Daily Achievements!

@TAB I am in too much pain to do the exercises that a physiotherapist gives me to do, so the place I am looking at going, has machines that do the work for you, so less pain involved. I am just so sick of not being able to have a normal life and do stuff with my daughter, so I am prepared to pay the money and get my life back on track.

@Shaz51 @Judi9877 @Glisten @TAB @Macqua @Ru-bee @rav3n @Asgard @tyme @TAB

Yesterday, I had a busy day helping my mum with her finances and also diving up 2kg of kangaroo mince into meal sized portions for my beautiful cat.

But most importantly I had an outpatients appointment at a hospital. They were over an hour late for my appointment, but I got the best news, and wanted to share it with my new friends on this forum.

Ever since having a lap band put in, in 2007, I had issues with food constantly getting stuck and at times, I couldn't even swallow my own saliva, so it would constantly come back up. This would last anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes. By 2010 I had had enough of the issues it was causing me and had it removed. I was told that my stomach was about to explode. Unfortunately my swallowing issues did not go away upon removal of the lap band. So I have been suffering from the same issues for a total of 17 years. After several tests being done, it was found that where my lap band was sitting around my oesophagus, there is an indentation of scare tissue, as if the lap band was still there, which is why the food was still getting stuck.

I met with the surgeon and he explained that they will do an endoscopy with a tube that has a balloon on the end that they will inflate it and try to expand the place in my oesophagus where it is constricted. He said it is a tricky procedure, as they don't want to expand it too much, as that will lead to a different set of issues, and if they don't stretch it enough, then obviously I will still have the same issue. He did say that sometimes, they need to do the procedure a couple of times, as it can go back to how it was before the procedure. I am just so happy that they can finally do something about it. I can't wait to be able to go out and eat a nice meal in public. One of the main things I have missed eating is a hamburger with the lot from a fish & chip shop. I think that will be the first thing I try after the procedure. Lol

I stopped socialising if it involved eating, as I didn't want the food getting stuck and then having to run off to the toilet to throw up. I found it embarrassing. So just stopped going out. Which really, because of my major depression, I stopped going out anyway. I found that I can't eat if I am stressed, talking to people while I am eating, or drink while I am eating, as these all will lead to food getting stuck.

And the surgeon wants the procedure done within the next 90 days. I am so excited that finally it will get done. I have been on the waiting list for this since 2021.

It ended up being a long day for me, which included too much walking for my back. I left the cabin at 10am and didn't return until after 6pm. So now today has to be a rest day for me, as my back is very tight and I am in pain as soon as I am weight bearing.

But I am still excited by the news that I will be able to eat like a normal person. Even if it takes a couple of procedures, I now know that it can be fixed. Yipee 😃😃😄😄

sounds tough @Mustang67

@Mustang67 wow Mustang, what a journey you have been on. I certainly hope the surgeon gets it right the first time.

You have a beautiful cat, she (I am assuming it's a she, almost all torties are) has gorgeous eyes too.

I have a red point ragdoll, Mal. He is my emotional support cat. I noticed a few years ago when I would get upset or felt worse than normal Mal would not leave my side. He would snuggle up to me and purr, as if to say he was there for me.

I look forward to hearing when you go in for surgery and how everything goes 🙂

@ENKELI It certainly has been a long journey. I suppose I put up with it for far too long. I should of had it investigated when I was working and had hospital cover. But I was busy working, then doing wedding photography on weekends as well as raising my daughter. So as people pleasers do, we put everyone's needs before our own.

When I realised that it was making my depression worse, I finally went to the GP who referred me to the hospital.

My cat is a girl and her name is Cindy. She is also my companion cat. She will actually come and sit on my chest or if I am on my side, she will lye on my arm with her head on my shoulder. I just love her to bits.

But unfortunately I currently live in a cabin at a caravan park, and we are not allowed to have pets, so my mum has her. And she has now become mum's companion, as she is still grieving the loss of her husband of 46 years. So really I am glad that she is there to give her some comfort.

I hope you are having an enjoyable day 😊🌻

@TAB it hasn't been pleasant. I can tell you that much. But I am really thrilled that they are going to fix it soon 😊

well drs getting sick of me, they say ing now chronic , proven back conditions treatable w paracetamol [edited by moderator] say weight gain not cos thyroid removed 'no magic cures' i am sick of them @Mustang67

@TAB OMG I know exactly what that is like. When I went to the specialist last month to get the appointment that I had yesterday, I mentioned to him that I know have gallstones and wasn't sure if his clinic covered that area of the body or not. He said he can refer me on, but surgeons like to operate on skinny men. So he will probably tell me that he can't operate on me because of my current weight.

FFS I know I am overweight, but when you take 2 different medications and the side effect is weight gain, and adding to that the depression where I don't eat much, but when I do, it tends to be comfort food. What do they expect.

And I know for a fact that I am in so much pain with my back because of my weight. I have had these issues in the past, minus the depression. And I changed my diet and walked everyday. I started off slow and eventually built it up. After 12 months, there was no more back, hip or knee pain. And then my partner died. That's when the depression started and the weight came back on. But I have reach a point where I am in so much pain when I walk, that I can't go anywhere unless I can get in and out as quickly as possible and there needs to be seats available so I can rest at time.

It's like these doctors think I had a choice and put myself in this position, so all they can offer is pain killers [edited by moderator]. I just received a message that my health care plan is up for renewal, which means I can get some physio started. I just need to make the booking.

all my meds say weight gain as side effect @Mustang67 I made lifestyle changes, tried many times to very little effect over last 5 years , just keep putting on more and more. saw dift GP recently they suggested my gp not looking at overall picture. I would agree with that.

@TAB it is so hard to get decent GP who will sit and listen to you and not try to rush you out the door. When I moved, I originally found a good one, and then he left and referred me to another doctor in the clinic. At one stage while seeing this new GP, I started to feel that my antidepressants were no longer working. I asked the chemist if they had switched me to the cheaper brand, as they don't seem to work for me. The chemist replied that my normal medication is no longer being made, so they gave me the closest substitute. I told my doctor that, and he didn't believe me.

So I went home and did some research and found the site that stated the medication is no longer being made, and I sent him an email with all the details. Not long after that. I found another GP. And this one is great. And she gets really concerned for me at times. Which is nice to know, that your GP actually cares.

Most medication for mental illness seems to put on weight. What's with that? It's not as if we need something else to worry about. And it is a metabolic side effect, which I think that a lifestyle change won't help.

But my surgeon does want me to go on a low calorie diet with the shakes to start with, as then it will ease my swallowing issues. I already have a box of shakes ready to go.