274 replies to this topic

[purple butterfly]

Hi to all bandits, about to be bandits and thinking about it bandits!

October is not far away and I think I might be one of the first ones to be banded in October. My date is Monday October 3rd at SJOG hospital in Murdoch. I am nervous, but feel empowered that I have made this decision to change my life and start living without all this excess baggage I am carrying around.

I am 44 years of age and live in WA. I have three teenage kids and a supportive husband who has watched me accumulate over 50 kg in excess kilos over our married life.

I recently got a tattoo af a small butterfly on the inside of my wrist, this is to remind me everyday that "without change there would be no butterflies"...

So Good luck all my fellow October Bandits, may all of us curvacious caterpillars turn into light and free beautiful butterfies,

Cheers (with Optifast of course)

Julz

[Jodiem]

Hey I am being done on the 10th!
I live in western sydney and have 9 kiddies 4 are mine and 5 step kids and my lovely husband!
I am a hair accessorie designer for children as well as a youth social worker

look forward to chatting with you all!

Cheers Jodie xx

[grinningchook]

Hi Julz, I too am from WA and have one daughter.

I am waiting to be banded this Friday and I too will be getting a butterfly and matching dragonfly tattoos when i reach goal... not sure where yet depends what is not left too saggy! lol

[Craftymumma]

Hi ladies, I'm booked on the 5th oct in Canberra... Quite apprehensive but know it's for the best. I will be 30 in December and that is what I needed to give me the push. I've been overweight since I was 5 years old. I refuse to be obese for another 25 years.
I have two babies 1 and 2 years (Irish twins) and they need me to be active and to teach them healthy habits. Not sure about getting a tattoo, but that is a beautiful saying to remember:)
Good luck to you all! I hope it goes well!

[purple butterfly]

Hi Jodie, Janine and Craftymumma

Thanks for your replies and introductions. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all. This time next month we will all be banded and won't have to worry about the "what if's" anymore...

I keep saying to myself, if it is going to be, its up to me....

Positive thoughts to each and everyone of you..


Julz

[CharliesMum]

18th of October for me, which is exactly 27 days away from today!!!

[joolz]

Hello everyone,
Im Julia and Im on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Im married with two kids, aged five and nine.
Ive struggled with weight since my twenties. Im getting banded on October 26th, all going well. Just got the paperwork in the mail today to say my forms are being looked at so I can access my superannuation to fund the op, together with my private health.
I am looking forward to getting thin.
Not nervous about the op - I work in an Operating theatre, so im not really daunted by medical stuff. Of course, im a bit apprehensive of what pain etc I may have afterwards!
It will be good to follow everyones stories here during October.
Cheers,
Julia.

[katygotmad]

Yay, Yay, Yay......

I have waited sooooo long (well since end of august anyway.patience never was my virtue) for this post to start.

I am being banded on the 11th October at Windsor, melbourne.
I am ready, scared but ready. I have a hubby and 2 just teenage kids.Irish twins too. Never heard that saying but love it. Hubby is being a darling and has taken over the kitchen for me and is even making my opti veggies for me. He has seen so much of my awful journey to fat and over forty, that he is very much in support of me, which I really appreciate.
I am only 2 weeks and 6 days away from a new life, but like the others I have started opti and exercise and as far as I am concerned I am already on my journey.

Here's to all of us and the fantastic future that awaits us.

good luck and godspeed.

katy

[Craftymumma]

I started optifast today. I decided not to taste it until I had to, but i was pleasantly surprised! I just wasn't prepared for being hungry. I know that is silly, but I really got a shock! I bet it will get harder still though. Luckily I'm very stubborn and determined, or I would have given up quick smart. All I had was my doctors voice in my head saying "if you cheat, I will know. If you cheat we won't do the op". He has cancelled ops before, and I'd be terribly embarrassed if that happened! How are you all feeling?

[sarahd]

Hi Julz and all the other october "inductees"!!

I am booked in for my band on Friday 7Oct in Melbourne. I am so scared to be excited because this all sounds too good to be true! I am 100% committed and have 3 lovely children and a very supportive husband. The prospect of being able to lose this weight I've been carrying for 25 years is unbelievable.

I made the decision to do this after my 8yr old daughter told me she didn't want to be fat like me when she was older! It broke my heart...and hers when she realised it upset me. I have diabetes looming after having insulin dependant gestational diabetes and deff don't want to get it so after years of battling (and would you beleive it, my mum was a weight watchers lecturer for 30+ yrs, so I know how to eat properly!), I decided to take the plunge!

I am excited yet scared to get too excited in case it doesn't work but from what I've read and seeing all the amazing comments on this website, I have come to the conclusion that with support and keeping in contact with your doctor to tweek the band to get it right, you will succeed.

Good Luck to you all.

[purple butterfly]

grinningchook, on 20 September 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

Hi Julz, I too am from WA and have one daughter.

I am waiting to be banded this Friday and I too will be getting a butterfly and matching dragonfly tattoos when i reach goal... not sure where yet depends what is not left too saggy! lol

Good luck for tommorow, wishing you all the best , and since you are before all of us, we will be waiting to hear how it all went.
xx

[purple butterfly]

Craftymumma, on 22 September 2011 - 12:22 AM, said:

I started optifast today. I decided not to taste it until I had to, but i was pleasantly surprised! I just wasn't prepared for being hungry. I know that is silly, but I really got a shock! I bet it will get harder still though. Luckily I'm very stubborn and determined, or I would have given up quick smart. All I had was my doctors voice in my head saying "if you cheat, I will know. If you cheat we won't do the op". He has cancelled ops before, and I'd be terribly embarrassed if that happened! How are you all feeling?

Wow, your doctor is in your head already, which is a good thing. My doctor was really relaxed and said I didnt have to do optifast before the op. I dont know if that is a good thing or not. I have chosen myself to start subsituting some meals for it, just to get me prepared post-op. I don't think it tastes too bad either. Next week I plan to get really strict on myself and do the full optifast diet for the last 7 days before B-day.

Julz

[purple butterfly]

Welcome Charlies mum, Julia, Katy and Sarah

Great to have you onboard,

Grinning Chook, good luck for tommorow, we look forward to hearing your progress updates.....big (((hugs))) for a speedy recovery..

[JAK12]

Hi everyone, my name is Joanna and I am being banded on 10^th of October at The Avenue.

I'd love to hear from other October bandits, so we can support each other while we make this journey together.

I'm very sure of my decision to be banded but currently struggling with Optifast and question myself if I can manage post op. and more concerned about the possible negative outcomes and lack of weight loss (6 days into Optifast and gained weight).



Looking forward to healthier future!



Cheers



Joanna

[pepper]

Hi everyone!

My name is Claire and I'm having my procedure done on Friday 7th of October.. I'm 25 years old and have no kiddies, yet!

I recently got married and was somewhat disappointed by the fact that I was at my heaviest weight yet, I really struggle to look at the photos. I have struggled with my weight for most of my life and feel so amazing to have made this decision and take control. I go to the gym, have a personal trainer and also play basketball so am hoping by re evaluating my intake I will be on the right path

I'm really looking forward to having this done as I am hoping to starta family and would like to be in good shape and mindset before we go on this journey.

Thank you all for sharing your stories, it has really helped with calming the nerves (I'm actually rather excited!) and prepare me for my first day of THE pre diet tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Claire

[eeyore72]

Hello everyone,

I have been to see Dr Basson this morning and I am now booked for surgery at Joondalup on the 20th October! I am soooo excited but apprehensive and nervous too. I was told that I didn't have to do the Optifast but I could do so if I wish to give myself a kick start losing weight. I think I am going to start it a couple of weeks before surgery subsituting some of my meals to hopefully get myself prepared post-op just like 'Purple Butterfly'. I am determined to suceed .... a 'new healthier me' and a much happier person to be with .... poor hubby has been through the mill with my emotions and unhappiness of low self esteem and confidence in myself. He just wants me to be happy and be the bubbly person I used to be before I piled on my weight. He is a star!


I have loved reading all your stories and it gave me a better insight and understanding of bariatric surgery.


Good luck ladies .... I will look forwards to reading about your weight loss journies



Eeyore x

[purple butterfly]

Hi Joanna, Claire and Eeyore...Welcome

Wow there is 12 of us now, and its sounds like we are all going to be a great support to each other. I must admit, today I started having nervous thoughts, but I guess this is normal as our dates for the op draw closer........

Does anyone else have nervous or second thoughts??
Just need to keep reading postive stories I think....

Julz

[Craftymumma]

Hi Everyone, so many october people:)
I am on day 3 of optifast and havent cheated once! Day one and two I couldn't believe how hard it was... I actually never knew it would be this hard! LOL, I felt like a kid who wasn't allowed the lolly. But today I have no headaches or shakiness... its like a real detox. Ive been following the book "knife, fork and band", which is amazing! It means I am eating the same food as my family, just minus the proteins and breads. Feels like I am learning how to cook too... the flavours of some veggies are amazing without oil and salt. I am actually really glad the doc prescribed optifast because I had some weird anxieties about the lack of calories i was getting but im coming to terms with it now, and seeing that Im not falling over wasting away! I think if I had have gone straight to banded and low cals I might have really flipped out. Its also making me realise that its not at all going to be a miracle cure...

I hope everyone is cheery and confident about their decisions:)

[honeymufins]

Hi Everyone

I'm also getting banded on October!
18th Oct at the Royal in Brisbane.

I'm sooooo looking forward to it, but at the same time terrified.

I can't wait for this new chapter of my life to begin, but I'm also wondering if I have the courage to actually do it.

I'm scared that I'll go through all the pain and effort and discomfort and expense of getting a lap band and nothing will happen, that I won't be able to change my behaviour and just keep putting on weight till I end up in a carnival sideshow - "Come see the Fattest Woman Alive!"

Then, in the next 5 seconds I'm fine again, and I know it will work for me and I will be able to do it...I'll be able to go to a restaurant or cafe without wondering if I'm going to be able to squeeze my ass into the arm chairs (and end up cancelling cause I can't face having to go thru that in public). I'll be able to fly again without the airline trying to make me pay for two seats. I'll be able to buy clothes from places other than the internet. My doctors will no longer use the clinical term 'Super Obese' to describe me.

I go back and forth, between fear and hope.

I'm pretty sure you guys know what I'm talking about. I hope so anyway.

I know I'm doing the right thing, but I think the next 3 weeks will be the longest of my life.

Good luck to all of us who are taking up the new chapter in our lives.

I love the butterfly tattoo that was mentioned in an earlier post in this thread....I'm going to be thinking about that a lot. It's our time to be Butterflies.

[Calamity]

Hi All,

I'm booked in for the 20th at the Wesley. Starting opti on the 5th - I have it all bought and ready to go - I am a bit of an organizer so I also have everything that's been suggested on here just in case!

Am very excited that it's almost time - just that nagging thought of being that one person it doesn't work for! But equally I am so determined! I have decided not to tell anyone about my operation - just my parents and a close friend - this is my journey and something I am doing for myself.

Goodluck everyone - hope all your dreams come true!