MissK

Wow, so sorry to hear that TT - I thought I was in a similar situation recently when my insurance company excluded my surgery from my policy; I was DEVASTATED! I found out later that by law they must provide a period of time before they can do that, so the exclusion doesn't commence until 1 January 2010. In the mean time I have upgraded to a more expensive policy that DOES cover the surgery at all times, to ensure my long term health care. Your husband is sweet, I hope you find a way.

By the way, OptiFast is the shake my surgeon recommends.

Hi Sammy You and I have a lot of similarities. I am also Australian, I am 27, I have had weight issues my entire life, I suffer from PCOS, I was first taken to see a doctor about my weight at age 6, first taken to a dietician at 8, first taken to a weight loss clinic at 10. My family AREN'T large, which makes it hard, and I have found it hard in the past to discuss my weight with people... although I am getting much braver in the lead up to surgery when people say "why???" when I tell them I am being operated on. Psychologically, it has been a hard road... feeling like an outcast, lacking the confidence to do some things I've really wanted to do in life, lacking the confidence to apply for promotions because I knew my competition was thinner, feeling like I was a disappointment to my size 8 mother and an embarassment to my oh-so-popular brother, believing that no one would ever love me the way I am, and the list goes on... I am being banded on 18th August, so I can't really guide you through the process as I haven't done it... but if you decide to go through with it, we can do this together. I have added you to my MSN contacts in case you want to chat, my ident is kelsha@.

Hello I amin Australia and don't have to have a psych consult, but my dietician's appointment is on 13th June. I am not too stressed about it, lord knows I've seen dieticians many times before. So I guess I'm not much help, but just wanted to say welcome, congratulations and best of luck!

Fantastic! Welcome to the forums, and best wishes on your journey to finding a happier, healthier, hotter you!

How exciting! Best of luck to you! MissK x x

I'm sorry your husband is finding this tough, have you asked him outright why he gets upset when you talk about it? Would he consider doing it to? It would be an amazing process to go through together. Best wishes for your surgery! MissK x x

I am SO with you on that, TT... it's only the name of a shake for goodness sake! I would have been seriously irritated at that. My surgeon has never hidden what shakes he wants me to use (optifast) and, in fact, in a little over a week I am going to start using them earlier than he suggested for my daytime Meal Replacements and still have dinner at night until the pre-op diet commences and THEN replace dinner with the shake as well. It's my personal pre-pre-op diet... lol

It depends on the motivations of your surgeon as well; my surgeon is interested in the long term health benefits, the reversal or avoidance of type 2 diabetes and other associated medical conditions; for his older patients, he assesses them very closely to see whether he honestly believes there will be a substatial long term health benefit and also assesses them on whether he truly believes they are able to put in the hard work required in terms of diet and exercise to make the band really work. So from what I can tell, he doesn't say "no" automatically, but older people are closely scruitinised.

I am an August bander, my surgery will be on 18th August

Hi there I am in Australia and did not have a LOT of hoops to jump through. The surgeon does have a minimum BMI that he likes people to be over, I am not over that BMI but I have a life long medical history of battling my weight and it was clear that my BMI was only going in the wrong direction. I don't have to see a psychologist, but I do have to have a pre and post op session with a dietician. He basically assessed my motives for having the surgery at his consult and made a decision based on our discussions. My surgeon also charges $4000 above the scheduled fee, this is mandatory and is used as a 'piggy bank' to cover all of your post-op care to ensure there are no excuses as to why you can't attend regular check-ups with him.

The first steps are always the hardest... the fear of the surgery, the decisions on who to tell and the worry about how they will react, the panic over how you will cope with the pre-op diet right through to what life will be like when you just can't stomach various foods again. We all go through these anxieties and concerns, but from what I've seen from these forums most people have come out smiling on the other side. Be brave, we are here to support you!

Being at odds with your friend makes it even harder; I know how important friends are to me. Is it something that you know you guys will get over eventually? If so, why don't you ring her and say "I dont want to argue with you, I dont want to focus on that, you mean the world to me and I really need you". If my friend did that, no matter what we were arguing about, I'd go to her.

It was only mentioned to me because I asked; he said that females naturally carry a little padding around the area that the port sits, hence why it doesn't stick out

Hi Kit, From one Aussie to another, welcome! You are a little ahead of me, my surgery is scheduled for 18th August with my pre-op diet commencing on 4th. I too am worried about how I will cope with the pre-op diet, but it will just take determination and some serious distraction! I am not too concerned about the port, my surgeon told me that it really wouldn't be visible but I would be able to feel it if I was actually trying to find it. I cant see that I will be running around half-naked for quite some time either way! Anyway, congratulations on taking this brave step and best wishes for your surgery. We're here to support you!

... and that's what it's all about, smitten, doing what is best for YOU. If your doctor can't give you valid reasons why he wants things done his way, kick him to the curb. If you're not in a city and you need to travel to see an alternate doctor, do it. You deserve to know you're getting the best advice. Above all else, trust your instinct, you know your body better than anyone else.

Wow Catherine, what a fantastic post! I have not been banded yet, but have a plan in my head to get me TO the surgery date which is: 15 June - Switch from coke to diet coke & get back into exercising 15 July - Stop drinking diet coke completely, if I haven't already 1 August - Have "last supper" pre-op dinner/night out with friends 4 August - Commence pre-op protein shake diet 20 August - Surgury! Your post has given me inspiration for a post-op plan, thank you so much!

Hi Lindsay, great to find another younger person on here! So know where you are coming from. Lovely to meet you! Thanks smitten, it seems there are a lovely bunch of supportive, positive people here. It's fantastic!

Hi Kate What a wonderfully warm post; welcome to the forums! It's an exciting journey to be on and like you, I look forward to moving forward with my journey and sharing it with the wonderful people here. Take care! MissK

Agreed! I also haven't been banded yet, my surgery date is 20th August.... waiting, waiting, waiting!

Welcome to the forums, lmnlineman :party:

I cant see why you wouldn't be an idea candidate for lap band, you are only a few pounds heavier than me. I'd try getting a second opinion!

Hi Jeanette Welcome! Have you made an appointment to see a surgeon yet? The thing that really appeals to me about banding is that it is easily reversible. I am being banded on 20 August and can't wait! Lovely to meet you also! MissK

Hi Steph Welcome! I am new too, 27 from Australia and also have a beautiful Maltese-mix called Jack. He's very much my baby and we're also inseperable, so I know where you're coming from! Enjoy the forums

Hi there I am new to this as well, 27 with a BMI of 39.8 - not too far behind you! I only went to one seminar as there is only one doctor where I live that does banding; it was a great session, he went through the statistics of the obesity epidemic, statistics of weight loss methods, the pros and cons of the surgery, through the risks, how the surgery works, was very pointed about the amount of hard work and dedication it will take on our part, and through the costs associated. He gave some useful papers to take home and read as well. It's well worth the time to go, and don't feel nervous, everyone is there for the same reason and you won't be the biggest person in the room. Be brave! MissK x x