slojo67

Enjoyed your story, i am a RN with many psych patients at the recovery unit where i work full time. I'm 45 yo as well. Good for us, i feel similar to you, I have become more assertive just thinking about having lap-band surgery so i'll just be a b***h by the time i have surgery. LOL... Take care and please keep in touch.. My surgery is aug 28th...

Thankyou so much!

You've come along way in a short time, that is really awesome!!! You should be VERY proud of yourself...The band helps, but YOU'VE made the changes that have made this success story to be...

I'm so sorry for you that don't have support at home,that sucks! I don't have a lot of support at home but i haven't had surgery yet so we'll see. But i can hear my husband saying things like "aren't you suppose to lose weight faster than this?" "or you could've done this without surgery if you just tried harder" Then i tell him to fall off the face of the earth if you don't shut the _ _ _ _ up! for real, i don't tolerate talk like that. I hope you husbands, boyfriends all come around. People are mean to us bandsters sometimes,and not just at home...

No you shouldn't! HAHA

okay, I feel better now, took some ibuprofen, and took down my heavy ponytail that I slept in OUCH! Well, anyways, back to to trip to San Diego then Mexico for surgery august 28th 2012. My friend Donna is going! She was banded 3 years ago and lost a significant amount of weight and looks awesome...we work together, we're both nurses, what could be better than having an experienced bandster and nurse with me on my surgery trip? Nothing! I enjoy her company very much, besides one other friend I have and my husband, I can't think of anyone else I would want to take with me. My husband is going to Sturgis SD the beginning of August and couldn't take off at the end to go with me... We plan to rent a car on the 29th in San Diego to go do something before we head back home the next day...That was Donna's idea, I would just as soon use the shuttles, taxi's to get around. She'll be driving probably so whatever...She bought her plane ticket a week after I did, but we still got a good deal for her on KAYAK.com, 433.00 for round trip from western KY. not bad... Mine was only 333.00 a week earlier! We were able to get her seat next to me even...YAY! Neither of us have flown on a commercial flight before. I'm more worried about missing my flights than I am having surgery.I didn't think about the fact that you have to arrive at the airport 2-3 hourse before your flight, until yesterday when I was reading airport tips/facts. Glad I noticed that! We could've been left behind, I would die if I missed a flight...

Well, as far as family & friends' responses to my upcoming surgery, I have mostly heard:" You don't need that, you're not that big". I weigh 185 and 6 years ago I weighed 125. That is 60 pounds, and my whole family is very obese, like 300 lbs and such. I don't want to wait until I already have HTN, and diabetes to do this... And I know I'll keep gaining, I've tried pills, Nutrisystem, everything without success.. If I did lose some weight I would gain it back. I have a ferocious appetite the past few years. And I have to absolutely starve to death to lose and maintain. Guess I'm just getting older. My thyroid, and other hormones are all WNL. I've had to give this little speech the past few months when I tell someone about what I'm doing, the last time I heard "you don't need to do that"! I just replied, "i'm doing it!!!" "I don't care what you say, so don't waste your breath. I know you may mean it as a compliment, but it doesn't feel like that, it feels like you think I'm stupid or something for doing this", that is exactly what I'm going to start saying, I left the woman speechless, it was a coworker at work (also a nurse). I know alot of you have heard the same responses, you might try my little:" Nip this in the bud" speech.... It worked awesomely, she shut right up, right after her mouth flew open for a few seconds... haha It felt good, I'm tired of hearing negative remarks, I haven't even told my parents yet,, they'lll say the same thing, I know them very well... But they also know me and knowt that I don't care what people say, but it does still get in my crawl when I don't get encouragement when I reveal another "hair brained scheme" as my dad calls it. HAHA Thanks alot for taking time to read my jumbled thoughts...

well, found out I can probably get in my room before 4pm as long as they have one ready. No extra charge. I'm so excited about this and i'm trying to get everything in perfect order so that I'm not down there stuck somewhere miserable... I appreciate your input very much...

I thought I would get someone to say I would be okay to do this but I guess the odds are against this being a good thing to plan on. Thanks for your responses...I really want to go to seaworld haha. I'm obsessed with sharks, dolphins, & killer whales...think i'll try to get into room early then if I do happen to feel like it i'll go ahead and go to seaworld...

I may see if there's anyway I can check in early without paying out the yingyang at the Hampton Inn in San Diego...

but what am I going to do for 3-4 hours? I can't go lay down somewhere...

I'm planning on doing sea world the day after surgery, not the day of surgery... I will be taking it very easy. But I have 4 hours after I leave the hosp.(the day after surgery) before I can get into my room. So I have to be somewhere for that four hours, why not seaworld?

I don't have any info on fill/follow up dr.'s in canada area, but I am going to the most reasonable surgeon in Mexico if interested google Weightlossagents.com Dr. Mario Almanza, the Director of Nursing where I work just got back from there as well, and said she was very pleased (and she's a tough cookie) with her gastric sleeve surgery. I'm being banded by this dr. August 28th as well. Lap band is 3500, gastric sleeve is 4500. Hope this is helpful...

OMG! That's funny, it's a good thing you have a sense of humor. I would've been pissed...You're funny...

haha

I think if you feel okay and you're not getting "stuck" or vomitting then I would consider waiting a week or so and see how you feel... you don't want to unfill too much and start gaining again...

Thanks for your story! This is awesome to communicate with others who're going through the same experiences. I'm not scheduled until August28th and I can't wait!!! I scheduled my flights today, from Western Ky. to Mexico, just the trip has me excited. I've never been to Mexico, or on a large jet. I'm going by myself, my hubby can't get off work to go, there's no-one else I would want to take with me.. I look forward to the time alone really...I'm a nurse, mother, wife, Never get to be alone. Anyways, I hope you're still doing well, sounds like you're doing well on energy, you diet etc.. I hope I have similar experience. I think I will, I'm not afraid, or even skeptical about the procedure and am familiar with what to expect. I also realize the band is a tool, not a cure-all for wt. loss. I plan to exercise, eat 3 good meals a day, and be patient most of all. Keep us posted please, we enjoy reading others' day to day experiences/feelings/and especially the successes...