Well you have come to a GREAT place! The people on here are all very supportive and informative and I believe a few of them have had un-supportive husbands as well. (check out the powder room forum, it is the girls room)

Just about a year ago I was attending my information session and I was pretty set on the band. I was so happy I decided to look up and research the sleeve. It was the perfect solution for me.

Whichever route you take just make sure to do your research. Purposely look for the bad, that way you aren't surprised by anything later on. Like, one of the downsides to the sleeve is that some people get chronic heartburn. But, it can be controlled with antacids. The band is highly publicized, and its negatives are heavily shadowed. So chances are at the info session you won't hear any negatives. Band can slip, they can erode, they can malfunction. There is a similar forum to this called "lapbanktalk"... check out their complications page. Do the same on here.

As for your husband, well I can't say too much since I am not married myself. But I think if you stick to your guns, and do your research and know the facts you will be able to show him that this surgery is actually quite safe. I remember reading from some other posts that your husband may be scared of the changes in your relationship that your weight loss may bring, especially if he is overweight as well.

I am 4 months out and I am eating normally (just tiny portions of course!) and have had no problems. I am nearly at my 100 pounds lost mark (I lost 40 pre-surgery) and I feel great. I have never regretted my decision.

Good luck, and keep us updated! Hopefully soon we will be welcoming you to the loser's bench I'll save you a seat until then!

Hey Missbv,

Good of you to post and ask your questions. This is a wonderful forum! It was from reading the posts on this forum that I got up the nerve to follow through and have my surgery. And my results have been nothing short of a miracle! As of today, I have lost 100 pounds! I did a sort of minii celebration this morning after I got off the scale. Unfortunately there was no one here to celebrate with me! But I am celebrating anyway.

I have ALWAYS been big, fat, fluffy, large sized, Queen Sized, etc. What ever you want to call it. And I have done EVERYTHING to try and lose weight. I am officially labeled as a "Re-Offender" at Weight Watchers. Been there, done that 18 times!!! (I read somewhere that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity! I just didn't realize that it applied to weight loss efforts!) Anyway, besides Weight Watchers, I have done The Weigh Down Workshop, Over Eaters Victorious, Over Eaters Annonymous, Jenny Craig, Diet Center, NutraSystems, OptiFast, MediFast, and too many more to remember or name. I Always lost, but I Always regained what I had lost, and often gained a few more pounds too.

I started thinking about weight loss (bariatric) surgery a few years ago. My first cousin IS a bariatric surgeon, and I even went and saw him in consultation. He is so sweet, we grew up in the same household, and he was always mean to me when we were little. He said he felt guilty and offered to do the surgery for free, if I could pay the hospital and anesthesia, which he said would be anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. Well, I don't have ten to twenty thousand just sitting around, and our insurance wouldn't cover $0.01 of it! So against my husband's best judgement, I went to Mexico and had the procedure done there. I paid for it by cashing in one of my retirement 401k accounts.

Bill (my hubbie) was AGAST! And very much against it. But I persevered. I talked and talked and talked to him. I researched it to death, and found a hospital that was JACHO certified in Mexico. JACHO is the "Gold Standard" accrediting organization for health care in the Unites States. They also do International Certifications. It is a guarantee that you will get the minimum standard of care, at the least. Hopefully it will be lots better than minimum standard!

I also stressed to my husband that I wanted to do the surgery for health reasons, not just to look better. I have been able to get off 8 of my 10 medications! My cholesterol is normal now, my blood sugar is normal, my allergies are almost non-existant anymore, I have been able to stop my anti-inflammatory medications, my blood pressure is normal. So many things health wise are normal for me since I have lost so much weight.

As far as your husband, talk to him, explain to him, tell him how you feel, what you want to do, WHY you want to do it. Talk, talk, talk! Bill is diabetic and has lots of other health problems. (The least of which is he is also about 100 ponds overweight.) And I have to admit, we are having some problems since my surgery, But we have been married for 42 years, and I for one, am committed to working them out. I know Bill is committed to our marriage also, so I know thngs will eventually get better. Hopefully better than they have been in years and years!

I know he is very threatened by my weight loss. I casually mentioned to him once, when he was complaining that he needed to lose some weight that since he is now on MediCare, and they cover bariatric surgery, that he could also have surgery and lose weight., He exploded! He said "I suppose you don't love me now that you are skinny and I'm still fat!" It took me a long , long time to convince him that I loved him NO MATTER WHAT!!! Guys must have SUCH a sensitive ego!

But anyway, best of luck, no matter what you decide! This site will help you in SO many ways. There is endless information on the Sleeve surgery, and everyone is so helpful to great you information when you are wondering about something. So research and read, ask questions and discuss. Know WHAT you want and why. And again, BEST of LUCK! Keep us posted, keep on telling us how you are doing. Everybody here will support you! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)