the info out for themselves. Have to go. Hopefully this has come across in the way it is intended and that no-one is going to get upset!

I actually appreciate your response. Just not sure how to move it or if I need to post it again. That could be a problem as I could annoy people if I duplicate it. BTW I really enjoy reading your posts. You seem to give good , well thought out advice.