NYC1992

More info on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! My mom has United Healthcare Choice Plus and I am on her insurance/would be the one getting the surgery.

So my new doctor (who is my mom's doctor too; I'm 20 and recently changed from my pediatrician) is all for me doing the lap band but wants me to go on a no-carb diet to see what it does for me. I've tried to stick to it but have slipped up several times since Wednesday and feel like this could either come across two ways to others -- that I can't control myself on a regular diet and the lap band would force it upon me OR I wouldn't be able to do the lap band diet. I feel guilty about not following it perfectly but want the lap band so much I still feel like it is the right decision and woulld be able to fully switch over to the lifestyle. Hope this makes sense?

Hey all, I met with my doctor today regarding my going ahead with the lap band process and he was all for it. I was referred to get a Stress Echo test, Carotid Intima-media thickness, and CT Chest Screening. Have any of you gotten these done and what was the experience like? Thank you! Mark

I've considered doing it the "natural" way but I don't think the lap band as the easy way out, more of something that would force me into progress (if that makes sense). Nice listening to what you have to say, thanks

Thank you very much!

Hey everyone, This is my first time on the forum and I'm excited to be here my name is Mark and I turned 20 years old in May. I start my Graphic Design major at an online university in September after taking 2 years for myself after high school. I would say it has been a long term struggle for me as far as my weight goes. i don't remember being skinny except for pictures of myself when I was four years old. Since then I've always been heavier though never felt like it matched who i was inside. I can see now that in wanting people to get past the heavy image of myself, I tried tuning it out and sometimes over-being myself (if that makes sense) in hopes I would come across as exactly who I want to be. I was never really teased for being heavier though my dad was extremely hard on me growing up not allowing me to eat as much as my younger brother (we are adopted and he is a 6'2 very skinny athlete) which hurt a lot. Healthwise, my doctor has always said I am healthy but notes that there is concern about the future if i keep gaining weight. I'm not much of a binger but do not like vegetables and only like to swim/dance as a workout. i also had mild asthma when I was younger (has been around 3 years since I had a wheezing incident and needed a nebulizer). In February I had a very weird experience as my feet got extremely swollen and pale for a month, along with me gaining 20 pounds - they thought it was lymphedema but it ended up going away. It was then when I began taking my interest in the lap band a lot more seriously as a wake up call that I was tired of being overweight. Have been researching the lap band on-off since about August 2010, though it wasn't until pretty recently that I began admitting it to myself and to my close family/friends it is what I really want. My BMI definitely qualifies and as does everything else except that I do not have much of a history of dieting. However, i do feel that with the lap band it would be a constant reminder and motivator to make a complete lifestyle change. So far I have told my mother, brother, best friend/roommate, a cousin who had the surgery done 3 years ago, and two other best friends. Most of my friends, my brother, and cousin have been extremely supportive. My mom wants to know a lot more information about it (she has had her own weight issues so I can relate to her) before being completely approving which is fine. However, my best friend since kindergarten (who is probably around the same weight as I am) reacted very negatively when i told her I was researching it, saying that I should lose the weight on my own/it is major surgery and knowing me i think it is care free (that hurt me)/she would have a heart attack if I did it. I have no idea how to go about this as I want to fix my health and feel more alive but i really don't want to lose her as a friend. Sorry for making this so long... hope it was a good read haha. I hope to be an active member and make some friends! Mark