I know there are several Perth bandsters out there. The Melbournites and Sydneysiders have their own thread and we should too!! So who in here is from the West?

I have a question??? how long before you can drive? I live about 5 hours from Perth so am trying to decide how I will make the journey to and from.

I was banded on the Wednesday night and drove on Saturday (school uniform shop only open one day). I could not have driven Friday as I was still sleepy from anaesthetic, but it does tend to affect me that way.

From other discussions, check with your car insurer and the DPI as we think there are legal restrictions on driving in the 24hrs following anaesthetic.

I was wondering does it have to, have to, have to be optifast? I went to buy a supply of optifast today and the lady was trying to sell me on a new system called Xndo. It seems to have more flavours, I got what I was told (optiyuk) but I was just wondering.

Optifast is what all the surgeons recommend. I think because the others are not designed to be total replacement VLCD for rapid weightloss. They are mostly designed for overweight people looking to achieve balanced weight loss by replacing some meals. Optifast used to be prescription only and requires medical supervision - for now that is all they are recommending (perhaps they are trying to punish us??)

Hi Min

Wow congratulations on your weight loss so far and more importantly on the regular exercise you are doing and the healthy food choices you are making.

I would definitely be up for meeting you at the High road pub on sunday. I live nearby and tend to get lost if I try to go outside of my comfort zone. :thumbup:

Melanie

hi ya ...

i must so a huge apology as i couldnt get to the high road that day to meet you.... however i thought you might be happy to know im meeting another bandster from perth on the monday 31st march at garden city for a coffee and loads of chat.. wanna join us?

im from the country and will be a up for a few days so hope to catch up and make up for lasttime.

my weight has slowed up a bit now but cannot wait for 2nd fill to help me eat less. cheers:unsure:

No problems Min. I may be working that day but if not I would love to catch up.

Im off to Perth tomorrow morning for my surgery Wednesday. So excited and scared and all the other emotions. Talk soon.

Good luck with the surgery Nat :shades_smile:

Hi another perthy here

I have an appointment today with my GP hoping he will give me a referral to see Dr Kevin Dolan as i dont have Private Health Insurance but if i get a refferal it will be covered by Medicare. So fingers crossed he gives me one because i will be pretty gutted if he dosnt.

Has anyone here been through Dr Dolan before, i work in a plus size clothing store and a customer accually had just had the surgery done my him and gave me his contact details.

So my questions are has anyone on here gone through Dr Dolan

and how long did you have to wait to get the surgery when you are just on Medicare?

Dr Dolan is very highly recommended on the yahoo lap band boards. I was told 18 months when I rang Dolans rooms, but I have heard people go in a bit quicker than that. Just make sure you are in the Joondalup hospital are catchment area otherwise they might not take you in.

I'm not, so I expect to go to Fremantle for mine. God only knows when though.

Dr Dolan is very highly recommended on the yahoo lap band boards. I was told 18 months when I rang Dolans rooms, but I have heard people go in a bit quicker than that. Just make sure you are in the Joondalup hospital are catchment area otherwise they might not take you in.

I'm not, so I expect to go to Fremantle for mine. God only knows when though.

are you a public patient? because as far as i know public patients go to joodulup, when is your appointment with Dr Dolan? if it is b4 mine b sure to let me know how long you have to wait till surgery.

No, I am not seeing Dr Dolan - I am SOR and have been told it is advisable to use a surgeon closer to home (in case of band emergencies like needing urgent fill reduction), plus I have also been told that Joondalup are only accepting patients in their catchment area (wherever that is) and I definitely won't be.

I see my surgeon this morning and hope to get some idea of time frame. Well, I guess he needs to accept me for surgery first!

No, I am not seeing Dr Dolan - I am SOR and have been told it is advisable to use a surgeon closer to home (in case of band emergencies like needing urgent fill reduction), plus I have also been told that Joondalup are only accepting patients in their catchment area (wherever that is) and I definitely won't be.

I see my surgeon this morning and hope to get some idea of time frame. Well, I guess he needs to accept me for surgery first!

good luck! let us know how it goes

Well, its a go, hubby and I are happy with the surgeon and he is happy to do either the lap band or sleeve, whatever I choose (I am however leaning towards the sleeve as a better option in my situation).

I don't have a date yet, I need to see a dietician and physician first (I have weight related medical problems) and then I will get put on the waiting list. Unfortuantely the dietician and physician are very busy and it may be quite a wait until I see them:(

But, I feel more positive and motivated for the first time in a very long time. I know that whatever efforts I put in now (pre-surgery) will be worth it as the weight will not be coming back ever! My aim is to loose 10kg before surgery, but more importantly, I need to increase my fitness so that I go into the surgery as healthy as possible.

I know I can loose weight (albeit slowly as I have PCOS and hypothyroidism) and I also know that I am unable to maintain weight loss without excercising for 3-4 hours daily which is totally impractical. Knowing that I will have surgery that will aid me in maintaining is very uplifting and quite liberating.

hey everyone....im 22 and got banded by dr watson on wednesday. Its been three days now and i feel alot better. I am so glad i got it done by dr watson, as everyone else says, he is excellent, and murdoch hospital was lovely in my experience, the nurse's were great and the room i had was wonderful (i got a private room in the end even though i ticked "shared" on my form cause i knew it would be cheaper - but they only had a private room available and i enjoyed a bit of privacy)

Day 1 i was sleepy and so so sore

Day 2 a bit more awake and less sore

And now its the morning of day 3 and i feel alot less sore especially when sitting down or lying down but walking around i definately feel a pull in my stomach and i have to take it slow. Day one i only had Water, I couldnt get the broth down. Day 2 i had some broth and by dinner an Optifast shake and another one for supper - my body was definately craving *something* and I had no pain drinking the optifast infact i felt alot better after it. This morning i had about two tablespoons jelly. No pain or anything, felt much better after eating a bit.

I'm still a bit confused as to what im supposed to be drinking - i know clear fluids but hell, can i really live on broths only for a few weeks? Do you guys think it is ok to have optifast shakes and small amounts of jelly so soon after the op? When did the rest of you start on the mushed veggies etc?

Thanks everyone. I wish they could have sent me home with a list of do's and don'ts!

Miss P, I'm glad to hear your surgery went well!

Pop over to Lap Band Surgery - Lifestyle Message Boards there is heaps of information there (although Yahoo has just done something a little while ago and and only the first page of posts are showing, but there are over 90!) and yes it is really important that you stick to the diet and time frames as recommended by your Doctor. Your body is healing and it need time, if you push things to fast you do risk increasing your chances of complications down the track.

I have decided that the sleeve is the better choice for me, I have my appointment with the dietician tomorrow, but have no idea when the physicians appointment will be - someone else had to wait two months before they were even called for an appointment!

m2