:thumbup: About 2 1/2 years ago my Operations Manager in Young Harris, Georgia, who manages my computer store, had LAP-BAND® surgery. I have gone through it with her including taking her to get fills in Gainesville and listening to her positive and negative complaints. Heck, I even paid for half of it! So you might say that I have seen it first hand. I have watched her lose 120 lbs and have seen the dramatic changes in her eating habits, energy levels, disposition, mood swings, (Gaaaack!) and a plethora of other modifications to her as a person. It has all been good! If you ask her, she would do it again in a heartbeat! And that is a recurring theme. And most important, I have yet to talk to anyone who had a LAP-BAND® that was unhappy with making that decision!

I am a planner and analyzer and I did not go into this LAP-BAND® surgery without doing a LOT of research ahead of time. Since I “live by the computer” on a daily basis, I have even researched many topics relating to LAP-BAND® surgery. For example, I found that I had sleep apnea and therefore had to have a CPAP (Constant Positive Air Pressure) mask which helped me to breathe during the night since my airways have been closing up due to…F-A-T! My knees hurt, my feet hurt, my back hurt and my Orthopedic Doctor said I was too fat at 350lbs and he gave me a Handicap Sticker for my car and said to lose weight or all your joints will fail. Every Doctor I went to said the same thing. I had a CAT scan which confirmed that I was fat. (Duh!) I used to eat about 25 to 30 buffalo wings at a sitting and I was drinking a fair amount of Bourbon every night. Sooo, I decided to "go for it"! :cursing: I also made sure that I went to a "Center of Excellence" for the right Surgeon.

The big day came for me, and my pastor prayed with me in the pre-op room and then they wheeled me into surgery. Next thing I know, (it seemed like 2 minutes, since they had given me a "happy shot", they said: "Wake up, Doug, you're done"! The operation took less than 30 minutes. Two hours later I was up and walking around, with very little pain due to intravenous meds. I used the CPAP in the hospital that night and it worked great with the pain medications! They even plugged Oxygen into the CPAP mask for an added high! (Whoopee!) Overnight in the hospital just to make sure, then home by 10 the next morning for a week of Jell-o, popsicles, cottage cheese, beef broth and bouillon, and other liquids.

NO BIG DEAL!

The support from the Nurse at the Surgeons office was spectacular! Lots of e-mails and calls. I am now in my 8th week since LAP-BAND® surgery and I have lost over 40lbs! (That is more than 12% loss of my entire weight in 8 weeks.) My pants fit loose, I don't use the CPAP machine anymore, and friends are beginning to notice that I am getting trim and fit. I went to a banquet on the “Rubber Chicken Donation Circuit” last week with a huge gourmet spread at a snooty restaurant and I ate a little till I was full, and then slipped the waiter a fiver and he had 4/5 of my gourmet meal waiting at the door in a take-out box with extra food inside. Enough for three more meals.

Again, no big deal! In fact, I can eat anything now, and I had three buffalo wings for dinner last night with buffalo wing sauce so hot it "glowed". My knees don't hurt now, I can climb stairs easily, my back does not hurt and my feet are much better. And….I have not lost that much weight so far! I am going to my family Doctor tomorrow for blood tests and I bet my numbers are a lot better than before. Whoo-Hoo!

Sure, things can happen...but you stand a much higher probability of getting hurt and injured in an automobile accident, on the way to the hospital than by having a failed LAP-BAND® surgery at the hospital. My surgeon told me that the percentages of problems were about 0.001 to 0.01 percent, here in the Atlanta area. Try those odds on I-285 at rush hour! I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

My advice? Go for it! Feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any questions or just want to chat.