My appointment was at 2pm with Dr Costa. At 2.20pm the nurse called my name. She asked me about my dieting history, measured my height and weighed me. She was lovely. I typed out a history to take with me to the appointment so I wouldn't forget anything and handed it to her. Here's what it said.
- Name: Gastric Sleeve Sandy
- Age: 37 years old.
- Weight 115kg
- Height 166cm
- BMI 41
- Highest weight 118kg
- Normal weight 69kg but 75kg will do
- Yo Yo dieter from age 17
- Overweight toddler, parents strict with food, normal weight until 17 when put on around 15kg
- Lost 15kg at 17years old with Gloria Marshall, up and down 10-15kg until 26yrs old
- Put on 40kg with first child at 27yrs old, lost 20kg of it
- Put 20kg on with 2nd child at 31yrs old, lost none of it.
- Have lost 20kg many times and most recent loss was 30kg 4 years ago.
- Walk kids to school
- Attend Curves Gym 3 times per week
- Believe portion control is the problem.
- Diets tried,
- Curves, Gloria Marshal, Light and Easy, Sureslim, Weight Watchers, Tony Ferguson, Celebrity Slim, The Zone, Atkins, Low GI diet, CSRIO diet, 6 week bodymakeover….many more.
- Medications tried, Reductal, Duromine.
- Reasons for Gastric Sleeve, Have researched Gastric Sleeve for 6 months. Was initially interested in the lap band but came across the Gastric Sleeve forum and many YouTube videos showing the success of the sleeve.
- Symptoms of being fat
- Incontinence
- Aching back
- Sore knees
- Out of breath
- Feel like I’m suffocating by chin’s when I turn my head
- Light head when bending over
- Chaffed legs, holes in pants
- Family history of Osteoporosis
- Set a good example for my children
- Be around for my children for as long as possible
- Enjoy life, fit in amusement rides, seats, seatbelt on a plane
- Private Health insurance HCF
- Have funds for gap but would like to try and access superannuation. Need letter from Dr.
- When can we do it?! The sooner the better!
I think like most gastric sleeve patients, I starting researching the lap band and didn't like what I read. Food getting 'stuck'...seriously, stuck? eww, eroding into the inside of your stomach, only 30% of 'excess' weight can be lost (on average). Doesn't sound very appealing to me. I happened to stumble across a video on You Tube discussing her and her brothers amazing success with the gastric sleeve, check them out here Gastric Sleeve Reviews Wow, I hear you say...yep, me too, wow.
Where can I get this surgery in Newcastle? And where I can I read more about it? I found Dr Costa Karihaloo after a google search and his website has lots of information. I quickly made an appointment and went off to the seminar, which is a requirement, to hear more about it. I actually went to a seminar with Dr Gani, who performs only lapbands and the gastric bypass and it just reiterated my desire for the gastric sleeve. Dr Costa's seminar was a week later and it was exciting and informative. These seminars are held at Lake Macquarie Private hospital, ring and book in if you're interested in attending one on 0249 433122
Googling anything and everything regarding the Gastric Sleeve I found this forum, Gastric Sleeve Support and what a wealth of information there is! Dr Costa even has his own thread with posts from many Novacastricans who have had the surgery or are pre-op (like me).
