Hi NSW ers
I would love to meet up with all of you as well.
My surgery will probably happen on 16th Feb.I am very nervous AND excited as you all probably were.
I will be having mine done at Bigge St Private in Liverpool with Dr Durmush.
I am about to trot off for my cardio tests and I am hoping I get the go ahead for surgery.
I have had difficulty getting into the pre-op diet and haven't lost much weight-close to nil.I am hoping Dr Durmush won't give up on me.I am into the diet now with two weeks to go so I am hoping it isn't postponed.Had a close friend die and am such an emotional eater.
As you can probably tell I live near Liverpool but don' mind a drive.
Vickichacha

Hi Bedugl

Which end of Martin Place do you work. I work up the top end near Macquarie St.

Cheers
Gail

Hi,

I work in Martin Place and live near Hornsby. The weekends would probably be best for me, although I would be happy to meet up weekdays after work if it were later in the evening or somewhere near a trainline.

Bedugl

That's excellent, Bedugl. We'll be happy for you to join us. What area are you in, and what days suit you?
Chris

Hi Everyone,

I would love to come and meet with you all at the next meeting. I have not had the surgery yet, my 12 month waiting period for the insurance is up in mid March - I am hoping to have the surgery some time in April.

Bedugl

That's great - thanks, Gail.
Mid to end of the month suits me too, as I won't be home until 31st Jan anyway!
Chris

Hi Chris

I'm up for another catch up. Probably more towards the mid to end of the month to give me a chance to recover. I'll be driving from Sutherland but have satnav so can find most places.

Cheers
Gail

Well, I haven't checked in for a while, but there have been no more replies. So please, if you want to meet up in February, let me know so we can work something out. And if you tell me where you're coming from, I'll try to work out something that's in the middle for us all.
Chris

Thanks, Spockles. As more replies come in, we'll sort out when and where, so keep your eyes on this thread!
Chris

Merry Xmas Everyone!

Hope you are enjoying your day.

I am back at full-time work from 12th January, and my op is the 6th Feb, so can only do weekends between these times.

I will fit in with most if I can.

Cheers
Spockles

Thanks, Fadding Away - have a lovely Christmas!
Chris

Hi I live in a tiny town of less than 400 population, bigger town of 10,000 only 15 minutes away ,Tamworth and Coffs about the same distance give or take 50kms.only just over 1 hour to QLD border.

Hi Belly
Not sure exactly where, but Fadding Away said north of Tamworth, so that's a fair hike.
Windsor is lovely, but it will take me hours to get there! LOL I can go the back way, which is a lovely drive, though. What do others think of Windsor?
Chris

Hi Chris,

I'm up for a GT! I'm easy about time and date...and location too for that matter. Where did Fading live LOL!

Just a suggestion to get the ball rolling. How about Windsor? There is a plethora of food available. Tables and chairs are a bit hard to get over the weekends but we could always sit in the park across the street from the Macquarie Arms Pub, or go to Macquarie Park across the river.

Bell

Oh, okay - just thought I'd ask! Wasn't thinking about November, just any time.
No, we'll definitely try to organise something for one of the mornings you are in Sydney, but since that's in November, we'll wait a while - don't forget to remind us a month or so beforehand, though!
Anyone feel like a road trip to visit Fadding Away?
Chris

I am driving 2 1/2 hours to Coffs .To fly to Sydney , And have a few hours before getting on ship at Quay, On the way home arrive in morning and fly out about 1 pm, get to Coffs and drive home.
I wish I could get to Centeral coast but the time frame doesnt cover it. If we drove all the way it would be almost 10 hours each way.We couls fly from here but it would triple our flight costs each and we would have to leave the day before , which is fine with me cause I come from Sydney, Phil on the other hand is not so good with lots of people.lol
Its ok if it does'nt happen was just a thought and the only way I can get to Sydney,
Now if you all would like a holiday up this way Nth of Tamworth ,We do live next to a working winery.lol.guided tour?

Sounds fantastic, Fadding Away - we'll definitely try to organise to get together then, but it's a little early to make those plans yet.
I'm not sure exactly where you are, but if we met on the central coast, would that help at all?
Chris

Hi
live several hours from Sydney but will be there on 16th October in city about 11-2 .waiting for my ship to leave.lol.
So if you can manage one on this day or November 3rd in the morning before 1pm so sorta easy lol.
Love to get together with anyone who could make it

Hi everyone
Well, I'm starting to organise my diary for next year, so I thought it was time to look into our next meet-up.
If we get an idea of who wants to come, and when, and where they live, perhaps we can find something that suits everyone.
So if you're interested, post a reply with your preferrred time and place and we'll see what we can do.
Like this:
I'm Chris - live on the Central Coast and will travel to Sydney but prefer the north side if possible (about 1.5 hours from home). Can do any day at the moment(excluding existing appointments, of course), but will be away between 19th and 31st January. No preference re school hols.
If everyone could get something in before I go away, that'd be great.
Thanks
Chris

Glad everyone enjoyed the meet-up. Looking forward to the next one. A rotating venue could be a good idea. Really tired from travelling - more on this when I get back.
Chris

Hi Chrisbychic,

Thank you for organising the meet up, I really enjoyed listening to everyone's stories and what stage they are at it brings back memories, and I wish my husband had have had some one to talk to when I made the decision to go ahead with the sleeve he didn't understand or want me to do it so it was rather a sore point even though he supported the decision for my sake he was still not comfortable or convinced, but now realises its the best thing that I could have done not just for myself but also my family. So it is a great idea your partner has volunteered to talk to other partners thank you.

Gaylo wow I am so impressed with all the hassles you went through with the band your going back for the Sleeve!!! You go girl!

Belly it was so good to talk to you too, yes the 'photo's' I take a look at them quite often as it helps me to appreciate how far I have come and also get my head around my new size, like I said sometimes I forget I am not as big as I used to be and still do the little things like shy away from clothes shops that I wouldn't have visited in the past or walk sideways through gaps I can now easily go through front ways I have been big all my life so it still takes a little getting used to in such a good way.

I look forward to the next meet up and seeing where eveyone is at.

Hi Chris,

Sorry its taken me a few days to do this, but thanks for going to all the effort to organise the get together on saturday.

It was great to meet everyone and hear what you were all up to.

I'm terrible with names :0 but, vhappy? the lady who was sitting beside me?, your before and after photos were a great inspiration, thanks for bringing them along.

Best wishes to all of you who are still deciding weather or not to go ahead.

I haven't had a chance to look at the photos we took, but if they are any different from Chris's i'll get them posted on here too.

How about rotating the venue Chris? North south east and west, then everyone gets a fair go?

Cheers
Belly

That's great, Blossom - we'll look forward to meeting you.
Chris

Hi everyone

I am sorry I did not get to come on Saturday and meet you all. I look forward to the next one, I'll definitely be there :-)

B x

Hi Michael
It was lovely to meet you, and great to see you online.
I'm glad you came on Saturday, and look forward to hearing more from you.
Don't forget you can ask any questions on this forum and someone will always try to help you out.
I know you're not sure about whether to go ahead or not, but like I said to you on Saturday, you don't have to make a decision until you're ready, but going to see the doc and getting his opinion will help you decide.
And if we do anything to help, you just have to ask.
Bye for now
Chris

Hi,

It was great to meet everyone on the weekend and the chat was well worth the trip. My first appointment with Talbot is Feb next year. I look forward to seeing you all again at the next gathering and seeing your progress.

Cheers
Michael.

Oh, something I forgot to add - my hubby said to me after our meet-up yesterday that he'd be happy for any other partners who need to talk to contact him. So if your partner is unsure and needs someone who's been through it, just PM me and I'll give you hubby's email address and/or phone number. This goes for anyone on the forum, not just the ones we met.
Chris

Hi everyone
Well yesterday we did meet, although somebody (not mentioning any names) ran around looking for the wrong coffee shop! LOL Didn't matter - she found us in the end, and I think we all enjoyed catching up wtih each other.
I was going to put the pictures up in the gallery, but couldn't figure out how to put an album up in the public section - I've asked the moderator for help with that. If I can do it before I go away, I will. We leave early Tuesday morning!
The people who came, using their online names, were:
chrisbychic and her husband
vhappy with two friends, one who is known to us as post2post, and the other who will become known to us as hannikins.
gailo
belly and her daughter
and spockles with her mum (who happens to live only 15 minutes from me!)
Of the friends, only Belly's daughter and my husband are not considering the op (or needing it).
It was great to meet everyone, and lovely to compare stories.
I hope those of us with sleeves didn't sound too - hmm, what's the word? - evangelistic? LOL It's just that we're so happy with our choise and want to share it with others!
I was especially happy to see vhappy, who looks absolutely wonderful. She showed us her before photos, and the difference is truly amazing.
Gailo also brought before photos, and looks wonderful - and that's despite the fact that she hasn't had the success she anticipated with her failed band. She's eagerly awaiting an op for the sleeve, though, so I'm pretty sure she'll be happier with the result she gets from this op.
The others all have appointments scheduled with their docs, and I can't wait to hear what they decide after their visits.
Everyone was keen to meet up again on 2-3 months, so we'll plan on that, but I think we'll wait until after Christmas to organise it, when everyone has more of an idea what they'll be doing around that time.
People came from the southern suburbs, and the western suburbs, near the city, and the central coast. Trying to figure out a good place to meet is a bit of a challenge. One suggestion was a club called Doolies at Silverwater, which was said to be central, quiet on a Saturday, and has plenty of parking, so we'll definitely consider it. How does everyone feel about that? If anyone else has suggestions for a good place to meet, we'd love to hear them.
Bye for now
Chris

Hi Everyone
I will be in a black t shirt, black pants with red strips, blonde hair tied in ponytail.
Can't wait to meet you all.
Kylie

Hi everyone
Looks like we'll have a few people there, and that's terrific.
I'm the big one with curly greying hair and glasses, and I'll wear a purple t-shirt - not sure what shade yet, could be light or dark purple.
Looking forward to meeting you all!
Chris

Hi Gail
My Mum is also going to join us, and I would really love her to meet you as she is thinking the band for late next year. After reading this site, I do believe that the Sleeve would be better for her.
It would be great for her to meet you and also Chris as you both have experience either way.
So sorry that the band did not work for you and caused problems.
See you Sat
Kylie & Ronayne (mum)
x

Hi Kylie

Actually I had a lapband in until recently but had a major slip which required emergency surgery in September to remove the band. Apparently I'm not a good candidate for re-banding so I've made the decision to go for the sleeve over bypass. So hopefully know what to expect with regards to eating slowly and chewing properly etc.

But I certainly do understand your nerves and am also feeling some butterflies with taking the next step, just can't wait to get my date (hopefully in early February).

Looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday.

Cheers
Gail

Hi Everyone

I am sooo excited about meeting you all.
Vhappy - WOW what a result you have achieved - CONGRATULATIONS
Gail - How great to meet someone who is 'on the other side' and nervous, anxious and not too sure on what to do - we can stumble through together!
Chris - You also have achieved such success and love reading your story and advice you give to others.

Starting to rant & rave, so looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday.
Kylie x

Hi vhappy and Gailo
Of course you can join us - and yes, it's definitely on! And bring as many friends as you like!
I'll also be bringing along some of my larger clothes for those who haven't been sleeved yet, in case anyone can use them.
Congratulations on such a great loss, vhappy - I'd be vhappy if I was you, too!
See you soon!
Chris

Hi Chris

I've been reading here for a couple of months now and also live in Sydney. I'm based in Sutherland and am looking at getting sleeved in January/February. Can I come and join you all for coffee on Saturday?

Cheers
Gail

Hi Chrisbychic,

I had my sleeve done more than a year ago I went from a size 26 to a floating 10/12 depending on time of the month and of course which shop you buy clothes from lol. I would love to meet up and three other friends who are thinking about it. I can bring along before photo's I still look at them to keep me inspired.
I am level at 80kgs now am still 7kgs off goal weight but not actively trying as I am more than estatic to be at this weight and size anyway.
So if its still on please let us know, and thank you for the e-mail I haven't logged on for a while.

Hi everyone
This morning I PM'd everyone who lives in NSW or who didn't say where they lived, to let them know we're trying to start NSW meet-ups.
I have received a few replies, letting me know that people can't come, but asking to be kept informed of any future plans.
This thread is the place to be kept in touch - I won't PM everyone every time - just too time-consuming! I just wanted everyone to be aware that this thread was here, and to come here to keep posted on the latest.
Thanks for your reply here too, Effie. We'll look forward to seeing you at future meets.
Chris

Hey Chris,

Sorry I wont be able to make it that day as I have already planned to go to the Mind Body and Spirit Exhibition on the 8th November with my friends. I would like to meet up for the next meeting so please keep me posted

Cheers Effie

Hey, Kylie & Kathy and anyone else who wants to join us
I went to a clothing swap today and there are heaps of clothes there that I can get access to, if you want me to do so.
And I have some myself, that I've kept to bring down as well.
If you let me know what sizes you're looking for, it would be helpful.
You can message me here, or PM me to let me know.
I have some 22-26s, but have access to larger sizes too, as well as a few smaller ones.
Chris

Great, Kathy - looking forward to it.
Anyone else want to join us?
Chris

Hi Kathy & Chris
Sounds like a date! All set for Sat 8th November at 1.30pm Coffee Club Hornsby Westfield.
Can't wait!
Kylie
x

Hi Kylie & Chris

I'd also like to meet up with you.

So is that Saturday 8/11 at 1.30pm - Coffee Club - Hornsby Westfields??

Just want to confirm that!

Could you just let me know. Thanks

Kathy

That's great, Kylie. No worries, bring the littlie if you like. I'll have hubby!
Shall I bring my bigger clothes to swap?
Let's make it 1.30 at the Coffee Club, then - just in case I'm running a little late.
And it would be terrific if some others could join us, but if not, it will still be a pleasure to meet you.
Chris

Hi Chris
I would be happy if I could fit in a 20! Saw your post to Shanna, Congrats my dear!
Anytime on that Saturday is fine, may have to bring the little one, although trying to arrange a sitter.
Can't wait to meet you and anyone else who would like to join us.
As my appointment with the surgeon is on 14th Nov, it would be great to meet people that have 'been there, done that' as I am sure that no matter how much research you do, learning from others will only help in the decision making.
Looking forward to meeting you and hope others can join us.
Kylie
x

Actually, I was just thinking - we could do a clothing swap at the same time - if anyone's interested?
Of course it depends on what everyone's got and who needs what, since there's only a few of us, so let me know...if you don't want to tell me your size on the thread, PM me instead!
Chris

Sounds good to me - unless anyone else comes up with a better alternative! Thanks for the link.
So does 1-ish suit you, Kylie?
Chris

Hi All
How about the Coffee Club at Westfields? Link for directions
http://westfield.com.au/hornsby/ourstores/details/the-coffee-club-1675.html
I don't really know Hornsby either, just did a search under Westfields, so any other suggestions would be welcomed.
Can't wait!
Kylie x

That's a great idea, Kylie. And Hornsby sounds good.
I'm busy on Saturday mornings for the next few weeks - sorry, forgot to mention it earlier (we're doing a beginners archery course, starting next week)
I could get there for the early afternoon, though - say around 1 - 1.30ish? And I'll have hubby with me, most likely.
Not sure about where to meet, though, as I don't know much around Hornsby. Any suggestions?
Let me know what you both think - and anyone else that might want to join us. In the meantime, I'll put it in the diary.
Chris

Sorry guys, I mean Saturday 8th November.
Kylie x

Hi Kathy & Chris
I am really excited about meeting you guys. Can I suggest a date, say 7 November? How does this suit?
Maybe meet half way, say Hornsby? Let me know your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Kylie x