mistysj

All I can say is mine did!! :-D

Hi Bec! It's nice to see another south side girl. Almost everyone seems to be from the north side!
I just got my referral today! To Dr. Reza Adib who operates at Greenslopes but has rooms at the Wesley. This is perfect for me as I work in the CBD and take public transit. It is hard to get to Greenslopes on public transit! Believe me, I know. I had uterine cancer in 2011 and my specialist gynecologist/oncologist was there. I had to go back for 2 years for 3-month check-ups (I have a clean bill of health!) and every single time, it was a production to get there and then to get to work afterward. But anyway, has anyone heard of Dr. Adib? I see him (is it a man??) next Wednesday morning.
Did anyone here make proactive changes to their life before their surgery, even before they were asked to by their doctor? I have stopped drinking soft drink (my vice was coke zero), cut back from 5-6 cups of coffee a day (black) to only one in the morning, and started drinking a ton of Water. I figure I might as well get in the habit now, and I have lost 2 kg in the past 2 weeks.

I get the endearment... I do. It just bugs me for some reason. I couldn't think of the equivalent to Hubby, but Wifey must be it. I don't like it either. I'd never call my wife that.
What's with all the chicks in the man room? LOL

I had my surgery 2 weeks after the referral

Hi All,
Welcome to the newbies!!!
Misty, I was sleeved a month after i had the appointment with my surgeon. Tho I had already had a few tests to see I was suitable for the band and had changed my mind. So he was happy I had the prep I needed. My surgeon usually requires 2 appointments before he schedules the surgery, but was happy I was as well educated as I could be ( I had seen his partner for the band) and ready for it, so was like how about 1 month...it can go quick once things are in motion

Hi Misty, I had an appt with surgeon within a week of getting a referral and had surgery approx 6 weeks later, as had to see dietician and psychologist and have blood tests first.

I just got back from my GP. It turns out that my diabetes numbers are still great on the average even though I have seen poorer control after meals. He says I am a good candidate because I completed the Optifast program and kept some weight off, though not enough to help my health. He usually recommends the band so he will do research on local doctors who do the sleeve surgery and write me a recommendation after that.
I also got signed up for the NDSS finally so I will get my test strips at a fraction of the cost. Why didn't I do that sooner? Laziness!

Hey Misty - I would look that therapist in the eye and say 'I am more than just a stomach!! :-)
I think you will be honouring your mind and body when you reach your healthy weight range and know you can stay there!
I look at this way, my husband is a type one diabetic and he would have 75% of any organ removed ( well maybe not ANY!) if it was going to cure him and ultimately save his life! I don't see any difference because having the sleeve will help extend my life (I know there are no guarantees) or at the least, give me a vastly better quality of life going forward. Just being able to buy trendy clothes has added to my quality of life!

Hi all! I have been reading this thread for days and I am only to January! I feel like you are old friends. It has been a while since I saw a post from Scotty, Mimz, or Cookieeez, and it makes me worry! Lila, I followed your whole adventure and I am so happy you came through, though I find myself hoping that the medical bills are not too crippling.
I hope I don't sound like a stalker!
I have struggled with my weight for my whole life, from my parents putting me on a diet as early as 6 or 7. I'm only 159cm and have pretty small bones. I went to uni a bit chunky at about 58 kg, but finished out my first year closer to 70 kg. in uni, I tried watching what I ate, Slim Fast, Atkins, fasting, Herbalife (so many pills). I will admit I didn't have the energy to put enough effort into anything and ended up leaving uni around 100kg in 2000. In 2002 I did Weight Watchers and lost around 35 kg over about 9 months. I looked pretty good for my wedding which happened when I was about 20 kg into that loss. Over the course of a couple years I first stalled, then put all the weight back on. I tried all the usual suspects and always lost something but put it back on and more. In Sep 2011 I started Optifast 800 ( not the drug store shakes) at the Wesley weight management clinic and did the whole 12 month program. It ended in Nov 2012 because some work travel delayed it. I did great at first but in the end only lost around 15 kg to put my lowest weight at around 85 kg. Since November I have gained and am now back up to around 98.
I used to be really judgmental about weight loss surgery. I have a friend getting sleeved on April 29 in the US and I even tried to talk her out of it at first. Instead I became convinced that the sleeve is for me. Since then I have read 5 different books about it and have read every study and article I could find online. I also found this forum. I am American but living in Australia for the last 4 years, so this thread has been very helpful for me to understand about costs and what is covered by Medicare and PHI.
I see my GP tomorrow and plan on asking for a referral for the sleeve. My husband is cautious but supportive. He doesn't really understand the struggles that obese people have with weight, as he is probably a BMI of 27 or 28 and his weight never changes.
Sorry for the novel! Now to read the rest of this thread from February to the present!
By the way I am in Brisbane, work in the CBD, and would love to be included in the get-togethers!

Hi! i am still in the research phase and have not yet contacted a surgeon, but I have decided I want to have the VSG procedure. I am a researcher by nature and I have already read 5 books about the subject, as well as several studies, articles, etc. I know that before I can succeed at the surgery I need a great support network. My husband is skeptical but supportive of the surgery, and my doctor is very supportive of the idea. My current BMI is 44 and I have type 2 diabetes. The things that brought me to this decision are: 1. I know the risks of my current weight outweigh the risks of the surgery 2. I have done every diet known to man and have lost weight, but failed to keep it off. The latest was a year of Optifast under medical supervision. I only lost 20 kg even though I worked that program pretty hard. I see the surgery as a tool to make a low calorie diet feasible. 3. I am only 35 and have been morbidly obese for most of the last 15 years. I want the next 15 (and more) to be different. 4. The sleeve seems like the best bariatric surgery option. No foreign devices, no malabsorption, no re routing of intestines. Just a drastic reduction in stomach capacity and physical hunger due to grehlin. I think I will find lots to read here!

I usually think of it this way: Yes I can lose weight on a diet. The problem is that when I return to eating a regular diet the weight comes back. Its a vicious cycle that we've all been thru more than once. I chose the sleeve because I'm too tired and too old to keep fighting this battle. The sleeve will allow me to win the battle once and for all and I can begin to live my life without the weight issue always hanging over my head.
Or if all else fails just say you are getting it because you want it - case closed:)

big NSV - me posting these pictures
as DH posted pic - he looked at me and said "I don't remember you looking like that."
Either do i!!!! strange!!!
the times they are a changing
i feel like the happiest person in the world
I'm enjoying life to the fullest
what a great "thing" i did for myself, having WLS
DOS
12/15/11
235 lbs
5'3
3/30/13
130 lbs
GOAL
59 years young
still 5'3