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My surgeon does all the procedures but didn't suggest any of them for me , probably due to a low BMI. He did say that another option for me would be gastric ballooning but as it only stays in for approx 6 months we both agreed it would not be a good idea as i would probably just regain everything i had lost as I have done with all my previous diets.

I am not banded yet and have found reading this thread very interesting. I agree that choosing a surgeon carefully is very very important. I believe that my surgeon has excellent experience and credentials. A few people have commented that he maybe lacks a bit of bedside manner but that is often the case with top surgeons. So far I have found him to be nothing but pleasant but if I had a choice between expertise or bedside manner I know which I would opt for. Yes there are problems with everykind of surgery.My father had a hip replacement and nearly died from that and that is a fairly standard, long practiced, well accepted surgery. Personally to me one of the advantages is the adjustability and the reversibility of the lapband. I also like the fact that it does have a long track record. If I were to opt for the sleeve then I would wait a few more years until they have more data. There are always different opinions on the best way to treat something. e.g with a malignant breast lump some surgeons will decide the lumpectomy is fine whilst others will prefer the radical mastectomy. I also do not have a problem with having a "foreign body". There are lots of different ones that are in common medical use. Sometimes they give problems sometimes they don't. It all depends on the individual and the surgeon. Just a few:- breast implants, shunts, artificial heart valves, hip replacements, metal for holding bones together etc etc. Even something as common and everday as the IUD can cause problems. I have a friend who's IUD ended up embedded in the bowel! I feel sorry for those that have had a bad experience with the lapband and am glad that at this point the sleeve is working for them. However the reverse could have happened and I still don't think that there is sufficient info on the sleeve to make that a first choice.When looking for a surgeon don't look for one that does surgery including lapbands . Look for a surgeon that performs weight loss surgeries and is an expert in the field. One that can give a balanced view of all the available options is the best way to go.

I think things are slightly different over here. Yes I have to do the 2 week Optifast thing but insurance doesn't require any other kind of preop diet like some of you have mentioned. How does your insurance work? Does it pay the full cost or only part of it? In Aus the full cost of the op is approx Aus $13 000. With insurance it costs approx $3500. It is possible to go through Medicare but there is a really long waiting list and my BMI is not high enough to qualify. I am off to see the physician this afternoon to get the results of my chest X-ray and lung function test and to find out if there is anything else i need to do prior to surgery.Keep your fingers crossed for me that that will be it.

Jubilant Junes

My doctor requires all patients to do Optifast (or similar) for 2 weeks regardless. I think its because you can still have a fatty liver even with a low BMI and he wants to make sure that their are no hitches with the surgery. My surgery is on 2 june so I start the preop diet on May 18.

I'm in Aus where things seem to be a little different. This is the list I have been given 500ml dairy or soy per day. e.g low fat milk, runny custard, plain or flavoured yogurts(no bits), drinking yogurt, soy drink, Breakfast Cereal drinks. 500ml fruit per day = home made or no added sugar juices. 500ml veg per day e.g home made or commercial soups blended to a runny consistency Avoid jelly, ice cream, cordial, energy drinks etc as they are high energy and have low nutritional value. This seems quite different to the foods that you are looking at. Seems strange that there are such huge differences between continents. I think the aim here is to get people onto proper nutritous food as quickly as possible and to avoid the so called empty calories as they are part of what has contributed to the problem. Good luck with your op. Mine is scheduled 2 June. I haven't started shopping yet. I figure I should be well enough to be out and about fairly quickly so will only get enough food in for the first couple of days. I have to start my preop diet in 2 weeks so have started shopping for that. I'm allowed to use a Meal Replacement program 3 times per day and have 2 serves of veg.Not looking forward to that part of the process.

Me too - I got a proxy error.

Here in Aus the word "root" has all sorts of rude connotations which means that I have to be careful what I say. I cannot use the expression "I'm rooting for you" and you cannot root for your team as the locals would get completely the wrong idea!

Just thought of another one. MY BAD!!!!!!

Spell check doesn't help. It doesn't check grammar and it normally gives the US spelling of the word, which is fine if you are from the US but if you're from the UK it means that words that are spelt correctly it says are wrong! e.g. US = program, UK = programme

Having lived in 3 different countries -UK, South Africa, Australia you discover there are many ways of pronouncing things.There are also words that have different meanings in different places, one of the best examples of which is the word fanny! Whilst sometimes these might drive you mad you have to accept that things like this help make the world a more interesting place. But its when people get things blatantly wrong that it is really annoying. e.g how many people are there out there that do not know the correct way to use the words borrow and lend? Can you borrow me a book! Grrr. No I can't but I might be able to lend you one.

I had the same thing when I had my Caesareans.It took a while for the normal sensation to come back.

Hi, there is a group for June 2009 banders. You will find it in Lap Band support groups, then monthly support groups. I'm Lynn, being done on 2 June in Melbourne, Australia. I'm excited and nervous. At the moment though everything is fairly normal as i don't have to start the preop diet until May 19th. If anything I am probably eating more than usual as I know that soon i won't be able to. More than happy to chat but remember my replies will be delayed as i'm in a completely different timezone! Good luck

This is listed as a possible problem in the info book that my surgeon has given me. i don't think that it is due to them doing anything wrong - no surgery is risk free. It says that if it happens they need to remove the band, repair the defect and place a new band in a higher position.

Don't know whats going on , keep trying to post and it comes back with a database error.Lets hope this time it works. Well June is getting closer for all of us which is both exciting and scary.I think I am getting through my tests. So far have seen:- Surgeon Dietician Physician - who has referred me for a chest x-ray and lung function test. Am keeping my fingers crossed that i won't have to do a sleep study. I am also wondering what to do about telling people. I want to keep this as private as possible and so far have only told my DH. Not sure what to say to my DS14 or DD 20 who is away at uni. I'm not sure they could keep it to themselves and also my DD would probably tell me I don't need it! At the end of the year i am going overseas to visit my parents/sister for 6 weeks. Will have to decide closer to the time if i should tell them or not. Have to start Optifast in 2 weeks. Not looking forward to it as the range seems to be incredibly limited.I am hoping that my surgeon will say its OK to use a different product. the Tony fergusson range seems to be much wider and have more interesting flavours. What is everyone else using? Finally i want to add a ticker but am not sure how to do it. Can any of you help me. Good luck to us all. Lynn(Melbourne - Aus)

I totally agree. I also hate it when people say Pacifically (s/b specifically). As far as I'm aware the Pacific is an ocean.

Who is Casey Anthony?

Its great to read messages from others with low BMIs. Mine is 31 - 32 , but I have high BP and high cholesterol.I weigh 74 kg which when you are 5 foot nothing tall is a lot and all the excess weight is around my stomach, the unhealthiest place for it to be. I am tired of looking pregnant when I'm not and would like to get this under control before I get to the stage where it would be considered "normal" to do this. I have followed every diet going in the past. Some have been successful for a while but I have always regained. I have even tried non diet methods such as hypnosis which was a total waste of time. the older I get (46) the harder I find it to lose weight.I have a new GP as I moved about 10 months ago. I asked him to refer me for a lapband and he REFUSED, he said I wasn't overweight enough and that the risks outweighed the benefits. Unfortunately(or is it fortunately) I hate been told I can't do something so I made an appointment to see the specialist myself. The admin staff were quite surprised that I didn't have a referral and completely shocked when I told them my GP refused. My specialist assessed me and due to the comorbidities agreed that the surgery was an option and that my risks are relatively low. I now have a date of 2 June and am extremely nervous. The only person that knows about this is my husband - I don't want to have to explain to everyone and would rather keep it private. Some of the preop testing scares me more than the op. I am wondering how I am going to cope with a sleep test when I have a major problem of getting up all the time at night to go to the loo! That could be really interesting - I'm likely to either not sleep at all because of worry or forget I'm attached to electrodes and fall over and injure myself. Would love to hear from others there experiences of the tests etc. Also I want to put a ticker on but being slightly chat group challenged have no idea where to add it. Can anyone help me ? PLEASE:smile2:

Thanks for all the responses. I think it is going to be very helpful to have this "tool" for support. As I don't actually know anyone who has been banded i have no-one to talk to about my concerns. being able to talk to people who have already been through it is going to be very helpful. Can anyone tell me where/how to add the weightloss ticker. I can manage to create one but don't know how to add it!

One of the things was an article in our local paper by Dr Kerryn Phelps who is some top Doc in some high position here in Oz. It wasn't so much that it was saying its bad just more that its not a solution etc etc

I'm also June 2nd, in Melbourne, Australia. I'm excited and terrified.

Hi I'm booked to have surgery with Dr Nottle on 2 June. Since having booked I'm both terrified and excited. All I seem to have seen since I saw dr Nottle is negative reports about lapbanding. I believe i'm doing the right thing but do worry still anyway. oh and i'm a total amateur at this forum stuff