Dr Watson's clinic has called me back to say I have got my first appointment with him on the 23rd of July and my op will be on the 1st of August!

Yayayayayay! I'm so excited! Scared but excited!

I really want to get on my way, and the timing is absolutely perfect for work and uni - which was my major concern - so I'm ecstatic!

Only (very small) issues would be I have a training course on the 8th of August so by hook or by crook I will need to be well enough to attend it. And secondly I've been booked into Hollywood Hospital, which is a fair bit further from home than Murdoch, but I don't really care.

I'm on my way!!!!

Congrats on your op date. Are you doing the optifast at the moment? It is just that my husband had to do the optifast diet for two weeks before the op.

Sam

Congrats on getting a date!

Thanks Sam and Chickie!

I'm not on Optifast at all atm, though Dr Watson's receptionist did tell me I'll be getting instructions about all the things I'll need to do pre-op, so it may turn out I'll have to.

Is there anything else I might need to do before the op? Blood tests? Xrays?

Hi lellow,

Nothing else. You will get blood tests if they need it on the day of the op and you don't need x-rays, so all you have to do is turn up. John had to do the optifast for two weeks before the op that is to get the fat out off the liver as they have to go behind the liver to the stomach, well that is what the doc told us. John lost over 10kgs that fortnight and of course that would be another reason for the optifast before the surgery.

Sam

Thanks for that info, ozscot. I will have to wait to see if I'm on a pre-op diet when I get my instructions in the mail. I am also worrying about the kind of stuff I'll be eating post op, and whether I should be preparing anything as my DH is useless at cooking. I read somewhere that you are on clear liquids for the first few weeks, but what sort of clear liquids?

Hi lellow,

Yes you are on liquids after the op for the first two weeks. John ate soups such as; pea & ham (his favourite), tomato etc he did try scrambled eggs but that did not agree with him. The dietician told him to take sustegen hospital grade along with vitamins they recomended one but John took berroca as they were cheaper and had more vits in them. He also ate yogurt with tinned mandarins as he could not bring himself to liquidise certain foods. He now eats most of the things he did before except smaller quantities, he used to eat a whole pizza now he can only manage 3 slices at the most. He also does not eat white bread as that got stuck a couple of times, but as I said before everything else he has no problem with. After seeing how well he has done and that he did not have to give up what he liked before convinced me to go for the op my date for seeing the doc is the 23rd July then hopefully not long after that to get banded.

Sam

Ok cool, that gives me some ideas on the kind of things I should stock in the fridge for post op 'meals'. DH will be looking after my 2yo and I kinda want to make sure I don't leave him having to look after me as well.

Also got my uni exam results today and I did really well. After the news yesterday that I also have an op date, I must say things are already looking up.

Congrats on getting the date lellow. Great stuff. I'm glad it can all be done to fit in with uni as well. Here's sending you lots of get well quick vibes so you can at least me in the mood to sit and listen for your training course.

Thanks Sunwyse, that's my biggest worry, that I will be well enough to attend my training course. Silly considering surely surgery should be my major worry? Lol!

Well I got my instructions and by this time next week I will be on an Optifast diet. I went and bought my first box in Vanilla flavour today, and wonder how I'm going to manage on that for 2 weeks. But I know if I want the surgery I've got to do it.

Anyone else starting Optifast at around that time?

Hi lellow,

I have my first appointment on the 23rd July with Dr. Copps in Brisbane. I thought I would start the optifast diet on that date just in case, I can get an early date like you. If not then I am sure that it would not hurt to go on it anyways,as I have said previously John my husband got banded in March, he said the first 3 days where the hardest and if he can do it then anyone can as John really did love his food in great quanties. He did not like the vanilla ones I thought they were okay they reminded me of semolina. Although I must say the coffee ones were the best. His dietician did say that if he wanted more flavour he could add the Queens essecence any flavours that he liked so he added more coffee trust him.

Sam

Good luck for the 23rd ozscot, that's the date of my 1st appt with Dr Watson. I hope your op will be soon too.

Thanks for the reassurance that I will survive the Optifast. After my initial concerns about it, I am now chomping at the bit to start. I haven't tried the Vanilla yet and I hope I like it (seeing as I have 21 satchets). I don't really drink coffee so am not sure that it would be a flavour I'd like. But at worst if the Vanilla isn't so great, I'll try something else, anything else. Lol!

If you're starting on the 23rd, I'd have been on it for 6 days by then and will let you know if I'm ready to chew my arm off yet!

Well I've completed all the hospital admission stuff and have done my blood test (10 vials! eep!) so now it's waiting until it's time to start Optifast. I'm portion controlling now so the Optifast part of it isn't too much of a shock to the system.

I just called Dr Watson's receptionist to pay for my 1st appointment and was discussing with her about how I was going to start the Optifast-only diet on Saturday and she had a look at my details and apparently she doesn't think I'm required to do a full 3 Meal Replacement because my current weight is 'only' 95kgs (haven't heard that one many times in my life!!).

She has instructed me to replace 2 meals only as of this Saturday and then if Dr Watson wants me on a Optifast only diet, I can do that for the least week between my 1st appt and my op. I told her I actually started today replacing 2 meals with Optifast and she reckons this will likely be more than sufficient for the op.

Quite happy with that. The Optifast shake this morning didn't satisfy me for very long at all, and I was starting to worry about managing it for 2 weeks.

Some suggestions for making the Optiyuck palatable: Add a generous teaspoon of coffee and sweetener such as Equal - ice coffee milkshake! Add a generous splash any "diet" brand of icecream topping - strawberry or caramel milkshakes!

It is hard to stick to but it really does give you a good kickstart to the loss. Good luck!

PS: Don't panic if at about 2-3 weeks post-op, the scales stop moving down or worse start going up and down about 3-5lbs for a couple of weeks. This happens to many many of us and it is perfectly normal, even if it seems impossible given the tiny amounts you will be eating at that stage of the post-op diet (full liquids/mushies). It seems to be a combination of some of the initial loss being Water loss and your body is just balancing that out, possible increased sodium intake if you are having a lot of canned Soups, and the "starvation mode" theory that says that your body will hang on to everything it has if you stop feeding it. If it happens, just hang in there and continue with your plan - you will find the stall only lasts a couple of weeks and the loss starts again. It is just really disconcerting when you are not expecting it - believe me, I know that one from experience!

Don't panic if at about 2-3 weeks post-op, the scales stop moving down or worse start going up and down about 3-5lbs for a couple of weeks. This happens to many many of us and it is perfectly normal

OMG thanks for that little bit of advice because I definitely would have panicked if that happened thinking the band had stopped working! LOL! And great advice too about the Optifast - I shall head off to the shops on the way home to see if I can get any diet flavourings because the vanilla flavour is getting old very fast!

You're a real gem Fanny. Thank you.

I too am being banded in august but my date is 19th, I have to do optifast, but i have decided that i will do tony ferguson, i find it a little easier, as i will have shake for breakfast, then lunch what i do is make up the soup, they are like cup of soup packets, and they come in all diff flavours, cream of chicken, field mushroom, and another curry one that is nice, the only one i didnt like is the pumpkin, anyway as you are allowed 2 cups of veg a day, what i do is have the soup, i make it up in the cup like a cup of soup, then i get a mix of fresh broccoli, cauli and zucchini, just enough to make it a cup quantity, then nuke it in the microwave in a a container for 3 mins, with out any water added, so it keeps just the nutrients from the vegetables . when they are cooked to my liking, i then sprinkle them with a little spice i usually use a chilli based one, and then pour over the vegetables the hot soup that you have made up, it is actually very satisfying, and i find that if i do this for lunch and dinner i am only having the recommenede quantities, but not feeling so deprived.