Date set - special hello to all the Aussies

[PharmaGirl 0]

Hi everyone (with a special hello to all my fellow Aussies)

My date for lap-banding is set for 23 April 2009. Will have the band inserted at the The Avenue in Melbourne.

I am excited and scared all the same time. The success of many on this site inspire me and the prospect of future success is very exciting. Past failed attempts at maintaining weight loss haunt me (I've lost weight then put it back on [plus more] more times than I care to remember).

Would love to hear from others of you that felt the same way at the start of your journeys and who have succeeded.

My partner is having a lap-band inserted on 9 April. We both have fatty livers and have therefore been advised to do the Optislim VLCD liquid diet (with veggies allowed) commencing two weeks before insertion of the band (next week for her and on 9 April for me).

Any advice on surviving this would be greatly appreciated. Also, advice on whether it would be a good idea for me to try and support her by doing shakes maybe for brekkie and the evening meal two weeks before I really need to would be great.

Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all!

For my friends in the US who don't think in kgs

Edited March 14, 2009 by PharmaGirl
updating ticker

[veal 0]

Hey :thumbup:

I have no advice, but I figured i'd say hi anyway.

I'm being banded tomorrow... at the Avenue also.

I'm so nervous

I have been doing the Optifast vcld for the last four weeks - I actually like the shakes and pudding, and after a couple of days I stopped being hungry and it was only (haha only) the psychological cravings that were a problem, so if you think you can handle those you could maybe try it to be supportive?

Good luck :w00t:

[PharmaGirl 0]

Hi Veal,

Thanks for posting a response (I was getting worried no-one would).

How exciting for you - tomorrow!! I can understand the nervousness. I'm nervous and I've still got almost 6 weeks to go. Can't imagine how I'll be the day before.

You did well to do 4 weeks of the Optislim (didn't know there was a pudding but I'll be out shopping for it for sure). I'm definitely leaning toward doing the same. Did you lose much just doing the Optislim?

Wishing you all of the very best for tomorrow. Hope to hear from you soon after that. Looking forward to sharing our experiences with you as we go.

Good luck

[veal 0]

6 weeks seemed like ages six weeks ago- I am leaving for the hospital in an hour and tomorrow seems both too soon and forever away

I confess that I had a couple of slip ups during the four weeks - not huge ones, but still they were not pretty. I think I've lost about 10 kilos - 7 by the clinic's count but I went up a bit before I started. My mother who was banded about two years ago (also at the Avenue) lost about 6, before she ate a couple of final meals the weekend before the surgery.

If you cant find the full range of optislim products at chemists etc, try the website - I also reccomend the chicken Soup - closest thing to salt you can get.

Would love to share experiences - only three people in my life actually know I'm doing this, so sharing is not something I get to do much

It's great that you and your parnter can do this together and support each other.

Are you by any chance a patient of the centre for bariatric surgery, a couplle of doors down from the hospital?

Ok, I must go and finish packing and stuff.

Take care

[PharmaGirl 0]

Both my partner and I will be thinking of you tomorrow.

I imagine that you'll probably be reading this after you get home from having your lap band in. Hope you're feeling as well as is possible given those circumstances.

Wow - 10kg in 4 weeks is an awesome effort. Hope you took your "before" photo before you lost those kgs!

Thanks for the recommendation on the Soup. Have now ordered the Optislim chicken soup and also the pumpkin soup to give us a couple of savoury options instead of the just the sweet vanilla/chocolate/coffee stuff.

Yes, will be great to share experiences. We discussed whether we would tell others and decided on pretty much telling most of our family and our good friends and people who we believe will be supportive. Hope we won't be bitten in the ass by this decision. We are not telling people who bitch about other people.

Yep, we're patients at the Centre for Bariatric Surgery a couple of doors down from the hospital. If you are too, our paths might cross soon.

Please let us know how you're going as soon as you can.

[SpideyMom 1]

Hi, I'm new here also, and was going through the newbie threads. I just wanted to comment, PharmaGirl, that I think it is wonderful that you and your partner are going through this journey together! What better way to make a true lifestyle change than to both change at the same time. I wish that my hubby would consider doing that, but he is quite stubborn sometimes and needs to see things for himself before trying. He did, however, go to the seminar with me and say that maybe someday he might consider it.

Good luck to you both!

Peace,

Ann

[PharmaGirl 0]

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your post. We're both hoping it will be easier to cope if both of us want the 'wrong' foods out the house and if we each have the other around, understanding how we're feeling, and to push us through the tough spots.

Sounds like your husband may come around given the right incentive. Once he sees you feeling better and with more energy, hopefully he'll be running to make his appointment.

Read your other posts and I have to tell you I have exactly the same fears - lack of exercise and sweet sticky food is my downfall (my partner's is more lack of exercise plus the savoury stuff). However, I also know that, once I start losing weight and feeling better, I won't be missing those foods in the short term. I'm hoping that the lapband means I won't be able to fall off the wagon big time (like eating half a cake) down the track, which is what starts the cycle of regaining weight again, feeling crap about myself and then gorging myself further (so that I eventually end up worse than where I started).

Anyway, good luck with your journey. Looking forward to sharing experiences.

Do you have a date set yet?

[SpideyMom 1]

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your post. We're both hoping it will be easier to cope if both of us want the 'wrong' foods out the house and if we each have the other around, understanding how we're feeling, and to push us through the tough spots.

Sounds like your husband may come around given the right incentive. Once he sees you feeling better and with more energy, hopefully he'll be running to make his appointment.

Read your other posts and I have to tell you I have exactly the same fears - lack of exercise and sweet sticky food is my downfall (my partner's is more lack of exercise plus the savoury stuff). However, I also know that, once I start losing weight and feeling better, I won't be missing those foods in the short term. I'm hoping that the lapband means I won't be able to fall off the wagon big time (like eating half a cake) down the track, which is what starts the cycle of regaining weight again, feeling crap about myself and then gorging myself further (so that I eventually end up worse than where I started).

Anyway, good luck with your journey. Looking forward to sharing experiences.

Do you have a date set yet?

Hi, PharmaGirl! You took the words right out of my mouth (above in bold). I had to laugh about the half a cake, because that would be me. I would slice off little by little, thinking no one would notice, that I was just "straightening" the cake, until finally half the cake was gone!

Sounds like you and your partner have a great plan about getting the wrong foods out of the house. I was just talking with hubby tonight about having to change the types of food we eat, and he's all for it. I see the dietitian tomorrow morning, and I'm hoping she'll give me plenty of things to bring home for dh to read. We have a 4-year-old son who could also benefit from not having so many sweets about the house! He already takes after me, craving sugar.

No, I don't have a surgery date yet. I'm still jumping through all the hoops, going to appointments and getting approval letters from doctors right now. Then we will submit all that to the insurance company. It will probably be in May, I'm guessing.

Good luck to you and your partner. I hope to hear updates from you! :scared2:

[TamTam 0]

Hi girls!

I'm new here too, and wanted to say hi to some other Aussies. I had my surgery last Thursday (12/3) at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane. It all went well, but I've been surprised by how sore I've been and how long it's taking to get better. (It's ONLY keyhole surgery, right??? Ha ha ha!!!) But I am definitely improving day to day, and am more mobile now. I even managed to walk up to school and back this afternoon.

I did Optifast (religiously) for the two weeks prior to surgery, and lost 7 or 8 kilos. I actually didn't find it too bad; I think knowing it was only for two weeks made it easier, and I really didn't crave what my hubby and kids were having. I've lost another couple of kilos since. I've actually found it hard to fit in everything I'm supposed to be drinking each day since the surgery.

Anyway, would love to hear back from the Aussie contingent.

Tamara

[veal 0]

Thank you for thinking of me

Yup, home and banded, and I feel, okish. I think I was pretty lucky - the most pain I had was when I woke up and had a panic attack until I distracted myself by remembering my gallbladder pain a couple of years ago.

I'm still a bit doped up (anaesthesia seems to last for days for me) so forgive me if I ramble, but it all went really well. The nursing staff there are awesome - friendly, patient, and encouraging. I was done first (there were at least four other people done monday morning), and by midday I was watching tv and wandering around the ward, which is apparently a good sign. I have some pain - more where the port is and some deffered pain in my shoulder, which oddly, is relieved by burping.

I think my real problem, now that I'm home, is that I am drinking really small amounts, but I'm still not getting enough liquid in, which could be a problem. But I don;t feel hungry or thirsty, have very little desire for food.

I havent taken photos - I'm photophobic.

I wish i'd known about the Optifast pumpkin Soup - i never saw it, but I imagine it's pretty good.

I think if you are comfortable telling family and friends it's great. For myself, I'm just really private in some ways - it's not about being ashamed or afriad of reactions so much as I'm just... not interested in involving people. Like, when I checked into the hospital there were people with three or four family members there, and they visited throughout - me, I was really happy occasionally seeing a nurse and being left alone. I don't think people would be unsupportive, I guess right now I don't really need them to be?

I would hope that NO ONE would bitch about this sort of thing. I noticed though when mum got it done, that I expected her to progress much faster than she has and, while I try not to judge, i think I kind of had this expectation of how she would progress, which, while I support her all the way was still a bit hard on her?

See, I totally ramble.

We might have already crossed paths at the surgery - I've been there five times this year, sorting out some blood tests and stuff. I really like Linda Schacter (sp?) - I'm actually thinking of asking her if she will be my gp.

If you have any questions I can try to answer them/update you on my progress, and would love to hear about yours.

TamTam - Nearly a week and still pain? what kind of pain? Have you moved off liquids?

Also, I found that when i got home today, despite having not eaten since sunday, i'd GAINED half a kilo. I'm thinking it's gas - given that I burp and burp and burp. It's a little terrifying though.

[TamTam 0]

Hi all; hi Veal, and congratulations on your surgery! Glad to hear it all went well for you. I was a bit surprised too about the pain when I first woke up, but it settled with quite a bit of pharmaceutical assistance! I had the shoulder pain too, which was awful at times, but it settled in a few days like they predicted. Don't worry Veal about the gain - you were no doubt hooked up to a drip while you were in hospital, so that weight will just be Fluid.

Yeah, I'm still having some pain, mostly at the port site now, but it's definitely improving every day. It is exacerbated by too much physical activity - I think the walk to and from school yesterday (maybe 2-3km) was probably pushing it a bit and I paid for it last night. But otherwise the only real pain (and it's not BAD pain) is when I'm getting up or down (particularly from bed), or bending over - which I do a lot with three small kids!

Yes, still on liquid - two weeks liquid, two weeks puree then solids. Is this the same for you all too? I also found it hard to get in all the liquid I was supposed to be having, but now that I can have bigger amounts at a time it's getting easier.

I had my mother-in-law staying here to help with the kids, but she has just left this morning, so now I'm wondering how I get through the next three weeks without picking up my toddler. Maybe we'll have to toilet train in a hurry!

PharmaGirl, what have you decided about doing the OptiSlim/Fast with your partner? To be honest, other people eating didn't really bother me as much as I had thought it would. If I was feeling tempted while they were eating I usually just disappeared for some time out or got really busy doing something else!

[veal 0]

Hey,

glad to hear the pain is improving - I probably need to move about more, although a couple of kilometres? At the moment I would probably fall over 500m down the road.

I hear you on the bending pain - I keep forgetting that it will hurt and doing it.

I think the plan I had (which I have managed to temporarily lose) had a week of liquids then a really slow transition to pureed foods as you felt able - But I think it will take me longer, it took me an hour to drink 100 mls of Water with disolvable panadol in it today - so I'm not getting too ambitious.

Can your husband help you with your toddler? I'm having enough problems with just having cats right now - I don't think I could actually pick one up, let alone a child?

I have to say that I also was not tempted by other people eating during Optifast - I found that my problem was more when I was by myself and bored - other people distracted me.

TamTam, do you have any suggestions for liquids? I Havent really moved past water and tea - I tried some bullion but could not get it down, and the only thing I can actually think of to drink are Protein Drinks. Which does not give me much variety. optifast liquids (which was my plan for this phase) just seem too heavy?

[TamTam 0]

Hi veal!

Yes, hubby is a big help, but not so much while he's at work! I managed to get bub in for an extra day at daycare on Friday this week (she usually just goes on Thursday) so that will be a big help too.

Take it easy - the first few days I found really rough too, with regard to getting the Fluid in. But I'm now only six days post-surgery, and am up to about a cup now, but still sipping, not gulping it all down!

Did your dietician give you a plan for what to eat (or drink!)? Mine has suggested:

Optifast shakes - 3 sachets (but made up in small batches; apparently it goes foul if you leave it sit for long)

OR

3 serves of Sustagen hospital formula made up on low fat milk (600ml daily)

PLUS

Supradyn soluble Multivitamin (let it go flat)

100 drinking yoghurt (yakult)

120ml fruit juice

250ml vege juice

500ml Soup

Water

There's no way you'll get through it all in the first week or so, but it gives you something to aim for!

I made up a big batch of vege Soup yesterday - just threw in all the veges I had and boiled them up in stock, then wizzed it up with enough extra stock to make it drinkable. I also made a banana smoothie this morning, with a banana, a bit of milk, some honey and nutmeg, and I also threw in my fibresure and some vanilla sustagen. I bought the vanilla to get a change from the chocolate flavour, but it was foul!!! So I thought hiding it in the smoothie would be a good way to hide it!

I wish I even felt like a cup of tea! I haven't had one since surgery - really just don't feel like it. Might try one today. I am starting to feel a bit hungry today, but there's no way I'm going to risk having to go back to surgery!

What is bullion???

[PharmaGirl 0]

Hi Veal and Hi Tam-Tam!

Congratulations to you Veal and to you too Tam-Tam.

Great to hear everything went ok with your surgery Veal. I totally get you with not telling people. I don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" thing to do - we do what we believe will be best for us. Like you, I definitely don't want visitors at the hospital - I want to be left alone when I'm not feeling my best.

I have only been to the clinic in The Avenue once (3pm on Wednesday 4 March) but hopefully our paths will cross at some time. I'm seeing Stephen Blamey at the clinic (whom I know professionally through all the work he does for Medicare and Victorian hospitals) - I think he is awesome.

As to not feeling hungry or thirsty after the surgery and finding it difficult to get sufficient fluids in - maybe freezing some weak low-joule cordial into something a bit harder than a slushee (or something like that) and sucking on that might work - the coldness might also help alleviate pain and inflammation around the band (if there is any - I don't know). Did they advise any metamucil to make sure you get enough fibre and not get constipated?

Tam-Tam is right - half a kilo is not something to worry about - probably just a bit of Fluid from inflamation around the tummy after the surgery (especially if you're premenstrual).

Anyway, Veal, please keep posting and letting me know how you're doing. I'll do the same.

Tam-Tam - thanks for posting. Are you feeling hungry yet? I gotta say - you are amazing - walking 2-3 km less than a week after surgery. I'd feel crap after walking 2 or 3 kms and that is with no surgery! Did you walk that far regularly before surgery? If you didn't, I can totally understand being in a mindset that is keen to everything possible to embrace the new lifestyle but please look after yourself - don't go too fast and don't overdo it lest you make things more difficult in the long run. Again, however, you gotta do what feels right for you.

Veal's suggestion of getting the other half to help out with the toddler (and the other two too) sounds like a good plan to me!

Yes, have decided to start the Optislim phase early but only to substitute 2 meals per day (the two I have at home with my partner) until the last two weeks. This will be my demonstration of support even though she may be ok even if I eat around her. Like Veal, my difficulties are going to be times when no-one else is around or there's not a lot to distract me.

Finally, thanks to Ann for posting again. I got such a clear mental picture when you said "I would slice off little by little, thinking no one would notice, that I was just "straightening" the cake, until finally half the cake was gone!" had me laughing so hard I nearly wet myself. I soooo know what you mean. Good luck with getting things together for the insurance company. Keep in touch and let us know how things are progressing.

[TamTam 0]

Ha! I so get you regarding the "slivers" of cake - have you been spying on me???

Good on you PharmaGirl for choosing to support your partner like that. Bet she won't be supporting you though when she's "through the other side" and due to start solids while you're still "sucking it up"! LOL

I was starting to feel a bit peckish today, but I had a bit of my Soup at lunchtime and that has killed it. I was reading though that some hunger is normal when you are getting closer to being ready for the puree stage.

Yes, the walk was a regular(ish) thing for me, but I was quite happy to drive today!