Newbie In Langwarrin

[Rhiain]

Hi Everyone,
Well I'm a Newbie to this site and the whole Lap Band idea, I've been overweigh since High School. Since then I've been dieting loosing and gaining back the same weight. I've gone from what I thought was overweight at 16 being 75kg to 125kg in 10 years. NOT GOOD! I think I've tried every diet I could afford. I've also tried eating right and exercising, I completed the Body For Life 12 Week Challange earlier this year and managed to loose 18kg but then put it back on weeks later when i got Glandular Fever.
I have been thinking about this surgery for a few years now, and am at the stage where i just dont want to be fat anymore. I'm going to make an appointment to see my local GP to get a referal to enquire about the lap band. Can anyone give their thoughts on the matter? Is it worth doing? How hard is it to follow? How much does it cost?

I hope to hear from you soon!

Rhiain

[Jachut]

You're just round the corner from me!

For me, yes yes yes, it was so totally worth it. Its not hard for me to follow, I live a completely normal lifestyle, I just eat less food, although there MAY be foods you'll be unable to eat. Things like bread can be heard for bandsters to tolerate, and i hardly eat it anymore, but you really dont miss it. One of the biggest changes I made was to take up running, and that has really really helped.

There's several places you can go in SE Melbourne, cant name all the surgeons but its done at Peninsula Private, The Valley and I had my surgery at The Avenue in Prahran. If you've got private health insurance, it will probably cost you about $4,000 out of pocket, and what generally happens then is that your aftercare and fills are bulkbilled so no money to pay for you. If you've not got private insurance, the waiting lists can be pretty long, its not an easy surgery to have in the public system and you would honestly be better off taking up insurance, waiting the year to qualify and then having the surgery because the aftercare can get expensive and its really the MOST important part.

HTH, any more questions about how it works in Australia, just ask.

[kristina]

welcome to b2g!!!!

["Just Jess"]

:wave: just wanted to stop by and say WELCOME!!!! this is a great group of people from all over the world - please don't be afriad to post your questions and share your experience........ ;) so cool that you have one of our SUCCESS STORIES living so close to you down under!

now my 2 cents on your questions...


Can anyone give their thoughts on the matter? Is it worth doing? How hard is it to follow? How much does it cost?

it is different everywhere as far as what the cost to you will be. for me, it was covered 100% by insurance bc i was over 100 lbs. overweight. and i just pay my $15 co-pay for fills. but i've heard from many that they need to pay half or more for their surgery and upwards of $100-$200 for fills. so it varies... good question to ask up front when you interview surgeons and/or programs!!!

as far as if it is worth it....................... YES! ask yourself this: are YOU worth it? i hope your answer is yes. it changed my life - and i am NOT one of the biggest success stories. i am what you might call a TURTLE. slooooooooooooooooow going at the losing race. but in my almost 2 years banded, i've lost almost 90 lbs. and without the band i NEVER would have been able to say i did that.

best of luck to you!!!! and again, WELCOME!!! :wave:

[Rhiain]

Thank you all for your quick replies! Jachut, thanks for the info on how it works in Australia. I have Health Insurance, but if I go ahead with it I will have to draw on my Superannuation to pay the gap. Its good to know that the follow up appointments and fills are bulk billed.

Jameza40, it really is just up to that isn't it. I AM WORHT IT, no matter how much you tell/treat yourself differently I guess you sometimes just have to believe it.

Well I think i'm going to make a doctors appointment to get a referal. *fingers crossed it will happen quickly*

Thanks All!

Rhiain

[*Holza*]

Hi and welcome Rhiain....

Im from Australia.....

I was lap banded just over 4 weeks ago and its the best thing i have ever done!!!
I have lost just over 15kg's in that 4 weeks after my Op....

The pre-op can be hard to stick to i wont lie to you ( i got to sick on it tho and the doc said i didnt have to do it and he would still do my lap band)....And just after the op there are times that i questioned if i had done the right thing or not....I knew once i was all healed and seen the results that id be really happy and i am.....

I can highly recommend the lap band......Its a choice that i had been thinking about for ages and ages aswell and i finally went ahead.....

Once you get over the pre-op and the op itsself its really easy to live with the lap band....As the other girls have said the only difference is you eat ALOT less food.......

Hope that helped.....

Love Holza

[Rhiain]

Thanks Holza,
I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to see about travel vaccinations, so I will ask for a referal then, and get the whole ball rolling... so its a bit scary.

Congratulations on your loss! 15kg! that is wonderful! :elephant: from the sounds of things, the pre op looks to be the hardest. 2 weeks on optifast (or is it optislim) would be difficult, but i guess 2 weeks is a small price to pay!

Does anyone from Australia know roughly how long it takes from inital appointment to surgery? I'm going overseas in November and would like to have the surgery sometime in January do you think that this is getting ahead of myself?

How long did you spend in hospital? was it a day proceedure or an overnight one? How long do you normally have to have off work? I work in an office sitting down all day would that change the leave time? Sorry if i'm asking questions that have already been asked.

Thanks!
Rhiain

[bluezbandit]

Hi Rhiain,
I went to my doc and could have been booked in a fortnight later for the operation (however I waited 3 months so my op would fit in with my school holidays, giving me a cpl of weeks to recuperate)
Also in Australia any out of pocket medical expenses over $1500 I think, can be claimed on your tax. My accountant told me to ask for tax receipts anytime you get medication (even over the counter) from the chemist and ask medicare and your private insurer to print out a statement for the finacial year for when you do your tax. Hope this info is handy.
Deb

[Jachut]

It was about six weeks for me, because my doc wanted me to attend a seminar before he would schedule, even though I'd been to one for another surgeon. He sees you and then makes you go to the seminar and come back and give him your decision. From then it was fast.

So a heads up, this is what DH did, ring up, find out when the next seminar is (they all hold them and book in for it now, so that it isnt delayed, you may even end up going before your surgeon's appointment. Its one thing out of the way.

However, I think you'd be ambitious wanting any surgery in January, they're all closed over January, same as almost everything in Australia, lol. Maybe *late* January?

Workwise, for a sedentary job, I would have been absolutely fine by a week after the surgery. I had surgery on a Friday, could easily have been at work by the following Friday.

[Rhiain]

Thanks Ladies,

I'm seeing the doctor tonight, I have to have travel vaccines as i'm going O/S in 24 days! :elephant:*happy dance*:elephant:to see my mum in Saudi Arabia. So I'm going to get a referal from him even though he isnt my normal doctor.

I'll have to wait and see when I can afford the surgery, if I have to take a week off work, then it wont happen until March or something as i'm taking all of my leave to have this holiday! LOL. Maybe I can take a bit extra from my superannuation to cover the week off work as well. We'll see I guess.

I'm truely inspired by all of the before, during and after photos i've seen on this site as well as the inspiring stories that go along with the photos. So hopefully sometime early next year i can join the group of the banded! Whoot!

Rhiain

[Rhiain]

Hey All!

I have two important dates. 1. Tuesday November 11th 7.15pm the info seminar. 2. 20th January 2009 with Mr Stewart Skinner :elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant: :elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant: :elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant:
I'm Very Excited!

Just thought i'd let you in on that piece of news!

Rhiain

[Jachut]

Yay. Good luck with it! That's great about the seminar, it will save you heaps of time once you've actually seen the surgeon.

[*Holza*]

Wooohoooo great news.....Goodluck

And in answer to your question everyone does heal differently, so maybe take 2 weeks off work if you can.......