NurseLydsss

At first my family MD did not like the idea as well....and she said, well I don't think you are that big to require surgery.....So I explained to her that I have been struggling with my weight for the past 7yrs, and each year I seem to be gaining more and if I don't do something about it now, it will only get worst....and I reminded her, she was the one who wanted to put me on metformin. Then she said to me you know what, I get it, I get it.....and have been more supportive since. The bad thing is for me, I work with my family MD, and so she sees me on a daily basis, so I have to push myself harder, just to make sure I do not embarrass myself by failing at this....

You are not alone...mine is scheduled a day after yours, and have been having negative thoughts about things that can go wrong in the surgery room and leaving my son behind....I'm a single mom, so I'm all he has. As for family I did not tell anyone but 1 person...she's supportive and have not said anything negative. But I do have bad dreams and think of all that can go wrong...I guess we are human, we have to consider the negative aspects as well but hope for the best. but We CAN DO THIS....nothing about this means we are killing ourselves, we are trying to get better and be better moms by trying to become healthier. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!

It helps to plan a menu for 2wks or a month ahead....that way you do not have to think of what you are going to eat for dinner. That will also help you to buy groceries that you actually need for the 2wks or the mnth. As a single mom with a busy schedule, that has helped me a lot, planning meals weeks in advance....I am pretty sure it will come in handy as a bandster, once I get banded. I also undesrtand how hard it is to work and go to school at the same time; so if your school ends late, I would suggest you have your bigger meals during the day and have a protein shake at 8-10pm....that way you get your protein needs in a "light meal form" with much less calories then and actual meal.....just my suggestion.... but don't give up, we all fall off the band wagon at times, we just have to keep picking ourselves up and try again untill we succeed.....Good luck and keep us posted!!!

So today was a very productive day for me.... Did all blood work, Had pre-op check up and all is good... PAID IN FULL (out of pocket, no insurance in covers this procedure in Canada unfortunately).....so now there's no turning back cause the money is non-refundable. 2 weeks off from work, check..... I also went to Walmart, did some shopping, thanks to you wonderful people on this site, I think I am going to be well prepared lol.... Got my heating pad, my soft plush...and supportive sitting up pillow, have no idea what they are called...loose clothing for the day of (hoping this will be the last plus size clothes I will ever purchase again), pain meds, gas meds... and over the wknd, will be going to Costco to stock up on shakes, broth and Greek yogurt. So grateful for your tips....I'm hoping all goes smooth sailing. So now, just waiting for the 28th.....I am nervous as heck, but excited as well..... BUT MAJOR THANKS TO YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE ON THIS SITE...WITHOUT YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, I THINK I WOULD HAVE CHICKENED OUT AGAIN LIKE 2YRS AGO....I HAVE THE SUPPORT OF 1 INDIVIDUAL IN MY FAM, THE REST ALL HAVE NEG. THOUGHTS WHEN I FIRST MENTIONED IT, SO THIS TIME AROUND DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TELLING THEM.....SO MY FULL SUPPORT SYSTEM HAVE BEEN YOU GUYS........SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS SITE AND ALL OF YOU!!!

oh ok thanks...I thought it was too good to be true lol....

Hello all, So since I decided to have the surgery; I have been reading a lot, I mean a lot of materials on the band as well as bandsters experiences. I must say, I have learned so much more from the bandsters . Anyway, one of the most talk about topic after tremendous weight loss is the loose skin thing. As I read, I came across some bandsters who swears by this new thing called "THE GALVANIC BODY SPA" . According to them, this product diminishes the amount of loose skin experienced. Now I can not vow for this product cause I have not used it, I was wondering if anyone here have tried it and if so did it work? I am also putting this info out there as well for those who wishes to try it as well.

I'm not banded yet, but soon to be...and right now i'm at 189, and have decided to do it so that the weight can stay off. My highest was 212lbs and I managed to loose 23lbs on my own...well I managed lose 42lbs all together but gained back 19lbs. so it's a constant struggle to maintain. So I think you should do something about it now while you can before it gets out of control. besides, with all that loose skin talk when one loses significant weight, I figure the earlier the less skin you have left over. Hope that helped and good luck. This site is very good for support.....

In the same boat as you, have been thinking about it for 2yrs. and those were my concerns, that's why I never did it. But now I have actually decided to go through with it due to this wonderful website. So many people, so many stories and most are encouraging; they tell you the good, the bad and the ugly. In the end, I decided, everything you do in life is a risk...having any surgery, there's always a risk of death; but I figure it's either I live my life unhealthy and unhappy about my health or looks, or take a risk that maybe be more beneficial in the long run as well as a risk of death. We can step out tomorrow on our way to work and get into a car accident or whatever and be gone. In other words, life is a risk, if anything goes wrong, that means it was meant to happen...if not, then we have a chance of improving our health and feeling better about ourselves. Hope that helped a little, good luck!!!

Hello Lyds here, Just curious to find out positive and negative experience of all banders who had their procedure done at SWLC. I have my face to face consult tomorrow, I can't wait...Just curious, please feel free to share!!!

Congrats...that date is my actual B-day lol...I'm hoping to get a surgery date soon as well...congrats!!!

Thanks brnsexe for the words of encouragement, I will definately go with him, as I found many to be saying positive things about him. Thanks again and good luck on your journey as well.

Hello all, Slim2009, Did you try going to the SWLC to see Dr. Cobourn? I've been reading other threads and apparently he helped a lot of people who were not banded at his facility. Try him if you have not. I'm not banded yet, but Slimband was the first place I contacted and had a consult a year ago. I was considering them until I did much research and almost on all threads on the internet, slimband patients are saying the after care sucks. And when something goes wrong, it's hard to get an appointment to see the MDs. So I decided to go with SWLC, apparently their after care is great according to most threads, there were some negative comments, but the positive ones about their overall experience, specially aftercare out weighed the negative ones and it's the oposite for Slimband (according to my 2yrs. research lol).

Hello Anew77, Just a question, what did you think about the surgeons at CIBO? I think they have a great program, but I feel like I need to learn more about how much experience their surgeons have and I have not found much reviews on past patients about their after care. SWLC, most people comment about the treatment they received regarding the after care, as with another clinic not to be named lol...there are tons more neg. feed backs about their aftercare then others. So I would love to hear feed backs from past CIBO patients.

Hello everyone...I'm new to this forum. A bit about myself, My name is Lyds, a 34 yrs old female from Toronto weighing about 190lbs. I have been looking and doing research on lap-band for the past 2yrs and have finally decided to go through with the procedure. However, the biggest issue I have right now is choosing a clinic. I had consultations at 4 different clinics and have narrowed it down to 2 (greeeeaaaaat). But unable to pick between CIBO and SWLC. I am considering CIBO because they offer life time after care as supposed to the 5yrs after care provided by SWLC and if you need fills or defilss afterwards, there are additional fees. But with SWCL, they have been around longer, and are well known, Dr. Coburn I feel is more out there promoting the topic and so forth (a bit well known and perhaps more experienced). Wheres as at CIBO, I have never heard of those surgeons, and they are reluctant to even name them on their website. When I asked the consultant I met with regarding that, she stated naming the surgeons were against some boards rules...can't remember what board she said. So I got a package from CIBO and in there they listed their surgeons; and I do plan on doing a bit more research on their backgrounds.....What do you guys think? I have been told that after care is extremely important, based on that, I would love to go with CIBO due to their life time after care. On the other hand (until I research the surgeons at CIBO) I would also think it is more important to go with the more experienced surgeon who is well known. please your feed backs wil be appreciated.... what clinics did you guys use, why and which do you recommend?