Sharpie

too much fun, it's good to see you are still here. lurking is fine. I've been lurking myself. my 5 year bandiversery is the 15th of this month. I am still happy I made the decision to get healthy and I have gained about 5 lbs over the past 5 years mostly this last year because of letting my guard down. Dating and becoming engaged this past year has made me happy and I have eaten more . I have to get myself back on the program now so I don't get out of control. Take Care and keep us posted on your progress.

that is so funny Liz, I was completely surprised but of course excited. I am a very lucky woman at my age to find someone who is just a loving, interesting, kind man. We enjoy so many things together. I truly feel blessed. Glad to hear you and Corey are still together.

Okay ladies, Big News.. My guy proposed to me this past Tuesday nite. We normally sing karoke on Tuesday nites with a group of friends. apparently he invited the whole world to this event without my knowledge. We arrived as usual and everyone I mean everyone I knew was there. didn't think about it much except I commented on wow I see people who I haven't seen in months. his response was well I did tell them your birthday was this week so they might have come for that? Long story short, he sang "I Swear" which is by john micheal Montgomery, (country song).. and then asked me to come up front, he dropped on his knee and totally took me by surprise,. gave me a beautiful diamond ring, It couldn't have been more romantic. I am such a lucky woman. apparently my best friend and him had it planned.. he bought champagne for everyone and of course I said Yes.. lol so now my motivation to lose some lbs will be our wedding which we haven't set a date for yet. My 71st birthday is today and I am feeling very blessed. Hope you all are well and have a wonderful holiday.

On ‎12‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:04 AM, JustWatchMe said:

How are my peeps? I’m frustrated with ten pounds that won’t budge since summer. I did a two-day P rotein S hake reset this week and I thought I’d never make it. lol. How the heck I managed six weeks post-op on l iquids is beyond me.

Hey girls , bet you thought I had dropped off the earth.. still here still doing well, I am a little bit over my goal weight, now 135, I think I have been happy in love and eating out too much. had my skin surgery in March, feel so much better without the apron. my guy has had a few health issues but overall we are still doing great, went to Vegas in June going to go again in January.

I will try to attach picture . I think about all of you often, we also had a hurricane and were without power for 5 days It was difficult but no damage and no injuries. keep praying for the people in Puerto Rico it must be horrible for them.I'm like you Liz, no exercise and no control over sugar again. long term success is difficult. I still am happy I Had it done and have restriction, too much sometimes not enough other times. I had a hard time logging in , forgot my password but finally figured it out.

I will be checking in more I need all the support I can get.

so here is a dating story from an older lady. I had a lapband when I was 66. I lost my husband of 39 years a few years ago. He loved me fat or thin. I also lost 3 other members of my family at that same time . I was depressed but knew I had to try to maintain my weight loss. Met a man through a weekly charity poker game. so long story short, he asked me out and I told him up front about my weight loss surgery and I had a lot of apron skin at the time. I still started to feel confident because he always said he didn't care about that, liked me because I was confident. I had skin surgry last Spring and he was by my side and took care of me. Life has no guarantees and it goes by so fast. If a man only cares about you if you are perfect and thin you need to find someone who is genuinely caring and honest. I am very blessed and we are now engaged to be married and he still loves me for who I am. sometimes its destiny. Get out there and live life, and if it's meant to be it will happen.

Thank you for responding. I have been disappointed in the attitude of people who feel it necessary to post negative comments regarding the band. I stopped posting even though I am extremely happy with my decision to have the lapband. Having any weight loss surgery is frightening enough without the negative nellies and know it alls posting how they have found the best way and how dumb we were for having a lapband. I want everyone to think before posting and please stop giving advice that is not asked for. I had skin removal surgery one week before this photo and I haven't had any issues with the band or the abdominoplasty. keep on doing what you feel is best for you. I pray you are successful.

I had my band January 2013. I couldn''t be happier, there are problems with all wls surgery. I have had people who had bypass who nearly died, Ive had sleeve people stay sick all the time its not the easy way out no matter what. the band does require more compliance and being alert to what you are eating and how much. I wanted to lose enough to get rid of diabetes, high blood pressure and wanted to feel better. I was 66 when I had mine done. I also had skin removal surgery this past March and have not had any complications. I know everyone has their opinion but bashing the band on the lapband forum is why so many of us have stopped commenting or following the forum any longer.

Dating at any age is difficult. At age 68 my husband of 39 year passed away. It was a difficult year during his illness. fortunately I had lapband surgery in 2013 and lost 70 lbs. It gave me the energy and mental ability to deal with his illness and I was able to care for him until he passed away. I had no intention to date or get romantically involved with anyone. Felt like I was too old . I went to the gym and helped with my grandkids and felt life was going to be a lonely time for me. I was invited to a charity poker club and started playing twice a week. I met a man who was single had been divorced for many years. We spoke some at the poker club , he asked one of the other guys if I was single. He asked me out to dinner and the next week was my birthday (70) he came and now we are together. He makes me feel so young and happy. I believe dating and being happy is about your attitude but you have to feel good about yourself first. If I had not had surgery and lost my weight, I doubt I would have had the courage to get involved with anyone. He knows I had WLS and is proud of me. He tells me I am beautiful every day. Keep working on yourself then get involved in a activity where you could possibly find someone special.

I was banded in January 2013. I have managed my band quite well. I am still very thankful for the band and the results. I do know it takes patient compliance to be successful. It's not easy to change your lifetime habits, some people can do it successfully some cannot. My Surgeon told me the same thing he is not recommended the band as much because of patient non compliance. It's more difficult to manage than the sleeve. I have maintained my weight loss since my first year. I have been able to maintain my health as well, no more diabetes, no more high cholesterol or high blood pressure. My life has taken some turns such as losing my husband of 39 years and other family members in a short period of time and the urge to overeat or eat out of pity was there, fortunately my band is a constant reminder to not do that. Banding is not for everyone and everyone has their own reasons and choices. I hope everyone is comfortable with their choices and I would not say one or the other. Glad to see some of the Veterans here expressing their views. If I were to experience issues with my band I would probably opt for the sleeve.

Hey girls , bet you thought I had dropped off the earth.. still here still doing well, I am a little bit over my goal weight, now 135, I think I have been happy in love and eating out too much. had my skin surgery in March, feel so much better without the apron. my guy has had a few health issues but overall we are still doing great, went to Vegas in June going to go again in January.

I will try to attach picture . I think about all of you often, we also had a hurricane and were without power for 5 days It was difficult but no damage and no injuries. keep praying for the people in Puerto Rico it must be horrible for. them, . I had a hard time logging in , forgot my password but finally figured it out.

I will be checking in more I need all the support I can get.

hi Mal welcome . You will be so happy that you made the decision to change your life. at age 66 after many years of being overweight I had health challenges that I needed to fix. Being obese was shortening my life. I also felt I needed to look better as well. Not knowing that my life was going to take a hard turn. My husband of 39 years passed away 2 years ago and thankfully I was healthy enough to care for him in his last years. I am also short 5 ft. 0 .. I was about 200 lbs when I had my surgery in 2013. I cannot explain to you how awesome it feels to be a normal size and be healthy . It is not the easiest thing to do so don't let other people tell you it's the easy way out. You have to comply with the rules and don't expect big losses every week. stay on the forum and ask questions. There are a lot of veterans here who can help you.

I am doing well. wore my size 6 jeans to a birthday party then we went out to karoke and dancing . it was a cool evening so I got to wear my boots too. my tummy is so flat, I am very pleased. my incisions are healing well a little tender in some parts but overall I am doing really good. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

14 hours ago, JustWatchMe said:

Sharpie, you look beautiful!!

thank you so much. I am feeling good and hope it continues. I had a few really tired days and just stayed in bed. Thankfully my guy doesn't mind cooking and taking care of things. I am very blessed to have come through the lapband process and the skin surgery and be happy with both.

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 9:07 AM, gowalking said:

So we all sound like we've got our challenges...and trying to deal with them as folks who are years out from WLS. It's not a magic bullet for sure and is very much a daily struggle to stay on track.

I am understanding that for me, this surgery feels like a setback which I know is not but I feel like it's my fault and part of the guilt I feel for putting my body through such trauma by carrying so much excess weight. No one thinks I did this to myself but I know that I do. It's why I'm having such difficulty during my recovery. I feel like I deserve these problems because I let myself get so fat. Yes I know this is not reality but my perception. It just shows that I carry stuff in my head and likely always will.

I totally take responsibility for any and all of my health issues caused by being obese My diabetes has been gone for years but before that it was a daily chore to keep it normal. scared the hell out of me , high blood pressure is not joke either, can cause strokes, etc. so much healthier now than I was before band. update on panni surgery, drains are out. still sore, went out last night for a little music and dancing (not too much ) but got tired really quick. We came home early and I haven't been up much today, Bob made me promise I would keep it down today. He really didn't want to go out last night but I had cabin fever.

so, he gave in and took me out .. he has been so good taking care of me. hope everyone is healing well. got no big plans this weekend except try to get back to normal. P.S the surgery was totally worth it.

well here it is day 4 of the pannilectomy surgery . less sore, still really tired. I am not used to sitting around much so that partis soooo hard. my daughter has been trying to control me and Bob (boyfriend) doesn't know quite what to do with me. but I get to take a shower today can't wait. I am so anxious to see how I will look without the flappy stomach. I am supposed to get my drains out soon. will post more later.

Had my panillectomy surgery yesterday morning. All went well. sore this morning but glad its over. I haven't had a flat tummy in ,many years.. Bob was great first thing he said to me when I came back to recovery is

"You are so beautiful".. My daughter came to help so she and Bob spent some quality care while I was in surgery. She had to go get RXs done after . She is a awesome girl (I am partial).. Bob already got on me this morning, said I was doing too much he doesn't me some comfort foods this morning. I had talked to the physian assistant about it yesterday, I know I will be on Facebook this am so I need a nap already . liz glad you are recovering and Cory is also a good guy and I am happy he is there with you . getting ready for my morning nap. Take Care

Thank You . I am truly blessed to have found another wonderful man in my life. My husband of 39 years was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and I did not think I would find someone else at my age like that. Bob came along like it was meant to be. He said the Lord sent him to me to take care of . I love my lapband too and know how fortunate I am to have gained control over my health so I can continue to live my new life.

here we are at Universal in Orlando. spent two days walking and waiting in lines. Bob's kids came down from Ohio and we enjoyed their visit. 4 years ago I could not have done any of the walking or standing. Love my band and love my life.

Stay strong girls life is an adventure.

well girls I will be going into surgery this time Wed. I am having a TT will be happy to have that overwith. the apron has been so annoying. I am scared but know I will be happy afterwards. My guy is going to take care of me post op he is a amazing man. He's 100% supportive . I will try to post before and after photo's. Liz hope you are doing well.

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 7:47 PM, gowalking said:

Aren't we lucky to have found love a second time?

I think I am very lucky to have found someone like Bob. at my age I had thought that part of my life was over.

yes I totally know how you feel. When Bob was in the hospital last week I felt like a lost puppy even though I spent as much time as I could with him, I spent the first night after surgery in his room. he was so sick I stayed up all night hoping he would be okay . we both are so happy when we are together it's scary. I almost forgot how my life was without him. he must have told me 20 times how much he loved me when he was waiting for surgery, think the drugs had him a little nutty.. lol anyway I know that I hate sleeping without him also.. even now he is still sore and not recovered we have to be careful how we cuddle.. I am amazed at how much I love him already . my daughter is finally getting better about him being with me. so, I hope cory is able to stay close to you. Life is such a adventure sometimes , but its all supposed to work out. Take care of yourself and you are in my prayers.

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 8:19 AM, gowalking said:

Oh girls...things have gotten so much worse since I posted on Sunday. My back gave out on Wednesday. Like an old tire that just blew. I did see the surgeon yesterday as was scheduled but instead of being able to consider back surgery in the future, I'm faced with no choice but to undergo the procedure as I can barely walk at this point. There's nothing more can be done for me medically or otherwise and until I have the surgery on April 25th, which is his first opening, I'm almost completely bedbound.

I've been crying for days. All my plans are out the window. My trip to Scandinavia is at risk. I've been planning this for over a year...my trip of a lifetime...and I may very well have to cancel it. I won't be able to see my grandson or baby sit him as I'd planned. I likely won't be at his second birthday party. I won't be going to Atlanta with Corey as we had planned...or all the other things he and I have planned. I have to call HR first thing Monday morning to make sure I am protected at work while this is all going on. I had a great manager when my hips were done and he assured me that I should take the time I needed to get well. I don't have that manager anymore and I don't trust this one at all. I may have to work from home till this is all taken care of and she probably won't like that.

The good news is that the surgeon says this will work and I'll be better. The other good news is that I have a man who is with me for the long haul. All of a sudden he has a girlfriend who went from going and doing and keeping up with him to one who has become a burden. He says of course not but that's how I feel. Like I'm a burden and he's been saddled with damaged goods. I feel so guilty even though he tells me to stop and that he doesn't feel that way at all. I'm overwhelmed as you can probably tell....

I know you can't do anything for me but any encouragement at this point would be appreciated. I'm feeling very sorry for myself as you can imagine...but you girls have been through the ringer with me...as I've been with you and I feel like I can put it out there and you can help me see my way out.

Anyway, that's the story and I so hope things are going gangbusters for you all. Have a great Saturday and I'll 'talk' with you soon.

Liz

oh my dear Liz I am so sorry to hear about your back issue. But, trust your Dr. and look forward to better days. You are always so optimistic for all of us so you will get better and Cory will help. I haven't been on the forum because, my significant other had a colonoscopy on the 15th, I brought him home and later that night he had horrific pain. I rushed him to my local ER, found out they had pierced his colon during the scope. He was rushed into surgery and it was repaired but what a horrific week. I got him home yesterday and he is doing better, still sore and very tired. Thank God I was with him and he wasn't alone, the Dr. said he could have died. I am having abdominal surgery on the 19th of April and he's on board for taking care of me. We discussed this way back when we first started dating and he absolutely is fine with it. I will be praying for you to recuperate well . I know your guy will take good care of you. Your plans can be re-made and you will be out and about before you know it. Take Care my friend.

Checking in now and again is a good thing, this is the only thread I follow pretty much. I am doing good, having skin surgery in April to remove my apron. a little nervous but I think it will be so worth it. I have a significant other . started dating him 4 months ago. We are very happy together, we have a lot in common. Did not really think I would take that leap again . Husband died in 2015 and it was a long happy marriage 39 years. but life does go on and I am going to live it . My health is good, no issues with anything. I just had a cold but otherwise I'm good band wise. Hope everyone is doing well and continues on a good path.

Liz you and I are about the same. Had my band on January 15, 2013. went to my surgeon on MOnday just for a checkup.. he said you look wonderful you are my poster child..lol. I told him I was dating someone and wanted to have my apron removed. He said great . my surgery is scheduled for April . I had some family coming down in March and wanted to be able to show them around. anyway, I have maintained my weight loss and couldn't' feel better. Extremely happy I did it and would totally do it again . I am not posting as much either but now and again I like to catch up with some of my old banded buddies.

Liz I am so thrilled for you as well. My best friend said we act like teenagers. you look so happy and your guy is cute. I did not think I would find love at this stage of my life.. but I am so happy and so lucky to have found my guy. He tells me everyday how much he loves me and we spend every moment we can together. so far so good. I was very concerned about sexual compatabiliy but we have so much chemistry it works. I know that I can live a happy fulfilling life even though I lost my husband. My daughter is slowly coming around, she was so upset at first but I told her I did not want to be alone for the years I have left, I deserve to be happy, my life the last 5 years or more has been total dedication to taking care of her Dad, she is an only child and I think she is worried about losing me to someone else. He is so understanding of my relationship with her and insists on my spending as much time as I can with her and my grandkids. That is one of the biggest reasons I love him, he wants me to be happy and knows how important my family is to me. We have discussed my skin surgery and he told me it doesn't matter to him but if I want to do it he's going to be with me and take care of me.. We are both lucky women there are so many lonely people in the world and I feel blessed every day.. take care and keep smiling .