Attention ! Australian Sleevers

[mistysj 1,939]

Anybody heard from Lissa or Dean or Scotty lately?

[sueoco 509]

Hey' date=' I'm a newby. In Victoria, 34. Week 1 of Optifast intense phase. Surgery on 24th May.

Diet: some days are harder than others but I've faught: I've sat in a bakery, gone to subway and cooked for my son, quite proud of myself but every day is a challenge not to break it. Mainly cause I'm hungry and also cause of BAD wind pain and severe rumbling in my stomach is like my stomach is trying to eat itself. Can only wish.

Surgery I think my only question for others who have had it is: are u severely nauseous in hospital, if so how long do u think it lasted? Also did anyone have wind pain after from the gas in stomach? If I don't get hungry really after op I think I can do this well. Fingers crossed. Oh and I've lost 2.5 kilos in 5 days on Optifast.< /p>

Kim (vic-aus)[/quote']

Hi Kim and welcome

I think everyone's surgery experience is different but I can tell you about mine. My actual surgery went really well but I went over board on the morphine pump and didn't react very well - basically I was drugged up to the eyeballs and it made me feel really really sick and sent my bladder into thinking I wanted to go to the loo every 10 minutes!

One the took the morphine pump off me I started to recover! So moral of the story - go easy on the morphine pump if you have one!

I did have gas pain but walking (or as someone put it, the 'intravenous shuffle') gave relief. I vomited once in hospital which was pretty scary but I was ok. I found I felt like burping all the time too because even when you talk you take air into your stomach - because it is very swollen after surgery there is just no room!

I remember the hunger when I was on the pre-op diet - it was torturous. It is all ended when you have the surgery - you will not feel hungry again for a long time - or not the kind of hunger you experienced pre surgery. I had my op on July 18 2012 and I do experience hunger but it is not the same and not as intense as it used to be. It is also very easily satisfied with very little food.

The sleeve will change your life. I have lost 42 kg and I am currently sitting at a weight of 61-62 kg at below the goal my surgeon and I personally set. I feel great and can move and walk and bend in ways I haven't been able to in years. I still have a bit of joint pain (i am 51) but it is much reduced and I am not hobbling when I walk down hill! I can buy trendy clothes and smaller shoes (went down a size) - with heals!!

Life is good and you have this all ahead of you so continue being strong in your pre-op as there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Great weight loss so far!

[sueoco 509]

Very sad news today. A good friend Shane passed away in a car accident on the Gold Coast last night. He was only 38 and had a 4 year old daughter. Single vehicle accident near Smith St motorway northbound in peak hour. It appears he went off the road into a tree' date=' but we don't know why as yet. He may have had a heart attack. It sure makes my husband and I think about how precious life is and you have to make the most of every day as you never know if it will be your last. Give your loved ones an extra hug tomorrow anyway.[/quote']

Hi Kelli

So sorry you hear this. We have a friend who lost his wife very suddenly 2 years ago.She was only 50 and left behind a beautiful 12 year old son. It is very sad and you are so right about making the most of life and appreciating all the things you have in life and not dwelling on the things you haven't got. He sounds like a wonderful man, husband, father and friend. All the best to his family and to yours as it sounds like he will be missed a lot.

[mistysj 1,939]

Kelliv I am on my way to mass and will say a prayer for your friend.

Sue, your story is inspirational. I will try to remember about the morphine. I do love that numb feeling after surgery though. LOL

[kelliv 659]

Hi Kelli

So sorry you hear this. We have a friend who lost his wife very suddenly 2 years ago.She was only 50 and left behind a beautiful 12 year old son. It is very sad and you are so right about making the most of life and appreciating all the things you have in life and not dwelling on the things you haven't got. He sounds like a wonderful man' date=' husband, father and friend. All the best to his family and to yours as it sounds like he will be missed a lot.[/quote']

Thanks Sue

[kelliv 659]

Kelliv I am on my way to mass and will say a prayer for your friend.

Sue' date=' your story is inspirational. I will try to remember about the morphine. I do love that numb feeling after surgery though. LOL[/quote']

Thanks Misty, lovely thought.

[lessismore67 158]

Hi Kim and welcome

I think everyone's surgery experience is different but I can tell you about mine. My actual surgery went really well but I went over board on the morphine pump and didn't react very well - basically I was drugged up to the eyeballs and it made me feel really really sick and sent my bladder into thinking I wanted to go to the loo every 10 minutes!

One the took the morphine pump off me I started to recover! So moral of the story - go easy on the morphine pump if you have one!

I did have gas pain but walking (or as someone put it' date=' the 'intravenous shuffle') gave relief. I vomited once in hospital which was pretty scary but I was ok. I found I felt like burping all the time too because even when you talk you take air into your stomach - because it is very swollen after surgery there is just no room!

I remember the hunger when I was on the pre-op diet - it was torturous. It is all ended when you have the surgery - you will not feel hungry again for a long time - or not the kind of hunger you experienced pre surgery. I had my op on July 18 2012 and I do experience hunger but it is not the same and not as intense as it used to be. It is also very easily satisfied with very little food.

The sleeve will change your life. I have lost 42 kg and I am currently sitting at a weight of 61-62 kg at below the goal my surgeon and I personally set. I feel great and can move and walk and bend in ways I haven't been able to in years. I still have a bit of joint pain (i am 51) but it is much reduced and I am not hobbling when I walk down hill! I can buy trendy clothes and smaller shoes (went down a size) - with heals!!

Life is good and you have this all ahead of you so continue being strong in your pre-op as there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Great weight loss so far![/quote']

Thank you sueoco for sharing your experience.So informative and interesting.I am 46 and clinging to the hope that I will have less arthritic pain and more mobility post sleeve.I know that I will always have arthritis but I really want to be able to walk freely again and limit the drugs I have to take.Too many side effects!

[lessismore67 158]

Hey' date=' I'm a newby. In Victoria, 34. Week 1 of Optifast intense phase. Surgery on 24th May.

Diet: some days are harder than others but I've faught: I've sat in a bakery, gone to subway and cooked for my son, quite proud of myself but every day is a challenge not to break it. Mainly cause I'm hungry and also cause of BAD wind pain and severe rumbling in my stomach is like my stomach is trying to eat itself. Can only wish.

Surgery I think my only question for others who have had it is: are u severely nauseous in hospital, if so how long do u think it lasted? Also did anyone have wind pain after from the gas in stomach? If I don't get hungry really after op I think I can do this well. Fingers crossed. Oh and I've lost 2.5 kilos in 5 days on Optifast.< /p>

Kim (vic-aus)[/quote']

Hello Kim! I am pre-sleeve and dreading the optifast preop phase as I have a family to cook for.You are doing *so* well.Hang in there:)

[lessismore67 158]

Here is a picture of my 5 incisions one day after surgery for anyone interested

Fantastic photo Jimbo.Thanks.It is really helpful to see your incisions and get my head around the reality of what is going to happen. Hard to imagine that there won't be heaps of pain but I have heard the ward walking/shuffle is really important.I actually like the idea of the morphine high though sueoco.It will be the first decent rest since my bubbies.Lol!

[lessismore67 158]

Hi slowly but certain the scale is starting to move in the right direction again. Losing heaps of inches though because I had to throw out bags if clothes that is now to big. What a great feeling!!! How are you going?

Hurray!Good to hear that the scales and the clothes sizes are on their way down for you:) I have had the barium swallow which was icky and involved a hospital gown that showed my undies :/ It is the first real step towards the sleeve which is in early July. I am finding it very hard to comprehend the tiny portions I will need to eat but I am staying positive.I have struggled with my huge appetite, no matter how much weight I have lost, all my life.

[Sydney Susan 333]

Hi Susan from Sydney here. Sleeved last Monday 29th April, and doing ok so far. I'm on the north side of Sydney (mid north shore, sort of) and went to the OClinic at Crows Nest. I'd love to meet up with others - especially veterans but I'm happy to share my experiences with the pre-op'ers too.

Like others here I've found it hard to navigate the Aus forum, though it looks good. They need an app for those of us who use the phone for this sort if thing.

BTW v happy so far with OClinic/Dr Craig Taylor. I feel I received excellent surgical and post-op care (Mater Hosp) that focused on me leaving the hospital in v good shape. Four nights in and home on a Friday, so hubby could care for me on the weekend. Felt perfect. I'm in awe of those who came out of hospital after only a couple of nights - made of tougher stuff than me!

Re Optifast, I've been on it sooo many times in my attempts to lose weight. I hate that it is all sweet stuff plus a very "lame" Soup. What is wrong with some savoury options? A tip: follow Optifast instructions to the letter and you'll feel less hungry. I have kept putting milk in my tea and coffee at times, figuring it can't do much harm on such a low cal diet. Pre-op I ditched the milk and found I went into ketosis v quickly and hunger pains were kept at bay. And I think it really does make a difference to the size of your liver. I don't lose heaps of weight on it, but I am always slow at weight loss. Good luck to all!

I haven't yet made it through all 87 pages of this thread, but I'm sure I will. It looks great.

[Lissa_S 787]

Hello everyone

Been a few weeks off the site due to work committments. Things are still going well. Work is crazy busy and a constant challenge. I have started exercising more frequently which I am really happy about as I finally feel like I am getting my strength back. At the moment, I am exercising three days per week, just walking, but I've just bought heavier free weights to bump up my weights routine that I've been doing for a while. Have 3kg weights instead of the little 1kg weight's I've been using lol. Should be a tad painful to start with

In terms of food, I notice that I am eating a little more which is good in some ways, but terrible in others. It's good that I can now eat about 1/2 cup of food in a sitting. But now I am eating more, I am far more conscious about what it is that I am eating. I've always been pretty careful post-surgery but I would sometimes have things that perhaps aren't fantastic (like sour cream etc in sauces). I am now really aware of that. I am working out that the more that I plan ahead (even if it is just the night before) I obsess less and eat better So I am currently giving that a go I have also got a freezer of frozen meals (shepards pie, beef stew, nacho mince and Pasta bake). These are fantastic! I had stopped cooking because of waste but now I am freezing meals I am cooking up a storm again! I get the baby containers which even though they look really small, for the Pasta it's great! I don't have much pasta in it, mostly mince but there is a little pasta there I have slightly larger portions of the stew and shepards pie but there are so many veggies in it that it can't be too bad for me

The weight loss continues but it's definitely slowed. I am down to about 0.5-1kg per week at the moment. I physically look like I am losing more than that and I am sure if I took my measurements I would have lost more centimetres. Like most people, I find I am so close to some big achievements that I am a bit impatient. The next 10kg will see me at the surgeon's goal and well and truly have busted the 100kg mark.

Well I have rambled enough - hope you're all going well!! Welcome to all the new people on the site - it's good to meet you!

Cheers, Liss

[mistysj 1,939]

Wow, Lissa you are 10 kg from your surgeon's goal! Congrats! Do you have another goal in mind? After all you went through I am so pleased for you!

As for me I am so impatient for the 14th! I had thought I was 8 days away yesterday but it is really 9 days counting tomorrow. I have told very few people but my husband thinks I should tell my boss. He will be discreet so I will probably tell him tomorrow. The choices I have made about who I have told have been a bit random. My husband obviously. My mother. My best friend. Another good friend. My godmother and another lady at church. The office admin at work because she was confiding to me that she is having a hysterectomy and asking my advice. Everyone on an unrelated Internet forum I go to (but they don't know me in real life).

It is weird how I have felt open to tell some people but not others. I feel the most odd about not telling people at work. But I am a manager and I don't want the focus to be on my weight but my work. I figure I will wait until I have lost enough weight that people are really noticing and maybe then I will tell. I guess they would look stupid being negative then. But maybe not, who knows!

[sueoco 509]

Hi Susan from Sydney here. Sleeved last Monday 29th April' date=' and doing ok so far. I'm on the north side of Sydney (mid north shore, sort of) and went to the OClinic at Crows Nest. I'd love to meet up with others - especially veterans but I'm happy to share my experiences with the pre-op'ers too.

Like others here I've found it hard to navigate the Aus forum, though it looks good. They need an app for those of us who use the phone for this sort if thing.

BTW v happy so far with OClinic/Dr Craig Taylor. I feel I received excellent surgical and post-op care (Mater Hosp) that focused on me leaving the hospital in v good shape. Four nights in and home on a Friday, so hubby could care for me on the weekend. Felt perfect. I'm in awe of those who came out of hospital after only a couple of nights - made of tougher stuff than me!

Re Optifast, I've been on it sooo many times in my attempts to lose weight. I hate that it is all sweet stuff plus a very "lame" Soup. What is wrong with some savoury options? A tip: follow Optifast instructions to the letter and you'll feel less hungry. I have kept putting milk in my tea and coffee at times, figuring it can't do much harm on such a low cal diet. Pre-op I ditched the milk and found I went into ketosis v quickly and hunger pains were kept at bay. And I think it really does make a difference to the size of your liver. I don't lose heaps of weight on it, but I am always slow at weight loss. Good luck to all!

I haven't yet made it through all 87 pages of this thread, but I'm sure I will. It looks great.[/quote']

Hi and welcome Susan

I am at Castle Hill and have meaning to organise a coffee get together for the Sydney contingent for some time - Brisbane folks have already done it so this is on my list of things to do at least before the end of the year! I know everyone has their own busy lives so if anyone is keen let me know!

[sueoco 509]

Hello everyone

Been a few weeks off the site due to work committments. Things are still going well. Work is crazy busy and a constant challenge. I have started exercising more frequently which I am really happy about as I finally feel like I am getting my strength back. At the moment' date=' I am exercising three days per week, just walking, but I've just bought heavier free weights to bump up my weights routine that I've been doing for a while. Have 3kg weights instead of the little 1kg weight's I've been using lol. Should be a tad painful to start with <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

In terms of food, I notice that I am eating a little more which is good in some ways, but terrible in others. It's good that I can now eat about 1/2 cup of food in a sitting. But now I am eating more, I am far more conscious about what it is that I am eating. I've always been pretty careful post-surgery but I would sometimes have things that perhaps aren't fantastic (like sour cream etc in sauces). I am now really aware of that. I am working out that the more that I plan ahead (even if it is just the night before) I obsess less and eat better <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> So I am currently giving that a go <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> I have also got a freezer of frozen meals (shepards pie, beef stew, nacho mince and Pasta bake). These are fantastic! I had stopped cooking because of waste but now I am freezing meals I am cooking up a storm again! I get the baby containers which even though they look really small, for the Pasta it's great! I don't have much pasta in it, mostly mince but there is a little pasta there <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> I have slightly larger portions of the stew and shepards pie but there are so many veggies in it that it can't be too bad for me <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

The weight loss continues but it's definitely slowed. I am down to about 0.5-1kg per week at the moment. I physically look like I am losing more than that and I am sure if I took my measurements I would have lost more centimetres. Like most people, I find I am so close to some big achievements that I am a bit impatient. The next 10kg will see me at the surgeon's goal and well and truly have busted the 100kg mark.

Well I have rambled enough - hope you're all going well!! Welcome to all the new people on the site - it's good to meet you!

Cheers, Liss[/quote']

Great to hear from you Liss! 1kg a week is still very good going! Glad to hear that the job is working out. I head back to work this week after a year off - what a shock to the system! You sound so organised with your meals which I will have to do as I don't want to be buying expensive lunches that I can't eat!