bayside_bobbie

Thanks for your suggestion. I have previously contacted them and been advised their program is not suitable for someone with ME/CFS. Good luck with your journey.

Hi everyone I was banded early March and while I am coping very well with most foods I am having problems with all types of meat. I've tried the slow cooker and also smothering the meat with gravy - and of course chew, chew, chew, chew - but not having any success. I am wondering if anyone else has this problem and if I should persevere or give up and switch to a vegetarian diet. Any suggestions would be appreciated esp info re other food sources of Iron, Protein, etc etc. Thanks Bayside_bobbie

Thanks the info Heidi. I have made an appt with Dr Sharon Marks (Frankston) for the end of May and will see where I go from there. I hope all goes well with your appt with Lauren. Regards Bobbie

Hi Susannah Thanks for your reply and your welcome. I understand my surgeon does have a dietician but I am looking at the possibilities of going to someone closer to home to save the extra travelling. I have my first post-op appt, and hopefully first fill, on Tuesday and will see what my surgeon suggests re a dietician, exercise, gym etc etc. (I have an appt with my ME/CFS specalist the following day and will have to find a compromise between their recommendations re exercise/activity.) I am hoping to get to the Cranbourne get-together tomorrow (Sunday) and looking forward to meeting you and others from Melbourne who have been banded. Thanks, again, for your welcome. Bayside-bobbie

Hi everyone I am new here and was banded on 5th March and have my post-op appt and hopefully first fill next Tuesday. I am trying to find a dietician in the Mornington area (anywhere between Frankston and Rosebud) who has experience working with banded patients (I also have NIDDM and ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia). Any suggestions?? Thanks for your help. Bayside_bobbie

Thanks again Barbara Silly me - I never thought of rejection (part of my constant companion - "foggy brain" - I'm afraid) I have been concerned about not being able to follow the exercise program and also not being able to prepare meals but never thought of rejection. I also have diabetes and was worrying about how I am going to maintain the high carbohydrate, low GI eating. I have heard many people can't eat bread and that is the main carbohydrate my endocronologist and dietician recommend for when I am unable to prepare meals or need carbo following a sugar boost to treat a hypo. I know my sleep apnoea will NOT be a problem and I am hoping to be able to stop using my CPCP (not that the CPAP bothers me but would be nice to have one less thing to deal with). As a "non-foggy headed" post-op lapbander, is there anything else this "foggy-headed" person is overlooking in relation to either the op itself or post-op living with a lapband? I really appreciate being able to talk to you about this as I have been having difficulty finding others who have been banded who also have or have had CFS and many (most) of the doctors here in Australia know very little about CFS. Thanks again for your help. Hope all is going well for you. Bobbie

Hi Barbara, thanks for your reply. Sorry about the confusing terminology. In some countries Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is called ME, and in others it is called CFS and in still others it is called ME/CFS. It is complicated even further because many people say they have Chronic Fatigue when in fact they are tired/fatigued but have not been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - that is why here in Australia the condition is often referred to as ME/CFS. While Fibromyalgia is a different condition, quite often (but not always) people with ME/CFS also suffer from Fibromyalgia. I am no doctor but from what you have described it certainly sounds like you had both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or ME or CFS or ME/CFS) and Fibromyalgia. (I have the "double whammy" too!) Yes, you are right - I did not WANT to hear that the band could be rejeced, but I did NEED to hear it. I also need to hear anything else (both positive and negative) so that I can go to my surgeon's appt with all the questions. I think I will then need to talk with my ME/CFS specialist to discuss this with him before making my final decision. I know I am the only one who can make this decision but I really appreciate the information and hearing about other people's experiences. Regards Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia

Sorry I can't help with info re the insurance companies. Here is Australia we have a different setup with Medicare and Private Health Insurance. I can either have the surgery done as a Private patient with an out of pocket expense of between AUS$3,500 and AUS$4,000 (after all insurance company payments/refunds etc) or be done as a Public patient with a 1 to 7 year wait. I hope you all receive insurance company approval soon. Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia

Thanks for your reply Barbara465. Do you have chronic fatigue or ME/CFS? (Sorry to be pedantic but if you have ME/CFS you know there is a difference and will understand the reason I'm asking.) Great to hear you improved so much and to be answering emails and back working so quickly is fantastic. :clap2: I haven't been able to work for over 5 years cos of CFS (mainly housebound and often confined to bed/sofa). I know excess weight can make moving around difficult but my limitations are due to the CFS. I know this cos on a "bad" CFS day I am limited to getting from the bedroom to the bathroom and to the sofa and food-wise limited to eating whatever is within reach, on a "good" CFS day I can manage a little housework OR cooking OR even a bit of shopping, and on the rare FANTASTIC/ALMOST HUMAN CFS day I can get around quite well as long as I've got my trusty walking stick for balance. (If it was a limitation caused by my weight it would be more consistent and wouldn't fluctuate to such a large degree from day to day and even from hour to hour.):frusty: I would be interested in hearing how limiting and restrictive your CFS was/is and if you have noticed any changes (positive or negative) in the CFS at the time of or after the surgery. I am new to forums and still learning my way around but I think someone told me there is a provision for private messages (PM). If so, I'd be very grateful if you would PM with more info re your experience with CFS and lapbanding. Sorry, I have major CFS "FOGGY BRAIN" days - and today is one of those days - and can't remember the details. (I don't want to take over this thread discussing CFS so a PM would be good - unless of course you think others would be helped by the discussion/information.) I am really eager to have the banding done but the CFS has been so severe I can't afford to do anything that might aggrivate it or make it even worse than it already is. Thanks again for your help. Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia

I'm new here and think this is the section I've been looking for. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ie CFS and also known as ME) and fibromyalgia about 6 years ago. I also have sleep apnoea and type 2 diabetes (also known as NIDDM). Over the last 6 years I have been unable to do much exercise (actually house bound for most of the time and confined to bed/sofa for a lot of the time) due to CFS and have put on a lot of weight. I am now in the weight range where lapbanding is considered appropriate and am concerned that if I don;t do something soon my weight is going to get even worse. I am seriously considering lapbanding (and have an appt with a surgeon ealry in the new year) but I'm really concerned as to how this might affect the CFS. I've heard all sorts of stories like post-op problems cos of "slow healing" and "compromised immune system" but I have also heard that the weight loss can help ease the pain and stiffness and mean less energy required to actually move the body. As well as having concerns about the actual surgery, I am needing ideas and suggestions as to how people with CFS manage the food preparation etc on "bad" cfs days (ie those days when mobility is limited to crawling from bedroom to bathroom) and also how you manage the exercise part of the lapband lifestyle. Sorry about all the questions, but I really don't know who else to ask. Thanks for reading this and I'll be most grateful for any information or suggestions you can give me . Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia

Hi I'm new here and have been reading your posts searching for some information about CFS and effect of lapbanding. I was diagnosed with CFS about 6 years ago. The last 6 months have been my best since being diagnosed and I am now seriously considering having lapbanding done. (I have always been overweight but 6 years of inactivity has led to it now being a major problem. I also have sleep apnoea and diabetes.) I am also concerned that having the surgery will aggrivate the CFS and also wondering how those with CFS manage the food preparation etc on a "bad" CFS day, and also the exercise programs that are part of the "lapband life style". I am wondering if you would mind sharing with me whether your CFS got worse post lapbanding or if you think it might have flared up because of the surgery. Also was your recovery from the surgery slower than normal cos of the CFS? Sorry about all the questions but this is the first forum I've been able to find where someone with CFS has had lapbanding and I'll be most grateful for any information or suggestions you can give me. Thanks for your help. Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia

:help: Hi I'm new here and have been reading your posts searching for some information about CFS and effect of lapbanding. I was diagnosed with CFS about 6 years ago. The last 6 months have been my best since being diagnosed and I am now seriously considering having lapbanding done. (I have always been overweight but 6 years of inactivity has led to it now being a major problem. I also have sleep apnoea and diabetes.) My concern is whether having the surgery will aggrivate the CFS and also how those with CFS manage the food preparation etc and the exercise programs that are part of the "lapband life style". Jodie, I am wondering if you would mind sharing with me whether your CFS returned post lap-banding and if you think it might have flared up because of the surgery. And also was your recovery from the surgery slower than normal cos of the CFS? :nervous Sorry about all the questions but this is the first forum I've been able to find where someone with CFS who has had lapbanding. Thanks for your help. Bobbie Bayside Melbourne Victoria Australia