Hi All, I wanted to start a new chat thread for bandsters all over Australia. Firstly the Melbourne chat thread now has so many replies that we are getting a lot of horrible spam, and secondly we want bandsters from all over the country to feel they can join in and chat on this thread.

Could we post on this new thread now?

Susannah

Gday, Thanks Insub. How are you travelling with this whole banding caper?

Susannah

Hi everyone, I only just found this website tonight and am sooo happy that I did. I am booked in for the Lapband Procedure in Rockhampton Qld for the September school holidays. I'm so glad to have found a place where I can ask questions that I probably won't of even thought about asking the Dr. I will have to be travelling about 3 hrs for my appointments due to the remoteness of where I live so I'm sure to be online to check on what's "normal" and what's not.

I do have 2 Questions already that were concerning me slightly at this early stage.

1. Alcohol - What is the go in relation to maybe a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times a week (apart from the obvious calorie side)

2. Soft drink eg Zero Coke. Does this mean absolutely NO softdrink type drinks even in the future.

Thanks guys.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers

Kylie (dakotababe13)

Hi All, Kylie how exciting for you to be getting banded. There are some Queensland people on this board and other boards who could give you the local spin on things.

To answer your questions, I am not a drinker at all, but I have heard that wine in moderation is fine. Fizzy drinks are a no no from the time you are banded onwards. I have found that I do not miss them at all four months on.

I haven't posted on this thread for a while due to feeling that it had become a real downer. Oh well, life is like that.

Susannah

Just stopping in to say "Hi" and let you all know I haven't faded into nothing (although I am getting darn close... I am down to 49.5-50kg Eeek! Time for an unfill I think)

I do have 2 Questions already that were concerning me slightly at this early stage.

1. Alcohol - What is the go in relation to maybe a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times a week (apart from the obvious calorie side)

2. Soft drink eg Zero Coke. Does this mean absolutely NO softdrink type drinks even in the future.

Hi Kylie! Some people do still drink wine and non carbonated drinks after banding. Yeah, the calories are a bit of a problem if you drink regularly, but I really see no harm in the occasional drink.

No soft drinks forever? Well. Some say yes, some say no. It depends on you really. My doc says no, never.. But if you must make sure it's flat. The idea of flat coke never appealed to me, so I gave coke and anything fizzy the flick a few months before banding. I did have a sip of my DS's fizzy drink one day within the first year of my banding, and boy did I feel bloated! Never again. So I have been close on 3 years without coke of fizzy crap (apart from that sip). And I can honestly say I don't miss it.

Sam.

Thanks Susannah, I'm doing fine. Just have to wait out this pain in the gut a few more days . I'm having real trouble forcing myself to drink the minimum requirement which is hilarious when I think about it.

Chickie, I bet a couple of years ago you could have never imagined you'd be under 50kg. Your before and after has always been inspiring to me.

Dakotababe, I'm sure you won't have a problem giving up the CokeZero. I've been banded for a few days and haven't even felt like a coffee and I'm addicted to the stuff. I know there is a list or something for Rockhampton bandsters. If you can't find it on your own, I'll ask around.

Hey Sam, You have me worried now. Fourty nine kilos seems a little too low. Maybe you do need an unfill, because you don't want to get sick either.

Insub, You just wait until the weight starts falling off. It will be a real incentive to keep going.

Bronnie, hope your well, Mickey and everybody else also.:clap2:

Susannah

I am Ok at 49kg. It's on the low end of a healthy weight for my height (I am only 164cm) I just don't want to lose any more than I have. I haven't run more than 3 days this week, walked on the off days, and I am taking in around 7500 KJ, and my weight is still going down. So, I don't know if an unfill really is the answer, or maybe there is a bigger problem. I am thinking my thyroid. Every test I have ever had done on it came back "borderline", so maybe it just went kaput on me finally? I don't know. I do know that I need to see my GP and banding surgeon.

I found out when I'm getting banded! (Finally. XD) It's July 12th, meaning I had a grand total of five days notice before the four weeks of optifast.

It's funny too, I competely forgot about the letter because I thought it was just a routine 'you have this appointment with this doctor' and didn't open it till half an hour ago.

Hi Ses, Congrats on getting a date. I think your surgeon should have told you about the pre op Optifast diet as well as put it in a letter. The pre op diet is a very important part of the entire process for those patients who are asked to go on it. It has a two fold purpose in that it helps to kick start weight loss, and it helps to shrink the liver. The surgeon has to move the liver out of the way when performing the surgery, and it helps if it has shrunk a bit and is not so fatty.

You must be excited. Not long now.:clap2:

Susannah

Excited? Nervous, that's what I am at the moment! I keep thinking about my Mum's friend... she had complications and was unconscious and having machines breathing for her for over a week. But then she had a gastric bypass, not a lapband, and was over 300kgs.

He's a good guy. He's one of the ones who forced a changed the speed of the public lapbands, so I'm only getting it at this speed because of him. (I'm a public waiting list person and was told to expect yeaaaars.)

Course... it might get knocked back because it IS public... but the exciting part is that I've reached that end of the waiting list! :girl_hug:

I've been waiting since I was 17. o.o

I'll stop rambling. Very very happy here.

Hi everyone, I only just found this website tonight and am sooo happy that I did. I am booked in for the Lapband Procedure in Rockhampton Qld for the September school holidays. I'm so glad to have found a place where I can ask questions that I probably won't of even thought about asking the Dr. I will have to be travelling about 3 hrs for my appointments due to the remoteness of where I live so I'm sure to be online to check on what's "normal" and what's not.

I do have 2 Questions already that were concerning me slightly at this early stage.

1. Alcohol - What is the go in relation to maybe a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times a week (apart from the obvious calorie side)

2. Soft drink eg Zero Coke. Does this mean absolutely NO softdrink type drinks even in the future.

Thanks guys.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers

Kylie (dakotababe13)

Hi Kylie,

I don't live in Rockhampton but Dr Andrew Russell did my proceedure as I'm sure he's doing your's. I think he's the only Dr in Rockhampton that does this. I was banded on the 21st March 2007. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to talk or if you have any questions at all.

Cheers

Melbourne get together - <p>There is a get together organized for this coming Saturday 16th June from 1.00pm at cranbourne settlement hotel cnr camms road and south gippsland highway. All banded, to be banded, thinking of banding and family/friends are invited. The last one early april had a good turn up about 16 by memory and it would be terrific to get another good turn out. Meals/snacks/drinks are available all day with no pressure to buy from the staff. The location is the cafe at the front of the hotel. Post here if you are able to come for table booking if possible.</p>

Hi Tara, Unfortunately I won't be able to come to this weekend's meetup as I am going away to see my sister and nephews for the weekend. It's a pity because I would have loved to catch up with you and compare notes on all things banding. Oh well, I am sure there will be another time.

Hi Mickey, How are things going up in Queensland? I am sure it must be a bit warmer up there than in melbourne right now.

Ses, So you had to wait 4 years for your op?

Susannah

Hi Susannah,

How ya going girl? Hope things are well for you. It's cold here but only just decided to get that way, thanks to the much needed rain we finally got last week. But it's only got to 2c thankfully. We have a wood heater so it's not too bad unless you have to venture out lol God I hate to think how cold it's gotten down there though.

Cheers and take care,

Lisa

Hey Mickey, I have never been to Queensland, but apparently they are having a banding conference there next year, so maybe I will go. Don't know though because some bandsters you meet are fantastic, and some are the meanest, nastiest jerks, who have had a personality bypass. Sorry but I have to be honest here.

Seventeen kilos in just over two months! Good on ya. You are powering away.:clap2:

Susannah