Goannabanda

OMG, I think I am melting!!! At least that's one way to lose some of this fat! LOL! Great idea for a chat thread Fee. I have this week off work, so at least don't have to spend over an hour in the car each way to get there in all this heat. It looks like it's going to be one heck of a long, hot summer. Had a bit of fun this afternoon in the heat, with the blackout, a 5yo with "cabin fever" (i.e. restless), and trying to pack up the Xmas decos - FUN??? FUNNN????!!!#$%&*#??? I don't think so. We hare having more fun tomorrow, with a play date with some kinder friends at our place. While we'd love them all to come, I just hope that they don't all turn up, as we'll have to be inside due to the heat, and I don't look forward to a house full of hot, screaming 5yo. Maybe we'll take them out onto the trampoline and squirt them with Water pistols & water bombs (reclaimed water of course!). LOL! I thought that Mikey Robins was looking slim - DH and I remarked on it a couple of months back when we saw him on TV. Not surprised that it was a lapband. I am so pleased to see him getting healthier, and no longer on the way to an early grave like what happened to one of my other favourite commedians (John Candy). Great work with the liquid diet Susannah - us this your pre-op phase?? Remind my failing memory please! That pre-op diet really was the worst part for me. Before you know it you'll be better than new! And thanks Jacqui for the inspiration and thoughts on exercise - I am at the very early 'hard slog' phase of things, and reading that it gets easier to do and even love is really motivating to try harder.

Hi everyone - how are you all??? Hope that Santa was good to you, and that you are all having a wonderful summer break, wherever that may be in our wide, brown land. We just got back today from 3 weeks camping at Cowes (Phillip Island) - bliss!! Although I feel like I ate my way throught the holiday, and was VERY lazy to boot. Hmmm, I'll find out the damage on the scales when I weigh myself in the morning, and will get back into the groove of exercising this week. Promise. Really. I have a fill scheduled for Friday - I really need it!!! Welcome to all of the new Aussie members who have joined over the past month or so, and I haven't "met' you yet. Good luck with wherever you're up to so far, and I am looking forward to chatting with you soon. That's it for now, time to catch up on the latests posts.... ...see you around!

Aussie Chick (Sam) is up your way - she had a very successful tummy tuck in about Sept last year. She hasn't checked in here for a while - busy working I believe. But you could look up her posts or try to send her a PM or email.

Hiya Sazza! Welcome to our "family", great to have you on board. Congratulations on your banding at just 22. You are miles ahead of most of us - I wish that my twenties weren't wasted by being overwieght. When I think of the wasted opportunities for parties, clothes, men... ...oops, I digress! **blushes** We're always here to help you - don't beat youself up - your progress might be slow, but it is progress regardless. Well done on your achievement so far, 11kg is fantastic - your body will be thanking you for it! That's enough to already benefit your joints, circulation, blood composition, airways. Keep up the good work - slow and steady wins the race! Sounds like it would be great for you if you could come along to a support group meeting somewhere. I think that there is also meetings at Knox and Frankston, and I am sure that there would be groups in northern / western suburbs if that's where you are. In the new year, us Melbourne bandsters will organise another lunch / coffee / dinner, so you can come then and meet with us too if you like. Hope this helps you. Hugs!! Anna.

Susannah, I can't add much to what the previous posters have said, except that keep in mind that people are often more inclined to post when they're having problems, and when things are going well, they're off busily getting on with their lives... I felt like you before having surgery. It's good to think through these things and ask these questions. Hope that your thread responses have helped you. See if you can come along to a support group - there's a few around Melbourne. Hope to see you at ours! oh, yeah no problems with this newbie bandster - I'd do it again in a heart beat!

Glad to hear you have settled down a bit with your fill now Mark. Mine feels like it's gone completely - until I try and eat too much in one bite or too quickly. I've been eating more, and getting hungrier than I've been since surgery. I'm due to go for another fill in late Jan - but I think I might try and get in for another fill before Christmas.

Hi Anne, Yep - I had to have liquid / mushy for the next 3 meals afterwards. I had a few extra as well, as I was feeling pretty swollen for a few days after the fill. Glad to hear from your other posts that you fill went well. Well done with the weight loss! You are a champion!

We had a nice quiet lunch - just my DH, DS, Tarajane and I. Next to Judy, I felt like a hog with the amount I can still eat. LOL!! The PMT appetite isn't helping at the moment either. Doh! Since yesterday, I am hungry ALL the time. Oh well, it should go away in a day or two. I can't make it on Tuesday night - we have the kinder concert on. Have a great time all, and I'll catch up with you IRL after Christmas.

Hi everyone, I thought it would be a great idea to have a family picnic before Christmas :clap2: . I have made the following plans as a suggestion, however if there is outcry of people who can't make it, then we could reconsider different dates / venue etc. Sunday 3rd December Braeside Park, Braeside Telford Picnic Area (see link to map below) 11am - for bike ride / walk 1pm - for lunch:hungry: BYO everything Rubbish must be taken home with you. This picnic area has a huge adventure playground for the kiddies, and a large grassed area for picnics / games. Plenty of shaded areas, tables and some electric BBQs also. The park gets busy at this time of year, so I will organise to have some helium balloons so that everyone can find us. We'll try to find a nice spot near some shade and the playground, or else will set up our gazebo on the grass. Park info: http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=71 Park Visitor guide (includes park map): http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_0293.pdf If the day is rained out, I will organise an alternative venue nearby to the park. I will post these arrangements the day before. I am sure that accomodation (for country bandsters) & transport could be arranged amongst ourselves if needed. Please RSVP to this thread, and feel free to post the announcement to other band forums (Yahoo, ESV etc). I will also post to band2gether.net. Hope to see as many of us as possible at the picnic! Cheers, Anna.

I found out today that Tarajane (Judy) has the new AP band too. That makes five of us. oh, and having perky boobs for the first time in my life - that would be nice! hehehe! BTW - Aren't you heading off to the Maldives soon?? I am soooo jealous! We're going on an overseas holiday too after Christmas - to PHILLIP ISLAND!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I wish my port incision looked as nice as that.

The power that "a mom" and "a dad" can have. Bless you for being financially able, and also for choosing, to save a life in this way. Good luck to you and your chosen recipient.

I had two do it for 2 weeks prior to surgery. Yuck! What made it easier was that we were allowed any of the Optifast products, plus 2 cups of non-starch vegetables and 1 pc fruit per day. We also were given an extensive condiments list to add for flavour. The bars were good, and the choc mousse dessert made a reasonable change. As for the vegetables, think "filling" veg like eggplant, mushrooms and sprouted mung Beans. A favourite Optifast phase meal of mine was a "stirfry" mix of chopped mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, onion, mung bean sprouts, seasoned with a little herbs ad a dash of olive oil, cooked on the BBQ hotplate (to pick up the meaty flavours from the BBQ). mmm! yummy! HOWEVER - If I never eat Optifast or mung beans again in my life, I can honestly say that I will die happy! LOL!!!

Hi Kathy, nice to meet you. Thanks for the Water tip - the surgery centre that Oldspark & I go to gives you a cup of water and makes sure that you can drink it before they let you leave. How are you going with your band? There are a few Sydney bandsters around here, so you should feel right at home.

Hi Jess! That makes three of us that I know of with AP bands - me, you and Oldspark (Mark). I started a thread about it in the general pages a while ago, to try and find out more about them. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=337812#post337812 It's great to hear that you are doing well with your new band, and that your TT went well too. The thought of a TT and plastics still scares me, but I think that hygeine and vanity will win out one day... LOL!

Update: I found out that the AP band is made by Inamed, I have the APL (large) band, which holds 14ml. I had 4ml put in for my first fill (25 Nov). There are a few other Aussies who have just got the AP bands. No paperwork or cards were issued to me following surgery, but apparently a surgery card may come soon.

Hi Mark - how do you feel now? Glad you got yourself right back to the doc for a part unfill. Funny how differently we all react - I have the same AP Large band and also had 4ml put in. For the first few days I felt a bit swollen and slightly nauseous like the post-surgery feeling, but no need for an unfill as I could still eat. It feels a bit looser for me today - I ate more than my hubby for lunch! YIKES!

Hi Judy and Jenny, Sorry for MY seniors moment - the picnic is on this SUNDAY the 3rd. It's been a long week, sorry! Hope that you can make it too Jenny - it would be terrific to catch up with you again. It looks like it will be just a few of us, but should be good fun nonetheless. At this stage, we're going at 11am for a bike ride, and will be back at the picnic area by about 1pm for lunch. We're going to try for a spot near the playground (the south east corner, or in other words, the opposite end of the playground to the visitors centre / toilets). Hope it won't be too hard to find everyone.

The love you obviously have for your wife, and the struggles you are trying to help her with touched my heart. God bless the both of you, and I pray that you are able to make progress together. I agree with many of the previous posters have suggested, especially those that have said that some sort of intervention is needed to let your wife know how much you are worried about her, that you love her unconditionally, and how much you and your family need and depend upon her. I also agree that having your wife's medications and counselling reviwed should be high on your list of priorites - I hope that you are able to find a way to achieve this with her consent. The counsellor I saw pre-band said that depression / weight issues are often due to an energy or well-being imbalance - you have to keep topping up the positive energy "bucket" (in the words of a previous poster) to be able to level out the negative. Often if you deal with the depression, the weight issues will begin to address themselves, or at least be much more manageable with tools like a lap band around to help. Most of us are pretty much self-sufficient at keeping our buckets topped up, but we all need external inputs from those around us as well. Those of us who have suffered depression make concious decisions every day to get up and do things for ourselves, which in effect helps to fill the bucket. Many need medications to help keep the bucket filled up enough to allow them to get on with life. Some of us, like your wife is now, sometimes find ourselves in a place where getting up to fill our buckets is just too hard, even with medications in the mix that are supposed to help. I pray that you are able to find little ways to start topping up her "bucket" until she is able to manage it better for herself. I also agree that some sort of readjustment to your family team may be useful. Itmight take a while to get her to this sort of a place, judging from your posts, but having her involvement needed in a real and meaningful way in your business could work wonders, providing that there is a similar teamwork approach at home too. It may help to give her a sense of purpose and responsibility, and help her to move on from this "checked out" place she's in now. Maybe you can share the family responsibilities differently between you. No doubt there could be enough flexibility in your lives to allow for a reorganisation of the family routine and responsibilities. Who knows, in time you may find yourself running to keep up with her, or the one who stays behind to do the school run while she travels! I wish you and your wife love, power and strength to get through this period of trial and into a better place. I look forward to reading of positive progress for the both of you in future. All the best.

Okay, so far I've got myself, tarajane and shaky on the list for Saturday. Looks like it's going to be great weather. Jenny and tolmc are you going to be able to make it? Anyone else??

Hi Mark, The fill itself was without incident. Just lie flat on the table, raise your legs straight up in the air on cue (to tighten the muscles under the port), and then a little sting from the needle. It took about 2 seconds flat. I felt a little swollen and nauseous for a couple of days afterwards while I got used to it. Before the fill I was eating about 70% - 80% of pre-surgery meal, and just a bit smaller bites, and a bit slower than pre-surgery. With the fill I am eating much less (about 50% - 60% of pre-surgery meal), and have to slow down much more, and eat much smaller bites at a time. I feel that I have a reasonable amount of restriction, but that the band could still go a bit tighter - but we'll wait and see how it pans out by my next fill in mid-January. So far, I have eaten everything I've tried, including bread, but got stuck a couple of times in the first couple of days on different things when I swallowed to much at once, or didn't chew well enough. (I am an idiot, slow learner, or both. LOL!!). Hopefully I have worked out the level of restirction now, and learned my lesson, but I haven't tried steak yet. LOL! Between the surgery and the first fill I was feeling full for a long time after a meal, but this now lasts right through to at least to the next mealtime, if not longer. Hope that this helps. Good luck for the 29th! Let us know how you get on. Cheers, Anna.

ooops - have the party in January and hope nobody notices. LOL!!! Anyway, I think you should be forgiven - you do have a lot on your plate right now!

The rules are different for permanent Australian residents and others, so exactly what happens in your case would also depend upon your residency status. Australians enjoy a government subsidised health care system. Australian taxpayers pay a Medicare Levy as part of their income tax assessment. It is means tested, and usually works out at 1.5% for most average wage earners. A higher levy is charged if you don't have private health cover. For people who do have private health insurance, 30% of the premium is tax-rebateable. There is also a Medicare "Safety Net" when medical expenses are over a certain amount per year ($1250??). I am not sure of the details, but understand that this year we will qualify for this, and as a result have an additional rebate or a reduced Medicare Levy in our tax return at the end of this financial year. It pays to check what your policy covers, as they do differ. However, generally the story is that once you have qualified for the waiting time on the policy, and the surgeon says you need the procedure, you are covered. End of story. I think without insurance, and without waiting on the public list, the lapbanding would cost between $15,000 - $20,000. I am not aware of any Aussies who have done this, but there must be someone somewhere. I went through the same surgical centre as Oldspark (Mark), and had similar out-of-pocket costs (just over $4,000), including all consultations, procedures etc, pre-surgery diet products, and some exercise equipment that I decided to also buy as part of my "new life". We have Medibank Private AdvantagePlus cover, which is a packaged hospital & extras cover, costing around $220 per month for family cover. It gives you full hospital cover, and also covers the full range of extras, but at slightly lower levels of cover for some procedures when compared against "Blue Ribbon" cover. Waiting periods vary from 3 to 12 months, with 12 months being the norm for most procedures. The product allows us to earn a package bonus, up to a maximum of $1000. It accrues at about $200 per year, and can be spent on any medical or health related service or product, up to a maximum of $500 per person per policy year. I used it to cover the hospital excess ($200) and out-of-pocket expenses for the dietician ($300). The hospital excess is something that we have elected to pay, in favour of a reduced monthly premium. It's capped per policy year, to $500 per person and $1,000 per policy (for family cover). The excess is $200 for the first and second hospital admissions, and $100 for the third, up to the cap level. I don't work for Medibank Private, and am not endorsing their products or anything, I am just outlining how our cover works to try and help you understand how some of the health insurance products work in Australia. There are many other companies that offer health insurance, including some coprorate plans. However, as Medibank Private is part government owned, they are generally the best in terms of value for money.

Bumping is when someone makes a post into an old thread to move it back up to the top of the new posts listings, and back up to the top of the index pages. It's sometimes used when you want to obtain further input to a thread that's gone quiet, or like I did to promote an event. While I'm here - any more takers??? Sorry you can't make it Mark. See you before Christmas anyway...

I think the balloons have been around for a while (maybe not in Australia all that long), although they are not widely used. Like Jacqui said, I believe that they are usually used to reduce weight to a safe surgery range before a more permanent procedure.