My Appointment

Well I went and seen my doctor for an annual check up in December and asked for a referral to see the Lap Band specialist, Dr John Copp. So after my appointment I rang Dr. Copp’s office and made an appointment for the next time he was in Mackay which was 7 and 8 January 2009.

So I made my appointment for Thursday 8 January at 10.40am but before that appointment I had to go see the psychologist to see if I’m capable of doing the diet and surgery.

My girlfriend Chantal (who likes to be called Shorty) and I went and seen the psychologist first and he went through some questions with me but overall I think it went well. After this we were waiting to see Dr Copp but before we saw him, we seen the clinical nurse first, Benitna who when through how the procedure was done. She was pretty straight forward with me and I knew it was going to happen because I have diabetes, high blood pressure and was overweight big time. I was also told to give up smoking as it will help with my weight loss and if i want to be fit i gotta give them up.

So i got weighted and my weight is 200kg and i was then told that i am a prime candidate for the surgery, i already knew that. I was also given some more information about the surgery and i had to make an appoinment with the deitician before my operation.

So after we seen Benitna we saw Dr Copp and he went through the procedure with Shorty and I, but i'm going to have the operation down in Brisbane which i don't mind cause it'll give Shorty and I some time away together.

I think everything went well and i'm happy that i'm doing it, my sister is getting the same operation as me. So it's going to be good as i have the support from my family, Shorty's family and my close friends.

About Me

Well where do i start, let's begin with my name. My name is Graham Budby but to most people i'm known as grub, grubby, grubstar or bud. I'm 31 years old and at this present time i'm living at Nebo with my girlfriend.

I grew up in and around Mackay, Qld all my life and worked around the Mackay region. At this present time i am a manager of Woora Consulting, which is a registered Cultural Heritage Body which is responsible for the recording, protection and management of Cultural Heritage within the BBKY Native Title Area. I love my job as it deals with my culture on a regular basis.

I've always been a big guy, even through high school I was always the big guy and since then my size has gotten bigger and bigger. I’ve tried all the diets and they work for a while but then I would get slack and the weight would come back on that I lost.

It’s time for a change and that’s why I’m getting the Lap Band Surgery done next month. The reason why you may ask, well my health is at risk of deteriorating and I’ll probably be dead in the next year or so if I don’t do something now! Now that I have diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol it’s time to start looking after myself.

So please follow my journey as I shed most of this weight and get back to being healthy and fit again.