Sarah.R

Eh I'm 19 but I turn 20 this month =( guess no more teen forum for me lol and I'm from australia

I know exactly what you mean, I'm not banded yet either but I have a great solution for when I do loose this weight. I've been in hospital last year so for me it's a great "cover" story if you will, I was on steroids to help my breathing and anyone that has been in hospital and has had them will know that when you take them you tend to put on weight, I haven't put on heaps maybe 10 kgs or so (22ish lbs I think) and all I'm going to say when they ask is "Well I was on steroids and my doctor said I could come off them and because they make you gain weight I've just started excercising and the weight is actually falling off me pretty quick, and I'm starting to eat heaps of vegetables and salad(I do already)" So you just need to think of agood cover I guess, only my mum knows that I may be having it at the moment as she comes with me to my doc appointments cuz I tend to sit there and go off with the fairies lol but I plan on telling only my father and sisters, when I know for sure that I'm getting it, the night before I go on the liquid diet I plan on going out for "one last good meal" if you will to a restaurant or whatever and telling my sisters and then my dad when he comes over, I know that they won't tell (hopefully) and if they do I'll make it perfectly clear that I will never be able to trust them again. I hope it works out ok for you Edit** I told my mum my "theory" or whatever and she was just like y eah I dont think people are going to believe you lol so I was just like uhh well wtf fine then lol but she said you could always tell people you stopped eating bread cuz technically that's true, I know a friend of my sisters did that and she was pretty big about 150kg - probably 300 or more lbs and she lost alot of weight so say that as well, people have no right to know what happened to you unless you feel like telling them

I'm not banded yet but I was in hospital last year through june to august and having the food there definetly helped me loose weight, when I came home instead of using our normal plates for dinner I made everyone change to the bread & butter plates, that's in aus to so I'd say there about the size of (how to explain it? lol) maybe ok this will sound strange but like 2 80gb ipods (classic model) next to each other and thats the kind of sized plate we use, it's pretty good as we 6/7 nights a week we have salad or vegetables, most of the time I fill up my plate with vegetables or salad and I never have room for meat, you just have to look around, or what you could do and what would be cheaper than replacing an entire crockery set you could get the paper plates for like parties, the small ones, they would definetly work

I'm in australia and america has a extremely higher risk of obesity compaired to australia so to me that doesn't make sense that australia does more bands but when I go to see my surgeon I'll definetly be asking what kind of band he puts in.

Thanks I appreciate you replying to this thread, I did ask a stupid question a while back like if during the mushie stage you could have weetbix like when you add the hot Water lol stupid but another lady said that you can just not to add to much sugar or milk which is good =)

I was reading the sunday mail yesterday and the first page I turned had a advert about a lap band seminar at the Wesley. Did anyone see it? And if so are they thinking of going? I want to go but I dunno, I read that they tell you about the pre op and after the surgery, the cost and what to expect. I already know what the pre op will be like, I know what it will be like after surgery, optifast and mushies for god knows how long lol and as for the cost, I'm one of the lucky ones, I probably won't be paying anything. So yeah question is did you go to a seminar and how did it help you in your choice for the lapband? Thanks

Well I've been told numerous times that I'm a speciality case, I'm big but not the biggest person ever, I'm 115kg and luckily for me it's not just on my stomach it's everywhere so I look balanced and not as big, because of stuff that' will happen in my future, I will msot likely be looking at a lung transplant my doctors want me in top shape so that I have a good survival rate, I have been told by 2 doctors that within 3 months I'll most likely be banded but seeing as though I actually havent got my referral to the surgeon yet I'm guessing possibly around July, The hospital I go to there trying to get lapband approved for the state or whatever and have that specific hospital able to do it, at the royal brisbane hospital the waiting list is about 2-3 years so I know what you mean but the hospital I go to they dont routinely do it, although the doctor I will be having has done hundreds which is great so all I need is to be referred to the surgeon and that'll start the ball rolling I suppose :biggrin2:

Actually I am being banded as a public patient, and my doctor has told me that she is going to write to the board of doctors and ask for my case to be approved, so basically I'll be a specialty case as I need to loose weight for future stuff that will be coming up that will give me a better chance at life

There are alot, you know I've had 5 years to think about what I want for my life, the pros are being healthy, knowing I won't have as much lung trouble, being happy, just overall well being if you know what I mean? I've been in and out of hospital since I was 10, I've always been the chubby one, I have never been a size 12, last October my doctor told me that within 5-10 years I may be looking at a lung transplant which is a huge deal for anyone to deal with especially me being as young as I am, he also said that having that kind of operation would increase my risk of recovery and although he didn't say it you know he really meant survival, it just made me think of everything, I don't want to die because I can't breathe and I'm that big that I won't be put on the transplant list, that scares me more than dying of how big I am and could end up being. The Cons? Band slippage and possible removal of the band, that's it, the pros definitely outweight the cons and I would rather do this for myself knowing that in 5-10 years I won't be lying in bed thinking why didn't I loose weight? It might seem kind of strange to read this but it definitely means alot to me, my medical issues have almost nothing to do with my weight but I know that once the weight is gone I would rather have a 90% of living after surgery rather than not been giving a percentage rate at all.

Lol how embarrassing lol, thanks, usually I'm a great speller but you know how you get blonde moments? That was one of them lol, thanks on the correction

I think we get the raw deal, I know in america they have the optifast stuff as well and I have heard so many times of people that have something starting with Mc or Mu and they say it's good, when I do eventually go on the optifast I think I'm going to be screwed, I mean can you add vanilla ice cream to the vanilla one? lol and the same with the choc? Lol probably not. Or can you try finding sugar/fat free yoghurt and doing that and making it into a kind of smoothie?

Doesnt it annoy you when people don't spell properly? It's MY not MAI. Sorry just hate when people don't spell properly. Overall this hasn't happened to me but I would definetly hate to be in that kind of position, thinking your going to go ahead with the surgery and then getting the knock back would definetly make you feel like crap. Hope every thing goes well for you

Why not just wait until your 18? Until your even 20 your body hasn't matured, that's why a surgeon will not touch you, they would rather know they are covered if they do surgery on someone who is 18 or older, if you have it at any age under 18 there's always the risk for the doctor that you will come back in a year unhappy with the way the surgery turned out, I know that may not happen but I'd just say wait until your 18, I've thought about banding since I was 15 and have only recently started doing something about it (I"m 20 this month) and it's taken me a very long time to think about it and think about the pro's and cons

I havent had the lap band as of yet but this is what I usually eat in a day Breakfast - Yoghurt - honey buzz - low fat (but recently realised it has a lot of sugar) to take my tablets with, that taken with half a glass of orange/apple juice - depending on what is in the fridge lunch - Sandwich with a little bit of butter with ham, cheese and tomato usually but if something else is in the fridge from dinner the previous night I will have that Dinner is usually meat with either a sald or vegetables, depends, usually for meat we have, sausages, steak, chicken snitzel (sp?) and then we always have a salad or vegetables with it - those being, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, carrots, peas, corn, Beans - heaps of stuffand if we have salad it has lettuce, cheese, cucumber, capsicum, carrot, tomatoes, and sometimes canned corn, then if we have that sometimes we also have beetroot, tinned pineapple, asparagus etc - Overall my eating isn't bad it's my laziness lol =(

So I'm sorry let me get this correct, you didnt want the band, you thought it was for your mother, you went along with it anyway and still complained about it and then you followed the before and after diets to a T? This really sounds like a load of crap to me, maybe its just because it sounds extremely far fetched but who in there right mind would go along with this if they didnt want it?

Shortgal I know exactly what you mean when you say certain people shouldnt get it, for you saying 21 its obviously because your in america and thats the age limit for drinking and what not but here its 18. I hate when I hear that people under 18 get it, fair enough they have weight problems but I definetly think they should not have it until there 18, you havent matured properly until your at least 20 so why do it? when I say matured I mean your body hasn't developed to adult yet you know? Im 19 and will most likely be getting the band within 3 months, I've thought about it since I was 15, I would never get it before I was 18, it's annoying to hear that certain people on here had it when they were 15-16-17, i definetly think that's wrong

Ok no offense but that sounds like a load of crap, if you were 19 at the time only you would be able to set up the appointment, they would talk to you and ring you about these circumstances as for the fact that you were forced into it, sometimes people are, they have family and friends saying ( oh you would look so much better if you were thinner) but in your case? I don't really believe you - sorry but if you didnt want the surgery you should say something instead of just going through with it for the sake of your family

I've been reading several testimonials and alot of them say that occasionally they get shoulder tip pain, why do you think this is? Did your surgeon give you a reason as to why this would happen? Thanks

Thanks Ky, I looked him up on a website that has all the banding surgeons in australia but he didn't come up but as my doctor and another doctor has said good things about him I don't think I have any other choice, as for out of pocket expenses I'm supposedly being called a "special case" which basically means I won't be paying much, which I'm thankful for as I don't have that kind of money anyway, the only thing I have to pay for would be the consultation with his nurse/dietician ( I think) at the Wesley. Thanks

Im not scheduled for sugery yet but so far my mother is the only one in my family who knows as she comes to all my appointments with me ( i got to the hospital alot) when i am eventually scheduled for surgery the day before i start the liquid diet i plan on going out to dinner (the last good meal i guess you could call it) with my sisters and telling them, i'll also tell my father but apart from that i wont be telling anyone, not even my closest friends, i know alot of people i know will be very judgemental so thats one of the main reasons i wont be telling them as for what i'll say when they say how did you loose so much weight? Well I'm on steroids for my lungs and i went off them last week but i'll just say "well i finished my steroids (as most people that dont go to the hospital alot dont know they make you put on weight) and i'll say ive just started excercising andw atching what i eat, they have no right to know what i do in my personal life and if i choose to eventually tell them then i will but until that day they dont need to know cr**

Hey katie bug just to let you know when you do excercise in the cold you actually loose more weight, I read it somewhere because it takes longer for you to get going and you burn more fat when you do it in winter as to when you do it in summer and I know what you mean about money, we had a treadmill giving to my family and of course I never used it, we took it to the dump and now I'm wishing we hadn't. I hate going outside to excercise (most of my problem) but I guess that will have to change

Aww I wish I could hug all of you (how weird does that sound? lol) I like many of you have never had a bf - never been kissed, still a virgin in all areas basically. It actually doesnt bother me what so ever but lately it kind of has, my younger sister who is 15 has just got a bf and it just feels weird you know, he comes over and I just think oh my god your only 15 why the heck do you have a bf? Lol I know that sounds stupid but oh well, I personally havent had the band yet as Im still talking about it with my Dr. - still have to recieve a referral from her for the lap band surgeon but once it is done and over and Im on my way to loosing weight I dont think having a bf is going to be in my top priority (sp?) list, theres way more important things than that right?

This will more than likely sound extremely stupid but I was just wondering about some things. 1st question is - When you have the lapband done can you lie on your stomach when you sleep? (like I said stupid question) Im pretty sure you can but does it put any added pressure on the port at all? Second question is - When you go through the mushy stage (this question is for the aussies as well) can you eat weet bixs? Now when I saw Weet Bix I mean when you add hot Water and they go all mushy? Thanks. I know they sound like pretty weird questions but I guess everyone has a weird one when they go through life changing surgery right? Thanks Cherry Also another thing to add how long where any of you on the liquid diet at first? MY dietician has told me that I will most likely be on it for about 6-8 weeks but looking at what other people where on (mostly 2-3weeks) it seems like a pretty long time.

I kind of know when your coming from. I have alot of trouble with my lungs and I'm only 19, the reason I was told/and am looking towards the lapband is because my dietician told me that even if I loose 10 kgs or so the majority of those people that loose it put that and more back on. I dont want to loose 10 kgs and end up putting 30 back on. I have gone to the dietician twice (today the second time) and the only person that knows about this is me, the doctors and my mother. I plan on telling my 2 sisters and father when I am eventually scheduled and know it will be going ahead, I plan on going out to dinner with them and telling them, I definetly wont be telling people that I've have it done, people are very judgemental and I'm pretty sure that certain people I know if I told them would not be kind so that's why I dont plan on telling them. I'll say this today after going to my dietician and talki0ng to her it came across as an easy solution as she said "you can just have it, not do any excercise and loose weight" but I dont want to be like that. I want to loose it, I want to have this done to help enable me to loose weight

I agree with Jacki, Im in aus as well and that last time I had popcorn was probably over a year or 2 ago, although when I go to the movies I dont buy it but i have some of a friends and then have to drink heaps as its so salty