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{slider I just wanted to get a little bit of what life was like for you before the procedure in terms of what issues you may have felt or had in the past.}
I always had a very happy life but I always struggled with my weight.  I've done virtually every weight loss solution you can possibly try, every pill, every potion and everything and I just got to the point where I just needed to make a change and do something new and set a good example for my daughter.

{slider You mentioned a daughter, in terms of family and friends how did you previous life affect you, your weight, in the past.}
Life was hard at times, growing up and having a weight problem and going through high school and the usual things, it always makes it hard but yeah, I was lucky enough I met my husband even at a bigger size but it definitely wasn't easy, it puts a lot of pressure on yourself and you don't have as much confidence and you have to deal with every day living being a bigger person and even just trying to find clothes when you're bigger is hard, it's hard work.

{slider And what weight loss have you experienced?}
I've lost about 22 kilos with the gastric band.

{slider And in terms of other procedures when you arrived at having your gastric band did you think about other procedures in the past?}
I looked at different procedures, the gastric banding was probably the best option for me, it was just something that it was still simple and effective but something that would last me long term as well.

{slider What other procedures did you consider?}
Liposuction and things are different options that you can consider but they really only give you short term results.  It was more so different weight loss ideas that I could try, so doing more of the bigger named things that everyone knows, everyone has tried but I'd already done quite a lot of those before and had succeeded to a certain extent but then not obviously been able to maintain it for a long amount of time.

{slider And what was the turning point for you when you decided "I'm going to take action now, this is for me, gastric banding is my choice now", what is it that led you to that?}
The turning point was obviously having my daughter and not being able to keep up with her, even when she was younger, I really wanted to make sure that I led by example for her but also so that I could keep up with her and have a good life and show her how much fun life can be.  Obviously, like I said, I had a great life when I was bigger but in saying that my life has been so much better and I've got so much more energy and I just really wanted to make that decision and I got to that point where I was really unhappy within myself and the best thing I could do was to make that choice and made a decision and changed my life.

{slider And in terms of the change of life, what does that mean to you, can you tell us a bit more about that.}
Change of life is everything.  I go to the gym four times a week.  I've just registered to do my first triathlon.  My husband and I bought a surfboard, we're going to learn to surf, we've tried a few times, not very successfully but we've tried.  Just to be able to run and play with my daughter and eat healthy and be able to go shopping and buy nice clothes and not have to go to a plus size women's store and wear granny pants and horrible clothes.

{slider And what type of things do you do in terms of activities and so on that you didn't do?  I mean you've mentioned the surfing, what about your daughter and your friends and family, do you do things with …}
In terms of activities we do lots of things.  We obviously take our daughter to the beach quite a lot now whereas I would never be caught dead in a swimsuit if I could avoid it.  Obviously there's the surfing.  I love to run, I know run quite a few ks a week at different times, I've entered a few fundraisers where you did a run for like a fundraiser for children's cancer and things which was really good.  My husband and my daughter came with me, so that was really fun.  Just being able to get out and do things.  There's lots of things we want to be able to do together and it's just sort of the start now.

{slider And how do you think your daughter's reacted to the new mummy, do you think she …}
She may be a little bit young at the moment.

{slider So the new mummy.}
The new mummy is, I think she likes it.  She likes the fact that I can run and chase and jump after her and just have so much more energy to play with her and get down on the floor and crawl around the house and make an idiot of myself and I think she likes that.

{slider So one of the things that we have found through the research and finding out what potential patients are going through in terms of their searching, we're finding out that they're very scared of the idea of surgery.  What was your reality compared to what you may have felt before the procedure, were you afraid of it and was surprised?}
I wasn't afraid of actually having the surgery because I knew what the results were going to be at the end, I knew it would be a lot of hard work but I knew what I wanted to achieve.  I think you do have to look at the reality of actually having the surgery.  It is a little bit daunting once you get there and you realise "oh my God I'm actually going to do this" and it was probably more the recovery I really thought I'd probably just jump out of the bed that afternoon and I'd be bright eyed and bushy tailed but obviously having a young daughter it took me a little bit longer to recover but it was nothing too dramatic, it just meant that I had sort of a enlist some help from my in-laws to look after my daughter for an extra day or so.  I healed really well, it didn't take me too long and it just gave me motivation to get going and I just really wanted to make that change.

{slider And in terms of the support network, in terms of the clinic and how you felt throughout the journey if you like, start to finish it's quite a journey.  What did you experience of the clinic?}
The clinic was amazing and they still are.  I can call them at any stage and even the girls at reception or any of them, I've had emails from my dietician, if I had any questions, she sent me through cards that give me ideas of what's good food choices and bad food choices.  Even not that long ago I had to call my dietician and just ask her a few questions and they just emailed me through what I needed.  Yeah, they're really good, always there if you're just not sure or if you just need to go and have a chat, they just book you in and it's really good, really good support, very happy.

{slider And would you say there's any correlation to the success in your weight loss and the number of visits?  The reason I'm asking is often … Often we're finding that some people are choosing let's say the gastric sleeve, it's an alternative to a band, because it's a one stop shop and regular visits are more of a pain than anything else.  How do you feel about visits and the support, do you think it's helped your success?}
I think it's helped my success going for visits.  I found it made me more relaxed and more informed.  Even just being in the waiting room I met a lady who'd had a baby and her band adjusted and even just finding out different things so that when I decide to go for number two it helps but they're so friendly, it's really, really nice to be able to just go and have a chat and if you're not sure.  I think I even turned up for an adjustment, I didn't need an adjustment and my doctor said "what are you doing here" and I said "I don't know, I just thought I was meant to come".  And he just had a chat and I was fine, it gave me the confidence I needed to move on, yeah, just keep going.

 
{slider Could we have you say that piece again, when you said … What you said was actually brilliant which was the support at the clinic and you can attribute the visits to help with the weight loss. How do you feel the continuous support and the multiple visits to the clinic have helped your weight loss?}
I think having multiple visits really helped, just being able to go and talk to the receptionists or go and see my daughter and just clarify any issues that I had.  I also met a lady at the reception who was there and had had a band and just previously had an adjustment and it just gave me some ideas of what I may need to do when I decide to have my second child and how she coped and it was really surprising how well she had dealt with it and it makes me more willing to have another child and go again and not have to worry about my weight blowing out of proportion again.

{slider One of the other barriers I guess to people wanting to have a gastric band, often we're hearing it's the cost outlay can seem daunting and a big cost at first but research is showing now that over time the money saved on health care evens out the cost of the procedure.  Do you feel like your health has improved and I know obviously you're very active now compared to before, how do you feel it's affected your health and do you feel that cost might have …}
I think the cost is relevant.  I think if you get to that point where you need to make that decision and that change in your life, then no matter what you spend it's worth it, it's an investment in your future and in your life and it's a small price to pay I think.

{slider One of the conceptions or misconceptions is that "I'm going to have a gastric band and I'm never going to be able to enjoy food again, I'm not going to be able to eat this and eat that and it's really restrictive".  How would you explain your experience with food, what do you still enjoy and what are any restrictions you have.}
I don't have any restrictions with food, providing I eat slow which is something I should have done years ago anyway and my portion size has definitely gone down, I'm very lucky but I also watch what I eat, I'm very careful of what I eat.  I still have my few fun things, I still have my little goodies that I'm allowed and I still have a glass of wine but everything is in moderation and with my exercise it just sort of all balances out which is really great.  But I'm very lucky I don't have problems with food.

{slider So what would you say to anyone that was clicking on your and hoping for some inspiration, would you recommend the lap band?}
I would highly recommend the lap band.  ADD PINK QUOTE BELOW It's a big step but I think when you get to that point and you need to make that change in your life it's worth it, it's worth the effort, it's worth the dedication.  It's something that will last you a lifetime, you just have to be willing to make that decision and be willing to change your life and your life will change for the better if you do it.

{slider So would you recommend the gastric band?}
I would definitely recommend the gastric band.  If you're willing to make the dedication and change your life and  improve your life and the quality of your life then it's definitely worth the effort.

{slider Would you recommend the gastric band?}
I would definitely recommend the gastric band.  It's a lot of work and it's a lot of effort but if you're willing to make the change and make your life better in the end it's definitely worth it.

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